2. EXAMPLES OF PILATES EXERCISES

Single Leg Stretch: Lie on your back with your legs straight. Bring your right knee into your chest as the left leg lifts a few inches off the floor. Grab your right ankle with your left hand and put your right hand on your knee, doing all of this while you inhale. Deepen the belly in toward the floor and curl your head and shoulders up off the floor as you exhale. Switch legs and do ten reps.

Pelvic Curl: Lie on your back with your knees bent and the feet flat on the floor. While exhaling, do a pelvic tilt by engaging your lower abdominal muscles and pulling your belly down toward your spine. Let that action press your lower spine in to the floor. While you inhale, press down through the feet and allow your tailbone to begin to curl up toward the ceiling as your hips rise, then your lower spine and finally middle spine. You will come to rest on your shoulder blades with a nice straight line from your hips to your shoulders. Do not arch beyond this point. As you let your breath go when exhaling again, use some abdominal control to roll your spine back down to the floor. Repeat this four to five times in your workout.

Spine Stretch: Sit up straight, and your legs should be stretched out straight with your feet flexed back. Reach the top of your head to the sky but let your shoulders stay relaxed. Inhale and reach the arms out in front of you, shoulder height, then exhale as you curl forward with a long neck and dropped shoulders.

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