It’s one thing to workout today, but what about tomorrow and next week? The same goes for eating a nutrient dense diet. Sure I can handle lunch but beyond?
Maintaining anything be it your car, garden, house or your body demands vigilance. It doesn’t happen magically. Or as Joseph Pilates eloquently states:
“True physical fitness can neither be attained by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.”
In an age of “instant gratification” developing exercise and eating routines for life can be challenging. That doesn’t mean impossible.
Success in long-term exercise can be aided by five simple elements.
- Develop consistent exercise patterns
- Create diversity in workouts (in Pilates use all apparatus)
- Tailor exercise to your body’s needs
- Commit to a plan every week
- Extreme does not equal consistent
Diversity & Consistency
Obviously as a Pilates’ studio owner I believe in the method. I feel that Classical Pilates is so diverse that maintenance is easy, not a chore. Thus, whatever exercise program you choose make sure it has opportunities to grow and be challenged with a variety of teaching tools.
For example in Pilates, you experience exercises on a host of apparatus. This enables the body to explore movement via assorted teaching mechanisms. Every body learns uniquely and one piece of equipment might provide more insight than another. By experiencing a totality of movement challenges overall kinesthetic prowess improves. Simply stated a richer total body movement experience.
Where you work out has to be near your home or work, or it just isn’t going to happen. Most clients I work with have a preferred time of day that they like to workout. Sticking to a plan either before or after work with a committed time of day makes being consistent simpler.
The more scheduling, phoning and changing of plans the more energy put into avoidance and less into the actual work. Some individuals enjoy working out together, as it adds another level of commitment to the mix.
If you live in a rural or sparsely populated area, investigate online options. Besides the usual fitness and Pilates DVD’s many teachers are experimenting with teaching via Skype. Online instruction can support a consistent workout program but nothing beats a good hands-on session.
Planning & Practice
A key component of consistency is planning. What is left to chance will be just that a flip of the coin. It might happen but more often than not, it won’t. A set routine schedule allows less room for distraction. I also plan my days off; it gives a sense of fun and freedom to the planning process, kind of like playing hooky!
Finding exercise that fits your particular body needs, in my opinion, means seek instructors with experience. There are a plethora of instructors and trainers out there, do your homework. First check for certification, second look at years of experience and third investigate the studio.
Also look to studios where the trainers work out, do they walk the walk? I’m not saying they have to have a picture perfect body but one would expect to see them working out and or hear about their own participation in classes. Remember Classical Pilates is physical exercise not a theoretical exploration.
Why should I care?
If you’ve read my wellness blog posts on sustainable performance, here and here, you know I was a professional dancer for several decades. A dancer’s career will be extremely short if the maintenance program is non-existent. While the average individual does not require a level of fitness that an elite dancer or athlete must uphold, each body must physically move every day.
Thus, in a nutshell a moving body is obliged to install a maintenance program. You can witness the consequences of the lack of physical preservation in our society all around us. Sit down in a shopping mall, park or any public space and watch the bodies move (or try to) in front of you. It’s a frightening experience.
At all ages of the human spectrum people struggle to move with ease and grace. Sure there will be a few bodies that demonstrate physical exercise is part of their lives but they are a minority these days. The other worrisome trait besides a lack of basic movement skills is the promotion of extreme fitness.
I mention this here on a post about maintenance because I see extreme fitness as a real detriment to adhering to life long exercise. I totally get that some individuals are excited to lift huge amounts of weight, not care about the negative effects on the body and enjoy the group or cult atmosphere of certain workout routines.
That said an all or none philosophy towards exercise promotes fanaticism. It does not support simple physical maintenance that will build stronger bodies for longer periods of time. An obsession with extreme in my opinion damages overall health.
Final note
Our Dad, Coach Sherrill Hanks is quoted as saying:
“Talent is only good if you use it.”
I would supplement that with:
“Physical Exercise is only good if you can maintain it.”
