A new Pilates routine offers a surprise

By Lisa Palmer

I was in the middle of my morning walk with my dog, Zach, when I first noticed the cumulative effects of my new Pilates routine. It had been four weeks since I began the twice-weekly duet sessions and I was only just starting to notice that my body was stronger.

On this day, I'd wager that my new inner strength wasn't too noticeable to anyone else, judging from my silhouette. The wind had partially inflated the bulky jacket I was wearing. And, both my pockets bulged-one carried a wad of plastic dog cleanup bags; the other stored the wooly hat I brought along for the chilly return loop that ran along the ocean.

Yet, as I was on the trail with Zach, my new Pilates body revealed itself as I idly walked past a familiar rocky outcropping. It was there that I would routinely stop to stretch my quads, perform a few limbering calisthenics and twist my torso back and forth, all to relieve the mild shoulder and lower back discomfort I often experienced midway through my brisk walks. But on this day, I walked right past the rocks to a bend in the trail several yards beyond. I glanced back to the spot where I failed to pause and smiled.

Since beginning my new Pilates routine, which included two hour-long sessions per week on a Reformer and an occasional mat class, I had been incorporating basic Pilates moves, focus and alignment into my every-day life. As a result, the customary calisthenics-once used to remedy discomfort and the effects of poor posture-weren't necessary.

They weren't necessary because my shoulders no longer ached. Instead, they now remain "in their pockets," as my Pilates teacher Jann likes to say, whether I'm walking, running or participating in sports like tennis or cross-country skiing. My lower back doesn't sway-and thus ache-because it is now supported by a strong, upright stance. And, my right hip, which had once felt stuck and uncomfortable, is now flexible and free to move fluidly.

I've come to realize that Jann's verbal cues are imprinted in my everyday movements. I now walk with ease, perhaps with dance-like grace, with my ribs clipped into alignment with my hips. The funny thing is, when you integrate simple efforts into a weekly exercise routine, like a full-body regimen such as Pilates, the net result comes as a surprise-like finding a $10 bill in your pocket. All along, my duet sessions were fairly painless. Jann had eased me into shape, gradually increasing intensity so that I achieved a balanced body without bothersome soreness, soaking perspiration and discomfort-even without my noticing I was strengthening my whole body.

Now, a smile comes to my face each time I pass that rocky outcropping. I continue to savor that first surprise, that moment when I learned to walk with fluid elegance. I'm even thinking maybe it's time to retire my puffy windbreaker.

Freelance writer Lisa Palmer takes classes at Core Pilates Yoga and Fitness in Newport, Rhode Island.