A brilliant quote by Dr. Mark Hyman. Love it!
Motivation
GAIN with no pain
I saw this quote of facebook and it really resonated with me. Thank you to Marc David and Emily Rosen of the Psychology of Eating for these words of wisdom.
I love trail running and occasionally racing so I really understand the pleasure that can arise from pushing – pushing really hard to explore your limits and then try to break through them. I also like to explore my limits in the Pilates studio. I’ve also noticed over the years that the friends and clients that are the real ‘pushers’ seem to be the ones that are always struggling with injuries. I think it’s because when you’re in the mindset of pushing, you’re not always receptive to the messages that your body is sending.
It has surprised me while teaching how many people work out from a place of self-rejection and self-hate. In this highly negative space of judgement I feel like it’s almost impossible to tune in to your body. Also exercise should be pure joy, not a punishment. We are meant to MOVE. It feels fantastic if you’re moving in the right way. I had one client who insisted on looking down at the floor instead of in the mirror because she couldn’t stand to look at herself because she was so repulsed. ? The position of her neck was one thing, but what the heck? Sometimes we have to give ourselves a break and celebrate our good points. We all have them – sometimes we really need to redirect our focus. When you’re so busy hating yourself you really can’t pick up on the messages your body is sending your way.
“No pain no gain”? That’s probably a path down to a place called chronic injuries (not fun). Consistency, dedication, awareness, appreciation, joy of movement, work ethic, motivation, education…those are all words that are going to get you results.
Joseph’s Deeper Vision of Pilates
What is Pilates? I think most people would see it as a system of exercises on the mat and on some crazy looking machines that make the body stronger, longer, and more flexible. I think this answer is true but it’s sitting on the surface of something far deeper.
Joseph Pilates was a visionary and an extremely deep thinker. He created a profound repertoire of intelligent exercises that create a beautiful and highly functioning body. That was a feat in itself, because the exercises are so incredibly effective. Yet the beauty of his work lies in how he taught these exercises, and the thought process behind it.
Pilates emphasized the importance of a balanced trilogy of body, mind, and spirit. When performing ‘the work’ there is an ever present focus on the breath and precision of each and every movement. This attention or presence brings us into the present moment and to a place where we can listen to our bodies and tap into self-healing. We can begin to receive feedback and use that feedback to heal and/or stay healthy and injury free. Our bodies don’t talk to us with words, but rather with sensations – a twinge, sharp pain, inflammation, dull pain, tightness, sigh, sense of invigoration, flood of warmth, etc. When we constantly look outside of ourselves, we lose our connection to our inner selves and self-healing. Regardless of how perfectly you appear to be performing the Pilates repetoire, start thinking about what’s for dinner, gossip or Netflix and you are moving away from the true essence of Pilates. It’s all about connecting mind, body, and spirit. That takes a lot of awareness.
Movement as a metaphor for life was also a big topic of conversation for Joseph Pilates. I agree with this and think about it a lot when I teach. Pay attention to how you act during your session. Behavior in the studio can definitely be a microcosm of how you act throughout life. Some examples that surely permeate through….. 1) “I can’t do it” – giving up when things get challenging 2) “I can’t stand to look at myself in the mirror” – never feeling good enough/overly critical 3) “I want to push myself to the limits” – overachiever 4) Giggling when falling or failing – not taking things too seriously/ability to laugh at yourself 5) Sloppy etc. The reason why I think this topic is so interesting is because when you start focusing on shaping your attitude during your workouts (for example staying in the present moment or being kind/non-judgmental), it permeates into the rest of your life. That’s when some really amazing positive transformations take place.
Happy thoughts!!!!!!
Jody
Use It or Lose It
I went on a family hike the other day and it was a blast. The boys left their complaints at home and they were set on being wild rugged adventurous explorers. Watching Brendan move really inspired me and made me giggle a little. He wasn’t just walking or trail running. Oh no, he was jumping off high boulders, swinging on branches and hanging upside down from them, doing random hand stands, and running REALLY fast. He must have used every muscle in his entire body! It made me stop and think, “When do we stop doing that? At what point do we decide that a hike is just a hike”? I jumped off an enormous boulder just for the heck of it in my moment of inspiration and just about gave my husband a heart attack. Ha. It was pretty funny.
I think when you stop working all of your muscles and exploring the range of motion in your joints, they start deteriorating. That’s why Pilates is so ingenious. You are trying to do just that. Move your body in every way – move every muscle, explore every joint, and experience movement in every plane of motion. Bodies love intelligent movement because it is so healing. Good movement brings health, vitality, youthfulness, and resilience.
I hope you move well (and a lot) today and enjoy every second of it!
Jody
How Good Are Your Habits?
I don’t know about you, but when I wake up early (and 5:30am comes painfully early) I’m on autopilot. It goes something like this…alarm goes off, jump out of bed, put on coffee maker, eat banana and walnuts, drink coffee, brush teeth, apply makeup, get dressed, etc, etc. I might as well be a robot! Do you ever feel like you’re rushing around on autopilot? You’re probably carrying out habits . Habits don’t require decision making skills because they are well developed neural pathways in the brain. We can do them on autopilot! The good news is, for those with bad habits, is that the neural pathways deteriorate when they are not used. According to a study done by Duke University, 45% of our behaviors are habitual. 45%!!!!! Habits shape our lives in a big way so we need to pay attention to them.
Did you know that there is actually an area of our brains that programs our repetitive behaviour so that we barely have to think about them at all? Imagine making new decisions about every item in the grocery store? That would be exhausting! The area of our brain that programs repetitive thoughts is called the basal ganglia. The more repetitive a habit, the stronger its presence in the basal ganglia.
The cool thing? You can create any habit you want. Get ready for the first few weeks to be super painful as your neural pathways get stronger. Before you know it, your habits will be doing the work for you!!!! But it’s going to take one very important ingredient. Willpower! When it comes to creating new and better habits, the more willpower you can muster up, the more successful at it you will be.
Willpower is like a muscle. If you haven’t used it in a while, it might be really weak. If you decide to do 90 minutes of Pilates at 5am everyday, your willpower is going to run for the hills. On the other hand if you decide to roll out of bed and do a set of hundreds before you start your day, that’s sustainable you just might be doing it for years to come. Starting small is key. Creating small sustainable habits will not only be lasting, but you will get great pleasure from all of your ‘small’ successes. Small successes also add up to big success.
Reading, writing, and thinking about good habits will get you nowhere. It’s time for an action plan! Here are some simple ideas for your new health and wellness habits.
- Drink 8 oz of water a day.
- Do a set of hundreds upon waking
- Eat a big salad every single day
- Eat 2 servings of fresh fruit a day
- Power walk for 20 minutes a day
- Meditate for 10 minutes a day
- Spend 20 minutes a day outside
Now create your own! Think about what you really want to achieve. If it’s weight loss, really focus in on the water, fruit, veggies, and movement. If stress reduction is your goal, veer towards meditation, walks in nature, healthy eating, and soothing teas. If you’re into apps, there are some wonderful ‘habit apps’. Try HabitBull, Habit Streaks, or Productive Habit Tracker. Remember we’re starting small here so go for 100% completion! Use that willpower muscle!
Want to learn more about the power of habits? Pick up Mini Habits: Smaller Habits Bigger Results by Stephen Guise.
Have a wonderful day!!!!!!