I was recently having lunch with one of my favorite Pilates friends when we started to talk about Pilates and our respective businesses.  We dived into a conversation about what Pilates is.....meaning it’s more than an exercise regimen.  We chatted about how we each try to inspire others to take their Pilates off the mat into their daily life.  That led us to start thinking about Pilates as a Lifestyle.  

You may be scratching your head when reading that statement so let me elaborate a bit.  Most of us know the history of Pilates, Joe Pilates came to the US in the 1920s.  Worked with injured dancers from the New York Ballet, etc.  I think there’s more to the story or better said, “More to the Method of PIlates”.  Joe meant for Contrology/Pilates to be more than a way to exercise.  He saw Pilates as a way of life, “a lifestyle”, in modern terms.  

When reading many of his quotes they aren’t solely addressing the Pilates method. These quotes talk of a healthy mind and how to attain it; a healthy body and how to achieve one not only through exercise but also through healthy habits.  Here are a few of the many habits Joe referenced. 

• Inhale fully and exhale completely 
• Get yourself as much sunshine and air as you can
• Focus on making each day the best day
• Use your intelligence in respect to your diet and sleeping habits

This got me thinking, how I as a Pilates “Geek”/ Instructor/ Studio Owner could better convey these messages.  How does Pilates leave the mat and become a lifestyle????

I think this BLOG is a start to sharing those ideas.  And bi weekly I’d like to share with you my thoughts about how Pilates can be more than exercise class.  How it can become a Lifestyle. 

I would love to hear your thoughts!!!  Please comment below.

Marion : ))
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Last week I planted a seed....Let’s think of Pilates as more than a fitness routine.  Let’s consider Pilates as a “LifeStyle”.  So what does that mean???

Most of us think as Pilates as a way to exercise.  But Joe Pilates leaves us with so much more to think about.  He leaves a legacy of quotes many which speak of more than a way of exercising. They speak of a way thinking about oneself, more importantly they speak to a way of “Being”.

Below is a quote from Joe Pilates that highlights this idea.  The quote does not mention “the Method of Pilates” even once.  Joe talks about Man’s/Woman’s use of intelligence to determine what is right for his/her body regarding diet, sleep and exercise.  He’s speaks of those who do use their “smarts” in this regard as “taking the very best preventive medicines”.  He also mentions that those medicines are found “freely and abundantly in nature”.
I think that helps us understand how Pilates is more than exercise.  It is a “Lifestyle”.  

Now here comes the challenge.....how do we make all that happen.  We live in quite a different world than Joe did.  Joe lived in the US from approx 1920’s - 1966.  Life was so much less modernized than it is today.  As I write those worlds, a thought floats into my head, “Is that just an excuse or is it really true?”  Every generation has had it’s modernization challenges.  We seem to be ever more efficient with so many technological advances.  Maybe it’s a matter of priorities and not thinking we HAVE to do it all!!!!!

Here’s my first step relative to diet.  As a woman of 53 years I have found that my body has changed incredibly over the years.  When I say “body”, I mean everything - metabolism, food allergies, energy, stamina just to name a few.  I don’t always feel like myself, or how I would like to feel.

Since I love to cook I am always looking for new ideas.  Back in March I found a unique cookbook, “Cooking for Homrmone Ballance”, by Magdalena Wszelaki.   Don’t be deterred by the title.  There are some truly terrific recipes.  And the good news is they are good for us all, especially us Ladies.  Check out the recipes and if the title intrigues you to dive deeper, you won’t be disappointed as Magdalena shares her wealth of scientifically based knowledge to help women manage the different phases of their lives through food!  (I kinda think this might be part of the idea at which Joe  was getting.)

https://hormonesbalance.com/cfb/
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Would love to hear your thoughts below.
Chat soon,

Marion​