Archives for category: Wunda Chair

Wundachair: Twist

January 4, 2017 //

Today is Wednesday. If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I love to participate in Wundachair Wednesday. Who doesn’t absolutely adore ample alliteration? See what I did there?

Today’s video comes to you from my wonderful wundachair. The twist. It is an essential part of my Pilates practice. It just feels so lovely on the whole body. Twisting is especially good for your internal parts. Imagine wringing out your organs, that is what a good twist can help you do. Twisting brings an energy to your workout and follows you throughout your entire day.

My set up is one black spring on the 3rd claw. You can alter your resistance based on your strength and needs. I find this to be the sweet spot of spring loads.

I aimed to keep my hips as level and square as possible for this video. I really focused on twisting from the torso and not from the lower half. Keep the ribs closed and the core engaged. Inhale on the way down and exhale to lift. I think of lifting from my chest. Long beautiful lines. I think imagery is important for this move (as it is for many) You need to keep that mind-body connection. The toes are reaching away and the legs are trying to stay as still as possible (this is a challenge without a teacher holding your feet) Engage the low belly and the obliques.

This is going to work the obliques, very deeply. The shoulders, arms, pecs a bit, lower belly, and even the glutes a bit if they are active while keeping the legs still. The major focus here, though, is the obliques.

Move within your safe range of motion. This is a move where you can over-do it, without even realizing it is about to happen. I would urge you to move with purpose and caution if you have never done this before. Meaning, the twist does not have to be very dramatic the first time and you do not have to go all the way to the floor as you lower the pedal. You must make sure you can get back up! It is awesome to get that pedal all the way down, but now you’re there and cannot get it back to the start, AH what happens then? A fancy ninja backwards roll over/flip into a roll up? Because I cannot pull that off, if you can, please share a video! The focus then should be the movement and strength building. Building blocks to get the pedal as far down as you can press it with a strong and aligned lift back up.

One little note, make sure you are not right next to a wall so when you turn in the opposite direction you don’t have to move your arm in a weird way. My mistake! Ha!

Tags abs, core, exercise, fit, fitness, healthy, healthy living, obliques, pilates, Pilates Chair, pilates instructor, strength, workout, wundachair

Categories pilates, Uncategorized, Wunda Chair

Pilates: Sometimes You Have To Modify

March 23, 2015 //

I have been participating in MarchMATness challenge this month. I haven’t missed a day. Matwork got me started with Pilates. I went to a class with my mom when I was in high school. I fell in love instantly. It actually took me a while to be convinced about the amazingness of the Chair and Reformer. I was really loyal to my Matwork. I now understand why they are all wonderful. But Mat was where it all began for me. This month has been nothing short of fun. Returning to things I haven’t done in a while, mostly because I was pregnant.

Yesterday’s challenge, The Hip Twist, humbled me a bit. I was really struggling to do it on the mat. My shoulders are so tight. Lately, the rounded over nursing position has been taking its tole on me. 6 months baby! Not to mention the 39 weeks of pregnancy before that.

My core is not exactly where it used to be. It is getting there. It is close, but I still have some rebuilding to do. I was 3 years post baby before I got pregnant with Alexander. I had THREE years of rebuilding under my belt. I was at my strongest. Now, I only have 6 months, so I must cut myself a little slack.

I have been running for nearly 10 years. I can actually recall when I started getting into it. Not the exact date, but the timeframe. In a month or two it will be 10 years. I wasn’t as hardcore into it as I am now when I began. I do know, if you run, you’re a runner. It doesn’t matter how, when, where, you do it. If you move your body into a run, you’re a runner. With that though comes tight hipflexors for me. I stretch them, but my hips are just in their own world. I also am still recovering from the separated pelvis my lovely last born gave me. It doesn’t bother me too much, but I can tell there are imbalances at times.

