Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Perfectionism has a way of keeping us exactly where they are. We wait for the right time, the right space, the right conditions. And in the meantime, life moves on. Aly gets candid about something she wrestles with herself: the way perfectionism disguises itself as preparation and ends up morphing into the biggest obstacle to a consistent movement practice. Drawing from her own experience as a new mother navigating an unpredictable schedule, she unpacks how the pressure to do it all perfectly can lead to doing nothing at all.

Aly walks listeners through three of the most common hang-ups that hold people back. When we chase the ideal routine, get locked into all-or-nothing thinking, or suffer paralysis for fear of doing it wrong, those habits end up stalling any progress that imperfect small steps could achieve. Aly offers refreshingly honest, low-barrier strategies for moving past that perfectionist thinking.

Referenced Modern Body Classes: Coffee Pilates Series

Book Aly mentioned: Art & Fear

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

There is a smarter way to train, and it starts with understanding how structure creates results. Aly introduces the concept of periodization, the training strategy at the heart of the Modern Body studio programming. She guides listeners through the science-backed approach of breaking training into intentional blocks, each with a clear focus and a defined timeline. Aly explains how periodizations leads to measurable, lasting gains in strength, endurance, and muscle mass.

She also addresses the critical role of de-load weeks. These “rest” weeks are built into the method by design because the body actually requires recovery time to consolidate strength and prepare for the next level of challenge. Listeners will come away with a clear framework for training smarter, along with an inside look at what is coming next inside Modern Body with the Empowered Strength program.

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Small pieces of equipment can make a surprisingly significant difference in how we feel movement in our bodies and Aly shares the details about how introducing a simple prop in an exercise can help you tap into the move’s essence. She walks listeners through what these tools actually do mechanically including how they shift load, change the relationship between the body and gravity, amplify muscular emphasis, and open up a wider range of modification options for every fitness level and life stage. Aly explains the reasoning behind each prop so that listeners feel empowered to use them in order to achieve the maximum benefit of any exercise. This episode is the third installment in Aly's ongoing series designed to help us get the most out of any exercise.

Related Episodes

Ep. 109: Stop Forcing Your Body to Fit into the Exercise Mold - Understanding Muscular Emphasis to Discover What Your Body Needs

Ep. 110: Modifications - The Most Powerful Too You Haven't Been Using

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

There is power in knowing how to work with your body rather than against it. In this episode Aly makes the case that modifications are not a fallback for those who cannot keep up. They are one of the most intelligent tools in a mover's arsenal. Aly reframes the word "modification" entirely and invites listeners to think of it instead as personalizing, individualizing, and adapting movement to meet your body exactly where it is today.

Aly walks through four no-equipment modifications anyone can apply in any class: simplifying the exercise by single-tasking it, adjusting the starting position, reducing the load, and narrowing the range of motion. She draws from familiar Pilates exercises like the Hundred, the Breaststroke, and the Shoulder Bridge, and shows how small, intentional changes can unlock the full benefit of a movement, not diminish it. Listeners will come away with a new sense of agency on the mat and a practical toolkit for showing up confidently, no matter what the body is asking for that day.

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Every body is different, and so is every body's experience of movement. In this episode, Aly kicks off a new series by exploring one of the most common questions she hears from movers at every level: "Am I doing this right?" She answers that question by introducing two foundational concepts: the muscular emphasis and essence of an exercise. That shifts the focus from how a movement looks to what it is actually doing inside the body. Aly walks listeners through familiar Pilates exercises like breaststroke, shoulder bridge, and the hundred to illustrate how understanding what a movement is designed to accomplish can completely change the way it is experienced.

This episode is the first in a three-part series, with upcoming episodes dedicated to modifications and props. What ties it all together is Aly's passion for helping others understand their bodies so that they can navigate any class, in any setting, with confidence in what their body is telling them.

