Ashley Kae: Something I've been dying to share with you... :)

@ashkae

After sharing this picture on my Instagram this morning, I figured this would be a good time to share some exciting news happening soon in my life!

Those of you sweet enough to read this little blog have probably figured out that I have been obsessed with Pilates from the moment I took my first class at the end of January of this year.

I had never even really heard what a reformer machine was before being invited to come to a class taught by a darling lady in my home ward growing up and parents' neighborhood, Katie Boman, who got certified and put a studio in her basement. There was something comforting about it being in the home of a darling lady I knew, so I decided to give it a shot.

During the first class I was AMAZED at all you could do on this machine, how fun and different it was, how muscles I never usually worked were burning in a very good way, and how fast the hour flew by! I was HOOKED-- I didn't care what it cost, when the classes would be, or that it was a 20 minute drive from our condo-- something felt so right about it, and from that day forward I have been going to the same class twice a week.

Right after that first class I went home and googled "benefits of reformer pilates" and spent a good hour reading-- I was so intrigued! Solves back pain?! You can do it while you're pregnant?! No impact on your joints?! Will improve my posture?! Guarantees long lean muscles?!

(This is one of my very favorite articles on reformer pilates. Make sure to read the part about pregnancy!)

It just kept getting better and better.

quote from Joseph Pilates himself!

As I continued coming to classes, I felt and saw my body getting stronger and healthier. Tuesday and Thursday mornings were my favorite part of the week. During this time I was planning on going to hair school in the fall, and in the back of my mind during every single class I had this unsettling feeling that I knew I wouldn't be able to do this while I went to hair school which made me very discouraged.

Katie has been a huge part of my growing love for pilates. From the very first class she told me I was a natural (even though I know I wasn't), would build me up, and push me to always be better. She didn't just run through the same moves every single class, in fact every single class was different, and if I told her I wanted to work on my hamstrings, or my abs, she would tailor the work out to what her clients wanted and needed.

Something else that I love about pilates is that you get to know your instructor and the people you see bi-weekly really well. There is background music in pilates but you can also chat (until the move you're doing gets really hard, then everyone goes silent haha) and I really loved that! Not only was I improving my body but my relationships. Advice is exchanged, friendships are made, all while doing your body good.

So back to the story-- No matter how much I tried to make it feel right, hair school was just not feeling right. One day it hit me like a ton of bricks-- why don't I get certified and teach like Katie?

It had so many pros and so few cons-- I mostly loved that I could do it out of my house while being a mom and always be improving my health and others.

Katie was nothing but overly supportive, which made me love her even more. She has helped me so much with where to get certified, where to get my machines, the best place to get my books-- the list goes on and on. I could not be more grateful for her in my life and the influence she has had on me. I am forever indebted to her.

So in March I went and visited the certification center and put my deposit down for their next reformer pilates training course in September. It felt so right.

Since then I have continued my classes with Katie and have also tried out a few other awesome reformer classes to see different teaching techniques. I also put a studio in my parents' basement in Draper! Everything is pretty much set except mirrors which are being installed in a few weeks and I'm having a hard time containing my excitement.

A few weeks ago I set up all 3 machines and have taught Brennan and a few other family members some practice classes, since I will practice teaching during the certification. It has been so much fun and is so clear to me that this is what I'm meant to be doing.

This has taught me that you can develop new passions at any time in your life. I would have never guessed that this would be my career at 22 but I am so excited to start teaching classes as my full time job at the beginning of October.

Please come try it out! First class is always free.

And now I'll leave you with some pics of celebs and athletes who love it too :)