When you see someone with a chiseled six pack do you immediately think they must be healthy and in the best shape anybody could be? What you don’t see is how hard it is to have a body fat percentage that low to show that level of muscle definition, and the level of sacrifice it must take to achieve and maintain that six pack. Not worth it in my opinion! And to be honest, we would probably stear most of my clients away from that goal due to the level of restriction it would take for most to achieve a defined six pack. We don’t really see the point and truthfully, why is it the ultimate symbol of health anyway? It’s not! Reslinicy and longevity, that’s the ultimate status symbol for health in our book!
If we look back to nature for inspiration as Joseph Pilates often did, you won’t see any animals trying to build a particular body type. Nature is more concerned with longevity and survival not aesthetics. It’s not so easy to turn off that side of the brain for us humans because luckily we are pretty smart and have the survival thing figured out for the most part. We are bombarded with body image all day so that tends to be an easy focus for our brain. Moral of the story, next time you see someone with a six pack, don’t get in your head that they are automatically healthier or more fit than you!
As a leader in the health and fitness industry when we see someone with a six pack, we wonder if they get through the 100 beats or the Series of 5? You see, having a cut outer muscular physique does not necessarily mean they have a strong power house or that they are at their optimal level of fitness, but they are very good at restricting calories. Being at your healthiest and strongest is not about a certain look but a feeling. If you focus on a look, like six pack abs, you are chasing something that at the end of the day is not going to solve your bigger concerns. If you do however decide to focus on building a stronger deep core, your Pilates Power house, you will build a strong core from the deepest layers outward and you will feel stronger, be able to move quicker, have better balance, and you might even see your waistline slim up a bit too as a byproduct but not because you are hyper focused on it.
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Stay tuned as Pilates Cure has some exciting, new programs launching in 2023! You can also find more free content by downloading “The Pilates Cure” app wherever you download your apps.