Last night I got wrapped up in two of my favorite things. First, I was at pilates. And when I came home, it was "Dancing with the Stars".
Pilates - When I lived in Asheboro, I tried Yoga. I did not like Yoga. Then while I was laid off, I started the process of understanding what was wrong wtih my body. Turns out it was a pretty long list and I was determined to fix what I could. One day I was watching Good Morning America and Rebecca Romain was on and she was talking about how she has scoliosis and how she uses pilates to keep it in check. My PT's office at the time had a studio and I asked if I could try it out. My PT thought it was a great idea. So I tried it. At first, I couldn't touch my toes or even get my back rounded enough to roll like a ball. I was horribly not flexible. But as I started moving muscles in ways they had never been moved, the muscles started liking it. Pilates is about equal and opposite actions to strengthen your core muscles. The concept is opposite what most other exercises focus on. We tend to think in terms of running for our legs and weights for our limbs. But the truth is with a strong core, good energy flows outward and you can make a big difference on your limbs too. Since 2003, I have done pilates, taking only minor breaks for work projects, having a baby, and vacations and such. I have moved to a studio in Cary that is fantastic and not far from my house. I love the flow and the stretching and that there are many different exercises formed into one hour. Last night, I worked up a sweat. I've figured out variations of the standard exercises to overcome specifics to my body. My back has come the farthest so that I've been able to move to working on my shoulders and neck. I can flat palm the floor with no trouble. I could barely grab my ankles when I started. I prefer the equipment because I can't cheat against the springs as easily.
Dancing - Before DWTS came on, I convinced Steve to take dance lessons for our wedding. He liked the idea of not just swaying on the dance floor. We picked out "A Wink and A Smile" by Harry Connick Jr. and started foxtrot lessons. It was a great success! And we haven't done it since. I loved my wedding years (attending countless weddings was fun!) because there was always some dancing - and I could usually dance with my sisters and no one cared what we looked like. Now, I like to watch ballroom dancing. Beca does too. She'll ask me to put on dancing but doesn't want to sit still through the judges comments. I didn't realize how excited I was until it came on last night. One day, I'll take dance lessons again. Until then, I must prepare for the No Doubt concert - basically can I jump up and down for 2 hours.
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