You don’t need no resolutions–we love you just the way you are. Unmade bed and all!

Move away from the toxicity of the fitness industry, it really enables you to live a fuller life.

The wellness industry is changing, and to quote Martha Stewart, “it’s a good thing.” More than ever before, we’re seeing an awareness as the New Year approaches, that resolutions aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. In this endless pandemic limbo, the pressure to remake ourselves or set big personal goals or buy into an idea of a new body/diet/lifestyle being the answer to all of life’s problems seems woefully outdated. Hurray! That doesn’t mean you can’t set your sights on reaching a milestone or attaining a long held dream, but we aren’t going to love you any less because you choose to come to class for the fun and the camaraderie, rather than hoping to shed a few pounds or a dress size. Life is challenging enough.

I never enjoyed swimming lessons when I was a kid because I wore glasses, and in the pool, I couldn’t see very well. It made me self-conscious and nervous that I was doing something wrong, afraid that I was literally out of my lane. The best thing I did was go back and take swimming lessons as a 38-year-old adult, because I really didn’t give a hoot what anyone thought. I just had a casual desire to paddleboard. And, to be fair, I had contact lenses. The point is that I was doing it for the fun of it and so it was fun. The fact that I improved was secondary. But it also gave the me the freedom to try more things without worrying if I looked stupid. It was a real “dance like nobody’s watching” situation that profoundly improved my life. It didn’t start with a bucket list, or a need to compete at an elite level, and it turned out to be a truly positive experience.

The fitness industrial machine is built on the idea that there’s always something more you could be doing to improve yourself. Another class to take, or book to read, or way to increase this and eliminate that. But if there’s always something else we could be doing, it’s easy to feel like we’re never enough. Like an endless scroll through social media that leaves us feeling inadequate and dissatisfied. And while living under the cloud of COVID-19 means there are plenty of conditions that might be leaving you underwhelmed or unfulfilled, it can be healthy to step back and take a broader view. Is your participation in Pilates classes at Retrofit keeping you moving on a regular basis? Does it give you a sense of community? Do you feel better after a class than you did before? That’s all we want for you. If you, personally, want to challenge yourself to do a class every day, or train for a half marathon, or try #52hikes in a year, that’s great–we support you and hope Retrofit can help you get there! But we also know that getting out from under a load of expectations can free us in a way that allows us to live our lives to the fullest.

There’s a lot of uncertainty right now, but we’re excited to be coming back together in person, and happy to have some new offerings on the calendar. Springboard is back on the schedule, as well as afternoon reformer classes for those who’ve missed them. Your ongoing safety and well-being are top of mind, and you can bet we will continue to pay close attention to recommendations around class sizes and other precautions.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year! Cheers to 2022!