A Unique Workout – Filming a Video

Looking back at my exercise archives, the most unique and memorable experience for me took place over a 2-day span about two years ago. It occurred after an instructor at the Bay Club (Stephanie Herman, www.PilatesBallet.net) invited me, along with a bunch of others from her various classes, to participate in filming a video as a demo for a new exercise style that she invented, called Ballet Physique.

pilates_ballet1The 1st day we met her at the Bay Club for a practice session. I thought this would be a brief walk-through of the routines, so I had done back-to-back classes (‘Body Define’ & ‘Pilates Mat’) beforehand. It turned out that our rehearsal lasted almost 2 hours, in which we were shown a variety of innovative steps.

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We also learned how the use a body band called Stretch-Eze (available on-line), which I loved — it’s cocoon-like, and we used it for resistance, stretching, and balance-work. Stephanie showed us samples of workout tops that we would wear for the video — which resembled Lululemon (brand: Hu-Nu) — and she told us these would be her thank-you gifts to us. I was exhausted and starving by the end, but jazzed at the prospect of being video-taped.

pilates_ballet2The next day we met up with Stephanie at Palo Alto Equinox, an upscale gym. First we tried on the various tank tops from the selection that Stephanie brought and, after much trading back and forth, I was able to score the one I wanted in a size that fit. We started the video a little after 2 o’clock, and finished a little before 4. I was able to follow Stephanie’s instructions and do the routines along with everyone else, while trying to look good at the same time. It was even more fun than I had hoped. Felt almost like a celebrity, involved in something pretty special. People from the gym looked us over, wondering what we were up to, in our matching outfits and taking over their workout room.

Afterwards, we took pictures of one another (a sure indicator that this was a unique experience for everybody).

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Then I got a locker and showered/washed my hair, and left the gym feeling euphoric.

This workout experience shows the benefits of involving yourself with groups and taking advantage of opportunities that might turn out to be ‘once-in-a-lifetime’. Also, it can be motivating to think of yourself as a celebrity, pretending that people are looking at you while you’re exercising and that paparazzi are lurking among the equipment. Knock yourself out while looking like a knock-out!

 

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