What are you training for?
A brand new year = 365 days of new choices.
I don’t know about you, but when I peeked at my email inbox on January 1st, it was full of emails (I took an email hiatus over the holiday break). A few were emails about reflecting on 2015, but most were about creating goals or making resolutions for 2016. What I found interesting was that the former focused on the past, and the latter focused on the future - with neither being focused on the present.
While I do believe in setting goals and taking actionable steps to achieve them, I too can sometimes get caught up in achieving the end result, rather than the process. May I share a story about my friend, Nicole? She is not only a beautiful person on the inside with the biggest heart, but she always looks like she stepped off the pages of the latest fitness magazine. She also happens to be a former figure/fitness competitor. Inevitably, when she is working out at the gym, someone will ask her what she is training for (assuming that she must be training for a fitness competition, a race, etc.) I love her answer:
“I’m training for life”.
Yes, that simple. Much of the mainstream media portrays Pilates as the exercise method that will create flat abdominals and make you look long and lean like a dancer. While this may be true for some, I can guarantee that Joseph Pilates did not create is method for the sole purpose of creating a nice looking torso. Nowhere in either of his books (Return to Life, or Your Health) did he write about “the core”, or the abdominals.
Rather, he wrote: “Contrology is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace, and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, in the way you play, and in the way you work. You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance, ability to perform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run or travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strain.”(Return to Life, p. 19)
Pretty amazing, don’t you think? Some examples of everyday lifestyle activities could be:
Improving your golf game (this one is for mother-in-law!)
Skiing
Shoveling snow
Walking your dog
Lifting groceries
Playing with your kids in your backyard
Running a 10k
Cycling to work
The possibilities are endless! What are your reasons for including and making Pilates a part of your daily life? What are you training for? I would love for you to share below.
xo,L
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is for informational purposes only, and is the sole property of Flow Pilates & Wellness. I am not a doctor or a registered dietician, and this blog’s content is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding your exercise routine or diet. The content of this blog may contain links to other websites. Flow Pilates & Wellness is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party.