Niki's 10-20-30 Journey Comes to an End - Finale Thoughts!!

Well my challenge has come to an end and I have a lot to report. Unfortunately due to the chaos of moving with two small children I was only able to make it to 28 classes not the full 30. The type A in me absolutely hates that. However, if I’m going to stick to anything for the long haul, I have to strike a balance between pushing myself but also cutting myself some slack when I really need it. Considering all I’ve had going on this past 10 weeks, I feel like 28 classes is pretty darn good. One thing about pilates is that it really is a journey and I definitely feel like mine is not through yet. That’s why in pilates and yoga they call it a “practice” I know many of you reading this want to know if my body changed and the answer is yes! Prior to pilates I tried for several years after the birth of my first baby to change my body through various other forms of exercise. I ran a half marathon and gained weight! For whatever reason my body was stuck at a certain point and really didn’t change much. After 10 weeks of pilates 2-3x a week and NO OTHER form of exercise at all as well as not changing my diet at all, I am down a pants size. That is a big deal people. My shape has really shifted back to what I feel is a healthy place for me. I am tighter and more trim. Ultimately, I just feel more comfortable in my own skin. I think after you have a baby your body really will never be the same but for the first time in 9 months, I feel like myself again. My husband told me the other day that I picked the absolute worst time to do this challenge (we are finishing up building our house) and when I was talking to Loralee, she said it was actually the best time to do it. I think she was right. Through this challenge, I’ve not only transformed my body, I’ve made new friends, reconnected with old friends and had an hour 2-3x a week without children (and all the mothers out there said “Amen”). I would encourage anyone out there looking to kick start their health to consider this challenge as the catalyst. I know I will be a pilates devotee for life.

Niki's 10-20-30 Journey - TRX Experience

TRX

Today I finally made it to a class I’ve been trying to get to for a while, TRX. TRX is basically straps hanging from the ceiling that you do exercises on. I have bad wrists so there are a lot of exercises such as push ups and plank that I have to modify and even then, they still tend to bother me. TRX was great because I didn’t have to modify anything! I love love love this class. I don’t really have an exact reason for loving this class so much besides the fact that it was FUN! I felt like I was on a playground and not in a gym. I also could really feel my muscles working. By fun I don’t mean easy LOL. I will for sure be attending more of these classes in the future!

Niki's 10-20-30 Journey (week 6 update & Mat experience)

6 Week Update

First Mat Class 

Today I went to my first mat class. As I expected we were on a yoga mat most of the time but any thoughts I had that it was going to be easier were quickly dismissed. We focused a lot on “bridging” and working abs.  One thing I like about doing abs in pilates vs. other more traditional exercise classes is that they make you focus on keeping perfect form the whole time and therefore it tends to target areas that are typically harder to work (ex. Lower abs). All in all I liked the class and am sure I will be sore in the morning!