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hi. 

how are you? 

let’s talk about something I have been struggling with… routine. 

You know I love my schedule:

3:50a: Alarm. Gratitude Practice + Puppy snuggles

4:00a: Coffee. Daily Stoic. Red Light. 

4:15a: Social Media (I use my phone in the morning. Sue me.) 

4:30a: Get Ready 

4:50a: leave for a workout 

5:30- 6:30a: sweat

7-8a: get ready 

9a: work 

If anything, I’m consistent. I live a whole ass self-care life before my day even really starts. Do I have to wake up at 4 am? No. I could definitely sleep until 7 or honestly even 8 am. Roll out of bed and head to The Studio but then I would have to fit in my gratitude // workout // social media time into my workday and to me that’s counterproductive. When I get to work, it’s time to work. 

It’s week four and I’m finally settling into our new (temporary) normal. Without trying to sound like a totally uneducated // unempathetic swine…I loved the first two weeks. 

Listen, I have had blinders on for six months working like a psycho from 4 am-10 pm seven days a week. You guys, I didn’t even know Morgan Stewart and Brendan from Rich Kids split and they announced It in AUGUST. She has a whole ass new man… who by the way is Dr. Phil’s son. (Thanks to the 78 DMs I got updating me). Also… he is super hot and a musician, not personally my type but like GOOD for her. Truly I would give up Dream Water to see zesty ass Morgan and Dr. Phil interact. Ps Morgan is a gift from Jesus. 

I also learned Blake Lively had a third baby… NEWS. TO. ME. 

Anyway.

So the first two weeks, while I was still working my tail off, I was able to exhale. Lots of bike rides, family dinners, and reading. The weather was a dream. I was sleeping in until 6ish, spending my morning watching videos on SkillShare learning new tricks and tips. She was productive yet comfortable. Honestly living that work // life balance thing I thought was an old wives tale. 

Then week three hit. 

I hit a slum. I missed my clients, my friends, my studio. I didn’t want to learn anymore. The weather was damp and sad… I was going to make a joke about an old man’s balls here but I’m a lady and going to keep it to myself. 

All I wanted to do was teach. I worked so hard…nonstop and in SECRET from all the people I lean on the most and I couldn’t even play in the space I worked tirelessly for. Now I already know you are thinking, “Katie, just teach a zoom class!!!!!!!” 

Okay here is the thing. I don’t love a virtual class. I will totally do It, but It’s awkward. No one is really there. It’s just me out of breath trying to perform exercises, tell jokes and look somewhat attractive… you’d be surprised at how many dudes show up to see a blonde do some jump squats… maybe you’re not surprised. I digress. Anyway, I want to look good on camera and truthfully when I’m working out I’m not cute. It’s vain. It’s shallow. It’s me telling you the hard truth. 

Also, a side note… the only place I can film in my current living situation is in my family gym. I’m not going to lie, It’s a sick setup. Therefore, filming in the space during a literal global crisis makes me look like a dingleberry. People are literally DYING and I’m going on Instagram live with a ring light an a full rack of dumbbells, custom mirrors and surround sound speakers. Me, a socially tone-deaf dingleberry. To be perfectly clear, the gym is NOT mine and I contributed nothing. I do not have nice things, my parents do and they allow me to borrow them. There is no silver spoon here… my mom used to take away our participation medals. I recorded a podcast about It. 

Back to routines.

Normalcy. I needed It. I am naturally lazy. If I don’t have a project or a plan my productivity goes to shit. I will lay in bed for days watching trashy television. When I say days, I mean days. Which is what I did last week. Zoom calls, client check-ins, and meals in bed. I worked out but to check the box, not with purpose and intention…there is a difference. Time didn’t matter because I could sleep whenever I didn’t have clients. My room was tragic. Morale was low.

Truthfully, I think It was a combination of the pandemic, missing my schedule and crashing from the mayhem that was the last year of my life. I finally had the time to sit with myself and sometimes that’s super uncomfortable. I am not one to shy away from personal development…it’s one of my favorite natural highs. Emotions stir up when you have time to be still. It’s a good thing. I had to work through them…I journal and take long drives. I talk to myself on those long drives… It helps. 

This week I got my shit together. 

I set my 3:50 am alarm. I ‘scheduled’ my workouts. I am going through my morning as if I have a studio with a full day of classes and clients to attend to. I have a few private clients I am still working with via phone call, FaceTime and Zoom. I plan my cooking, reading and relaxation time around them. 

During times where I would normally have clients, I am working on new formats and studying for my NASM exam. I am drafting blog posts and working on my SEO. I am on SkillShare learning. 

I am learning to create productivity and giving myself grace when I need the space to just mindlessly watch Tiktok. Balance in the chaos. 

The Big Tip: stick to your normal routine as much as possible…especially sleep. Move your body often. Walk. Jumping Jacks. Stretch. Learn something new. YouTube University is a thing. I love SkillShare. Read a dang book. Sit in silence and breathe.

I hope you’re hanging in and have found a blessing in this pause. I miss you endlessly. 

Make good choices. Look both ways. 

I love you the most. 

xoxo, 

Katie 

 

 

Would you work out if there was no aesthetic benefit? 

I asked this on my Instagram and got the responses I was expecting. 

