Pilates is a great way to help increase flexibility and elongate the body and muscles. It will not get you the ripped and muscular body building look if that is what you are looking for. Which most people are not. But if you are looking for a lean and toned body without being "jacked" this is the workout for you. I would recommend starting off with a set of dvds and working your way through them. Dvds are easy to do at home and the instructors in the videos give a lot of instruction bec they know they are not there to help you. Mat pilates is what most people do and if you are workout from home then that is most likely what you will be working with. This is a great low impact way to start off. If you start slow and with a beginner level and actually stick to your workout schedule you will def see results. Good luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Beginner Pilates DVD

It's late so I'm just going to respond train-of-thought to your questions..... RE your exercises -- that's a lot of the stuff my last PT had me doing -- I think it's general leg strengthening stuff and probably all very good stuff to do, but the exercises the new PT gave me really get the butt and outside of the hips, which is what I need, apparently, to cure the IT band stuff. And it takes so much less time -- if I hustle, I can do everything in 10 minutes. re: pilates being too boring and slow-paced -- the more advanced winsor workouts are much faster-paced with less explaining. See if you can get a hold of the Maximum Burn series - she goes very fast in that one. There's a 20 minute one and a 45 mninute one. I think they're both out of print, but there are usually plenty of used copies on amazon (cheap!) re: your arches -- I think high arches are big contributors to knee pain. I'm sure you already did this, but make sure you have the right shoes -- high arched feet need neutral/cushioned shoes -- any sort of stability or motion control shoe will just screw you up further. I have Nike Zoom Vomero 4's -- they are the cushiest shoes ever but they don't last long -- my last pair needed replacing after less than 200 miles. You may want to see a different podiatrist for a second opinion on your orthotics -- I've seen a few and each one has a different opinion on what kind orthotics to make me. I have a set of old orthotics from my 20s and sometimes I wear them to run, sometimes I don't. I don't think they make much difference actually. (Part of me thinks podiatry is a hocus-pocus kind of field!.) A good book to read is "Running Injury Free" by Joe Ellis. He is a podiatrist but very knowledgable and I found it fascinating how he took people's weird pains and traced them down to all kinds of crazy causes (one woman had hip pain that he traced to a tiny nail that had penetrated the sole of her running shoe and was very mildly poking her as she ran -- she didn't even realize it was there, but it was throwing off her stride to such an extent that it screwed up her ankle, knee and hip. But anyway, he spends a lot of time talking about how people's arches and foot structure can really cause issues all the way up the leg - it's interesting to read. re: how long I foam roll - I usually foam roll for a few minutes. You are supposed to stay on each painful spot for as long as you can and at least 20-30 seconds. I will roll til I hit all my painful spots (some twice) or until my arms get tired from holding me up (I find that you have to be pretty acrobatic to get yourself in some of these positions, LOL!) If you have painful spots, you need to roll. The first time I did it, my right IT band didn't hurt at all -- not one bit -- when I foam rolled it (and of course, my right knee didn't hurt). My left IT band, on the other hand, was excruciatingly painful the whole way up and down my leg. I rolled for maybe 3-4 minutes total (it hurt so bad I had to stop) and the next morning, I felt so much better. When I rolled again (I was doing it twice a day at first, now just once a day), there were far fewer painful spots, and now I find that if I keep up the rolling regularly, I can roll and not find any painful spots at all (and then I'm done in like 20 seconds!). Basically, if you feel any pain when you roll your IT band, you've found a problem and you just need to park there on the roller and let the roller work the knot out. Seriously -- in just days, with proper rolling, you should be feeling far less pain during the rolling itself and of course, less knee pain during all your activities. re: the fluid in your knee -- the fluid in your knee might never go away but it is probably not causing your pain. I have tons of fluid in both knees (docs think it is from the trauma of the accident) but other than making really loud crackling popping noises all the time (seriously, in my first set of PT, people could hear my knees popping from across the room when I was doing those step-ups and stuff - it was gross!), it never hurt. The pain is caused by the muscles around your knee pulling your kneecap all out of whack. Once you release the tension in your IT band and strengthen the other muscles around the knee to hold your kneecap in place, it won't be getting yanked all over the place and your pain should go away or at least become a lot more managable. Good luck!

1st measure first, typically you want a whole number since it will be cheaper. measure at 3 points and go with narrowest measurement. If is measures over a whole number you will have to shim the jambs if it is measuring under, even an 1/8 you will need to order that window under sized or modify you jambs to accept a stock size. You need to make sure your windows are very square if using a window that can not be cut down. First thing to check is the distance between the stool and the blindstop, you need 3 3/8 spacing so the tracks can move freely and don't bind. I move the blindstop to get this spacing. Then check the the width of the jamb, shim it out if needed the full width of the jamb, I use 1/8 x3 3/8 shims cut from paneling. sometimes the jambs are tilted and need narrower shims behind the 3 3/8 shims. Next put the brackets on, they should be installed with nails or a specialty staple gun. Do not use screws since the heads will create pressure points. you may have to drill first so you do not break the jambs Then put jambliners in, make sure they are completely snapped in to the brackets. Then install the window, it push the lower sash down , if it goes down to hard it may have been shimmed to tightly, if it springs up on it's own it was not shimmed enough. Make sure when the sashes are closed that they make full contact with sill and the head of the jamb other wise they will leak air. I use windows that i can cut so they meet the jamb and sill.If cutting always start with bottom sash, if is out of square you will need to cut it at a compound angle, if it is square and needs to be cut for height only then cut the top of the upper sash. next make sure there is no movement up and down if there is shim behind the upper sash in the jamb with 1 3/8 shims till it is tight. I would recommend flash the wells and blinstops with aluminum coil since in finishes the look , andcovers hard to paint areas, and seals in the lead paint.

The interlocking shop mats I have are about a half inch thick. They probably won’t come apart as easily as the child-type play mats. This is similar. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Stalwart-Ultimate-Comfort-24-in-x-24-in-Black-Foam-Garage-Flooring-4-Pack-75-6402/205062641 And here is a site where you can order by thickness, color, by the sq ft. Probably will small like rubber for a while but eventually will dissipate if you don’t mind that. It’s what they use in gym floors, etc. https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/rubber-tiles.html?slc=6178&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=s_pcrid_142710152801_pkw__pmt__pdv_t_pprd_6178&gclid=Cj0KCQiA6enQBRDUARIsAGs1YQgVbHTwATyBeZEOxyvxTsDf9kGJNrDZFfe1CI9LKLZR7M-nWTxLOmAaAruQEALw_wcB