So I finally broke down and joined the club
The club with those scary machines. The kind that come with interchangeable spring loads and all kinds of kinky ropes and gadgets that are supposed to whip you into shape. It’s quite intimidating. At least at first. It’s been a month now and I’ve only missed a couple of days. I did a class called Ass & Abs which is slightly above my level of expertise and now I’m sore. But it’s a good sore. The sore where I can feel my muscles….it’s a start. I’m not aiming to have a six-pack exactly…I’m looking to tone, strengthen, have more flexibility and improve my balance. Oh hell who am I kidding. I want ABS dammit!
Pilates Plus in Palm Springs has three rotating instructors; all excellent in different ways. They watch you and they will never let you get away with doing things incorrectly. Believe me; I know! I’ve been reprimanded more than once. I must say the non-stop 50 minute workout goes by very quickly and in all honesty I’m hooked now. Hooked on a feeling….and the reality of liking what I’m beginning to notice. Also, my eating habits are getting lighter too except for last night when I ate a lobster roll at Dead or Alive wine bar. But the key to Life is Balance.
Before this I did mat Pilates on occasion. Here’s a bit of history:
Pilates was created in the 1930s by Joseph Pilates and quickly became popular among dancers as a method of training and rehabilitation. There’s no denying that Pilates offers some great health benefits. Included is core strength and stability, improved posture and balance, flexibility, and the prevention and treatment of back pain.
Pilates on a Mat vs. Pilates using a Reformer
Pilates allows you to work your muscle groups with no impact on joints. It also works your precise, small muscles in controlled ways. The machines are the basis of a core-burning workout that blends Pilates, cardio and strength training.
The simplest way to do Pilates exercises is on a mat. The more challenging and effective way is on a reformer, a device which uses pulleys and springs to create the resistance that’s impossible to generate by simply using the body.
What about weight loss?
Weight loss is a result of creating a calorie deficit whereby you eat fewer calories than you burn and then you drop pounds. Now in some cases, hormones and other metabolic factors come into play, but the primary driver of weight loss is calories in versus calories out.
Pilates Reformer is a great exercise for core and it can help you burn calories, but maybe not as much as certain other activities. And, like any movement, how many calories you do burn depends on how long your session lasts, the intensity of the session, your ability (if it’s new for you, you’re likely to work harder and burn more calories) and your size. So it’s best to do a mix of some cardio like biking, running, swimming, hiking, fast paced walking combined with pilates and/or yoga.
Yes; it’s work indeed. But well worth it because your body is a machine. One that you want to make sure is in tip-top working order. So she says!
In Vancouver I’m going to source out a couple of studios. I already belong to a gym close to home that offers varied daily yoga classes and mat pilates with good instructors. And truth be told, if it’s not within close walking distance to where I live, I probably won’t go.
How about you? Have you tried the reformer, proformer or megaformer? What are your parameters for working out and how often?
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 