All of that together, The Hip Twist is a challenge for me. I was getting so frustrated. Then I thought about doing The Teaser on my WundaChair. Surely, I could turn this into a Hip Twist modification.

I did. It worked so much better for me. I wasn’t pulling into my shoulders. I wasn’t holding my breath. I wasn’t straining my arms, trying to figure out how to get them to stretch behind me the way I wanted them. I could move my hips in small circles while keeping my low belly pulled in and engaged. It worked! I added two medium springs, for support. I wasn’t looking to press the pedal down. Although, with time I could see turning this into a whole little series. Teaser into Hip Twists! Food for thought for the next coming weeks for me.

That is what I love about Pilates. In one moment I can make a small change that will entirely challenge me in a new way. I can make myself shake just by changing a spring. At the same time, adding a spring can mean added support and assistance when I need it. There is no shame in modification. You must continually work to perfect your form. You cannot perfect your form if you are flat out struggling to even move in the slightest amount. It is better to work gradually towards building your strength, balance, and control, rather than trying to muscle through something with your shoulders in your ears and your belly popping out.

When I was all done with my modified Hip Twists I hopped off my chair. I walked around to the other end. My back facing the pedal. I rolled down, walked my hands out in front of me. I brought my feet onto the pedal. I then did 15 pushups without blinking. So while my Hip Twists may be a work in progress, my pushups are on point. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Pilates can help to highlight the former and correct the latter.

Tags core, core strength, corework, endurance, fit mom, fitness, marchmatness, mm2015, pilates, Pilates Mat, Pilates Reformer, Reformer, strength training, wundachair

Categories fitness, matwork, pilates, Pilates Mat, Pilates Series, Reformer, Wunda Chair

Bikini Baby Bump

June 12, 2014 //

Saturday will bring me into my 6th month of pregnancy. I continually say this pregnancy feels like it is going much faster than my first. I am just far more busy and active than the first time around. I already know what having a child is like. I already have a million child raising tasks to complete each day. My sweetheart keeps me distracted. It is easily the best distraction possible.

I always make time for myself. Part of my parenting motto is that you have to take care of mom to teach your kids that self care and respect is important. I especially make time for my fitness. Jackson knows that mommy has to get her workout in. He is so great about me fitting these times in. He often hangs out with my in my Pilates room. He even tries a few things himself. I am happy to take a moment to help teach him a move or snap an adorable photo.

My fitness has taken no break since becoming pregnant. Certain techniques may have changed over time, but I still workout nearly every day. If I take a rest day I am sure to be active in some other manner that day. I walk to the park or deep clean the floors. I keep on moving. I have even started working with a private Pilates instructor once a week. I know I am a certified instructor, but it is nice to take a break from having to think about what I need to do that day. It is nice to get suggestions from another instructor. It is nice to have someone else correct my form and imbalances.

My diet has remained very clean and healthy. I have little to no cravings for anything junky. I crave limes, vinegar, fruit, carrots, all sorts of healthy things. My first pregnancy wasn’t the same. I loved junk! My husband has been so disappointed this time. He was certain he was entering another 9 months of me approved junk food runs. No such luck. Which I am thrilled about! It is much nicer to satisfy a craving for limes.

I did prenatal swim classes with my first pregnancy. I had a nice purple tankini that billowed around me. This time around I bought a few tankinis again. We have an indoor pool, so we are swimming quite often. I felt pretty miserable and gross in these swimsuits. I really enjoy bikinis. I finally decided to go ahead and get a bikini. I found a size medium cute bikini top on the clearance rack at Target. I had some bottoms from the tankinis I already had. I feel SO much more confident now. I don’t feel sloppy or frumpy. I have decided to embrace my round belly in a bikini this time around. My husband likes me in a bikini, pregnant or not. He prefers it to the tankinis I was wearing! Plus, I do Pilates almost daily! I swim. When I am not battling the worst cold of my life (have been for over 2 weeks) I run, I walk to and from the park pushing a 36lb preschooler in a stroller, I run/play/dance/move with that preschooler, and often I carry that preschooler. I do a lot of physical activity and I eat very clean. So why not accept my pregnant healthy body?

