As a former ZUMBA addict (i'm done due to a back injury and increased problems with Rheumatoid arthritis) I am looking for a fun (key word) energetic/fulfilling work out that gives me as much satisfaction as Zumba.. I have been reccomended Pilates by my doctor as a way to strengthen my core, limber up and also tone- NEVER done this before and it is a bit more intimidating to me than Zumba was/is.. Weird I know- Any feed back would be GREATLy appreciated...

I definitely wouldn't describe Pilates as "fun and energetic," but that's just me. I tried a few classes and wanted to put an icepick through my eye.

I enjoy Pilates. ESP after a week of high cardio. I do it every Sunday without fail. It isnt high energy but makes me feel wonderful. Helps my muscles relax and me feel less tense. Only on the floor though, I'm too clumsy for the BUSU.

I love pilates and yoga and have done both for about 9 months. The effects of pilates are gradual and you may think you aren't accomplishing anything until one day you realize that you lowered yourself into a perfect plank position without even thinking about it. I love to dance and pilates was so helpful in strengthening my core for balance. I would agree with Blackberry tho - fun and energetic are not 2 words I would associate with Pilates. =)

Pilates is not fun, energetic, or simple. But it is definitely serious exercise. My Denise Austin Pilates video is the only one that causes me pain when I haven't done it for a while. Major butt & thigh muscle soreness.

LML, I've been doing the exercise bike. By the time I crank up the tunes and get going, I find it fun. My goal is to make myself sweat and get in my 30 minutes of cardio every day, and it works well for that without making my RA knees feel like they've been put through the meat grinder.

I have a pilates reformer and use it every other day at home. I love it. I also do bowflex for upper body mainly, and do 1/2 hour of low impact step aerobics every day. Much easier, for me anyway than Zumba. In addition, my husband and I got into ballroom dancing lessons, and now we dance 1-1/2 hours four nights a week. It's very fun, and a good way to meet other people who are also interested in keeping fit. I also have the AbCirclePro, and love it for abs.

...for me Pilates is fun, but I just do the basic beginner routine. I have no idea what a basic plank is. lol I bought my reformer from QVC and it came with a little basic routine of about 50 exercises. It takes me about 1/2 hour to get through them all, and I had them memorized in very short order so that now I can move from one to the other pretty easily. For me, it's an easy full body workout. The only time I was sore was when I first started doing the "100" ab exercise. That is a killer at first, but now, it's pretty easy.