The Sauna

I tried a tower class at Carbon. It involves springs that provide resistance during your workout. The springs attach to a board on the wall that have numbered eye hooks spaced in pairs from the floor to maybe a little less than six feet high. The instructor tells you which spring to use and what number hook to attach it to. She then demonstrates the exercise and explains the common thing your body may try to do but shouldn’t.

We worked on arms until I thought they would just fall off; there were many different exercises each focusing on different muscles. We then worked on abs which seemed a little shorter and not quite so torturous. When we worked on hamstrings I really started to struggle. But I focused and made horrible grunting and gasping noises with each effort and I made it through. However, a few days later the muscle on the back of my thigh was so sore that I could not lift my feet from the floor.

This was my first realization of what the hamstring muscle actually does for me and for two days I shuffled around in a drunken stagger trying to walk. I needed help to get my shoes and socks on. Finally I texted Leah and she told me to come in for mat class. I’m thinking “what! I can barely walk, this lady is sadistic”. She told me that we would work on abs in class and she would help me stretch. I trust her so I went to class. When I arrived she understood how painful my legs were and she sent me to the sauna.

Ahhh, the sauna! Now I don’t like to be hot and I think that air conditioning is one of humanities greatest accomplishments. Because of this I have always thought of the sauna as a place for masochists to sit and sweat while saying things like “I want to be so hot that I have a vision” or “Aren’t I trendy with my sweat and all”. Despite this I was willing to try anything to walk right (and put on my shoes by myself) so I went to the sauna.

It was hot! I sweated a lot but it wasn’t unbearable and as I sat there I noticed that the muscle that was painful and inflamed started to soften and become less painful. When I exited the sauna after 30 minutes I was drenched in sweat but I could walk more normally and I could put on my own shoes!

After a second session in the sauna two days later I am a believer. I have learned that the sauna is actually therapeutic. I have noticed that tension in my back and neck is relieved and my body feels looser and more relaxed. Wow, who knew?

Getting Back to It

I missed a few weeks of Pilates because of scheduling conflicts. During this break I realized that having someone to hold me accountable every week really makes a difference in my activity level. When I see Leah once or twice each week she asks me about exercise during the rest of the week. I know that I will either tell her about activity or that I sat in my recliner and watched TV every day. I would much rather say I walked my dog or something. When I am not accountable I am less active.

I had a session with Leah and she suggested that I try some classes and just like that I was scheduled for a mat class.

I felt anxious about attending my first mat class at Carbon. I knew that most of the attendees had been doing Carbon Pilates for years and I imagined that they would see my struggle and wonder what I was doing there. The women in the class were mostly older than me, in their 50’s and 60’s. They were very welcoming and friendly. Let me tell you, these ladies can do Pilates! They made me feel motivated to be in such good shape when I reach that age (or really to get in such good shape at my current age).

I am glad that Leah had me do private sessions first. This allowed me to adjust to the pattern of the workout and get strong enough for the exercises before getting in a class of strangers. Leah made sure that I had a location in the room with a good view of her so I could easily see what to do. She also made sure that I was doing the moves correctly.

The class was hard work but I was able to keep up. Mostly. I struggled a little but I got through it and I envied the older women who did so much better. The ladies chatted during class and the time passed quickly. I really enjoyed this class and I am looking forward to the next.