I always get asked by people, “If I start doing Pilates, how often should I come in to the studio?”

 Well, it’s like training for a 10K or a bike race. You need to start building strength and stamina and only after you’ve done that can you back off and just maintain the new-found Pilates muscles that you’ve trained. So, I usually tell people to come at least twice-a-week, if you want to see results, and three-times-a-week if you can. Then, after a few months, you can back off a bit, and come just once or twice a week. If you don’t take the time at the beginning to learn how to do it correctly for your body, with an instructor who knows more than just the choreography of the work, then you really won’t get to the point where you feel the difference that Pilates can make.

Also, remember that Pilates gains, in terms of understanding and strength, can be plotted on a graph as a staircase and not a flat incline. This means that you will have some periods of time where you are really questioning if you understand the work at all. You aren’t sure what you are doing wrong and you aren’t sure how to make it right. And then, after a bit of a struggle, you will make a breakthrough and your Pilates practice will transform. And so will your body.

Keeping up with your training and dropping in for private lessons to focus on your individual issues will help minimize your vertical climb on the graph. But keep in mind that you aren’t alone. Everyone’s been there.