I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it is that attracts me to Pilates and dance. I have a lot of answers, but I’m just going to focus on one of them. Both Pilates and dance, when taught well, are Mind/Body exercise forms.

Mind/Body has a bad rep. For many, it means meditating, sitting quietly, or moving VERY slowly. That’s not what it means at all!  Mind/Body exercise means, in the words of Joseph Pilates, “The mind must work at least as hard as the body!” You must integrate the two, move with consciousness. You have to know where your body is, where it is going, what it is doing- and WHY.

We partake in unconscious exercise often in the gym- Running on a treadmill AND reading a book AND listening to an iPod AND watching the E! News headlines. Distracted exercise is less effective than conscious exercise. We don’t work as hard, and our energy isn’t focused on the muscles that need it. Elon professors recently conducted a study that showed distractions definitely don’t make us work harder, and often make us work less.

We do it too, when we are in group classes. Remember the sing-along videos from when you were a kid? There was a bouncing ball that you followed to learn the words. So many group fitness classes in gyms are like that- “Follow-the-Bouncing-Teacher” classes. You keep your eyes on the example and follow along, never checking in with your own body for feedback, but relying on someone else’s image of what you should be doing. We turn off our brains and just follow, unquestioningly, the movement in front of us. You know from other areas of your life that making yourself fit someone else’s image of what you should be doing doesn’t work. So why do it here?!

Not to mention the safety issues. Watching the instructor often encourages poor alignment (neck pain in Pilates or Yoga classes anyone?) It often does not allow for modification for your specific issues, especially if you are just following, and not checking in with your body. Most importantly, it does not lead to an understanding of the movement, which makes for more effective exercise. While many instructors will call out what muscles should be working (“Use your quads!”), very rarely will they say WHY.

The WHY is key to entering into Mind/Body exercise. Understanding brings about better “doing”. Our movements become more intentional, our energy becomes more focused. And most importantly, understanding WHY movement is done allows us to translate that movement and that muscle into our everyday lives.

And that is when we have the most effective exercise- when you can use it, all day, every day! The average person spends about 3 hours in the gym each week. That’s 165 hours each week spent doing other things like sitting, carrying bags, sleeping on our sides, and driving cars, that counteract our gym work.

Conscious exercise is where it’s at, ladies! Effective work that can makes a difference in your daily life. I’m going to challenge you. The next time you go to the gym, forget the book and TV, and try to focus on the muscles you are working, and what you want the results of that work to be. See if you don’t get more results from your conscious effort!

August 2013 Issue