September 30th, 2014

We all can agree that life has become hectic. Possibly too hectic to even call it a 'life', but Pilates Style magazine has a great article on how to keep going and keep sane.

Article by Beth Johnson

A year ago, my life seemed to be spiraling out of control. I worked at a weekly magazine with long, deadline-driven hours spent siting in front of a computer. To accommodate my husband's new job, I had moved farther away from my job and thus had an hour-and-a-half drive or train trip (more sitting) each way. Then I'dcome home to my youngest kids, both eye-rolling teenagers, and a stressed-out husband. My "free" time consisted of grocery shopping, housework, nagging about college essays and term papers, racing to school sports and collapsing. Not surprisingly, I had weekly migraines and near-constant pain in my left knee and shoulder. Instead of running up the stairs like I used to I began to hobble. I couldn't reach for anything with my left arm without searching pain in my shoulder. I couldn't even get out of the tub by myself, which was totally humiliating.

I was burnt out from my job and my commute, my body was falling apart and my depression over the whole situation made it impossible for me to see a way out. Clearly, my work-life balance was totally out of what, and my self-care was nonexistent.

Photo taken from Pilates Style Magazine Online

PILATES TO THE RESCUE
When my eldest daughter got engaged and set a wedding date a year away, I knew I had to do something. I would never forgive myself if I couldn't dance at her wedding. So one rare weekend when the rest of the family was away, as I happened by a Pilates studio in my town, on impulse, I went in and signed up for a private session. With no one at home, I think I could finally give myself permission to something just for myself.

I loved Pilates immediately. In that hour, I didn't think about deadlines or the long "should-do" list that crammed my brain and cranked up my anxiety. I felt so much better after that first lesson that I signed up for weekly sessions. Every Saturday morning, I popped out of bed, eager to get to my private class. Then, I started getting up early one workday a week to squeeze in a mat class before my commute. My knee and shoulder pain quickly subsided. My migraines were less frequent. I was laughing more. I was feeling a sense of accomplishment. I was devoting some time to myself, with positive results, and that inspired me to delegate more household chores to the rest of the family. Balance was coming into my life and it felt great.

And no one was more stunned by this turnaround than me.


To read more about how Beth took back control in her life go to Pilates Style on the web.