What do I still want to use my body for?

There's a question I've been asking myself more and more often lately. What do I still want to use my body for? Not tomorrow. Not next week. But in ten or twenty years. I want to travel. To walk a lot in an unknown city because I saw something on the next corner that I absolutely want to see. I want to do sports. Hike. Lift my suitcase. Sit down on the floor if the moment calls for it – and get up from there without much thought. I want to wake up in the morning without my first thought being what my body will allow me to do today. But rather this: What do I want to do today? For me, this is what strength means more and more. Not an exercise. Not a muscle. Not a number. But freedom.

For a long time, we talked about exercise very differently

We want to lose weight. We want to be more shapely. We want a stronger core. Better posture. A firmer body. There's nothing wrong with these in themselves. It feels good to like what we see in the mirror. But as the years go by, I think another question becomes more and more interesting: What can my body do? Because at some point it's no longer just about how we look in a photo. But whether we can walk up the stairs. Whether we can carry our luggage. Whether we have the energy for a whole-day program. Whether we can keep our balance. Whether we can bend down. Whether we can get up. Whether we dare to try a new sport. And if our friends say: "Let's go!" ...can our body come with us?

Freedom is often quite ordinary

Perhaps that's why I love listening to my clients' stories so much. Because rarely does anyone say: "Veronika, guess what, my core stability has improved so much." Professionally, of course, I would be very happy about that. 😊 Instead, they say: "Guess what, we walked all day." "I climbed that mountain." "I started playing tennis again." "I gardened all weekend." "I no longer think about whether I dare sit on the floor." And these sentences always touch me. Because suddenly all the tiny things we work on in the studio make sense. Strength. Mobility. Balance. Coordination. Control. Body awareness. On their own, these are professional terms. But in life, they can become freedom.

Perhaps that's why my idea of a "good body" has changed too

When we're younger, it's easy to think of our body as something to be shaped. Make it like this. Don't let it be like that. Fit into this. Look like... But today I much prefer this question: What kind of life do you want, and what kind of body do you need for it? Because from here, movement looks completely different. Not punishment. Not another task on the to-do list. But an investment in the person you'll be in ten or twenty years. In that woman or man who is still curious. Who wants to travel. Who organizes programs. Who does sports. Who climbs the mountain. Who bends down. Who carries things. Who plays. Who lives.

And here comes what I love so much about Pilates

We really love doing Pilates. I love its system. Its precision. How much we can learn about our own body. I love when someone suddenly feels what we've been trying to find for weeks. I love the concentration. The challenge. The progress. I love when someone does something that just a few weeks earlier they thought: "Well, I definitely can't do that." But Pilates itself is not the goal for everyone. Pilates is a wonderful tool. The real goal is often to live a joyful, better quality of life. So that your body doesn't constantly narrow your possibilities. But rather supports them.

I don't want everyone to become a Pilates fan

Although I have to admit, I would be very happy about that. 😊 But I want something more important than that. For us to love moving. To experience what it feels like to live in a body that is getting stronger, more skillful, more usable. And to find the kind of movement that we can not just endure for three weeks, but that can become part of our lives in some form. It can be Pilates. Walking. Tennis. Running. Hiking. Swimming. Dance. Anything that gets you to use your body. Because I think one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is that we don't stop moving.

Strength is not just muscle

For me, strength means less and less how much weight someone can lift. Of course, that has meaning too. But there's another kind of strength. When you trust your body. When you don't have to weigh every movement before you make it. When you dare to start. When you don't say no to a program because you're afraid you won't physically manage it. When you still have energy to live after work. This strength is no longer just about your body. But about how much life fits into your life.

I learned this from my clients too

Over twenty years, I've met so many people. And the more people I work with, the less I believe there's a single definition of success. Some want to do the splits. Some want to run a marathon. Some want to climb a tree with their child. Some simply want to stay energetic after a long day. And I love these differences. I love to ask: "What's important to you?" Because I really am interested in the answer. Not because I want to show everyone the same path. Quite the opposite. Because I want to understand where they want to go. Perhaps this is one of the most important things I've learned from people: it's not up to us to decide what life someone else should love. We can help. Give knowledge. Show possibilities. Accompany. But their goal is theirs. And I think that's what makes this vocation truly interesting.

I have a simple exercise for you

Not a Pilates exercise. 😊 Imagine yourself in ten years. Don't look at how old you'll be. Not your wrinkles. Not the scale. But imagine a completely ordinary Saturday. Where are you? What are you doing? Who are you with? Where are you going? Are you doing sports? Traveling? Hiking? Working in the garden? Playing? Dancing? Getting on a bike? And now look at that person. What kind of body does that life require? Strength? Mobility? Endurance? Balance? Coordination? Probably a little of each. And we don't start building that body in ten years. But today.

Not to be perfect

I don't believe in the perfect body. And I don't think our lives should revolve around our bodies. I think the opposite. I want our bodies to serve our lives. To be a reliable companion for everything we still want to experience. Not everything will always work perfectly. There will be more tired periods. Breaks. Fresh starts. Times when it's easy. And times when we have to fight for it. That's also part of life. But every time we do something to become stronger, more mobile, more skillful, we're not just working on our bodies. We're also working a little for our future freedom.

That's why movement matters to me

I don't want to be strong so I can say I'm strong. But because I still want to do so many things. Go so many places. Learn so much. Meet people. Laugh. Do sports. Discover. Live. And I want my body to be my partner in this for as long as possible. Maybe you have completely different things on your list. And that's the best part. Because we don't all want to live the same life. We all just want our bodies to make our own lives possible. So next time you move, maybe don't just ask: "What am I training today?" But sometimes this too: "What kind of life am I preparing my body for?" Maybe that one hour will take on a completely different meaning. – Veronika