Staying Faithful to Fitness Goals

Good Morning Readers!

A few things might tell you this, including the title of my blog, but my fitness focus is Pilates. This includes mat (beginner through advanced), the Pilates Reformer, and Barre. To recap, I have been practicing Pilates since the age of 16, which was approximately nine years ago. Over the last three years I decided I should make this my livelihood and in the past year I have begun and almost completed (HOORAY) my training to become a Certified Pilates Instructor!

 

So, why am I telling you this? Well here’s the thing, I don’t only do pilates. Gasp, I know. In my previous posts I have discussed the importance of switching it up. To me this means, running, crossfit, weight training, and miscellaneous cardio machines as well at HIIT workouts.

 

Yesterday I did a full body circuit workout in the comfort the bedroom and it was fantastic. This morning I woke up feeling sore and athletic, a great combo in my opinion, and only one that happens when I perform a workout that surprises my muscles. I also had a sinking feeling of guilt, like I had let myself down.

 

This is an emotion that is known to me regarding my personal training. If I am going to be a Pilates Instructor, an expert that is knowledgeable enough to guide other people through a Pilates routine, mustn’t I practice pilates day and night like my life depends on it? But how can I advance my own physical fitness in order to demonstrate these advanced moves with seeming ease if my own muscles become accustomed to Pilates exercises after 4 or 5 repeated workouts?

 

Here is one solution; Practice Pilates for 30 minutes each day and then supplement with cardio or other forms of strength training to switch things up and work different muscle groups.

 

Problem; I simply don’t have enough time or energy to do multiple workouts in one day. I am also very cautious of overworking my muscles; I want to be able to work out for many years to come and avoid injury along the way. Overworked and tired muscles cannot perform as well as well-rested and well-fueled ones, which leads to a lapse in proper form, which then leads to injury and a wasted workout. Remember to STRETCH.

 

This is quite the conundrum I face. The feeling of guilt that I am not constantly practicing my prefered branch of fitness makes me feel like maybe I don’t want it bad enough. If I REALLY wanted to be a fabulous Pilates instructor, wouldn’t I just have the desire to practice it every day, all day, all the time regardless of my own fitness advancements?

 

I feel like I am cheating on my own goals, and guilty that maybe I don’t want it bad enough.

 

above are the feelings I frequently have, and these are the ways in which I dispel them

1. No exaggeration or embellishments here; I work out 3-5 times a week, generally for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, approximately 2-3 of these workouts are Pilates/mat/Barre.
2. I feel great after everyone of my workouts, I feel sore (in a good way), and I feel like there is no part of my body that has not been worked. (Feel free to peruse my post about forgetting a body part…whoops).
3. I feel strong and confident.

By keeping positive feedback in the forefront of my mind, it is actually quite easy to quash these feelings of guilt. Once again, I believe that the negative emotions are derived from subconscious comparisons I make of myself to professional Pilates instructors, who DEFINITELY (maybe) practice their specific area of expertise 100% of the time. (that is sarcasm, we really have no idea).

 

I choose to stand by my own beliefs in the importance of supplemental fitness. I have goals for the future in regards to my passion for Pilates. However I also have goals for myself in regards to my personal fitness and I will find a way to balance them equally.

 

This is a very specific instance in which I feel guilt about not working hard enough to achieve my goals for the future, but it is certainly applicable to many different scenarios. How about you? Do you feel guilt about not spending 1000% of your energy on one goal whilst trying to accomplish many?

 

❤ Cammy