Week three of my quest to experience life as a woman was met with some disappointment. I decided it was time to engage in some activities regarding health, so I went on a diet and attempted, please mark the use of the word attempted, to do palates.
My diet consisted of a three-day program, which was supposed to make me lose upwards of seven pounds. The way it worked was for day one of the diet I ate three small meals consisting of foods ranging from canned tuna to grapefruit. When I first found the diet it seemed like it would be enough sustenance, but after only eight hours on my first day I fell victim to the temptations of pizza. I couldn’t help myself, it was just there and I was starving. After the three days of attempted dieting it occurred to me
I am just not one to change my eating habits. With that in mind I applaud anyone who can stick to his or her respective diets. Unfortunately for me fatting foods and soft drinks have just too much charm. In the end I was unable to commit to healthy eating and found myself popping the Pringles all three days. Palates however I found down right fascinating, not to mention insanely difficult.
My work out regiment consisted of an intense attack on my core, butt and legs. I began with stretching on the floor which loosened up my back and hamstrings. Shockingly I made a slight move as instructed and my stretches turned into an extremely effectively abdominal workout. The whole regiment was shaped like this and lasted close to an hour. When finished my body was roadmap of pain with my muscles contracting in and out. My navel felt like it had been driven into my spine and I spent the rest of my night hunched over dealing with a pain that was brutal but wonderful.
Reflecting on my western work out experience I had two conclusions. First the regiment although effective is somewhat daunting due to the strange positions the workout puts you in. Aside from being slightly embarrassing the moves are mildly dangerous if done wrong. In truth I hit my mat hard twice in an accidental body collapse. The second thing I found is Palates is damn effective. I have tried numerous exercises and none isolated my muscles as well as Palates. This form of exercise has a real world value and I recommend any athlete to incorporate Pilates into their exercise routine.
When all is said and done Palates may look weird, but it does work and anyone saying it’s not worth trying doesn’t know what they are talking about.