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Should you do Pilates or yoga? Which is best for weight loss, burning calories, and toning your muscles

February 23, 2021

You’ve heard Pilates and Yoga thrown around in conversations at coffee shops and work, and you want to start a program this year. But which one is better for you, specifically? Here’s a quick glimpse into a few of the differences.


Both Pilates and yoga are exercises that focus on the mind-body connection and offer similar health benefits, including improved strength and flexibility. But their approaches and goals differ.

Here’s what you need to know about the differences between Pilates and yoga and which is best for you.

Pilates vs. Yoga: What’s the difference?

Joseph Pilates invented the Pilates method in the 1920s. It is designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body through specific exercises and focused breathing. Types of Pilates include mat and reformer — which uses a special exercise machine with a sliding platform and cables.

“[Pilates has] a high emphasis on neuro-motor control and training your brain and your nervous system to be able to finely tune and control your movements for the desired effect,” says Catherine Lewan, a licensed physical therapist who uses both yoga and Pilates in her physical therapy sessions.

Yoga originated thousands of years ago in India and is a mind-body exercise. Many different styles of yoga exist, from hatha yoga to hot yoga, but all involve moving through different physical postures. Yoga incorporates different breathing techniques, such as moving with one breath per movement. Some types of yoga include meditation.

“Pilates is very repetitive and focused on strengthening small stabilizer muscles. So you may feel more strain in your muscles when you do Pilates,” says Rachele Pojednic, an assistant professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at Simmons University. “It feels a little bit more like a strength type of workout, where yoga tends to be a little bit more fluid. Often, there’s music, and you’re moving with your breath.”

Both build strength and flexibility

A 2015 study found that hatha yoga participants saw improvements in muscle strength and flexibility after 12 weeks. A small 2014 study also found that women who practiced Pilates for 12 weeks improved their muscle strength and torso flexibility.

Pilates may be slightly better than yoga for improving strength, particularly core strength, because it often uses an external stimulus, such as the reformer, whereas yoga uses your own body weight, Pojednic says.

“Yoga is probably going to be a little bit better for flexibility,” Pojednic says. “The poses are really about stretching your muscles and creating a little bit more space in your body.”

Yoga is better for cardiovascular health

Faster-paced versions of yoga, like vinyasa, elevate your heart rate more than slower, restorative types of yoga or Pilates. “Pilates doesn’t tend to have that very vigorous type of format,” Pojednic says.

A small 2017 study found that practicing yoga every day for a month reduced participants’ blood pressure, a key indicator of heart health.

Yoga may be better for improving balance

Both yoga and Pilates improve balance. Balance is important for preventing falls, which is especially important as you age.

Because yoga often includes specific balancing exercises, such as poses where you stand on one leg, it might be more helpful for balance. “In yoga, you’re actually practicing the balancing, and in Pilates, you’re toning the muscles that will be helpful for balance,” Pojednic says.

Both can help you lose weight

If you’re trying to lose weight, how many calories you burn while exercising matters. The calories you burn during yoga and Pilates will depend on the type you practice.

For example, the American Council on Exercise found 50 minutes of:

  • Hatha yoga burned 144 calories
  • Power yoga burned 237 calories
  • Beginner Pilates burned 175 calories
  • Advanced Pilates burned 254 calories

Other measurements have found yoga can burn even more: 540 calories per hour for vinyasa yoga, a vigorous style.  

A 2013 review found that yoga programs often help people lose weight. A small 2020 study of obese young women with elevated blood pressure found mat Pilates also reduced body fat.

To lose weight safely and effectively, you should work with a doctor or nutritionist to create an individualized plan for diet and exercise.

Yoga is better for reducing stress

A 2019 study compared women who practiced yoga and women who practiced Pilates. The study found both types of exercise improved self-reported measures of well-being and psychological distress, but the yoga group saw greater improvement.

Some yoga involves deep breathing, which calms the nervous system and reduces stress.

