Pilates Body Program
Thursday, May 24, 2012 So I had a baby in September.
I swore that even though I ate practically nothing but club sandwiches and sweet potato fries for nine months while I was pregnant, the second Mac was born, I'd become a picture of nutritional health. Also, even though my physical fitness regimen during pregnancy consisted exclusively of sleeping and vomiting, I promised myself that after the baby was born, I'd...do something. I'd run. I'd do hot yoga. I'd do one of those boot camps that meets at five in the morning.
And then Mac was born.
And my neighbor Lindsay brought over a pan of enchiladas, and Jessie made this amazing pumpkin apple cake. Jenny brought Smitten Kitchen's Baked Potato Soup and Brannon brought Barefoot Contessa's Boeuf Bourguignon. We went to Dallas and had great pizza from Fireside Pies and a fantastic Tex-Mex lunch at Chuy's. We hosted a shower for Brannon's baby boy, and served mini mac & cheese and little butterscotch budinos. We went to Mexico for a week and ate a steady diet of chips, salsa, and beer.
And wonder of wonders, I was not losing the baby weight as rapidly as I expected to.
Something had to change, and in a moment of desperation, I signed up for Robin Long's Pilates Body Program. I'd never met Robin, but followed her on Twitter--she's a friend of my friend Laura Turner's, and we both went to Westmont.
Robin's blog, The Balanced Life, is all about a pro-balance, anti-guilt attitude toward nutrition and fitness. I love this. As you may imagine, there are certain fitness types that I have trouble connecting with. Like...most of them. I don't like to be yelled at, I don't like drinking protein shakes, and deprivation sends me into a rebellious tail-spin.
But I needed something, and I trusted Robin's perspective, so I signed up for the spring round of The Pilates Body Program. And I loved it. Robin sends a new Pilates video every week, and a new menu and meal plan every week, and then also offers unlimited coaching via email.
I did the videos, I ate lots of quinoa and white beans and loads of fresh produce, and I emailed Robin whenever I felt like what I really wanted was a wheelbarrow full of nachos, or when the last thing I wanted to do was a Pilates video in a hotel room at midnight. Robin was easy to interact with, honest, inspiring, and full of realistic suggestions and solutions. She got me through those six weeks, and I'm a tough case, admittedly.
At the beginning of the process, Robin works with each person to set goals---fitness goals, weight loss goals, process goals. My goal was weight loss, and in the six week program, I lost almost 16 pounds. Granted, I had a lot of extra pounds hanging around, and I still do, but those sixteen pounds took me from maternity yoga pants to my old jeans, from "I feel like a blob" to "I feel a little bit like my old self again."
And even now, post-program, Aaron and I are both eating lots more produce, and I've joined a Reformer Pilates class with some girlfriends. The PBP was the reset button I needed after a hard pregnancy and lazy newborn season, and I can't recommend the it enough. I still make some of the recipes that she shared--a lentil soup and a white bean salad have become staples, and I'm a total quinoa convert.
Registration is open now for the Summer Session of the PBP, and I think you'll love it. And just to be clear, I paid full price for the program, and I'm not getting anything for recommending it--I just really loved it and want to support Robin because I think she's really good at what she does.
Check out her website and think about signing up.
Memorial Day Weekend is the first weekend of the summer in my book: lake, family, boating, dinner on the grill, tiny sweet strawberries from the Farmer's Market. I am, as you know, forever & ever a summer girl...let my favorite season begin! XO






