Consistency Really is Key!
One of the most common questions I am asked by new students at Shine Pilates is “How often should I workout?” While there is no one simple answer to this you do need to consistent. When I am talking to students, we take into consideration where they are at physically now, what else they may be doing, time constraints, and budget as well. At the end of the day - whether it’s 3 times a week or more or less - being consistent I tell them is what leads to results. How do I know this … because I’ve lived it, too!
I’m sure you have heard the phrase a time or two - Consistency is key! But just how consistent do we need to be? It depends on your goal and how quickly you want to achieve it! Recently I decided to see if I could still do a backbend. It had been a while! Well … it did not go well at all! I was not able to push myself up … it just wasn’t going to happen. I decided to take on this challenge of getting my backbend back! I decided to use Pilates to do the exercises and flexibility moves I believed I needed to get there every day and to document my progress. It helped to see my efforts on film so I could see first where I needed to improve and second where I was improving! It took me just eight days of consistent work to be able to do an unassisted backbend!!! What a feeling of accomplishment and strength that was!
When we look at the question of ‘how often’ let’s consider this. I practiced every day and made my goal in 8 days. If I had practiced once a week … it stands to reason it would have taken me 8 weeks. Consistency is key! I could have tried 3 times a week and gotten there a little under 3 weeks. I am fortunate in that I have access to the studio and can practice every day. I share this with you not to say you should do Pilates every day but to show you how doing Pilates consistently and more frequently accelerates your progress and results.
When we scale back what we are doing and convince ourselves it’s just as good … we need to scale back the expectations of our results, too. It’s fun to set some goals and work towards them. It feels good to see results. My next challenge is a handstand - something I’ve never done before. I have no expectations of mastering this skill in 8 days … but I do have an expectation of being consistent! What goals are you working towards and what schedule can you commit to?