What’s your Hurry?

March 26, 2013 Leave a comment

Much of our day – going faster is a good thing!  The more you can squeeze in the better.  Getting somewhere early not late is great!  Doing more in less time – ideal.  But one place I am giving you permission and actually begging you to slow down is Pilates class.

Whether you are doing the reformer, chair or mat class – speed is not your friend.  Unfortunately, new students often think if they can go faster they will get more in!  That’s true if you are running or biking- but not in Pilates.  Pilates requires a mind body connection.  When we say mind body – it’s not about being spiritual, feeling the energy in the room or anything ambiguous.  It’s about feeling what muscles are working, getting your mind to control your body.  For example – bending your leg in and out of a perfect table top.  That control to have perfect form takes work, thought  and precision as well as understand of what you are doing.  If you move quickly – you will not be as precise.  In most cases – momentum will do the work for you.

Don’t believe me?  Try this:  Pick up an object with some weight (book, can, purse – something you can hold in one hand).  Swing your hand up and down moving the object up and down several times.  Now – slow down – take 10 counts to lift and lower the same item.  I bet it feels quite a bit heavier!!  As you slow down – you muscles need to work the entire time.  In Pilates – doing 10 perfect movements will yield much better results than 3 sets of 12 sloppy fast movements.

So please rush to Pilates class but slow down once you get here!

Filed under pilates, Pilates Musings, Reformer Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Being So Good

March 19, 2013 Leave a comment

I saw a phrase scrawled on a wall the other day that caught my attention and really sunk in.  It went something like this:

Be so good that if people were to say bad things about you no one would believe them!

Slightly different quote but same idea!

It’s not profound really or poetic but I think it makes a really good point.  We can stand at the top of mountain and scream as loud as we want about how good we are or we can quietly be the example.

I do my best to take things in stride and not let the small stuff ruffle my feathers, but I am human!  Maybe if I can remember it’s my actions that are speaking louder than my words, it will be easier to not sweat the minor annoyances.  For example, as an instructor I read articles and see examples of fitness practices that are not safe.  New trends pop up that may be fun and burn calories but may not be structurally good for every body.  I could exert a lot of effort telling everyone why Pilates could be better for them or I could simply show them with the results they get from a pilates class and the education I bring to each session.  Which one would have more impact?  I think feeling the difference would go a lot further!

I’ve recently run into an issue with another studio who appears to have copied my logo despite the fact that I have a trademark.  I could pursue legal action and fight for what’s mine or I could pour my energies into making myself the best choice for where to do Pilates instead.  I’m choosing the later.  In the long run – I benefit from monies spent on training and conferences not legal fees and so do my students.  And while it’s unfortunate to have to deal with these sort of issues if I choose to be ‘so good’ does it really matter in the end?  Won’t my students come to see what I stand for and what my competition stands for?  If I practice integrity, professionalism and truly strive to give my best to each student and session isn’t that what it’s all about?

As I go about my day to day life – I’m going to try to keep that little phrase as my go to mantra so to speak.  When faced with a choice of reacting or proceeding forward – I hope this will help me make the ‘be so good’ choice.  We only have so many hours in the day and so much energy to expend – I’d rather spend mine actually being good not telling people I’m good!

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Empathy – Do You Feel What I Feel?

October 2, 2012 Leave a comment

I’ve been thinking quite a bit lately about what qualities make a good friend, partner and actually even someone you’d choose as a trainer. There are the obvious choices:

  • Honest
  • Kind
  • Fun
  • Sense of Humor
  • Shared Interest
  • Intelligence and Knowledge

Recently there’s another quality I’ve added to the list and that’s Empathy. The definition for empathy from Dictionary.com

em·pa·thy [em-puh-thee] – noun

1. the intellectual identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another.

I think this is often overlooked when we are accessing potential friendships, relationships and even trainers or business partners. Why is empathy important? Because having empathy means this person can relate to how you feel or what you are going through. Why does that matter? When someone lacks empathy- they lack the ability to see things from your perspective or to realize how their actions or words can impact you.

I’ll give you some examples!

