I started because my husband bought a book required for a ROTC fitness course he thought he’d take as a refresher. He didn’t. At the time my back felt like it was made of Tinkertoys and rubber bands (four pregnancies). No ache, really, just a woggly-feeling back.

I did Pilates and within a week my spine felt more firm and secure. Within about three weeks, people were asking what I was doing to lose so much weight (I hadn’t actually lost any but my posture and tone had improved noticeably!) That spring, I went to watch my son play soccer, and near the end of the game I realized I had been sitting on the ground-something I hadn’t been able to do comfortably for years-through the entire game.

Then, having beaten the Biggest Baddest Team, my son, in his excitement, took off at a dead run from the other side of the field, straight at me. When he was 2/3 of the way across, I thought, “He’ll pull up. He’ll pull up.” He didn’t. He dove straight at me from five feet away. I caught him, rolled backwards, somersaulted him over my head, and sat right back up, totally unhurt.

If I had tried that six weeks earlier-pre-Pilates-I would have gone to the ER. Seriously.

Do it right…do it slow…do it daily (well, five days a week worked for me). You WILL see a difference.

I recommend Brooke Siler’s The Pilates Body as a way to start. You can’t do the exercises correctly if your head is swiveling to watch a video. Learn the rules and then mindfully engage and do the exercises.