When I found Pilates, I quit everything to dedicate the next year and half of my life to my Pilates Apprenticeship. To me, Pilates is a scientific formula and when applied correctly the body will completely transform!
It's hard maintaining the perfect body-fat especially being a woman and living a normal life (it was double hard for me because I have a slow metabolism). When I trained as a Yoga Instructor and Personal trainer I was constantly frustrated. I felt like I did all this work but still looked bigger then I wanted to be. I loved how Yoga was the Yin to all the Yangy exercise I did. I hoped it would help balance the "bulk." I wasn't cued into the mind- body connection I soon acquired in my lessons with Pilates. 
Learning Pilates made me feel like a performer on stage demonstrating the utmost control, precession, fluidity, and concentration as I moved through the different sequences of exercises. For the first time in my life I felt like I could create the body I always fantasized about having. Five years later I am exercising less, enjoying my life, and I am the happiest I have ever been with myself (pictures on top are from before or right when I started Pilates. Below is now)!
I practice Pilates 2-4 times per week rotating the Mat, Reformer, chair, and wall-unit. I exercise alone and with the trainers at Core Pilates. My lifestyle hasn't changed that much and I still get excited about how my short legs appear long and feel super lean (now), how Pilates has given me a tight perky bottom that doesn't feel big. Scooping has also taken the pooch under my belly button and lifted my tummy flat.
Back then my body fat was around 20-22% (but I looked chunkier) right now it's sitting around 20-21% and on a good week/day it will drop to 19%-18%. No matter what body-fat percentage I am holding; if my jeans don't fit perfectly, my butt isn't the perfect shape, or my stomach doesn't feel pulled "in and up" I will not be happy. Intuitively I (you) have to do what is going to keep me (you) confident. I believe if we all listen to the messages our bodies are sending us we will digest its responses to exercise so we can find what works. 
Back then my body fat was around 20-22% (but I looked chunkier) right now it's sitting around 20-21% and on a good week/day it will drop to 19%-18%. No matter what body-fat percentage I am holding; if my jeans don't fit perfectly, my butt isn't the perfect shape, or my stomach doesn't feel pulled "in and up" I will not be happy. Intuitively I (you) have to do what is going to keep me (you) confident. I believe if we all listen to the messages our bodies are sending us we will digest its responses to exercise so we can find what works. All exercise is good, ideally everyone working-out feels great about themselves. After years of being in this industry and years of listening to other women (including myself) I've found Pilates gives me and our clients the best results. If I got the results I wanted from other types of fitness I would be all over it, unfortunately I don't. That doesn't mean I don't like them or wish I could workout like that because sometime I crave some of the things I used to do. I love this industry and helping people so I do not aim to put down any objective of exercise. I am only speaking from experience and what is true for me and what I have found to be true for some of the people I have encountered. 
Goals right now are my arms. I want my arms to show the story of my workouts and they will! I have help from Rachael (instructor at Core Pilates).
Goals right now are my arms. I want my arms to show the story of my workouts and they will! I have help from Rachael (instructor at Core Pilates).
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