Pilates Tips - Blog Posts
20-Day Challenge 🎀
I have been in the BIGGEST slump lately. My anxiety had been the highest I've seen it in a while. My eyes are starting to twitch from high cortisol levels again, and I've found it so hard to regulate my stress, anxiety, emotions and just being able to do things is so hard right now. So, here's a challenge for myself that won't be too difficult but will hopefully push me to do things. It is only 20 days because I am traveling to Colorado after that point and will have to adjust my routines and dailies for the 8 weeks I'm in Colorado.
☀️ Morning Routine Non Negotiables
low impact youtube workout (pilates/yoga/stretching)
morning journaling
morning hygiene (skincare/deoderant/brush teeth/brush hair)
⛅️ Daily Non Negotiables
study Spanish for at minimum 10 minutes
read some form of a self-help or productivity book for a minimum of 10 pages
take a walk (either outside or walk around the house,3k to 5k steps minimum daily)
⭐️ Night Routine Non Negotiables
night time guided journal + daily journal (minimum one sentence about my day)
night time hygiene (shower/brush teeth/skincare)
set myself up for the next day
🌈 "Rules"
need to post an update for every day for accountability. if I do not do something I've listed, I need to have a genuine reason why (sick, migraine, unknown change of plans, weather, bodily pain or injury, etc) and must explain the reason or admit to my excuses.
consistent wake up and sleep time. wake up between 5/530am, and be asleep no later then 10/1030pm.
no more than 2 cups of a coffee a day
no coffee after 1pm
minimum 80oz of water
try to minimize screen time on social media
be honest!!! lying about this helps no one, and only keeps me unproductive and unmotivated. if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it.
Here's to giving myself an extra kick in the rear yo stay productive and keep myself motivated and disciplined as best as possible. It's the least I can do for myself. starts today/tomorrow (may 27th or 28th)!
please keep me accountable lovelies 🩷
🎀 Overcoming Gym Anxiety 🎀
I got asked about this through my inbox by @sxfiaaa so I figured I'd make a post about it and hopefully help a lot of people with something I too used to struggle with!
🩷 Wear Comfortable Clothing
We've all seen the beautifully dressed people on Tiktok, Pinterest, etc in their matching sets and cutr gym clothes. If that is what you're comfortable wearing to the gym, do it! Wear it, and be confident in it! If you're more of a loose clothes/sweatpants/baggy shirts or hoodie type of person, do that! Wear whatever you feel comfortable (and cute) in, because the better you feel going into a workout, the more you'll be able to focus on your workout!
🩷 Know What You're Doing When You're There
This just means go in with a plan! You don't need to know how to use every single machine or do every single exercise known to mankind. Scroll tiktok or pinterest for some workout videos for inspo (please make sure the video you get inspo from shows proper form!!! Proper form is so important for being safe!!)
If you know you can go certain days of the week, make a workout split to follow that! EX 3 day split: Monday - Leg Day, Wednesday - Upper Body, Friday - Full Body
OR, if you just want to go do cardio, then plan for that! I didn't know how to use a treadmill, but I went to the gym at my university and stood on the treadmill til I figured it out!
🩷 Remember This
No one is going to look at you and judge you or think mean things about you. Everyone is at the gym for the purpose of bettering themselves and their health. If you find people giving you occasional glances, maybe it's because they don't recognize you from the gym (or they do recognize you from somewhere else), maybe their admiring your outfit/physique, maybe their avid gym goers who are watching your form and technique, or maybe their just zoned out and you happen to be in the line of sight.
When I'm at the gym, I look around between sets and take note on other people's form to see if maybe I should tweak the way I do a certain exercise, or I'm admiring another girls outfit or physique because there are a lot of beautiful women at the gym. Sometimes, I'm thinking "dang, they're lifting so heavy, how cool!" or "wow, their form is amazing, they really know what they're doing." I've never thought bad abut someone at the gym because why would I?
🩷 Don't Be Scared To Ask For Help
if there an exercise you really want to do but don't know how and videos aren't helping, ask someone around you who isn't in the middle of an exercise and looks like they may know. The guy at the gym doing upper body who has good biceps may be the right guy to ask about upper body exercises. The girl doing impeccable Bulgarian Split Squats might be the right person to ask for help with those types of movements. Just make sure they aren't in the middle of an exercise, because that can cause some unwanted issues, especially if they're mid-rep, that can turn into a safety issue.
People love to help people, especially at the gym. If you politely ask for help from someone, they may take it as a compliment that you think they look like a person who is knowledgeable on working out. I'd definitely be so flattered if someone asked me for help or advice at the gym!
