Pilates is an exercise routine that uses deceptively minimal movements with natural resistance to tone your muscles and build your body’s core strength. I took a semester of Pilates in college and when I began I was disgusted by how hard repetitions of simple movements initially were. Most people giggled through the class but a shy and adorable older woman who had retained her workout clothing from the 80’s (including leg warmers) and myself were determined to get better. And behold, by the end of that semester we were no longer struggling. We were confidently winging our way through the routines by the time the class was over. The strength I gained while taking this class stayed with me for years. This simple effective exercise taught me how to activate my core and fortified my muscles. But on my own I lacked the motivation to push myself further. As you might imagine, in my daily routine most of my heavy lifting happens in my head with pencil in hand. And so until recently my fitness had been on the back burner while my creative endeavors were (and still are) set to boil. However it’s always in bad taste to neglect yourself and so lately I’ve been making consistent efforts to jump back in. During the fall a friend and I took up jogging just in time for it to get cold. And now that the snow has started to fly and temperatures are dipping into single digits – exercise now happens in front of the fire place. My husband and I are doing Pilates together. It burns but it’s a good burn. I’m looking forward to toning my muscles. Each session I feel stronger than the session before. This winter I’m investing in my wellness.
Bree Reetz 