Pilates - is the benefit worth the money ?

[CW1]

Hi,
Have been suffering with a bad back & pain in an arm which the doc has put down to poor posture. The job I've been in for the last 6 months is really sitting in a chair all the time & I have felt my neck getting stiff. Anyway, doc says I need to improve my core strength & recommended pilates.
She says I need to be in a class where I can get some individual attention & has recommended a clinic. I explained it all to them in an e-mail, they replied suggesting one on one for maybe 5 sessions (£50 each) then two on one (£32), eventually going to a group session.
Seems expensive, probably 'cos a clinic, but that's the route I'd prob go down if I do it.
Is it worth it ?
Thanks

[cecil39]

the Doc also suggested that to me CWI, but I told her I could not afford it, so she told me to aquire a large medicine ball and sit on it and just concentrate on ballancing, it did the trick, and I never looked back, maybe I was lucky but I had been in pain for eighteen months before that.

[CW1]

Sounds a great idea, cecil39.
Have had a quick look online & wondering - d'you mean the ones you pick up & exercise with or the massive things at gyms (not sure what they're called) ?

[CW1]

Ah, gym ball. Plenty on eBay. Thanks, cecil39, you *might* have just saved me £100s ! :o)

[gingejbee]

..and, if you still want to try pilates, you can borrow books and DVDs from the library to get you going.

[CW1]

gingejbee, I do actually have a pilates DVD. Bought it years ago (was dead cheap !) but couldn't get on with it, so I would need some instruction to know I was doing it right if I went down that route.
If I get a ball though, what do I do with it ? Just sit on it ??