I’ve always been a very active person. I started contemporary dancing at the age of 6 and have continued to do so to this day. In fact, I am now a dance teacher. In addition to dancing, I also like to work out. Since dancing is already a regular part of my routine, I felt the need to do more, so I tried out various workout styles.
I began with a classic “Chloe Ting” workout on YouTube. It was okay, but very focused on planks, which made my shoulders very strong. However, I soon switched to the Nike Training app or whatever it’s called. I did that for even shorter. Although I enjoyed the audio-guided and varied workouts, it didn’t quite suit me. After that, I tried some random fitness YouTubers and did cardio workouts, particularly rope jumping. To this day, it remains my favorite cardio workout. It’s more enjoyable than running, for me, and some even say it’s more effective. During the lockdown, I worked out twice a day and learned some valuable lessons. I realized that taking at least one recovery day a week is ESSENTIAL. I was working out a lot and started to lose a lot of weight, which wasn’t my goal. So, I stopped rope jumping. Initially, my goal for working out was to have abs, but now I understand better. I still want a toned, not overly muscular body, but I don’t stress about achieving it. The good feeling after finishing a workout has become more important to me!
Continuing my workout journey, I took on a 30-day yoga challenge on the YouTube channel “Yoga with Adriene.” It was very enjoyable, and I saw progress, but it wasn’t enough in terms of muscle-building for me. I explored more fitness YouTubers and came across “Lilly Sabri“. I liked her workouts a lot and did them for quite some time. It’s worth noting that I’ve been dancing my whole life, so all of this was manageable for me. I bet it was much easier than starting from scratch. Through trying various workouts, from yoga to HIIT, I realized that my favorite type of workout is calming yet empowering. That’s when, with the help of TikTok, I discovered Pilates, and it was life-changing.
Pilates embodies everything I look for in a workout. It effectively works the muscles in a mindful way. Being a dancer, moving with precision is my top priority. Pilates allows me to do exactly that. I get to work on my muscles while focusing on maintaining the correct posture. It’s more important to do it right than to do it many times. Focusing on breathing is also crucial, and I find it calming. All of this can lead to a deeper core workout which results in great muscle-building without leaving you breathless and drenched in sweat. I tried following a few Pilates YouTubers’ workouts, and the best one by far is “Move with Nicole“. It’s just perfect, the speed, guidance, reminders on breathing and posture, everything is perfect. If you follow her, you’ll see that she has various Pilates workouts. Some are classical mat Pilates, while many focus on cardio, whole body, specific body parts, equipment (mini bands, weights, Pilates ring, etc.), and even yoga. Since I enjoy working on my mobility and flexibility, this combination of yoga and Pilates is perfect. Every week, Nicole creates a new workout plan in the form of a playlist, so you don’t even have to search for a video. I’ve found my perfect workout in Pilates. I feel like I’m never going to stop doing it. I feel the best I’ve ever felt, and I think I look the best I’ve ever looked.
If you can relate to what I look for in a workout, I wholeheartedly recommend trying Pilates. And start with Move with Nicole — you’ll see what real Pilates is and the positive effects it has on your body, but more importantly your mind. Nicole has a playlist for beginners on her YouTube channel so you can start with that!
