Pilates = peace of mind March 25, 2009

Having missed a couple of weeks of Pilates, I was finally back in class last night and positively relishing it. I mused later on that evening that Pilates classes are one of the very rare times where my mind is not working overtime or I’m stressing about my to do list.

Even when driving, I have the radio on but once again my internal speakers are far louder, and I end up going into a sort of reverie (not the good kind), making mental lists, remembering stuff I have to do and mulling over stuff.  It’s the same when I get to bed – I end up reading a bit, and then lay awake more often than not, going through the events of the day, or worrying about things that may never happen – my mind needs an off switch!

Anyhoo, back to Pilates – it is one of the few things I do, like I say, where the outside world melts away and I focus totally on what I am doing in that moment.  That is because partly if I don’t totally concentrate, I am highly likely to fall over, roll over or stop “zipping and hollowing”.  It’s hard work – but I love it.  I also feel a bit slimmer the day after too – I reckon the stretches and moves give you an internal massage of some sort, as well.  Basically, there’s nothing bad about it.

A recent trip to the doc also convinced me that these moments where my mind actually does relax are hugely important.   I’ve been having random dizzy spells (for once, not related to my wine consumption) and after an eye test confirming I have 20/20 vision, I got a check up to see if it was something else.  I’ve got to get some blood tests done, but the doc did mention stress could be a cause.   Now; I wouldn’t say I’m overly stressy, I just have a very active mind in my view.  I enjoy my job and yes, it’s stressful from time to time but again not overly so.  Planning a wedding is of course a lot of stress but the enjoyment I’m getting from that is outweighing the nail-biting, I reckon.

Still, stress is something many of us are under all the time – and we just get on with it don’t we?  I’m even a believer that a bit of stress does you good, and I definitely work better when the pressure’s on.  Although the blood tests might reveal something else, I think the doc’s mention of the S-word was timely anyway and last night I spent the rest of the evening on the sofa with a mag.  Every so often – you need to just chill.

I’m also off to book myself in for a spa day, massage, pilates retreat and facial…

Is arm-o-suction an actual thing? September 16, 2008

Cos, if it is, I might like it please…

 

I’ve just been looking back at some pics of me and specifically my 30th, where i wore a strapless dress to my partay.  And, Oh My God, the size of my arms!! I have to cut a WEDDING cake next year and clearly my arms look twice the size of a normal persons…this is not boding well for The Big Day where I simply have to look My Most Beautiful….ever…

 

It’s not paranoia, or that I’m an obese bingo-winged lady, or that I have some kind of body dysmorphia.  This is a fact – I got Big Arms, dude!

 

Cos I’m sporty and play rugger, I have quite good upper body strength, so my arms aren’t flabby – they are just…well…big.  I also tend to ‘bulk’ whenever I do free weights.  My shoulders and arms just are inclined to put on muscle mass rather than tone down.  I’ve tried big weights, smaller weights, no weights – i still have big oofing biceps.  I’m not Madonna, mind, just yet…

 

My belief in my big-armed-ness is compounded by the fact that one of my mateys, on seeing a pic of me waving once, noted “You’ve got man’s arms!!”.  Luckily I was drunk at the time and we collapsed in hysterics for a while.

 

The other fact that backs up my big bicep belief, is when out on the town and quite drunkard, my other half sometimes asks me to tense my arms to show off my muscley physique.  In the early days before my realisation that I had manly muscles, I would gladly arm-wrestle and bulge the biceps with the best of them, to the shock/impressed faces of my mates. 

 

These days I’m much more coy, realising that actually I’d prefer some nice lady arms which are slim and lush and not difficult to get one hand round.  To me, this is soooo much more elegant.  Short of operating to cut a half length off each bicep, I’m not sure what the solution is.  Possibly, like my posts on my ribs, pilates could hold the key.

How to survive a massive to do list September 10, 2008

OK, I get stressed at the thought of my to-do list more than I get anxious at actually doing the list.  Last night was a case in point – I had fooooking loads on that had to be done that night.  It’s always compounded by a really busy week where I’m out each night and busy every lunchtime, making everything completely time sensitive and mostly, urgent.

