Orientation

I attended my Orientation session today at Carbon in Tulsa, Oklahoma! Carbon is a Pilates studio but the orientation session I attended with one of the owners, Leah, was anything but a lecture on the benefits of my CORE, stomach crunches, or holding my legs in the air until I collapse. Instead, Leah asked me about what hurts and what I wanted to accomplish at Carbon. "Well," I said, "My back hurts all the time and my heels are sometimes so painful I can barely walk." Physical activities like mowing the yard and walking around say, the Farmer's Market for an hour, can have me hobbling around like I'm wearing fifty pound shoes. It's painful!
Leah examined my leg muscles (glad I shaved my legs) and pressed on my calf muscle and the side of my heel and I screamed. Leah said, "That's why your heel hurts, honey. We'll work on that." What I also found out is I hold my tension in my lower back. The muscles that reach out from the center of my back are so tense and tight, and at times so inflamed, I have found myself paralyzed in bed or unable to stand up straight. Sometimes I have to consciously relax my rear because I realize I've been holding myself tight for the entire day. I'm full of knots and my hamstrings and calves are so tight it's no wonder I get cramps. Leah said, "You're so tense you could work out all day here and not feel any better! This is about feeling better, having less pain."

Having less pain sounds like a good goal to me. Also, I'd like to look like Leah but for starters, I'll work on not being such a tense wreck.

And I thought this was just going to be about me sweating and swearing!


Sassy workout outfit: check
I'm ready for my first individual appointment!