Day Twenty-Two: I Have Endured

So, I took nearly a week off from Pilates and not on purpose, mind. Last week I got super busy and just lost track of it all. I was gonna try and do some on Saturday, but decided to be a major bum and do some writing. Yesterday, I set forth on doing some major cleaning.

I cleaned an entire basement. Organized, swept, vacuumed, washed, and more. I'm proud of the work. It looks good to me and it was quite a workout.

But today was the day to get back onto Pilates because, holy mess, was I ever sore this morning when I woke and sore for most of the day. I missed Pilates fiercely and I was looking forward to it today even though I anticipated sucking it up big time.

The first video was just a nice cardio warmup. These types of videos don't present an issue to me and I gladly did it. I needed the warmup as the last two days have been rainy and cruddy, which means I barely got any outside time in because I hate dealing with rainy and cruddy.

The second video was one focused on slimmer calves and thighs. My calves, I've been told, look good. I mean, they're huge, and that's to do with all the walking/running I did previously in my weight loss regiment. I wish they weren't so huge but they are. My thighs are large, too, and I would very much like to see them slimmer but they don't touch anymore. Back when I was in the 200s, they would touch all the time. I destroyed a lot of jeans thanks to those thighs.

So, the focus of this video was a focus I'm all for. But this video was a challenge and not a cakewalk, not at all. Majorly important for this video (and all Pilates videos) was proper breathing technique. I was out of practice early in the video but I managed to find my form.

Once I did, this video became a lot easier. I kept my breathing and my form, I kept my pace, and I felt it working. I know this video so well now that I can close my eyes and just listen to what she says, as I've committed the movements to memory.

Cassey is easy on the eyes but often distracting ... at least for me, a male.

I was able to do a lot of this with my eyes closed and I found that much more relaxing than usual. I peeked every once and awhile to make sure I was doing things right, but overall my eyes were closed as I felt the burn.

Did I ever feel it. I was close to cramping up a few times but my breathing kept me from getting to that point. I was on the edge of it, but I wasn't there.

Once I got done with the video I exclaimed, "God, I missed Pilates." And I did. My body loves this and I share its sentiments, the Pilates have been a real good thing for me.

But then the third video arrived. I anticipated this being harder than the last time I encountered this video. This time I upped the weights in the bags by five pounds, getting me close to 15 pounds in each bag. Last time was too easy. I needed to feel it this time.

I felt it. Oh, did I felt it. My calves and my legs were in agony after the first minute of the movement. Things were tense and I was shaking from my waist down. Standing on the balls of your feet for such an extended period and pulsing on those same feet is difficult. It was hard.

But I got through the video.

My endurance has really picked up thanks to Pilates and not just for Pilates things either. Yesterday's clean-a-thon in the basement was a testament to that, as well as the previous weekend's house work.

Hell, I may just be brave enough to do these in a class. I'm nearly done with the beginners videos and, seeing as I'm moving to Ohio this week, finding a legit Pilates class (that doesn't charge preferably) would be fun.

...

Maybe.

At any rate, the benefits are so good with this that I won't be quitting. Pilates is awesome and even on days when I'm tired and sore (today) I can still summon the energy to do it.

Thanks for reading folks and I'll see you for Day Twenty-Three.

Day Twenty-One: Fatality, Mortal Kombat Style

Wow. I got beat today in embarrassing fashion. There's no real way around it. I sit here before you, thrashed.

The first video was a nice one, something that lulled me into a false sense of security. I saw it, recognized it, and loved it for what it was. Three weeks ago that video would have been tough. Today, I did well on it and was pretty confident the next video would be one I could do.

I was wrong. Oh, I was so wrong.

The second video was not kind. It was brutal. It was brutal to the word "brutal". I felt like I was in the middle of a Mortal Kombat fight. Cassey didn't hold back today, not at all, and the workout in this video was not for those who were looking to get started on this. This video was for those who thought everything would go well.

This video did not go well. In the beginning, I was thrown for a loop by this movement. It looks like a normal lunge, something that I was fine with, but then she puts that bottom leg out so far ... she then precedes to lower it. Over and over. Without moving the rest of her body.

I was at a loss how she achieved that. I don't have that body control and though I certainly do appreciate Cassey's body control, I can't begin to tell you how she does it. She just busts it out like it's casual, like it's simple, and I couldn't for the life of me figure how. I tried, struggled to do, and ultimately failed.

The rest of the video pretty much falls in line with that. I tried, I struggled to do, and I ultimately failed. I couldn't keep up with her and my form broke down. I was pressing, I'll admit that, and I certainly didn't want to sit there and do nothing.

But this video beat me. This was a fatality as I couldn't do the third video, ABC Abs, at all. I was spent and quit. I did not accept the continue, I quit to main menu.

