Approximately 20 years ago, I had a job where a gym membership was included. At the time, I was not much of a conscious exerciser (meaning I did a lot of moving around, but not specifically for exercise reasons), but I saw that they offered a beginner Pilates class and I was intrigued. It was a 6-week session, and though I was not good at all at doing most of the exercises (as flexibility has never been my forte), I absolutely loved it! One of the best things that resulted from it was the improvement of my posture.
The person who taught the classes left, and they didn't replace her, so I bought some DVDs which I used for a while. Not the same as the class, but it kept me going. Then our DVD player died, and DVDs in general went out of fashion for the most part, and I did other stuff for a while. But I always wished I could go back to Pilates. There were plenty of places offering it, but it was either a) really really expensive, or b) there were no beginner classes and though they would assure you that the classes were "all levels" they were not.
About a month ago, I saw a Groupon for a local place that offers Beginner Pilates classes. I e-mailed them prior to buying the Groupon, and was assured that this was truly a beginner-level class, including most people who had never ever done Pilates before. So I purchased the Groupon. And immediately, was unable to make it on any of the Saturday or Sunday mornings the class was offered!
So yesterday I decided I was going to book a class ahead and make that my commitment for that morning on that day. The Groupon is for 10 sessions, and I am hoping that by the end of that time, even if I can't afford to continue at the place the beginner classes are offered, I can keep doing Pilates somehow, even if it's by following an online instructor. I'm also pleased with myself because I have made a reservation for the class, and though I can cancel if necessary, I take reservations *very* seriously for things, and am unlikely to cancel unless something serious comes up.
I'll keep you posted, but I'm feeling hopeful. Before when I took the classes, I felt so much better, I really wanted to keep going, and also felt that it helped me keep up with other activity. I'm hoping that between these classes and the coming of spring weather, I'll have more opportunities to get myself back in the groove with bicycling. Unlike a lot of people I know (including The Tim), I don't really enjoy riding my bicycle when it's really cold, or wet, or icy. So I tend not to ride at all during winter.
I'm also happy with myself now that I have done something that is a "plan." I'm really good at being self-disciplined - my problem is that I'm not good at doing anything to get started. Hopefully this will lead me back to some of my better habits.
Have you ever done Pilates? Did you like it?
3 comments:
Good for you Bridget. I have never done Pilates I am much more of a walker, but I can see how it could really help core strength. Good luck.
I have done a beginner's Pilates class. While I LOVED the exercises, I absolutely hated the teachers. They were the sticky-sweet, sing-songey type people and drove me absolutely CRAZY.
One of the teachers told us what to do and I assumed we should start --- I guess we weren't supposed to when she piped up and said --- well, aren't WE the overachiever???"
Yeah ...............not my cup of poison --- or whatever.
But, I'll admit .........I felt REALLY good after the classes. Well, physically. Mentally I was shot!
I did do Pilates and like you found it improved my posture a lot. That’s definitely something I need! Hope you can make time for it. It’s so important to keep ourselves strong as we age. I go to the gym 3x a week but haven’t been doing strength training yet. I hope to soon, when my son’s school schedule settles down a bit.
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