Day 20 - Done in 60 seconds

Have you ever purchased a service (could be foot reflexology, massages, facials and the like) and decided to go for the package deal because it made economical sense? And did you later, feel like flinging your phone across the room because you've failed, probably for the 4th time in a row, to secure the appointment you wanted?

It happens to me all the time when I call my usual foot reflex joint... I usually end up compromising on the time slot and throwing my carefully scheduled weekend out of whack. Ugh.

What is NOT frustrating though, is the online reservation tool for pilates lessons at The Pilates Place. The schedule for the entire week and the available slots are visible at a glance. If you're super organized and a little more kiasu, the monthly schedule is available and if you are of the Carpe-Diem variety, there's a Day-view as well. As it's an online tool, it's available 24/7, which means you can book any time of the day. Just log-in and 3 clicks later, you're set!

Click 1 - Select the time and date of your pilates session
Click 2 - Select "New Reservation"
Click 3 - Select "Create Reservation"

You'll receive a confirmation email in your inbox almost immediately after the 3rd click and WA-LAH! Done in 60 seconds.

No doubt, lessons are on a first-come, first-served basis. The difference at The Pilates Place though, is that there are so many classes to choose from throughout the day (and more during the peak hours) that I've always gotten the session that I was after. The awesome twosome (aka Jacq & Jack) have done a great job of refining and adding to their repertoire at the studio. As their member base grows, they have systematically (and intelligently) added the right combination of classes so that no one is left wanting.

"How hard is it to add pilates sessions?", you might ask.

It may not be rocket science but consider this - The Pilates Place has members at various levels of pilates fitness: the beginners, the intermediates, the cardio-fit and the just-stark-raving-pilates-mad people. As members go through week after week of classes, their techniques improve, fitness and endurance levels are elevated and their familiarity with the pilates movements grow. Members then have more options open to them - instead of the lower intensity Pilates Flow classes, they can upgrade to Pilates Athletic, or even Jumpboard. From there, they can move on to Circuit classes (pilates-mad people fall in this category).

You could attribute it to a logical mind, or even pure luck.
Me? I'd put it down to dedication and a keen knowledge of each and every member by none other than the awesome twosome.

Day 17 - Another first...

This week seems to be the week of firsts – first circuit class, first class with Jackie… and today was my first jumpboard class!

I had done a couple of jumpboard exercises when Jacq “sprinkled” them into our regular pilates athletic or pilates flow classes.. the movements were pretty fun and really got my heart rate up, so I was really looking forward to today’s class!
Jacq wasn’t kidding when she said that pilates could be cardio-intensive. The class started off innocently enough on the reformer with a few movements to warm the legs up. We were pushing against a padded oak or maple board in lieu of the usual bar.

Once we were done with that, the jump portion of the class started, with 5minutes worth of jump exercise. 5 minutes you say? Pfft.. what’s 5 minutes? It may seem like peanuts but you have to try it to believe it.

Building from the usual leg press movement – I was now to use my feet, to propel myself away from the board. Starting from the heel and rolling to the balls of my feet, I engaged my quads and my core and pushed with my feet away from the board. I felt the connection to my core, but that wasn’t the end of it. Pointing my toes while in mid-air meant that my leg muscles and adducter muscles were connected as well. Landing, was even tougher. Instead of a regular landing, I had to simulate a cat-like landing – light as a feather, without the usual “thump”. This was achieved by landing with the toes first, followed by the heels, compared to a flat-footed landing. That in itself, worked the quad muscles just above the knee and required discipline in the thighs to allow the reformer to come close to the board, without clashing and clanging the springs.

Each minute of the jump movements was a different variation – legs together, legs apart, alternating legs together and apart, the scissor and my personal favourite, the ski.

At the end of 5 mins, the muscles in my legs were burning and perspiration was streaming down my face and neck. We went through arm movements with the jumpboard as well – modified pushups whilst maintaining stability in the lower body.

It hadn’t happened in a while but I did ache with every step as I left The Pilates Place… I like it…