 One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is that it’s only “working” if we are sweating. People think that sweating makes us more flexible and/or “detoxifies” our body. But this isn’t how the body works.
Why We Sweat The average person has a baseline core temperature of between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. While our body has some flexibility with temperature, if we get too far to one end of the spectrum or the other, things can go badly. In order to keep us in range, our bodies thermoregulate--or maintain our core temperature--by heating us up or cooling us down.
How We Detoxify Despite popular belief, sweating itself doesn’t “detoxify” the body. While there are very small amounts of toxins released through our sweat, sweat is made almost entirely of salt and water, and its primary function is to cool the body. The liver and the kidneys are the true detoxers in the body, which filter and then release--through urine and feces--the harmful substances we encounter. In this way, exercise DOES detox the body, by maintaining liver and kidney health. It's all about taking care of your body's natural defenses and processes. The Mental Detox One form of detoxification that is often overlooked is a mental detox. A mental detox is like a vacation for our mind. Over the course of the day, we encounter countless stressors—at work, home, and personally. And when we’re running from one thing to the next as we so often are, these stressors can start to pile up, adding to our baseline levels of stress and anxiety. We might start at a relatively low baseline when we feel relaxed and calm, but each stressor we encounter “ups” our baseline to make us a little more stressed each time. We’ll continue this way, carrying all that extra stress, until the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back– some seemingly small stressor will set us off completely–because our levels are just too high. We need a mental detox- a chance to reset. Turns out exercise, especially mind-body exercise like Pilates, is an excellent way to mentally detox. While you are active, your body naturally releases feel good chemicals (remember I wrote about these last month?) called endorphins that relieve stress and elevate your mood. These endorphins, combined with the sense of accomplishment that often accompanies finishing a good Pilates workout, bring down our stress levels to a more healthy baseline. The Bottom Line The bottom line is you don’t have to sweat for Pilates to work wonders on your body (though you often will sweat!) When practiced regularly, Pilates DOES detox the body by maintaining both physical and mental health. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get started!
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 Ritual N. The established form for a ceremony. A way of doing something in which the same actions are done in the same way every time.
The transformative power of ritual can transform not just your health but your whole way of being. It’s about celebrating the habitual and making a ceremony out of the everyday. A ritual doesn’t have to be complicated, it could simply be a moment of pause, repeated daily or as often as you can. It could be a nightly bath, a walk through the park, or a daily Pilates session. In our busy, fast paced world, carving out pockets of pause and pleasure is a necessary act of self care. Joy is not a “nice to have '' but a key Ingredient to building resilience and good mental and physical health. Pilates is perfect for this, especially a one-on-one session, where it’s just you and the instructor. For that hour, you can shut out the rest of the world and focus only on what’s in front of you- the stretch and tone of your muscles, the deepness of your breath, the warmth of your body as you move from one transition to the next. This mind body exercise can become a meditation of sorts, a beautiful and peaceful ritual where you give your body and mind the message that you are worthy of love, worthy of self care, and worthy of the strength and resiliency you are building on the mat. Pilates restores. It gives me purpose, not just because I run the studio but because Pilates is a way of life, a way of moving with ease through the world with my head up and my posture strong. Pilates is just one of my rituals, but one I can't live without! Whenever you find something that is restorative and life-giving, set aside time for it whenever you can and return to it whenever you are feeling stressed, drained, burnt out, or in need of something more. Whether it's through movement, meditation or another form of self care, don't forget to prioritize yourself. You can only give others what you pour into yourself. How do you practice self-care on the regular? |
Heather GradkeI'm a BASI Certified Pilates Instructor by day, somewhat competent housewife by night. I used to have hobbies but then CHILDRENS. I am married to the love of my life and somewhat charismatic Rustin Gradke. I have 4 kids that are wonderful sometimes but mostly they just eat a lot. I'm a lover of God and movement and the occasional bowl of queso. Archives
August 2024
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