Thursday, Day 7 - Today we are moving on again to Barcelona so we are packing up. The only way to get something done on a day like this is to be prepared and fit in a session early in the morning …. Or at least that’s what you should do - I didn’t do that because I slept in a bit long, it was freezing when I woke up and I didn’t feel like I could do a session while everyone else was getting ready to leave - seems different in a hotel room than in a yurt in the open air. So I felt like all was lost for this day which would have been really frustrating especially as I always feel I need to move really well before or after driving for a long time. We drove to Barcelona, spent ages finding a parking garage we could fit into, moved all our crap into the Air BnB we had rented and generally sweated and puffed a lot herding the kids around. We lost any enthusiasm for going out and enjoying a tapas meal - you know how your imagination creates these lovely scenarios of relaxed evenings out, simple chit chat and laughter - and then you know how the reality of evenings out with kids is far, far different from that, that’s where we were at!! Spag bol in the flat and a massive struggle at bedtime - y’know, standard!! I didn't want to lose the day completely, so whilst my husband was doing showers with the kids I started by doing the pilates session for the day (Week 3 of my programme) and of course once the ginger nut noticed I was on the floor I got jumped on!! Carry on anyway - I’m hoping he might have got bored eventually, ha ha, yeah right!! Then I put the kids down to bed, had the usual fight with them about whether or not it really was bedtime, and all the standard questions about why it was dark/light/too hot/too cold/what day it was/where we were/too much noise/too little noise/why we were still awake now and so on and so on. So whilst all that went on I just got on with the strength session for this week - it doesn’t really matter if I get disturbed in that sort of session in comparison to the circuit session.
Here are the exercises:
Press back with straight arms with long green band
Pull down with straight arms (bent over)
Clam with band
Kickback with ball in knee
Pilates focus was on glute strength - an absolute concrete pillar of strength that needs to be worked on worked on and then worked on some more. We sit on our arses so much and spend very little time in deep hip flexion (a deep squat) that are glute muscles have become so weak. As mothers we need to work on this area because it is essential we create a strong foundation from which we can carry any load, be mobile and flexible enough to do our tasks and so that we can have our bodies function the way we deserve. Work on your glute muscles relentlessly and your body will absolutely thank you for it. This pilates session was an intro on how to work the glutes in lying positions, side lying and kneeling on all 4s.
Hurray for me - I did a good load of exercise to counteract the long drive and nourished my need for self-care and daily movement - snatching victory from the jaws of defeat!