Each month we love featuring one of our incredible clients as our Pilates Peep of the Month! That’s because we are blessed to work with the best PEEPS in the city.
Desiree Huff Keyes first came to Pilates 1901 about two years ago when she heard about us through Groupon.
She had been struggling with her weight and feeling limited by her newly developing aches and pains. She thought exercise and joining our Pilates 1901 AVON Walk for a Cure Team would whip her butt into shape … and it did, to a point.
Desiree first heard about our life transformation program, T School, while training for the 39.3 mile AVON Walk for a Cure in Chicago. She patiently listened as some of her team mates discussed how great they felt after changing the way they ate but inside she thought they were crazy. Give up dairy and grains? What the hell are you people talking about?
Take a listen to what Desiree learned about herself, her body and her health at Pilates 1901.
Thank you Desiree! Your example is a powerful call to action for folks who also want to live their best lives.
“I remember meeting my fellow AVON 39 walkers around this time last year and hearing them talk about things like “T-School” and “detox” and “paleo” and I called them crazy. It felt impossible to even consider making the kind of changes in my life that these women were making. And I won’t lie. I thought it was bogus.
I didn’t believe that I needed to make those kinds of changes in my diet and I definitely didn’t believe that those changes would bring about any worthwhile results. Well, fast forward almost a year. A year of increased exercise and very minimal changes in my body and energy level. I finally realized that I had to focus on my diet. Even though I thought I was already eating healthy, I knew there had to be something more that I wasn’t doing because I wasn’t seeing any changes.
When I heard T-School was starting up again I thought, “Why not? It can’t hurt me to try something new”. So I decided to join the “crazy people” and try it out. I was fully committed to the program and by the second week of the detox I was feeling amazing! I keep thinking to myself, “So THIS is how I’m SUPPOSED to feel!”. I hadn’t felt that good in a long time.
In the 6 months or so prior to starting T-School I had started to notice swelling in my joints and my feet and hands were hurting, but I couldn’t figure out why. I bought new shoes thinking that was causing the issue, but I was still in pain. Shortly after starting the detox all of the swelling and pain disappeared! There was a huge change in my energy as well.
I knew that this had to become a LIFESTYLE for me. It wasn’t just something I was doing to lose weight anymore. My lifestyle change has been a work in progress. I’m constantly trying new foods and recipes to find things that work for myself and my family.
The T-School community has been so helpful with this. Anytime I have questions about a recipe or I’m looking to try something new I know I have people there to help me out. And knowing that others are making these same changes has really helped me to stick with it on days (or sometimes weeks) that I felt like giving up. I have taken a few breaks from the new lifestyle (read: Thanksgiving) and my body has reminded me that for me, this is not a great choice. My body feels sick when I eat the way that I used to. It’s awful.
I know that I need to continue with what I have learned because it has changed my life! I’m running around with my kids more and I’m feeling strong and capable when I work out. And I realize that my story focuses on the diet portion of the program, but for me, this is what I needed and what I had to put my energy into. I’m hoping that now that this change has been made and I can focus on other aspects of my life.”
If you’re interested in improving your body, your spirit and your energy, we’re here to help! For more information on getting started with us at Pilates 1901, click here.
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