How Pilates Changed My Body & Life

As a bootcamp girl in my previous life, I thought a “real workout” meant dripping in sweat and spending hours at the gym until you’re out of breath. I would tear myself apart with high intensity workouts doing burpees until I’d collapse to the floor, hating every second of my workouts.

​The rest of the day I'd be an anxious eater, worrying about “undoing” my hard work by eating the “wrong” things, too tired to cook, uninspired to go out with friends. I’d stalk the “fitspiration” accounts for hours on social media. You know how that goes, right? Fitness and my body image was consuming my whole life and I didn’t have a healthy mindset around it.

The moment I realized there should be another way...​
During a family vacation in the summer of 2016, I decided that I was done being miserable. I wanted to truly enjoy life and be happy and healthy inside and out. I stopped listening to what other people were saying I “should” do to get fit. I unfollowed all the fitness accounts that were promoting unhealthy and unrealistic mindset around body image, fitness and eating.

 I returned to Pilates as a form of mindful movement to help heal my mind and body – which I had done on and off during college. I realized I love slow and controlled movements that promote holistic health. It completely shifted my mindset about working out for the better. 

1
PILATES GAVE ME MOTIVATION.

I started doing Pilates consistently because I loved how I felt during and after each session. Like a zen goddess. Not like a hot sweaty mess, but calm, strong and healthy. That feeling became my motivation to exercise. When you love what you do, you do it more consistently. When you do something consistently, you see results. It’s that simple. If you find it hard to be motivated/consistent with your exercise routine, maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s your exercise routine. Ask yourself if you really like it, why you’re doing it. 

2
PILATES SHIFTED MY MINDSET AROUND FITNESS AND BODY IMAGE. 

Pilates helped me form a healthy and balanced mindset about exercise. For the first time in my life, exercise felt like self care and self love – not self punishment. It shifted my focus from losing weight or looking skinny to feeling GOOD inside. It was no longer about having a “bikini body”, “six pack abs”, or counting calories. It was about my mood, my wholesome health. How much better I looked outside was just a natural result. Most importantly, I learned to be kind to my body and work with it, not against it. 
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3
IT TRANSFORMED MY BODY.

 Pilates has many benefits, sure but how can it change your body? Pilates is a system with full-body exercises known for building a strong core and a long, lean look. Within a few months of consistent Pilates, my body completely transformed. Everyone around me started to notice the change. I stood up taller. I looked leaner and more sculpted overall. Even my mom was surprised at the transformation because we all believed I was naturally chubby and “big-boned” and there was nothing to do about it. I’m not only in the best shape of my life but I am also the healthiest and happiest I have ever been.

4
PILATES HELPED ME CREATE MY DREAM CAREER.
 
Soon, I wanted to know the "why" behind Pilates and how it could create such incredible benefits and results for my body. I decided to deepen and solidify my Pilates knowledge so that I can practice it effectively and safely on my own at home. So, I enrolled in a comprehensive Pilates teacher training program. During my training, I realized that health and wellness are my real passions in life. After many months of contemplation, I quit my job and have been happily teaching Pilates since 2017. If you’re considering becoming a Pilates instructor, see my tips in this post. You can learn more about how I changed my career here.

5
PILATES BECAME MY LIFESTYLE.

Pilates is more than just an exercise method. It is a way of living – it’s about breathing efficiently, standing taller, loving your body and carrying yourself through life with ease and grace. I finally have a healthy lifestyle that I can stick to. Pilates and the mindful approach to movement give me hope in a world where we’re constantly bombarded with diet culture, fitness obsession, body image issues. But we always have a choice. We can choose gentle and mindful exercises over crazy workouts that promote bikini bodies, six packs, burning calories.
The biggest lesson during my journey has been this: find what inspires you to move and find your why. Do you workout to punish yourself? How do you feel before or during your workouts? Are you moving because you love yourself and want to create your best body or because you hate your body? Get honest with yourself. Give Pilates a try and see how it can transform you from the inside out. If you have any questions or wanna share your story, email me or comment below! 
Lots of love ,
xx 
Hande 

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READ MORE:
 5 tips for Pilates Beginners 
Top 3 Fitness Mistakes and How You Can Avoid Them
Pilates Myths and Misconceptions

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