After a successful first week of my New Year's Resolution diet - I lost three pounds, for which a combination of a hungry Little Cherub and the end of seasonal feasting must take all the credit - I decided I needed to start exercising. Time for the gym is just out of the question at the moment, and the weather (see side bar: seemingly endless cloud and rain) does not make walking appealing, so I hunted at the library for an exercise DVD or video, something I haven't tried before. I found a choice of two ... Pilates, or kickboxing. Pilates looked easier so I settled on that.
This afternoon, joined by Angel and J-next-door looking very professional in dance leotards and jazz pants, I attempted the DVD. The warm up was OK, if a little muddling (cries of "this is just like our jazz warm up ... but easier!" from Angel). Then on to the aerobic section. Two minutes in Angel and J were still looking like pros, but I was confused and stopped the DVD to rewind. Star and A-next-door appeared, joined in for a while, then decided watching was more entertaining. After some effort finding the beginning again ... I'm not exactly a whizz with the remote ... we decided it might be better just to pause and get Angel and J to walk me through it. Several pauses later I was still confuzzled (to quote Angel and J) ...
"Plié, point, in, march, march, march ... opposite arms ..."
(Huh? You expect me to manage arms as well as feet?)
"Now double speed ..."
(Double huh??)
Grandma, Tevye and Little Cherub joined the audience. We skipped the weights bit ... no weights (it didn't mention weights on the cover! how was I to know?). Then the stretchy, yoga-ish bit. Audience highly entertained. Discovery made that I am unable to feel my stomach muscles. Presumably this is because I no longer have stomach muscles.
Gave up. Ordered Chinese take away.
Maybe I would do better with kickboxing?
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Pilates? Or maybe not!
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5 comments:
Omigosh! I got sucked into the Pilates things too, thinking it would be easier than other things. I simply couldn't move the way they wanted me to 3/4's of time. I would just lay on my mat, going huh? Then I felt so sick to my stomach afterwards. I was so ill I just sat with my head in hands for about 15 minutes, until it passed.
Really, I think there is very little hope for me with this fitness thing!
Your stomach is supposed to have muscles?
Did the Chinese Takeaway work any better?
Oh, I've done the exercise video thing with my kids and it mostly ends in hysterical laughter (them) and humiliation (me).{g}
Oh, anything involving coordination is a nono for me. I once spent a whole step class leaping over the step instead of doing the highly involved routine as I kept on being the wrong side of it!
I've found Pilates to be very good (briefly discovered my stomach muscles having definitely mislaid them after no. 3) but you really need to start off with a teacher as otherwise it's quite hard to tell whether you're doing it right or not.
I'm guessing you are feeling your stomach muscles by now! The absolute, no negotiation rule here is NO OBSERVING. If you don't want to partcipate get out!!! My hat is off to you for trying (and toleratling an audience--perhaps your observers are less critical than mine).
KS
And, you know, Chinese *can* be healthy, depending on what you order .... ;-)
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