Noodling Around

Last Thursday I went to my new Pilates studio for the third time. I found an instructor who understands my need for adaptations without my even having to ask, I made it through the class without any setbacks, and I’m gaining strength little by little.

But there’s an issue I need to address. At this studio, you wear grip socks to help you hold onto the foot bar with your toes. The bar is only slightly padded, not great for me, because nature’s padding on the balls and heels of my feet has thinned out due to scleroderma. Years ago when I took Pilates at a different studio, they had optional foam padding to cover the foot bar. This studio doesn’t.

I’ve tried using metatarsal pads inside my socks, but they’re cumbersome and don’t really offer enough cushioning. What to do? I asked my instructor, and she said the foam padding you can buy online for a Pilates reformer is overpriced. As we brainstormed MacGyver alternatives, we came up with pool noodles—those long, colorful foam cylinders that kids use to learn to swim.

I did some online research, and sure enough, she was right about the pricing of the official foam pads for foot bars, ranging from about $35 to over $100. So, I checked out pool noodles. It turns out, there are two kinds—solid core and hollow core. I wanted the latter, because you need to be able to fit it around the bar. A little more research led me to a really cheap option: pool noodles at Dollar Tree for $1.59.

Given that it’s already August, pool noodles are in short supply, but at the second Dollar Tree store I visited, I found one of the last noodles in the display box. And, it’s purple.

I checked the dimensions of the official foam pads (23 inches long), marked the length, and set to work with an Exacto blade, a rotary cutter and point turner from my sewing box (the latter to help separate the foam), and a pair of very sharp shears. The operation—shortening the noodle and then slicing one side lengthwise—took all of 10 minutes.

The foam sheds a little, so I don’t know if that will be a nuisance. I also don’t know how well it will actually fit around the foot bar. But for $1.59 and 10 minutes of effort, it’s certainly worth a try.

And, it’s purple.

Evelyn Herwitz blogs weekly about living fully with chronic disease, the inside of baseballs, turtles and frogs, J.S. Bach, the meaning of life and whatever else she happens to be thinking about at livingwithscleroderma.com. Please view Privacy Policy here.