Pilates Isn’t a Trend. It’s Preventative Care. (2026)

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Dec. 19, 2025 8:47 AM PT

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The modern wellness landscape moves fast. New types of workouts constantly pop up, each promising more in less time. Pilates doesn’t really play that game. It never has. On episode 7 of the ‘Live & Well’ podcast, host Melissa Magsaysay speaks with Forma Pilates founder Liana Levy about why the practice continues to hold its ground, even as fitness culture keeps reinventing itself.

Pilates was never designed to compete with cardio. It wasn’t meant to exhaust you. The point was always something else. Slowing down. Paying attention. Building strength in places most people don’t realize they’re ignoring. As Levy puts it, “It is low-impact movement. It’s not supposed to be fast-paced. It’s not supposed to give you the same result as cardio.” Pilates will introduce you to muscles you didn’t know existed.

You’re focusing on alignment and breath. It’s not flashy but is really works. Pilates targets smaller stabilizing muscles that don’t necessarily announce themselves during the workout, but quietly determine how well the body holds up over time. And the next day, if you haven’t practiced before or it’s been a while… you’ll definitely feel it. “The intensity is in the movement,” Levy explains, “because it’s slow and controlled.”

Why Slow, Low-Impact Movement Matters

There’s a reason you see reformers in clinics. Pilates has long existed alongside physical therapy, and that’s not accidental. It strengthens without forcing the body into positions it can’t support. “It’s used for physical therapy, for recovery from injuries, from surgery, from frozen shoulder,” Levy says, pointing to its role beyond aesthetics.

The work isn’t fast. That’s part of the point. Slower movement exposes imbalances. It makes compensation harder. And these tiny muscles have a terrible memory. Because many of the muscles involved don’t build memory easily, the benefits depend less on intensity and more on repetition.

“If I don’t do it for two weeks,” Levy admits, “it’s like I’m starting over.” This is both frustrating and very revealing. Pilates doesn’t reward bursts of effort. It responds to consistency.

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Pregnancy, Postnatal Recovery, and the Body in Between

Pregnancy can change everything about how the body organizes itself. Pilates doesn’t try to override that. It adapts. During pregnancy, the practice emphasizes breath, pelvic floor engagement, and stability, offering structure without strain.

“We focus a lot on the pelvic floor,” Levy explains. “Breath helps you in delivery, believe it or not. But it also helps your recovery.” Staying active through controlled movement keeps muscles engaged even as the body changes.

Then comes the “after” part. After childbirth, the work shifts again. Posture changes. Core muscles lose coordination. Everyday movements can feel unfamiliar. Pilates doesn’t rush that process. “It [pregnancy] does certain things to your body that you may not be totally aware of,” Levy explains. And so the goal isn’t snapping back. It’s reassembling thoughtfully.

(Kamil Macniak/Kalim )

Mat vs. Reformer: Where People Get Stuck

The reformer can be intimidating. It looks mechanical. Complicated. A little unforgiving. But for many beginners, it actually makes things clearer. The springs offer feedback. The resistance slows you down.

“The reformer is like a guide,” Levy explains. “It helps you slow down. It helps you position yourself.” When alignment is off, the machine tells you immediately.

Mat work is a different beast. Mat Pilates removes those cues. It’s just you and gravity. Done well, it’s incredibly effective. Done without guidance, it’s easy to miss the point. “If you’re doing it precisely and you know what you’re doing, mat Pilates is almost just as effective,” Levy says. But precision is the operative word.

Pilates as a Practice, Not a Performance

Pilates doesn’t reward spectacle. There’s no peak moment. No finish-line feeling. It’s more like a moving meditation.

“I look at it the same way as meditation,” Levy says. “If you want to get good at something, you’ve got to do it every day.” Not necessarily for long. Not even perfectly. Just consistently.

Short sessions are fine. Enough to reconnect to breath and alignment. Enough to remind the body how it’s supposed to move. But then you find yourself standing straighter in line at the grocery store. Over time, that awareness leaks into daily life. How you sit, how you stand, how you lift something heavy without thinking about it.

Why Pilates Endures

It’s not just a fad. Pilates continues to gain traction not because it’s flashy, but because it meets people where they actually are. It supports bodies in transition. It helps rebuild strength after injury, during pregnancy, after childbirth, and through the slow changes that come with aging. It asks for attention rather than intensity, consistency rather than extremes.

Click here to listen to the full conversation where Levy dives into why Pilates feels intimidating, how influencer culture has crept into studio spaces, and the mistakes beginners often don’t realize they’re making.