(photo from Helios Center for Movement)
I was going to write about the tasty shrimp kebabs we have last night. (A quick note: we really are eating kebabs a LOT, lately. When Max saw me making them last night, he asked, "Is it kebab week again? I might need to trademark that. Kebab Week)
Anyway, the plan was to write about my shrimp kebabs, but I'm just not feeling that, so Pilates it is! I started Pilates just after the new year. It seemed like it would be a good exercise for me. I have never been a flexible person, and that situation was only exacerbated by my running. My hip flexors and hamstrings have always been tight as can be, and those are two of the main victims of running.
The Pilates studio I go to (Helios Center for Movement in Roscoe Village) is a Fletcher Pilates studio. Fletcher Pilates was developed by Ron Fletcher, who studied directly with Joseph and Clara Pilates. He also studied with Martha Graham (his story is pretty amazing) so there is a huge focus on movement (versus just a series of exercises) and there is also a focus on percussive breathing, which makes for a studio that sounds a lot like a birthing center.
I started off going just twice a week, and I am now there five times a week. I start every weekday with Pilates, and I just love it. I know I sound like a total wackadoo, but it is truly changed the way I feel. I am taller, I have better posture, I am more flexible, and I am stronger. It has also improved my running. I have shaved two minutes off of my mile time.
I'll stop proselytizing now, but I really can't say enough positive things about my new workout routine. Do any of you get this obsessed with workouts? (I know you do...)
