Pilates: Not for persons with weak muscles

This is what you need to know before you attend your first Pilates class:

1. Wear tight fitting tops - otherwise they will hike up when you are bent down touching the ground
2. Tie your hair in a low ponytail as you spend some time lying on your back and the higher pony is very uncomfortable
3. Make sure your hair is tightly pinned back out of your face
4. Take a bigger towel to put on your mat so that you don't slip when balancing on hands and toes
5. Make sure your feet are pretty - you take your shoes and socks off

What to expect:

The class started with lots of stretching and warming up. Your heart rate increases and you can feel the muscles working, but it's not impossible.

Until...

The stomach section. If you can imagine a blotchy red, panting, quivering mass of shaky jelly with bits of hair sticking out all over the place and beads of sweat popped out on her forehead - you will have a pretty accurate image of me.

I hope you have a better core strength than I did when I first started!

I am convinced that The Roll Up is a method of torture.

From a lying down position, you "gently roll your upper body up into a sitting position - using only your stomach muscles - while keeping your legs stretched straight out in front of you, flat on the ground" What?

I tried twice, spluttered and ended up my my feet pointing at the sky; so I lay there and watched the others doing exactly what he said: Gently rolling up

If I have to take a step back from the jealousy of watching them do it, I must admit that it was actually beautiful. Their movement was so fluid and graceful. The strength it must have taken to make it look so easy made me envious. And determined to one day be able to do that. No matter how long it takes me.

Then we had to do the planking. Goodness.

And the biggest fail funniest exercise was The Roll Over
We used to do this as kids and I was always the one to get there first. Little did I know how hard it would be years later when I was unfit!
More graceful moves from my classmates while my backside refused to lift off the mat. I was mortified! I was the only one in the class who couldn't do it. No matter how hard I tried.
I am now able to do it - so there is hope!

An hour later you are stretching it all out and then it's finished.

I left there feeling full of energy. Until about 45 minutes later. Then I had to lie down on the couch and nap.

What you should do before attending your first class:
I don't think the gyms have an actual beginners class. I would recommend doing some research into breathing and muscle techniques for each of the main Mat exercises. It helps a lot with the exercises.
If I had not read that section about controlling breathing I don't think I would have been able to complete all the reps of some exercises.

The next day:
I was sore all over. I thought it would only be my stomach as I struggled with that the most, but it was also my biceps, triceps, shoulders, stomach, back, butt & thighs.
Proof that it truly is an all body exercise!