Welcome to this week’s newsletter where I share the latest JTP class news, this week’s exercise focus — Roll Down with Push Up combination — and Your Whole Self, which this week is about motivation and what drives us.

Throughout April I am going to show how to develop and progress the classic Pilates Roll Down, Push up Combination. 

This is an exercise I love, as for me it contains everything about Pilates: mobility, strength, and stretch. However, due to research in recent years concerning bone conditions such as osteoporosis/osteopenia it has become controversial in the teaching of movement. When I teach this in my classes I always offer an alternative/modification which makes it ‘safer’ for those individuals that may have certain bone conditions. I also think it is an important exercise as it provides a transition from standing to the floor which I think many people begin to struggle with as the body begins to age. 

I am starting here with an introductory level which focuses on the mobility of the Roll Down and getting to the floor, and returning to standing. I also show modification using the wall for those who don’t want to move to the floor. 

I hope you find this useful, remember to work appropriately for your body and keep away from pain.

What motivates you? Does it depend on what it is that you need/want to do?

Motivation falls into two categories, higher and lower. Higher is when we are motivated by duty or love. Lower is when we are motivated by fear or desire. It doesn’t just apply to things we do for ourselves, but also to the things we do for others. 

It’s a tricky area because if the outcome is the same, we could say that  it doesn’t matter whether the motivation comes from the higher or lower categories. However, if we are doing things because of fear or desire we aren’t internalising the benefits, we aren’t fully engaged and therefore we don’t feel the full satisfaction, and it's driven by external factors.  Whereas if we are motivated by duty or love we are more likely to adhere to what we want/need to do, we are reacting to what is inside us, more likely to experience meaning and purpose and happiness with the results, and the satisfaction is long term, and more likely to be repeated. 

Exercise is an easy example for me to use in terms of motivation. I know that for some people it is difficult to find the motivation to exercise regularly. So if we examine the motivation levels to exercise and adhere to exercise, it could be a fear of losing mobility that motivates us to participate, it could be a desire to be able to tell people that you exercise, rather than feeling that it is through love of exercise or through a duty to yourself to exercise and stay healthy. 

If we are exercising because we are fearful or because within us we desire to exercise more, how likely are we to adhere to it — if we wake up and feel a bit tired or joints aching, or if we are having a busy day and have lots to fit in, the thing most likely to be dropped is the exercise. 

However, if we are exercising because we love it, or we value and respect ourselves enough to have a duty to take care of ourselves and feel better, when we wake up feeling tired, joints aching, or we have a busy day ahead, we will make the time to exercise.

Because we have a duty of care to ourselves to ensure we keep ourselves as healthy as we can, and because we love to exercise, we are more likely to adhere to it. The motivation is internalised and the satisfaction and fulfilment means more and so adds to the motivation to continue.

Maybe this week have a little think about where your motivation comes from. Not just with exercise, but with relationships, jobs around the house, the way you move through life — and work on finding the love and duty rather than fear and desire. 

Have a great week folks — keep looking, moving and feeling good.

With love,

Jane xx