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This simple and quick morning pilates routine is a perfect way to set the tone for the rest of your day, allowing you to move through it with simplicity and ease.

You’ll get some delicious, gentle movement into tight areas like your back and hips and also build strength in that all important core, so as it’s ready to support you for the day ahead.

The benefits of moving your body in the morning

I find moving my body in the morning one of the most productive ways to set me up for a productive and positive day head. Some of the amazing benefits of morning exercise include:

Time in the morning can feel like a luxury, especially if you are juggling family priorites and I know not everyone has the time, or energy, to smash out a 30 minute HIIT session.

That’s one of the main reason’s why I developed The Lifetonic Club – to make it easy for you to fit in a workout that will leave you feeling great but won’t be a drain on either of those things. You can follow this link to find out more about TLC (don’t you just love that the acronym is TLC!).

Getting into a morning routine

It can take a while to get into a routine with exercise in the morning, but I’ve found having a goal to move myself for just 10 or 15 minutes, and focusing on how I’m going to feel after it, is enough motivation for me to roll out my mat.

In fact, I actually look forward to setting my alarm clock to get up that little bit earlier!

And if you’re reading this wondering how you could possibly find the time for yourself first thing, then let me introduce you to a little secret about how to master it – you steal it from your evening.

I had to change my habits many years ago when I suffered from chronic low back pain. The morning was often the worst time for me. I’d wake up stiff, sore and tired, which often translated into a less than positive mood! Often it would take at least 15 minutes just to get up and moving around.

It wasn’t until I discovered pilates and incorporated some simple 10 to 15 minute stretches into my morning routine, that I felt a huge difference, not just in the pain I was having but in my mood too.

And all I really had to do, was get up a little bit earlier than I was actually used to, but the pay off was huge; I’ve not had back pain for over 15 years now.

julie doing the pilates cobra
A simple morning pilates routine is a quick and effective way to shake off stiff muscles first thing in the morning.

So yes, I’ve tried and tested the theory that you don’t have to get up hours before work to ‘fit in’ exercise and feel good. Nor do you have to go to bed hours before you get up!

Making your routine work for you

I’ve discovered a way that makes exercise work for me, for my routine, and in a way that helps me to reap all of the incredible benefits of pilates in a very short space of time.

One that leaves me feeling energised, healthy and eager to get up and on my mat every day because of how I feel at the end of it and it doesn’t take up hours of my day.

That’s what feeling good should be all about – easy, accessible and convenient for you.

I think often when we hear the word ‘routine’ we can be misled into thinking it’s about getting up hours before to do 100 different tasks to bring us into a zen like state.

Let me simplify things by telling you that your morning routine should come with ease and instill a sense of calm, which is what this workout is designed to do.

So, I hope you enjoy it! It’s a perfect daily pilates routine for beginners, it will also benefit anyone with a more advanced practice; you’ll get all the healthy movement your body needs in one simple, mood boosting burst!

Use it to bring in some fresh energy for the day ahead and to set you up on a note of positivity for whatever comes your way.

And if you’re looking for a little added inspiration for your morning routine, then you can check out this blog post where I share 5 Tips for a Mindful Morning.
Start your day on a note of positivity with this quick and simple morning pilates routine

Leave me a comment to let me know what you think and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube Channel so as you can be notified when other pilates routines, just like this one, go live!

Love Julie x

P.S. After some more quick and simple pilates routines to help you feel good? Then don’t forget to download my FREE PDF – 5 simple pilates exercises you can do everyday below!

Mindful Decluttering

Hi friends

Spring is in the air, which is also the official season of Ostara!   Ostara is the goddess of Spring and the Spring Equinox and she represents renewal and  rejuvenation! So I could not think of a better Lifetonic theme for this month than mindful decluttering.

A few years back, I got into the habit of what’s called ‘mindful decluttering. ’ Clutter can really affect how we feel about ourselves and the space around us.  When we plan to take action it can sometimes feel overwhelming because we often approach it without a clear plan or vision.

What is Mindful Decluttering?

Well, it’s first knowing clearly what you want from your home and life, and then consciously working towards that vision by letting go of anything that doesn’t serve that vision.

When you start to feel the overwhelm kick it –come back to this.  Creating a vision board for the space on pinterest can be a particularly useful way to keep you motivated  and on track. Visualising something can often help make it a reality.

photo of a minimalist living room that has undergone mindful decluttering.

Clutter can be defined in a lot of ways, but we probably most associate clutter with having too many things or having a disorganized space.  It’s easy to accumulate items in our living spaces over the years.

And let’s face it, it’s probably fair to say we’ve maybe accumulate a few more things than we probably planned on having at the start of 2020!

Whilst clutter may look and feel different for all of us, reducing it is a really helpful way to lighten our mind and create a sense of calm around us, benefiting our mental health and overall well-being.

The Benefits of Decluttering

In fact, by reducing the physical clutter, you may find that you also feel more focused and energized!

Here are a few other benefits of decluttering:

Reduced stress and frustration when it comes to your daily environment

The best way to choose what to keep and what to throw away is to take each item in one’s hand and ask: “Does this spark joy?”

Marie kondo

Ready to declutter mindfully?

To get you started, I’ve pulled together 10 creative decluttering tips that can also have a positive impact on your wellbeing:

Start with 5 minutes at a time. If you’re new to decluttering, you can slowly build momentum with just five minutes a day.

Give one item away each day. This would remove 365 items every single year from your home. If you increased this to 2 per day, you would have given away 730 items you no longer needed. Increase this number once it gets too easy.

Fill an entire rubbish bag. Get a rubbish bag and fill it as fast as you can with things you can donate at Goodwill.

