Lean, Mean, Workout Machine

Y'all know I love Zumba & Pilates.  I've recently added muscle works & barre classes into the rotation.  I needed to do something to change up my routine & confuse my muscles.  I hate working out with weights by myself, so the muscle works classes are great because misery loves company.  (even though I think my instructors are part Terminator...)   Barre is a class I love to hate.  It is so stinking hard.  My muscles burn & shake all over the place.  It's not pretty.

I have had a personal goal for myself for the last few months.  I wanted to be able to do "boy" triceps push ups.  For you to understand this goal I need to back up & explain some things about me.  I have strong legs.  My mom used to tell me I had thighs Bo Jackson would be proud of.  :/  That is just what every teenage girl wants to hear.  They are tree trunks though.  My father-in-law told me that my booty looks like JLo's.  Thanks...I, guess?  So you get the idea, I'm shaped like a pear with a big fanny & thighs.  Yea! (said no female ever)  Now I've decided I'm built more like a T-Rex.  Strong legs & little wimpy arms.  I detest push ups & have never tried (nor intend to) a pull up.

Over the 2 years I have done Pilates, I have noticed my body getting stronger.  I usually do my push ups on my knees & can go all the way down, like my nose touching the floor down, hold it if I'm threatened told to & then push back up without breaking form.  In one of muscle works classes a few weeks ago, we did 100 pushups...and yes I did all 100.  It was a...well this is a PG blog so I can't put what it was, but you get the drift.

Today I decided I was going to do boy push ups.  Our heals had to be together and our toes a little wider if we were up in full plank position.  It's called a Pilates 'V'.  It added a layer of pain fun.  I also decided I was not going to break body position, or go down half way & then come back up.  If I was doing these things, I was doing the full nose to the floor one.  To my surprise, I did it.  I don't think it was very pretty, but I did it.  The T-Rex did it.  :)  No one in my fam was really impressed, but I still know that I did it.  I'm a lean, mean, workout machine.  Now if I could just get my knee healed & stop rolling my ankle I'd be good to go.

Oh well, I have to take the wins where I can get them.  :)  A huge thank you to my instructors:  Kaitlin, Terri & Natalie!  Y'all are incredible.  Thank you for pushing me in your classes to be the strongest & best me.

Celebrating Life, boy push ups & being healthy!
~ashley