After my second week of taking Pilates classes, I’ve started to notice that my arms feel stronger. I’ve always had weak arms, and thankfully, Pilates has offered me a full body workout. Working with the arm springs on the tower has proved to be a major challenge. I watch the springs wobble rapidly as my weak arms struggle to do chest expansions and arm circles. Luckily, the benefits of taking Pilates on a regular basis is that I can start to see gradual improvements.

Additionally, my prom was this week, and just like every other high school girl, I wanted to be in my best shape. However, unlike every other girl (or so it seems), I knew that I was not going to be able to magically drop a few waist sizes over the course of a few days. I chose to focus on my posture instead.

Posture is an important aspect of Pilates because the maintenance of proper alignment is an essential tenet of all exercises. It’s easy to have good posture and alignment in Pilates class because the instructors are constantly reminding you and correcting your body placement (or at least that’s what good teachers do). The challenge is to bring the proper alignment outside of the class and into the rest of the day. I often find myself hunching over my desk or slouching while standing in lines. Therefore, I made it a goal to take my proper alignment into the rest of the world, and I really found that it made a difference on the day of my prom.

It’s interesting to notice how Pilates translates to everyday life. Maybe one day you notice that you’re standing up straighter or you find it easier to carry the load of groceries. Pilates may not be as vigorous as running a marathon or as high-risk as playing a contact sport, but it is easy to notice a difference that it makes on your everyday life and well-being.