PILATES, STRENGTH, MOBILITY AND A LOT MORE Did you know that Joe Pilates created Contrology? He devised "The Method" and was famous for working with dancers and gymnasts after he moved to NewYork. It was after his death in 1967 that the exercise method became known as Pilates. Did you also know that he invented some of the studio equipment while he was interned during WW1, working with injured soldiers. He created the now famous Reformer from using springs from hospital beds and the machine has changed little in all these years. But they are large, expensive and not easily accessible so on the mat, we have become very creative. Using bands, balls, weights and imagination, we can achieve SO MUCH and from the comfort of our own home. You do not need a reformer to be able to do a lot of the reformer moves. At the start of lockdown, I moved my classes online and have stayed here and now invite you to join my every growing community. Why would you join online classes? Lots of us much prefer the face to face social interaction and I totally understand that but as the festive season descends, you may want to consider other options as routine and normal life fly straight out of the window. This could be a temporary fix or maybe you will commit to a three or six month program or look longer term. Let's look at the excuses..... I dont have time! There is a library of classes from 15 mins to 45 mins. You could do a quick arms or legs workout while the ad break is on.  But I am so busy . Ok. The live classes start at 8am and 9am and are 45 mins. That is a mere 45 minutes.... you can tick that box while the rest of the house is still trying to get dressed or you can do your class, get changed, make a cuppa and be sitting at your laptop by 9am. I want to know I am doing it right! Good. Me too. I am up at the screen in the live classes watching you and if you are not sure or have any queries, I am available for a chat on the phone or a quick 121 zoom to check out what might be bothering you. I like the social side of the classes! Great. So do we and that's why I open every class 15 mins early so we can have a chat and we also meet up in person. We have a Christmas lunch next week and are planning a long weekend to France in April as well as another walk and pub lunch in the new year. I'm a beginner. I have never done it before! No problem. I have classes that will take best care of you as well as a whole section in the library devoted to understanding Pilates and the basic moves as well as specific technique classes to break down and build back up all the different exercises. I dont want to just do Pilates! . GREAT! we do weight training, endurance work, abdominal focus, stretch and mobility, pelvic floor work, small equipment and masses more. PLUS it is all recorded so you can find so many different classes in the library. There are so many teachers. I want to know I am in good hands! I am a Level 4 Personal trainer and Pilates teacher with over 20 years teaching experience. I also have over 5 years experience as a teacher trainer and examiner for a national training provider teaching personal trainers and Pilates teachers. I have 11 Pilates teachers, 3 physiotherapists, one osteopath and one menopause specialist in my classes so I think that says a lot. Feel free to ask for references. I dont have any equipment! Don't worry. We get very creative and I will give you ways to substitute just about everything. But I won't be at home/I'm going on holiday . Even more reason to go online. All you need is your phone or tablet and a quiet corner to get your class fix. We enjoy seeing all the different locations you join from and are up to 18 countries so far plus various UK destinations, hotels, conference hall corridors, gardens, beaches, conservatories and much more.  So... why not come and find us online. We have 7 - 8 live classes a week plus a huge and ever growing library. Why not gift a month to someone for Christmas? Vouchers can be arranged! How much will this cost? All the above for £45 a month. 7 - 8 live classes a week plus a huge library and friendly old me on the end of the phone to talk through any queries and give you the best possible service I can. £45 a month - that is a mere £1.60 a day for bespoke classes ( always ask you to make requests and will focus on what you would like to work on), plus access 24/7 to our library. Please visit https://www.julietspilates.com/online-booking to come and join our online community. ALSO. I will be starting a new block of classes at The Arches Physiotherapy clinic in January and currently have 2 spaces for Tuesday 11.30am. Please get in touch for details Happy Christmas everyone and I really look forward to seeing you in 2024

What’s happening? I am walking The 25th London Moonwalk on May 20th as part of Team Lovely Jugilees and 8 weeks later, the Macmillan Mighty Hike Thames path. 2 marathons in 8 weeks and all for Cancer related charities. How does that involve you? Sadly, so many of us have been affected one way or another and I would like to bring as many people together to use fitness and fun as a way of raising funds. Choose as many classes as you like, take part in some exercise from the comfort of your own home and make a donation appropriate to your budget while sharing this with friends, colleagues and family to bring fitness into your community. Join as many classes as you like and please tell your friends. You can make one donation to cover all the classes you wish to join.

