Hi There!
My name is Tawny and I am the creator and owner of PilatesBarrePro.
I have been a personal fitness trainer for over 10 years, although I am not currently employed. I have chosen to stay home and raise my little one, who is now 2 years old….man how time flies!
Because I am now a stay at home mom, I sometimes miss having adult contact with the outside world, LOL. I really do enjoy teaching and sharing my experiences with others, especially those that are in need of fitness advice or suggestions.
I created this blog out of my passion for Pilates, barre workouts,and healthy eating – especially green smoothies and The Body Ecology Diet. The Body Ecology Diet’s main focus is on the restoration of gut health, which is the key to overcoming a number of autoimmune disease, as well as other conditions.
What is interesting, though, is that your gut health (how much good vs. bad bacteria you have) is the secret to weight loss, and an unhealthy gut is the hidden reason why so many women struggle to lose weight. It’s not about calories in, calories out as you’ve been told.
I know for my mom, addressing her gut bacteria was they key that unlocked her weight loss. She had been faithfully drinking green smoothies everyday, and she had cut her diet back to almost nothing. She was trying so hard to lose weight, but the scale wouldn’t budge! She couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The missing link was her gut.
Together, my mom and I lost a combined total of 60 lbs. (and lots of inches) with green smoothies, and the basic principles of the Body Ecology Diet (BED). We didn’t even follow it perfectly – it all happened so quick. Within a couple of months, my mom went from a size 8 down to a size 4. I went from a size 4 to a size 2.
Honestly, I wasn’t trying to lose weight. I had already lost my 30 pounds of baby weight with green smoothies and barre workouts. When I started the Body Ecology Diet, it was for my health – I have an autoimmune condition. I then lost 15 more pounds. After seeing how fast the weight just fell off of me, my mom decided to give it a shot, too. She didn’t even have to exercise – the weight just came off.
Why I Love Pilates and Barre So Much
I happen to love Pilates and Barre workouts and I do them regularly. The main reason I love them so much is that they don’t cause me major pain the following day (I have Fibromyalgia), and I have gained excellent muscle tone since I started doing barre workouts over 3 years ago. I have gained a tremendous amount of strength in my legs and I am more toned and lean than I have ever been.
As I mentioned, I have Fibro…and I am also hypothyroid, so it’s not always easy for me to stay active.
It is a daily challenge for me.
In 2004, I was rear-ended by an eighteen wheeler truck on the freeway on my way home from a new job. Although I walked away without any visible scars, the accident resulted in soft tissue damage and chronic pain. Five years later I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.
Fast forward 7 years to my pregnancy, and because of the damage I sustained to my lower back and spine in that accident, I suffered from sacro-illiac joint dysfunction during my pregnancy.
The pain was absolutely excruciating. It was so bad that I could not pick up my right leg to walk or put on my pants and shoes. I cried from the pain, but mostly from fear that the pain would not go away and that I would never be the same.
I went to see my chiropractor, and along with his adjustments I started doing The Bar Method Pregnancy workout DVD in hopes that I could get the pain under control.
It turns out I was able to get my pain down to a manageable level by consistently doing the workout along with some deep stretches.
And then one year after the birth of my son, I was diagnosed with vitiligo. For those of you that don’t know what vitiligo is, it’s considered to be an autoimmune condition where your body attacks your skin cells, resulting in loss of pigmentation (think Michael Jackson).
So Why Am I Telling You All of This?
Because I want you to know that I know how it feels to have many obstacles to staying active and in shape.
I struggle daily.
But I keep fighting because I know staying active is good for me, both mentally and physically.
In my efforts to find a way to stop and reverse my vitiligo, I dove head first into researching and learning as much as I possibly could about the disorder. My main goal was to find a way to heal myself through nutrition…which is how I came upon the Body Ecology Diet – and discovered how powerful this diet is for weight loss.
Honestly, to look at me, you would never know I struggle so much. You’d probably think I was just fine ;).
Alright, That’s Enough About Me…Let’s Talk About You!
This blog is about you.
It’s about your struggle to lose weight and feel better, despite the many obstacles you face.
It’s about your desire to get a longer, leaner-looking, stronger physique.
It’s about your questions and me doing everything I can to answer them.
And the only appropriate way to begin is by me listening to what you have to say.
So, I want you to do 2 things for me:
1. Leave a comment – Tell me where you’re struggling.
I’ll read your comments. I’ll think about them. And I’ll plan the entire future of this blog around them.
2. Share this post – you can use the floating buttons on the left. As one of this blog’s first readers, I’m hoping you’ll tell your friends about it ;).
Here’s why:
Over the coming months and years, I don’t just want to give you generic fitness information on how to lose weight. I don’t just want to give you a rehash of what you’ve already seen and heard about losing weight and exercise.
Those things are fine and dandy, but they’re not enough.
Really, my goal is to make a difference in your life.
I want this to be personal for you.
The only thing I really and truly care about is your success, because if I can help you, and we work together to spread the word, then I believe this blog will become a gold mine of valuable information that can help thousands of other women like you and I who struggle with weight loss and staying active, whether it be because of health conditions, lack of energy, or an injury.
So, please share with me where you are right now.
Tell me why you’re struggling.
Tell me how I can help.
And together, we will get you exactly where you wanna go.