Hi everyone! This is a very long post from my Notes app lol 😅 but wanted to share my wins / goals achieved after the 30 Day Challenge program I completed yesterday 😊

Mental health support ✅💟 completion on the winter solstice was not intentional, but feels divine to be prepared and strong given how much I struggle during the winter months. Activity levels helped me keep my appetite and sleep better, critical for my mood stability.

Keep warm ✅ I read yesterday that warming up the whole body (exercise, drinking tea or eating soup) is more effective than just keeping parts warm (like hands or feet). How fitting!

Physique goals ✅ I have gained muscle and lost body fat. Set a “smart” (achievable) goal to hit by end of Dec. I hit that goal as of a few days ago, so seeing how close I can get to hitting my “stretch” goal by end of year!

Creative inspiration ✅ as a fellow movement professional, I chose this program to study intensity / push limits in my own body with a creator (Ruth) that I deeply trust and resonate with. A week in, I watched a documentary about one of my fav musicians, Jeff Buckley. He found so much pleasure in listening to music, it was everything to him. From the time he was a child he would practice singing vocal styles of his favorites like Nina Simone and Leonard Cohen. Eventually he created his own work, with skills he learned from trying to match the greats he looked up to; his style became all his own, arguably one of the best vocalists of all time. I was reminded of how important it is to consume art for the sake of pleasure and joy it brings. Play IS learning. So I prioritized that with this program, integrating it into my being, mentored by it. I’m so grateful to have found the art that is Ruth’s teaching!

Unexpected win 🦋 This challenge traveled with me to Carmel, CA and Las Vegas, NV as I visited family for the holidays. I completed one of the hardest videos on perhaps the most emotionally difficult day I had all year. It feels iconic to look back on the routine, stamina & strength I had built to hold myself & stay present instead of freeze & dissociate. That might be my proudest moment of this journey.

What’s next? More creativity as I exit this cocoon, and movement of course! Looking forward to Ruth’s strength program happening in January.

Thanks again bad b’s for your support, and thank you Ruth for all that you are and create! 🩷🦋 Sharing on this micro-social platform and interacting means a lot. Wishing you all lots of warmth and blessings thru winter and beyond. ❤️❤️❤️

Tapping in, returning to the Weekly Schedule 💗

Day 30 ✅ 🌟 Halfway thru I started singing “Nasty” by Tinashe… 🎤 “is somebody gonna match my freak? is somebody gonna match my nasty? I got stamina, they say I’m a athlete” 💪🏽

This was nasty 😤 but I did indeed match your freak Ruth (almost entirely) !!! 😂🩷🩵💛 got into a flow state and had fun. Thanks for the 29 days of prep that led me here! 🏆

I have several reflections that I may share on the wins thread. It meant so much to share this “30 Day Challenge” program journey with the RPS community. Thank you everyone for your kind words and any/all engagement. Gonna take a cool down walk lol, sending you all love! 💗

Day 29 ✅ I’ve learned through this challenge that flow classes are kind of my nemesis, which is funny because I did yoga for years and flows are a big part. But Pilates flows really kick up the heat and demand so much control, I can get perfectionistic about it. Fascinated by how central breathing becomes to keep going, almost like you have to focus on your breath rather than what you are doing in order to flow - which disrupts any notion of perfection mentally, you have to trust your body to just do it as it can. I really like tapping into that level of consciousness so intentionally yet passively at the same time. It’s very yin and yang, idk if I’m making sense but ok curiosity and appreciation unlocked !!

Modified the intensity level of this class today as my cortisol levels are a mess rn, but it felt really empowering to slow it down, choosing when to push through or pause. I held the planks / static strength moves for their entirety nearly every time which felt really good. And as usual on days I’m not feeling it, challenged myself to do at least 1 rep of every move which led to more. 😊

Can’t believe tomorrow is day 30! I’ve been off socials the past several months, but has felt really special to be able to nerd out in this community. 💗 I appreciate everyone’s support along the way so much - thank you!

Day 28 ✅ “band + booty 2” + below. Great combo of videos, really complemented one another to produce so much depth and bodily integration during this session. Ruth, you are a genius teacher! 💡 I love learning from you.

Day 27 ✅ ngl I wanted to quit today, maybe it’s a bit of self sabotage. With only 3 days left?! Girl please. Turned over a new leaf 🍂 and that was such a joy. This class showed me new things I was capable of! And the stretches were so yummy, just what my body needed. Felt equal parts [challenging strengthening] + [stretching], what a treat 💖

Created a new playlist called “dig deep” and added this video to it 🪏 ❤️

Hi everyone please forgive the very self-aggrandizing photo 🙈🙈 but I need to share, RPS has given me THAT ASS ! 27 days into the 30 day challenge and perkier than ever. I was leaving on my dog walk, saw myself and said WHO IS SHE?! 🍑👀 she is here!

Day 26 ✅ oh my goodness. When I tell you Ruth has us building a booty brick by brick, one split squat at a time 😭🧱 + “magic circle arms.” Goodbye Ms. Ruth. I need some space ✋ 😂 see you tomorrow for more 🙂‍↕️

Day 25 ✅ Loved this one! Very fun using weights for these moves. I did it a bit heavier w 8 lb dumbbells, got me to failure quicker with less reps; felt so good and grounding for my bones & nervous system using heavier weights.

Holidays come with grief for me (though I love this festive time of year). Looking forward to the joy of completing these 30 days, knowing I carried myself through this challenge, and, it carried me. 🥲

Sending a hug to anyone feeling similarly this time of year. 🎄🫂

Day 24 ✅ the below + the new “grounded light weights” bc I was craving some modern RPS and weights lol. The 30 day challenge has been a lot of mat flow work this week which is great for balance / alignment and strength in it’s own way, but I have been missing my weights! Did not expect to sweat so much during the flow but the weights session felt like my reward ☺️