A Few of My Favorite Things: My Pilates Practice
We’re now officially into the New Year. It may be only a few days, but it’s 2020, and as the number evokes, it’s time to think of the vision that we have for ourselves for this New Year.
At the top of most people’s lists is to improve their workout regime and eat better. These are two very worthy goals as working out and eating well both contribute to our improved health. And who doesn’t want to be healthy?
However, even though the goal may be worthy, it is a proven statistic that within the first six weeks of any new year, the resolution to implement a workout regime is abandoned. Consistency, dear readers, is difficult particularly when it comes to doing something that we know we should but that we’re not all that thrilled about doing.
Keeping a consistent workout regime was always something that I struggled with. For one thing, getting to the gym is not always easy. It requires time management and planning. You have to be intentional about it. Then there’s waiting for machines in the gym that you want to use. Suddenly, a quick 30 minute workout turns into dealing with traffic whether on the road or at the gym itself. More often than not, a trip to the gym requires at least an hour, if not more. And, when you’re contending with normal life stuff, getting to the gym can be put on the back burner.
Oh, I’ll do it tomorrow, becomes our excuse. But then tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace… and, Shakespeare aside, our goal gets brushed to the wayside.
That was very akin to my story. Once we moved to the country, getting to the gym was a 45 minute drive one way. That means for me to go to the gym, workout, and come home, it was at least a three hour commitment.
However, about five years ago, something changed drastically in my life where working out was concerned. I implemented a new philosophy thanks to online pilates instructor Robin Long.
The philosophy is this- regardless of how hectic our lives get, we can carve out ten minutes in our day to move our body in intentional ways to improve our health.
At that time in my life, Robin hosted a 30 day challenge and opened it up for people all over the world to participate. I signed up for the challenge not really knowing what to expect. Every morning, I woke up to an email in my mailbox from Robin with a link to a ten minute pilates workout on her YouTube channel.
The workouts were usually targeted. On one day the focus would be abs, another legs, another upper body, another lower body, another stretch and release, another barre oriented, etc. The hook for me was the time. I could roll out my yoga mat for ten minutes.
And, after thirty days of these ten minute, targeted, and surprisingly intense workouts, I noticed a real change in my body. I also noticed something else. While each day I did the ten minute workout provided, there were some days where I ended up doing more than one ten minute workout. Sometimes I did 40 minutes worth of workouts. Other days it was just the ten minutes. But, the consistency of just getting down on the mat, even for such a paltry handful of minutes, really made a big difference in the look of my body, but more importantly the feel of my body. I was sleeping better and I had more energy during the day, too. Aches I was dealing with in my back and hips, which can get tight, started to improve and, now, have pretty much disappeared. That’s one of the reasons Joseph Pilates created his pilates workout principles- to keep our spine healthy. And with a healthy spine, so many other ailments in our body begin to improve. That’s my personal story and it started with ten minutes a day.
Just ten minutes. Seems small, right, but we know that big things come from small beginnings. We can’t disdain those beginnings. Now, five years into this practice, I am happy to say I’ve been able to maintain this workout regime. In fact, it was because of my pilates practice that I had the courage to explore Muay Thai and the fighting arts (which I did for two years). I’ve even been able to keep consistent with it throughout my pregnancy, though I’ve had to modify some of the workouts to accommodate growing baby.
It’s not just me, either. Two of my dearest friends ended up seeing the results I was having and decided to try out Robin Long’s pilate challenge for themselves. And they’ve adopted the same pilates practice as I have and had massive results to boot.
Robin Long has a membership that she offers called The Balanced Life where she sends out a monthly calendar with workouts scheduled from Monday through Friday- 3 days of ten minutes workouts and 2 days of 30-40 minutes workouts. With each monthly workout calendar, she also implements a monthly goal for our mental and emotional health. And, she sends out a recipe booklet four or five meals- breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack or two- that are chock full of healthy food ideas. I am a Balanced Life member. I highly recommend it.
However, you don’t need to join her membership in order to see these sorts of results. YouTube is an excellent resource. You can start with the free workouts on Robin’s channel, but that’s just a spring board. There are workout instructors- pilates, yoga, HIIT, etc.- who had posted workout that are between 10-15 minutes long. You can put together your preferred playlist and set up your own calendar of workouts. It just takes a little time and research at the beginning of the year to set you up for consistency and results as the year progresses. (If you want a little help in this area, I have a YouTube playlist of 10-15 minute workouts from different instructors. Check it out and see if there’s something there that catches your attention.)
Here’s a few things I know from my personal experience:
You can do ten minutes a day.
You don’t have to go to the gym to get a good workout. You can do it at home.
And whether you feel like it or not, roll out that yoga mat, or just clear off enough space on your carpet, and do a workout. If you don’t feel like a high intensity one, do a stretch and relax workout. Just get your body moving daily. IT’S JUST TEN MINUTES. You’ll be happy you did in the end.
While working out is not generally something I would consider to be one of my favorite things, I can honestly say that the philosophy Robin Long introduced into my life five years ago has becomes a favorite thing in my life. That’s why I’m sharing it with you. I’ve seen the positive changes in me, and I wish that for you, too.
May 2020 be a year of new habits, new vision, and improved health. That’s my wish for you, dear readers. And while my Pilates practice isn’t a new resolution, it’s one that I make every year and stick to because I know it works. I hope it works for you, too, or at least acts as a springboard to something that does. Happy New Year, dear readers!
Have you made any interesting New Year’s Resolutions this year?
