Adventures in PiYo

I’m sure many of you know my secret – I’m not very brave, but I talk and act a good game. Sometimes this is good; my false bravado pushes me outside of my comfy little box so that I try new things or have great new experiences. Other times, not so good. There have been times when my mouth is writing checks that my body can’t cash.

That’s why it’s always good to know your limitations; to know what you realistically can (and can’t) do. In the past I’ve heard  myself saying, “Oh yeah, I’ll do that Mud Run”, or “I’ll get those rollerblades – it’ll be fun.” Guess what? I should have realized my limitations and SHUT MY MOUTH. Like saying to Jameson last night, “I might even RUN the mile with you at Summerfest.” WTF, Erin. Shut up!

I am in NO WAY implying that the Mud Run wasn’t a huge blast (when it was over), or that I’m not looking forward to getting stronger and more agile so I can make those rollerblades my bitch. But that’s my point exactly – while my mind is strong, my body is still weak. While I may want to do all the great things I commit to (and visualize myself doing), I still need to be mindful of the fact that I just can’t do everything. Yet.

That brings me to Tuesday night, when I attended my first PiYo class, which is a combination of Pilates, Yoga, and stretching. It was hard. I mean, really pretty hard. When people first hear about this class, I think they imagine a serene, relaxing workout, with soft music, easy stretches, and New Age love, light, and flower petals. Well, in some ways, on point: The teacher is excellent, and really knows her stuff. Her explanations and modifications are really easy to follow, and she speaks in a calming voice. The lights are off, the overhead fans are on, and we work on cushy mats.

Then the planks start. Planks! Yikes. And the bouncing. Oh, the bouncing.

The class was hard. I was sweating my butt off, and sore the following day. I felt awfully BIG and AWKWARD for most of the class. BUT I DID IT. The whole class! And while I didn’t do ALL the moves, because of my body limitations, I did a variation of each one, and participated completely.  You see, it’s OK to modify and adjust during any sort of exercise, as long as you don’t quit. I met my limitations, and adjusted. I listened to my body, and cashed the check, folks.

And did the planks.