Last weekend, I was in Denver, CO, as a guest of the Pilates Empowerment Summit, hosted by Peak Pilates. While I am not a full-blown Pilates teacher, it was actually practicing years of mat Pilates that drew my attentionĀ to yoga, which has led me right to where I am today. Peak Pilates was generous to have me attend the summit and share my experience with all of you, and honestly, it was so much fun I have been dying to share it with you all!
I flew in on Thursday, super early, and headed straight to the hotel to check-in and change. I walked around the city to scope out a few places to eat, grabbed some lunch, and headed back to change for the afternoon welcome session. The class was taught by most of the Master Peak Pilates teachers, trading off segments of the class to teach. And let me tell you – it kicked my butt! Well, technically, my core. I do a ton of intense core work in my classes, but straight Pilates for 60 minutes hasn’t happened in a few years. I was humbled, tired, and excited for the weekend ahead š
Afterward, I grabbed dinner with the women across the hall and another attendee. We walked to a restaurant (ah, the joy of staying in a downtown city hotel), and had a lovely time. Then it was back to our room to warm up, sleep, and rise again for another workout – at 7am!
I chose to go to the Kettlebells and Pilates workout with Jodi Sussner. It was quite the wake up. We took our awareness and knowledge of the core, added in some intense Kettlebell training, and then topped it off with Pilates mat work. Jodi was energetic, but not overly peppy in the early hours of the morning.Ā It was awesome and the perfect way to start the day.
After class, I headed back to my room for a makeshift breakfast: coffee, powdered smoothie with water, and a granola bar. 
Then I headed down to the next class: a three hour lecture with Dr. Emily Splichal of the BARE workout series. We learned about the muscles of the foot, how the foot works to stabilize you during your workouts, and how the big toe is the driving force to core stability. It was very eye-opening and has come in handy already.
I then headed over to the official unveiling of the new Peak Pilates Reformer and Tower aka the machines that kick your butt and gut in private Pilates classes. No, they are not torture chambers, but yes, they sure do look like it!
I also had the honor of interviewing Ana Caban, who you might recognize from her over 25 Pilates DVDs. She is actually the instructor on one of my very first Pilates DVDs that now residesĀ on the DVD/movie shelf in our office. She was super welcoming, sassy, and a ton of fun. Look for the official interview coming up soon!
After the interview, I finished my day with some sight-seeing, article writing, and the full BARE workout with Dr Emily.
For dinner, I grabbed a pizza to-go from a local restaurant, called Mod Market. It was farm fresh, form the veggies to the cheese to the homemade gluten free dough! I enjoyed it in my room as I worked hard to reach an article deadline (which you’ll hear more about in January;)).
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Saturday morning came quickly, with another 7am wakeup workout. This time it was the willPower and Grace workout with Stacy Lei Krauss. This one was so early and intense, I didn’t get the chance to take pics. But I did sweat a ton and, again, get my butt kicked, which was already sore from the kettlebells.
After class, I grabbed a coffee and decided to walk around the city a bit. The weather was still crisp and not many people were out. I wandered off the main road, over to the capital, and checked out the nearby parks, trees, and the changing leaves. And some of the fattest, bravest squirrels I’ve ever seen.
TheyĀ were getting ready for the Rock n Roll marathon, that was the very next morning, so a few things were barricaded.
Ā I eventually ended up in a neighborhood and passed through the Art Museum area, with sculptures, statues, and some festive art work. Some fun, some quirky, and some downright scary.
Saturday ended with a lecture, from Ana Caban, on marketing and media. I also had the chance to catch up with old friends who happened to be in town for the race.
On Sunday, I headed to my final 7am workout – Ugi Ball Dance Flow with Ana Caban – where we blended strength and core training with cardio Latin dance. So out of my comfort zone, and so fun.
I headed to the Rock n Roll race with my friend to watch her husband cross the finish line, hung out with them for awhile, and then headed back up to my room to pack up and check out.
I finished the Summit with a session on Powerhouse Packaging with Jodi Sussner. I learned some new tips and techniques for putting together online wellness programsĀ (such as my new program, releasing this week!)
After class, I walked around the city, read a book, grabbed some coffee, and basically hung around for about 9 hours until my shuttle came to take me to my 1am flight home – the dreaded Red Eye.
And then I arrived home at 8:30am EST, and slept the day away (when I wasn’t reading Gone Girl, oh-so-good).
Thank you so much to Peak Pilates and everyone involved for a fantastic, highly educational, and even more fun weekend.
Peace and Love,
Jessi
This post is sponsored by Peak Pilates and the Pilates Empowerment Summit 2014, but all views and opinions, as always, are completely my own.Ā
