If high-impact exercise leaves you feeling strained and drained, try Pilates. The physical exercises are based on low-impact flexibility and muscle exercises intended to re-center and realign your body, focusing on improved posture, increased circulation, flexibility and balance.
The Pilates (pronounced "puh-lah-teez") method is designed to work your muscles and mind in a new way. The physical balance supposedly translates into mental balance as well.
And the exercises come without the pounding along the pavement or slamming your shoes onto a hard gym floor. That puts a lot of strain on the joints and muscles of the over-40 set.
The method, profiled in a new book called "The Pilates Powerhouse" by Mari Winsor (Perseus Books, 1999), was developed by German fitness wonder Joseph Pilates. The technique has been used in elite dance circles for years.
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