I know this might ruffle some feathers, but I have to say it: I can’t stand yoga.
I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve sat through the slow breathing, the poses that promise inner peace, the soft instrumental music – and every single time, I’ve left feeling more restless than when I walked in. For years, I thought something was wrong with me. Everyone raves about yoga as the ultimate antidote to stress, and here I was, unable to connect with it at all.
Then I found Reformer Pilates, and it clicked.
Reformer Pilates is my yoga. It has that same mind-body focus – the breathing, the control, the intention behind every movement – but it also demands strength, precision, and just enough intensity to keep my mind from wandering. There’s a machine, there’s resistance, there’s a sequence to follow. My brain has something to hold onto. By the time I’m done, I’m not just calmer – I’m also stronger, and that combination is what makes it stick for me in a way that yoga never did.
Then came running.
A few years ago, my stress levels spiked in a way I hadn’t experienced before. Work, life, the general noise of trying to keep everything together – it all piled up. I needed an outlet, something I could do on my own terms, without a class schedule or a studio. So I started running.
At first, it was just about getting out the door. But over time, running became something else entirely. It’s the one hour of the day when my mind actually goes quiet. No notifications, no to-do lists, just the sound of my feet hitting the pavement and my breath finding its rhythm. Some of my clearest thinking happens mile two or three into a run – problems that felt tangled at my desk somehow untangle themselves out there.
Between Pilates and running, I’ve genuinely rewired how I handle stress. They’re not just workouts anymore; they’re maintenance for my mental health, as essential as sleep or eating well. And here’s the part that still surprises me when I say it out loud: I’ve become someone who works out on vacation. Willingly. Happily, even.
[Photo: my “vacation workout” in Cabo]
There’s something almost funny about choosing to lace up running shoes or find a Pilates studio while everyone else is by the pool with a drink in hand. But for me, it’s not a sacrifice – it’s what lets me actually enjoy the rest of the trip. A short run along the coastline in Cabo did more for my mood that week than an extra hour of lounging ever could have.
I don’t say any of this to preach – plenty of people find their calm in yoga, and that’s great for them. But I think there’s a bigger lesson here: mental health isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is the exercise that supports it. It took me a while to stop forcing myself into what was supposed to work and start paying attention to what actually did.
Turns out, mine just happens to involve a reformer machine and a good pair of running shoes.