Gearing up on the second week of the challenge, I’ve tried to flop myself out of bed early to attend the regular morning Pilates classes before I set off for work. I might appear groggy when I stepped into class at 9.30am but once I get into the swing of things, especially with that rush of adrenaline I get during exercise, I would usually feel more energised and ready to kick start the rest of my day. You could call me a morning person because I like waking up to a brand new day with the bright daylight streaming in.
Getting out of bed becomes easier when I know that I should get up early to make myself some fresh juices or green smoothies before I leave for class. I’m keeping up with eating clean this week though I would occasionally fall into the trap of eating junk or processed food. Besides in the regular 1-hour pilates classes, I wish there were some sort of a weekly nutrition workshops or talks to motivate me to stay on the healthy living track. It would be perfect if there’s someone out there to spank me in the butt and talked me into giving up on that bar of Snickers.
Just when I taught that Pilates was pretty manageable for me and my limbs, our instructors moved the difficulty and intensity level of our daily Pilates routine up to another notch. Believe me, this time we are not just doing cat stretches,hundreds or the bridge, we are venturing into a lot more other animal poses which can be rather challenging. Through these challenging Pilates exercises, I gain increase awareness of my own body strength as well as my weaknesses.
The art of Pilates doesn’t just revolves around simple exercises which tones and strengthens the muscles. As our instructors guides us to do the right Pilates movements, they would also share with us the name and benefits of the various Pilates movements. And this week, I can’t help but to notice how many animal movements I learnt this week – cat stretch, swan pose, camel pose, monkey stretch, elephant pose and etc. Little did I know that some Joseph Pilates moves were inspired by the form and movement of the animals. Though these animal moves may seem rather awkward but it really helps to ease the tension in the muscles or work the less frequently used muscles. Maybe it’s time for us human to retreat back into the jungle and start immersing ourselves with the wildlife.
I always look forward to weekend ‘bootcamp’-style classes where we get to do a circuit consisting of various using different equipment done in repetitions.
Performing repetitions isn’t exactly monotonous because each time you repeat the move, you have to push yourself to do it accurately with precision and flow. It’s all about keeping up with the Pilates movement principles.
“Hey, so what are we suppose to do?”
“Ehhh…hmmm…mmm”
“Oh gawd! I couldn’t remember!”
“Never mind. Let’s just do jumping jacks til he comes.”
And when instructor comes around, he said, “Omg, the two of you…jialat! “
(* Jialat in hokkien means oh dear!*)
All of us cracked up.
The other ‘challengers’ I’ve talked to have all mention about the body aches they’ve been experiencing so far. I’ve yet to experience any muscle tensions or body aches so far. Maybe I haven’t been working hard enough?
Time to trash myself up next week!
Pilates classes are made fun when you’ve got cool or hilarious instructors or classmates. I’m loving the energy and vibes from my classmates on Saturday’s class!
