Meet Allison:

Allison is an A&M graduate and an attorney.  After her first session, she was in love.  The fun, loud, energetic music compounded with the challenging workout reeled her in.  After a few sessions, Allison was determined to get certified and share her love with others!

Allison makes sure to make you laugh while your body is shaking!

“I’m really lighthearted and don’t take things too seriously.  I think that makes a super challenging class less intimidating.  I can’t handle drill sergeant coaches… I’m like an encouraging mama that makes you believe you are strong and powerful.  Because, really though, you are!!”

Favorite Exercise: Old Fashion Plank

Favorite Music:  Michael Jackson is my jam. All 80s music.  I love 90s rock.  Britney Spears, T Swizzle, JT, Boy Bands, Journey, Boston, Pat Benatar, Elton John, Phil Collins, Sisqó (just kidding)… I love songs that people like to sing. Singing along in class takes your mind off of how tired your body is.

Q&A With Allison:

Q: When did you start practicing the Lagree Method and why?
A: May 2015.  I haven’t ever really had a consistent workout routine.  I have always been sort of “skinny fat,” or what I call thin and wimpy. I gained a LOT of weight in my pregnancies- 85 with my first and 65 with my second. Needless to say, I could use some toning. I lost the pounds, but as all moms know, your body composition and metabolism changes. I wasn’t getting any younger, so it was time to try something new.  I saw HIP every time I drove to a doctors appointment and thought, “I need to check that out.”  I finally did and I was hooked.

Q: What got you hooked?
A: First off, the workout is really fun. That’s what reeled me in for my first couple of classes.  Fun, loud, energetic music is important to me. A boring atmosphere kills energy and motivation!!

Second, the workout is very challenging.  I always say, “it never gets easy!”  It’s so true.  I haven’t ever taken a class and not been sore the next day.  EVER.
You can take classes every single day and there’s always a way to make every move more difficult- change the tempo, the angle, the resistance… This is the only way to keep changing your body and building strength. You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect the results to change.

Third, HIP classes are SO efficient. 45 minutes in and out, full body, fat burning zone heart rate and killer after-burn makes mama happy.

Lastly, and most obviously, the results are insane. After a few classes my body felt completely different. My core felt like a corset.  My posture improved, my low back pain was gone, I slept better, I had more energy, I was less anxious and, I was wayyyy nicer to my husband. 🙂  I was also motivated to improve my overall health.  …Segway into nutrition…

Q: What are some of the rules you follow regarding nutrition?
A: I don’t like the idea of being restricted to a certain diet. I definitely indulge often.  The key is balance.  I try to fill up with a whole lot of good to justify the not-so-good.  Tons of water, TONS.  Half the time I feel hungry, I’m actually just dehydrated.  I love all veggies. I love meat and seafood and all the things. I love food. I love life. I also love sugar.

The way I see it, if something were to happen tomorrow and I couldn’t ever eat again, I don’t want to look back on today and wish that I had eaten that piece of cake at my kid’s birthday party or the cookies we made together.  Every moment is a special occasion- take out the China and eat the cake.  You might not have that chance tomorrow!!

Q: What realistic advice would you tell a first-timer?
A: Put on your listening ears!  The megaformer alone is very intimidating with all its numbers, Straps, handles, bars and springs. It honestly looks like a spaceship to me.  After a quick explanation of the machine and the method, class gets started and you have to process rapid fire cues for the next 45 minutes.  It’s a lot to take in!  But, I always tell first-timers to listen carefully and just have fun.  No one is watching you. The moves are not choreographed so there’s no way to “mess up.”  Listen for modifications, listen to your body.  Modifying is not cheating.  If you can only press the carriage out 2 inches today, press it out 3 inches next week.

Q: What makes your class unique?
A: The most important thing for me is to make class fun.  The workout and results would be amazing if a slug taught the class.  But slugs are boring.  No one wants to take time out of their day to do something boring.  I realize that I’m instructing clients to do work that’s  really hard and to push their limits. I’m really lighthearted and don’t take things too seriously.  I think that makes a super challenging class less intimidating.  I can’t handle drill sergeant coaches… I’m like an encouraging mama that makes you believe you are strong and powerful.  Because, really though, you are!!

Q: What’s on your playlist?
A: Only amazing happy music.  Untza untza techno music makes me feel like I’m shopping at Forever 21.  Don’t get me wrong, I can do some serious damage XXI.
My playlist depends on my mood.  I have to feel inspired by the music- it really changes the dynamic of class.  I would literally forget how to talk if I had to teach with yucky music.
Michael Jackson is my jam. All 80s music.  I love 90s rock.  Britney Spears, T Swizzle, JT, Boy Bands, Journey, Boston, Pat Benatar, Elton John, Phil Collins, Sisqó (just kidding)… I love songs that people like to sing. Singing along in class takes your mind off of how tired your body is. 🙂

Q: What’s your favorite exercise on the Megaformer?
A: I’m old fashioned, so I favor our old friend the plank… and everything that stems from the plank: Plank To Pike, bear, Wheelbarrow, Cobra, side Plank, etc.  The plank is so universally effective and has so many variations.  If I could only do one exercise for the rest of my life, I would choose to Plank.

Q: What is a fun fact someone might not know about you?
A: Well, I’m pretty much an open book. but, in case you haven’t heard…
After I gained 85 pounds during my first pregnancy, I joined weight watchers and lost it all.  I used the WW app to track everything I ate and, the points system helped me to learn portion control.  You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.  Weight watchers is legit.

Also, I cry a lot. Mostly happy cries and “time is flying” cries.  I am a total empath so I FEEL really hard. I feel with my people and even with strangers.  It can be really exhausting.  But man, I feel all the good feels too.  I love life!!! 🙂

HIP has been such a huge blessing to me.  HIP has not only motivated me to get healthy, I have connected with so many awesome people. Most young moms- that is, mothers of young children- go through a season of seclusion.  We don’t have many opportunities for adult conversations outside of chatting with other moms at the park.  It’s hard to carve out “me time” when you have the privilege of serving your family full time.  It might sound weird (or lame), but the 5:30 AM classes at HIP made me feel like me again (thank you, Tana!!).  My time in class wasn’t cutting into family time because everyone was still asleep.  It was my social hour.  I talked to grown ups about non-kid-related stuff.  It was so refreshing.  I know now how desperately my soul needed this, how much we all need this- especially moms.

Having the opportunity to teach has been so cool.  I try every day to “be the light.”  My joy comes from the Lord, and I pray that all that I do will point others to Jesus. My goal is to charge every person up with lots of good, positive energy so that when they walk out the doors of HIP, they radiate that fullness of spirit. It is seriously contagious.

I am constantly inspired by my clients. Y’all are SO STRONG.  It blows my mind that y’all do this work so well, giving me minimal stink eyes, and still smile and talk to me after class!!  I just want to cheer for you and tell everyone you know how awesome you are.  I hope you believe it too!