I walk into a 3 story converted condo that I would have never knew existed unless I had been given specific directions. I walk pass 2 rooms full of masochistic & tantric looking machines with straps, pulleys, and springs....up to the second story which has not one, not two, but three full size Reformers. (See photo above for a Reformer) I was late, coming from work, but immediately I get in top of the reformer, and she says we are doing standing splits. UM. What? I can't do the splits sitting, laying down, in water, or when I was 5. There's no way in hell I'm walking out of here if I do the standing splits. But after some gentle direction, I manned up, stretched my right leg back as far as I could manage - focusing on a dot on the wall in front of me and praying my tendons didn't snap in half. The girl next to me was full on gumby-like bouncing up and down like she was enjoying it. 5, 7, 8...done. Ok next leg. Please God make this leg work. Ok, done! Now the sweet instructor says, OK now for the advanced advanced splits. OH pleeease.. You're kidding? That wasn't advanced enough? Balancing in the splits 2 feet off the ground? What is this the circ de soleil try outs? But, when all was said and done, I was amazed at what my body could do, and now I am still sore 2 days later, which feels pretty good. A bit of history about how I got to be a cir de sole understudy:
Before October 2010, when I first tried Pilates classes, I was a total skeptic- I was the person who would read that Jennifer Aniston gets her sculpted arms and firm thighs from Pilates and think....yeah, and eat lettuce carrots and vitamin water and run 5 miles a day!
My prior experience with Pilates had been brief, I took a class once in college and never got anything out of it. Mainly because I spent most of the class wondering how the teacher listened to the same Enya song repeatedly every week and never became a Ghandi follower.
I had been an athlete most of my life, playing volleyball and running half marathons, but had seriously injured my back along the way. I have two herniated and degenerating discs in my lower back which have caused me severe pain for the past decade – to the point I couldn’t get out of bed, let alone walk often mornings.
After trying acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, epidural steroid injections, daily prescription anti-inflammatories, hanging upside down in boots, traction, everything and anything, I was one orthopedic surgeon appointment away from. Needless to say, I felt hopeless and thought, why not try one more thing – if it doesn’t work I’ll have to resort to disc surgery.
In the beginning, I didn’t really feel like I was doing MUCH, with small movements, breathing, stretching. But I really enjoyed the environment and the instructors, and the definition I was seeing in my back, arms and lower back!
I was shocked, that within 2 months, not only did my back start to feel better but my fiancé was saying wow – you are BUFF! My back pain is now less than its ever been in 10 years, while I still have some pain, on a scale from one to ten, its now a 3 versus a 9-10 like before. And… that’s with NO medications!
Also the best part is now I have muscles I never had before, feel more centered, balanced and strong and relieved after I go to Pilates. I always thought I had to sweat to get a good work out in, but when you are on the third set of "small-V bends" at the Pilates barre, your legs are shaking and you feel the burn, you may not be sweating but the next 3 days you feel it! Twice a week will cost you a pretty penny but then again, being able to flex muscles you never knew you possessed is kind of priceless. And while I mainly started Pilates to see if it could help my back, I know fully believe it is one of the best ways to spend your money.
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