One of the things we love most about Pilates is that it brings results. It’s efficient, effective and often times life-changing.
But every once and awhile we hear from someone who is frustrated because they’re not seeing results. They feel as though they’re doing everything right but their body hasn’t changed and they don’t feel like they’ve progressed.
So today, we’re sharing 4 reasons why you may not be seeing results from your workouts.
1. Lack of consistency
It can feel really great and noteworthy to go to Pilates once a week, but exercising once a week will bring slow results. Especially because when you’re only exercising 1-2 times per week it’s easy to skip one here or there and then go weeks without a quality workout.
There are also people who get really fired up and attend class multiple times per week but then fall off the wagon completely because the routine wasn’t sustainable for the long-term.
Consistency is the key to success. Set a schedule and stick to it, not just for weeks, but for months and years. The results will begin to show.
2. Sloppy movement
You know when you just want to get a workout over with so you slop through the exercises just to get them done? Yeah, that’s getting in the way of your results. Or maybe you tend to zone out in class rather than really focusing on your form and technique. Either way, in order to see results you need to focus on using the proper muscles and proper form in all exercises. Pilates focuses on quality over quantity. 10 slow, well-executed chest lifts are better than 100 sloppy crunches any day of the week.
“A few well designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion.” – Joseph Pilates
3. Your diet doesn’t reflect your goals
You can’t out-train a bad diet.
Many of us have fallen into this trap before. You would go for run and feel so tired and so good about your workout that you’d reward yourself with big meals and treats the rest of the day. What you don’t realize at the time is that you would be better off skipping your workouts all together and focusing on a healthy diet.
So if you’re not seeing results from your workouts, make sure that what you eat all day, every day reflects your goals.
4. Too much alcohol
Alcohol is a major hindrance in losing weight, getting in shape and overall healthy living. There are so many reasons for this. Not only is it high in unnecessary calories and carbohydrates but it also disrupts the body’s ability to properly digest and utilize food as an energy source. In addition, it causes dehydration, bloating, restless sleep and inflammation. Feeling lethargic after drinking also leads to missed workouts, lazy days and killer cravings. Often making this ONE change can bring major results so that your hard work can finally show.
So what do you think, do you recognize any of these as why you may not be seeing the results you expect to see?