by Regyna Longlank
Image via Library of Congress
Today I thought it might be fun to do a workout led by someone else. My sister gave me a Pilates DVD years ago, and I have yet to actually do it. I have watched parts of it, to see if it’s any good. It is. But I haven’t actually done the whole thing. So today I am going to do just that, and before I do let me tell you all about it.
The DVD I have is by Dolly Kelepecz, a friend of my sister’s from Vegas. I think my sister produced this DVD, which is how I ended up with a copy. If you haven’t done Pilates it is deceptively easy and pretty fun. The most important thing to remember is to keep your guts concave and your back supported. There is a tendency to let the stomach poke up when you do exercises, and that is not good. You want to let the surface muscles of the stomach fall back towards your spine so the deep muscles under your organs and over your spine can do the work instead. I am always amazed at Pilates because it seems so easy when you are doing it but you are so sore the next day it hurts to laugh.
I am not sure which disc I have but I think it is Volume 1, Mat Work. All you need is space to move in, no gear necessary. She makes it easy, and gives alternate ways to do things if you can’t do the full movement at first. You can modify all of it to fit your needs, and it really teaches you to use the weight of your own body to get a good workout. I have done it in a large class and also with an instructor one on one a few times, and both are great. The mat work is very efficient, and when I have had a chance to work on the machines like the Reformer that has been great too. I’m not so good with the motivating myself thing, so I am hoping Dolly and me can hit it off because she looks stern. Firm, yet kind LOL wish me luck!
Related Articles
- Pilates: A Mind-Body Exercise (everydayhealth.com)
- Beginning Mat Workouts for Pilates (brighthub.com)
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