So there you have it. 6 months of baby belly in a bikini! Baby #2 that is. I know I still have a bit to go and this belly is going to get larger but I am feeling pretty good right now. As a matter of fact in the past week and a half I have counted 8 people who have been in shock that I am as far along as I am. I will take it all as compliments. I would rather hear that than people saying they swore I was ready to pop at this stage.

How do/did you stay fit during your pregnancy? Did you wear a bikini if you happened to be in a situation that called for swimming?

Tags baby, baby bump, maternity, maternity wear, pilates, pregnancy, prenatal, prenatal swimwear, running, swimming

Categories Baby Weight, Exercise, family, Fit Pregnancy, Healthy Living, Healthy Pregnancy, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Pilates Mat, Pregnancy, Reformer, Running, stay at home mom, working out, Wunda Chair

Livin’ Life

May 1, 2014 //

Happy May! It has nearly been a month since I last wrote. Yowza! In all fairness we were on vacation for almost 2 weeks out of that month. I was hard pressed to sit down and write when I had lots of fun things to be doing with my family. Like playing in the ocean, sailing, or exploring the Smokey Mountains.

Tomorrow will mark 18 weeks of pregnancy. I cannot believe that I am about 1/2 way through this adventure! It seems to be going by much faster than the 1st. I am sure that is because Jacky keeps me busy busy busy every day. He is such a wonderful and full of life 3 year old! He still talks about his little brother Alexander daily. He asks me a ton of questions and always wants to buy new things for his little brother. Yesterday, he informed me that our cat had a fuzz hanging from her mouth. He was very serious about me getting it out. He is going to be one helpful eye around here with a little one toddling around.

I am over the moon that I am having another boy. I have always wanted two boys and my wish has been fulfilled. Yesterday was my birthday. Alexander spent the day being an extra wiggle worm. It started with my Pilates Chair/Reformer workout and continued all day. It was the most I have felt him move in one day! Definitely and extra special birthday treat. He is going to be one active little boy, just like his big brother!

As fat as this pregnancy goes….

Exercise:

Still running, several miles each time I run. Usually a couple times a week.

Pilates. Mat, Chair, Reformer. I just modify my work based on how far along I am. I also sometimes watch some Prenatal videos on PilatesAnytime. I mostly do Chair and Reformer.

Swimming. I also incorporate water aerobics/Pilates into my swims. I have some equipment for that

Barre. I am going to be starting some Barre classes tomorrow. I miss Barre!!! I incorporate it at home, but I haven’t been to an actual class outside of my home in a while.

Cravings:

Limes! I love lime juice on everything. Rice. Fruit, grapes, bananas, apples, honeydew. Shrimp. Oh my gawwwd. If I could eat shrimp every day without worrying about mercury, I would. I have to limit myself and that is hard. Cottage cheese. Spinach, cilantro, arugula, veggies!!! I cannot get enough veggies in my dinners.

This is all much different than Jackson as well. I wanted to much junk with him. Or maybe I have learned how to eat better with pregnancy after going through it once. Either way, I am not complaining!

This was last week. I haven’t take one this week because we have been busy getting home and unpacking and celebrating my birthday. Plus, what’s a better background to a belly photo than the Atlantic Ocean?

Now I am off to workout. Debating a run or Pilates. Choices are hard 😉 Just wanted a fast update, since it has been so long. I didn’t vanish again. I swear! I was just busy enjoying life outside of blogging for a bit. That happens and is good.

