Like many Australians, I’m short on time. In fact, I usually schedule my day down to the minute—a schedule so tight that I even have a daily calendar reminder to call my parents.
I’m also addicted to exercise; For me it is the definitive form of therapy.
I run, swim and do ballet, but my favorite form of exercise has always been, and always will be, Pilates.
I’ve been a tall girl my entire life and my dreams of becoming a gymnast were crushed when I skyrocketed as a teenager at school.
Despite being too tall to compete, I always had a fascination with posture and flexibility. I think it must be my mother constantly telling me to stand up!
I realized early on that posture depends on the core and that for tall people, if you have a weak core, you slouch. Hello back problems.
As I approached my mid-thirties and after sitting in front of a computer every day for 10 years, I had really cooked my back. A friend suggested I try Pilates and assured me it would change my life. She was right.
After trying a few mat classes, I graduated to the reformer and, a couple of years later, it became an integral part of my training regimen.
Showbiz editor Jade Watkins trialled Your Reformer for four months and was sold immediately (stock image)
But as I became increasingly busy in my role as an editor and leader of a large team, my days became longer. I found it difficult to find classes that fit my work schedule and very often I would book sessions only to have to cancel them at the last minute when a work meeting or event came up.
With endless class cancellations and exorbitant late fees, I was literally flushing money down the toilet. We’re talking hundreds of dollars a year.
When you add the high cost of classes, it becomes a very expensive hobby. Especially, with the increasing cost of living crisis.
I always wanted to have my own reformer at home, but I was worried that it would be too expensive or take up too much space. So when I was offered the opportunity to try Your reformer I took the opportunity.
I’d seen several celebrities, including Jesinta Franklin and Phoebe Burgess, rave about it online, and judging by their incredible bodies, there was no doubt they were doing something right.
After some research on the Your Reformer website, I discovered that ‘The Original’ reformer was a modestly sized bed that could be folded in two and stored neatly in a corner of my living room.
Maybe, just maybe, I could finally commit to five classes in a week, in my own home no less. No more rushing or missing classes and hundreds of dollars literally down the drain every month.
The day they delivered the bed to me was like Christmas. My housemate and I were very excited. A sleek, elegant white bed arrived on a Friday afternoon while I was working from home with two (very muscular and very handsome) men.
While that was a bonus in itself, the fact that they set up the entire reformer for me in the space of five minutes was the ultimate bonus.
I tried ‘The Original’ reformer which sells for $2995 or you can rent the bed for $39 a month (MUCH cheaper than paying for regular classes)
I had seen several celebrities, including Jesinta Franklin (pictured) and Phoebe Burgess, rave about it online and judging by their incredible bodies, there was no doubt they were doing something right.
Jesinta has her own Your Reformer in her Gold Coast home
Phoebe Burgess also gets in shape with Your Reformer and her incredible online classes
With the fancy machine staring at me all day while I worked my shift, I couldn’t wait to jump in and did so as soon as I hit the shutdown button on my computer.
Your Reformer comes with an app containing hundreds of classes led by incredibly experienced instructors, as well as all the accessories you need for complete, dynamic and sometimes very challenging classes.
These include a ball, a box, dumbbells, and the infamous “magic ring,” which isn’t all that magical, but is probably the most challenging of all. I like to call it the “ring of fire.”
Since I’ve been taking reform classes for almost a decade, I moved up to an intermediate class, and while I expected to pass it quickly, I was surprised to find it quite challenging.
Not only did I have my own reformer, but I also had the luxury of a private session in my own home: a 50-minute one-on-one class with an instructor.
I always thought at-home workouts were about 50 percent of what you’d get in a class at a studio or gym, but within 15 minutes I was sweating buckets and reaching for the towel and water.
The class addressed all areas of the body (arms, legs, glutes, back and most of all abs) and mimicked my usual cardio reformer classes that I do at a very well known and popular studio located throughout Australia.
After an intense 50 minute class I felt fit, fabulous and energized and couldn’t wait for the next one, which I did the next morning.
It only takes a few quick calculations to see how much it is worth to have a reformer in your home. I was doing at least three classes a week at my local studio, which costs $40 each, about $6,000 a year. The reformer I had on loan cost $2,995, so that’s a savings of $3,000 a year. In fact, if you do more than three classes a week, that’s a bigger savings.
Two weeks after having the reformer at home, I was hooked. So was my housemate, who often found herself doing 15 minutes of abdominal exercises after dinner while watching her favorite shows or using the machine just to stretch for the day.
When it came time to return the reformer, we were both devastated. It had become part of our daily routine and our home.
It only takes a few quick calculations to see the benefits to your bank account.
I was doing at least three classes a week at my local studio, which were $40 each, about $6,000 a year.
The reformer I had on loan sells for $2,995so it represents a saving of $3,000 per year. If you’re doing more than three classes a week, that’s an even bigger savings.
Likewise, if you don’t have a lot of money to pay up front, you can rent ‘The original’ for $39 a week, which is a substantial savings and about the same price as paying for one in a year. It is also a good way to test the reformer before purchasing it.
I once thought having a home remodeler was an impossible (and expensive) idea, but after finally making the decision, I never looked back. And neither will you.