Day 1: Taking Pilates off the mat

We’re all guilty of it: going to a class we love, getting inspired and thinking “I’ll do this every day!” – only to leave the lesson, return to the distractions of everyday life, and suddenly a week’s passed and you’re on your way back to the class with a vaguely guilty feeling. 

I know this feeling well from Spanish lessons, piano lessons and circuit training. Which is why I’m not writing a blog on any of those things. 

One thing I do manage to do most days is Pilates – obviously I’m at an unfair advantage here, as it is technically my job, but it is something I love, and something I think really benefits from a “little and often” approach. 

So my challenge to you for the next thirty days is this: don’t feel guilty about not breaking out the mat and smashing out the Hundred before breakfast every day. When there’s laundry to be put in the machine, lunches to be made and chickens to be cleaned out (in my case, anyway) before heading into work, or whatever else your daily routine consists of, thinking that you’ll fit a full Pilates session in too is perhaps pressure you don’t need.

Rather than feeling guilty – do this instead: take Pilates off the mat, and weave it into your everyday life. Try these three things today:

1.   Kettle cue: every time you stand next to the kettle waiting for it to boil (for tea lovers, we could be talking about a significant portion of the day here), think about how you’re standing. Lift the crown of your head to the ceiling, drawing your chin in and lengthening your neck. Drop your shoulders down and open up across your collar bone. Pull your abs and pelvic floor in. Take a couple of deep breaths there. Now do that every time you put the kettle on. Easy.

2.  The Toothbrush TipToe Test: this is significantly harder if you’re an old skool manual toothbrusher – but a good entry level balance training exercise for the electric brusher. Stand on your tiptoes for the entire duration of your daily brushes. If that’s too easy, raise and lower your heels repeatedly – or try on one leg. Up to you – just make that two minutes of staring at yourself in the mirror work for you! As well as being great for the muscles in your feet, ankles and legs, it’s also a winner for concentration and balance.

3. Sit don’t slouch: yes, we all know we should Sit Up Straight. Every time I tell someone I’m a Pilates teacher I’m amused to see them self-consciously grow a few centimetres taller as they straighten up. But it’s way too easy to forget, especially if you’re at a desk for hours at a time. The good news: there’s technology to help. It won’t prod you in the back and tut disapprovingly, but it will remind you to stretch and take a break at regular intervals of your choosing – your neck and shoulders will thank you for it at the end of the day. Try The Big Stretch - http://monkeymatt.com/bigstretch/.