My First Time with Pilates

Well, today I took the plunge and decided to give Pilates a try. Since I started on my weight loss journey, I have mainly concentrated on strength training and, when I guilted myself enough, cardio. Yep, I am not a major fan of the cardio workout, but at the same time I realize that it is an extremely important part to any fitness plan. I have tried using the Nordic Track and and I became so bored with using it, that for a span of several months, I didn't do any cardio at all.

However, a few months ago, I got the bright idea to actually use my wife's bike and go riding. Yeah, I know, what a concept: actually leaving the house and riding - gasp - outside. I really enjoy riding the bike, but I am always trying to find something different to break-up the monotony. So, with this in mind, I started doing some research and found that Pilates seemed kind of interesting. Pilates is a body conditioning routine that helps to not only build flexibility, but also strength, endurance, and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back¹.

I am using the Winsor Pilates system, which incorporates a cardio portion into its workout. I tried it for the first time today and I have to say that by the time I was finished, I was wiped out!! I was only able to get through the first three-quarters of the cardio portion before I couldn't continue.

Needless to say, by the time I was finished, I could have used one of these...







¹http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilates

Friday Fotos: 7/1

Answer after last foto...


courtesy of... somuchpun.com

Stormy Weather

We had a short, but powerful storm move through last night. Here is a tree limb that was torn off of our neighbor's tree...





Although this storm packed some pretty powerful winds, it did not hold a candle to the thunderstorm we had last week. That storm lasted for well over 30 minutes and some of the thunder was so loud, that it actually shook the house.