I was really moved and inspired to watch Alex Roca online today completing a marathon. A big acheivement for anyone but for someone with Cerebral Palsy, a condition that affects motor skills and coordination, Alex has shown that there are no limits. What a brave and inspirational man. As for the rest of us.... Marathon season is approaching . Marathons have grown in popularity over the years and there is now a huge choice of where you might choose to run or walk your 26.2miles. Of course London is one of the bigges and most famous and having run it and walked it, I am once again in training to take part with my fellow team mates to complete the 25th London Moonwalk in May followed closely by the Macmillan Thames Valley marathon in July. Running was my absolute passion and I still really miss it but due to boring knee issues, I am now a walker and having some endurance events in the diary has really focused my mind onto training, nutritrion, what trainers and socks to wear and finding time each week for th at long distance session, with every mile being loaded onto strava to share with my tream mates.

Coming up from my screen to yours... . How fast has February whizzed by? March is tapping on the door and don't we welcome it along with the days finally getting longer, the crocuses and daffs popping up and just a sniff of good things ahead. I have a very busy calendar for you so please read on. Firstly, I am delighted to say that our September Kefalonia Pilates holiday sold out in 24 hours!! Don't despair... plans are alreaady afoot for June and Sept 24! (psst... also looking at one that involves snow and skis.... )

Here’s to a strong 2023. Well January didn’t hang around for long! Those who regulary attend my live online classes will know that we started the year hard! Apart from a little recap and revision, January was all about strength . Many of us will have gained a few pounds over the Christmas break and will look to the start of a New Year to shed that unwanted load and typically we assume that cardiovascular (C.V.) exercise will do the job. Stop right there! While C.V. exercise is hugely beneficial and has a very important role in our life, it is lean muscle that burns energy and therefor shifts weight. Read that again …. I am a big fan of functional movement and building strength and therefore we have been lifting weights, pulling bands, pushing into loops, working with our own body weight and working hard on muscle strength and endurance. I am a firm believer that Pilates can help with balance, coordination, range of movement with strength being a key part of our practise that can only enhance other areas of exercise, sport and daily activity. The ACSM guidelines (American College of Sports Medicine aka the fitness bible) advises that everyone over the age of 50 does some form of weight training. WHY? Our bodies have a natural method of removing old bone and building new. Over the age of around 50 howevever, we are at risk of losing more than we can replace. After around the age of 50, lean muscle mass starts to reduce by as much as up to 5 to 10% per decade. For women, the Menopause significantly speeds up bone loss and increases the risk of osteoporosis. Oestrogen helps to slow the natural break down of bone and when those hormone levels start to lower and drop, bone density is direclty affected. Activities that stress the bones will push the bone forming cells into working harder. Pushing, pulling and load bearing will lead to stronger bones. Research shows that working against resistance also promotes growth and strength in ligaments and tendons. You are NEVER TOO OLD TO START One thing that infuriates me is to define people by age. Ernestine Shepherd (@ernieshepherd) started lifting weights at the age of 56 and is now the world’s oldest female body builder at the age of 86. Joan MacDonald (@trainwithjoan) is an inspirational wonder who started training seriously at 70 and at 75 years old is 4 stone lighter and a huge social media influencer with a strong healthy body that defies her age.

It's beginning to look a lot like... Yes, you've got it. .....I can almost hear you start singing the lyrics out loud It's beginning to look like Christmas here at Juliet's Pilates. The tree is up, the lights are on and I am ready for the festive season. Now thoughts turn to gifts for family and friends, which got me thinking. Are you wondering what to get that person who has everything? Are you that person who has everything and needs ideas about what loved ones can buy you? Well, Juliet's Pilates is here to help! Give (or receive!) the gift of wellness, health, mobility, and a community with the gift of a Juliet's Pilates monthly subscription. Get 30 days of live, interactive online classes, where no class is the same. Have access to an extensive library of recorded classes that are accessible any time of day or night, anywhere in the world. Practise with a highly experienced teacher and teacher trainer with 20+ years of experience who not only sees your every move in class but I am on the end of the phone to help and support you. We also have a fabulous online community around the UK as well as our international members beaming in from abroad. ALL THIS FOR JUST £40 A MONTH Here's what my members have to say.... The classes are convenient. At 45 mins long, I can join the 8 am class 3 days a week and be at my desk by 9 am. The 9 am class works best for me. I can drop the kids at the school bus, and then it's 'me time'. I join the class and complete my workout in time for a coffee. I can't always make the live classes, but the library is invaluable it's as if Juliet is in the room and you work (almost!) as hard as if it was a live class! More benefits of the £40 a month subscription... All live classes are 45 mins. The library has a huge range of classes to choose from in ability, type of class, and length. When you are short of time choose from 'The snack bar'. If you need specific mobility I've got your back, with classes focusing on specific areas. There are beginner classes, small equipment classes, circuits, ab blasters, and a leg stretcher. Find specialist presentations in the library from our pelvic health specialist and osteopath. Coming this December for Members. Variety is the spice of life, and December sees you enjoying some rest from me, as I invite some wonderful guest teachers to cover some of my classes. So keep an eye out on the calendar and in the library for the following. The 34 moves Christmas at the barre Deep stretch and relax PLUS a Christmas gift from me to you. A free class for you and your friends... Please join me and my members in the 12 moves of Christmas on Wednesday 14 December at 7 pm. Please follow link at top of page Thank you to all my wonderful members for another memorable year, I look forward to a fun and festive time with you. Juliet x