Here’s how my evening went:

- calm start to the evening with lovely Pilates (last night’s session involved the foam roller contraption.  Wierd, but surprisingly good)

- rush home – get in and put dinner on.  Can’t bear ready meals so last night it was lamb with roasted tomatoes, low fat chips, broad beans and carrots.  Give The Boy instructions to watch the dinner.

- multi task whilst dinner is cooking by printing off flat inventory for new tenant moving in today.  Take wash out and hang up.  Put new wash on.  Pack rugby kit for tomorrow’s training.  Speak to The Boy before he heads off to the pub quiz.

- eat dinner and go to rental flat.  Check new carpet’s ok – drive to carpet fitters to pay and collect spare keys.  Drive to mate’s house to drop off spare keys for tenant to collect tomorrow.

- Go back to flat and paint wall whilst chatting to older sis on the phone.  Hoover flat, reconstruct bed, put furniture back and put curtains up.  Finish cleaning and polishing.

- Go to Tesco (it’s now 11pm) cos there’s no time tomorrow or Thursday (I’m out both evenings) and the work girls are over on Friday. Buy stuff for Friday dinner plus a new hoover for the flat.

- Go back to flat to put in new hoover and last few bits.

- Get home and unpack shopping (it’s now 12.15am).  Down a pint of squash and find The Boy asleep on sofa.  Quick chat to check he won the quiz, then it’s up the wooden hill.  Phew!

And the morning after survival recommendation:

- wake up feeling like crap.  Big mug of tea, plus echinacea and multi vitamin tablets to ward off potential side effects of being run down.

Pilates pain, three days on! July 18, 2008

Tuesday night I went to my regular pilates class. Nothing exciting there, I hear you say. No, it was business as usual and as good as normal – my instructor’s ace and I love it.

this is SO not me

Anyway, at Tuesday’s session we did lots of side stretch stuff, including something called “the mermaid” (a bit like this). “Nice!!” I thought, “lovely, I’ll tone into a curvaceous aquaeous beauty. good one”. The pose involved sort of tucking one knee under another, over on one side, then stretching right over with your arm, whilst keeping the pelvis even. It was well ‘ard. I don’t think I looked for one instance like Ariel.

I pressed on regardless and enjoyed the pose. It felt good.

But then, Wednesday I went running at lunch and felt sore down my sides, like my ribs were bruised.

Yesterday’s run was much the same.

Today, I have not been running but whilst typing this my ribs are literally aching. This is wierd. Is it related to Pilates? I’ve played rugby and a good few knocks on the torso usually cause this kind of ache. It’s like my muscles all down my sides and into my back are having a bad day.  My ribs generally seem to be featuring in all my pilates blogs.  I’m trying to get them less sticky-outy anyway – perhaps this pain is just my ribcage re-aligning into a more slender silhouette?

Gross self harm avoided with Pilates April 30, 2008

I’ve been hating my ribcage for years.  It’s not deformed, it’s just big, and wide.  I’m a broad gal, and no matter how slim I get (believe me, I got mega skinny once when dumped by an ex – the “malteser and grief” diet there) – the rib cage still pokes out and makes me look broad.

I’ve always thought that just hacking a couple of the bottom ribs out would make a big difference in creating a slimmer silhouette.  But, it seems, I can now avoid the break/remove rib plan – with the altogether more serene Pilates.

 

We did some exercises last week where the aim is to flatten the rib cage, you have to kind of “think” your muscles into moving in a certain way  – it’s not easy, this Pilates lark you know – and then stretch whilst pushing ‘down’ on the ribs.  Anyhoo, I wasn’t convinced until I stood up and lo and behold, after just a wee bit of work, the ribcage did feel slightly flatter to my body.  A few of the girls felt it up and confirmed that I did have a large ribcage (yah, thanks!) – had they felt me ribs before the class, I think they would have noticed a difference.  I certainly think I did.

So  – now I’m well motivated to keep up the Pilates in the hope of achieving a less massive torso.  I do actually enjoy it, I’m not just going now I know I can sort the ribs and avoid running into things at high speed in the hope of breaking them, but it’s a heck of a bonus!