Switching gears is used a lot in mountain biking. Have you ever accidentally switched your bicycle into the wrong gear? Ouch! It sounds awful and can even throw you off balance and bring you to a screeching halt. Switching gears correctly on a bike allows you to keep peddling steadily over varying terrain. There’s a lot of technique involved, and, for a mountain biker, that means everything!

When you switch into a gear that matches your efforts, you can ride more efficiently. If I’m not in the proper gear heading up the mountain, there is no way I’ll ever get to the top. In fact, if you’re mountain-side, you may have to stop and could even fall off the bike if your feet get stuck in the toe clips and you can’t get out in time. (And let’s just hope that if you fall … you fall into the mountain and not the opposite way. Double ouch!)

When you drive a car, the car won’t move until you put it in the proper gear, so it’s important to get it right if you want to move forward. (Wonder where this is going yet?)

Switching gears in Pilates is essential, too. When using the reformer, there’s a varying level of spring tension so as to provide the body with the support it needs so you can do the exercise to your full potential. If you have too much spring tension and your extremities take over, you’ll need a lower “gear” with less spring tension. That allows you to stay focused on your abdominal muscles and move uniformly.

In Pilates, switching gears can also mean modifying the exercise because at its purest it’s not giving your body what it needs. The exercise cannot take shape or be beneficial if you’re not feeling it in the right places. If I’m teaching Teaser on the reformer and it’s not successful, then we switch gears and try a new piece of equipment. In doing so, I am able to get the results I desire from my students. They are able to perform the exercise brilliantly and feel good about what they’re doing.

The equipment can also work its magic and give students instant feedback that perhaps the other equipment was failing to do. Hopefully later on students can perform the exercise on all pieces of equipment! At least, that’s the goal!

Switching gears can also apply to our personal lives. I’ve switched gears many times in life. As difficult as it was, each time I learned something new about myself. I also grew stronger for my effort. Being able to maneuver on a whim in a different direction is important because you never know what life is going to throw at you.

So, make sure you’re on the right track and in the right gear so you can keep moving forward, and up that mountain.

Dana Fykerud is the owner of Lift Pilates Studio Inc., located at 706 Market St. Call 425-533-3529. Also, check out her blog, “The Lift Girl” at www.liftgirlpilates.com.