Need to get back in your Pilates routine? Here’s how…
We all know Pilates makes us feel good, right? After a long (and, in the UK, pretty damp) summer break, though we may crave getting stuck back into routine again, we can feel sluggish and like it's a real effort to start moving our bodies again.
The challenge is returning to your Pilates practice after time out at any stage, making Pilates a lifestyle rather than a temporary workout, your practice is something you can rely on and return to time and again.
So let's take up those good habits that fell away (yes, even mine!!), and move your body intentionally, perhaps with a new perspective, increased energy or sense of resilience. Get back to that movement that feels good, and relieves your aches and pains.
Six ways to get your body and mind back to the Pilates mat:
Remember how good you feel when you’ve finished a Pilates session
1. Draw on your memory to motivate you
Find the motivation to get back into regular Pilates practice by remembering how good you feel when you've finished a session. A good way to reaffirm this in your mind is to practice for one session and afterwards take a few quiet minutes to really soak in how good it's made you feel. Do this every time, and the feelings will grow strong in your mind and your body.
Find or make friends to practice with to help keep you accountable
2. Make yourself accountable
Self-motivation is really challenging, (and totally normal!), especially if you’re practising at home, so it can be helpful to find an accountability buddy - a friend, a family member, or a classmate and simply check in with them regularly to see how their practice is going and share your Pilates At Home class recommendations too.
3. Practice Pilates together
If studio classes don’t fit your schedule, try the flexibility of an online class with Pilates At Home
If you attend one of our classes, great! You've got a regular date with movement, me (Lauren) or Hannah, and your classmates for camaraderie and catch-up. But, if you're practising via online classes at home, it can be harder to motivate and focus, so why not find a friend or colleague you can practice Pilates with? Pop round to their house to do the same online class together (and enjoy a cuppa and catch up afterwards!) If you can't practice together in person, get together via FaceTime or Zoom! Or join our Monday night Zoom class from the comfort of home.
4. Set yourself up for success
If you're coming to a studio class or one-to-one, try to get your clothes and water bottle ready the night so you're not flustered looking for the one missing toe sock at the last minute (seriously where do they go?!)
Find a quiet space you can leave ready for Pilates whenever you get the chance to fit it in - a 5-minute release will make you feel good!
One of the best things about practising at home is you don't even need to get dressed - practising in your PJs is 100% LHP approved! Fitting Pilates into your lifestyle is what matters, not how you look when you move. Set your space up in advance though, so you can walk onto your mat and move, and not be distracted and delayed by digging out your mat or clearing the ironing pile out of the way!
5. Be kind to yourself
Be kind to yourself, listen to your body’s needs and build steadily
If you've gone out of practice, that's OK. Don't be too hard on yourself if you can't pick up where you left off, simply meet yourself where you are now, observe your body's needs and build slowly and steadily on that.
6. Try Pilates At Home by Lauren Hilton
Our online classes vary in length and focus so whether you have 6 minutes or 60 minutes to practice, you’ll have a huge variety of movement from whole body flows to focus on legs or upper body or pelvic floor at your fingertips. The key to getting back into Pilates is just doing it! With Pilates at Home, you can slot a short 10-min class in one day and a more in-depth 45-mins another, finding what suits your schedule and practising regularly - not rigidly.
Free full premium class for you
To help you commit to finding your Pilates mojo again, I’d like to offer you this full premium class (below) for free, which is specifically designed to help you get back into your practice. The class will help support you in moving mindfully, with control and awareness of what your body is doing and why. I hope that you'll love it and want more!
Get yourself back into Pilates after a break (however long!)
If you’ve been away a while, why not reignite your passion and skills with our Beginners Class, a perfect introduction to Pilates before you move into an Align studio classes.
Join our Monday night zoom class to ease yourself in, or get back into your Pilates routine (or start a new one) at home with Pilates At Home by Lauren Hilton.
Lauren Hilton, Polestar Pilates Teacher & Studio Owner
See you on the mat soon!
Lauren x
Owner and Pilates teacher, Lauren Hilton Pilates, Shrewsbury
Lauren Hilton Pilates is a boutique Pilates studio specialising in mindful Pilates movement. Located in the heart of Shrewsbury, our Pilates-dedicated studio offers you the full Pilates experience.
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