We are creatures of habit and every year we are resolute to make healthy, positive changes. It is with every best intention that we start the new year promising to ourselves, posting it on social media and vowing to engage in healthier lifestyles, but as time goes by, our lives start to happen again and our resolutions fall to the wayside. We still hold on to them, telling ourselves that as soon as things calm down, we’ll get back to it or as soon as… you know the way this story ends.

In neuroscience, it is proven that the brain and the body both react in very similar ways.  We KNOW that a pattern can never be erased. 

In Pilates we have studied anatomy to a science and we work with different bodies and asymmetrical patterns. 

For example, when a client comes in with a pronated foot (flat foot), we work on building the arch muscles, the calf muscles, the quads and the glutes. The “new” found muscles must be worked on every day or our bodies will go back to the way they’ve always been. 

Here’s another example. A client had a double ankle replacement (both the left and right), which are phenomenal surgeries in themselves; but the client didn’t change the way he walked. Within months, he was back to the same gait problems that caused the ankled to have to be replaced. We worked on strengthening the muscles that kept his tibia and fibula over the ankle and told him he needed to work on these exercises every single day. His body will never erase the way he has walked and used the muscles over the course of his life, however a new pattern CAN and MUST be created on top of the old one in order to create change and he must remain consistent in the daily rehabilitation of his “new” ankles.

The same can be said for the brain. If we have been doing things the same way for a lifetime, a new year’s resolution won’t help us stay the course. We may have the absolute best intentions for ourselves, but unless we plan to create a new habit and stay consistent with it, we will not stick to it, no matter what we have told ourselves or others.

When we have new clients at the studio, they ask us how many times a week should I be coming to the studio? Our answer is one, one time. If you can commit to one day per week, you are already making progress compared to no days a week. When your body and your brain start to “feel” the difference, your brain will actually start to want more. It’s the result of these 3 neurotransmitters that are activated when you do exercise such as Pilates: noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. Rather than go big or go home, introduce a new habit into your life slowly, make time for it, commit to it and when you are ready, add more time for yourself. It is proven that the “all” or “nothing” strategy is exactly that. Starts with all and ends with nothing. We simply cannot commit to 4 times per week if we are juggling jobs, parenting, responsibilities, aging parents, whatever might be your excuse for falling off the fitness train. Start small and when it’s time, add more. You’ll know. 

Create a new habit or pattern for your healthy lifestyle and stay consistent with it. Your brain and your body will thank you in the long run. Start today. 

Contact us today and find out more about how Pilates is the best exercise to complement everything you do outside of the studio.