Pilates, part infinity

Oh, fer chrissakes!

It's not often that you'll hear (or see, in the case of blogging) me say things like this, but I fucking love Pilates. I'm actually good at it! All the balance and flexibility that I've had is finally useful in a "sport," or athletic endeavor. I feel like super-Pilates-woman now. I may even buy my own mat.

After giving myself a break from last Thursday until now (because I'm easing into it, right?) I was able to do all of the exercises without wincing. Plus, we had a different teacher tonight - some guy named Jim* - who went totally hardcore on us.

See, Jim had us use this prop that he called a "Magic Circle." It's a flexible metal band bent into a ring that has a pad attached on either side. One is supposed to put the pads between one's ankles or calves or thighs (!!!) depending on the exercise. Kind of funny to have this device clamped between my wide-spread thighs and have Jim say to concentrate on looking through the Magic Circle between my legs. Makes me feel like I've grown an eyeball in my va-jay-jay.

Then, there was the whole pushup with the leg extended thing. The other teachers had us do it from a table position (which is the position that I've been lovingly calling "doggie style" for the last 18 years). Jim, though, had us do a regular pushup, and not the girlie knees down pushup, either. Sadist. I could do it, though, and I did. So there, Jim.

This will probably be my last Pilates Post, as I really don't think there are going to be any more breakthroughs in the exercise world. Except, does the new Crystal Light commercial make you want to dance, too? I want to get up and shake my groove thing (yes, I'm aware that I just "dated" myself. Shut up, peanut gallery) every time it's on.


*totally not the WCM