Are You Ready For a Pilates Coach?
The simple answer is, “yes”.
But here are some ways to tell if a private session is a good choice for you:
you’re not confident in your mind-body connection during movement and exercise
you want to achieve an important goal in your fitness and sports performance
you have a home practice but have never practiced with someone IRL
you want individualized attention and curated programming specifically for you
there’s something about Pilates, but you didn’t quite get “it” during a group session
you have an acute injury or ability diagnosis
your other approaches haven’t worked, so far.
Read our blog post about things to consider when choosing your home studio.
Breathe Well
How you breathe during exercise is an urgent matter. Breathing well should be a priority in your everyday routine.
Here are three ways to practice proper breathing during your next WFH or Pilates session:
Imagine you have an umbrella in your rib cage.
As you inhale, picture the bones of your ribs reaching away from the edges of the umbrella wrapping 360°. Breathing this way will help your diaphragm engage and encourage a healthy breathing pattern + posture.
Breathe or (you know what).
Your lungs are an involuntary muscle. Your body is wired to keep you alive and well. Knowing that breathing is an automatic body response, take a few moments to notice it and encourage it to keep going!
As you inhale and exhale, notice your pelvic floor.
Do you feel a sensation of your pelvic floor lifting? Is it lowering? Can you feel it at all? Start paying attention and practicing physical awareness here this week.
Get a coach. The importance of breathing in Pilates is evident during a private session.
Can’t get to the studio? Take Good Care Pilates offers private virtual sessions. Email us for details.
Happy Women’s History Month
As a new business owner, I feel so excited to reflect on my journey to entrepreneurship and especially choosing to deliver services through movement.
My greatest hope for Take Good Care Pilates is to develop environments where people feel seen, supported, and encouraged to elevate.
Thanks to everyone who has supported this journey.
✌🏾 Melissa
Things to Consider When Choosing Your Home Studio
I answered another big Pilates question on TikTok recently. – VIEW
There are obvious answers: Google, social media, and word of mouth.
Finding a space where you will enjoy trying in public, managing self-doubt, sweating in front of strangers, and having a human grabbing your feet for 50-minutes (😂) is a lot. How will you know you will like experiencing this five months from today?
Answer: Asking yourself critical questions.
Here are other things to consider beyond costs and popularity:
Are the instructors certified? Does it matter to you through whom?
It matters. Some folks know movement, but not how to make it function for different bodies. Being a decent instructor takes more than memorizing someone else’s videos*. You want a coach who can scale exercises up & down based on your physical abilities (injuries + conditioning), mental capacity, and immediate needs (maybe you are dehydrated today and cramping a ton.)
If your studio does an in-house training that is not a nationally recognized cert, understand that a studio that hosts their training (EX: Pilates for Lizards does a Pilates for Lizards certification for their hired staff) could be only exposing their trainees to idealized programming for their business that could stunt your growth or advance you far too quickly and lead to injury. (And still are viable contenders still.)
2. Think about it before you commit.
Don’t rush yourself. You are making a money commitment and a time commitment.
Can you get to the studio? On time?
Do you feel like you can grow there?
Does your vision expand at the thought?
Great! Hold this hand-in-hand when considering your budget and goals to set yourself up for success.
3. Do you and others feel mentally safe?
Is your instructor constantly bringing up food and how exercising fixes it? Are their colloquialisms about the body veiled by shame and leaving you feeling not good enough? OR makes you feel like you want to protect someone else in the space?
Can you ask questions?
Do you get 1:1 attention during a class? Private session? Do cues, programs, and workouts feel specific to you?
Do you feel like you are required to look, dress, or behave a certain way?
You will learn where to wait between classes, that close-to-body clothes help your instructor, and that your pace isn't always yours. You should not feel like a bad fit even if you are a "culture add". *Looks at you in “Girl, et al".*
Your instructors should cheer you but not judge your character based on your image, accent, or demeanor.
4. Check your self-worth.
If you did not enjoy your experience, that is enough reason to keep shopping.
Hold your instructors accountable. You are the driver here.
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Pilates is super fun (biased opinion), and choosing a space to put your body in motion is critical. Even more than trends, though, it deserves considerable contemplation.
REMINDER! I answered the question: “What kind of Pilates should I be doing?” on TIKTOK. View it here and comment if this post or the video boosts your confidence to find a practice you love.
*shoutout to teaching platforms. It makes the community stronger through fact-based education and consideration.
TAKE GOOD CARE!