PILATES CRAZE Pilates Strengthens & Gives You That Dancer Body You've Always Wanted! |  | Celebrities like Madonna and Jennifer Aniston have started a trend with Yoga and Pilates among women everywhere. Yoga focuses more on the spiritual side of life, whereas Pilates is all about strengthening your body and your core. Pilates is an excellent way to gain strength, grow muscle, and enhance endurance. So what is the “core?” The core muscle groups (also known as the “powerhouse” of the body) include the abdomen, lower back, hips, and buttocks. By doing Pilates, you will be working all these areas of your body during a low-intensity workout that helps you lose weight and burn calories. I began doing Pilates with an in-home DVD two months ago, and have already noticed that it gives me energy, strengthens my body, and helps clear my mind, all at the same time! So now you know why Pilates is becoming such a trend! | | | Cirque Du Soleil Performers Rely on Pilates | |  
Michelle Cassidy In Mystère by Cirque Du Soleil (pictures provided by PR) Many performers find that Pilates is the best way for them to stay in shape. Michelle Cassidy is one of the many dancers in Mystère by Cirque du Soleil, and she's also a five-year-lover of Pilates. To enhance and retain flexibility, Cassidy participates in Pilates three times a week. She feels Pilates “works muscles you never knew existed.” Coming from a strong background of dance, Michelle loves Pilates because it strengthens the important muscle groups she needs to perform well at every show, and it helps keep her injury free. Another important benefit that Michelle pointed out is that “it is impact free and uses your own body weight which avoids injuries by working with too heavy of weights.” Another reason Pilates is perfect for dancers is because it allows you to stretch all parts of your body while also strengthening them, and therefore it is an excellent exercise to use for warming up before shows.   
Where Does Madonna Go for a Workout Fix? | |  Where have celebrities like Billy Corgan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joan Cusack, and Madonna gone for their workouts and massage? They visit Body Endeavors, a beautiful, 2,500-square-foot studio at Halsted and Clybourn, in Chicago, Illinois. Madonna Loves Pilates & Used If For Rehabilitation (Photo Credits: DMI Photo) Madonna loves Pilates; after a recent horse accident, she used Pilates to gain a speedy recovery. “I used to be a freak about doing yoga, but I had to do a lot of Pilates to rehabilitate my shoulder joint and get the use of my arm back,” Madonna has said. When Madonna was in Chicago for her week of concerts at the United Center last month, she borrowed state-of-the-art equipment from Body Endeavors. Body Endeavors is a fully equipped studio that features state-of-the-art Pilates apparatuses like the Cadillac and Reformer, cardiovascular equipment and light free weights. Don’t worry, if you don’t live in Chicago, you still have options! Body Endeavors is an affiliate of Power Pilates, and Power Pilates offers online Pilates instruction, online classes and workshops, DVDs, products and devices so you can get the same training as Madonna from the comfort of your living room! Visit powerpilates.com to view these products and classes! | Now that you’re a Pilates expert and ready to get out there and strengthen your core like Madonna and performers like Michelle Cassidy, you’re going to need something to wear! Erebelle’s Yoga/Pilates active wear line is the perfect choice for fashion and function.  
Erebelle Yoga & Pilates wear at www.erebelle.com Erebelle is the first of its kind to dedicate each season’s complete line to a series of artwork, fusing together the beauty of art with the supple fabrics and explosive colors that create the durable, color-fast collection. We’ve tried Erebelle’s active wear, and trust us, it provides the maximum comfort level and movement allowance, plus it is completely form flattering! Pick up your own set of comfortable Erebelle Yoga & Pilates wear at www.erebelle.com Shop for Yoga & Pilates Necessities! | | | | | Also Try... | | | | | | Article Written By: Amy Jarvis; Amy is a graduate of FIDM in Los Angeles, CA and has recently crossed over from designing into the online world, writing and designing pages for Divavillage.com. |
