It can be difficult to find the motivation to move your body when you’ve been instructing all day! Sometimes it’s the last thing you want to do. The physical and mental fatigue of guiding clients through movement, hours at a time (not to mention the hours of class planning) can be draining – so how do you find time for yourself? How do you ignite the exercise flame for yourself? In this blog, I’m going to give my three top tips to prioritise your own Pilates practice.
Schedule time in your diary for movement
This sounds like such an obvious tip – but it’s probably the most important one to get the ball rolling! As Pilates instructors, we are caring and compassionate people who love to help others and can easily forget to give ourselves some TLC too. This can lead to burn out and unwanted sickness.
The ONLY way to combat this is to make time for yourself and your body! Physically block out time within your week and dedicate it to moving your body. You might even like to decide what kind of movement you’d like to do to take the brain work out of it.
Factor in what kind of day you’ll be having. So, if you have a big day of teaching, try to focus on mobility as you’ll most likely be doing lots of standing, random bouts of demoing and walking up and down the studio so your body will be craving some more gentle movements that will help to energise you at the same time.
If you have a lighter day of teaching, that might be the time to focus more on strength or stamina with your Pilates workout. But again, listen to your body – it will tell you what it needs!
Set the scene
If you have the luxury of having your own studio, reformer or space for movement, it’s important to set the scene for your workouts. If the space is uninspiring to look at, it’s not going to be overly inviting and can decrease your desire for movement.
Some simple ways to make your space more inviting are to:
Change the lighting
Lighting has a massive effect on whether our brains perceive something as pleasurable or not. Harsh bright lights can sometimes cause the eyes to strain and therefore create a subconscious dislike of that space. Dimming the lights and creating a more warm tone using crystal lamps or warm LED strips can be an instant calming effect that will make the space seem more inviting.
Clean the space
Again, seems obvious but a messy space will only make you feel frustrated and uninspired. A tidy space can also prompt creativity!
Play music
This is a game changer! Music has such a big effect on our mood so playing some music to match your movement can be the little bit of motivation that you need.
Become a client
If you don’t have your own studio or dedicated space for movement, becoming a client at a studio is the perfect substitute. I personally have all the bits and bobs needed for a home studio but sometimes I prefer getting dressed and physically going to another studio to move my body. This is great if you’re struggling with brain fog, want some social interaction or need inspiration for your own classes.
As instructors, we tell people what to do all day so becoming a client is the best way to let your brain have a little rest!
If becoming a client at a studio isn’t an option for you but you’d still like the option of having an instructor to guide you, there are many free/affordable online platforms you can use at home. YouTube is a great way to search exactly what you’re after – the only issue is that some videos have mid-workout ads that can ruin the flow which some people dislike.
There are online memberships that might be more to your liking such as Pilates Anytime. They are subscription based (monthly payments) which you can actually claim back at tax time as they have education videos which you can use for professional development as well.
If you’re looking for a super affordable version of this, PPF have an online membership for only $1 per week! There are hundreds of videos available and many different styles of workouts too. All videos are filmed and created by qualified Pilates instructors from the PPF team so you know that you’ll be guided through brilliant workouts.
Hopefully you’re feeling a little more inspired to make the time for yourself and your body! It’s definitely a struggle sometimes and the motivation won’t always be there, but try these tips and enjoy your own Pilates workout!
