Blog

As a Pilates teacher I am often working with people who are either recovering from or are living with pain. Typically they have been recommended Pilates exercise by a clinical professional after their pain has become chronic and they have exhausted other treatment options. Pilates has a reputation for helping relieve painful symptoms ....read more

Just like everyone else on the planet I’m not getting any younger. My biggest fear is becoming frail and losing my independence as I get older. I already have arthritis as a result of damaged cartilage in my knees and this isn’t going to get any better, but I’m determined to make the most of my body’s potential for as long as I can!....read more

I recently attended a webinar hosted by CIMSPA exploring changing trends in participation in physical activity since the pandemic. Analysis by Sport England suggests, unsurprisingly, that those who were inactive, or only moderately active, before the pandemic are even less active now. 

....read more

Often in the fitness world we are encouraged to ask people to find very specific goals, on the assumption that we can then work on very targeted programmes that help them achieve these very objective ends. But does this really make a difference? Research suggests possibly not. 

....read more

Whenever I get back into riding my bike after a bit of time off I’m always really self conscious about my handling skills, or lack of, and my position on the bike. Being on the short side and riding a small frame bike there’s never as much scope to play around with my bike set up as I am stuck with the same wheel size as taller riders....read more

Having a twenty-first century, western lifestyle generally means sitting on your bum for long periods of time. Working at a desk, driving, watching TV, going out to dinner with friends, scrolling through our phone it’s generally all done sitting down meaning that we spend a large amount of our waking day with our hips bent and gluteal muscles having a little holiday....read more

Like many people I was not a fan of the way my body looked when I was growing up. I danced and did gymnastics when I was young and, as teachers regularly told me, my body did not fit the typical ballerina mould. As I got older I would compare myself to friends, celebrities, even strangers in the street, and generally find a way to judge my body as less than theirs...read more

There are dozens of reasons why Pilates could become the love of your life, we've selected our top ten to share ...read more

Now more than ever we are being reminded of the importance of looking after our health and wellbeing. Since the beginning of this global pandemic researchers all over the world have been trying to understand what makes people more at risk of the disease, and of developing serious symptoms...read more

Over the last few months we have all experienced some kind of disruption to our normal routines, including whatever we usually choose to do for exercise or training. For some, this period of forced change was a catalyst to make some really positive changes to their usual routine, like trying running or cycling for the first time or tackling unhelpful eating habits...read more

Over the last decade many studies have highlighted the benefits of home working for individuals and society as a whole. The CIPD suggest individuals benefit from greater autonomy over their working day and a more flexible work-life balance whilst organisations benefit from greater productivity.  Yet many of these studies were conducted when remote working was more of a choice rather than the necessity it has become for many of us today...read more

Can’t get into your favourite gym or studio at the moment? Why not build your own studio at home with some key pieces of apparatus that can really give your Pilates workout a boost. There’s no need to shell out for your own Reformer, there are a number of pieces of kit that don’t cost a lot of money but deliver a lot of bang for your buck...read more

When developing his method of “Contrology”, Joseph Pilates drew on teachings from Eastern philosophies and echoed their emphasis on the harmonious balance between mind and body, making them one. He really understood the importance of body awareness in movement and stressed that any practitioner of his exercises must “Be certain that you have your body under complete control”...read more

Whilst most of us learned to ride a bike as a child not so many of us have spent much time riding one since. Until, of course, many years later when we get the bug, buy a bike and go off exploring! As a result we have often missed the opportunity to develop the key skills we need to handle our bike well. Practicing these skills whilst out on a ride is essential but there are also ways you can improve these skills off the bike, Pilates is one of these ways...read more 

Pilates is a great companion activity to athletes in many sports, with stars such as Christiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Andy Murry, Tiger Woods, Mo Farah & Fabian Cancellara all adding Pilates to their routine. I have worked with many amateur athletes to help them achieve their goals and here are some of the key benefits runners in particular can achieve with a regular Pilates workout...read more

I think the feeling of complete release you achieve in the Full Hang on the Pilates Cadillac is one of the most wonderful experiences a human body can have, and one that is hard to replicate in any other way...read more