“One of the critical elements of many yoga practices is combining the actual breath with the movement that you’re going through,” Pojednic says. “Although you certainly are encouraged to breathe with movement during Pilates, I think that the combined effect of moving with breath that yoga offers is going to be a more potent stress reduction stimulus.”

Which is better for you?

Yoga and Pilates can be “well suited to all different types of bodies and all different types of abilities,” Pojednic says. You might think you need to be flexible and strong or have a dancer’s body, but you don’t, she says.

“If somebody gets a little bit more excited about strength training, they probably will like Pilates a little bit better,” Pojednic says. “If somebody enjoys fluid, full-body motion, I think that they would gravitate a little bit more toward yoga.”

 You can try yoga or Pilates in the following ways:

  • Private instruction, which tailors workouts to your needs
  • Mat and reformer Pilates group classes
  • Group yoga classes like restorative, Hatha, and vinyasa

Reference: {https://www.insider.com/pilates-vs-yoga}


ABC Fit Studio has pilates and yoga classes that you will not only love but will get you results — plus, we can help you pick the perfect program for your goals! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or call us at 949.305.3310 for more information! 

Looking to try something new and to belong to something spectacular? We have just what you need! Our space, instructors, and clientele are second to none! Come witness the benefits of pilates and yoga and watch your body (and your confidence!) transform! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or give us a call at 949.305.3310 to get started!

Filed Under: ABC Blog

It’s Never Too Late to Lose Weight, New Study Confirms

January 22, 2021

2021 has officially arrived, and perhaps you’re feeling the effects of having been cooped up more than usual over the past several months. Gained a few extra pounds and concerned with how you might shed them? Not to worry, here’s a study that confirms you can lose weight, and that age is actually not a barrier as so many commonly think!


“It’s never too late to make a change” is one of the most uttered clichés in the fitness industry. Of course, it refers to the idea that you can alter your life—sometimes in a significant way—no matter how old you are. And now, a new study confirms that truth when it comes to losing weight.

Researchers from the University of Warwick and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, both in England, found obese people over the age of 60 are able to lose weight at the same rate as younger people by only using lifestyle changes (changing diets, exercising more, etc.)

This refutes the common misconception that older people have a “reduced ability” to lose weight, lead study author Dr. Thomas Barber, of Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, said in a release.

“Age should be no barrier to lifestyle management of obesity,” Barber said. “Rather than putting up barriers to older people accessing weight loss programs, we should be proactively facilitating that process. To do otherwise would risk further and unnecessary neglect of older people through societal ageist misconceptions.”

Researchers looked at the weight loss journey of 242 patients at a weight loss clinic and split them into two groups—one with people under 60 and one with people ages 60 to 78. The older group actually had a bigger average decrease in body weight, 7.3 percent, compared to the younger group, 6.9 percent. Both groups spent a similar amount of time at the weight loss clinic.

The program only used lifestyle-based changes for the weight loss, meaning no surgery was performed to help patients shed weight.

As we’ve written in the past, obese patients who lose weight have shown signs of reversing conditions like diabetes, cancer, and even depression. This new study shows that weight loss can and should be an option for older people who want to improve their quality of life.

Reference: {https://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/news/its-never-too-late-to-lose-weight-new-study-confirms/}


ABC Fit Studio has pilates, TRX, Zumba, yoga classes, and more! You will love our instructors, motivation, inspiration, and your results! We offer private AND group classes – and you can even create your own group classes at a time that suits you! Visit our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio) or call us at 949.305.3310 for more information (We always have specials! Ask us about our latest offers!). 

Looking to try something new and to belong to something spectacular? We have just what you need! Our space, instructors, and clientele are second to none! Come witness the benefits of pilates and yoga and watch your body (and your confidence!) transform! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or give us a call at 949.305.3310 to get started!