I can only assume that my long weekend and my lack of sleep has had something to do with this. I feel a bit let down considering how well yesterday went, but I guess that's the price one pays for lack of sleep. It kills you in a lot of ways.

I'm on my last week of Beginner's Pilates, and I'd like to go out on a high note. This won't do it.

Thanks for reading folks, and I'll see you for the (hopefully better) Day Twenty-two.

Day Twenty: Weekend Workouts and Monday Madness

So, Friday through Sunday I skipped Pilates because I was going to be working on a house and did I ever work. There was scraping. Painting. Drywalling. Plastering. Carrying. Moving. More carrying. Many flights of stairs ... it was a major amount of work. I only got 11 hours of sleep all weekend long. Last night, after getting back, I managed to snag eight hours.

I should be sore. Majorly sore. But I'm not. I'm tired, I'll admit that, but I don't hurt at all. I'm not in top condition but I'm more than able to function.

All weekend long, with all the lifting and moving, I kept the Pilates breathing form in mind. I kept Pilates in mind throughout it all, really, using what I had learned in the workout videos to aid in keeping me from hurting myself.

The crazy thing is that it worked. I didn't hurt myself (minor the cuts/blisters) and I didn't suffer any collapse from exhaustion. I could have easily kept going a long time. The drive back made me sleepy, but I made it back.

Today, I wasn't sure if I was going to do Pilates, but in telling my friend (who turned me onto Pilates in the first place) the weekend's events, we both admitted we had missed Pilates. It's a great way to keep in shape, make you stronger, and just relieve some stress.

I was pretty stressed when I woke this morning. I just wasn't in a good mood. My long drive back had done nothing for me and the lacks of sleep made me a bit ill. I wanted to rip some people's heads off. I got better as the day progressed, the crappy feelings going away, but I totally was looking forward to Pilates. I wanted to do it.

So, I did. The first video was the Beginner's Workout and I must proudly say, I made it through. No breaks, no cheating, and no break down of form. The video is kind of a trip back in time because three weeks ago, when I started this, that workout kicked my tail. I was using all the shortcuts and taking breaks to get through it.

Now, three weeks later, I'm making it through the video without any breaks. I was proud of myself. Yes, it still takes some effort, but not a backbreaking amount. Not an amount of effort that makes me feel like I got hit by a bus afterwards.

It's amazing what gains I've made with this in just three weeks time. I thought I was fit before but, based on these past four days, I have to say I'm way fitter now. It's probably not going to sell more people (guys in particular) on the idea, but there have been strength gains. Flexibility gains. The fact I didn't pull anything this past weekend is astounding considering the amount of stuff I was hauling around. Multiple 18 pound bags, a few 50 pound bags, buckets full of tools, buckets of five gallon paint, and I was doing this across multiple terrains: flat, sloped, stairs, and more.

I didn't pull anything. I would normally have pulled something but I didn't, and I didn't on less sleep than normal. Pilates has definitely made a positive difference here, a noticeable one, and I think everyone should get aboard and do this. You may not see the same amount of success as I have in the same amount of time, but you'll see it sooner rather than later if you really put the time in.

My success with the first video was not repeatable with the second, however.

The second video kicked my tail. The pace and the reps really make this a tough video to follow up on ... I won't pretend I did well on it. I was in a heap after about two minutes of it. Considering the wear and tear of this past weekend, I don't count this as a loss.

Overall, I'm quite proud of my efforts today and hope to repeat it as the days go on.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you folks for Day Twenty-One

Day Nineteen: No. Just No.

Rarely do I ever pitch a fit as badly as I did on today's workout videos.

The first one was a favorite of mine, one based on stretching, and I liked those. They're laid back, they're easy to me, and they make me take the time to consider my movements. I wish that there were more videos like those ... sitting there, stretching out, thinking about the movements and all the many parts of it is a good exercise for the mind.

The second video was the one I cursed at. A lot. Who knew these seemingly basic movements would be so hard? It's not so much the actual, physical, movements that bothered me. It was the length of them. I was sitting there for minutes, tail stuck in the air in a basic bridge, sweating it out.

This video required an endurance I just didn't have. My legs struggled to stay up, my breathing struggled to keep up, and I felt cramps coming on. I didn't make it through this video. I had to break a few times. These made me hurt. I don't know how she managed to do it for as long as she did (it was like five minutes, seriously) but I had to take a break midway through and I didn't want to do the rest. Not. At. All.

That video kicked my tail.

The third video was just ... no.   

I didn't see the new Great Gatsby movie. I heard it was decent but as far as respecting the source material, it really didn't. I love the Great Gatsby as a book. I hated it at first, like everyone else, but it just got better and better every time I read it. It's a book that really ages well.

