Rhythm and Flow
Activities like Walking, Running, Hiking, Swimming, Biking, and many others all have similarities. Among those similarities includes the ability to move. Your quality of movement, whether you are actively mindful about it or not, plays a large role in the longevity of what you enjoy doing.
When you go to the gym or exercise, most likely you’d want to gain some strength and/or lose some weight. Both are ideal goals to get you started, but how often are you able to think about how you move when you pick up those dumbbells, get on any piece of gym equipment, or do some conditioning workout? If you’re unable to maintain movement awareness throughout your exercise program, chances are your intensity is far greater than your ability to control. I for one, have fallen into this trap many times – leading to injuries, plateaus, and loss of interest among other things.
Contrology, a Pilates term that refers to one’s ability to maintain physical control and mental awareness throughout any given exercise movement. There is a state of balance that can be found with each movement or workout. It also applies to when you start to add intensity into the equation.
When the heart rate starts to rise as you begin your workout and fatigue begins to settle in, workouts can start to become a little bit more intense. It becomes increasingly difficult to maintain focus on how you’re moving, instead its far easier to focus on just “getting through” the work. Because, no pain no gain, right? Not the case here. The next time you find yourself in this position, which is inevitable when you decide to exercise, try taking this approach: find a state of balance.
What I mean by finding a state of balance, is finding the right amount of exertion where you can still maintain your mental awareness throughout any given exercise or movement. It may seem hard at first because you might find yourself slowing down or choosing less weight to lift, which isn’t bad, but is a necessity in reaching your full potential. Over time, maintaining balance between exertion and movement awareness will allow you to continually make physical improvements with less risk to injuries, plateaus, or simply losing interest in your favorite activities. It will take some time to learn because everyone is different and moves at their own pace. Sometimes, some days are better than others, because life is funny like that. It’s important to remember that there is an ebb and flow to any given day, and the same goes for every workout and exercise movement you choose to partake in. I encourage you to find that flow, and again, that might mean speeding up, slowing down, choosing a heaver/lighter weight, etc.
This can be applied to activities like Pilates, CrossFit, Weightlifting, Yoga, Running, Biking, Walking, you name it. Movement is movement in whichever form you enjoy doing it in. When you can find yourself mentally engaged in what you’re doing, throughout the entirety of the movement or exercise, you’ll find that you can finally begin to reach your full potential. You’ll become not only physically stronger, but mentally stronger as well. You’ll begin to adjust on the fly based on feel and experience, and your movement quality will improve and become almost automatic.
Give it a try next time: choose to find your own rhythm and flow!