A phrase I hear all the time is, “I’ve never been into fitness” or “I just don’t like exercise”.
Perhaps you can relate. You’re not alone.
I was never a gym goer, (and still aren’t) but I fell in love with Pilates after my very first class.
What was surprising to me, was that I enjoyed the class so much. I felt aware of my body for the first time in years.
I had young children at the time, and was working as a school teacher, so I rarely had time to slow down for long enough to take stock of how I was feeling. I started to notice my body and my thoughts.
For the first time in my life I felt connected with my body. I quickly noticed positive changes and felt good about myself. I felt achieved and proud of myself that I’d spent some time on self care, so that I could be a better person for the ones I love. I started to realise that filling my ‘own cup first’ really does make it easier to give love, time and attention to others. The truth is, that with Pilates, I became a better Mum, partner and teacher.
I never think of Pilates as ‘exercise’. Perhaps that’s because it doesn’t fit into my past experience of what I thought exercise was. When I used to think of exercise, I would imagine sweaty workouts, pain in my chest and feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t keep up. I felt generally awkward and counted down the minutes until it was over!
When I do Pilates now, I feel like it’s rejuvenating. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when the moves get hard, and I’m challenged. But the difference is, it never hurts, and it makes me FEEL GOOD. I feel as though I’ve done my body and mind a service and the funny thing is, time flies. Teaching Pilates, I tell people that the class is over, and they are often shocked that 40 minutes has passed!
I am always encouraged by the women I teach.
Meet Judith. She started Pilates after years of never liking exercise. The reason she decided to start Pilates, was because she realised she needed invest in her health and knew she needed to maintain her strength.
She was shocked to realise that she ended up LOVING it! This helped her to stay consistent, and she quickly saw an amazing transformation.
Listen to what Judith says,
There is nothing more inspiring than seeing women like Judith make changes to their lives, try something new and develop confidence and strength.