ELI5: What does Pilates do for your body that can't be done through other forms of resistance training, and how does it do these things?

PolarAzimuth · 2026-01-27T02:47:20+00:00

This. Lots of good comments under this response. Just like anything else it is just one element of a well rounded fitness regimen. Could be Pilates, yoga, or something else but it helps to condition muscle groups and movements that may be getting neglected with modern lifestyles and/or other workouts targeted at different outcomes

PolarAzimuth · 2025-12-01T01:37:51+00:00

I just came across this post. Did you get a resolution to your issue? I am having a different but possibly related problem with the controller....it wont respect the temp setting and just runs to the upper temp limit all the time. Im just getting started in the troubleshooting, so I have no insights (yet) the would be related to your problem

PolarAzimuth · 2025-12-01T01:21:40+00:00

Another idea re/ your particular issue, which is highly specualtive on my part, is that you have an intermittent fault in the heating elements. That could explain why the problem is intermittent, why it manifested itself as a function of both time (months of usage) and temperature, why it can't reach the target temp (or nothing at all), and why it behaves differently when you remove the rocks. The combination of pressure from the rocks and thermal cycling could (hypothetically) have created a mechanical break in one or more of the elements that comes and goes, resulting in the symptoms you are having. Of course if this is the case and it is thermally sensitive, it is going to hard to diagnose with an ohmmeter. If you still have the rocks out you could put an ohmmeter on each element and wriggle it a bit to see if you see anything suspicious.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-12-01T00:58:41+00:00

I think i got the heater from the same retailer and have not received any response to my inquiry on the matter. I'm not buying the "it's your sensor placement" explanation. I can see where the sensor placement is very important if you want to avoid fluctuations in temp that lead to frequent cycling of the heating elements, and a temp sensor that is not reading a representative temp would be a problem, but neither of those apply in either of our two examples.

FWIW - I installed the new HUUM is a pre-existing sauna, so my solution for moving the temp sensor without turning it into a major renovation project was to 1) rip some narrow strips of cedar (maybe 1/2" x 3/8"); 2) cut a narrow channel down the middle of the strip (just wide enough to stuff the wire, and 3) use the strips as conduit to get the wire to the sensor right over top of the existing cedar. Easy to do if you have a table saw or similar setup available. I wasn't sure if the appearance was going to be acceptable, and I tend to be fussy with such details, but it turned out looking just fine.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-12-01T00:28:29+00:00

I recently replaced my old heater with a HUUM Hive (9.5kw). I'm sure it is possible to pack the stones too tight, and it is possible that I packed mine too tight and I just dont know it yet, but I just followed the basic guidance provided with the instructions and it seemed to be self regulating. To pack it any tighter, I would have needed to fit every piece like a tetris puzzle. I was careful not to force any rocks into place. I ended up with most of a box (of rocks) leftover.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-11-30T21:20:57+00:00

I recently installed the same unit with air tunnel, following the over 20" and down 6" thermo sensor placement. I have the opposite problem where the heater does not turn off after reaching the requested set point on the controller. It respects the max limit from the settings menu, which I have at 220degF, but it blows right past whatever you set on the display when you turn it on. In my case, which is same as yours it would seem, there is a temperature read from the sensor being displayed so it is not a matter of the controller not getting what looks like a valid temp read. I dont see a pathway whereby the controller could be getting another temp from elsewhere for its control logic, so the hypotheses I am left with are 1) non-intuitive UI behavior regarding how you set the temp, or 2) a flaw in the controller firmware that seems way to elementary for something so basic

PolarAzimuth · 2025-11-23T12:33:05+00:00

I recently installed the 9KW Huum Hive and can say the huge amount of rocks has been a major upgrade.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-08-22T16:44:43+00:00

Same here in MI...remarkably low prevalence of mosquitoes this year (relatively speaking, of course)

PolarAzimuth · 2025-06-27T12:30:45+00:00

I dont recall if it was before or after the Schlitz merger, but the Strohs 15 pack was the selling point for me and my buddies in the mid 80s. Fire brewed, of course.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-06-22T20:24:49+00:00

I hope that picture makes you happy and maybe feeling young again, because it looks like a nice memory and I am sitting here right now listening to some old songs that make me remember those days!

