Workout Review: Living Arts/Gaiam - Pilates Mat Based Workouts for Beginners

 

This is a Pilates workout video that was released in the early 2000s. It is a very good core strength/flexibility workout that lasts about 40 minutes, with 10 minutes of instructions on how to breathe when doing the movements, proper form, and the like, then a 20-minute workout, and a 12-minute energy boost portion (which is a bit more cardio-based). The instructor, Ana Caban, does a good job guiding the workout and keeping it moving without making it too challenging for a beginner. If you are doing a program like p90x it is a good workout to do on the rest day, if you want to get some activity but not do something as intense as the regular workouts. Plus, you get to rotate in something different so you do not get bored. It is definitely something that you can get better at over time even if you do not have a strong core or a lot of flexibility to start out with.