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By Colleen Craig, Certified Pilates
Trainer.
This is an excerpt from Colleen's book Pilates on the Ball.
No one can define how rapid your fitness
improvement should be. There are many fitness
books and magazine articles offering clues to other
peoples' athletic marathons and warrior weekends,
but each case is different. A mind/body journey is as
private as any solo voyage. Agents of
change—coaches, trainers, well-wishers, and
fellow travelers—can only give you so much
advice. The journey is a solitary one: when you
reach plateaus or dips it is only you who can
maneuver through them. It is only you who wins the
rewards.
What I love about the ball is that it is unpredictable
and playful and encourages you to dig deeply within
yourself to cope with it. Remember: growth comes to
us in fits and starts. There may be a long plateau of
frustration when progress doesn't appear to happen.
We all have those days when we want to give
up—to let the air out of the ball and store it
away. Please don't do this! On those days give
yourself permission to be lazy. Do a few stretches
over the ball and then ease into a delicious relaxation
pose. You may want to accompany this by deep
breathing or playing a guided imagery tape. Or shift
gears and simply sit on the ball while you watch
television or speak on the phone. Ten minutes of ball
sitting is good for the back and talking to a friend
will
clear the air.
Luckily, one of the best aspects of Pilates on the Ball
is that most students feel taller and stronger even
after one session. Suddenly you will enjoy performing
an exercise, such as push ups, for example, which
you never thought you would do again in your life.
You will notice that your waistband feels looser, your
thighs leaner, and that your arms and back are
strong and sculpted.
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