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Muscle contractions might sound like gym-class vocabulary, but understanding how they actually work inside the body changes everything about the way movement feels. In this replay episode, Aly breaks down the science of muscle contractions in a way that is both accessible and immediately applicable. She makes the case that quality of movement will always outperform quantity, and that the mind-body connection is the missing piece most people never think to look for. Aly’s close look at how muscles work when we move helps listeners understand what their muscles are doing at any given moment. That new understanding will give us confidence to move through life with greater trust in our bodies.

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Season changes are more than a shift in temperature. They signal a time for pausing, taking stock, and realigning. In this episode Aly guides listeners through a spring movement inventory, a practical and surprisingly clarifying exercise inspired by a recent closet clean-out. Using three simple categories (like, need, and want), Aly helps us examine what our current movement practice actually contains, what it might be missing, and whether the habits we have built still reflect who we are today.

Rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach, Aly draws from her own honest experiences as a mother, runner, and Pilates practitioner to illustrate how these three baskets work together. You’ll come away from this episode with a framework you can complete in as little as five minutes. It’s a streamlined inventory that brings clarity, reduces overwhelm, and opens the door to a movement routine that genuinely fits your life right now, not the life you lived five or ten years ago.

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Most of us spend more hours at a desk than we care to admit, and our bodies quietly pay the price. Aly sits down with Kerri-Anne Bradley, a UK-based Pilates instructor, workplace wellbeing expert, and former economist, whose firsthand experience with desk-related pain became the foundation for her Move at Your Desk Method. Kerri-Anne explains how her method steps in to bridge the gap between weekly Pilates sessions and the remaining 40-plus hours of a workweek.

The conversation covers everything from the mechanics of how prolonged sitting reshapes our movement patterns, to the surprisingly small interventions that can shift how a person feels by the end of a workday. Kerri-Anne also shares how intentional movement, even in short bursts, creates real physical and mental impact. If you spend hours at a desk, whether it’s in an office or in a corner of your bedroom, this episode brings you a new perspective on how you can support your body while you get work done.

Connect with Kerri-Anne: kerri-annebradley.com, on Instagram @kerriannebradleymoves

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode:

Movement skills have a way of quietly fading in the background of busy lives if we don’t keep up a consistent movement practice. In this episode, Aly recounts how a spontaneous return to the dance floor became the spark for a candid, science-informed conversation about the "use it or lose it" principle and what it actually means for the body we live in today. Aly draws on concepts from thermodynamics and psychology to reframe how listeners think about lost mobility, faded strength, and the movement patterns that once felt effortless.

The message here is reassurance: the body holds memory, and decline is not a destination. Aly walks listeners through the concept of reversibility — the idea that the body, like any complex system, can be restored — and offers a grounded, realistic roadmap for reclaiming movement capacity bit by bit. Whether it has been one year or twenty since a skill felt natural, this episode makes a compelling case that consistent, intentional movement, even just five minutes a day, is enough to start turning the tide.

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]

Stay connected with Aly DiRoma and the Modern Body community: https://link.me/alydiroma

If you aren't already a member of the Modern Body Online Studio , you can experience that too with a free 7-day trial. Explore the full catalog of classes for free for the first 7 days.

In this Episode

Aly dives into the biomechanics of movement: what they are and why they matter. But that’s not the whole story. Drawing on her background in ballet, Pilates, and functional movement, Aly explains why biomechanics is the foundation for a solid movement practice, but also how the strength and mobility we gain from those foundational moves actually give us the freedom to move our bodies with confidence beyond structured patterns. Aly encourages us to take a balanced approach to training. Listeners will walk away with a clearer understanding of how the structured work done on the mat translates into strong, adaptable movement in real life.

Want to dive deeper? The Modern Mover’s Guide is your roadmap to understanding how movement evolves through life’s seasons. It’s the perfect complement to your Modern Body membership—or a great place to start your journey. You'll also be able to grab your copy of the Core Guide mentioned in the episode. Get your copy here: https://modernmoversguide.com/guide

Related Episode: Ep. 102: Hip Dissociation Explained - A Movement Mechanic for Improved Functionality

Referenced Modern Body Class: Form/Less: Full Body

Want help with production of your podcast? Contact Michelle Sanchez [[email protected]]