Philosophy, Food and Pilates

Hi everyone,

I hope you’ve had a lovely start to autumn.

It’s been really nice getting back into the usual routine, and one of my favourite things about this time of year is seeing all my regular clients again after a long summer, catching up on what everyone’s been up to and getting back to moving together.

I’ve also been really enjoying teaching my new beginners class, meeting some lovely new faces and helping this warm and welcoming bunch of people build their confidence with Pilates.

So, as we settle into the new season, here are a few things I’ve been thinking about, reading, eating and some movement for today…

Something I’ve been reading…

Meditations is a collection of thoughts and reflections on how to live a good life, written by Marcus Auruelius who was a Roman Emperor and stoic philosopher.

His thoughts were mainly around focusing on what you can control, accepting what you can’t, and trying to respond to life thoughtfully rather than being completely thrown around by everything that happens.

Whenever I start a new book, the first thing I do is flick through to a completely random page and read a paragraph to see whether I think I’m going to enjoy it.

So when I picked up Meditations and flicked to a random page, I landed on Marcus Aurelius having what was essentially an argument with himself about getting out of bed in the morning.

It made me smile, firstly because I’m guilty of this myself but mainly at the thought of how a book written by a Roman emperor nearly 2,000 years ago could feel so relatable to modern life.

This book was not an easy read! The language is very much of its time and there were some moments where I had to reread a paragraph a few times and other parts where I had absolutely no idea what he was going on about!

But I’ve actually really enjoyed that part of it and it has been quite satisfying trying to decipher what he’s getting at.

As I worked my way through the book, I found some more ideas that made me stop and smile at how relevant they still are to modern day life. Here are a few of my favourites:

       Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing

A lot of peace and productivity can be gained by not constantly looking at what other people are doing, saying, thinking or achieving.

       We make life harder by doing too much

Not everything needs doing. Not every message needs answering. Not every thought needs following. Sometimes doing less gives you more time to enjoy your life.

       You’re allowed to change your mind

Even if you feel strongly committed to something, taking the steps to change something that doesn’t feel right is a sign of strength, not weakness.

One of the biggest ideas in the book is a very simple one:

Focus on what you can control, and let go of what you can’t.

And then I started thinking about Pilates...

Because actually, the same principle applies to our bodies. We can’t control everything about getting older. We can’t control every ache or niggle, an old injury, how quickly our bodies change, or the fact that none of us are going to stay exactly the same forever.

But there are things we can influence. We can move our bodies. We can work on our strength, balance and mobility. We can pay attention to how we feel. We can keep practising the things that help us feel capable and confident in our bodies.

And most importantly, we can stop fighting the things we can’t change and start focusing on what we can do.

I think that’s one of the reasons I love Pilates so much. It’s not about trying to create a perfect body or pretending that our bodies won’t change. It’s about doing what you can do with the body you have today.

My current food obsessions

I thought I’d write about a couple of foods I’ve been enjoying recently.

My current food obsession is Sopa Paraguaya, the national dish of Paraguay, and something I grew up eating. Despite the name, it’s not a soup at all, but a savoury, cheesy cornbread made with sweetcorn, cornmeal, cheese, milk, eggs and onions. It’s very comforting and completely addictive.

My daughter and I have got into the habit of making batches of it, so we always have a supply in the fridge. We heat it up for snacks, lunch, dinner... and occasionally even breakfast.

If you have children or grandchildren, it’s a really good one to try as it’s very kid-friendly. Although, if you have an anti-onion member of the family, I’d recommend chopping those onions up very small!

And if you fancy giving it a try, the recipe is my mum’s, a proper authentic Paraguayan recipe, passed down from her to me, and now to my daughter.

You can find the recipe here on my website.

My other current obsession is Challa bread with butter. So good!

And if you’re local to East Barnet, the best place to get it is from Source of Life Bakehouse, where they make it fresh every Friday. ❤️

Their sourdough is amazing too, so you may want to pick up a loaf while you’re there!

Movement for today

A quick and simple standing sequence to wake up the spine and get it moving in all directions. These are all exercises we practise regularly in class, so you may recognise a few!

Try 5-10 reps of each exercise. Remember to move slowly, with control and within your comfortable range of movement.

Roll Downs

Stand tall with your feet about hip-width apart. Gently tuck your chin and slowly roll down through your spine, letting your head and arms relax towards the floor. Slowly roll back up to standing.

Waist Twists

Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms in a ‘T’. Gently rotate your head, neck and upper body from side to side, keeping your hips facing forwards.

Side Reach

Stand tall with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Reach one arm up and gently lean your body to the opposite side, creating length through the side of your waist. Return to centre and repeat on the other side.

Standing Extension

Stand tall with your hands interlaced behind your head. Gently lift through your chest and lean back a little, keeping your legs steady and your movement comfortable. Return to an upright position.

Nothing complicated! Just a little moment to give your body a bit of attention.

If you fancy doing a little more at home, I’ve also found this NHS movement video which is very similar to the exercises we do in class. It’s a lovely option if you have a bit more time and want to keep your body moving between sessions. Give it a go and see how you get on!

Watch the NHS movement video

My Pilates Classes

Here’s my current class schedule. Most classes are currently full, but I’m hoping to add some new classes soon. If you’d like to join a class or be kept up to date about new spaces, just get in touch.

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read my little newsletter.

And if you do try my mum’s Sopa Paraguaya recipe, please let me know how you get on, I’d love to hear what you think!

Take care and I’ll see you in class soon,

Aimee x