Q & A with the VERY pregnant, VERY inspiring Natalia Petrzela!

Are you wondering WHAT IS intenSati? Are you pregnant and think “I can’t do that while I’m expecting”? Do you have a child and tell yourself “I don’t have time to workout”? Are you finding it tough to motivate yourself to just do it? Do you want a child and yearn for a supportive community where you can have questions asked, fears laid to rest, and encouragement given? Read on…….

intenSati superstar, college professor and supermom, Natalia Petrzela graciously and beautifully gave me her perspective on the incredible ways intenSati has changed her body, improved her life and made her a fantastic mom!  AND she is expecting her second child VERY VERY soon...check out her inspiring picture.  Think you can't do intenSati while you're pregnant?  Think again!!

Natalia, how long have you been teaching intenSati?

5-PLUS YEARS, SINCE 2007.

What made you decide to become a leader?

DESPITE LOVING MY CHOSEN CAREER IN ACADEMIA, I HAD ALWAYS "MADE THE JOKE" THAT "IN ANOTHER LIFE I WOULD BE AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR" SINCE I SO ADORED GROUP FITNESS AND TAKING CLASSES HAD REALLY TRANSFORMED MY RELATION TO MY PHYSICALITY AND SELF MORE BROADLY. WHEN I STARTED TAKING INTENSATI IN 2005, I NOT ONLY FOUND THE BEST GROUP FITNESS CLASS I HAD EVER TAKEN, BUT IT TAUGHT ME THAT ANY SENTENCE THAT BEGINS 'IN ANOTHER LIFE I WOULD..." IS BS! IF YOU REALLY WANT SOMETHING, YOU CAN MAKE TIME FOR IT IN THIS LIFE! IN 2007, PATRICIA MORENO BEGAN TRAINING LEADERS, AND THERE I WAS, READY TO GO (BUT NOT WITHOUT SOME BIG CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME IN TERMS OF MY TOTAL LACK OF SKILLS AS A FITNESS INSTRUCTOR!)

What would you say is the biggest benefit you have felt from making intenSati part of your life?

INTENSATI HAS NOT ONLY KEPT ME IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS (AND TWO PREGNANCIES), BUT IT HAS MADE ME BETTER AT ALL I DO. IT HAS EXPANDED MY PERCEPTION OF WHAT I AM CAPABLE OF, AND HAS EMPOWERED ME TO GO FOR HIGHER LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE EVERYWHERE FROM GYM TO CAREER TO MOTHERHOOD.

You're a mom to a fantastic little boy, with another child on the way. Do you think this practice has helped you with motherhood, and/or pregnancy in ways unique from other workouts?

ABSOLUTELY. IN THE BROADEST, MOST PHILOSOPHICAL SENSE, I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ATTRACTED TO INTENSATI BECAUSE I THINK IT PROMOTES A REALLY HEALTHFUL BALANCE BETWEEN FOCUSING ON YOURSELF AND BEING OF SERVICE TO OTHERS, AND ALSO ARTICULATES HOW THOSE TWO GOALS CAN BE MUTUALLY REINFORCING. UNDERSTANDING THAT BALANCE, I THINK, IS CRUCIAL TO BEING A GREAT MOM BECAUSE IT CHALLENGES THE REDUCTIVE IDEA THAT THE BEST MOM IS JUST ONE WHO LOGS IN THE MOST HOURS WITH/THINKING ABOUT HER CHILD. WHILE I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR STAY-AT-HOME MOTHERS, I THINK INTENSATI HAS GIVEN ME THE TOOLS TO DEVOTE MYSELF WHOLLY TO MOTHERHOOD WHILE STILL GIVING TREMENDOUS ENERGY TO OTHER AREAS OF MY LIFE. A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH ONE OF MY FAVORITE AFFIRMATIONS: "COMPLAINING IS A WASTE OF TIME!" ONCE YOU ARE AWARE OF HOW MANY UNPRODUCTIVE THOUGHTS YOU HAVE IN A DAY, AND YOU CLEAR THOSE OUT, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO DEVOTE TO SO MANY THINGS! IN A MORE CONCRETE SENSE, INTENSATI IS A GREAT WORKOUT FOR PRETTY MUCH ANY WOMAN, AND CAN BE MODIFIED THROUGHOUT PREGNANCY RIGHT UNTIL THE END! THE SHAPE INTENSATI HAS GOTTEN ME IN DEFINITELY HELPED ME STAY FIT IN PREGNANCY AND BOUNCE BACK QUICKLY AFTERWARDS. I'M CONFIDENT IT WILL WORK THIS TIME TOO!

What do you think of combining the workout of intenSati with the community building for future and current moms?

I THINK IT IS GREAT. ESPECIALLY ONCE YOU HAVE A CHILD, IT BECOMES THAT MUCH HARDER TO CARVE OUT TIME TO SOCIALIZE. IF YOU ENJOY THE PEOPLE YOU EXERCISE WITH, IT MOTIVATES YOU TO GO WORK OUT. I ALSO THINK THAT THIS COMMUNITY IS NOT JUST LIKE ANY GROUP YOU WOULD MEET AT THE GYM - BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF INTENSATI, IT TENDS TO BE A VERY POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE CROWD, WHICH IS ESPECIALLY WELCOME DURING THE INEVITABLE CHALLENGES OF MOTHERHOOD!

