Pilates and Me

(photo from Helios Center for Movement)

I was going to write about the tasty shrimp kebabs we have last night. (A quick note: we really are eating kebabs a LOT, lately. When Max saw me making them last night, he asked, "Is it kebab week again? I might need to trademark that. Kebab Week)

Anyway, the plan was to write about my shrimp kebabs, but I'm just not feeling that, so Pilates it is! I started Pilates just after the new year. It seemed like it would be a good exercise for me. I have never been a flexible person, and that situation was only exacerbated by my running. My hip flexors and hamstrings have always been tight as can be, and those are two of the main victims of running.

The Pilates studio I go to (Helios Center for Movement in Roscoe Village) is a Fletcher Pilates studio. Fletcher Pilates was developed by Ron Fletcher, who studied directly with Joseph and Clara Pilates. He also studied with Martha Graham (his story is pretty amazing) so there is a huge focus on movement (versus just a series of exercises) and there is also a focus on percussive breathing, which makes for a studio that sounds a lot like a birthing center. 

I started off going just twice a week, and I am now there five times a week. I start every weekday with Pilates, and I just love it. I know I sound like a total wackadoo, but it is truly changed the way I feel. I am taller, I have better posture, I am more flexible, and I am stronger. It has also improved my running. I have shaved two minutes off of my mile time. 

I'll stop proselytizing now, but I really can't say enough positive things about my new workout routine. Do any of you get this obsessed with workouts? (I know you do...)

Comments

[Zoot]

I am SOOOOOO hooked on my daily boot camp I have been attending since September. I actually purchased the 2011 plan I loved it so much. We do 4 weeks on and 1 week off and I HATE the 1 week off b/c I miss it so much! And it's 5 days a week (5:30am a day!) too --- My point? I'm a wacko too! I totally feel ya'!

[Pilates for abs]

But pilates doesn't do much with flexibility, does it? It works mostly with abdominal muscles and glutes and tights. So I'm a bit embarrassed by your phrase "I have never been a flexible person..."

[Jenna Zaffino]

Actually, at Helios, we focus on balancing the body. Not the type that enables you to balance on one leg, but the type that restores the resting length (or position)of one part of the body in order to allow another part to move freely. In Danielle's case, through finding her center and learning how to move through a full, healthy range of motion in her hip joints, she did indeed reap the benefits of flexibility! Her running time improved because the efficiency of her muscles improved. True that the abdominal muscles are focused on in sessions, but so is every other muscle as well. As Joe Pilates said about his method, "It's for the body." I'm not sure what you mean about "glutes and tights" but I can say that we do work the glutes but not all of our clients enjoy wearing tights and we don't impose a dress code. Lastly, we celebrate each clients experience no matter how small or individualized it may be. We do not compartmentalize what they "should" feel into any written form because each client has their own journey with their body. At Helios, we revere Daniele's experience and thank her for sharing it. Ron Fletcher said, "every body is beautiful." It doesn't matter if they are working their abs or glutes or the pickasis muscle. What matters is that they are connecting with themselves through movement.