You're in an exercise class, you feel like you're at maximum effort but you're doing your best and feeling good. Then the instructor utters these words: "Ok and if you want to make it a little bit harder you can..." It feels like the whole room follows, sticking up a leg/adding an extra weight/moving into a deeper squat. Except you.

A lot of emotions can flood you sometimes if you feel like the only person in the room sticking with the movement you feel is enough, knowing that you simply can't do the suggested modification. You can feel embarrassed, like people are looking at you and judging you, shame, or worry that you're not good enough to be in the class. Worst case scenario, it can put you off coming back next time.

I've often found myself in this position. Sometimes there are body parts that can do the harder modification and others that can't -- sometimes I've felt stuck in "easy mode" the whole class. And I know it can be tough emotionally. But maybe it's age, maybe it was the lovely instructor I had, or maybe it was a virtue of learning a new skill (in this case, reformer Pilates) and so therefore I gave myself more grace, but recently I had a break-through at such a moment. I just thought: "I'm new to this, I know this 'easier' modification is working out my muscle, I know I'm not lazy, I know that taking the harder option will mean I can actually do less and I know the fact that I'm here and trying is enough". TLDR, I thought "F*** it!" and I didn't feel embarrassed, I felt proud, I focussed on my form and I ploughed on.

Joslyn Thompson-Rule is a Peloton instructor and author.

Annabel Luke is the founder of Pilates By Bel, an online pilates platform.

Rebecca Dadoun is a Pilates instructor and the founder of Pilates Prescription.

Of course, not being an expert, I then doubted myself a bit and thought I should check with some fitness experts about whether my hunch -- that sometimes accepting the "easy" option or modification is still worth your time.

Peloton instructor Joslyn Thompson-Rule has just released a Discover Strength training programme on the platform, a beginner programme that rolls out over six weeks, designed to bring newbies into strength training one step at a time.

"There are a range of valid reasons as to why you may not be able to complete a workout as prescribed, but that does not count you out, or deem you a failure," she reassures me. "If you ask yourself, what CAN I do, you start to explore options, and tune into where your body is at on any given day.