Tags children, family, life, love, ocean, parenting, pilates, pregnancy, pregnant, prenatal, prenatal workout, running, travel, vacation

Categories Baby Weight, Exercise, family, Fit Pregnancy, fitness, Healthy Living, Healthy Pregnancy, Jack, love, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, Motivation, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Pilates Mat, Pregnancy, Reformer, Running, stay at home mom, toddler, toddlerhood, Wunda Chair

Pilates Room

January 6, 2014 //

It is no secret that I am a Pilates instructor. I LOVE doing what I do. I am lucky that I get to use my passion to work. It is no secret that I love to stay fit myself. Or that I love to practice Pilates and I love to run. My husband is something wonderful. He has this bad habit of spoiling me. Ok, so it is not really a bad habit! For Christmas I received my very own Reformer! The exact Reformer I teach every time I am at work. It is all mine to do with what I want in my very own home. I have been over the moon for the past couple weeks. I have used it nearly every day. Except this last Saturday, because it occurred to me that I hadn’t taken a rest day in weeks. It has been too difficult to step away from my new toy.

I have had the chair since last April. It is my other favorite apparatus. When I took this photo I really felt like my Pilates life felt complete. I can give myself a great workout. I can train people in my home and give them a well rounded workout. I can just sit in this calming room and relax. The purple hues are very relaxing. I can even start posting about my favorite moves with photos. I still have to get some mirrors installed, but the holidays have been crazy.

A couple weeks before Christmas my husband hired a handy man to come out and fix a few things around the house. He didn’t tell me he had also hired him to finish the painting/slight remodel of this room! It was before I received the Reformer. Before I even knew I was getting one! He did a great job at surprising me all around.

What I am really excited about is that I think this is going to really help me grow as an instructor. Because I have a young child, my schedule usually revolves around him. I have time each day to workout, in my own home though. I was able to find time here and there to hop into the studioI work at to practice a few things on the Reformer. But it was not as often as I would have liked. I feel now that I have this in my home that my class development is going to really expand. I can prep and test my classes out on myself. I can watch/do more videos and get a feel for the moves even more. I can do this on my time. I don’t have to worry about trying to fit it all in on one specific day. Jack is even happy to hang out in the room and play while I do Pilates. Some of my clients come to me more than once a week. This means I am usually developing 2-3 different class plans each week. I am sure that is not a lot to some people, but to me with my full time job still being my son, that is a good amount. I really feel like this can only make me a better Pilates instructor! I am excited for what 2014 has in store for my Pilates career.

Categories Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, Holidays, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, pilates, Reformer, toddler, toddlerhood, working out, Wunda Chair

Pilates Series: High Bridge

July 11, 2013 //

I have been itching to start a bit of a series on here. I want to share my favorite moves and pieces of equipment/accessories. I have been putting it off for various reasons. First it was that we were in the middle of a move. Then I was busy unpacking and starting my summer hours at the studio. NOW my husband has begun remodeling my Pilates room/in home studio. Despite the fact that my Pilates stuff is currently shoved into a small space in our guest bedroom that has a queen bed, rocking chair, a desk, a dip station, and a weight bench, I am going to give this a shot. I figured I could start with one that I photographed while living in our previous home. Sigh, it is not the gorgeous in home Pilates studio that is being created right now, but it will do. I am hoping that after my room is done these posts will get a little more photo heavy.

So that brings us to this first move I want to talk about. It is a favorite of mine. I do it on a daily basis. The High Bridge.

You can see how old this photo is by my charming decor in the background! Anyway, I love it. Why? It opens everything up. I initially started doing it for digestion. I was looking for moves that specifically help with digestion and this was one of them. I found that it took me time to be able to hold it higher and longer.

How do I get into a high bridge?

