The Everyday Observer goes to reformer pilates for the first time

Photos of me at the Sip & Set event

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One of my best friends and fellow student Grace Austin held the first official 'Sip & Set' event on Sunday 29th March. It included a beginner reformer Pilates session, which was taken by Core 6 Studios' owner Mia, followed by complimentary iced coffee or iced matcha. This was the first time I had taken part in any sort of Pilates class and it wasn't something I had ever imagined myself doing. However, I really enjoyed it and as promised, this blog post will be as honest as possible, so carry on reading if you want to find out about my experience.

As someone who goes to the gym frequently and does genuinely enjoy exercise and movement, this class was still quite daunting. Pilates and more specifically reformer Pilates, was something never really marketed towards someone with a body shape or fitness level like mine. I am naturally larger and curvier which is something that has taken a long time to be comfortable with, but types of exercises such as Pilates and yoga are never pushed towards someone like me and are more centred around women who are smaller. As it has never been marketed towards me, I have always felt more pushed towards strength training, which is something I partake in multiple times a week. I workout because it makes me feel strong and keeps my mental health in a good place. It's also a really good way to manage stress and keep your bones and muscles strong.

I have noticed in the past few months that the 'Clean Girl' aesthetic has also taken over the fitness, health and wellness industry, especially on social media. Exercising and eating well has been turned into something very toxic and negative - pushing a very thin and small ideal for women and even young teenage girls. After the body positivity movement really took off a few years ago, it has gradually gone back in time to a place where being as small as possible and putting looks over health is more important than anything else. Pilates specifically has been adopted into these trends which is likely to be the reason why so many women and girls similar to me have been put off even trying it.

My Experience

The whole idea behind Grace's Sip & Set events is to push these toxic stereotypes away and encourage anyone and any body type into Pilates. Everyone should be able to have a go at any form of exercise and be accepted into the community. The event that took place was very community supported and everyone was there for each other which was really nice to see. The inclusion of refreshments after the session was very special and made it feel like so much more than a Pilates class.

As I am being honest in this post, I am not going to lie and say it was really easy because it wasn't easy in the slightest - even in a beginners class. But maybe the challenging part makes it more worth it.

Online, reformer Pilates looks very seamless and maybe even relaxing, however in my experience it was far from this. I feel it is rare to see fitness influencers even breaking a sweat on social media, which can make you feel a bit deflated when you're exercising. Working out in real life is sweaty, you get hot and your cheeks get red - this is a natural response to exercise but when you don't see it happening online, it makes it feel like something that shouldn't be happening because you don't 'look good' while working out.

This beginners class challenged me, but it also made me feel good which is the most important thing. Trying something new like this and pushing your body in different ways is very rewarding and if you don't enjoy it the first time, no one is going to force you to do it again, but you won't know unless you try it.

It's safe to say that I will be returning to Pilates again, maybe at another one of Grace's Sip & Set events.

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