This time of year I am really only interested in one thing, gardening. I work myself silly digging holes, hauling compost and manure, and running around with a 2 gallon watering can trying to keep my new seeds damp (not to mention fighting with my 100 ft. garden hose, another specialty of mine). So I confess to you now that sometimes my body is just soooo stiff and tired that yes, I do skimp on workouts.

I do think however, that I can make a case for yet another type of Pilates fusion, Pilates in the garden. I felt this clearly the other day as I went to move a big metal wheelbarrow filled with rocks (why do I dream up these big landscaping projects?). Before I did my big lift, I dropped my shoulders, I settled my shoulder blades, I opened my chest, I braced my abs, I sent my tailbone down toward the earth, I engaged my hamstrings and wow, I took that ton of rocks right across the yard with no problem at all. I felt like Amazon woman. So the moral of that story is, take your Pilates with you. It's not just a studio event; it's a set of functional fitness skills that can make moving (or plowing) through life a lot easier.

The other part of the gardener's body story, and this applies to all of you weekend warriors - whatever spring fever has you doing, is that even if you're not up to a workout, a few stretches can make all the difference. I love to take time at the end of the day to, very informally, get down on the floor and stretch. Try it, you'll like it. Here are some stretches you can do:

• Pilates Stretches Promote Flexibility
• Pilates and Yoga Moves

I think Open Leg Balance is one of the most attractive Pilates mat exercises to look at. It is certainly one of most popular for Pilates pictures so I guess I'm not alone. When it's done well, with a strong abdominals and full extension of the legs, arms and spine it feels great and you can really see the lines of energy radiating from the core.

Open leg balance will challenge your abdominals, especially your lower abs, and stretch your legs. It is also a preparation exercise for open leg rocker. Try that once you feel comfortable with the balance.

Get the Full Instructions for Open Leg Balance

You can have the Exercise of the Week, along with other great Pilates info., sent directly to you each week in the free Pilates Newsletter.

_{photo: courtesy of Lara Kolesar of Kolesar Studios}

There is still time to buy great gifts for the special mom(s) in your life. Check out my list of Top 10 Pilates Gifts for mom or anytime. There is something for everyone - inexpensive to expensive, and things for beginners or more advanced folk. In fact, a number of them could be for Pilates or any fitness related activity.

If you want to be supportive of a mom who is already into Pilates, or encouraging to one who is thinking about it, a Pilates/fitness related gift will be much appreciated.
read more: Top 10 Pilates Gifts

Every year on the first Saturday in May, members and friends of The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) celebrate Pilates Day. Last year, as some of you might remember, there was a big Pilates Camp event in Florida and an international Pilates awareness campaign that included studios around the world offering events and classes for free or at a discounted rate. This year, the focus of Pilates Day is the PMA's Pilates in the Schools program.

The PMA created the Pilates in the Schools Program to help children "experience the mental, physical, intellectual and emotional benefits inherent to Pilates". Currently, it is a pilot program that includes PMA certified instructors teaching in schools as well as a Pilates Tools for Teachers Program. The program targets students at 5th grade level with selected Pilates exercises that have been shown to be safe and for that age group.

St. Philip's Academy in Newark New Jersey is the focal point of this years Pilates Day celebration. St. Philip's is a private, philanthropically funded school that serves at risk children, preparing them for attendance at prestigious preparatory schools. As part of the Pilates in the Schools program, Marggi Vangeli, a member of the PMA board of directors, has been teaching Pilates to the fifth grade class at St. Philip's Academy since February. For Pilates Day, the whole class will demonstrate their mat work exercises for specially invited guests including Pilates elder, Kathy Grant.

Related Links:

• About the Pilates in the Schools Initiative
• The Pilates Day 2008 Homepage
• The Pilates Method Alliance Website

The focus in Single Leg Kick is on working the often ignored hamstrings. However, keeping the abdominals very lifted and the shoulders wide and stable is also a big part of making this exercise a success. There is a coordinated breathing component of this exercise as well.

Get the Full Instructions for Single Leg Kick

You can have the Exercise of the Week, along with other great Pilates info., sent directly to you each week in the free Pilates Newsletter.

_{photo: Susie Haggas of Kolesar Studios, (c) 2006, Marguerite Ogle}

Questions about Pilates abound and I bet you're reading this blog because you came to this site looking for some kind of information. Well, no problem. There is plenty of info here - exercise instructions; equipment information; insights about classes, instruction, and certification and lots more. So take a look around.

Here is another great idea for getting Pilates info: The Pilates Forum here at About.com is very interesing. We've got people asking and answering questions on all kinds of topics. If you have something, anything, Pilates related on your mind that you want to share, feel free to join or start a discussion in the Forum.
Here are a few links to recent discussions:

• How are You Successful?
• Cueing and Demonstration
• Just Say Hi

Many women feel pressure to quickly lose weight gained during pregnancy. Somehow movie stars show up in magazines looking like they never even had a baby while so many other women spend years working their way back to pre-baby weight. About's guide to exercise, Paige Waehner, has written a wonderful common sense article, Losing Weight After Pregnancy, that I hope all new mothers wondering how to deal with postpartum bodies will read.
Related Links:

• Pilates and Pregnancy
• What Makes a Workout Cardio?
• Pilates and Weight Loss

Mermaid Side Stretch lengthens and opens the side body and spine. It teaches engagement of the scapula in the back, and how to connect a stretch all the way through center. Use Mermaid as a gentle warm up or a more intense stretch later in your routine.
Get the Full Instructions for Mermaid

You can have the Exercise of the Week, along with other great Pilates info., sent directly to you each week in the free Pilates Newsletter.

_{photo: Lara Kolesar by Peter Kramer, courtesy of Kolesar Studios}

Happy Earth Day! (April 22 is Earth Day)
Even our fitness choices can help the earth. Walking and biking for regular transportation is a good place to start. But let's add some other ideas:

• When you buy workout clothing, consider buying clothing made from natural, organic fabrics.
  
  Read reviews of lines that carry natural and organic clothing: be present and Lucy.
  Also see Blue Canoe and No Enemy in the clothing gallery.


• Exercise mats are now available in recycled materials and low environmental impact and less toxic materials than those made with PVCs.
  
  sources include: Drishti, Hugger Mugger, and Gaiam


• Please! No more throw away plastic water bottles!
  read more: Water Bottle Battles

Ultimately, our fitness and Earth's fitness are the same thing.

"Pilates is easy...unless you do it right". I saw this quote on a tee shirt recently and I think it's very true. Pilates exercises do look easy sometimes, and many of the exercises can be copied, in their general form, without too much effort. But to do them right and reap the full benefits - that's a whole other story.

There are over 100 sets of free exercise instructions on this site, along with numerous DVD reviews, and I hope you will take advantage of both. But I also encourage you, especially if you are new, to take a Pilates class or private lessons with a certified instructor. The reason is that to do Pilates well, you really need to understand the inner workings of the exercises. I try to communicate those as much as I can when I write instructions and describe technique, but nothing beats the help of trained instructor - someone who can see exactly what you are doing and help you with your alignment and direct your progress.

I worry sometimes that people who are depending entirely on written instruction and DVDs might miss a lot of the depth of what Pilates has to offer. For me, Pilates is an ever-evolving, fascinating challenge and I hope it will be that for you too. Here are a few links to get you started in the right direction:

• What is Pilates? - Info for Beginners
• 8 Tips for Choosing an Instructor
• Top Ways to Learn Pilates
• 6 Pilates Principles