[Gameplan] Reformer Pilates for beginners

MANILA, Philippines – Finding time in your busy schedule to drop everything and work out can be a bit hard especially when it’s been a while since you last tried to do anything that screamed physical fitness. Gameplan host Katz Salao joins our working mom, Trixie Monteron, as she starts her fitness journey by trying out Reformer Pilates.  

Reformer Pilates is a low impact, beginner-friendly workout that focuses on the core muscles with the help of equipment. 

“Basically, it’s a bed that has a lot of springs. With the use of the springs, when you do certain exercise movements, it gives you resistance and feedback so that your body can move better,” said Tanya Aguila, a Pilates Instructor at OneLife Studio.  

“At first the machines were really intimidating. Once I got on it, and when she started saying, ‘Okay this is where you put your hands, this is where you put your feet, you have to arch your back,’ I really felt comfortable,” shared Trixie.

Reformer Pilates for Beginners

Pilates is a workout that starts you off very gently so that when you go a little bit harder, you will be in a safe place, making sure that you won’t strain any muscles. The workout focuses mainly on correcting your form and strengthening your core. Some of its benefits include flexibility, coordination, and balance. 

Unlike other workouts, Reformer Pilates won’t leave you exhausted after a whole session.

“My favorite part of the workout was lying down. Because it brought you back to neutral spine. It’s a position that we often ignore. Just being able to lie there and adjust myself, it made me feel good,” shared Katz.

“Right now, I feel tingly. Knowing that you’ve actually done something, your muscles were awakened, but it didn’t hurt,” said Trixie.

“I feel great. It’s a different feeling from other workouts because I don’t feel exhausted, and I don’t feel like I’m dying,” added Katz.

#JustStart

Taking the first step towards health, fitness, and wellness can sometimes be intimidating. For Trixie, there were doubts as to whether or not her body can handle the exercise. “That’s what I’m probably scared of – doing the poses, if I’m doing it right, if my body is still up for it,” she shared.

“The first thing I tell everybody who’s thinking of even beginning to work out is that healthy looks different on everybody. You have to set in your mind that your benchmark is you, not anybody else,” Tanya explains.

“We have to remove that mindset that we have to be fit enough before we go to the gym, or to try out a new sport. We should just start it,” added Katz. – Rappler.com