Is Fear Of The Unknown Keeping You In Chronic Pain?

One of my lovely clients who I'll call Gemma recently spent a week with her parents who live interstate in a small country town.  During her stay, Gemma became concerned about her mother's mobility issues. Having had a hip replacement 12 years earlier, Gemma's mother confided in her that she felt unstable and feared falling.  Gemma also noticed her posture had deteriorated since she had last seen her as she had become so much more hunched forward and round shouldered than she remembered. Her Mum was also experiencing upper back pain but hadn't done anything about it.

Straight away Gemma knew that Pilates would be ideal for her 75 year old mother and suggested she give it a try.  Gemma started Pilates with me in March 2020 solely using my online studio. She is dealing with rheumatoid arthritis and has found Pilates to be the perfect way to build strength while protecting her joints.  She has a weekly 1 on 1 sesion with me via Skype, in the comfort of her own home, so if she is having a flare-up or has a sinus infection which occurs regularly due to her compromised immune system, I can adjust her session accordingly.  When she is feeling good we make the session a little more challenging and when she isn't we make it more basic. She also uses the library of on demand videos on my website between sessions as she feels she needs to.  This helps to keep her joints mobile and decreases her pain levels allowing her to move more freely.  She also has a high-pressured corporate job and she finds the calming, meditative aspect of Pilates, due to the concious breathing pattern, highly beneficial for unwinding after a long, stressful day at work.

Given that Gemma has found her Pilates training to be so enormously beneficial for her health and well-being, it's only natural that she would want her much-loved Mum to enjoy those same health benefits as she ages, so she can enjoy her retirement years.  Gemma doesn't want to see her Mum injured by a fall and she knows her poor posture is going to leave her susceptible to a variety of injuries, particaularly as she already has pain in this area.

Gemma shared her own Pilates journey with her Mum and took time to show her my website and even demonstrated some basic balancing exercises. Her Mum wants to improve her balance and her posture so she feels more confident when she moves but there is only one thing holding her back.  Fear of the unknown. What if it's too difficult? What if she can't use the technology? What if she doesn't get results? Fear is keeping Gemma's Mum in pain and she is definitely fearful of failing too.  Instead of facing her fears which would mean she would be pain-free and stable again so she wouldn't fear falling anymore, she is stuck. She is not willing to take the risk of trying somethin new.

As human beings our brains are oriented towards our survival so we are naturally wary or fearful of situations that are unknown or unpredictable. Gemma's Mum said she would probably feel more comfortable doing Pilates face to face in a studio rather than virtually.  Even though her beloved daughter is successfully learning Pilates virtually with me and has done so for 2.5 years, never setting foot in an actual Pilates studio it's still not enough to convince her to try it.

In March 2020 when everything shut down due to Covid lockdown including my brick & mortar Pilates studio of almost 15 years, teaching online was the the only option to keep classes going.  It was an unknown both for myself and the 2 clients who came forward to give it a try.  Did I fear the unknown? Was I slightly scared? Yes, I most definitely was! Just like Gemma's Mum I didn't know what to expect and neither did my clients.  I faced my fears and it worked!  Just like in my brick and mortar studio clients have achieved the same life changing results through Pilates.  Some have rehabilitated from surgery, others have overcome debilitating back pain and avoided surgey. Those with foot issues are strengthening their core and feet and improving their balance so they can walk without pain again.  Some like Gemma have conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, MS or osteoporosis and have specific requirements when they exercise and my unique Pilates program ticks all the boxes for this. Those first two brave clients who leapt into the unknown world of virtual Pilates achieved incredible results and are still doing weekly sessions with me to this day.  Thankfully many more clients also took the leap.to go virtual.. Sometimes we need to weigh up.the risks and benefits of a situation and take the plunge.  Gemma's Mum lives in a tiny country town and in person Pilates options are very limited.  If she was just willing to try virtual Pilates she would find that it wasn't scary or painful after all but very "user friendly."  It could be the difference between an enjoyable, active retirement or years of pain and apprehension each time she moves which will only get worse over time.

My online Pilates studio is specifically designed to help you recover from pain or injury.  You begin with an Initial Assessment and then I design a program for you based on your individual needs to help you become pain-free.  Click here to learn more about my online studio and how you can start working with me.  Alternatively contact me at [email protected]  if you have any questions. Virtual Pilates is definitely not scary, as all my current clients will tell you.   It's worth taking a leap into the unknown so you can become-pain free and move with ease and confidence again.  It woud be my plaseure to assist you on your PIlates journey to pain-free living!