5 tips to improve your Pilates practice!

You discovered Pilates and fell in love. A true Romeo and Juliette story!
Having a regular Pilates practice is one of the best things you can do to build a stronger, leaner, healthier body with the posture to match. As a student looking to improve, you are no doubt wondering what you can do to get even more benefits from your practice.
Look no further, we have you covered with the following five tips!
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1. Wear appropriate fit wear
You wouldn't run without appropriate running shoes so why attend Pilates without the appropriate attire? The good news is that you only have to follow a few rules:

• Wear comfortable clothing! Nothing restrictive, too hot or with parts that will get in the way.
• Form fitting > Loose fitting. You ultimately want to wear what is most comfortable to you so this is just a suggestion. The benefit of form fitting clothing is that it makes it easier to assess your alignment. As a result, you will be able to receive better corrections and adjustments from your instructor
• Grips socks offer a solid grip and more stability. These are now required to participate in our classes: For comfort, hygiene and safety.

2. Stay Hydrated
For optimal performance you want to stay hydrated throughout your practice. Make sure you bring a bottle of water and sip throughout the session. We do not have water fountains so please bring your own bottle or you can purchase one from us.

3. Bring mindfulness and purpose
Pilates isn't a mindless imitation of movements. It is the intent and focus on execution that sets this discipline apart. For each exercise you perform, direct your focus and attention on maintaining and improving at least 3 aspects of the exercise.
For example in a Lunge you could have the following focus points:

• Is my anchored heel always directly underneath its knee
• Is my back leg always straight. Can I feel the quads working and the stretch in the hip flexors?
• As I rise up, am I fully lengthened; feeling tall, with both legs straight, looking straight ahead.

This focus is going to allow you to make small and consistent adjustments that will result in massive improvements over time

4. Maintain a regular practice
It should go without saying but we get better by doing things repeatedly and often. It is said it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become an expert! The good news is that you improve from each session incrementally, building to a stronger practice each and every day. We recommend attending Pilates a minimum of twice a week.

5. Be patient
Rome wasn't built in one day! It is easy to see more advanced practitioners and feel like we have too far to travel to catch up to them. Forget about the others! Remember that your Pilates practice is a personal journey. Strive for small victories and achievements. You will get better and stronger inevitably as long as you make the commitment to yourself. You will achieve your goals