You go to the gym. You take classes. You get on the treadmill. You even lift weights. But you are just not getting the results you want. You’re starting to wonder if this is worth it. There are many more things you could be doing with this hour….

Maybe you’re not doing the one thing you really should be, to make your workout effective. Maybe you’re just missing something. If you are not doing this ONE thing in your routine, you are not going to get the best results.

What is it? Focus.

No secret moves. No special equipment. Just your brain power. Actually paying attention to what you are doing.

Professors at Elon recently presented at the American College of Sports Medicine on distraction and exercise. The important info:

“It turns out that listening to music makes people feel better about getting their heart rate going. What it doesn’t appear to do, however, is make people work harder to achieve better results.  And not all distractions are created equal. In fact, watching television, as opposed to music, while exercising a treadmill or bike can be worse than not having any entertainment at all.”

I see this all the time in my work as a Pilates and barre instructor. We are all easily distracted. By music or TV. By the others in the room. Even by the thoughts in our heads – “What’s for dinner?,” “That meeting is tomorrow…,” “I wonder if the kids will have their homework finished?”

These distractions divert our energy. That is less energy going to our muscles, which translates to less work.

Distraction=less calorie burn=less results.

Joseph Pilates, the creator of the Pilates work, knew this. Concentration was one of his principles of the work. That’s why The Hundred, one of the first exercises, requires counting, to bring your mind into your movement for the beginning. It’s why so many Pilates exercises require coordination – of the arms with the legs, with the breath, with the core. A high level of coordination requires mental involvement.

This is also why my barre classes happen almost in slow motion, when so many barre classes are fast paced. When we slow a movement waaaaaaay down, we have to control the movement. This control comes from mental focus. And control results in deep muscle work.

5 Tips for getting the most out of your workout

1. Leave the distractions behind. No iPod, magazine or TV. If you are in a class, listen to the trainer, but don’t be drawn into thoughts of what others are doing or comparing yourself to them.

2. Bring your focus inward. Really feel your breath and heart rate change as you exercise. Feel your muscles firing. Can you feel a difference between contraction and extension? Keep your mind in your body!

3. Check your form. Are you executing the movement to the best of your ability? Invested with energy? With excellent technique? Don’t just count on an instructor or trainer to help you – learn what well-performed movement FEELS like in your body.

4. Fill your movements with energy. Be honest about your energy level! Are you giving everything to your movements? Keeping your focus here helps direct that energy. When you are focused only on your execution, all of your energy can go there. The more energy you give your movements, the more your muscles work, and the more effective your workout.

5.  Know WHY you are doing a movement. Understanding brings about better “doing.” Our movements become more intentional, our energy becomes more focused. And most importantly, understanding WHY a movement is being done allows us to translate that movement and that muscle into our everyday lives.

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February 2014 Issue