Here's to more in '24

I love New Year's resolutions. I find it a time of reflection and re-direction. It's not about a "New Year, New Me" mentality. Instead, I take the time to think about what I'm doing well and what I could improve on.

And that goes for my whole family. I drag others along on the self-improvement journey (I've been told by a fabulous client that I'm "not bossy, I'm aggressively helpful"). You could feel sorry for Mr Jones at the moment. All he wants from the summer break is to watch cricket, drink beer and relax. So far he's assembled a trampoline on Christmas Eve in the pouring rain, painted our daughter's new bedroom marshmallow pink, painted the Pilates studio and done a heap of gardening every time I bring home a new plant. Then at night, I've been sending him inspiring texts to encourage him to try Brazilian ju-jitsu, learn to speak Italian or have archery lessons. All as part of the "more from '24" campaign I am running to get the most out of a new year. I'm excited by it!

Have you thought about what you want out of 2024? I know for me, I want MORE.

More time to clear my head.

More time to read a book.

More time to do the things I love.

More time for things that make me feel joyful and inspired.

But what I can't get is more time. We all have the same amount of time. Yes, we all have different pressures on our time and different budgets but what we all have is the same 24 hours in a day. Have you thought about how you want to spend this precious and finite resource? Time is a gift and I don't want to waste it (I never seen relaxation as a waste of time FYI).

I know I need to let some things in my life slide that are not important (setting boundaries was part of my 2023 New Year's resolutions and I'm getting better at it). I need to continue to schedule in "me-time" or it won't happen. If I waited for my to-do list to be empty, I would never sit down. Last year I regularly took Thursday afternoon as my movie day. It was 2 hours of uninterrupted viewing where I could just breathe. It clears our head when we slow down and relax. But it is often easier said than done.

And what would my NY blog be without a plug for your regular Pilates class? What can I say, I live and breathe Pilates and want you to all feel amazing. That's why I encourage you to commit to your sessions. Almost every client I have in the studio loves coming to Pilates (there is that small minority who may not love it but know their body needs it. That's ok, I got you! I'll keep you motivated if that love for Pilates doesn't fill your body just yet).

In the past few years of being an instructor, I've noticed the clients who get the best results aren't necessarily the ones who come the most often in a week. It's the ones who come the most consistently over a long period of time. So if that's once a week but you stick with it, then you will see and feel the change in your body. I even had a handful of clients who normally only come once a week, who came twice before Christmas. I asked them why and they said "because you are closed next week!". Now that is commitment.

So if you want more out of '24, book your classes. Let Pilates be that non-negotiable once or twice a week activity for YOU. I write all my exercise in my paper diary on a Sunday (and then highlight it in yellow because obviously my diary is colour-coded by activities) and then I stick to it. Sure, we have to be flexible at times because work meetings come up, kids get sick etc. But I find that clients who book THE SAME TIME every week, now turn up on autopilot. It's just that time of the week that is dedicated to Pilates. There's no need to think about it, it's just part of your routine. And that's how we create a long-lasting habit.

How am I going to get more out of '24? Well I've already started by being more flexible with planning. I've stopped organising events so far ahead as I've learned that makes me feel overwhelmed. This leaves space (aka time) to do something that brings me joy! It could be a last minute BBQ with friends, a swim with the neighbours in their pool or just going for a walk (when it isn't 35 degrees). I'm also scheduling in some new exercise next year to add to Pilates and couples PT sessions - looking into aqua aerobics classes which I haven't done since pre-kids. I used to love it so why not try it again!

May you find the thing that sparks joy next year. May we all be pain-free, feel energised and get more out of '24. You deserve it.

Till next year Wellspringers,

Love Holly