Hi there and welcome back to my blog! It's been a whirlwind of a time since my last post. Life's hectic pace meant I could only manage weekly video updates, but I'm thrilled to announce that I'm back to connect with you through my writing each week.

This year marks the beginning of an exhilarating adventure for me, and I'm eager to bring you along for every milestone. In 2024, I'm focusing on taking back my body, which has been overwhelmed by the challenging phase of peri-menopause, aging parents, a demanding day job, and a hectic family schedule.  Can you relate?

I'm determined and ready to regain control of me and my wellbeing - let's just say I've put "me" on the back-burner.  I've done exactly what I teach my clients not to do - but when you're in it, you. are. in. it.  And sometimes it's so murky, it's hard to see the way out.  But, I can see the light now. 

For most of my adult life, I've tried not to define my body by its size. However, recently,...

If you’ve been following me for a while,  you know that I’m a big believer in the importance of finding connection in our movement.  I want you to stop thinking that an exercise is supposed to look a certain way.  Instead focus on how the movement feels in your body.

So often we lose the juicy parts of movement because we’re so focused on getting to the end result. We get a picture in our mind of how we think it’s supposed to look, and we miss out on all the details along the way.

And if you also know me, you know I’m ALLLLL about the details. 

Results are in the details.

In today’s video I explain “The Power of the Pelvis”.  There is so much power in our body when we connect to all the different muscles around the pelvis.  I call them the BATH muscles.

B   utt

A   bs

T   highs

H   ips

As you continue on your...

How has your body been feeling lately, {{first_name}}? 

If you've been feeling stiff and achy, and maybe even a bit rundown, then today's video is for you.  It's the first video in a series I'm creating, all about "finding your body".

Sometimes we go through our days not even realizing where our body is in space.  We live on autopilot of slouched shoulders, grippy low backs, and pounding leg joints as we move around. When we repeat these poor postural habits and movement patterns all day long, only aggravating the stiffness, pain, and exhaustion.

This video series is intended to help you become more aware of how your body moves and communicates.  By the end of the series, my hope is to have you moving with more ease, strength, and power.

Unless you've been doing Pilates for a long time, you probably have some sleepy muscles in your body.  And the more they sleep, the weaker they get (think deep inner hamstring muscles)- while your wide awake...

Hi {{first_name}},

Recently, I've run into a few people who've asked me how my yoga classes are going.  I'm used to it, but there's still a part of me that wants to cry out, I'm a Pilates Instructor!

In recent years, the two methods have fused so much that it's hard to tell the difference.  But, if you study the traditional exercises taught by Joseph Pilates himself, you'll see a distinct difference.

Pilates is corrective exercise where the the body's coordination, posture, balance, and alignment are improved. Pilates is more concerned with efficiency - not duration, frequency, or intensity like traditional exercise.

And even though I'm your guide and teacher, NO ONE can tell you what's right for your body, only you can.  With the right Pilates instructor, you will be guided to become your own teacher.

Pilates is body conditioning at it's finest.  Study Pilates on a regular basis, and your body will be conditioned to take on any sport, activity, or rigorous...

Have you ever tried to do the Pilates Roll Over and thought, I never want to do this again?  

The roll-over is a pose that many of my students are hesitant to do because it can be super painful if you do it incorrectly.

In this video, I'll breakdown the roll-over so you can learn how to properly support your body from your mid-back and core and not rely on your joints collapsing over you. (Ouch!)

If you have any neck issues, I provide some modifications you can do instead!

And once again, thank you for being part of the BTC community.

xoGretchen

Right now, fear is everywhere - pandemics, riots, and protests.  Deep rooted fear. 

As human beings, our main purpose is to deliver our talents and gifts, as well as to express our inner-BEingness, to the world .  We're meant to shower the earth with creativity, new inventions and ideas, spontaneous goodness, resourcefulness, and love.  Fear hijacks this BEingness making it impossible to create at the high level we were intended.

Every great change has come from someone imagining something different, something better during times of chaos and uncertainty.  Nothing can ever change unless someone imagines the possibility in their mind first.   It's our thoughts that lead to inspiration, that lead to action, and that eventually lead to transformation.  

When we are stifled by fear, we can’t think straight, let alone imagine something better.   Our body gets consumed by chemicals created from the stress and anxiety.   Our...

Over the past two months, life has slowed and quickened, all at the same time.  I relate the slowness to simpleness.  Reminders of the way I grew up - lots of outside play, family dinners, movie nights, quiet time to read, boredom - (the kids, not me!).  There's no rushing around from activity to activity, which has been more than amazing.  I wonder if I'll ever want to go back.  

I feel myself getting anxious as I hear more cars on the road.  Life is slowly re-opening, and I sit on my porch wondering if I'm ready for re-entry.  Every single inch of me needed this quarantine.  Yes, there was fear.  Yes, it was hard.  But I feel healed when I didn't even know I needed healing.  

This morning I went for a run - headphones on, music pumping.  All of a sudden I felt nudged to take off my headphones and slow down.  I turned off the music and cooled down from my run.  I wasn’t sure where I was...

#pilatesimperfect is the community hashtag I use on Instagram. (Come follow me @balancedtothecore.)  I use it as a reminder to be softer with myself.  To have more grace.  To not be so critical.

It was about 5 years ago when I filmed my first Pilates workout.  All I can say is ”ugh”.  I was completely caught off guard.  In my mind and body, I felt like a gazelle, strong and graceful, supple and fierce.  But oh man, the camera caught something completely different.  In my body I felt aligned and beautiful, but when I saw myself on the screen, I wasn’t even close to looking how I felt.  To say I was disappointed, would be an understatement.  I was deflated.  So deflated that I stopped filming videos.  Hence, a two year hiatus from starting my dream online business.  

Years later, I tried filming again.  (My dream was too big to put on the back-burner).  I decided that this time around, I...

With our favorite gyms and studios closed for the time being, we all have been looking to "at-home workouts" to fill the void.  I thought it would be a good time to help you monitor what an effective workout really means.

For many people, their indicator is “soreness”, but I want you to try to steer clear from that right now, because there’s too many factors involved with that ides such as -

• How predisposed you are to getting sore?
• How intensely did you move?
• How frequently did you do the same movement?
• What was your activity level before?
• Did you overuse the muscles which can eventually lead to injury?

As you get stronger, you may develop sore muscles, but this is no indication of whether the workout was “good” or not. 

As an instructor, I like to tell my students to consider me as their guide.  I can suggest where to go with an exercise or workout, I can coach and inspire, but I am not the reason for their effective OR ineffective...

I've been procrastinating a lot with this blog post.  Lately, I just feel blah.  A lack of inspiration and a heavy uneasy feeling lies beneath the surface of everything I do.   

In the past I would ignore this feeling and just push through it, but not now. 

I've got tools now, many that I've taught to the BTC community.  These tools help me work through the uneasy so I live it, feel it, and then release it.  Acknowledge it, embrace it, then move through it.  I can't let it stay stuck in me, otherwise it will grow and turn into something really ugly. 

It's hard do the work.  Sometimes life hits us at a speed so fast and with an impact so hard, we're left feeling bewildered, fearful, and overwhelmed.  How do we get through without totally collapsing in a heap of tears on the bathroom floor?

Someone recently described to me that we are going through a time of metamorphosis and right now we are in the cocooning...