I always warm up. I never start out trying to just go into this position. You can and likely will hurt your back. You also may not find the flexibility you are looking for. Roll downs, regular bridging, swan on the chair, jackknife, and shoulder stand are just a few of the things I do to warm up. I usually wait until the end of my work out to go into this. So my entire body is nice and warm.
I will always do a few Mat or Chair Bridges immediately before extending up. If I am doing a Mat Bridge, I lay flat on my back. Feet in hook laying position (flat on the floor) Arms are long at my side. I inhale to prepare and on my exhale I curl my hipbones toward my belly button as I articulate up one vertebrae at a time, stopping at about my bra line-ish area. I will pull my belly deep towards my spine, inhale, exhale and articulate back down. I will do several of those. Sometimes I will do variations, pulses at the top, lower/lift one leg. The point being, my spine is being warmed up for the grand finale.
When I am ready to open myself to this position I take a few deep breaths. Melting my shoulders away from my ears. Feet are still flat on the floor. Sometimes I will scooch them in closer to my butt. I inhale and exhale starting to curl up, I bend my arms and place my palms near the side of my head. I continue to curl up, striving to place even weight on my hands and feet. I take it slow. Seeing how my back is moving. On a great day I get nice and high. At this point in my practice, it is likely higher than this photo above.
I am focusing on breathing, pulling my belly deep towards my spine, keeping my weight even between hands and feet, and letting my heart and front of my body really open and elongate in this position. I squeeze deep into my hamstrings and glutes. My arms are engaged while getting a stretch. I relax my head and neck, trying to avoid drawing tension into them.
By now I have been able to add some variations. I can come into a high toe, so heels lifted. I can also extend one leg up at a time. That takes tremendous core strength and pelvic stability. It is something you have to build on as you master this position.
To get out, I take in a deep breath and on my exhale I slowly start to articulate down, being mindful that the tension is not in my neck. Shoulders come down first, my arms slowly release their strength and as my spine articulates down I bring my arms back towards my sides. I melt into the mat. I will always cross my legs and hug them close to my chest. Letting my spine settle and taking a moment to enjoy the end of my favorite pose.

I love this position because it is a challenge. It takes practice and strength to do it. You have to be open in your mind and body in order to achieve the height and openness you are looking for. There are days where I barely get up at all. I can feel how tight my body, spine, and in many instances my mind, are that day at that moment. I have to clear my head, I have to allow myself to relax. When I am in the pose and I want to stay nice and lifted I have to surrender myself to the position. I have to think about my breath and where I am feeling the weight and stretch of my body. I cannot be thinking about anything else that is bothering me. If I do, I will not find the work I want to find in this position. Sometimes I count. I want to eventually be able to hold it for a minute. I can currently get to 30. It feels amazing to melt back down into the mat. There is a sort of high that comes with this position. When I melt down and let my back settle, rocking side to side, knees close to my chest, I just get that moment of relaxation. I always turn to this position when my digestion is bothering me. That usually means I take 10-20 minutes to do a mini workout, even if I worked out earlier. Since I am so focused on warming up my spine for this challenging position.

I hope that if you are working on your high bridge that you find the joy in it that I do. If you haven’t tried this yet be open to the idea of it. Take your time. Warm up and build on this position one step at a time. Remember, if you are not a certified Pilates or fitness instructor it is a good idea to work with one before attempting advanced and challenging moves. We will help you better understand the movement and we will help to keep you safe.

Categories Detox, Exercise, fitness, Healthy Living, pilates, Pilates Mat, Pilates Series, Teaching, Uncategorized, working out, Wunda Chair

Best Mommahood Decision

June 28, 2013 //

As the 3rd week of summer session comes to a close I have been doing a lot of reflecting. I started my journey to become an instructor last September. Up until that point I had strictly been a stay at home mom. I thought that was what I had always wanted. My husband and I had decided on that well before we had a child. I went into that experience with an open mind and open arms.

I had never experienced being a working mom at all. My whole world revolved around my son. Everything I did 24/7 was about him. I never knew anything different. That was fine. I was happy and content. Or at least that is what I thought. Then I started my training. After the classroom portion was over I started my training hours. That was time consuming, but it still wasn’t “working” in my book. I went according to my own schedule, when I could fit it in. I mostly did evenings and weekends when my husband was home. An hour or two at a time. I was busier and out and about a bit more than the previous two years. Still, I didn’t really know the different feeling until 3 weeks ago.

