You know the drill by now. Thanks to Oprah and a whole lot of interest in health and fitness in recent years, losing weight is not that much of a mystery anymore. First you need to watch what you eat, moderation being the key. Second, you need to keep your fluids up to keep those critical chemical reactions in your body running smoothly. And third that all-important ingredient: exercise.

Your exercise routine is the catalyst that brings it all together, helping your mood, digestion, energy levels and yes, weight loss. If you have spent any time at all on http://www.pilates-support.com then by now you already know that Pilates is great for that lean look, but you wonder perhaps whether Pilates is enough to give you the weight loss benefits as well. In this article we expose the two essential keys to getting the weight loss you desire from your Pilates routine.

The first key is to include cardiovascular exercise along side your Pilates routine. In terms of pure scale loss the real way to shed pounds is to burn off excess calories through some kind of resistance training and regular cardio workouts. However, Pilates is not itself a particularly rigorous cardio workout. It is important to stress that doing your Pilates routine more rapidly to gain the impression of cardio workouts is strongly discouraged. Pilates movements require precision and focus. Please do not hurt yourself by speeding up. You might consider the great trampoline routines now built into many of the Pilates machines. You may even investigate the great Pilates workout exercise DVD brought out by Christie Brinkley for the Total Gym, if that is your preferred hardware.

Alternatively, nothing particularly sophisticated is needed to get the cardio aspect of your workout done. Walking, swimming, bicycling, jogging or tennis will do the trick. Any of which options are certainly more interesting alternatives to the dreaded treadmill or stationary gym bike. Adding any of these routinely to your regular Pilates workout will make a big difference to your weight loss goals. Of course shedding pure poundage is only part of the equation; you need to make sure you are measuring your progress correctly.

The second key is found in adopting a more accurate measure of your weight loss. We recommend that your progress can be better calculated in inches (not just in pounds). Toning muscles to give that leaner look is, after all, the Pilates way. The secret exercise weapon of choice for dancers for decades, Pilates excels at toning your traditionally most difficult areas to deal with: your butt, abs, underarms, and thighs. Not to say you have to choose between weight loss and muscle tone, but remember that you may well shed that excess weight but gain some much-needed muscle. That new muscle may be heavier than fat, but it is also denser, so it occupies less space. An added plus is that muscle burns more calories so it is far more efficient at maintaining your new weight and level of fitness. Which is why the measuring tape better monitors the truth of your progress than the scale.

So to recap: ensure you add some cardio exercise to your Pilates workouts, and remember that weight loss and muscle gain can offset each other so keep an eye on the tape measure rather than the scale. Follow those two simple guidelines and your weight loss goals will be well served by Pilates.