Pilates, Positivity and the Pandemic

Everyone thinks I’m so positive. I am here to confess…I’m not!
I have taken Pilates for the better part of 16 years. And… For the better part of those 16 years I’ve hated it. Loathed it. Despised it. When Tuesdays, my Pilates day, rolled around, I always woke up with a serious case of dread.
It wasn’t like that in the beginning. I approached it with vigor and perhaps vanity. I wanted “Sarah Jessica Parker abs.” Laney, my Pilates instructor, or as I have affectionately nicknamed her, my Pilates dominatrix always said…”Everyone’s Pilates looks different.“ That was just her way of letting me down gently.

I soon learned I would not ever have ANYTHING close to “Sarah Jessica Parker abs.” I switched my attention to the clock. How soon will this wretched torture be OVER??? How could a bunch of exercises be SO hard?? Cadillac? The little chair? Innocuous contractions could render my muscles sore. 
Then the Pandemic happened. Everything closed. Even the Pilates studio. At first I was thrilled! Then…Something happened. 

My body GREW weak. I had trouble getting out of my tub. I had to install bars. I HATED THIS!! You would think I would be prepared. My “bargain basement body“ and I prayed that if the Pilates studio would EVER reopen I would CHANGE my attitude.

It did and I did. My Pilates studio put significant safety protocols in place. The door is open in cold weather, temperatures are checked upon entry, you have to wash your hands before and after you finish and always WEAR a mask .Is it a pain? YES. Only rivaled by the pain of my first few lessons. But I didn’t care. I could hear the Pointer sisters “I have a New Attitude.“ My Pilates dominatrix noticed. “Look how strong your right side is getting.“ Even my physical therapist noticed, “Maybe Laney needs to work on your good side.“ 

Some things however have NOT changed. I still call her Pilates dominatrix. I still shout out “Pilates Tourette’s.“ Words that are uttered in the Pilates studio that will STAY in the studio. And yes, it is still HARD. Really HARD. I don’t care. I am getting stronger. And guess what?? I NO longer have to use the bars in my tub to steady me. I am grateful that Laney has SO much patience and has crafted lessons that benefit MY body. Because, as the saying goes, “Everybody’s Pilates looks different“.