Our Muscles should obey our minds!

I was teaching footwork to a client this morning on the reformer.  I asked her to stop for a second and just pay attention to how her body and her backside felt on the reformer carriage.  I then requested she put weight into her left hip, and left rib cage and just notice the balance between the two sides.  She did what I asked, found a balanced place and then we started the footwork sequence again. Her movement was much more balanced and I could tell she was working more efficiently, with more ease and ultimately having to "work" a little more to find that balance.

After our session she was talking about what an amazing difference that made and how she could really start to feel that balance in her body.  She was amazed at how just thinking and "commanding" her body worked to help her create balance and work her muscles more efficiently.

This to me is a great example of how simply effective and powerful we are in creating change in our bodies by changing how we think.  It's one of the things that I love about the Pilates work. By practicing Pilates you a learning a skill that will help you move better and feel better in everything you do in life, not just when you are on your Pilates Mat.  I also love that you don't have to be at any certain fitness level to learn this skill and start implementing it into your life.  I'm not asking you to run a marathon or lift an absurd amount of weight....I'm asking you to check in with your body, think about how you are moving and maybe change how you are thinking.

In Return to Life, Joseph Pilates states," Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be dominated by reflex actions of our muscles. Contrology begins with mind control over muscles."  Well said Joe!

Are you waiting till after the Pandemic to re-start your fitness program?

I ran across a graphic with these steps the other day and thought it had some great tips for those trying to get started adding more movement into their life!

1. You're not always going to feel like it.  Even those people who have made movement and exercise a habit in their life...don't always "feel" like doing it.  What happens though is when you create a habit of movement in your life the benefits outweigh the not doing it.  The more you do it, the more your body remembers how good it feels when you are moving on a regular basis.

It's really easy when life gets hectic and stressful to let movement and exercise be the first thing you don't do, when you would probably feel better mentally and physically if you did something. So often you need to make yourself move  or at least get started moving!!

TIP:  Make a commitment to do something on a regular basis.  Try not to fall into the all or nothing frame of mind.  Something is always better than nothing and there is always something you can do where ever you are and however much time you have.  Don't limit yourself to "exercise time" to add movement in.  Little bits of movement often seem more doable and they are often more effective than an hour workout because you are more likely to do them!  This doesn't mean you should throw your regular exercise time out the window...but maybe start trying to think about movement as something that's incorporated into your life instead of something you start or stop.

2. Pay a professional to guide you.  There are so many reasons to hire a professional movement instructor to guide you, but here are my top 3.  First, is that you don't want to get injured.  A qualified instructor is going to tailor workouts specifically to your body, to your level and keep you safe.   Second,  a great instructor will teach you in a way that fits your personality and learning style so you feel successful and enjoy the process( exercise does not need to be miserable!!) Third, you will be accountable to your instructor.  Trying to workout by yourself can be a challenge and having a trusted instructor with scheduled session times will help keep you committed( especially on those days when you don't really feel like it!)

3.  Set realistic targets using a proven method...  Pilates is my method of choice as a movement instructor, but there are a lot of great movement programs that can help you get results.  The Pilates method is a whole body movement system designed to create balance in the body through a safe, progression of exercises.  The Pilates method utilizes both your own body and a variety of spring based equipment designed to support and assist the body in achieving it's goals.  The Pilates Method is adaptable to any body, level or condition and can be especially great for those who haven't been active or maybe have some injuries or things going on that might limit their movement ranges.

4.  Find a way to have a worthy but consistent approach of fitness..  Find something that works for you and stick with it!  Movement and exercise programs are not a one size fits all!  Most people journey through lots of different things before they find the combination of movement that works for them.  Keep trying until you find something you enjoy that makes you feel better in your body!