Building Empowerment Through Pilates

Life can feel scary sometimes, and our workouts are no exception. Sometimes you may ignore your Pilates reformer sitting in the other room because you know you may be up against some challenging moves that day, but Pilates offers empowerment. Pilates underscores the authority and power you already have to commit to your workout. As you build your fitness momentum with your Pilates reformer, the stronger and more confident you become in your fitness routine and life in general—you become empowered.

Pilates offers a way to empower you both physically and mentally. Just like the movements build core strength, posture, and stability, every workout builds your feeling of empowerment. You can see those physical accomplishments translate into your everyday life, and your practice of ownership and taking control can translate to your everyday life as well. This post explains how your Pilates equipment offers a convenient tool that builds your health as well as your feeling of empowerment both on and off the reformer.

Defining Fitness Empowerment

Empowerment means having the confidence that you have control over something, and many of us struggle with feeling empowered, especially when we face something challenging. Fitness is no exception. The beauty of Pilates comes down to its mind-body connection.

As you develop more strength and more body awareness, you stimulate your mindfulness in all areas. You not only engage deeply with your muscles but also with your mind. With each workout on your Pilates reformer, you don’t just become stronger, you feel stronger. The physical balance you feel every day parallels the mental balance you experience from the consistent practice of Pilates.

Empowerment, however, is different than pride. When you build a stronger mind and body, you feel pride in your accomplishments, but remembering what you can do and how strong you are builds faith in yourself. This faith manifests as trust in yourself. When you establish that bond of trust, you begin to feel empowered in your workout. You start to recognize not just the physical control but also the mental control you have in the choices you make in your life.

The more you practice Pilates, the more you strengthen this connection between your mind and body. As you gain feelings of empowerment, you will find yourself taking more ownership over your fitness, which means taking ownership outside of fitness as well. You will notice the gains you make physically in Pilates. You will see yourself grow stronger in the movements, but you’ll notice how you have better posture, more stability, and greater flexibility in your everyday life. The same goes for the ownership you take.

As you gain momentum in your fitness, you’ll find yourself taking more ownership over more aspects of your fitness routine. That’s your empowerment manifesting itself in the control you take. As you exercise these feelings of empowerment, you’ll build confidence that translates to other areas of your life, such as taking control of your time, having the strength and confidence to prioritize your needs, and understanding where your limits are and honoring them.

Taking Ownership of Your Pilates Experience

Gaining and building empowerment involves taking ownership of your experience. When you subscribe to workouts and stream them to your Pilates reformer from Frame Fitness, you invite instructors into your home who give you permission to have power and control over your movements and your experience. Even if this is your first piece of Pilates equipment in your home, you can take ownership of your Pilates experience.

Empowerment touches every choice you make in the day, or every choice you allow to be made for you. To take ownership of your fitness, you need to feel empowered to make the choices leading up to and throughout the workout. You have to feel the confidence and power to take control of other aspects of your life so that your fitness experience is consistent and effective. Every tip in the following list explains how you can take small steps to flex your empowerment toward your fitness goals:

• Commit to the workout. We can all make excuses for things we don’t want to do, but we all can find time for the things we enjoy and the things we should do. Working out on a Pilates reformer should be enjoyable, and exercising is something you should do. So you have all the right reasons to commit to your Pilates reformer workout. So carve out a specific time to do it and have a backup plan in place in case something goes awry. Take control of your time—one of the first steps to feeling empowered in your Pilates experience is feeling empowered over your time.
• Remind yourself of your confidence throughout the day. If you see your reformer and fear your workout or dread the thought of getting your workout done, you’re allowing those feelings to have control rather than allowing yourself to take control. Even if you have to schedule time throughout the day to give yourself a pep rally, be sure to purposefully stop throughout your day and remind yourself of what you’ve already achieved and how strong you have become. If you enjoy journaling, write down your thought immediately after you’re done using your Pilates equipment. Note what moments encouraged you, made you feel strong, made you feel balanced, and made you feel in control. Take time to review those moments to encourage yourself. Feeling empowered means looking inwardly for the confidence that creates a foundation for your fitness success.
• Acknowledge your ownership over your experience. Although the instructors want to give you autonomy and feel empowered, you often have to give yourself permission to take ownership and be in control. Before you begin your workout, firmly tell yourself that you own this experience and that you have the power to make this a great experience. If you have trouble acknowledging this, think back to positive past experiences on your Pilates reformer. Your resilience in past workouts lays the foundation for you to have faith in yourself.
• Anticipate the movements. While it can be helpful to know the order of the movements, this may seem daunting at first. However, in time, you will know these movements in order, and they will feel like a part of you. Whether you know the order by heart or are listening for cues from the instructors, always affirm your movements with positive thoughts—remember how you pushed yourself, how strong you are, how you make gains in some way, no matter how small, every day. Try to rely more on the cues each time you work out and less on watching the movements. The more you connect to the movements, the more ownership and control you’ll feel over your experience.
• Connect to your experience. The mind-body connection in Pilates is foundational. When you become mindful of your movements and think through each move, connecting to what your muscles are doing and feeling, you become more fluid in both movement and mentality.
• Take responsibility for your thoughts. Everyone has a favorite workout and a favorite move. On the other hand, we probably also have moves we don’t like that much or that challenge us in ways that might be scary or intimidating. You have two choices when those less-than-likable movements come up: take charge or charge out. If you feel like charging out, such as anything from quitting to taking a well-timed water break that could have waited, take a moment to acknowledge how you’re feeling. Then remind yourself that you don’t have to allow that feeling to control your movement. Doing things that are scary shouldn’t end up on a skip list or be the time you step out and grab a drink. It’s easy to ignore what you’re feeling, but instead, boldly face it and commit to trying what scares you. Rely on your past experiences and the strength you’ve exhibited in previous workouts.
• Tell yourself the truth. When things get rough, you have to be there for yourself. You have to be self-reliant, and part of supporting yourself throughout empowerment is knowing when to push and when pushing is punishment for your body. Trust yourself and your ability, but know your limits, especially if you’re injured or recovering from one.

Empowerment breeds self-reliance and self-confidence. Just as your movements affect your everyday posture, balance, and stability, your mental perspective will become as redefined as your muscles. You’re learning to rely on yourself and your past positive experience more than the praise of others. You will learn to love yourself and your accomplishments.