[Saispapedlimi]

NL, I am back at work, but the back still hurts. I wish it would stop! I am hoping the pilates machine will help with stretching and the like so some of this pain will go away.

Teuthis, Pilates ws originally developed for dancers, I believe, and helped to keep them limber, toned and give them those "long" muscles. The machine forces you to make sure that your body is positioned correctly much like a nautilus machine does the same for lifting weights. Exercises center around your core, which is essentially the trunk of your body (abdomen and back), using a sliding motion and resistance from bands for arms and legs. You can get an overall body workout. From how it looked, it's easier on joints, but still puts your muscles through their paces.
We'll see about that as between my back and my knees, I need to be careful. I am hoping that it will really help my abdomen since all exercise center there. To me it looks like a great way to be able to target all abdomen muscles (upper, lower and obliques) and inner and outer thighs rather than just quads and hamstrings. I'll keep you posted once I have it and try it out.