Consistency is Key

We all love a breakthrough. The moment when something finally clicks, when our body feels lighter, stronger, more capable. Those moments are exciting, and they’re usually what get shared on social media or celebrated in success stories. But the truth I’ve seen over decades of teaching Pilates, Barre, and every form of movement in between is that breakthroughs are almost never created in a single big moment. They are built quietly, through small, regular efforts that stack on top of each other over time.

Consistency isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t come with a dramatic before-and-after photo. It looks like showing up when you don’t feel like it, doing the work when no one is watching, and trusting that the process is doing something even when you can’t yet feel it. But consistency is what changes your body. It’s what makes movement safer. It’s what allows strength to become stable and flexibility to become usable instead of fragile.

One of the simplest and most powerful tools for consistency is scheduling. When your workouts live in your calendar the same way your meetings, appointments, or commitments do, they stop being optional. They become part of the structure of your week. And structure is not restrictive — it’s supportive. It removes the daily decision-making of “Should I work out today?” and replaces it with “This is when I move.”

So many people struggle with motivation not because they are lazy, but because they leave movement up to mood. If you only exercise when you feel inspired, you will exercise far less than your body needs. Scheduling your workouts creates a container that holds you steady when motivation fluctuates. It allows movement to be something you return to, rather than something you have to keep starting over.

This is why in my own life and in my teaching, I treat movement like a standing appointment. It’s not something I negotiate with myself every day. It’s already decided. That decision was made once, in advance, and now I simply follow through.

There’s also something very real about accountability that most people underestimate. When there is nothing at stake, it is easy to cancel. But when there is a cost — whether that cost is financial, emotional, or structural — we show up differently. This is where the idea of “taking away rewards” when you miss a workout becomes important.

We tend to think of rewards as something we earn for being good, but in practice they are often what keep us consistent. Maybe your reward is access to a certain class, a favorite instructor, a training program you love, or even the momentum you’ve built for yourself. When you skip workouts without consequence, you aren’t just missing a class — you are interrupting that reward system. You’re breaking the pattern that was supporting you.

This is one of the reasons late cancellation policies exist in studios and private training. They’re not there to punish you. They’re there to protect your consistency. When you know you will be charged if you cancel late, you’re far more likely to show up even on the days when your energy is low or your schedule feels tight. And more often than not, those are the days when your body actually needs movement the most.

Private training takes this idea even further. When you have a session booked just for you, with a teacher waiting and a plan prepared, the level of accountability shifts. You are no longer one of many faces in a room. You are the priority. That can be incredibly powerful, especially for people who struggle to stay consistent on their own.

Private sessions also allow for something deeper than just accountability: personalization. Your body, your injuries, your stress levels, and your goals are all taken into account. You’re not trying to fit yourself into a generic class — the session is built around you. That level of care can accelerate progress, not because the exercises are necessarily harder, but because they are more precise.

But even private training only works if it is treated as a real commitment. When sessions are canceled last minute or rescheduled endlessly, the rhythm breaks. The body loses the continuity it needs to adapt and grow. The relationship with movement becomes unstable again. That’s why fees for late cancellations are not about money — they are about honoring the process.

Every time you keep a commitment to move, even when it would be easier not to, you are reinforcing a relationship with yourself. You are saying, “This matters.” Over time, that message becomes internalized. You start to trust yourself more. You stop needing external motivation. You begin to see yourself as someone who follows through.

And that’s where real change happens.

Small, regular efforts don’t feel dramatic, but they are powerful. Ten sessions spread over ten weeks will do more for your body than ten sessions crammed into two weeks and then abandoned. Your muscles, your joints, your nervous system — all of them respond to steady input. They don’t thrive on intensity alone. They thrive on repetition, on safety, on predictability.

This is also why so many people feel frustrated when they stop and start over and over again. It’s not that they’re failing — it’s that they’re never staying long enough for the process to work. Consistency is what allows your body to stop being reactive and start becoming resilient.

