Loving Lately: Pilates

Hi there! It's me, Christina, trying to get better at consistently blogging again... ha 

So, the last post was all about my love for our swim instructor who taught Ava & Elle how to swim in 5 days flat. I received so many calls and messages about it and am thrilled that so many little ones will be taught by Coach Jackie Nelson Doyle! I have already seen some videos and pictures of your little ones being taught by her and am over here on the other side of my computer doing the happy dance for them! 

Now that we have checked Elle's swimming off the to-do list, I am trying to make some more time for myself. Being a stay at home mom has some obvious perks but it is also very exhausting. Mentally and physically. My bathroom breaks consist of someone usually beating the other side of the door to open it up, coffee is rarely hot, and the countdown until daddy gets home is always on. Oh, and when it does get quiet around here - that usually means that there is a REALLY big mess that I now need to clean up. The latest was sunblock all over the coffee table when I was trying to fold the laundry on my bed.  Needless to say, a stay at home mom needs something for herself once in a while without feeling guilty about it. Which brings me to my new "loving lately" topic:

Personal Pilates sessions! 

That's me!

I was so excited when I got the call that Tanya Clark was starting her own Pilates studio in her very own home. Tanya and I go waaaaay back since elementary school. She and I later crossed paths again once  her husband started working for mine years ago. What a small world it is! It was so nice to catch up with her over the years especially because she is so like-minded. She has a two year old son, is a health coach, pilates instructor, and a champ in the kitchen when it comes to making healthy foods taste like decadent desserts. She is truly talented. 

So as you can imagine, I signed right up to have a one on one Pilates session with her when she told me. I am so happy that I did! I have been enjoying Pilates work outs in my own home for some time now but have only done so on my mat. I have never tried Pilates on the actual Pilates apparatus (tower). 

I was blown away when she was instructing me during my lesson. My muscles were all contracted and all working at one time. I was using EVERYTHING I had down to making sure that my feet were flexed the right way. It is mind and body work to achieve that Pilates strength! 

Pilates is one of those magical work outs where you can leave still looking good enough to run errands afterwards... It isn't like other work outs where you have your face melting off and need a shower within minutes of finishing. 

It is low impact but very efficient, great with injury rehabilitation and beginners, less need for good flexibility like yoga, and overall strengthening for the core muscles. 

I was relieved on how easy this was on the joints because this was the original reason I was so open to it. I had been doing HIIT workouts which was causing my left knee to develop a Baker's cyst. It is basically where a painful lump appears underneath my knee area which is full of fluid. This just started not to long ago and has happened about 3 times and my guess is that it happened with the jumping within the HIIT work outs. I knew I had to find some other work outs that would cater to my becoming an old lady ;)  So needless to say, Pilates here I come! The low impact works great for my body and still gives an amazing work out to get those abs! If you are interested in having a personal Pilates session with Tanya, you can contact/ follow her over at her Facebook page, Instagram, or website. She also shares recipes and all things healthy living as well. I'll add her links below.  If you are new to Pilates, please see her first. She has a TON of experience and that one on one attention is an awesome added perk! 

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Her brand new little studio!

That's Tanya!