Something that I have been asked a lot recently is how often you should do Pilates for it to be most beneficial. Google says between 2-3 Pilates sessions a week is ideal but is this ideal for everyone? We all differ in so many ways, from our energy levels, our physical abilities, our schedules and our levels of motivation that the answer to this question couldn't possibly be the same for everyone.
Some people would benefit from one Pilates session a week, whereas others will thrive off only having one day off. Other people would benefit from 10 minutes of relaxation, stretching and low impact Pilates everyday whereas some people would find the same benefit from doing two high intensity Pilates sessions a week.
If I use myself as an example, I would say that doing at least 20 minutes of Pilates every day to be most beneficial as I find that if I take a day off, I struggle to motivate myself to get back into it again. Whereas other people don't have any problems motivating themselves and can easily do a few sessions a week and this works for them.
It also depends how much other exercise you do during the week. So, if you go for daily walks, swim, cycle etc then I would say one Pilates session a week would be plenty but if Pilates if your main weekly movement then upping the number of sessions you do, may be beneficial.
It’s also important to be realistic and even though prioritising movement is so important and should be something we all do, there are some weeks where you’re so busy that exercise gets put to the back of your mind – this is absolutely okay! No one is perfect and no one sticks to a solid exercise routine every single week. If you can’t fit in your normal movement then try going for a short walk or if you don’t have any time you could do some heel raisers and shoulder rolls while you’re cooking dinner or brushing your teeth.
If you’re new to Pilates and you’re not sure where to start, then I would suggest finding a weekly Pilates class that you can go to in-person or online. This means you’ll be able to work out what movement works for you whether that be high-intensity or low-intensity Pilates and what exercises would be beneficial for you to focus on in your own time. By going along to weekly classes as well, you’ll be able to work out if Pilates is for you or if a different form of movement might be more your thing.
So, I would say how often you should do Pilates is up to you, listen to your body and you'll find a Pilates routine that works for you, your schedule, your energy levels, your physical abilities and your levels of motivation.
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