The Pilates Body: The Ultimate At-Home Guide to Strengthening, Lengthening, and Toning Your Body--Without Machines

As a complete novice on Pilates and its background I started looking at all the books I could on the subject a few months ago. I had read about Pilates in the Daily Telegraph - the first time I had ever heard of the programme.There are two points I have to make as a novice - 1 -I'd never heard of Pilates before - and so I wanted to read as much as I could and try things out before I bought and - 2 - there are some very very good books out there on the subject . So I am definitely not an expert opinion here but just an enthusiastic amateur. And I am enthusiastic about it.First off - if you haven't tried Pilates before - like I hadn't - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by just how easy and fun the exercises are. Every book I read emphasised the need to move up the level of difficulty slowly - which means I have made very noticeable improvements, but I really enjoy the exercises each day. Its a bit like yoga and certainly uses some parts of yoga in the exercises - only I find I domy Pilates exercises where I never really liked yoga that much.Why do I like this book better than the others I used? Well I found the programme and the explanations which Siler used the best. Each Pilates book I read seemed to have slightly different combinations of exercises and different orders - but all the exercises are essentially the same so I don't know if there is really that much basic difference in them. In the end I just preferred the order and the presentation of Siler's book. She has all the philosophy of and explanations of Pilates in the first few pages. What I liked best though was the is a two page 'order' of exercises - where each exercise is a small picture to remind you of where you are up to. Following that each exercise is given a double page spread with one page devoted to what to do put in simple bullet points, and the facing page a bullet point list of things to concentrate on while doing the exercise.So while I did like many of the other Pilates books I found this one the best.

Phenomenal and most of all do-able. This Pilates book has the best explanations and illustrations of all the ones out there. I know, I was in the mall and I checked them out.I bought this book over 6 months ago, as I felt I needed more than just a regular workout on an elliptical machine. I wrote a review on it shortly after I started and I wanted to update that as a number of people have emailed me for more information.Some background. I'm 43, female and 25% overweight, not exactly your svelte exerciser, so I knew I needed a routine that wouldn't hurt but would would get results. I work in an office and nothing is worse than sitting at your desk all day aching from the previous day's exercises.I started as recommended with Modified beginner exercises, the seven basic exercises and did this for about 3 weeks. No pain but some tightness I could feel in my abdomen. As I became confident, I moved onto the regular beginner exercises. Basically, I used my ability to do the "hundred" as a measure of when I was able to move on. I could see my progress from day to day. It was really neat. I did the exercises at least 5 days/week.As time went on I added more exercises from the full program. One or two each week depending on if they were similar or really hard to do. Some were, some weren't. Still no pain. I am now doing almost all (over 95%) of all, but the advanced exercises at least 5 days/week along with my elliptical machine routine and some weight lifting for my arms. I don't have time, I make time. In my opinion, this is as important as paying my bills. In someways, this is just what I'm doing. One question, I have been asked is am I seeing muscle definition. The answer is definitely yes. I am still overweight. I'm working on that too (I've lost 25 pounds through just exercising), so I'm not seeing a washboard stomach, as the fat above the muscles are still obscuring them, but I can see definition of my ribs and hips, along with distinct muscles in between. This is nothing I've ever seen before, even in my skinny high school days. One interesting measure of how far I've gone is watching my teenage children trying to mock me doing the exercises. Both are slim and in good shape, but neither can dive in and do the intermediate exercises that I'm doing with the same ease I am. In fact they are shocked they can't do more than a couple repetitions. Not because it hurts so much, but because they have not build up the strength. That is another thing that I mentioned in my previous review, these exercises provide the feedback you need to continue on. You see it in each day in each exercise as they become easier. Also you see it in your day to day tasks. For me, it was an excellent investment.

I've been interested in Pilates for a long time, but don't live anywhere near a trainer (and couldn't afford it anyway)I read article after article until I finally purchased Sean P. Gallagher's book on Pilates. I was so disappointed.There was so much to concentrate on for each exercise, and so many to go through. And no matter what I did it meant purchasing expensive equipment within a few weeks (thousands of dollars worth...) I tried for a few days and then gave up in disgust.Then I read a review for "The Pilates Body." What can I say, everything that has been said is true!Siler recommends taking all the time you need to learn the movements, she provides modified exercises for beginners to build up to the actual exercises and she gives a much more indepth account of Pilates system than I've ever seen before.The information on visualization and the mental aspect of a workout is not present in any other materials I have seen. There is no strict program provided (a plus or bonus depending on how you look at it...) instead the reader is encouraged to progress at their own pace, not moving on until they have the previous movements down. Finally, instead of trying to sell the expensive equipment, Siler is the ONLY Pilates trainer I've EVER seen who says that the original system never had equipment, and that the matwork alone can give a complete workout.I now have confidence in my ability to perform the exercises properly and effectively (though it'll take a long time, I think it will be worth it)This has become one of my favorite books, it is so well written and effective, and most of all Warm and friendly.

The clear, well written directions in The Pilates Body led me to immediately retrain my breathing. As I sat at my desk at work I could practice. Then I could easily recall that simple direction as I stood to walk. By concious awareness of the directions given by Ms. Sidler, I was able to eliminate pain from my knee and arthritic hip. And that's before I even got home where I could practice the basic exercises in The Pilates Body.I found it easy to look at the pictures and directions while moving through the routines. I especially appreciate the beginning beginners section. It encourages me to go on when I might become overwhelmed by the full routine. The conditions in my left leg have made most exercise difficult or impossible. But with the above mentioned improvement, I have recommended the book to others, and plan to give it to my daughters.The choice of paper stock use for the cover and body of the book is so enjoyable to touck; it just adds one more dimension to the total pleasure this books brings to my life.

Ms. Siler's book is probably the most inspirational exercise/spiritual motivator that I've come across in a while. Siler has developed a program that is easy to follow, feels great and (most important) is something I really enjoy fitting into my day. I've dabbled in Pilates before but since moving to a small town, I haven't found the program locally. I'm delighted to have access to it again through The Pilates Body--the exercises are easy to follow and the book is well laid out. Check out the "no-nos" that alert you to ways you may be doing the exercises incorrectly. Most exercise books don't include these types of tips. I highly recommend Siler's book.