Tag Archives: Real Pilates

Week 3: Appreciating the day…

Posted on by

Some days come at exactly the right time. Tuesday was one of those days. After fighting off a funk, due to a pulled groin muscle that had been hampering my activities for a few days, that morning, I woke up and I drank my protein shake with some of the Health Warrior Chia seeds and was reminded of how lucky I was to even get to go to Training Camp.  So, already in a better state of mind, off I went to my favorite part of the week. I say it every week, but I am constantly amazed at how much I like the people in my Training Camp. I know that it feels like such a tight team because of the amazing and vivacious Holly but the group as a whole, just rocks. I am not a morning person by any stretch but Tuesday morning, for the second week in a row, I was there without coffee – and was HAPPY about it. Seriously people, that means a lot. Once again, class was a mix up of some things we had done before but varied enough to be interesting and engaging – even if Holly was a little whistle-happy during the session!  It was just plain fun – kicking my ass yet still feeling like play time, all while watching the sun rise over the city while working out by the water. That is just a mighty fine way to start the day!

Then, it was off to coffee before heading home. I walked with the group heading to Flywheel, since I always walk over that way to get the Q home.   I sometimes will train-hop to get as close as possible but on the way home, I like the straight shot express train.  I was back in Brooklyn by 8:30am and while I was in the train station, ran into the fella heading off to work. It is amazing to me, after all of these years, how excited I get when I randomly run into him, never failing to make my day a little brighter.

                                   

My afternoon plans got a serious upgrade the night before when I won a free spot in a Real Pilates mat class with Juan Carlos Penuela.  I love random classes popping up! So, ok, just last week I was lamenting the state of mat classes and my dislike for them but, this was at a studio that I adore. I could go to ANYTHING there and be sure it was going to be great.  The class was tiny and when I walked in, the instructor asked me “How long have you studied Pilates?” I totally stammered through an answer–since once a long time ago I did lots but in the last few years almost not at all. I remember enough to fake it though most classes, but a really good teacher will see though it in a minute and know I might as well be a newbie. Juan was really good and I didn’t stand a chance of bluffing my way through the class. So the very charming, handsome dancer poked and prodded me for a whole hour making sure my form was correct. Luckily, his accent made the constant reminders about my abdomen come out charming and not annoying! It was the kind of class that reminds you why Pilates can be so great, because it is so hard when every millimeter is watched. Seriously though, I swear, I think he had just a sick sense when my core wasn’t engaged enough. “Abdomen!” It will be a long time before I get that out of my head when I do any core work…which is probably a good thing!

It was such a beautiful, Indian-Summer kind of day that I decided after class to walk home, since really, the walk over the glorious Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn is one of my favorites in the city.

      

Tuesday felt like the universe giving me a little reminder of this important fact: Life may not be perfect but it really is wonderful.

Springtone at Real Pilates

Posted on by

In a world filled with terrible “gym Pilates” mat classes it is so easy to forget how amazing Pilates can be – when taught by someone who is really well trained and in the classical method. I HATE mat classes with a passion, largely from one too many bad experiences. Since equipment classes are always too expensive for me, it is a very rare treat that I get to take one. It is easy to forget just how amazing it is to have access to the best of the best in NYC, but once in a while, it is awesome to be reminded.  This is how I feel when I get to take a class with Alycea Ungaro, the founder of Real Pilates in Tribeca. She wrote the first Pilates book I ever bought, which I got because the way she described movements really helped me in the classes I was taking at the time. Being around Alycea almost always makes me a little star-struck but because she is so immensely down to earth and friendly, thankfully, that usually subsides for the class.

Recently, Daily Candy had a deal for a class at Real Pilates and of course I had to snap it up. The great thing about the studio is that all of the group classes are small and in some part, use the Pilates tower, an apparatus that basically uses attached springs with handles that you loop on your feet or hold in your hands for resistance. While you might not think it, getting those damn springs to move can be a huge challenge at times, and the class I took called Springtone – mostly forgoes any regular mat moves and just works with the springs for the entire 45 minutes of the class. Exactly what I was looking for: a Pilates challenge.

                   

The thing about the use of resistance in the subtle movements of Pilates is that it works muscles in such a unique and intense way, it is so easy to see why people get obsessed with it. I was obsessed – when I could afford the equipment classes. The amazing thing about Springtone is that it makes the resistance aspect of Pilates accessible in a group class. YAY! The only part of the class I didn’t love was the beginning 3-pound weight section that thankfully, was really brief and transitioned into challenging abs, arms and leg sections with the springs. Of all of the great parts of the class, the leg section was easily my favorite. Those straps and springs target your inner and outer thighs like nothing else I have ever done. Man, I would love to be able to add this class into the mix of classes I get to take regularly! I love the mix of the exercises and pace of the class, which, while methodical and precise, kept a good, consistent clip.  I never once thought, “Oh, when will this end?” – although, I did burst out laughing at one point when, while laying on my stomach, I couldn’t both move the springs toward my ass and lift my thighs off the mat. I mean seriously, there would have to be a LOT more of these classes before that move even seems like it might be remotely possible! The other ladies in class were not amused at how funny I thought it was but thankfully, Alycea did, or else that might have been a little embarrassing…