YES, OF COURSE, THE PILATES BLONDE…. I LOVE FITNESS. I NEVER EVER EVER SKIP EXERCISE BECAUSE HEALTH…DUH. I DONT EVEN CARE ABOUT ABS OR MY BOOTY

Meanwhile, I’m sitting here thinking… like I would definitely still workout because of endorphins. I love the way I feel after. I like how my body moves. I love how deep I sleep after a killer conditioning session…the feeling of taking my body to its limit is something I crave. 

But I also like how movement changes my body. More often than not I’m excited and motivated by my muscles growing or a new vein popping up or abs showing. I love seeing my work show up in my body. The physical evidence that shows the world I’m fit is nice… I’d be lying if I said complements don’t light my fire. 

I’m human too. 

My body responds really quickly to movement. I gain muscle and lose fat pretty easily…It’s a blessing and a curse. I can slim down in a month but a few not so great food choices and I lose my progress. This is a big reason as to why I’m so consistent…If I want to look the same or improve (either by gaining mass or slimming down) I have to be consistently moving. 

During this whole quarantine thing, I have been studying other fitness professionals. It’s like getting a front-row seat to other certifications + methodologies. I love learning from other instructors and this has provided the best opportunity. 

It also highlighted a major gap for me. 

I was on a dang soapbox about form for about two days with the dang pushup challenge. 

Then the “build a booty in 30 seconds with my at-home plan influencers” took over. Gag me. 

For educational purposes, I looked at the programs. Some were okay. Some were trying to reinvent the wheel… please know the further a program gets away from basic functional movements the bigger waste of money It is. Anyway…watching the (for lack of a better term) dumbest workouts got me thinking about why people get into the industry and why we workout. For some It is athletic improvement, others It helps with anxiety + depression.

I started working out to regain function. I was in bed for about at year super sick after an allergic reaction shut down the frontal lobe of my brain (You can listen to that story here). I started teaching when Pilates gifted me my life back and I needed to share that gift with as many people as possible. 

Pilates, the functional + restorative practice, changed my body but my intention for going to class was just to be able to get out of bed in the morning with less pain. 

I am so guilty of getting caught up in the twisted industry standards of ‘abs and ass’ marketing when the entire basis of my work is improving health.

If you’ve taken my pilates classes you know I keep my classes consistent. They are at times repetitive as they should, especially in the beginning. It takes 300-500 reps to create a new movement pattern and at least 3,000 to correct a faulty movement pattern. 

It’s my job to fix your movement patterns not always take you through the hardest workout of your life… which when It is appropriate, I will do. 

Where is the disconnect? Ego. 

I think social media took an already completive industry and blew It up. Oh, you can squat 225? Well, watch me squat 315 while on a Bosu ball.

EGO. 

My goal as an instructor shouldn’t be to make you debilitatingly can’t get out of bed, walk down the steps, or drive to work level sore…especially every time we meet. If I am, I’m not doing my job properly. 

My end goal is your health. I want to strengthen your core to prevent back pain + injury. I want to open your chest to help your posture. I want to fix your squat so your knees last a lifetime. I want to lubricate your joints and increase your heart rate for cardiovascular health. I want to make you laugh because It heals wounds in your soul. 

Is It wrong to want to alter your aesthetic? Not at all. I go through phases of wanting to grow my muscles as big as possible and then I have phases where I want to slim down and have a leaner look. It’s okay to want to see improvement. 

Know that the foundation of fitness should be your health. Form is the foundation and the body you show up in is wonderful just the way It is. 

Make good choices. Look both ways. I love you the most.

xoxo,

Katie

I’m not going to pretend that I’m suffering during this mayhem. 

All things considered, I am in a good place…understanding the severity of COVID 19, I know that being able to be at home, safe with my family, plenty of food, water, and puppy snuggles is a full-on blessing so I will not be complaining. 

I have had at least one virtual private client per day… a blessing. 

I have been working out more than I have in months because I actually have the time…a blessing. 

We have had dinner as a family together every night, something I don’t get to do when I’m teaching full time… a blessing. 

I also have the most insane community backing me. My screen printer reached out to ask if I wanted to be apart of their LOCAL STRONG fundraiser. They graciously designing, printing and shipping out tee shirts with our studio logo on them. Each shirt purchased gives $8 back to our businesses.

HOW KIND?!? 

My landlords are incredible. 

I am blessed. 

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NOW LET’S TALK WORKOUTS. 

I have been loving some outdoor cardio work lately, long walks + bike rides. Circuit training on the driveway. Hill sprints in the back yard. How often do we get the opportunity to go for a walk on a Tuesday afternoon? For me, never. I love being outside… I love moving outside. If you can, get outside. Walk, run, skip. Fresh air is GOOD for your immune system. Enjoy It. 

This is a great time to perfect your form. Record yourself. Are you hitting depth on your squats? Where are your elbows on your push-ups? What’s your mobility like? When was the last time you stretched…and I mean really stretched for like 20 minutes? 

I know a lot of people don’t have access to major fitness equipment. You can get a killer workout with just your body and a timer. The fact that you have an able body, the comprehension to read this and access to a timer is a dang blessing. 

Let’s use It. 

Back in the day, I made sooooo many at-home workouts. This was so long ago I bet none of you have even seen them. Let’s go down memory lane together and sweat It out. 

Shall we? 

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four 

If you’re looking for some killer lifts, let me know! I have a few tough ones for those of you who have gym access.

If you’re looking to purchase home equipment I made a list of my favorites.

I hope you’re doing well. I hope you’re not overwhelmed or stressed, but if you are, please know you are not alone. Reach out if you need anything.

Make good choices. Look both ways!

I love you the most!

xoxo,

Katie