Reformer Pilates

A few weeks ago I decided I needed to shake things up and try something different.  The long hours at work and my volunteer commitments on weekends were leaving me too tired for constant intense cardio (my go-to) - I needed something a little less sweaty on my "off" days.  Because my wrist problems prevent me from doing a lot of yoga, pilates seemed like a reasonable option, except...

...I've always been terrified of pilates.  I'm well-aware that I have a weak core; my abs are the underachieving muscle group in my body.  Pilates scared me because it would force me to address that issue.  On top of that, reformer classes are expensive and I knew would be "that" newbie slowing down the class and taking all of the instructor's attention as they corrected my bad form.

Then I read DC Fit Crasher's review of Reformation Fitness's reformer pilates class.  Not only are they offering an affordable option to try the studio ($20.13 for two classes), but the small class size meant I would embarrass myself in front of a limited amount of people and the instructor would be able to give me a lot of personalized attention without detracting from my classmates' experience.

I signed up for a class at 10am this morning.

I volunteered at a charity event from 5pm-1am last night, so getting out of bed today was pretty difficult.  If I'd had an intense, sweaty workout planned for this morning, I probably would have bagged it.  Pilates seemed like a perfect idea.

And it was.

I won't go in to a lot of details because I think DC Fit Crasher's review nailed all of the major points.  The studio was intimate and felt high-end but not pretentious.  The small class size (there were only three of us this morning) meant everyone was friendly and we were all able to get personalized attention throughout the class.  I felt really spoiled.

As for how hard I worked, I was feeling the burn in my core 5 minutes in.  I hope no one tells me any jokes over the next few days, because laughing is going to hurt.  Pilates was much easier on my arms and legs than BodyPump, but there were some muscle groups I tend to ignore that will definitely be sore tomorrow.  I'm looking forward to my second class, but I don't think I'll be working pilates in to my permanent routine - it's just too expensive.