Who's Your Audience

I've heard that pilates really is one of the best workouts. And if Denise Richards maintains her figure with pilates, there is something to be said for it. I've always been dubious of pilates, though, thanks to the theory that large amounts of cardiovascular exercise will help you lose fat. That was true...for a while. I walked, jogged, and ran 50 pounds off of my 5'1" frame. Sure, it took a couple of years but they say in order to keep it off, the best way to lose it is s-l-o-w-l-y! Pilates, in my mind, helped build core strength but did nothing to melt pounds.

In the past year, however, I haven't lost any...I mean ZERO...pounds. Despite the fact that I've tried the abs diet, the low carbs diet, the no bread diet, and the points diet. Also despite hiring trainers for eight weeks, walking at lunch and then running at night, and increasing protein while decreasing carb intake. If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that I just conceded to the fact that I'm not going to lose any more weight. Nonetheless, I'd like to strengthen my body even if it's reluctant to drop any more pounds. Usually when something stops working, I moan for a while about how I'll never reach my goals then eventually pull my melted body off the puddle of tears in the floor and consider other alternatives.

They say to keep your body guessing so I thought, look to the local gym! There is a YMCA less than five minutes from my work. In viewing the Y's class schedules, I found a pilates reformer class. Now, at that time, I didn't really understand what a reformer was so I just envisioned a mat class. The only experience I had at that point with pilates was a DVD that came with my exercise ball. I did it once and yeah, I was a little sore the next day, but it didn't make me feel strong and empowered (which is the feeling I like to have after a workout). Enter the pilates reformer class.

A reformer is actually a machine that has a large platform on which you can lie down. There are shoulder rests, a foot bar, and ropes. The ropes are for your hands or feet, depending on which move you are doing. Essentially, the platform slides back and forth like a rowing machine. The difficulty lies in the spring mechanism, which causes resistance and eventually, transforms you from Frankenstein to FrankenFINE!!

Two of my coworkers opted to take the lunchtime class with me. After the first class, all of us were abuzz with excitement. It felt like we had been on a trapeze, flying through the air for an hour! Our muscles were taught, our endorphins were maxed out, and we were pumped! That is until about an hour after the class. The post endorphin rush downers hit us and we were all tired. Yet, there was something there.

I have had different instructors, depending on availability, and each one comes with her own set of exercises. Therefore, I really like having different instructors as they show you different moves. We have used a bosu ball, a pilates chair, and yes, even an exercise mat. I may end up buying a pilates chair. It also operates from a spring mechanism and can give you a total work out from extremities to core. One exercise we did had us stand on the bars and lift ourselves up using our stomach muscles. I had to hop to get myself going but once I figured it out, I realized it was really giving me an incredible ab workout! Forget crunches. The pilates chair is the way to go! I looked up Malibu Pilates online and their chair was on sale for $1000. If you go to EBay, though, you can bid on a chair for less than $300. The reformer, however, is much more out of my league, with prices starting at $2000.

After a few weeks of attending the class, my coworkers and I decided that if we could take pilates at least two times a week, we would really feel the benefit. Decidedly, I signed up for the next session which does include two classes per week. I started this past Monday. It's not Wednesday around lunchtime and my abs are still sore. Last night, in fact, I noticed that my arm muscle was definitely more pronounced than it has been since my late 20s! Nothing has had such a profound effect on my body. Even when I signed up for an 8-week training session with some 20-something buff trainers, my body didn't transform like it has with pilates. Still, I haven't lost any weight. But there's something to be said about building muscle, especially as I reach 40.

**picture above from www.atlantajcc.com.