Would You Workout if There Was No Aesthetic Benefit? 

Would you work out if there was no aesthetic benefit? 

I asked this on my Instagram and got the responses I was expecting. 

YES, OF COURSE, THE PILATES BLONDE…. I LOVE FITNESS. I NEVER EVER EVER SKIP EXERCISE BECAUSE HEALTH…DUH. I DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT ABS OR MY BOOTY

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here thinking… like I would definitely still workout because of endorphins. I love the way I feel after. I like how my body moves. I love how deep I sleep after a killer conditioning session…the feeling of taking my body to its limit is something I crave. 

But I also like how movement changes my body. More often than not I’m excited and motivated by my muscles growing or a new vein popping up or abs showing. I love seeing my work show up in my body. The physical evidence that shows the world I’m fit is nice… I’d be lying if I said complements don’t light my fire. 

I’m human too. 

My body responds really quickly to movement. I gain muscle and lose fat pretty easily…It’s a blessing and a curse. I can slim down in a month but a few not so great food choices and I lose my progress. This is a big reason as to why I’m so consistent…If I want to look the same or improve (either by gaining mass or slimming down) I have to be consistently moving. 

During this whole quarantine thing, I have been studying other fitness professionals. It’s like getting a front-row seat to other certifications + methodologies. I love learning from other instructors and this has provided the best opportunity. 

It also highlighted a major gap for me. 

I was on a dang soapbox about form for about two days with the dang pushup challenge. 

Then the “build a booty in 30 seconds with my at-home plan influencers” took over. Gag me. 

For educational purposes, I looked at the programs. Some were okay. Some were trying to reinvent the wheel… please know the further a program gets away from basic functional movements the bigger waste of money It is. Anyway…watching the (for lack of a better term) dumbest workouts got me thinking about why people get into the industry and why we workout. For some It is athletic improvement, others It helps with anxiety + depression.

I started working out to regain function. I was in bed for about at year super sick after an allergic reaction shut down the frontal lobe of my brain (You can listen to that story here). I started teaching when Pilates gifted me my life back and I needed to share that gift with as many people as possible. 

Pilates, the functional + restorative practice, changed my body but my intention for going to class was just to be able to get out of bed in the morning with less pain. 

I am so guilty of getting caught up in the twisted industry standards of ‘abs and ass’ marketing when the entire basis of my work is improving health.

If you’ve taken my pilates classes you know I keep my classes consistent. They are at times repetitive as they should, especially in the beginning. It takes 300-500 reps to create a new movement pattern and at least 3,000 to correct a faulty movement pattern. 

It’s my job to fix your movement patterns not always take you through the hardest workout of your life… which when It is appropriate, I will do. 

Where is the disconnect? Ego. 

I think social media took an already completive industry and blew It up. Oh, you can squat 225? Well, watch me squat 315 while on a Bosu ball.

EGO. 

My goal as an instructor shouldn’t be to make you debilitatingly can’t get out of bed, walk down the steps, or drive to work level sore…especially every time we meet. If I am, I’m not doing my job properly. 

My end goal is your health. I want to strengthen your core to prevent back pain + injury. I want to open your chest to help your posture. I want to fix your squat so your knees last a lifetime. I want to lubricate your joints and increase your heart rate for cardiovascular health. I want to make you laugh because It heals wounds in your soul. 

Is It wrong to want to alter your aesthetic? Not at all. I go through phases of wanting to grow my muscles as big as possible and then I have phases where I want to slim down and have a leaner look. It’s okay to want to see improvement. 

Know that the foundation of fitness should be your health. Form is the foundation and the body you show up in is wonderful just the way It is. 

Make good choices. Look both ways. I love you the most.

xoxo,

Katie