We've been a little absent on the blog lately (Me even more so than Carla), but with a new year comes a fresh start, new ideas, and some big news! I am pregnant! My husband and I are expecting a baby in July! We are absolutely thrilled and have some amazing things happening in our personal life right now!
In my professional life, being a Pilates instructor and all, I am so thrilled to go through this amazing learning experience! After my 600 hours of training, which I completed last spring, I am trained to teach pregnant women. But it's all in theory. I would have no way to truly understand or even imagine how Pilates would actually feel during pregnancy without personally going through the experience! Plus, pregnancy is so individual. So of course the Pilates nerd inside of me wanted to take full advantage of this opportunity! I am going to start keeping a diary of my Pilates experience throughout my pregnancy and I want to share it with you through this blog.
Today, I want to talk to you about my mindset! But first, a little bit about where I am in my pregnancy. I am 17 weeks into my pregnancy, well out of my first trimester and into my second. Very few people can even tell I'm pregnant by looking at me. Two weeks ago only my husband and I, my Mom (who has worked with my body through our Pilates training together), and probably my Pilates instructor could tell I was pregnant. My abs changed a little bit, but really from the visual outside, not that much different. I was still able to do a very strong workout. I was working out at an upper intermediate level minus the emphasis on the abs. I could still keep my pace up, and do a large number of exercises with very few modifications. Two weeks later, I am starting to pop out a little more although some tell me I look like I haven't gained anything. And with each passing week, my workouts get a little more mild, although still very strong. Going backwards was very hard for me to accept so that brings me to what I want to talk about today: my Pilates mindset.
Why and How I Had to Switch my Mindset
Ever since I started Pilates I have been competitive with myself. I always want to do better and perfect my form whether I am trying to do advanced exercises at a very slow pace or maintain a quick tempo as I do triple the exercises at a super quick pace. I always have had a goal and the more advanced that I have become, the harder I keep setting my goals. Ever since I got to the advanced level, which at one point was one of my goals, my goals have been to strengthen myself so that I am able to do specific, very difficult, fancy exercises. I like exercises like candlestick, dismounts off the reformer and off the ladder barrel, variations of tendon stretch, and evil exercises on the chair. Basically if it looks impossible or maybe like torture, I want to do it! I find it amazing how strong the body can get and the ways in which it can move.
As soon as I found out I was pregnant, this had to change immediately. I can't make these goals anymore. I had to change my workout almost right away. I had to take out everything that had to do with balance, since my center of gravity will be changing in the upcoming months. (To me this was basically everything I categorize as "fun.") I also couldn't keep up my tempo, since I was so exhausted for the first trimester. (I have recently been able to pick my tempo back up, which has been rewarding.) And finally I can't do anything bringing my legs overheard, which also takes out some of the intermediate exercises.
Basically, imagine yourself as a golfer. You aren't really competing with those around you. You compete with yourself to try to get better each time you leave the course. Now imagine somebody told you that you were going to get worse over the next 9 months. Your scores were going to get higher and you were going to lose technique. You need to continue to play golf, but you weren't allowed to push yourself to get better.
That is pretty much how I felt. And it took me a while to refocus. Instead of the focus being the abdominals, it is now important to strengthen the inner thighs, the obliques, the pelvic floor... Basically I'm preparing myself to give birth while also maintaining the strength that I have built in my arms, legs, shoulders, and any other extremities.
If I was just an intermediate or beginner Pilates student, I probably wouldn't have experienced any changes in my workout thus far. I'd just notice I was a little tired during my workouts. However, since I went from being an advanced student to being a pregnant, intermediate student, not only did my workouts change, but my mindset had to change too. It took me the second two months of my first trimester to adjust and I was not enjoying my workouts as much. I thought they were boring in comparison to before.
Now, however, after a little mindset readjustment, I am back to loving my workouts again! I had to constantly remind myself of why I am really doing Pilates. Before, I happened to be doing Pilates mostly for fun. I love it and enjoy it. But in all reality, I am really doing this because it keeps me healthy. I stay fit, I stay motivated, my body stays healthy and protected from injuries. These reasons are truly why I do it. I just lost sight of that since I have so much fun! And now, every time I leave the studio, I still love the healthy, strong feeling that I get. I just had to readjust my mindset a little bit and remind myself of ALL the reasons I love Pilates. It's not just the fancy tricks, but I'll be able to get back to those favorite exercises soon enough!
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