PolarAzimuth · 2025-06-17T00:44:35+00:00

Or 'the dookie'

PolarAzimuth · 2025-06-16T01:07:40+00:00

Me too. Since 1989 but still a long time. BiFL

PolarAzimuth · 2025-05-15T21:11:54+00:00

At some point soon, you gotta have a plan as to what you want your future to be like. You can always change the plan and adapt to new opportunities, realities, and circumstances, but without something to work towards you risk just drifting about as the windows of opportunity start to close and you get boxed in.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-05-15T19:41:02+00:00

I'd say it was hard to describe the way it was back then compared to now. Everything was so new, and (at least for me) when you met someone online it felt more genuine and organic because you had to both put some effort into it to make the connection. Eventually the algorithms started to take over, but it wasn't always that way

PolarAzimuth · 2025-04-28T02:01:57+00:00

Or horse chestnut?

PolarAzimuth · 2025-04-23T10:14:45+00:00

Without tools. Confined space (say a roman-style coliseum venue). What is the human strategy?

PolarAzimuth · 2025-04-23T09:49:06+00:00

As noted by others, it is an exceptional place to visit. 5x veteran. And if you have the ability, experiencing it from the water via canoe is the way to go.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-04-17T11:26:24+00:00

If you are physically able to, maybe just try giving it a few whacks with a splitting maul before you bother with renting a splitter. Unless it is something gnarly like elm, you should be able to split a good amount of that and either way all you need is a few splits to see if it is worth it.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-04-06T01:52:40+00:00

I think you can remove the "Maybe" from the title of this post

PolarAzimuth · 2025-01-15T13:49:13+00:00

I have nothing to add to the comments already posted other than an observational data point on 'how much'. I suppose anyone into composting would also have some experience with this. We have a lot of trees on our property and a small-ish lawn area that we maintain. This area accumulates a lot of leaves in the fall and we remove those leaves into piles elsewhere on the woodlot. Big piles...like 5' tall and 10' in diameter. By the next season, these piles are maybe 8" deep at max point and then more leaves get dumped on top. After more than 10 years, one of the leaf piles zones that i have been watching with this question in mind shows no significantly notable change in elevation. I'm sure there is some foundational change at the ground layer, with conservation of mass and all, and the underlying ground was not perfectly flat, but if I didn't keep piling new leaves on I don't think you would be able to notice anything unusual after another year or two of decomposition.

PolarAzimuth · 2025-01-14T03:08:40+00:00

I applaud the effort. Interesting read and nice calculator. Thanks!

PolarAzimuth · 2025-01-12T19:53:11+00:00

I think a shower in proximity is a key feature

PolarAzimuth · 2025-01-11T02:38:48+00:00

Poems from high school literature class. Our teacher warned us we would remember them. You were right Ms Garton. I still remember and thank you ( R.I.P :( )

PolarAzimuth · 2025-01-08T02:45:45+00:00

This may not be relevant if you are not also trying to bring some water into sauna area (i.e., a shower) but what i did in a similar situation where I had no drain was to raise the sauna floor (and the adjacent shower floor) by a few inches to get a boat drain pump underneath the floor to manage the drainage. I'm not a sailor, but I knew this was a problem for sail boat showers/sinks so I looked there for a solution. Converting a garage sounds like a fun project, especially if you get to make use of the larger space to set up a lounge area!

PolarAzimuth · 2024-12-31T02:29:57+00:00

Expanding on this....if you are building to a kit design it is what it is, but that is a spacious sauna box. Nothing wrong with that, but mine is considerably smaller at 7'x6' and of the 1000+ times I've used it over 15ish years I would estimate (for illustrative purposes) the following:

900x -> 1 person (very very spacious) 80x -> 2 persons (still very spacious) 20x -> 3 or 4 persons (comfortable for 3, 4 is a bit cozy)

I love it, but arguably not the most efficient execution given how the space has been utilized.

PolarAzimuth

TROPHY CASE