Hey Loves!
So just a warning, now that I’ve rebranded my blog to focus more on fitness, wellness and travel, you will hear me talk a lot about self-care. Self-care is essential to self preservation and it’s very important that we incorporate it into our every day lives so that we are always working towards being the best version of ourselves.
Weight training used to be a daily part of my self-care routine. I’ve talked a little about how fitness saved my life in a prior post. When I leave the gym, I feel good, rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of the day, however, my flexibility, or lack thereof, has been putting a damper on my squat game.
My trainer would always looks at me in disbelief like, “I know you can squat down a little further,’ and the truth is I couldn’t. My hamstrings was so tight, I felt like an elderly woman trying to drop it like it’s hot with a weight bar on my shoulder.
One day, while browsing through a yoga hashtag on Instagram, I came across a woman doing pilates on what I thought was a strange piece of equipment. I later found out that it was called the reformer. I was intrigued and my research led me to a #pilatesreformer hashtag where I saw all types of people doing really amazing things on the equipment.
I wanted in!
Now, I’m the type of person that has a little A.D.D. My mind is always racing, so Yoga classes (except for Ariel & Acroyoga) has always bored me to pieces.  But the reformer pilates class seemed like it would be more of my speed since I would be engaging with a machine for most of the class.


I’ve been going for three weeks now, 3-5 times a week and I absolutely love it. A good 50 minutes on the reformer works every area of your body, including abs, legs, and glutes –and there is a little yoga incorporated in some of the moves as well.  A lot of the exercises are done on your back, knees or using your arm strength.   There is a little cardio included  as well by way of the cardio tramp  — it’s like jumping on a trampoline while lying on your back.
Fun.
Here’s a few of the key exercises that we do in class:

Abs

Legs

There are weight springs that are attached to the carriage, so there is a lot of tension when doing exercises that require you to push the board back with just your legs

Strength

Flexibility

Cardio & Coordination

This is the cardio tramp! Sometimes we are required to jump while thrusting our legs outward and throwing a ball in the air. Mind you, there are weighted springs attached to the carriage so there is a lot going on all at once. 
My teacher Vanessa is amazing. She’s a former ballet dancer and has been very patient with me during this jouney. I actually took 3 beginner classes before I realized I needed more of a challenge and so I now enroll in her Intermediate/Advanced classes only. 
Sidebar: I found my studio, Scottsdale Pilates and Yoga, through an app called Class Pass.  Class pass is in most major cities, and for a monthly fee, they allow you to see the schedules of a ton of studios in your area at any given time and reserve a spot in that class. Packages are anywhere from $40 to take 5 classes, to $80 for unlimited classes. It’s so convenient, especially when you want to find a class to take last minute.

 
I’d say, if you decide to try out class pass, try a few different studios, and cancel once you’ve found a Pilates/Yoga studio to call home.  And you can use my code to get $20 off your first month. $25 bucks to try out 5 sessions/studios is a steal! 
I’m headed off to class now!
If you decide to try out a Pilates Reformer class let me know how it goes! If you have ever tried it, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments! 
Originally published April 20, 2017

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