I need to be honest with you about something.

I haven’t done a proper Pilates session in nearly a month.

I know. I own the place. I tell people every week that consistent movement changes everything. And yet here I am, finding reasons to skip my own classes.

The last month has been… a lot. Reid started a new business. Alexandra had two dance programs – including a week in Sydney that I went along for. We squeezed in two weeks down at Phillip Island. We hosted two Christmases. And through all of that, I’ve been running two studios while opening a third in Eltham.

Early mornings, late nights, a thousand small decisions. I’m usually up before 6am anyway – but somehow that time keeps going to emails and planning instead of getting on a reformer. I’ve been telling myself I’ll get back to it “once things settle down.”

Sound familiar?

If you think I’ve got this whole movement thing figured out, let me set the record straight.

I’ve fallen off more times than I can count. After having kids. During rough patches in business. When life got overwhelming and something had to give. Every time, the practice was the thing I sacrificed – even though it was usually the thing I needed most.

And every time, I had to find my way back.

Not gracefully. Not with some grand re-commitment. Usually just by showing up one day, feeling awkward and stiff, and remembering why I do this in the first place.

We have this idea that fit people are just… consistent. That they have discipline the rest of us lack. That they never skip, never struggle, never have to drag themselves back after falling off.

It’s rubbish.

The people who stay active long-term aren’t the ones who never stop. They’re the ones who keep starting again. They’ve just gotten better at the returning part.

That’s the actual skill. Not consistency – persistence. Not “never falling off” – knowing how to get back on without making it a whole dramatic thing.

If you’ve been putting off coming to class because you fell out of the habit, this is your permission slip.

If you joined a few months ago, came for a bit, then life happened and you’ve been avoiding booking because you feel like you need to “get back into it” first – you don’t.

If you’re a new member who’s worried about whether you’ll be able to keep this up, here’s the truth: you probably won’t. Not perfectly. Not without interruption. And that’s completely fine.

The question isn’t whether you’ll fall off. You will. We all do.

The question is whether you’ll come back.

It’s not a big announcement. It’s not waiting until Monday, or next month, or until things calm down.

It’s just booking a class. One class. Showing up a bit rusty. Having an instructor who remembers you and is genuinely glad you’re back. Moving your body and remembering – oh right, this is why I do this.

That’s it. That’s the whole secret.

I’m booking myself into Thursday morning. First time in weeks. I’ll be stiff, I’ll probably be humbled by exercises that used to feel easy, and I’ll wonder why I waited so long.

And then I’ll be back in the rhythm again. Until the next time I’m not. And then I’ll return again.

That’s how this works. For me, for you, for everyone.

If you’ve been away for a while, come back. No explanation needed. No getting-fit-first required. Just book a class and show up.

If you’re new and worried about staying consistent, stop worrying. Focus on returning instead. It’s a much more useful skill.

And if you’ve been beating yourself up for not being the kind of person who “sticks with things” – maybe reframe it. Maybe you’re exactly the kind of person who keeps coming back despite everything. That counts for more than you think.