This morning I started thinking about how I have been feeling. Which has been great. I am super busy. Always busy. I should be cleaning the kitchen right now, but decided to take a few moments this afternoon for myself. I am constantly back and forth to the studio. There in the morning and even coming back in the evenings at times. Working 5-6 days a week. They are not 8 hours in a row days, but like I said I am back and forth. The thing is, I am less stressed now that I was before I started working. How is that possible? I think because I have this thing that is uniquely mine in my world. I am doing what I love.

He is my Pilates protege!

I find that the time I DO have with Jack, I cherish it more. I spend that time more engaged with him. Playing, coloring, laughing, etc. Not that we didn’t play before. But honestly sometimes you just want a break and you have to veg out and let them do the same. Or you are multi tasking and they aren’t getting your attention. I am sure these moments still happen, but I feel they have been less. I find I miss him, so when I do see him I want to soak it up. I have more patience for him in general. I do not feel totally burnt out at the end of each day. I get this adult connection. Sure, I talk about my son and husband A LOT in my classes and with my clients. They still are my world and own the biggest piece of my heart, but I am speaking to other adults. I am sharing stories, listening to their stories, spending time outside of the home.

Teaching him to rock climb

I never knew that being a working mom would feel this good. I do not think I was miserable as a stay at home mom, but I definitely reached the end of my rope a lot quicker each week and sometimes each day. I feel as if my life has more balance now, even if I am busier than ever. I know that if I ever lose my mind and decide to have a second child I will not go back to being a stay at home mom. No, I will take some sort of maternity leave and then be back at it. I love the place we send Jack for school, which also has day care for the littles. I would continue at this place. It really helps that I am so happy with the school we chose for Jack. He loves it. That also helps. He talks about his teacher constantly. We kept him home the other day, due to a terrible storm and flooding. He was mad when he woke up and found out that he wasn’t going to school that day. That makes a difference. He loves where he is, I love where I am. I would also miss teaching after too long. I guess for me it is easier to feel this way because my work is my passion in life. My wonderful boss did not let me tip toe into work. She threw me in the deep end right away. Which is nice. I have been getting private clients and covering shifts for other instructors when needed. I don’t dread the extra hours. Actually, they fly by rather quickly.

Life is good. I am happy. I LOVE being a working mom. I feel like I fit right into where I am supposed to be in my life. I feel like maybe I should have done this sooner. It didn’t work out that way because I needed to find this studio and attend classes there. Then I needed to get that email about teacher training. I just know now, that despite what I thought, I wasn’t meant to always and only be a stay at home mom. No, I was meant to be a working mom. Working at the career I love and truly am obsessed with. Teaching Pilates has been the best decision I have made as a mother. I truly believe that.

Categories Exercise, family, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Pilates Mat, Reformer, stay at home mom, Teaching, toddler, Toddler activities, toddlerhood, Wunda Chair

Evolving

June 6, 2013 //

Yesterday I posted about the completion of my Reformer student teaching hours. I did complete them all, plus the 1st session after that finish line! It feels great. With that being said, next week I start teaching regularly. I have 7 classes a week on the schedule for the summer session! I am diving in head first. I have mentioned how my 2 1/2 year old is in an early preschool program. He goes two days a week. I will teach on both of those days. I will also be teaching two classes on Tuesday nights. As well as two classes on Saturday mornings. He is used to me being home with him practically 24/7. I am glad we started school a month or so before this was to take place. But I still will be gone more than usual. I will also have to spend more time preparing for classes and researching things at home. There is also the chance that I will be teaching private clients, which can eat up more hours.

