Flexible I Am Not

I was going to name this post:

What You Need to Know Before Attempting Pilates

But that was a bit long and the name of this post is 100 percent accurate!

I decided to break out one of my new Pilates DVDs late one night last week. I've had the DVDs for more than a month but didn't gain the motivation to use them until my sister - who has had 2 children in the last 4 years - showed me her stomach last week.

Let's just say that if a stranger were asked to look at her stomach and mine and tell us which sister was the mother of two, I'm sure they would pick the wrong sister (me). That girl has some flat abs! I'd be really mad at her but she runs daily so she's worked for them. I've worked for mine too, but unfortunately mine comes from a lack of exercise and a love of Oreos!

So, after polishing off the last of the Oreos, I popped in the Pilates DVD and got to work.

Here's what I learned during my first attempt at Pilates:

1. Buy a cute yoga mat. It will motivate you, I promise.

My yoga mat has butterflies on it. How cool is that? I love butterflies so finding these was a bonus.

2. Watch the workout once before attempting it. I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I could have benefited from a quick watch before actually doing the workout!

3. If you have contacts, wear them - NOT glasses - when doing the workout. I was wearing my glasses and spent half the workout lifting my head so I could actually see the TV. Not conducive to a good workout.

4.Start with a Pilates for Dummies workout if you are as uncoordinated as me.The DVD workout had one lady doing a modified routine for beginners but they didn't show her very much OR she was just cut off on my TV because I don't have a widescreen TV. I spent most of the workout waiting to see what I was supposed to be doing!

5.Study up on Pilates/Yoga terminology before attempting a workout. The lady was talking about core muscles and powerhouse. What?!?

After a not-so-successful first Pilates workout, I definitely learned some important lessons. But I will attempt it again.

What workout DVDs do you like?