Several years ago my Mom started doing a Pilates video at home (Winsor Pilates, I think?), and like many exercise videos, there were a few different people on screen doing modified versions of the exercises in case you needed them. I don't remember what the name of the woman who did the "advanced" version of the moves was named, but the woman doing the "basic, no really, even more basic" version was named Dagny. Most people start by following Dagny's moves, of course, but the idea is to move up from there. It wasn't long before my mom left Dagny in the dust.
I've never found a home exercise video I've been able to stick to, but I have been going to group classes at my gym, which operate in a similar fashion. If there is more than one instructor one will often do modified/simpler versions of various moves, or if there is only one she'll throw in modified versions of moves here and there to show you how to skip the jumping/bending/go easier on your knees/[insert your modification here].
My favorite class to go to is called Group Groove. It's a dance class similar to Zumba, but with more urban/hip hop mixed into the dancing. I love it so, so much. More than that. So much so that I go at least once a week, sometimes up to three times a week. With that kind of exposure I memorize the new choreography (released every three months) faster than most. At 23 weeks pregnant (OMG) what that means is that I've memorized all the modifications, too.
Basically I've become Dagny. 1/3rd of the way through the dance, when the instructor shows a modification, I'm already doing it. Soon I fear they are just going to start pointing to me. "If you need to modify this, just follow Annabelle! I hear she also answers to Dagny."
Modified-dance-moves-complaints aside, I really don't have anything to whine about. The pregnancy continues to go swimmingly, and my stamina and ability to move my body is still surprisingly mostly as it was. I'm even running a 5K (with permission from my doctors) on April 14th. I'm running the Race to Wrigley, which I ran for the first time last year. It was my favorite race, mostly because it ends running through Wrigley Field, which is pretty cool.
So I may be turning into Dagny, and my pace-per-mile is slower than it was last year, but I'm still moving, and it's going surprisingly well. Whoo hoo!
