One of the things I love about Pilates is how it gives us permission - permission to listen to our bodies. I feel like when I was younger I was all about pushing myself and pushing my body to perform. In order to do that, I had to ignore signs of fatigue and pain.
Then I found Pilates, and my teacher would ask me questions like "Where do you feel that?" Nobody had ever asked me that before. As long as I was performing well, nobody cared. Now that I've found Pilates, I use my workout time to not only improve the performance of my body, but to also check in. It's one of the things I love about traditional Pilates that follows Joe's order. If you repeat the order of the exercises each day, they become a barometer to check in and see how your body is doing. The consistency acts as a guide to see how my body is feeling each day. If the 100 is always first, then if it feels different, better, or worse, I know I need to adjust. I need to listen. So if I feel a twinge or a pain, it matters.
The other thing that Pilates taught me is the difference between good pain and bad pain. Discomfort that lasts during an exercise but goes away when I'm done? Good. Discomfort that lasts hours later? Bad. Muscle pain? Good. Joint pain? Bad.
And that joint pain leads me to that little bottle above (housed in front of my manuals and research and general to-dos).
I was sent a sample of the Banja Balm by Khroma Herbal Products, so if I was working out and felt a twinge or pain, I would apply the balm to the area after I worked out. I would massage it in and I always felt better. So better, in fact, that applying the balm is now part of my ritual after my Pilates practice. Usually, I workout at 8 or 9pm after the kids are in bed, so I use Pilates as a way to unwind and check in after a long day. After my workout, I'll apply the balm, and really massage it in. I've found it also helps relieve the over-stimulation that nighttime workouts can give me as well. It smells super good, and is full of vegan and organic yummy ingredients. I've been recommending it to my clients who want a sore muscle rub without camphor because some of them are adverse to the smell. It is a little grainy, which concerned me the first time I used it, but the balm melts on contact and absorbs well.
So how about a little self-massage after your Pilates session? Don't mind if I do.
Disclaimer: I was given a free bottle of the Banja Balm, but all opinions expressed above are my own.