With the arrival of long weekends is the customary congestion heading north on the 400. With the exception of minor impediment along the connecting sections of highway, traffic was minimal on the 401. There seemed a surge in slow drivers along Yonge St., but thankfully enough space along the narrower sections of the arterial to loop around those with the potential of endangering my punctual facade. I remained on time, and was welcomed into the exercise area promptly after the inaudible blast of the temperature gun.
It was officially the last class prior to the province-wide "Emergency Brake" lockdown, where memberships and existing class counts would be frozen until the lifting of pertinent restrictions.
It was officially the last class prior to the province-wide "Emergency Brake" lockdown, where memberships and existing class counts would be frozen until the lifting of pertinent restrictions.
We commenced with an anaylsis of existing conditions: incredibly stiff neck and shoulders after a dreary four days of working till the hours of 10 or 11 PM. With the intention of lengthening excessively contracted muscles, I was guided through a series of stretches for the back and neck. Amongst these was a particularly effective stretch which involved gently pivoting to loosen the head of the neck muscles while sitting cross-legged. I was also introduced to smooth massage balls for the sake of release.
Inching towards one end of the Carriage, a familiar bar pull-down exercise was revisited for strengthening of back muscles. The last rep involved a five-second hold.
The first part of class placed greater emphasis on stretching than strengthening, given the overall burden on the body. Mentioned throughout this portion were the scapula and spine, as well as their connectivity/relationship.
Inching towards one end of the Carriage, a familiar bar pull-down exercise was revisited for strengthening of back muscles. The last rep involved a five-second hold.
The first part of class placed greater emphasis on stretching than strengthening, given the overall burden on the body. Mentioned throughout this portion were the scapula and spine, as well as their connectivity/relationship.
Moving onto the Stability Chair was, admittedly, an exhilarating moment. The contraption enabled exercises for both the upper and lower body using tension spring-affixed pedals.
The first exercise involved standing with one foot on the Reformer Box attachment, and the other on the moving platform. While bending and straightening the supporting leg, the pelvis was to remain level. It was harder than it seemed, and served to strengthen via isolating specific muscle(s)/muscle groups. A variation of this entailed standing with the supporting leg bent for the entire duration, but bending and straightening the leg on the platform while maintaing a level pelvis. Significantly easier on my "good" side, the routine summoned awareness towards my prominent biomechanical nonuniformity. Due to flat feet, this also served as an ankle and inner thigh strengthener, along with the Pilates' fundamental of core engagement. Impressive quad strength was noted given the lack of soreness in the stabilizing leg(s).
The second exercise was reminiscent of blogilates' infamous Candlestick Dipper for the obliques. Eliminating the Box attachment, I was instructed to sit on the Chair with one leg positioned 90 degrees to the body and the other outstretched; pointed toes or sole flat did not matter as long as I remained in contact with the ground, as this was to reduce risk of toppling should balance be lost mid-move. Similar to the Candlestick Dipper, the arms were outstretched in airplane mode in the starting position. One arm would be stretched over body, with the palm of the other arm would press down on tension spring-attached platform. The position would be held for a brief moment before returning to the starting position.
The first exercise involved standing with one foot on the Reformer Box attachment, and the other on the moving platform. While bending and straightening the supporting leg, the pelvis was to remain level. It was harder than it seemed, and served to strengthen via isolating specific muscle(s)/muscle groups. A variation of this entailed standing with the supporting leg bent for the entire duration, but bending and straightening the leg on the platform while maintaing a level pelvis. Significantly easier on my "good" side, the routine summoned awareness towards my prominent biomechanical nonuniformity. Due to flat feet, this also served as an ankle and inner thigh strengthener, along with the Pilates' fundamental of core engagement. Impressive quad strength was noted given the lack of soreness in the stabilizing leg(s).
The second exercise was reminiscent of blogilates' infamous Candlestick Dipper for the obliques. Eliminating the Box attachment, I was instructed to sit on the Chair with one leg positioned 90 degrees to the body and the other outstretched; pointed toes or sole flat did not matter as long as I remained in contact with the ground, as this was to reduce risk of toppling should balance be lost mid-move. Similar to the Candlestick Dipper, the arms were outstretched in airplane mode in the starting position. One arm would be stretched over body, with the palm of the other arm would press down on tension spring-attached platform. The position would be held for a brief moment before returning to the starting position.
Core routines proceeded on the Reformer. A significant advancement from the previous three sessions, a deflated ball was utilized to prompt core engagement - the critical "imprint". The series incorporated a medley of familiar positions, but with equipment to maintain form: hundreds hand positioning with tension cords, elevated ("pilates stance") crunches and tabletop knee outs with the deflated ball.
