In the last couple weeks I have tried out PiYo. Started with online videos and then got to attend a class that my dear friend, Jessica Ubel was the instructor of. It's taken a little while to come to a conclusion on what I think of PiYo. Disclaimer: This is truely only my humble opinion, if you love PiYo great!
Things I like about PiYo:
1. It definitely gets your heart rate up and burns calories.
2. I like following an instructor. I prefer having a leader so I can focus on what my body is doing.
3. The music kept me going and I liked the fact that each of the songs had a different emphasis.
Things I didn't care for:
1. The name: PiYo. It's misleading, having done both Pilates and Yoga this was not really either. After talking to Jessica she had the best description of what it is. It's bootcamp on a mat. Yes there are a few sun salutations and a warrior sequence, but it's not the majority of the time
2. The lack of pauses during the class. Without a little pause there is no real time to properly hydrate during the class. I found that I missed things trying to get a much needed drink because I was sweating so much.
3. The speed of the moves. Here's probably where my background skews my opinion. I found it very difficult to use proper mechanics in the moves and felt like I had to "cheat" a move to get to the next one in time. For me this is a huge issue. I have crappy joints(not afraid to admit it) and keeping myself from creating more injuries is a problem. If you have good joints this probably wouldn't be an issue for you, but be careful.
4. The intensity. This is a hard class. I'd say 90% of the people in the class were my age or younger. I'm looking for things that I can sustain long term. This would be a good jump start if you've already been exercising, but to start with PiYo I'd think you were crazy. This goes back to the speed of the moves.
I'm going to stick with regular yoga and pilates it's what makes my body feel good and allows me to fully participate in the classes. One of the yogi's that I follow has a mantra,"Find what feels good". If PiYo makes you feel good go for it. Whatever you do get out there and do something. In just adding a daily walk with my dog plus strength training with bands or Yoga/Pilates I've lost 40lbs since January. Thankful for all my fit friends that have been an encouragement to me. I'm not at my goal yet, but am definitely headed in the right direction and feel so much better in general.
