How Pilates Fits into My Lifestyle
Pilates provides me with a place where I can focus on myself, from the targeted muscle movements to the many thoughts whirling around in my head. Some people may think I’ve become obsessed with Pilates but really it’s just become a natural part of my life. And I think that’s exactly what you want in a healthy workout routine. Something that doesn’t feel forced, makes you excited to go, and will challenge you every single time.
I started practicing Pilates at Mind the Mat more than a year ago and at the time I was transitioning from an office job to working from home. I found that it not only gave me an incredible workout but also helped me sort out my thoughts. I think more clearly and get some of the best ideas when I’m sweating it out in class. I think of why I’m there, what I’m trying to work on, and it gives me the confidence to deal with anything that’s going on in my life right now. Plus I really enjoy the instructors’ playlists and there’s nothing like good music to get your creative juices flowing, am I right?!
The studio has built an incredible community around itself that I’m so lucky to have found and be a part of. I love the small town feel of Alexandria, the main street in Del Ray, but most of all I love being surrounded by other women of all ages. It’s encouraging to see how they’ve made Pilates a part of their lifestyle and it makes me feel like we’re all in this together. No actually, I know we’re all in this together.
Working from home is great and all but it has its own set of challenges — the biggest one being time management. Pilates helps me schedule my day and makes sure I’m on track with my to-do lists. I’ve even started to think of my class schedule as work meetings. It may sound silly but I wouldn’t just cancel a work meeting! Sometimes I schedule my classes out weeks in advance, sometimes I decide the night before that I want to sweat it out the next morning in a hot Pilates class. It just blends effortlessly into my life and I miss it when I haven’t gone in a while.
Of course, Pilates wouldn’t be a part of my lifestyle if I weren’t completely infatuated with its exercises. It gets harder the more you practice it and I love pushing myself beyond what my mind thinks is possible. I’ve never encountered more dedicated teachers that take the time to get to know you, crack cheesy jokes, and are genuinely interested in you succeeding. I walk out of class feeling exhausted revived and ready to take on whatever comes my way. Trust me, once you find an exercise that makes you feel that way, it will be an effortless part of our lifestyle too. You won’t have to think about it, you’ll just do it.
