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In Part I, I introduced Pilates and my journey, with focuses on springs and some other useful apparatuses. This time, I’d like to shift your attention to the mini handweights or dumbbells.

My experienced Pilates instructor took one glance at me and said “You-ah… what kind of arm strength is this?” And since I do a substantial amount of typing as a content generator cum thought spiller, it’s natural for any Pilates instructor to say something like “How on Earth do you do your typing-lah?” I would then respond with a “very slow-lor” Or to put it more accurately, “it actually depends”. Some days, I can be very comfortable, like nothing’s bothering me; other days, I can get insanely tired because of below average strength on one side of my arms. At least in my case, involuntary and jerky movements in my upper body are what I sometimes experience, as part of my condition. That was when my Pilates instructor realised I needed a boost in my upper limbs as well.

How? By using mini handweights or dumbbells, which are surprisingly effective. These may not be that heavy to the average sportsperson or dancer who may incorporate Pilates into their lifestyle, but for a person who has Cerebral Palsy, 1 kilogram on each side can be a weight-y issue ???? In fact, because very few sports shops understood what I wanted, my instructor was kind enough to donate hers so that I can gain a desirable amount of arm strength. To my delight, after exercising with it at home for just five times on each side, my instructor told me that she could feel that my arms were stronger than before! Yes, it means I’m doing something right! The only caution is to lift them up appropriately so that it doesn’t suddenly drop or hit my lower limbs. So far, that has never happened before.

Perhaps the most challenging exercise I’ve ever done was to hold on to the mini weights while also exercising on the Reformer. Yes, it was exhausting. Nonetheless, it was worth it!

It goes to show that one should never underestimate those mini dumbbells or handweights used in Pilates. I’m definitely looking forward to using more of the colourful and tiny weights.

So I now know how holistic Pilates is, because it doesn’t treat body parts in isolation. Rather, it ensures that the whole body moves in an extremely controlled manner, while also emphasising on boosting one’s flexibility and strength. Now that’s Pilates for you!