With the back propped up against the ball, I began an involuntary Earthquake-y shake. Crunches - even ten of them! - were incredibly challenging given that the core is engaged throughout, albeit to different degrees. Proper activation, as I was informed, comprised of the expanding of the rib cage during inhale (upper abs) and flattening of the pelvic triangle (lower abs) during exhale. The pelvic triangle failing to remain flat is an indicator that the low back is not pressed deep enough and that imprint is not maintained.
I sat upright on the Reformer for the final exercise of the series: with a Pilates Ring held close to body, I was to rotate left and right exclusively using the oblique muscles.
I sat upright on the Reformer for the final exercise of the series: with a Pilates Ring held close to body, I was to rotate left and right exclusively using the oblique muscles.
Class was concluded with an introduction to hip flexor stretches and releases on the foam roller. Rotation and translation of the muscle were recommended for improved release. Daily stretching - I was told - would also enhance the effectiveness of specific exercises, especially those involving movement of the leg.
Observing the aftereffects of my arduous four-day work week, I was left with the final comment of:
Love your body and love yourself.
Observing the aftereffects of my arduous four-day work week, I was left with the final comment of:
Love your body and love yourself.
I departed the establishment with optimism that my remaining sessions would resume once the go-ahead is communicated. CoCo had opened an outpost in the Hub plaza, thus I made it a point to try the Passion Fruit Yogurt Drink before continuing with the rest of the day's itinerary.
The recent release was a vivid emulsion with minimal flavour and stark crunches of dragonfruit seeds. The sketch adorning the cup was quite amusing, though inadequate in justifying a second purchase.
The recent release was a vivid emulsion with minimal flavour and stark crunches of dragonfruit seeds. The sketch adorning the cup was quite amusing, though inadequate in justifying a second purchase.
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Crossing the street to Glen Cameron's P.A.T., I had hoped to secure a cheesy bun to pair with the magenta beverage. Met only with marked up bags of Ontario apples and the dismal sight of an empty bakery display case, I ventured over to Nino D'Aversa in the same plaza.
While the interior was decidedly spacious with high ceilings, the number of unmasked patrons dining within came across as shocking - and frightening, really. Retailing an assortment of Italian groceries, white loaves and rolls, pastries, and gelato, the bakery was essentially a one-stop shop. I took to a total of six items, given the promise of no tax. It was only when I reached the cashier that I was informed of the different pricing systems: the slice of Tiramisu and two Pecan Tarts were charged by item count, whereas the single Cannoli and two slivers of Biscotti were priced by unit weight. Needless to say, my order did not qualify for the tax exemption.
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Sampling the items at a later point in time, it was determined that:
- The Biscotti, although containing the costlier of nuts (pistachio and macadamia), was overly sugary. I also did not enjoy the unpeeled approach to the macadamia nuts, for the dough had clung to the skin rather than the nut itself.
- The Pecan Tarts were average at best, with a meager amount of pecans in each.
- The Cannoli casing reeked of old fryer oil; although a tad satiating, the cream filling was delicious.
- The Tiramisu was undeserving of its name, given the underwhelming absence of Kahlua, overall bland profile, and that its bottom half was merely chocolate sponge.
The next stop of the day was OOMOMO. I had predicted a lineup outside of the popular two-dollar(-plus) store and wasn't even the slightest bit surprised at the 4 PM queuing status. I joined the socially-distanced formation and was granted entry in under ten minutes.
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Emerging some thirty minutes later, the lineup had noticeably extended. Again, I was neither shocked nor annoyed, for I had allocated a buffer for Markham's sluggish operations.
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Bathroom access was sought at First Markham Place. Several entrances had been closed to restrict access and egress points; temperature-taking devices had also been positioned by the main entrance for customer screening. Perhaps the grandest addition to the strip mall since time were the accessible Wave-to-Open sensors by the bathroom doors.
I acquired a savoury pick-me-up in the form of the Sausage Bun Croissant - a sausage puff pastry in disguise - before proceeding eastward to Markville.
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After a treacherous innisfree undertaking (read: painfully convoluted entry process), I declared partial success at redeeming my existing points collection. Aligning my departure with the shopping centre's slated closure time, I sped off to VYbE, where I would spend the next hour and half.
Contrary to the powerful boy group choreography I had hoped for, what awaited me was the contemporary, knee-scraping sequence of BLACKPINK's Lisa. Those who had attended the previous class - coined "Part 1" - had dressed in black performance-ready attire, heeled shoes in tow. My slouchy nylon bottoms stood out like a sore thumb, but this was the least of my worries. The true challenge was avoiding digit damage due to the adjacent dancer's utter lack of limb control.
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Booster Juice and McDonald's have assumed many a meal for my post-VYbE solo adventures, however this time I yearned for Chipotle. A Chicken/Carnitas Salad with guac it was!
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