Pilates or Everyone From Your Lounge to the Middle of an Ocean Row, row, row your boat Gently down the stream Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily Life is but a dream As you sing out the nursery rhyme you conjure up an idyllic scene of small children in their little boats paddling their way down a tranquil stream dodging the waterlilies and saying high to the frogs as they paddle past and getting gently splashed by the fishes jumping in and out of the water. The twist Well, now imagine one boat, two people, four oars and 3000 mile of ocean in front of them, unaided for around 50 days. It’s possibly not quite the same cute tranquil picture. It’s a challenge of mental strength, physical stamina and the ability to look after yourself whilst at sea. Rowing night and day, no respite. You are in a boat 9.2m in length and 1.9m across, in the hands of the elements and the weather gods. Nowhere to run, nowhere to escape. I’d like to introduce you to Sean Geiser, a South African living in the Bahamas and his cousin Darryl from here in the UK. I met them at the New Forest Show back in July. I mean a rowing boat is easy to spot when amongst all the country and horsey activity. Instantaneously I was captivated by their mission, Two-Inna-Row. They are competing in the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2022. A rowing adventure. A journey that will take them from La Gomera, Canary Islands to English Harbour, Antigua, and their personal goal to raise £50,000 for Children with Cancer UK, The Cancer Society of The Bahamas and the Kid Cancer Foundation along the way. What has this got to do with Juliet’s Pilates?! Naturally, as someone passionate about endurance sports, I was then interested in their diet and fitness plan. I wanted to know more. When I found out that there were some lower back complaints, I pulled my Pilates teacher hat firmly onto my head and asked if I could help in my own way to support them. Juliet’s Pilates has offered them my knowledge and experience to try and make their journey as comfortable as I can. So, I have done some research of my own, and how utterly terrifying and exciting does this sound. Each team will row in excess of 1.5 million oar strokes during a race. The fastest 24 hours ever is 107.45 nautical miles covered. The fastest row across the Atlantic was a four-man team who finished in 29 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes At its deepest, the Atlantic Ocean is 8.5km / 5.28 miles deep. The waves that the rowers experience can measure up to 20ft high. Each rower is expected to use 800 sheets of toilet paper during their crossing. In the 2016 race, solo rower Daryl Farmer arrived in Antigua after 96 days, rowing without a rudder to steer with for nearly 1200miles/40 days. The fastest solo across the Atlantic was Mark Slats who completed in 30 days, 7 hours and 49 minutes. Rowers burn in excess of 5,000 calories per day. There is no toilet on board – rowers use a bucket! The average rower loses around 8kg during a crossing. In the 2018 race, solo rower Kelda Wood (Row 2 Raise) was kept company by a whale for nearly 7 days. You can join this journey too… and don’t worry you don’t have to row the Atlantic! This September, which coincidently is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the charities they are raising money for, I have introduced some rowers specific Pilates Classes, targeted at Sean and Darryl needs. After discussions with them, I have devised exercises to help cover core, shoulder, back and leg strength in addition to the necessary stretching and mobility. I am also throwing in some breathing exercises to help towards the mental challenge they face. They will also learn exercises that they will be able to do whilst at sea to help them maintain the bodies in the best possible way they can within the space they have. What happens next? On the 12th of December Sean and Darryl will start their challenge. This means they have the next three months to prepare, and the Juliet’s Pilates community is here to help get them into the best possible shape and you can come along for the journey to. So, whether you are row or not, these classes are for you. Please come and join me, and let’s look at how we can exercise and keep mobile whilst not physically being able to go far! Members. Already a member? Tune into my 8am class on a Monday morning and keep an eye on the calendar as extra classes will be added. Non-Members. Looking to join up? Get access to this live class along with all other classes and my online library by subscribing here https://www.julietspilates.com/online-booking Find out more! Two-Inna-Row. two-inna-row.com Talisker Whiskey Challenge. taliskerwhiskyatlanticchallenge.com

TWO YEARS ONLINE!

Competition time.