Pilates and the feel good factor

This is my Pilates Performer JP machine,  the only piece of exercise equipment I own. It was what the shopping channel calls ‘a considered purchase’ . That means it cost a bit and was expensive to ship from the UK to Ireland. I bought it  four years ago and, somewhat to my astonishment,  am still using it on a fairly regular basis. The thing that I love most about the Performer is that as soon as I lie back on the platform and tuck my shoulders against the rests (that is the raised cylindrical posts that you see in the picture here), I feel the tension leaving my body.

For the last couple of weeks, my Performer has been tucked away under the bed in the spare room because I had some guests to stay. Today, I dragged it back out and reassembled it. It is not too difficult to do this and you don’t need help to do it on your own. The great thing about getting back on is that you feel the benefit straight away. It makes me feel taller and helps me to walk taller. More importantly though, it helps with flexibility and movement. 

There are newer models of my machine that come with an ‘aero’ board which you can use for a bit of aerobic action if that is your thing. If I was buying it again myself, I would like one of those boards and I would also go for one of the models without legs as they look easier to fold up and put away at short notice.

As with all exercise equipment, if you have a small house like mine, the downside  is that it does take up a bit of space but not much more than an exercise bike. And, since everyone I know that has an exercise bike uses it to hang their clothes on, I take it as a good sign that a lazy girl like me managess to keep her machine clutter free and ready for use most of the time. Getting it back out from under the bed today is like having an old and trusted friend back in the house. I am pleased with the reacquaintance – in fact I think I’ll dash upstairs and do a few more leg circles before dinner!