What do Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz and Sandra Bullock all have in common?
Other than being some of the most beautiful women on the planet, these starlets all credit their amazing physiques to one very specific workout: Pilates on a Pilates reformer!
If you’ve never tried Pilates on a Pilates reformer then, I’m sorry to inform you, but you have not had the opportunity to feel like a 7-foot ballerina who glows with every graceful movement (unless of
I, for one, was fed up with exercise. Having taught fitness classes for years and competing in national level sporting events, somewhere along the way, exercise had lost it’s “shine”. It felt like this chore I just HAD to do to be “healthy” all the while starting to loathe every minute of it.
And I don’t know about you, but running on a treadmill thinking about how awful it is and how you wish it would just be over as quickly as possible isn’t a very good use of anyone’s mental energy. Not to mention, the exercise that
ENTER: PILATES!
After having a number of clients tell me how much they LOVED Pilates I thought I’d give it a go. It had been a while since I actually enjoyed a workout so I thought I’d go for it and try out the Pilates
And it was AMAZING!
For those of you who have never used a reformer, it is this amazing machine that lives up to its name – it REFORMS your body!
A reformer sculpts and trains your whole body using the resistance of springs, leverage and your own body weight. This machine uses a moving carriage that you can lie, stand or sit on while using the handle straps and the foot bar to push or pull in almost any direction to train your body to move as a dynamic, powerful unit.
The excitement for me around using a Pilates reformer was that, despite having a history of low back pain, I was still able to get an amazing workout in without ever straining or aggravating my back problem.
The way the carriage physically supported my body allowed me to be able to do all kinds of amazing jumps, deep lunges and other movements gravity certainly wouldn’t allow me the dignity of doing otherwise!
Not only was the Pilates reformer easy and comfortable on my joints,
To be honest, at first, I was a little intimidated. How could I, after being on an exercise hiatus, start doing these beautiful, graceful movements that seemed to be reserved for a super fit
All of a sudden, I was moving in and out of some of the most graceful exercises I had ever seen (And certainly ever FELT), and I wasn’t even on the verge of a mighty tumble or anything! I was activating muscles I’m certain I’ve probably NEVER activated before in my traditional workouts.
And things kept changing – I’d been having some very irritating hip pain that I just couldn’t shake and within a few sessions I could hardly feel something that bothered me for months! My shoulders also started to get much more stable to the point where I could totally do the monkey bars (that’s a lie.. I’ll never do monkey bars ever again… but you get the idea!)
So Pilates…I really REALLY like you. Not only are you changing the way my body (and mind!) are looking and feeling, it also gives me this connection with some of the most admired women out there. I love knowing that if I ever do run into Sandra or Reese, (in my star struck state!!) I can default to an easy “Hey, wanna’ catch a Pilates class?”. And when they politely decline I can awkwardly excuse myself as I head down to the beach with my very sculpted and very stable shoulders.
Want to read more about the benefits of Pilates?
Want to tray Pilates?
Visit fchn.ca or contact us to explore.
Full Circle Health Network has teamed up with Momentum Pilates to start offering reformer Pilates in downtown Kingston!
Check out the details and get a copy of our reformer Pilates schedule HERE!
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