This morning at the YMCA I attended my first pilates class. I was struggling to keep up before the first song was over, but I pushed myself as hard as I could and WOW what a workout. The instructor kept saying how we should go at our own pace and make choices with every move. I think her intention was to lift any guilt we might have for not being able to hang with her level of strength and flexibility, but in reality it made me work harder because I didn’t want to let myself down. It made me feel more accountable, like if I slacked off it was a choice, which to me meant “it could have been avoided”. So I pushed. And pushed. And pushed.
The class was a great combination of stretching (yoga) and strengthening exercises. The music was very calming, which helped with my balance and inspired smoother transitions between positions. The classroom was dark too, which always makes it easier for me to exercise. We used squishy balls, elastic bands, and hand weights – though many of the exercises were done without anything at all, and the hand weights were optional (I set mine down a couple times).
By the end of the class I used more muscles than I realized my body had. My thighs and abs were quivering from over-use and I actually stalled my car when exiting the parking lot (I blame the quivering thighs for that). By the early evening soreness has already set in. I wonder if I’ll be able to walk tomorrow!
Despite all the challenge and discomfort, I really did enjoy the class and look forward to doing pilates again soon. After I recover, of course.
8:46am the next day. I have one word: OUCH.
30 second stretch and hold or do it all over again to work out the soreness 🙂
Thanks, Marie! The first 30 minutes of the day were the worst as far as soreness goes. Once I got moving I was actually ok. 🙂