Did you say Pies and Lattes?

I don't know about you, but when it comes to the gym, I don't try new stuff out very often. Its probably two-fold. One, I like to feel like I am in control. New classes always throw out new moves, that everyone else seems to know, except you.  Suddenly everyone is moving to the right, and I'm still doing arm circles and shuffling to the left. New stuff takes concentration, and coordination. Sometimes, I don't have either of those things at the gym. I like to zone out, do what I know. Give me a pump class any day people. There ain't too many variations of counts 2-2, 3-1 and 4-4. Or of course singles, or pulses. Dear Lord. Single pulse squats. Please no. And then of course there is number two. The whole being terribly self conscious thing. Ya know, not knowing how your body is going to react. The age old question... am I going to be able to bend that way or am I going to survive that new move? Sorry to break it to you folks, the answer is probably not.

So of course, taking all that into account, why wouldn't I challenge myself to start experimenting more at the gym? It makes perfect sense right? Of course it doesn't, but hey I am up for a laugh if you are... I know you are. I figure, part of 2017 is pushing some boundaries. So here I am. Pushing boundaries and doing stuff that is hard or scary or sometimes both for me. Obviously, after deciding to do something new, I made the wise decision to try something that I would at least be relatively good at right? Wrong again! 

I dived head first into Reformer Pilates. I booked the class, I was going to pilates. Nope, not pies and lattes but I had signed up to roll around on a one of those contraptions that sort of looks like a medieval torture device, in a room full of 20 other strangers. Delightful right? I'm not so sure about that, but at least I could post on social media because its what all the cool kids seem to be doing. That and soul cycle. But I don't live in LA and I am not that kind of girl. 

As I waited for the class to start, the following thoughts flooded my head:

ONE. There is a good chance that I am not going to be able to do any of the moves that they are about to ask me to do. 

TWO. I don't think that I am cool enough to this this hip thing that all the instagram babes are doing it. I am pretty sure to do pilates I need to have perfect eyeliner and spend more money on my activewear than my regular clothes [hello Lulu and Lorna]

THREE. Do I need abs for this? I don't even have one ab, let alone multiple abs. There is a good change this lack of abs is going to contribute to point one. Again. 

FOUR. Maybe I will just lay here for 55 minutes until the class is over. That counts as exercise food. I wonder how many calories laying still for the best part of an hour will burn. Maybe then I could get cookies. Because you know, I will have exercised. 

FIVE. If I die, I hope Greg remembers to feed the cat tonight.

The class ended. And I am pleased to report that I made it. I was alive. Can you believe it? Of course you can. I may have been a tad melodramatic prior to the class starting. I actually left the class feeling pretty good. We learnt a bunch of foundational moves, concentrated on controlling the breath, and getting use to moving around on the reformer bed. Truth be told, I couldn't actually feel much during or straight after the class. Boy, was I in for a shock. 

Enter the day after the event... A little less than 18 hours after my first class, and I realise that my body has found muscles that it didn't know existed 19 hours ago. My obliques [I think thats what was hurting the most] were on fire. So much so that Alicia Keys could have written a song about them. Getting out of bed hurt. Laughing definitely hurt. Everything hurt. It was amazing to me that after 55 minutes of what didn't feel like a whole lot, my body felt like it had been through the ringer. Of course, day two obviously was worse. Because DOMs is a real bitch. 

A couple of days later I decided to give it another crack. It can't have been that bad if I went back so soon right? I felt stronger already. My breathing was easier, more controlled, and the movements felt a little more natural the second time around. We tried a couple of new moves, one which I absolutely didn't have the strength to do, but I felt the tiniest amount of progress, and I was hooked. I booked classes for the rest of the week. Every second day. And I fucking loved it. There were bodies of all different shapes and sizes. There were people who were just starting out, and ones who had obviously been doing it for a while. There were moves I could do, and ones I couldn't but the instructors always had a modification for me. I felt strong. I felt my body changing.  

Its been over a month since my first reformer class. I am going twice a week. I am feeling stronger, I am noticing a difference in my posture, and my breathing even off the bed. So I guess, thats a win. This round goes to me. I wonder what I will try next.