Monday was our last day of swim lessons. The summer schedule at the Y changes. We cannot do the 2 days a week they offer for his age. One of the days falls on one of my work days/his school day. This means that now Mondays and Thursdays are entirely ours. We have no mommy/me classes. I do not teach during the day or night. I have been pretty busy lately trying to finish up these last handful of hours. I have been gone more than normal. Yesterday I taught during the day and then had to have a sitter watch Jack in the evening because I taught at night and my husband was away at a conference. He saw me for a few hours only. Meaning I also only saw him for a few hours. I found myself really looking forward to today. Today is our day to do what we want. The weather is crappy, so I doubt we will play outside, but it is ours. This is the first time I have thought about days this way. Every day was our day. There was no distinction between our days and away days. I stayed home with him for the first 2 1/2 years of his life. My away time was significantly less than my time with him. It is interesting to be heading into this transition of a working parent. I am not working full time, yet, but it is a huge change from our normal comfort zone. We are creating a new comfort zone.

Part of me is feeling guilty. When Jack begs me to not go to work. He has started that already and the summer session hasn’t begun! I am truthful when I say the last couple weeks I have really been gone a lot more often. So, he is aware of the changes in our lifestyle. I don’t really need to work. I could continue to stay home with him and we are comfortable. However, I want to work. I am ready to start my life up again. One day he will go off to school 5 days a week all day long. He will make friends he wants to play with. He will join sports. He will have practice. He won’t be home as much as he is now. Where will I be when that happens? Now, I will be teaching Pilates. Before? I would have been shell shocked I think. So the other part of me is not as guilty feeling. I have been endlessly devoted to his every whim and need for two and a half years! It is time to foster his independence. It is time to let him socialize with other kids his age, without me around. When I am around, all he wants is me. I see the photos of him playing with his little friends during the day and I just beam. He is very clingy if I am around. Seeing him blossom and learning to interact with other children makes me so happy! He needs his space at times, as much as I do!

So next week some big changes are coming to our home. They will be good I think. Life will be a little different. That is not a bad thing. We are evolving as a family. We are moving forward. We are taking on new challenges. Conquering new goals and accomplishments. I am excited. I am also looking forward to Mondays and Thursdays. Time to just be with my little man. Maybe we will have grand adventures some days. And other days maybe we will just be lazy and cuddle and bum around all day. Those are our days to do what we want together!

Categories Childhood, family, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Pilates Mat, playtime, preschool activities, Reformer, Teaching, toddler, toddlerhood, Wunda Chair

Finish Line

June 5, 2013 //

It is a big day for me. I am crossing the finish line. Today, at 3pm I will have completed all of my student/practice teaching hours for Reformer. To top it off, tonight at 7pm, I will teach my first client after crossing that threshold. I will actually be training my mom at 7pm. Which makes that session even more fun.

There were many times I wasn’t even sure this moment would come. I have been done with the training classes since February and now we are in June. It took a while, that happens when you have a life, a family, a husband, a child, and such.

I have had a lot of great moments on this journey. I have also had a lot of tough ones. Moments where I was not sure I was even making the right decision. I have been constantly encouraged by those around me. My husband, my mom, my best friend, and my master teacher, they all told me I can do this and I should do this. Where would we be without our support system? This may be my accomplishment, but I would not have gotten here without the ones I love telling me to keep on trucking.

I assume I will have many wonderful classes after this point. I also assume there will be days where the class just didn’t click or something wasn’t awesome. I am aware not everything will be sunshine and butterflies merely because I finished teaching hours. But I can look back knowing that I did this work. I know the work. I busted my butt to become a Pilates teacher (wow, that feels good to say!) I am a Pilates teacher!!!!

