At the beginning of my current 30-day strength challenge (which ends this week! It’s been such a great month with the loveliest group of people, and I’m so sad it’s almost over!), I got a lot of questions about Pilates.
I include a weekly Pilates session in my 30-day challenges because I think it’s such an excellent complement to strength training, cardio, and truly just whatever you’re doing in your everyday life: You breathe deeply, improve your core and hip strength, build balance and mobility, and create a deeper mind-body connection, which serves you well in literally any other activity.
But I sometimes forget how effing uncomfortable it can be if you’re just starting out, if you have certain mobility limitations, and absolutely if you’re in a larger body. Pilates historically was extremely sizeist and fatphobic (I will spare you the Joseph Pilates quotes on this, but trust that they were not good), and even today if you want to be an inclusive instructor, you really have to go out of your way to get training from folks who understand working with different types of bodies.
(One of those people for me, by the way, is the wonderful Ivy Baron, whom I’ve interviewed here before — check that out below if you’d like to learn more and hear Ivy’s wisdom:)
"I don't think that most people are like, 'You know what I really want to do? Pilates!'"
Hey friends: I cannot wait to introduce you today to Ivy Baron. She’s the founder of Requisite Pilates, and she teaches in person and online in Austin, Texas. I don’t remember how I first came across her work, but I do remember that I was so excited to find a brilliant, experienced teacher, herself …
So truly, even well meaning instructors will often leave out options that actually work for your body. (Guilty! And so sorry!) If you’ve tried beginner mat Pilates and just felt like it wasn’t right for you, you are very much not alone. AND: If you are pregnant or postpartum and regular mat Pilates isn’t feeling right to you right now, I completely get it!
That’s why I decided to put together today’s workout. It’s a beginner- and perinatal-friendly Pilates flow that also doesn’t require lifting your head and shoulders off the floor, but still gives you a great and challenging core workout.
Now, we have done a Pilates workout with the goal of making it easier to lift your head and shoulders — you can find that one here — but if you’re still like, NO THANK YOU, today’s workout is for you.
If you have a small playground ball or a cushion, and something to place under your knees during kneeling exercises, grab them, but not required.
Wait, one quick and very cool thing before we get into the workout! My friend Laramie Dennis wrote and directed a movie! It’s called Where in the Hell, and it’s an arthouse buddy road trip dramedy (!!), and you can watch it online — and then write a glowing review on your favorite movie-review site, because we need more visibility on projects like this so that more indie artists like Laramie can make great films.
(Also just a side note about Laramie: She used to write the world’s best wedding blog, East Side Bride, and we became internet friends and stayed in touch over the years, and now we are IRL friends too and it’s one of the handful of examples in my life of the internet being a really good place, actually. In addition to filmmaking, Laramie also writes this great little newsletter that includes very helpful and mouthwatering taco reviews.)
Okay, on to Pilates.