Filed Under: ABC Blog, Motivational

Instructor Spotlight – Alicia Arroyo

December 30, 2020

ABC Fit Studio is so excited to have Alica Arroyo join our team of instructors! Alicia has been teaching group fitness for 14 years and has been licensed to teach Zumba for a little over 13 years. In that span of time, she has also taught most group fitness formats that include sculpting, barre, mat pilates, and just about any dance format. As a Zumba instructor, Alicia was licensed to present for Zumba in 2010 as a “Zumba Jammer” teaching original choreography to other instructors to help provide them with fresh original material for their own Zumba classes. This included hosting 3-hour workshops at least once a month, in addition to teaching about a dozen weekly Zumba classes (pre-covid). Alicia has hosted nearly 200 of these workshops. She also appeared on the Zumba DVD in 2010 and many promotional TV spots for Zumba Fitness. Alicia has also had some pilates reformer training through Balance Body and has been AFAA certified since 2006. Alicia lives in Rancho Santa Margarita with her husband of 26 years and has four children, three sons, and one daughter. Her two oldest boys are away at college. Make sure to hop in for some Strength+Balance+Core, Zumba, or Booty Blast on Tuesday & Thursday mornings with Alicia!


Fun Facts About Alicia Arroyo


Fun Fact #1

Alicia has homeschooled her kids for 6 years. Her two oldest sons who graduated got full scholarships to Chapman and Stanford University. Her oldest son graduated from Chapman as their first Rhodes Scholar and is currently in Oxford England.

Fun Fact #2

Alicia was born in Mexico and came to CA when she was 8 years old. She is fluent in Spanish.

Fun Fact #3

Alicia used to be in kid’s plays and sang and acted in them that toured So. CA in the early ’80s. They were called Kids Praise and she was featured in their album recordings and Videos too.

Fun Fact #4

Our amazing Studio Manager Julianne was in the 2010 Zumba DVD’s with Alicia and they have been friends ever since!

           


Looking to try something new and to belong to something spectacular? We have just what you need! Our space, instructors, and clientele are second to none! Come witness the benefits of pilates and yoga and watch your body (and your confidence!) transform! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or give us a call at 949.305.3310 to get started!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

2021 The Year Of Hybrid Fitness, Predict ClassPass & Mindbody

December 9, 2020

The holiday season is a truly welcome respite — especially for this year! After a challenging 2020, it’s time to look back on some of the positive outcomes and silver lining. Read on for some great new statistics on how fitness fared and what it looks like heading into 2021.

  • One in four professionals is exercising more now than at the start of COVID-19.
  • Yoga was the top digital workout of 2020, with HIIT the top in-person workout of the year, while outdoor fitness classes surged by 400%.
  • 12 pm on weekdays and 10 am on weekends was the most popular time to work out.
  • Pure Barre (New York City), Love and Alchemy (LA), and BLOK (London) have proven most popular for digital classes since the start of the pandemic.
  • Wellness and beauty treatments spiked by 25% following the US presidential election.
  • 92% hope to return to fitness studios and gyms in 2021, with 40% planning to return exclusively to in-studio workouts.

NEW YORK CITY, United States — Fitness and wellness aggregator ClassPass has released its annual report, spotlighting the leading trends observed in a year rocked to its foundations by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Most promisingly, especially given 95% of fitness studios around the world were forced to shut their physical spaces due to coronavirus, the report found that one in four people are exercising more now than at the start of the outbreak. 

The company’s insights, compiled from 30,000 boutique studios, gyms, spas, and wellness partners across 30 countries, also reveals which studios and types of workouts best transitioned online. And, why, 2021 will be “the year of hybrid fitness” —  a prediction shared by leading voices at both ClassPass and wellness platform Mindbody.

“An incredibly challenging year”

Commenting on the report, Kinsey Livingston, ClassPass VP of Partnerships said: “2020 has been an incredibly challenging year for the fitness community, but it has also been one that reflects the grit, resilience and creativity of the industry.

“Fitness fans have continued to show up to class, whether virtually, distanced in parks or back in studios,” she told Welltodo.

