Leading into the end of the year our schedules start to fill right to the brim. Time starts to feel like it’s flying and your list of things to do before the end of the year, and a much needed break, gets longer and longer.
You’ve created a wonderful movement routine and you’re used to attending your regular classes every week. Then the end of the year and your obligations starts to stack up. When it comes to our workouts, they’re often the first thing to fall off our schedule, prioritising other tasks or things with bigger deadlines. Some of us feel like our movement practice is its own task we’re trying to tick off and it can feel like yet another ‘to-do’ on a tightly scheduled day.
Once we create consistency in our movement routines, whatever it is for that day – reformer pilates, matwork pilates, barre, yoga, walking, swimming, weights/gym – we create a positive relationship with that habit. It starts to become something simple, and not another to-do. Habits like movement, which benefit the body, mind and our functioning/performance are increasingly important. Once movement is a habit, and we’re not changing our mind or trying to decide what to do, it replenishes our energy.
When we include and stick with our movement-practices as a part of our self-care routines and reframe movement as something we gift to ourselves, something we ‘get’ to do. We make the commitment to ourselves to feel better post-movement, and appreciate ourselves for the effort we put in – filling our cups! When we’re selecting movement styles which offer stillness, breath and balance or movement styles which offer sweat, energy and ‘burn’ we find a balance.
Consistency goes hand in hand with letting go – being kind to yourself if resistance comes up – sitting with your feelings and giving yourself grace. We offer plenty of class types so you can ask yourself “how am I feeling today, what do I need?”, it’s ok to cut back, adjust or modify. Accepting the struggle or learning to surrender to it may help us find progression. Life, energy, emotions will come in ebbs and flows and this is what makes us human.
Join us in class and be around other people, and a community who are facing the same challenges!
If your usual class times aren’t lining up with this time of year, think about trying a new type of class, meeting a new instructor or shifting to a different timeslot – rather than dropping your practice.
Not sure what will work? Get in contact, we’re here to help.
