I’m writing this as my body is still faintly whimpering with soreness from my wellness junkie adventure yesterday – a pilates reformer circuit class at Pilates Reformed, Inc. in Overland Park.
I had tried some Pilates mat classes before and couldn’t resist the Mari Windsor Pilates infomercials in the late 90s (I think they’re in a drawer somewhere)… but I have never tried a reformer class where you use the machines. As a yoga teacher, my initial frustration with Pilates related to the breathing… it’s very different than yoga breathing – opposite, actually… so that just took some getting used to. This circuit class was the Groupon special – some work on the machines but with different stations of exercises for an all-body workout.
My experience:
My friend Sue went with me to the class. We’ve dabbled in some yoga classes at her gym and I thought this would be a good change of pace for both of us. Just to set the scene – yesterday was in the upper 90s in Kansas City and very humid…sweltering is the word that comes to mind…
So our instructor walks us through 13 different stations where we’ll do two different exercises each lasting 1 minute long. Piece of cake, right? One minute is really a long time for jumping, holding Dolphin Plank, lifting weights, jumping rope and running around the building outside (in the sweltering heat). As we moved to each station, I must say that the ones on the Reformer machines were very nice – and almost felt like a little break from the more intense stations of weight training and cardio. I loved the variety of the exercises and even though that minute felt long, I knew I could endure ANYTHING for a minute! Keep in mind that my natural tendency is to gravitate toward yoga, pilates, walks with the dog – more gentle workouts…but my mind, body, heart all need more cardio (which is why I’m here in this class in the first place).
So after our 50 minutes of intensity…my arms are shaky (and I thought I was in better shape than this!) but I feel great! After a debrief over cold drinks, my friend and I are seriously considering purchasing a small introductory package because we feel great…and certainly it might get easier after a few times?
Sometimes we all just need a little kick in the behind to pick up the pace and up the intensity of our workouts. Our bodies adapt to our usual workouts and then we don’t get as much out of them. For me, I’m a thinker/analyzer type. And while that can be good sometimes, it’s amazing and very necessary for me to get out of my head. Afterwards, I felt great and had tons of energy for my afternoon. I will say today…my body is SORE but in that good sore (you worked hard, take today off) kind of way.
Check out Pilates Reformer Circuit Classes in your area…take a friend and be sure and sip on some water, pacing yourself throughout the class.
If you’re in the Kansas City area, here are the details for Pilates Reformed:
7254 West 151st St.
Overland Park, KS 66223
P: 913.814.0099
E: info@pilatesreformed.com
