#PracticeWhatYouTeach: Do you get bored?

Do you ever get bored with your workouts? If you asked me this I would probably say no. There is so much variety built in to the Pilates movements and system it would be hard to get bored. I realized this week though that I do “work” at not being bored and I kind of do it without even realizing it. When I decide to do a Pilates Mat Workout or Pilates Reformer workout (that I could do in my sleep because my body knows it pretty well…) I automatically find something I want to work on that day and I incorporate it into everything I do. Some days I just focus on coordinating breath or breathing better. Other days I am focused on whole body engagement, balance in my body or flow. Other days I focus on a body part like feet or shoulders and what they should be doing. Some days I pick something that I’ve been specifically having a client work on because I want to know what it feels like to do what I’m asking of them.

This week I did a mat workout where I focused on stability and lengthening in my low spine. Every exercise I did I mentally came back to finding how I could better decompress and lengthen the space between my hips and rib cage. The result was a great focused workout and some good soreness in my abdominal muscles! I also found myself checking in with that low spine length throughout the rest of my week (like when I was sitting at the computer working and even when I was standing teaching.) All of this got me thinking and I thought I’d put together a quick list of some different focus ideas for myself and anyone else who might need a quick idea. These ideas work best when you are not necessarily learning something brand new but practicing those movements and sequences that your body already knows fairly well.

Breath ..not holding your breath, just focusing on it, the flow of it, coordinating it with each movement..
Feet: Are you using them? are they in alignment? feet awareness!
Head alignment…check in with where you head is in relationship to the rest of the body during every exercise
Shoulder stability…are you stabilizing your shoulders in each exercise? How does that effect the rest of the movement?
Focus on your tight spot in your spine and focus on articulation especially through that spot and awareness of that area during each exercise
Pick a muscle ( could be hamstrings, biceps, obliques, whatever) and notice how it is engaged in each movement
Pick a Pilates principle..Breath, Centering, Control, Coordination, Flow, Precision and focus on what it means in every exercise to use that principle
Whole body engagement
Pelvic floor awareness/engagement
Your working level on each exercise
Flow and transitions between exercises
Balance….is your body balanced? are your movements balanced? is your breath balanced?
Spine Movement ( or stabilizing)…notice what your spine should be doing in each exercise
Are you overworking anywhere?…continually check in and figure out how you can work more uniformly by not overworking in areas