“One of the biggest changes we saw this year was a shift to daytime workouts as many people began working from home and fitness fans prioritized outdoor workouts. With many new companies investing in corporate wellness benefits, lunchtime sweat sessions have become the norm with professionals.”

She added: “We have also seen a big increase in the number of ClassPass members booking beauty and wellness services as members have looked for ways to balance self-care outside of exercise.”

Here we run through some of the key trends highlighted in the report.

COVID-secure outdoor workouts surged 400%

The report found that while 81% of ClassPass customers tried digital workouts, outdoor fitness classes have emerged as a new trend in their own right.

Outdoor classes saw a 400% increase, with US luxury chain Equinox leading the way on both the East and West coasts, while four in five reported a willingness to attend these classes in the future.

The ClassPass report found residents of Los Angeles in the US and Edinburgh in the UK ranked most likely to exercise outdoors, with New Yorkers and Londoners most likely to stream their workouts on-demand.

Yoga is the most popular digital workout of 2020
According to ClassPass’ report, yoga rose in popularity by 25% to be the top digital workout of 2020, and most popular for someone taking their first Livestream class, followed by High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Pilates. 

That trend was also reflected in the studios that have proven the most popular for digital classes since the start of the pandemic: Pure Barre in New York City, Love and Alchemy in LA, BLOK in London, and Equal Yoga in Amsterdam were the big winners. 

With yoga and bodyweight workouts the common thread, Oncore (London), Chez Simone (Paris), Saints & Stars and Delight Yoga (Amsterdam), and Mo’s Bootcamp (NYC) also proved adept at transitioning online. 

HIIT is the most popular in-person workout of 2020
The demand for in-person studio and gym classes remains strong, with HIIT the top in-person workout of 2020, followed by indoor cycling and reformer Pilates in both the US and UK. 

According to a separate study conducted by ClassPass last month, which surveyed 2,185 people from 19 countries, 92% of professionals hope to return to fitness studios and gyms in 2021, with 40% planning to return exclusively to in-studio workouts when they feel safe to do so. 

Almost nine in 10 said they would go back as frequently, or more so, to future indoor fitness classes. 

The US election triggered a wave of wellness treatments
ClassPass also reported a spike in wellness and beauty treatments following the presidential election in the US. Stress-relieving beauty and wellness appointments were up by 25% in the three days after the ballots closed. 

The most booked appointments were massages, facials, and nail treatments. The urgent demand for post-lockdown haircuts also increased by 82%. 

“Massages and manicures have become the perfect Sunday treat for people who feel comfortable with 1:1 spa services, and meditation is a popular way to destress with bookings up by 19%,” Livingston said. 

Corporate wellness is now a must-have
With one in four professionals exercising more now than at the start of COVID-19, ClassPass believes corporate wellness benefits have now become a must-have for companies to support their staff. 

Its report found that 96% of professionals say they feel more motivated and less stressed after exercising, with 89% of professionals saying they feel more productive during the workday after exercising. 

“Since the start of the pandemic, ClassPass has offered remote fitness benefits to one million employees across companies of all sizes,” read a statement from ClassPass, released with the trend report. 

“The interest from companies is continuing to grow, and we expect fitness and wellness benefits to be more important than ever in attracting and retaining talent.” 

2021 will be the year of hybrid fitness
While ClassPass’ data suggests fitness fans have overwhelmingly embraced digital workouts, Livingston believes members are eager to reintroduce equipment-heavy classes back into their routine as soon as it’s safe to do so. 

“Looking into the year ahead, we expect many fitness fans to mix at-home workouts with in-studio classes,” she told Welltodo. 

“60% of our members say they will continue with a hybrid of digital and at-home workouts in 2021, so it’s likely they may lean into digital classes such as yoga and HIIT that require little or no equipment and return to studios for classes that are tough to replicate at home.” 

And based on Mindbody’s own findings, the prediction appears to be shared across the industry. “2021 will be the year of hybrid fitness,” Phil Coxon, Managing Director EMEA told Welltodo.

