Change Takes Time...

“Rome wasn’t built in a day”. It’s an overused quote but there is probably good reason for this: it’s so true, and relevant to many aspects of our lives. A lot of worthwhile goals take time to achieve.The jury is out on how long it takes to cement a new habit. Some believing 21 days and others, 66, but it normally doesn’t happen overnight. It’s important to remember this when trying anything new. Whether it’s a new diet, exercise regime or hobby, don’t be too hard on yourself if you slip up, or don’t see the results you are expecting straight away. If you are looking to create a new habit here are some tips to help you stay the course:Baby Steps It can seem a daunting task to get up every other day and run 5 miles if the most you currently do is run for the bus. Start slowly and work your way up.Set Your Goal Decide exactly what you want to achieve and write it down. Don’t be vague with this one. E.g. It could be to run 10k in two month’s or lose 6lbs in a month.Make Yourself Accountable Tell your friends and family your goal. There are a wealth of apps available to hold you accountable too, from those that give you daily reminders to those that make you pay a forfeit to a charity if you don’t stick to your plan. It’s More Fun with FriendsYou can ask a friend to be your accountability partner or you could get them to join you in your journey. Sharing a goal can be a good way to ensure you both achieve it; congratulating each other on your wins and helping each other through the tough times. You Are Who You Spend Time With Your friend’s habits and mindset can rub off on you. It can help you to get to where you want to be by spending more time with people that have achieved it themselves or a have a positive outlook. Make a Date with YourselfI sometimes make appointments with myself in my diary, this helps me to stick to a plan.Write Down the BenefitsThere are a number of benefits to writing down what your goal will give you. It can help you to picture it in your head and it gives you motivation when things get tough. Pilates and ChangePilates is a system that can, over time, dramatically change your body and how it moves. There is a famous quote by Joseph Pilates: “In 10 sessions you'll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you'll see a difference, and in 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body” The time scale of this quote In my experience is a bit over optimistic. We are talking about change taking time after all. Once a week, 30 sessions works out at about 7 months. You may not have a whole new body in 7 months, but you should have experienced change and that’s what’s important. We need to be patient when first starting out. Most Pilates exercises take time to understand and develop competence in (notice i didn’t use perfect….nobody’s perfect!). They are performed mindfully, and this for some is a new skill set to develop, taking the time to be in the moment with each move so that it can be performed in the most efficient way possible. This then helps your body to move efficiently in everyday life and reduce the chance of injury; but it is also a skill that can be taken away and applied to all aspects of your life. A great quote to take away is: ‘A year from now you’ll wish you had started today’

Drop me a line If you feel ready to make a change, or even get started today!