#NHBPM Challenge Day 3 – Saturday, Nov. 3
Prompts: “I don’t know about this, but I’d like to.” OR A post about a conversation with your doctor
I think I already posted about my most recent conversation with my doctor. So I have to mull this one over. What don’t I know about that I’d like to?
I think I’m going to say Pilates. Gulp.
I have had even more intense negative feelings about Pilates as I’ve had about yoga. I think both of those things make me feel really inadequate. I feel like I am bad at them, because I am super inflexible, and getting more so as the years go on.
Which is probably why I need them.
I took a couple of Pilates classes a few years ago and ended up in tears. I hated every single minute of those classes. EVERY. They were uncomfortable and made me feel just like a big huge failure. I swore to never go back. Plus, the word “Pilates” sounds like the word “Pilate” to me, which is all about betrayal, right?
But recently, I’ve been having more hip and back pain due to super tight, and I mean SUPER TIGHT muscles. I can’t sit upright with my legs extended. I can’t touch my legs below my knees, let alone my toes. I know that I need professional help when it comes to increasing my flexibility. It’s one of those catch-22 types of things. I am inflexible because I don’t do things like yoga, but I don’t do things like yoga because I am inflexible.
Recently I have been thinking about finding a one-on-one Pilates teacher and working on those machine things. I think I have this notion that I need to get stretched out, like on a medieval stretching machine (drawn and quartered?) and I need HELP to do so. This recent yoga challenge was a real eye opener. Part of me wanted to run for the hills and swear (once again) that I would never EVER do such a thing again, but then part of me knows how much I need it. If I keep going like this I’m going to be shaped like a chair for the rest of my life.
So. Gulp. That’s my new goal for… umm… sometime before the end of 2012. I will investigate and find a private Pilates instructor, someone who can help me, maybe, one day touch my toes.
This post is day 3 of the National Health Blog Post Month challenge. Join me!
foodfoodbodybody 
November 3, 2012 at 6:22 pm
I think it’s awesome that you’re admitting to not wanting to do it, and then saying you will anyway. Maybe you’ll find a class/instructor that’s the right fit and it will solve some issues for you. I’ve been to a ton of yoga classes (and a few pilates too) and only a small handful would I return to, so I think it’s about fit.
November 3, 2012 at 6:28 pm
That’s too bad that you had such a horrible first pilates experience. Pilates looks easy but can be hard but i LOVE it!! I even love the free pilates mat classes from my gym I take every wednesday and i really love when i get coupons to take special pilates classes at real studios. If i could afford them all the time, I’d go at least twice a week!! In addition to being super fun, it’s really helped my muscles, including my back, and when i hurt my foot pretty badly, it helped that, and my leg heal so much faster and got rid of some of the pain. It’s so therapeutic. I hope if you try it again at a better place, you’ll enjoy it, the way it was meant to be.
November 4, 2012 at 9:28 am
I have been doing Pilates for almost 4 years now. I have become stronger, more flexible, more coordinated and more balanced! I encourage you to try it again !
November 4, 2012 at 4:18 pm
Middendorf Breath Work helped my flexibility. The MIBE center on Camelia Street in Berkeley was great. I took classes with Jeurg Roffler. I think there’s a Monday evening beginner’s class. Don’t know anything about Pilates, sorry.