🩷 Random Advice:
remember your why! no matter how anxious you are, remember why you're going! what are your goals, what do you hope to achieve, how proud will you feel after?
start small if you have to! if it's really anxiety inducing to start working out, make it your first goal to at least step into the gym. then 2nd goal, walk around the gym to get a feel for it. 3rd goal, maybe 5-10 minutes on a treadmill, and then keep building momentum each day.
be careful with the hours you go! there is such a thing as peak gym hours. It varies by place, but a lot of gyms are busy between 2pm and 6pm I've seen. I personally love going to the gym super early morning, it's a little less busy and I'm a morning person so it works out for me! If you can only go during peak hours, bring a friend or keep your headphones on and do your thing!
Bring a friend! If you're really anxious about going alone, bring a friend with similar goals! Sometimes it can be a lot nicer to learn something new with a friend then try and learn it on your own! Plus, it's like extra motivation and accountability!
Have a motivating pre workout routine. Play some music while getting ready, prep your bags, prep your playlist, get your workout itself figured out, and just keep yourself excited to go! I love blasting high-energy music that makes me feel like a baddie on my way to the gym.
I hope this was helpful!! My thoughts were everywhere but I tried to convey them as best as possible! I'm happy to answer any questions or offer more tips and advice, don't feel scared to ask! <3
til next time lovelies 🩷
Hello lovelies <3 I've decided I really would love to start posting more advice/tips/lifestyle content along with my daily updates and study content, but I have no idea where to actually start. So, I would love it if you guys could send me asks with things you'd want to know about, things you want advice or tips on, or even some of my own routines and habits you'd want to know about! I will do my absolute best to answer and be as thorough and thoughtful in my tips/advice/lifestyle content, so please feel free to flood my inbox! <333
til next time, lovelies 🩷
Daily Check-in: April 22, 2024 🎀
Monday was okay. Monday was good. Monday was busy and I ended the day so so so tired. And I'm still stressed financially at the moment. But that's okay! Life always works out the way it should!
🩷 What I Accomplished:
made it to my job interview for the 2nd job a little early and did a good job ( I won't hear back for a while tho cause of the timing of interviews, finals, etc)
did the 11 minute Wake Up Yoga by Yoga with Adriene
did the 16-minute Yoga for Flexibility by Yoga with Adriene
got +12k steps (have no idea how many but I hit 10k by 630pm and I didn't leave work until 10pm)
worked a ~7hour shift
did my night time skincare routine after work
did my morning gratitude journaling
💞 Good Things That Happened:
my friend at work is going to help me purchase my plane ticket for work this summer and I could cry, it's so kind of her and I'm so grateful I have a friend like her <3
did good in my job interview!
accomplished my morning routine + woke up at a decent time
made it to my chemistry lecture + actually paid attention and took notes
talked to my dad on the phone a little bit
kept up with how abnormally busy it was at work and got complimented by my supervisors
my request for time off for a day in May got approved
tried new makeup that looked good (sephora brow gel and rare beauty Mascara for the win!)
💗 Stuff For Tuesday:
refocus on academics + study chemistry after class for the upcoming exam
start studying Spanish again (I have an italki lesson in 1 week)
prepare for nutrition coaching that's on Wednesday
prep for module quiz for psyc class
complete morning and night journaling
do morning and night skincare
order more waters for the week (essentia + 40pk of normal waters, the city tap water is absolutely disgusting in my town)
zoom call with the boyfriend
try to get 8k to 10k steps again!
I am going to make Tuesday a good day. I am going to make the most of every day and see the positives as much as I can. I am so tired right now, but I'm going to have a good day regardless.
til next time lovelies 🩷
💕 Song of The Day: Lion by (G)-Idle
This song has been making me feel some sort of way lately, I'm definitely a huge huge stan of (G)-Idle (and our girl Soojin, ofc <3)
Pilates Videos Reccomendations!
I am looking for specific pilates videos that you guys enjoy to give me some new things to add to my YouTube playlist! What are some videos that didn’t make you breaks a sweat? Videos where you broke the biggest sweat? Easiest? Hardest? Favorite? Least favorite? Please share as your girl is always looking for things to spice up her workout routine! I just ordered three lb dumbbells, a small pilates ball, and resistance bands so videos involving these are welcome as well!!
thanks lovelies 🩷
Poll For The Girlies 🎀
I’m wondering, what are your guys main form of working out? Pilates, yoga, weight lifting, cardio, etc? And why do you do those as your main and what do you recommend others? Let’s share the knowledge and help inspire some other girlies who are in or may be starting their fitness journey! I myself do lots of walking, mat pilates, and yoga. I am going to be trying reformer Pilates next semester and will be going back to weight lifting a couple times a week next semester as well. I recommend low impact exercise (yoga and Pilates) for keeping cortisol levels low, strength training to build muscles in whatever area if your body you want, and any form of cardio to increase endurance, stamina, and heart health!