#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

This is just a quick list of things I thought of or have used in my own workouts.  I would love to hear more ideas from you!