I began gymnastics at the whopping age of three. I worked tirelessly through elementary school, middle school, and highschool to maintain my athelticism and passion for the only sport I knew. Following highschool, I was lucky enough to be rewarded with a scholarship to compete for a small school in St. Charles, Missouri throughout my four years in college.
Yes, athletes are in shape. Yes, gymnasts typically develop strong, thick thighs, rigid backs, defined biceps and we can't forget the nicely lifted bubble butts. However, what you don't know is that what your body looks like, performs like, and recovers like is heavily dependent on your immediate coach and/or strength coach's method for training that year. The pictures of me throughout my four years in college, and the difference in my body shape is uncanny.
Personally, I am a very go with the flow type of girl. So in return for my personality, I really didn't think too hard about what was going on. I just knew that "hey, my workouts are made for me and I am always in decent shape. Sounds good to me" haha. It didn't however strike me as a concern that this vague method of training was a major reason I went through four years of lower back pain, hip pain, pulled groins and strained hamstrings.
So, post college I went through what every athlete would call "trying to find your identity" ouside of your sport. I jumped right back into the gym and took bits and pieces from each previous trainers excercises and compiled a workout plan for myself. These plans included heavy deadlifting, squatting, and hip thrusts, intense cardio, and so much more. I quickly was finding myself back in the swirl of excruciating back and hip pain, along with the various strains. That is when I took a step back and realized I needed to make a change in my workout world. I discovered pilates. ALL HAIL PILATES!!
I started off with yoga, which turned into strength/cardio yoga, then ultimately sent me deep into the world of all things pilates. I went through years of allowing others the opportunity to shape my body how they saw "fit", and how they saw "best for my sport" without my opinion. Now, it's my turn to decide what I look like, how my body feels and what is best for my everday activities. In the most transparent sense, I love pilates classes, and reformer boards, however I LOVE the simplicity of teacher and self-taught mat pilates. Let me give you the reasons why I believe every single human being should incorporate pilates into their lives!
1- My back pain has decreased by 75% since beginning pilates
--Everyone in my personal life KNOWS how much I have been struggling with back pain since late highschool after I fractured my L-4 (verterbrea in your lower back) in a gymnastics competition. I would get to the point where I could not sit in a chair for more than 30 minutes without the onset of stabbing pain down my back that would radiate into my hip causing numbness down the entirety of my leg. I tried steroid shots, breaks from excercising, core strengthening, etc., but nothing and I mean nothing took the pain down like pilates has. The deep core strengthening and slow, intentional movements have genuinely cured the majority of my pain I believed would never subside without surgery.
2- Pilates gives you gratitiude for yourself
--When I began my fitness journey post college, I was never 100% pumped with myself. I was mad when I missed a day of working out, but I wasn't necessarily stoked following the days I did workout, given I always felt like I could have done more. I was tired of this cycle. I began pilates and had a change of heart. Not only do I love the new toning and definition I have seen in certain areas but I feel proud of myself for moving my body everyday. I look forward to doing pilates versus squatting heavy. I look forward to focusing on my breathing and burning out each muscle versus running on a treadmill for hours. I don't feel disappointed AS much (I would be lying if I said I never have bad days-cmon we are all human) as I did in the vicious cycle of trying to live up to a body type that I could not achieve.
3- You will find muscles you didn't know existed
--My biggest halt before beginning pilates was that I felt it was "too easy". WRONG. The best thing about pilates is that there is always an upgrade to your excercise. You have the option to decide if you need to go easy on yourself for the day or if you want to push through and advance your workout. About three weeks into beginning pilates I started noticing major muscle definition differences. Specficially in my thighs, sides of arms, and deep core. I feel strong, positive and toned :)
4- Pilates is freeing
--My current job as a medical device sales representative comes with wake up calls around 5-6 AM every morning. I dreaded the sound of my alarm when I started my job this July. However I picked up pilates towards the end of July and began starting my morning by rolling my yoga mat out onto my balcony and finding a quick morning pilates video to stretch out and wake myself up. It feels like you are starting the morning RIGHT, connected with yourself, with nature, with your body and ready to have a productive day.
5- Pilates is flexible
--Do you have 10 minutes to get a quick workout in? Or do you have 2 hours to get through a lengthy workout? It doesn't matter. Pilates is versatile in the way that you there are SO many videos ranging from 10 minute express pilates all the way to hour long full body workouts.
Let me tell you, you will not regret opening your mind and body up to trying out this form of excercise. I promise!! My goal in the near future is to begin curating my own personal mat pilates sessions to share that will include variations of my all-time favorite movements for an unbeatable workout.
Two of the current pilates instructors I religiously follow are below! Please go check them out on Youtube and give them a try! I cannot wait to hear the difference it makes in your day-to-day living :)
Youtube:
Move with Nicole- https://www.youtube.com/c/MoveWithNicole/videos
Bailey Brown- https://www.youtube.com/c/BaileyBrown
Comments