Why You Should Do Pilates in The Morning

Today’s post on three reasons why you should do Pilates in the morning is by the oh-so talented Andrea Speir (she recently dropped some kegel knowledge on us over at FBM!) who has an extensive knowledge of the physical body, injuries and sports therapy combined with a background as a dancer and a Pilates. Andrea teaches conferences and retreats around the world. She has an app and has released numerous DVDs including Perfect Pilates Body, and Trim, Tighten and Tone, a DVD she shot as part of The Pilates Fix, the YouTube channel and e-zine she co-founded. 

That’s Andrea Speir right there, doing Pilates in the morning, of course!

We all know the feeling that washes over you as the repetitive sound of the alarm clock echoes through the bedroom. How can it possibly be morning already?! As a self proclaimed “NOT morning person,” I will be the first to admit I am envious of those who bound out of bed ready to start the day. Once I am up, I’ve found the first thing I want to do is stretch my arms up and lengthen out my whole body in a big monster of a stretch. It’s almost as if my muscles are so relaxed they are begging me to move them.

For these reasons (in addition to being a Pilates-a-holic), I began to schedule my Pilates practice as a morning workout. I felt so incredible starting my day this way, it soon became routine. There are many added benefits to scheduling this workout before you grab your keys and hit the accelerator on your day.

Here are a couple reasons why you should schedule your mat class for the a.m. …

3 Reasons Why You Should Do Pilates in the Morning

1. It’ll perk you up. One of the most obvious reasons is related to your mood. After a Pilates workout, you feel refreshed, energetic and alive. Pilates moves the body in a style that combines elongation and stretching with deep muscular work. It allows all the deep intricate muscles to work, as well as the larger ones while getting a light sweat going. The workout will not leave you exhausted and feeling “worked.” Instead, it invigorates the body and leaves you feeling refreshed and awake because it moves your muscles from a place of elongation, not compression and not to a place of burnout and fatigue. After a Pilates session you won’t feel done in, but instead ready to rock your day.

2. It’ll set the tone for the rest of your day. When you schedule your day by committing to this style of workout, you are setting your intention for the day. We can all agree that when not busy, we get less done. All the little menial errands on the to-do list get ignored. When we are busy though, we get all the little errands done because we are in go-mode. By beginning your day with a Pilates workout on a mat in your house, you are allowing yourself to work out in a place that doesn’t take driving to so there is a less likely chance to flake. You get up, do it before you can change your mind, and then your workout is in for the day. You feel great, you’re always glad you did it, and the rest of the day follows the path of efficiency and more gets done. You are setting your day up to be one filled with a “go get ‘em” attitude.

3. You jumpstart your metabolism. When discussing this with my clients, I often use the analogy of a burning campfire to explain the metabolism and blood sugar levels. If you go for too long without eating or skip meals in an effort to lose weight, you are actually your own worst enemy. You must fuel the fire, or your metabolism, by feeding it continually so the flame doesn’t burn out. Once the flame is out, it will take much longer to rev it back up. Subsequently, any food you put in after it’s been too long between meals will sit in your system and not get burned at a quick rate. Keep that fire burning by eating healthy meals consistently throughout the day. So how does this tie into Pilates in the morning? Well, in the morning, that fire is low because you haven’t eaten in around 10 to 12 hours. By beginning your day with a Pilates workout, you begin moving the body in a style that oxygenates the muscles by lengthening them while pumping blood through them. This immediately turns on and kicks up your metabolism. Consequently, your breakfast will not be consumed at a slow metabolic rate, because after this style of workout your body is already fired up. Everything you put in your body for the day will be burned at a faster, healthier and more efficient rate.

By doing Pilates first thing in the morning, you are allowing your body to burn fat — not burn the food you have put in it during the day. Once the day starts, you get hungry and begin to eat your meals. This diverts blood to your digestive tract and away from your muscles.

If you haven’t tried Pilates in the morning, go on and unroll your mat, dust off your favorite Pilates DVD, and get ready to start your day feeling energized, pro-active and strong. —Andrea Speir