My biggest challenge has been confidence in myself. It has been hard to overcome it. In some ways I am still slightly less than confident in myself. Why? I am not sure. I think it is partly my nature. I have been told repeatedly that I know the work. I know what I am teaching and what I am talking about and I need to remember that as I am in front of each and every class. My master teacher and other instructors have said these words to me. Monday night was a turning point for me. Last Tuesday, over a week ago, I had a rough class. One thing after the other went wrong. It was awkward. I was discouraged. I had a long talk with my master teacher on Friday. I went in to work on more hours and we also discussed where I was. I was a bit frustrated as I left on Friday. Very mad at myself. I had Saturday and Sunday to get it together in my brain. I had all of Monday to feel that confidence. I went back to teach Monday night. I nailed it. I left my home telling myself I could and would do this. She was very pleased with how confident I was. I was pleased with myself. So that is what it feels like! She told me time and time again, that I know the work. I spent countless hours in class learning. I spent countless hours outside of class studying, teaching, prepping, practicing, and thinking about Pilates. I have to walk into that room and have that in the back of my mind. I did. It worked.

I am young. 28. The studio is not a young crowd. A lot of women and men who could even be my mom and dad. I think that is part of my own personal hurdle. I had/have to get past that feeling. I cannot care if they think I am young. If I bring it, they will know I mean business. I am aware of that now.

On that same note, the very fact that I am 28 and completing this journey means that I have a very long career in Pilates ahead of me. To think, when I am only 38, I will have been at this for 10 years. 10 years of teaching Pilates under my belt before I am 40. That is an exciting thought! I started my Pilates journey in high school with Mat work. When I was about 16 or 17. I was instantly drawn to it. I have always thought it was the bees knees and way better than Yoga. Yoga just always bores me. I have tried a lot. But after that 1st Pilates class my mom took me to, I was in love. So there we are. My mom took me to my 1st Mat class and I will be instructing her for my very first Reformer class after finished my student teaching hours. Full circle in some ways.

Here is to a new adventure and a long career doing what I love. A long career that is my total passion.

Categories Exercise, family, fitness, Motivation, pilates, Pilates Mat, Reformer, Teaching, working out, Wunda Chair

New Beginnings

May 21, 2013 //

It finally happened! Last week we closed on our home and moved in the following day. We have been here since Friday. It is lovely. I am so happy it is ridiculous. This has been a lengthy process and both my husband and I feel this tremendous weight that has been lifted. It is truly our dream home. So much so that I find myself not actually wanting to walk out of the door. I could just stay in it all day every day.

Jack has adjusted phenomenally. The first night he woke up once and then fell back asleep without us having to go in there. Since then, nights have been fine. He already calls it home when we pull in the driveway. He has made himself rather comfortable with everything around the house. We have it easy with him. Transitions for him have always been a piece of cake. He just seems to do really well going from one step to the other.

I have my very own Pilates room. I have big plans for it over time. Adding a Reformer, a large mirror, and maybe a barre. But for now it is my own little place of solitude and I am content with that.

Workout organization

Pilates Room

I still have unpacking to do, but we have knocked out a major portion of it. This room below is so peaceful and truly one of my favorite in the house. My mom helped me finish unpacking it this weekend. I also took a trip to Crate and Barrel for extra accent pieces. Even Jack (and our cat as you can see) loves being in this room.

I have tons of photos of the home already. I won’t bog this post down with them though. That is what my personal facebook has been for. I am just so excited and in love I can barely contain myself from posting things constantly. I didn’t write about the whole experience but it was quite an ordeal. When your attorney tells you this is the most complicated home sale he has ever done, you know that things are crazy! Our attorney isn’t 27 or anything either. He could be our parent. So, being closed, done, and homeowners of our total dream home feels amazing. It makes us both so happy. It has reduced so much stress in our daily lives. I don’t even think I realized HOW much this had been stressing us both out. Now we can enjoy our home, our little family, and our lives together for many many MANY years here.

Categories Exercise, family, fitness, Healthy Living, Jack, marriage, Momommahood, motherhood, Moving, parenthood, parenting, pilates, Pilates Mat, Reformer, toddler, toddlerhood, working out, Wunda Chair

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