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Vision Pilates, Kuala Lumpur

Jul 13, 2015 | Uncategorized | 8 comments

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Sometimes you get an email that you have to read, read again and then whoop out loud. I couldn’t believe my luck when I received an email to let me know I’d been chosen to be part of a blogger swap with Malaysia Airlines, spending a weekend in Kuala Lumpur with a Malaysian blogger. I was paired with Evelyn from Missy Blurkit. We spent a day together in London a few weeks ago where as well as taking her to a Project Awesome session, we took in the main tourist sights- Changing of the Guard, Big Ben, the London Eye, Borough Market, Tower Bridge, and Afternoon Tea.

This weekend I took my trip to KL and I have so much to share with you. It isn’t my first time to the city, but I haven’t been for 5 years since my gap year- a lot has changed, including me!

One of the things I was really keen to experience was a workout class whilst in KL, and the team at Malaysia Airlines went all out. Evelyn and I were treated to a private class with the lovely Ginny at Vision Pilates in Petaling Jaya. (Petaling Jaya, also known as PJ is the city next to KL, and easy to get to by train or 20min taxi).

Reformer pilates Kuala Lumpur

After 3 hours sleep thanks to jet lag, I knew that a workout class was just what I needed to wake myself up- that and a few coffees with breakfast. We arrived at the studio whilst a yoga class, and private Pilates class were in session. The machines were slightly different to the ones I’d used in London, and really did look a little like torture devices!

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We began with a bit of warm up standing on the floor before moving on to the machines. As runners both Evelyn and I had extremely tight quads, hamstrings and hip flexors, so we focused on working these.

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There was no slacking off with Ginny watching our every move, she corrected us, ensured that each move was performed accurately. There were occasions when she would give us an instruction, and neither of us were able to do it, so she had to change her style of instructions, such as ‘imagine I’m going to pinch your bum’. It really worked!

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Reformer Pilates Kuala Lumpur

My abs and glutes were burning, with Ginny shouting out ‘5 more’ on pretty much every set. We completed some moves I haven’t done in class before, including my new favourite where we stood on the reformer with one leg, pushed back with that leg whilst raising our other leg into a standing splits style move. We had to repeat this numerous times at speed- certainly raised the heart rate.

A great start to an amazing weekend! More to come tomorrow!

8 Comments

  1. nikkikmayes

    This sounds great! I had to pull out the map and it looks like KL is SO FAR from London. How far was the flight?! That seems like such a long way for just a weekend — you must be exhausted!

    Reply
    • charlotte

      It is far- 12 hours but with overnight flights it’s not too bad! Was here for 3 days total!

      Reply
  2. CC

    Perfect timing – I’m weighing up a potential move from London to KL for a couple of years and one of my worries is whether I’ll be able to find workout options that suit me. There’s so much choice in London and I love the boutique studios we have here – big gyms have never been my thing. So good to hear about some good options over there.

    Reply
    • charlotte

      Hi yes definitely do it! There seems to be more fitness studios and classes popping up here all the time with Xtend Barre starting in a few weeks too. There are plenty of running clubs or you could even set up your own group activity! I would jump at the chance to live/work abroad for a bit!

      Reply
  3. Zoe at Splodz Blogz

    This looks so hard! I’ve never tried pilates and do fancy it, so many people have recommended it to me as a great way to increase core strength.
    The exchange itself sounds absolutely amazing, what a fantastic opportunity to be able to get involved with. Glad you were able to make the most of it 🙂

    Reply
    • charlotte

      Definitely recommend it, although classes are not cheap! Thanks, it was so much fun!

      Reply
  4. kristenk

    That’s so cool! I used to do Pilates and I think it would be so interesting to try it in a different country!

    Reply

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