Pilates exercises: Stick with our program, and you too could realize the promise of the discipline's founder, Joseph Pilates.

In 10 sessions of Pilates exercise, you'll feel the difference; in 20 sessions you'll see the difference and in 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body. Who can pass up a pledge like that?

6 secrets of the powerful Pilates method

Traditional strength training often involves working your muscle groups separately, but Joseph H. Pilates created a practice to treat the body as one integrated unit. These principles reflect the discipline's focus on movement quality rather than quantity.

1. Breathing Breathe deeply to clear your mind, enhance focus and increase your power and momentum.
2. Concentration Visualize the movement.
3. Centering Imagine that all movements emanate from deep inside your core.
4. Precision Note your alignment and focus on what every part of your body is doing.
5. Control Seek to have power over your movements. Working with a ball is a special challenge since it sometimes seems to have a mind of its own.
6. Movement flow/rhythm Find a comfortable pace so you can do each move with fluidity and grace.

Mind-body focus of Pilates exercise

Pilates exercises are often referred to as a mind-body workout, but it's not as if you need to close your eyes, chant or meditate. Instead, you'll simply take your focus away from counting reps to noticing how your body feels as you use your core muscles to bring length to your trunk and limbs.

Keep reading for more about Pilates exercises and techniques.