Ummm yeah - not heaps to report.

I'm getting into the pilates - fully converted actually. Really enjoying it. It's like I knew for ages I had weaknesses somewhere but I really struggled to understand them and work out what to do about them but pilates just seems to have the answer to everything.

Of course other things like PNF stretching etc all contribute but this has been the last piece of the puzzle. I think part of it is in trying to perfect my technique I became fixed in particular patterns of movement in boxing and it made my other hinges rusty basically.

Perhaps there were a few slight errors in what I thought was perfect technique but because that was all I was taught or understood at the time I probably deliberately practiced incorrect technique which would not have helped.

As for boxing i think i am really finished. I think it comes with a culture here and while I've gotten a lot out of and met a lot of wonderful people, learnt a lot about myself etc but I'm onto other things now and happy for it.

I have considered going back to Judo but now I feel I want to get into pilates properly until I have a more stable base. I have been doing cheap mat pilates classes with a really good instructor and she has been awesome! It's given me a really good understanding of how to engage the deep core muscles to make movements safe for the spine and only go as far as you can safely.

In great contrast to her I did a 'pilates class' as a free trail at an expensive gym with reformers and I could tell straight away the instructor was not pilates certified at all. He just got us to use the reformer for something like a hard pulley weights workout in which either your core is good enough or you strain your back - no in betweens.

I was ok because I'd learnt my limits with the other instructor but a girl in the class complained of pain in her lower back and he just explained it away as if it was just a normal part of pilates! He has no idea! Frigging con-artisit wanted to charge either $30 per 45 min group class session or $90 a week too! Screw that! I'm sticking with my $8 per 2hr mat pilates lessons!

Apart from that I'm gradually getting back into the running but I have no exciting goals at the moment. I want to bring some resistance training back into it but I want to integrate it with pilates form perhaps with some band resistance set up to make the resistance less the further my arms or legs are from my core but I have to suss out where I can tie bands in my little unit first.

New job is fantastic and I'm still plugging away with the PhD part time so I think with those and learning pilates I have enough technical things to learn without a martial art at the moment.

I'm not online a lot anymore since i'm in the lab away from the computer more in my new job and there are strict it security rules which won't allow me to get onto non-work email accounts or forums etc so for now the log stops here. I'm going to check in occasionally to see how everyone else is going though so good luck with everything.