Stretching & strengthening!

So I am embarking on a stretching & strengthening program, the aim is to build another habit into my daily / weekly / monthly routine that will have a positive impact on my training, racing and performance!

I am continuing my stretching and foam rolling work, which I have blogged about previously and intend to provide more detail on in another blog soon (keep reading).  

But I have been searching for something else.  I have dabbled in yoga in the past and find the breathing techniques very beneficial for my asthma, but I was looking for something new and different for me.  A gym membership is an option and I have been weighing up a few different options, all of which offer me different positives including a 50m pool, location to home or an altitude room.  In my Facebook feed over the past month I had seen ads for a new Pilates studio opening at Wellington Point which has some extended opening hours and this looked interesting.  The combination of stretching and strength appealed to me.

So over the next month (5 weeks), on the run into Noosa Triathlon I intend to add Pilates to my schedule.  An opportunity with Studio Pilates Wellington Point presented itself and it was simply too good to knock back!  So this week I had my first ever foray into the world of Pilates!  I am not entirely sure what I expected but I can tell you I walked out knowing I had done a very solid core workout (& I even took it easy on myself keeping the springs low)!  This week was a very simple (or so I’m told) orientation class and introduction tot he reformer (doesn’t that sound like a torture device).  So far the entire process has been amazing, from the on-line registration to the decor of the workout room.  This place is more like a 5 star resort room than a workout room!  10 reformers all set up in two perfect lines, the colour scheme of white and gloss black gives this place a real elegance that made working out very easy!

Stay tuned and continue to follow my journey toward Noosa Triathlon and then onto Challenge Shepparton and I provide some insight into my thoughts on the benefits of Pilates.

Till next time, build consistency, keep smiling & live to Tri!