Before you get started doing Pilates, remember to be careful. If you injure yourself while exercising, you're hurting your health, not improving it!

Here are some signs that an exercise isn't right for you:

• You feel a sharp, shooting, or tingling pain while exercising.
• You feel a muscle pulling while doing an exercise, and the pain doesn't subside in a few minutes.
• Your neck hurts while doing an exercise.
• One or more of your joints hurt while doing an exercise.

Your lower back may feel sensations when doing Pilates, but that may not be a bad thing. Bad back pain is the kind that doesn't go away after a few minutes but lasts for days afterward. If you feel your back hurting when doing an abdominal exercise, you must modify it until you don't feel your back anymore. Usually you just need to pull your navel in a lot more. As your abdominal muscles get stronger, your back will stop bothering you.