Pilates- The Green Way to Lose Weight on Your Vaca

Just because you're on vacation doesn't mean you have to get fat. Sure, taking photos and doing touristy things is great! But let your vacation do double duty as a mode to get healthy too, by incorporating a green exercise that you can do anywhere- Pilates.

In this multitasking society, we are no longer satisfied with one-dimensional anything. Cell phones also connect to the internet, lunch breaks do double duty as meetings, air travel offers the opportunity to catch up on missed movies, even elevators and gas stations are equipped with televisions to ensure incessant stimulation. Seems we are able to combine business and pleasure, relaxation and rejuvenation into just about every facet of our lives. The spa world has taken a cue from our determination to lead active green lifestyles and supplementing the basic restful routine of massage, facial, hot springs, rest, and refueling, with classes and workshops that engage both the mind and body, without impacting the environment. Yes, yoga took the resort world by storm as a natural shoe-in within the om-style atmosphere, but Pilates is now rivaling yoga in retreat popularity.

"People go to spas because they feel good and they are good for you. A Pilates retreat is a natural addition to the spa scene since it is all about general health and well being," notes Mari Winsor, creator of Winsor Pilates, who is involved in Pilates retreats at upscale resorts throughout the country. "At a spa you are out of your element without the distraction of your everyday routine. You don't have to jam Pilates in and run to your class after work. You get your spa, spa meals, you lose weight, and you get to focus on your Pilates practice, going deeper into the mind/body connection. Pilates retreats are about all over well being and promoting good habits."

Jeanette Newman, Pilates instructor at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa adds, "The expanding Spa Pilates trend is due to the fact that Pilates is both an efficient and functional form of exercise. Busy professionals and others who don't have much time to devote to working out, find they can achieve tone and flexibility goals more quickly through Pilates than other types of exercise." Cardio classes have become boring for the experienced exerciser who is looking for something more that just stepping up and down or side to side to get a workout. They have specific goals, and want to meet these goals while experiencing the least amount of boredom and pain. Whittling the middle for both aesthetics and health reasons has prompted the trend of core-focused fitness- Pilates being one of the most core-centric practices of them all. Newman knows that her students are looking to Pilates retreats for more than just the mind calming and body chiseling effects. "Pilates training builds a balanced body with a strong core. These qualities enhance everything from walking to sports performance, reduce the chance of injury and can sometimes reduce or eliminate back, shoulder and neck pain. As the Baby-Boomers age, they are getting smarter about fitness and more interested pain and injury reduction."