We’re so glad you joined us for Feel Good February. Today is the last day.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve shared tips on avoiding burnout and reinvigorating clients; we’ve talked to instructors and studio owners about finding new business opportunities and clients in a pandemic; and we’ve learned how to integrate agility drills and desk stretches into our own and our clients’ daily routines.
We hope you’ve learned and discovered something new along the way.
For Day 15, we’re looking at how fitness professionals from all disciplines, including mind-body instructors, personal trainers and group fitness instructors, can improve and deepen their clients’ relationship to movement to positively impact their workout experience and results.
Deepen your clients’ movement experience – through mind-body connection and awareness
“It is easy for all of us trainers to get caught up in the exercise, choreography, or just doing more. Taking a step back to focus on just the breath before a workout is one of the best ways to incorporate mindful movement. Starting with the breath brings clients into their body, so they can work out more mindfully throughout their session. It makes their workout more efficient and they feel so much better when they finish. The simple things can sometimes be the most life-changing,” says Merrithew® Lead Instructor Trainer Jenny Carr.
By layering the STOTT PILATES® Biomechanical Principles and the Merrithew Facial Movement Variables, Lead Instructor Trainer Carol Earle teaches her clients about the importance of biomechanics and how each exercise should feel when performed correctly.
“I teach my clients how to perform body scans so they can do self-assessments. I explain that proprioception means being aware of your body in space at any given moment, and there are both internal and external sources for that awareness.”
Jenny agrees that when a client understands basic biomechanics and the STOTT PILATES principles, they become more mindful with their bodies.
“If every session is an education for clients, they really see fast progress. Teaching every client and athlete the STOTT PILATES Biomechanical Principles and how to integrate them into their body allows them to move every part of their body with intention. Proper form requires mindfulness and focus. Once they have that understanding, it will translate into every sport and exercise modality they choose,” she says.
Inspire clients to have a positive approach towards their bodies and exercise – that respects rest and recovery
Our fitness culture is obsessed with high-intensity, turbocharged, all-or-nothing exercise. There’s also a perception among many fitness enthusiasts that if they’re not sweating, breathing hard and breaking personal records, then they’re not getting a good workout or making any progress. What can instructors do about that?
“I educate my clients so that they understand that there’s a time to train for high-intensity and there’s a time to train for fluidity, joint control, and smooth muscle contractions,” Jenny says.
“Educating them as to why both types of workouts are important will help them understand the value of both. But, if you have clients that really want that intensity in their workouts there are so many options with Merrithew’s education programs. I love to incorporate Halo® Training, CORE™ Athletic Conditioning & Performance Training™, Total Barre and STOTT PILATES® Athletic Conditioning workouts on the Mat and Reformer.”
But the ‘no pain, no gain’ concept has no place in mindful movement.
“I try to inspire my clients not to be so hard on themselves,” Carol says. “I explain how our stabilizing muscles work at a low load and clients need to recognize that low level of activation, that way the stabilization can be in place before adding stress or load.
“Help clients appreciate that there needs to be a solid foundation. Going through a phase of anatomical adaptation is vital. If the form, the firing patterns, the endurance, and the proprioception aren’t there, they won’t get better and stronger. Pilates Matwork and Equipment workouts focus on an endurance-level of muscular activation and help bring awareness to movement patterns; both of these are significant parts of anatomical adaptation. And, they can be performed on days between heavier workouts.”
Teaching mindful movement during a pandemic – the programs that are popular with clients now
Both Jenny and Carol say they’ve seen a growing appetite from clients for mindful movement modalities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This has been a stressful time for all of us. The ZEN•GA® workshops that I have taught virtually have been so well received,” Jenny says.
“It’s a modality that focuses on fluidity, breath, and moving without tension. As an instructor, using different cueing to bring calm and ease into the movement can be so powerful and change your client’s experience. Allowing our bodies to relax with all the stressors that have been going on is a really important part of staying healthy. It has been a wonderful way to keep everyone going during difficult times.”
Likewise, Carol has also found her clients finding even greater pleasure and enjoyment in mindful movement.
“I think that we’re all feeling very scattered in our thoughts and actions. There’s an attention-deficit that is developing, so mindfulness and mindful movement are not only an important release, but they also help with proprioception. Being able to be in control of our bodies helps when there is so much we cannot control these days.”
Discover the joy of mindful movement at home with the Pilates Essentials Kit >