As a trainer – while I may have never really struggled with a serious weight issue – how good would I be if I could not empathize with clients who do? While I can’t fully know how it feels to care 40 extra pounds I can relate to working towards a goal that at times feels impossible. I can relate to not feeling good about myself and struggling to get started. I can relate to the pressures to fail because it’s easier. If I couldn’t empathize with my clients, I don’t think I could honestly and successfully motivate them. If I didn’t have empathy I might find myself criticizing clients for not working hard enough or caring enough because the weight is coming off slowly.

As a friend – when I see my friend hurting because of a failed relationship or fertility struggles I can relate to how I would feel if what I really wanted was taken from me.  I may not have had the same experiences but I can still listen and put myself in their shoes.  I had a friend a couple years ago upon hearing about the end of my relationship – a relationship I was truly invested in – say to me “C’est la vie- on the the next I suppose”.  That’s lack of empathy.  She could not see how much I was hurt by the situation or realize how her callous words made matters worse. Overtime, this lack of empathy has changed our friendship to more of acquaintances.

In a relationship, having empathy allows us to better connect and relate with a partner.  It’s inevitable we don’t always like or want the same things.  We have our own opinions but having empathy allows us to understand why our partner may like, want or feel a certain way.  We don’t have to agree but we should aspire to try to understand.

Here are some examples of lack of empathy that I have encountered recently:

  • A Yoga instructor criticizing a student for his lack of flexibility and pushing him to ‘try harder’
  • A friend changing plans at the last minute without regard to how this will affect the others involved.
  • A client cancelling at the last minute because something fun popped up.

Empathy is something I plan on working on … it’s a quality I think is important. I don’t have to agree but I should at least try to understand how my actions and words may affect another person and understand where they are coming from. I’d rather surround myself with a few good empathetic people than a bunch of sometimes considerate people. How do you feel about Empathy?

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When Less is More

August 7, 2012 2 Comments

I had the opportunity the other day to chat with another trainer.  While our preferred workout methods are different – me pilates and running , him – jujitsu and weights – we do share the same philosophy.  In short – less is more.  Did I just give you permission to workout less??  Not exactly!

Let me explain.  Performing 25 poor form repetitions or a whole bunch of too heavy weight repetitions using momentum is going to be less effective than performing 10 perfect movements.  Often times I see folks in the gym and even in pilates class flying through their workout or moving up to extra weight even though they can’t hold the proper form with the added weight.  While this not only less effective and generally doesn’t target the muscles properly – it can also be dangerous.  Poor forms causes strain and irregular movements that ends up taxing joints and your spine.

Slowing down and focusing on form could reap you the results you are seeking. If you don’t believe me try this simple test.  Stand with feet hip distance apart – quickly bend at the knees up and down into a squat position 10 times.  Pretty easy right?  You could probably bounce up and down and do another 10 or 20 times with no difficulty.  Now – from the same starting position – pull the belly button to the spine – exhale as you lower down to a squat position taking 5 full counts to lower and 5 full counts and an inhale to lift.  As you lift squeeze the gluts.  How was that??  Did you notice by slowing down, focusing on your core and breath we turned a simple squat into something significantly more challenging and more effective??  Why is this? Because your muscles were engaged the whole time unlike the first option where momentum did half the work for you.

Next time you head to the gym, to pilates class or wherever you choose to workout – slow down- check your form- breath properly and really think about how your muscles are engaging.  If you are doing leg work- what is your core doing? If you are doing core work- could your inner thighs or arms be involved too?  Too often we define work as leg work, arm work, and so on only focusing on one body part.  When exercises are performed with proper form it is often very difficult to only use one body part.  Too get the most out of your workout – involve more muscles in each movement!

In conclusion – less is more when you do less repetitions or use lower weight but use proper form and technique. Less is more when you slow down and really utilize multiple muscle groups to perform your movements.  If you aren’t sure if your form is correct or you are getting the most out of your workout- book a private session and have a trainer/instructor work with you and explain each movement.  A good trainer should be able to tell you how you should feel an exercise, what muscles are being used and what cues or watchouts you should pay attention to as you do your exercise.

Take your time and have a great workout!

Filed under Exercise, pilates, Pilates Musings Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

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