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Wall Pilates Workouts for Women: 50 Complete Video Tutorials and Illustrations to Lose Weight, Gain Confidence, and Get the Body You Want – 28-Day Ab Transformation Challenge Included

By: Evi Matonis
Publisher: Evi Matonis
Publication Date: May 30, 2024
ISBN: 978-1-915710-68-0
Reviewed by: Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr.
Review Date: June 6, 2024

Wall Pilates Workouts for Women: 50 Complete Video Tutorials and Illustrations to Lose Weight, Gain Confidence, and Get the Body You Want – 28-Day Ab Transformation Challenge Included, written by trained instructor and licensed physical therapist Evi Matonis, is similar to the slew of workout books that have come out over the last year, in the hopes of making sure individuals live their healthiest lives in body, mind, and spirit. The author speaks about the types of Pilates easily available to women and their special needs, the steps women can take to ensure they do not injure themselves, ways to modify and readjust if they need to focus their attention on other areas of the body; she also provides helpful diagrams and drawings for those who are visual learners and easy-to-read problem-solving tips so corrections can be made, if necessary.

Matonis begins her work with a brief history of how Pilates came to be: Joseph Pilates, a German-American prisoner of war, created this form of exercise (originally called Contrology) when observing the movements of cats while incarcerated on the Isle of Man. After experimenting, he recognized that his range of motion, strength, and mental well-being all were improved by doing these stretching exercises, and because of his success, decided to write two books on the subject matter. These books (Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education and Return Life Through Contrology) would later become the catalyst for future trainers who were attempting to improve the lives of their clients, and would later evolve to what is currently known as contemporary Pilates. Pilates have several foundational principles, according to Matonis: Centering; Concentration; Control; Breath; Precision; and, Fluidity. By regulating and optimizing one’s mind-body connection, Matonis claims: Pilates will not only help rehabilitate the client or the exerciser, but also strengthen the core, and allow for more physical flexibility and better balance. It is also worth noting that this form of rehabilitation can be effective when using both traditional and wall Pilates, although the focus of Matonis’s text is wall Pilates and, even more importantly, how women can thrive when and after using this popular form of exercise.

Generally, books like these speak only to, or place emphasis on, the physical advantages of exercising; however, Wall Pilates Workouts for Women changes that dynamic by speaking about mindfulness and how it plays a major part in one’s workout. To understand how the body reacts to the types of movements being done is imperative to the entire workout experience, and, more so understanding how your body is handling the exertion is key. Matonis writes in such a way that readers feel like she is personally speaking to them, even if the intended audience is women. Much of the introduction speaks about the cues needed for women to engage their core-navel to spine, breathing with rib expansion, imprinting the spine, and lifestyle and dietary changes; however, the book caters to all in that that it makes it seem like most readers can gain some level of education out of the provided information. It is because of this that there are moments in Matonis’s work where the audience is admittedly and unintentionally ambiguous. The drawings show readers women in various Pilates poses but the primary pronoun used throughout the text is “you,” so one does not know if the author is speaking to her, him or them, thus how is this material specific to women? A chapter about why these types of Pilates are most beneficial to women would have been a good way to offset this minor issue.

By adding the above suggested chapter, Matonis’s work would have been more empowering for women; but, what Wall Pilates Workouts for Women ends up being is a fantastic practical guide to getting stronger, healthier, and mindful. By the end of the book, Matonis makes sure her readers realize how important it is to be consistent and dedicated to this shift in lifestyle. This is a continuous journey toward a pleasurable destination, filled with improvement, persistence, and enrichment. Matonis is adamant about making sure that performing wall Pilates regularly should be a part of our day-to-day routine. By doing so, not only do readers get in shape but they also learn more about who they are, what they are capable of, and how they deal with low-impact, positive stress on the body. The idea here is to be proud of all that is achieved. As Matonis writes: “Perfection is not the goal, progress is.” As long as the mind-body connection is intact, and one puts forth the effort to keep it that way for as long as it takes, according to Matonis, joy is inevitable.

Quill says: Matonis produces a practical guide for women who want to learn how to build up their physical, emotional, and spiritual health using a form of Pilates that seems easy to do, but is certainly more complicated than it appears.