Donate clothes you never wear.  To identify them, simply hang all your clothes with hangers in the reverse direction. After wearing an item, face the hanger in the correct direction. Discard the clothes you never touched after a few months.

Create a decluttering checklist. It’s a lot easier to declutter when you have a visual representation of where you need to get started. You can use this decluttering checklist that I created especially for you!

mindful decluttering clears your space of unnecessary items.

Take the 12-12-12 challenge. Locate 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to be returned to their proper home.  This is a fun one to get kids involved with!

View your home as a first-time visitor. It’s easy to “forget” what your home looks like to a new visitor. Enter your home as if you’re visiting the home of a friend. Write down your first impression on how clean and organized the home is and make changes.

Take before and after photos of a small area. Choose one part of your home, like your kitchen counter, and take a photo of a small area. Quickly clean off the items in the photo and take an after photo. Once you see how your home could look, it becomes easier to start decluttering more of your home.  Remember what I said about visualising!

Recruit help. Have a friend or family member go through your home and suggest a handful of big items to throw away or give to someone else. If you defend the item and want to keep it, your friend has to agree with your reason. If they don’t agree, it’s time to get rid of it.  Just make sure it ends with a smile on both sides!

Use the Four-Box Method.  Get four boxes and label them:  rubbish, give away, keep, or re-locate. Enter any room in your home and place each item into one of the following boxes. Don’t skip a single item, no matter how insignificant you may think it is. This may take days, weeks, or months, but it will help you see how many items you really own and you’ll know exactly what to do with each item.

You only need to choose one of those decluttering tips to get started.  Remember, the goal is to take your first step in decluttering your life and as we always say here at The Lifetonic  Club and Ostara – it’s the small things often that add up to big results!

When we declutter it can also help reduce feeling of anxiety that tend to cause more stress in our lives.  As you accumulate less in life, you acquire more in your heart – space for friends, family, healthy pursuits, even pilates!

If you’d like to take your Lifetonic to the next level, then I’d highly recommend reading Spark Joy by Marie Kondo.

On Netflix The Minimalists is worth a watch and they also have this fun 30 Day Minimalism Challenge.

For a great podcast try this one called How to Simplify Your Life

There is a beautiful world of freedom and fresh breath hiding behind that clutter. Deciding how to declutter your home is up to you but I hope you find something here to motivate and inspire you!

Drop into TLC Facebook Community and let us know what one decluttering tip you’re going to try this month.

Cheering you on for a magical April!

Love Julie x

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Recently in my membership, I was asked a question around how to keep consistent and motivated with your at home pilates workouts. I know from teaching hundreds of clients over the years that it can be hard to stay on track when we’re so busy and when life is so up and down.

So today on the blog I’m sharing the 5 simple steps I encourage my clients to use to get their fitness mojo back and to stay on track with your home workouts:

1. Change your perspective

One of THE most important things you can do is to think about how you want to feel and let that be your driving force. For example you might want to feel happier, more energetic, less stressed, less achy in your body etc.

This puts more of a focus on the intrinsic factors of motivation, i.e. doing something because you enjoy it and enjoy the way it makes you feel

​versus

​the external factors of motivation ie. doing something for reward, praise, or a sense of obligation. For example thinking that a workout has to be 60 minutes and a sweatfeast to be effective. Or you have to crunch X amount of calories to earn that bacon roll for breakfast (you don’t by the way). This sort of thinking can easily lead to

2. Set a goal

If you’re out of the habit of exercising, it can seem like climbing a mountain in flipflops to get back into it right?!

I’ve found from experience that the easiest thing to do in is to focus on one thing that will support your wellbeing each week.

It could be something as simple as drinking more water each day or having the cupboards stacked with healthy snacks – just make sure it seems do-able for you and the season you’re in. For me writing it down and putting it somewhere I can see it helps me stay on track. I encourage you to do the same.
Try this 15 minute Warming Core Pilates workout

3. Schedule a regular time

Find a time that works best for you. Ask for help or support from partner if you have kids. Schedule it in your calendar and set a digital reminder. Focus on how the action you’re taking is going to support you to feel the way you want to feel. Try and stick to the same time each week to build the habit in your brain (neurons that fire together, wire together). Eventually you’ll just start to roll out your mat, fill your water bottle or reach for the healthy snacks on auto pilot.

For me, it’s always been about finding super simple ways to get my workouts in, without having to move heaven and earth in the process (how much kit do you need to get to the gym!).

I became a big fan of doing just 15 minutes of pilates when my Dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I had zero time to myself – this just fitted easily into my day and I was amazed at how quickly and easily I built strength and was able to calm myself.

It was a real game changer for me and an easy way to take care of myself during a really stressful time.

4. Think fun and variety

You need variety to stay motivated plus a workout should be fun and enjoyable; something you look forward! That’s why I add fresh new content every month to the membership library with different themes and fun ways to enjoy pilates and look after your body and mind.

5. Get a work out buddy

It can help to have an accountability buddy if you’re working towards a goal. Time to phone your bestie! In my membership community, we encourage and motivate each other though our private Facebook group.

There is no end of support, encouragement and good vibes. I am always so humbled to check in to the group and see just what a safe, supportive and uplifting space it is. It’s the first place I go when I feel my fitness mojo waning!

When you make the time to invest in your health everyone you come into contact with benefits but most of all, you benefit yourself and you are SO deserving of that. ​

So, set yourself a goal right now and give my 20 minute Strength and Stretch Pilates workout a go over the weekend – why not challenge yourself to do it 3 times over the next week and feel the benefit of what a quick workout can really do for you. Just select the link and it’s yours! ​

Will you let me know your thoughts if you try it?

I know you can do it but if you need an accountability buddy let me know!

Am cheering you on.

Love Julie x

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