When a new Pilates studio (Pilates 360) opened up across the road from my St Leonards clinic, I took it as a sign from the universe that I should definitely give Pilates a go.
I used to do mat Pilates as a teenager to try and manage my scoliosis (curvature of the spine), and I have the Pilates stretching DVD by the lovely Peta Serras, but I’ve always been intrigued by the Pilates reformer machines.
I guess the complexity of it appealed. It looked like a challenge.
After a quick run down with my instructor on the basics of the reformer machine, the class got started. Oh Em Gee, it was so much fun! We placed a board at the end of the reformer and while laying down we were able to bounce off that board and do all sorts of funny movements which challenged your brain by being complicated, but most definitely challenged my muscles as well. I sweated up a storm!
The day after my first class I woke up very sore and stiff and had to do some special manoeuvres to be able to roll myself out of bed. But that’s the sort of feeling that tells me I’ve worked my muscles really well and had a fantastic full body workout.
After my two week unlimited trial period ($50), I bought a pack of 25 classes and ended up going to Pilates at least 3 times per week on average. Being Winter, I wasn’t doing my usual walks around the coast or into the city, so Pilates was my only form of exercise. From when I first started, to a couple of months later, my core was strong (with visual obliques showing on my abdomen!), my legs had muscular definition, and my chicken arms were slowly making some progress as well. The main thing I noticed though, was that my constant back pain at night had disappeared. This is what I had really wanted to achieve from my Pilates experience.
After a month without structured exercise while I’ve been away in China, it’s great to be back on the reformer this week. Today I’ve got plenty of sore muscles from yesterday’s class to prove that my body is once again transforming and becoming stronger again.
If you’ve been looking for a new type of exercise to motivate you, definitely give Pilates reformer a go. If you don’t live near a studio, you can get Peta’s Pilates DVD delivered to your house, or she also has an instant downloadable version for only $9.95 – bargain!
Have you tried Pilates reformer before? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments section below.