Adding: “We surveyed consumers in September and found that although they have missed in-person classes greatly, 75% said they’d continue taking virtual classes in addition to returning to their studios once the pandemic is over.

According to Coxon: “Consumers love the affordability and accessibility of online classes and this has been proven by the skyrocketing demand we have seen for our virtual wellness platform.”

However, he’s hopeful that as life returns to normal in 2021, virtual classes and content will continue to grow in popularity.

Reference: {https://www.welltodoglobal.com/2021-the-year-of-hybrid-fitness-predict-classpass-mindbody/}


Looking to try something new and to belong to something spectacular? We have just what you need! Our space, instructors, and clientele are second to none! Come witness the benefits of pilates and yoga and watch your body (and your confidence!) transform! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or give us a call at 949.305.3310 to get started!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Pilates: Why you should add it to your fitness regime

November 19, 2020

Whether you’re already committed to a fitness routine or thinking about starting a new one, Pilates is an often overlooked practice that is great to incorporate into any schedule. 

Here are a few of the many benefits of Pilates. Call us to learn more or schedule yourself into one of our classes — we have many options available, and one to suit your specific comfort level! 

(949) 305-3310. info@ABCFitStudio.com


Pilates has not gained as much traction as other fitness routines like yoga. But it can be beneficial.

Pilates is the go-to fitness choice for many celebrities, fitness gurus, Instagrammers and models. Are you still debating whether to give it a try? Here are some benefits that will motivate you.

  • Increased body strength

While in a gym workout, you isolate muscles or group of muscles to build bulk, in a pilates workout builds long, lean muscles by adding strength to weaker muscles and giving a break to dominant muscles. Your body gets over muscular stamina with less bulk and less effort. Also, you will see an improvement in the functional fitness of your daily life because of enhanced body strength.

  • Makes you more flexible

In addition to increasing your body strength, pilates is also about stretching and a safe increase of the muscles. This does not mean putting your legs behind your head or full splits. Rather it is about increasing your natural and practical flexibility. Research has shown that 20 sessions of this fitness regime can result in a 20% increase in flexibility.

  • Tighten core muscles

Pilates is all about the core muscles that includes the entire midsection like your back, abdomen, pelvic floor and more. The core muscles are essential for a strong back and good posture that helps in creating a well functioning and relaxed body. Pilates exercise engages your midsection primarily for challenging your body stability and proper alignment. Research has shown that your core strength can be improved in 12 weeks of undertaking this regime.

  • Improves posture

A bad posture is linked to headaches and back pains, while a good posture looks appealing, improves your breathing and increases oxygenation. As noted above, pilates creates a strong back and abs. A strong core aligns your spine and balances your body, resulting in improved posture. This will help you get through your daily life with greater grace and ease.

  • Burns calories

When you are exercising, one of the main things you look for is burning loads and loads of calories. Even though pilates is about strength, flexibility, and creating lean bodies, it is equivalent to a cardio workout. During the workout, all your connective tissues and muscles are working with the exact amount of force and support, leading to the burning of calories.

You can feel the effects of pilates even after a single class. And once you start seeing the long-term effects, you will be hooked for life.

Reference: {https://www.buzztribe.news/pilates-why-you-should-add-it-to-your-fitness-regime/}


Looking to try something new and to belong to something spectacular? We have just what you need! Our space, instructors, and clientele are second to none! Come witness the benefits of pilates and yoga and watch your body (and your confidence!) transform! Visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/theabcfitstudio or give us a call at 949.305.3310 to get started!

Filed Under: ABC Blog, Pilates

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Recent Posts

  • Should you do Pilates or yoga? Which is best for weight loss, burning calories, and toning your muscles
  • It’s Never Too Late to Lose Weight, New Study Confirms
  • Instructor Spotlight – Alicia Arroyo
  • 2021 The Year Of Hybrid Fitness, Predict ClassPass & Mindbody
  • Pilates: Why you should add it to your fitness regime

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