Last Sunday I finished the course requirements and am now a certified PiYo STRENGTH Instructor – woop woop! (That’s me on the right in the back row with my hair lookin’ a mess; long day so don’t judge, hehe). In addition to teaching my weekly Turbo Kick classes, I plan to now teach a mind/body fitness format.
PiYo is short for “Pilates Yoga.” It’s a group fitness format available at most major health clubs, especially 24 Hour Fitness and women’s gyms. Long story short – get involved with PiYo. Here’s why I love it:
- I have (self diagnosed) ADD – If you also have a limited attention span, you will love PiYo because it’s fast paced. Throughout the workout you flow swiftly through a variety of yoga poses and Pilates exercises which prevents boredom.
- I like sweating – If I’m not drenched after a workout, I’m not convinced that the workout was productive. Because PiYo is fast paced and the moves are challenging, you start breaking a sweat within the first 10 minutes.
- I dislike awkward situations – PiYo has no spiritual element, it’s solely a mind/body WORK OUT. I always feel super awkward in traditional yoga classes with serious spiritual cultures and chanting – not my thing. PiYo has a fun group atmosphere where you can let loose and truly relax.
- I like to JAM – PiYo is set to music, and not spiritual chanting or anything like that. I’m talking Top 40 and R&B jamz. Not only is the music great, but there’s also a dance element to the workout so you can shake your groove thang 😉
- I need to be more flexible – As you can tell, most of my workouts are high intensity interval training or long cardio sessions. However, I often skip the stretching and mind/body relaxation that my body needs. In fact, flexibility is the most overlooked element of fitness! PiYo lets me work on my flexibility without feeling like I’m wasting time.
And since you’ve been so kind and read to the end, I’ll reward you with some videos of PiYo in action – enjoy 🙂
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDdekLVTIpk&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHULk86G-2o&w=560&h=315]
14 Comments
I happy you found a mind-body format you like. I teach yoga (Vinyasa style) which moves as well. I really like Pilates and Bar too. Good luck in your teaching journey.
Thanks so much – if you have any words of wisdom for being an effective mind/body format instructor – please do share. All the best to you!
That was actually my very first certification, back when it was just Piyo (2007ish) – it ended up being my “gateway drug” to teaching several other formats 😉
Awesome! It was a great training! TurboKick was my gateway drug – glad you enjoyed the post!
On Tue, Nov 6, 2012 at 12:46 PM, GRIT by Brit
TurboKick was #2 😉
I had to giggle @ the awkward situations bit.
LOL – so glad you can empathize! 🙂
On Fri, May 24, 2013 at 10:21 AM, GRIT by Brit
Great website! I found your blog through Sarah (http://shhfithappens.wordpress.com/). I will definitely be back to check out more posts!
I have a feeling that PiYo is going to be huge this year. Did you see Chalene Johnson is coming out with a Beachbody PiYo DVD program?