So you’re ready to get started with a new health and fitness regimen. You’re feeling motivated, inspired and ready to get your body moving.

The question is, what sort of fitness routine are you going to try out? If yoga or Pilates had crossed your mind as possible options, you might be wondering which one of the two fitness practices is best.

What is the difference between yoga and Pilates?

To neatly answer that question, you’ll need to first decide what it is that you are trying to achieve. Weight loss? Flexibility? Health Benefits? Mental and emotional benefits? Strength gains?

Though both yoga and Pilates are low-impact, bodyweight workouts with physical and mental components, they definitely offer different advantages in terms of the benefits of each. Whether yoga or Pilates is the answer for you will depend entirely on your personal goals.

In this article, we’ll dive into the similarities and differences between both yoga and Pilates to help you decide which one is best for you.

• Weight Loss

If weight loss is your primary goal, honestly, neither of these two exercise regimens should be your first choice. Both yoga and Pilates can be great supplemental workouts, but neither of them are really going to provide you with the calorie-burning or muscle-building necessary to lose substantial amounts of weight.

Checking in with your diet and adding strength training to your routine are better choices when it comes to weight loss.

• Core Strength

Though both Pilates and yoga can greatly improve overall core strength, Pilates is known for its focus on movements that stabilize and strengthen the muscles of the back and core.

Pilates exercises are going to be a bit more intense than yoga poses which may result in better and/or quicker results. Better core strength translates to a firmer, flatter stomach and abdominal muscles as well as improvements in both balance and posture - benefits you’ll be able to reap from either one of these exercise modalities.

• Flexibility

One of Yoga’s major draws is that it promotes flexibility throughout the entire body, including the joints.

Pilates offers some flexibility benefits but is focused more on strengthening muscles overall.

• Health Benefits

Both yoga and pilates have a slew of anecdotal evidence that they aid in relieving back pain by strengthening and supporting the back muscles. But yoga has plenty of research-backed evidence of its health benefits, too.

Between improving quality of sleep, relieving chronic pain including joint pain and arthritis, and reducing inflammation in the body, not to mention it’s effects on lowering high blood pressures, alleviating respiratory conditions, and type 2 diabetes.

• Mental and Emotional Benefits

You could file this one away under health as well as mental and emotional, but both yoga and Pilates are excellent stress and anxiety-relievers. Studies have shown that yoga can literally decrease the amount of stress hormones in the body , leaving you feel more relaxed after your session.

Yoga definitely stands out as having a bigger mental component to the practice. Of course, this will depend on the type of yoga class you choose, but as a whole, yoga tends to be more focused on the meditative aspects of movement rather than on physical fitness. Exercise in general, no matter the type you choose, has shown to be helpful in preventing as well as alleviating depression .

• Energy Boost

Exercising and moving the body is an excellent way to boost your mood and elevate your energy levels, and both Pilates and yoga fit right in with that. Starting your day with some balancing and opening yoga poses or some Pilates breathwork can help wake you up and get your energy flowing - a boost that can even help you cruise through those mid-day slumps.

Here’s the takeaway: both yoga and Pilates are excellent exercise modalities with a slew and both brain and body benefits. They both are low-impact, have great options for beginners and advanced exercisers, alike, and require little to no equipment.

Both yoga and Pilates can have impactful benefits for your overall health, though if you have specific health or fitness related goals, one might be better than the other for you. If you’re still struggling with a decision - why not give both a try!

Commit to 2-3 classes with different instructors if possible to truly get a feel for which feels better for you. After all, the best exercise is the one you enjoy and will stick with for the long term.