So if you’re struggling with motivation, don’t ask yourself how to work harder. Ask yourself how to make it easier to show up. Put your workouts on the calendar. Choose times you can realistically keep. Invest in accountability, whether that’s a class, a private session, or a program that feels meaningful to you. Respect the boundaries that support your consistency, including late cancellation policies and scheduling commitments.

You don’t need to be perfect. You don’t need to be intense. You just need to be steady.

Because in movement, as in life, the quiet work you do regularly will always outweigh the big effort you make once in a while.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Behind the Cue: Hold Still

By Leslie Guerin • February 2, 2026

Stability Is Not Stillness — It’s Organized Effort “Hold still.” If you’ve ever taken one of my classes, you’ve heard me say it. And if you’ve ever felt it, you know it isn’t about freezing. Most of the time when a teacher says “hold still,” it’s because something else is happening. Maybe bouncing, gripping, bracing, or compensating of some kind. Something is moving that shouldn’t be. But “hold still” does not mean “be still.” Those two cues might sound similar, but in Pilates they mean very different things. Be Still vs Hold Still Be still is a pause. It’s a full stop. It’s often used so you can feel one specific thing: “Be still… feel your ribs.” “Be still… notice your pelvis.” “Be still… now breathe.” It’s about attention. Hold still is something else entirely. Hold still means: Stay organized Stay lifted Stay connected Stay breathing You are not passive. You are not collapsed. You are actively maintaining shape while something else moves. It is one of the most advanced skills in Pilates. Why Teachers Say “Hold Still” We say it when we see: The pelvis shifting The ribs popping The shoulders helping Momentum sneaking in The body is trying to get the job done by recruiting the wrong helpers. So “hold still” is really a request for clean movement : Let only the part that is supposed to move… move. Everything else must work just as hard, just not by changing position. Side-Lying Leg Lifts: The Perfect Example Let’s take one of the most deceptively simple exercises in mat Pilates: Side-lying leg lifts. On the surface, it looks like this: You lie on your side You lift the top leg You lower it But what is really happening is far more complex. This exercise is designed to balance one side of the body on the other . The top leg moves. The rest of the body holds still. Not rigid. Not collapsed. Not gripping. Holding. What “Hold Still” Actually Means Here While the top leg lifts and lowers: The bottom side of the body is working. The bottom rib cage is lifted off the mat, creating space The waist is long, not sagging The spine is stacked, not rolled back The top hand in front of the body is not there to lean on, it is there to quiet the rocking forward and backward. The pelvis stays level. No tipping. No hiking. No rolling. Everything that is not the leg is holding still... but nothing is relaxed. This Is Why Breathing Matters If you stop breathing, you are not holding still. You are bracing. Holding still means you can: Maintain the shape Keep the effort And still let the breath move That’s where the deep stabilizers do their job: The abdominals The muscles along the spine The lateral hip The inner thighs The breath becomes the test: Can you stay organized even while something else is moving? That’s real control. Why This Cue Changes Everything “Hold still” teaches the nervous system something incredibly important: You don’t create strength by moving more. You create strength by controlling what doesn’t move . That’s how: Hips become more stable Backs become more supported Movement becomes quieter and more powerful It’s also how injuries are prevented, especially in people who are flexible, mobile, or used to muscling through. So Next Time You Hear It… When I say “hold still,” I’m not asking you to freeze. I’m asking you to: Stay lifted Stay connected Stay breathing Stay honest Let the right thing move. Let everything else do its job. That’s Pilates.

Get in touch

Consistency is Key

Small, regular efforts add up

Behind the Cue: Hold Still

The Manual I wish I had when I started teaching

Holding Advanced Classes.

Quality over Quanity

Behind The Cue: Why I HATE Nice and Tall.

Not Just Certified

I knew them before they were cool.

The Reformer Headrest

Barre & the Mind-Body Connection

Behind the Cue - Pulse

#staysocial

Follow me @barsculpt

Classes

On-Demand Classes