SAN FRANCISCO, Ca., June 5 — So you've tried everything: treadmills, ellipticals, crunches, lunges, squats, swimming… stop, already! We're getting sympathetic muscle cramps. Guess you'll just have to learn to love the skin you're in, right? Wrong.
Mercantila Does Pilates!
How can rickets, asthma, and rheumatic fever do your body good? In the Beginning. A British/German boxer, a swan, an elephant and a Cadillac walk into a bar (stop us if you've heard this one)… Anyway. Joseph Pilates, who emigrated from Germany to Britain to ply his boxing/peforming trades, made it his life's mission to shrug off a string of childhood sicknesses - the aforementioned rickets, asthma, and rheumatic fever — and find true soundness of body. Over 20 years of self-study and apprenticeship in yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman physical regimens produced what he called "Contrology", which he used to help rehabilitate patients at British internment camps. His original series of mat exercises evolved at the camps, where he began devising crude spring-resistance equipment to rehabilitate his bedridden patients.
This discipline, which focused on the body's core set of muscles as the base of its power and balance, has caught on over the last decade. Exercises like the swan and elephant have been practiced on various pieces of equipment — the most deluxe of which, Cadillac Systems, look like adult jungle gyms and can be found in high-end gyms and studios.
Innovations
You're probably still waiting on that punch line. Okay: Hey, why the long legs?
Skeptical? No less a body expert than fickle, fantastic Hollywood has embraced Pilates, in its many forms as an ideal way to a lengthier, leaner look. And the movement, spurred largely by the Stamina brand's infomercial-driven introduction of Pilates to the mass market, means there's a product out there to fit you and your budget. Everything from basic exercise balls to Cadillacs can help, but our favorite product line is reformers. These horizontal, resistance-based beauties, which come in a huge range of prices, can help you address every muscle. Developments like Stamina's trampoline-like Free-Form Rebounder mean you can get your strength, toning, flexibility, and cardio workout in one package.
What’s In It For You?
Durability. Since Pilates passed the craze phase years ago, these manufacturers are in it for the long haul, and they're building their products accordingly. If it's not made of steel and/or hardwood, don't bother buying it.
All-in-one workouts. The Free-Form Rebounder — found in Stamina's hotter-than-hot AeroPilates line — adds a high-end cardio feature to mid-priced products. All reformers, even the $200-or-less value wizards, will help you gain flexibility, tone, and definition, but now you can get your pulse racing without a jaw-dropping credit card bill.
Community. You'll be able to call up Madonna and talk fitness routines. (Number not included with purchase).
Meet your match:
Since we like reformers so much, we're going to focus on those. But it's a pretty vast focus, as focuses go. If you're in it regardless of budget, we've got the Cadillac/reformer combo for you. Or, for the price of a small cup of coffee — oh, sorry. Wrong infomercial.
| Top shelf: Peak Pilates Cadillac Convertible; $5,794.99 |  Swings, springs, risers, mat, blocks, ropes, straps, trapeze, pole, oak, leather, and galvanized steel. Work vertically or horizontally. Work every muscle. Work in the circus (did we mention the trapeze?). | | Topsy-turvy: Peak Pilates Low Chair; $779.99 |  It's a chair! It's a workout! It's SUUU-per… uh, super-unique. It's a variety of the Wunda Chair, a Pilates line that doubles as furniture and leg-exerciser. It's handcrafted from birch and features great spring resistance, so you'll both look good in your living room. | | | Save & Share |  Hot Prices on Pilates!
Save 10% on any Pilates purchase over $50.00. Enter Coupon code P7TR5J at checkout. Coupon valid through 6/15/2006 at | | |
| Clearance |  Magic Circle Bonus Pack!
A free workout video, exercise chart, and free shipping turn the Magic Circle into a complete Pilates starter package for under $25. Magic? No, just a great deal.
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| Top Brand | | All the brand's reformer designs are based on the blueprints of the first mini-reformer from Joseph Pilates himself. It helped spearhead the discipline's movement and has been at the forefront ever since. The best part? Other than innovation (see AeroPilates, above), it's most known for affordability. The Stamina Store | |
| Penny For Your Thoughts? |  We sell a lot of stuff. Is there any particular line of products that's always mystified / fascinated you? (Go on, admit it. We're retail freaks. We're into this.)
Tell us why you're so curious -- give us a good enough story, and we'll give you the inside scoop. (Nobody wants pennies these days anyway.) Send your reply to readers@mercantila.com | | |