As a mom and instructor, what does offering on-site childcare during class mean to you?
IT MEANS MORE PEOPLE CAN PARTICIPATE, WHICH IS FANTASTIC!
 

We have a monthly "Mommy Talk" about relevant topics that can help new moms, those who might want to be someday and those who are well on the motherhood path.....what is something you wish you had known before you had your son?

I WISH PEOPLE HAD BEEN A LITTLE MORE HONEST ABOUT SOME OF THE YUCKINESS OF DELIVERY AND RECOVERY... THAT WAS BY FAR THE HARDEST PART OF MY PREGNANCY, AND I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED! THE GOOD NEWS FOR MOMS TO BE IS THAT IT ALL PASSES.

What is something you want to know now as you're about to bring another baby into the world?!
AS INTENSATI-CIZED AS I AM, THERE IS A LITTLE VOICE IN MY HEAD THAT SAYS "OK, SO YOU HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP ALL THE BALLS IN THE AIR WITH ONE KID, BUT DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK YOU CAN MANAGE IT WITH TWO? COME ON..." I KIND OF WANT TO KNOW THAT I DEFINITELY CAN HANDLE IT ALL, BUT THEN AGAIN, CONVINCING MYSELF IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK, SO I AM TRYING TO CHOOSE TO ENJOY THE UNCERTAINTY, AND TO CHANNEL IT INTO AN EXCITED SENSE OF ANTICIPATION RATHER THAN ANXIETY.

You are in your third trimester of pregnancy with your second child now, and you go FULL OUT when you teach, how long before your due date will you continue to teach?

AS LONG AS I CAN! I HAVE BEEN MODIFYING WHAT I DO AS MY BODY TELLS ME I CAN MOVE DIFFERENTLY AT THIS POINT, AND I WILL KEEP DOING SO RIGHT UNTIL... I NO LONGER CAN. I LOVE THAT I CAN KEEP TEACHING WHILE PREGNANT, AND THAT PEOPLE ARE INSPIRED IN DIFFERENT WAYS BY HAVING A VERY PREGNANT INSTRUCTOR.
 

How soon after you gave birth to your son did you return to the studio?

5 WEEKS, TO THE DAY! I HAD THE CHECKUP WITH MY DOCTOR IN THE AFTERNOON, AND HEADED STRAIGHT TO THE GYM TO TAKE PATRICIA'S INTENSATI CLASS! I TAUGHT A FEW DAYS LATER AND WAS SOOO HAPPY TO BE BACK.
 

You are such an inspiration because you looked even BETTER after you gave birth!!! How did intenSati help you get your your fab bod?

AS I MENTIONED, THE WORKOUT IS UNPARALLELED, BUT I THINK MOST IMPORTANTLY IT GAVE ME THE TOOLS, LANGUAGE, AND CONFIDENCE TO SAY "I'M COMING BACK BETTER THAN EVER!" RATHER THAN TO SETTLE INTO THE KIND OF COMPLACENT LANGUAGE I OFTEN HEAR WOMEN USE ABOUT THEIR BODIES AFTER HAVING A BABY. IT IS ABSOLUTELY TRUE THAT IT IS HARDER THAN EVER TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR FITNESS ONCE YOU HAVE A KID TO TAKE CARE OF, AND EASY TO SETTLE FOR "JUST OK." BUT IT IS FAR FROM IMPOSSIBLE! INTENSATI ENABLED ME TO GO FOR GREATNESS AND TO REALIZE THE GOAL I HAD OF GETTING IN THE BEST SHAPE OF MY LIFE BEFORE GETTING PREGNANT WITH MY SECOND A LITTLE LESS THAN 2 YEARS LATER.

What's the hardest thing about practicing intenSati while you're pregnant?**

THE HARDEST THING IS THAT YOU REALLY DO HAVE TO HOLD BACK A BIT TO STAY WITHIN THE SAFE RANGE OF THE RPE (RATE OF PERCEIVED EXERTION) SCALE, AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO HOLD BACK IN A CLASS THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO PUSH, PUSH, PUSH!

What's the best thing?

THE BEST THING IS BEING ABLE TO KEEP DOING A CLASS YOU LOVE AND KNOW THAT IT IS SAFE TO CONTINUE DURING PREGNANCY...

Thank you Natalia!!!! You inspire me even more today than you did yesterday!

Join us Wednesdays for intenSati for Mommies!

9:30am, Ripley Grier 72, 131 W. 72^nd St.
24-hour advanced RSVP required for on-site childcare from Lucky Lil' Darlings

** We always want to be aware of your heart rate and that it is not rising, falling or working at too high a rate. Because we speak affirmations throughout class, you are always monitoring this. If you can't speak, you're working too hard. Also, a good warm up and cool down is essential for pregnant women...we need to make sure there is proper blood flow to the uterus and your heart. IntenSati incorporates a gradual warm up AND cool down. In fact, after the cardio portion of class we do a lower body strengthening section before we stretch to ensure your heart rate is safely slowing down.

More and more studies are being done on the benefits of exercise during pregnancy but you know your body best. Please listen to it. If something doesn't feel good to you, don't do it. This class is designed to let you work at the level of intensity appropriate for you.

Of course, ALWAYS speak with a doctor before beginning an exercise program. However, the general rule is if you've been active it's beneficial to stay active.