Joe B.'s story
I took my first Pilates lesson with Lanette from the Frog Temple Studio at the beginning of March 2008. I have always had a fairly pronounced hunch in my upper back, but I had been worrying that my posture was getting worse. I wasn’t happy with the way I looked or felt, but when I noticed myself slumping in front of the computer, or the t.v. or in my car, I didn’t seem to have the energy to make myself sit up straight. Lanette seemed convinced that Pilates could help me, so I decided I had nothing to lose.
At first our sessions were mostly just baffling. I was amazed to find out how many different exercises there were in Pilates, each apparently designed to highlight a different muscle I didn’t have or a different place where my body didn’t want to bend. I struggled to learn these strange new movements. I struggled even more to believe they would actually help me get stronger. It was frustrating to say the least, but what kept me coming back was Lanette’s seemingly limitless enthusiasm for the Pilates method and a kind of mysterious confidence she had that I would eventually improve. About six weeks into our sessions a light came on for me. I realized I could flex a portion of my spine that I hadn’t previously noticed was even articulated. The only explanation for this was that I had strengthened some abdominal muscle that I wasn’t even really sure I could identify. I began to trust in the method and to get the hang of some of the exercises. Since then lights have been coming on for me every day.
It would be impossible to list the myriad benefits I have experienced since discovering Pilates without sounding exactly like a late-night infomercial. I am stronger, thinner and straighter. I sleep better, look better, and feel better. I can breathe more easily and I am filled with a new-found sense of self-confidence. But the most exciting discovery for me is that I actually like exercising. In fact I crave it. In the 43 years leading up to this, that had never been true. The more classes I take and the more instructors I study with, the more I am able to relax and enjoy the process. As I have learned to trust the Pilates method I have been able to let go all the dread I have always associated with working out. I have stopped worrying about my weight and my posture and instead have been able to notice how profoundly good I feel.
