Part 4: Reformer, the Farm, and the Rebounder When It’s Too Hot

Maria Ricci, CHHC

I am still in the middle of nine months. Part 3 was about getting my second draw of blood. Part 4 is how I move my body since I started with coaching and the autoimmune protocol.

I wanted movement that would not wreak havoc on my spine, neck, or hip flexors. I am not in a boot-camp season. I already know how easy it is for me to become injured, and I wanted something I could feel — each muscle, each hold, each breath — instead of flying through a class and hoping I made it out in one piece.

I started with aqua aerobics three times a week, in deep water, using barbell floats. It was good for my lungs and my arms.

Then I tried a fast reformer Pilates class with my daughter Brianna — loud music, quick pace. Not my thing.

Back home in Tennessee I heard about a reformer Pilates studio close by, booked a free thirty-minute consult, and took my husband Mike with me. I fell for it. The springs, the straps, the quiet work of aligning my body with purpose.

Reformer Table-Pilate

I’ve been doing RP for three months. My back and neck feel sturdier. I stand taller. I can wander the farm without that old grab in my low back and hip flexors, which is no small gift when your “gym” is a 3-mile walk up and down a rolling trail.

My chiropractor sees me as often as every six weeks. She loves what she sees, with me holding my adjustments.

What is a classical reformer Pilates class? I can only tell you what my class is like. The teacher instructs in a nice, confident voice — not yelling. She uses soft music, walks among the eight tables, gives you a breathing count, and reminds you where and how to hold a position. I play with heavier springs when I want the work to mean more. The springs are what make the class easier or more difficult. It’s my choice.

This has become my favorite exercise besides lifting weights and the aqua aerobics class. I am so pleased that I am not injuring myself. I can hike and walk the property and feel put-together through the whole frame. I have not dropped my weight. I have put on muscle, and my clothes are sitting on me better. I am not hunting a smaller number right now. I am after the root of why my markers are still so wonky.

When the farm is an oven, I rebound in the house. A rebounder is a tiny trampoline that gets your cardio going and makes your ankles, calves, thighs, and core work. I only do it if the air conditioning is on. A hot room and a mini-trampoline is how a good idea turns into a wilted mess. Cool air, a little bounce, keep the body in the game.

Rebounder/mini trampoline

I am almost never sore, which is probably because I take MSM/sulfur each day. I still respect being tired. I still remember the vertigo after I came off a cleanse. Careful is not the same as fragile. I feel very strong. My eldest daughter was here last week. We took a reformer class and went on an 11-mile bike ride. My energy held. Hers wasn’t as keen.

The stool test is still being waited on. I have a feeling that report will say more about the “why” than another workout will. Exercise is not the whole protocol. It is how I stay inside this temple — this body — while we wait and see what is next to remediate my health.

I am still in the middle. Stronger. Not finished. And yes — still having a little fun on that reformer table.

Part 5 lands Thursday, September 24.

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