I can't stand what the new movie did to the music. It's just horrible. They took modern pop and infused it with period music. I looked at this video and just didn't do it. I fully admit it. I won't be caught dead dancing to this music.

I can dance in the shower and make up for it.

Anyways, today was not as much a success as yesterday. I feel like I got beat by that second video.

Thanks for reading. See you guys next time for Day Twenty, which will just be observations of what's gone down so far.

Day Eighteen: ABCs Rule

I thought today was going to be a major pain. The videos were stacked against me ... tough ones, ones I've struggled with in the past. It was going to be a triple threat of agony. Instead, I'm here having found my second wind (surprisingly) after not getting a lot of sleep last night.

The first video was the a quickie workout, done at a fast pace, and done without any wasted motions. Her faster pace videos still give me trouble, but I found myself keeping up better this time than I have in the past. This video really set the pace for me today.

I next moved onto the second video, which was the dreaded ABC Abs. This video has kicked my tail more often than not. I struggle doing it a lot, but I came into this one warmed up. I came out of the gates with a roar, blazing through the first set of ABCs with the upper abs. Once we hit the lower abs, I started to give out, and I was definitely shaking.

I've noticed that my lower abs seem to have more difficulty than my upper abs, and this isn't surprising to me as my lower abs is where the bulk of the sagging skin is. It makes sense to my warped mind that they'd be the weaker of the two.

I got about to 'I' before I started breathing pretty heavily. My form began to break down and though I struggled to finish strong, I did finish without taking a break. Admittedly, at the end of the video, I just sat on the floor for about five before I moved onto the next one.

The last video was the Lady Gaga workout one. Bleh. Bleh. Bleh. I still have difficulty doing the Lady Gag Crunches but I was able to do a few of them before my form completely broke down. It's progress. The rest of the video was relatively painless and I sit here, before you, energized.

I definitely feel like I'm slimming up, though the scale barely nudges past the usual number. My shirts feel a bit looser, my pants do as well, and I look slimmer to my own eyes. Admittedly, this is all based on perception so it could be entirely wrong. But I think some truth is there.

My flexibility in my back has improved considerably and I feel like that's the biggest gain so far. I can do things with my back that I haven't been able to do since I was a child. My legs still refuse to bend as far as hers do or stretch as far back ... it hasn't really changed a lot since I first began, but I think I've made a very small difference there.

I'm quite pleased by today's efforts and look forward to tomorrow, where I'll be concluding this week's workouts and trying to get on a regular schedule for next week (where things will hopefully begin on a Monday). Thanks for reading, and see you for Day Nineteen.

Day Seventeen: No Butts About It

So, I was an absolute bum and took the last three days off from Pilates. It was the weekend. That's my excuse. I got caught up in a myriad of different projects and, by the time I remembered Pilates, I was tired, it was late, and I wasn't going to do them.

I got back aboard the train today for a few reasons but mostly because I missed it. I generally do better on the days I do Pilates than the days I don't. Yesterday I ran for the first time in awhile and I think I might have pulled something ... that knowledge in mind, I decided to do today's videos, which focused on stretching.

I started with the first video, which was a stretching one and one I liked. It's relaxing, challenging, and all together a good workout. I didn't have trouble with most of it. Not until I reached The Bridge anyway. That movement still befuddles me.

Admittedly, I'm a few days out of practice and by this point in the video I was just starting to find my form. But this movement requires a level of flexibility I haven't achieved yet. The way she gets her hands to bend back like that is hard enough but then to LIFT myself with those hands, that's where I find it superbly difficulty.

I did better this time around. I managed to get about a fourth of the way up before my body came back to the carpet, but I don't know how she manages it. That kind of flexibility seems impossible for me to achieve, but what looks impossible now may not be impossible later.

I moved onto the second video after that, which I found a bit laid back as well. I'm glad it was, because I needed to ease back into this today. The video focused on, you guessed it, the butt. Cassey and her followers seem to have a fixation on their butts being firm, toned, and good looking.

I want to tangent off into the psychology of this, because males (speaking as one) don't frankly give a damn about butts. They're good for sitting. They're good for making funny noises. They're good for ... more sitting. That's about it. I kinda care about how mine looks, but no one has mentioned to me one way or the other how it's perceived. Until someone does, I'll continue on with the assumption that it's fine.

But it seems for females/women/girls/chicks (anymore?) that the butt is a central focus of attention. This has been confirmed to me a few times throughout my adventures in life (if one can call them adventures) and I get they want it to look "sexy" and "toned" for others, hopefully for themselves as well.

I just feel that, as a society (and the human race overall), we place way too much emphasis on the butt and how it looks. I know that in history, at least as far as I'm aware, a nice butt and set of breasts meant the woman in question would be fertile. Fertility is good.

