Lori Harvey Swears By Pilates To Stay In Shape, So I Tried It For Myself

I tried The Pilates Class to achieve my fitness goals.

Fitness is not a sprint, it’s a lifestyle. I’ll admit that this winter was a bit hectic when it came to maintaining my fitness goals due to my hectic schedule. However, I’m at a point in my life where I no longer dwell on the past. Instead, I moved forward in strength — one step at a time.

When it comes to my fitness goals, I ideally try to commit to working out 3–4 days a week. Let’s just say that my winter schedule was not at all in line with my fitness objectives. Instead of dwelling on not keeping up my goals last season, I decided to “spring forward” and dedicate the entire month of April to focusing on my physical health and physique as I prepare for the upcoming festivities of Summer. (FYI: Bikini season is just weeks away!)

My workout of choice? Pilates!

When choosing how I’d reach my Spring fitness goals, I couldn’t help but remember last year when former Style and Beauty Director of Essence, Blake Newby asked Lori Harvey at the MET Gala how she achieved her eye-catching abs. The “Pilates Princess” aesthetic quickly began to flood my timelines after the famous beauty entrepreneur revealed Pilates is her go-to for abs that command attention.

What is Pilates?

The activity was created in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates, a German physical trainer to rehabilitate soldiers returning from war. “It is a type of exercise focused on improving flexibility, strength, and body awareness. Pilates focuses on very controlled movements, traditionally using bodyweight as resistance,” explained Jacqui Kingswell, co-founder of The Pilates Class.

Pilates has a number of benefits including releasing tension and improving posture — all while bringing awareness to both your mind and body. “Once you feel the overwhelmingly positive impact Pilates has on you it’s near impossible to remove it from your routine,” Kingswell promised.

What is The Pilates Class?

Kingswell comments were just the confirmation I needed to try The Pilates Class, an online fitness studio co-founded by Jacqui Kingswell and Natasha Oakley that offers a range of restorative and low-impact classes.

The workout app is rumored to have celebrity users like Nina Dobrev, Kaia Gerber, Shanina Shaik, Olivia Culpo, and Sydney Sweeney. It was definitely a welcomed inspiration!

Getting started

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I decided to try the Four Week Beginner Program on the platform, which includes introductory classes on how to properly complete movements. I found that the workouts were beginner-friendly and didn’t leave me feeling overwhelmed or discouraged.

Besides being able to work out from the comfort of my home, I instantly loved that the platform has over 250 videos to choose from and allows you to filter by duration, intensity, and workout type. It was a big bonus that the app is available for both iOS and Android users as well as easy to watch on a laptop, iPad, or even airplayed on a TV screen.

Week one and two left me excited and eager to return thanks to Kingswell’s in-depth explanation of the techniques. While I don’t see any major physical differences, I could actually see subtle improvements in my posture and even movements in the program.

There are one-on-one classes that thoughtfully take you through what you should be feeling when you do certain workouts and explains how you should be positioned. I didn’t follow along with these workouts because the constant adjustments made it a little difficult to keep up with, however, I watched, took notes, and kept the tips in mind for my next session.

The results of Pilates

After weeks three and four, my posture improved significantly. Spending hours at my desk has taken a toll on my posture, so Pilates has become my go-to to combat bad posture.

Before beginning Pilates, Kingswell stressed that form in everything in this workout. “You will get the most out of your workouts by perfecting your technique early on. Also, remember, some of the best burns come from slow, controlled movements!”

I can say that my body feels lighter and my muscles feel stronger.

While Pilates may be trendy at the moment, Kingswell believes it’s deeper than that. “The nature of Pilates is nourishing, sustainable, and transformative — toning, lengthening, and aligning the body and mind, which is one of the reasons why I think it’s so pervasive.”

I couldn’t agree more. Overall, I plan on continuing the Pilates practice to keep my body looking and feeling its best.

Editor’s note: The author didn’t include before and after photos of herself because she wanted this story to focus on how her body felt after the program rather than how it looked.