But modern society has moved well beyond that at this point and we've objectified both things to insane levels. I'm not saying we should jump to the other direction and just say "Hey, be as slovenly and out of shape as you want!" but I am saying there's a difference between healthy and sexy. One does not necessarily mean the other in my mind.

Okay, end of tangent.

Anyways, the second video was challenging as well, though no one particular movement stood out to me as tough. All were mildly so but I succeeded (to varying degrees) at all of them.

I'll be trying to do the next two days of Pilates workouts. Thanks for reading, see you next for Day Eighteen.

Day Sixteen: Stretches of Doom

Boy, my legs are sore. It's not that yesterday's workouts made me hurt a lot. It's that the stretching in today's videos was tough. Way tough. I generally like the stretches as they are easier to do than most of Cassey's other videos.

But not today's. The way she was stretching today was amazingly difficult.

We started with the first video, which was merely cardio once more. Again, I have no problems with this type of workout. It's like, simple, for me.

We came to the second video and I looked at it and thought it would be easy. Every other stretching video was easy. Every other time I've tried I've found success.

This time, I did not find nearly as much success. I should have known because she uses a belt in some of the stretches. I don't do well with belts. I took one out this morning to put on but got frustrated when I couldn't quite get it to go right. So, I left it on my bed.

Low and behold, I needed to use it again this evening. I busted it out and started to stretch. And it hurt. Using the belt to pull back on my leg, to straighten it out, was SUPPOSED to make things easier but honestly I was struggling pretty bad to keep it together.

There wasn't a movement in this video that I didn't have difficult with. It was hard. It was tiring.

I'm pooped.

I managed to roll to the third video, did that, but I'm quite disappointed that I struggled so much with stretching. After yesterday's breakthrough, I thought for sure I would be able to lick today's videos. Instead, I feel like I lost.

Admittedly, I know I didn't. But I feel like I did. My tail got kicked by that stretching video. I cursed. I pleaded. I begged. I definitely want to do any other video other than that one.

My report today is one of embarrassment, disappointment, and a whole new respect for stretches. These stretches were not feel good. Not at all.

Thanks for reading. See you for Day Seventeen.

Day Fifteen: PROGRESS

Well, today was a surprise. Really. I didn't expect there to be definable progress today. Not after staying up late, once more, last night. I have stayed up late a bit too much this week, admittedly, but I haven't paid for it dearly.

But it has impacted my daily recovery from Pilates. Woke up this morning and my arms/legs were both killing me. They've been stiff all day and that can only be attributed to my lack of sleep. The body isn't getting time enough to heal. By the time I get to the evening I got enough to go another round, but I need to do better about getting sleep.

The first video was beginning stuff. I am no longer that much a beginner, but the movements were still challenging to me. However, I was able to make it through the video without getting winded. I was able to do every Roll Up in the video (sitting up from the floor unassisted never felt so rewarding).

The second video was the one where definable, real, progress was found. It wasn't apparent at the beginning of the video. I did the movements but was feeling my endurance begin to slip. But I was able to do the Single Leg Jack-knife   much better than last time around. I didn't feel like I was straining all that hard at all.

When we got to the back-end of the video, I wasn't looking forward to it. I audibly groaned. We were going to do the Butt Lift and the last time around with this video I came away unhappy with my performance. This time, I found I could actually do these and keep up.

I mean, I really could do them. I felt like my back discovered a key and unlocked itself. I was able to move my lower back and get it up there, without really straining.

The euphoria was short lived as we moved on to the Roll Backs. I could not do these the last time around, not at all. Getting my legs to go that far back, getting my back to cooperate ... no way. But it was part of the video. So, I started it when she started it.

And I got stuck. My legs DID in fact go back as hers did and I sat there, half-scared I was stuck, half-giddy with the fact that I was actually doing it. I was laughing at this as she continued on with the workouts. I managed to get back down, get calm, and I repeated the movement.

It wasn't a fluke. I was able to do it multiple times and it was FUN. This is by far the most fun I've had with these videos, this one movement. It was a stupid little thing, but I can't remember the last time I was able to do anything remotely like that. I could have backflipped, maybe, if I really wanted to be brave.

This represents the first definable progress as far as Pilates movements are concerned. I've made other, smaller gains, so far but this is big. My lower back just got free, more free than it has been in years (maybe dating as far back when I was a young child).

I was very, very pleased, with the way this went today. The ability to do the Roll Backs is awesome. It's fun, just hanging there ... upside down. I'm a bit euphoric at the moment.

PROGRESS

So good. Very pleased with this, especially as I was yet again reminded during the first video of how my sack of loose flesh still just hangs there nasty-like. I hate it but the unlocking of my lower back (or perhaps the strength gain in my abs?) makes up for that cringe-worthy moment.

I did double-check just to make sure I didn't imagine it. Still able to do it. :)

Thanks for reading, folks. See you for Day Sixteen.