Week 2. 2021

Lockdown 3. We knew it was coming.... it is a pretty miserable start to the new year BUT we did know really..... at least this time we are set up and tech savvy and ready to go. One thing you can rely on are my online classes. Consistent and here to stay!


 So as we wade our way through a strange January, I for one am firmly of the belief that whatever works, works. I would typically storm through January in a haze of green juice and cardio workouts but after Monday's announcment, that is not my current situation. I do know that January is not a great time to make resolutions. Did you know that today (Jan 8th) is the day that we are most likely to give up on whatever New Year plans we had set oursevles? (thanks for that little fact Lou!). The simple fact is that January 1 is most definitely not the time to try to change your life, lockdown or no. Post Christmas blues, Post Christmas bloat, a body that is possilby still processing an overdose of sugar and alcohol and too many relatives.


Tapering is a more realistc approach. Gradually start to drop the less healthy things, gradually start to add the more healthy things... slowly but surely. February 1st is a far more realistic time to think about new start, new you plans. To that end, let's virtually hold eachother's hands through this dark, cold and possibly lonely month and look to a new start as the days lengthen and we can just start to smell Spring in the distance.


One thing that lockdown does give lots of us is time. I realise many of you are juggling home schooling with working from home  with running the home BUT taking out the commuting of life, lots of us do have time and thinking about that, I would like to bring "being present" into my classes for January. I am seeing a lot of "being distracted". I would like us to try for this month to really park up everything else, turn off the phone and be present. 45 minutes. Just for you. Focus. Think about what you are doing - mind body connection. I know several of you are home schooling and of course I respect that but just try and let's turn those phones off? I would like to try and not let "being distracted" become the norm and let "being present" become a new skill.  It is a very simple and basic form of mindfulness and a wonderful way to quieten the mind and prepare the body for whavever is required.



For all members, please visit the live calendar and see next week's classes. Click on the class to access the notes attached to see what we are going to be doing. Please note an extra class next week. PILATES AND PROSECCO TUESDAY 7PM


 


 

By juliet April 28, 2026
Members news. Week upcoming : Bank Holiday Monday - class running as usual and this coming Wednesday, 2 x 30 min classes. Details in library. As I am away a few days here and there in May/June, I will continue to put in extra classes now and then to keep everyone topped up. It's all about give and take! Following on from requests this week, upcoming we have a Roll over/Control Balance workshop (Thursday 8am), Back care (Thursday 9am) and Body Conditioning, sculpt and tone style (Wed 8am). All updates will always be in your live calendar. We welcome 4 new members this week and can't wait to see you on the screen! We can now add Portugal to our community! That means that currently, we are beaming into the UK from Cornwall to Yorkshire, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Germany and now Portugal! We are so much more than Pilates and our community continues to support in so many ways. While a couple of our treasured members are going through some hefty challenges, I am so pleased that you use our online connection as a form of support and to use the friendship of your fellow members. Don't forget you can log in 15 mins early for a natter before class and on Thursdays, I will leave the meeting open after we finish the 9.45am class for anyone to stay on and have a chat. Grab a coffee and log back in even if you weren't in the class. If you would like to join our "Friends of JP's" what's app group , let me know - we are slowly growing and it is a friendly place for a chat and check in, (and a grumble about how tough the class was!). Have a lovely weekend, Jx 
By juliet April 9, 2026
I want to keep it as on point and brief as I can and here are some cold, hard facts. Doing SOMETHING is a lot better than doing NOTHING! Whatever equipment you use and program you follow is far less important than the fact that you show up. Regularly and consistently. Only 30% of adults meet the resistance training guidelines and this drops to as low 10% for older adults. What is required? Training all major muscle groups at least once a week Aiming for 2 - 3 sets per exercises Using a weight that is getting challenging by the end of the set Moving through full range of movement. Now, why this is good news is that this can be acheived in whatever form of exercise takes your fancy and over here on our Pilates mat, we tick a lot of those boxes. Going into the 100 and wishing for the end, sitting tall in your Spine Twist and pushing for JUST ONE MORE rep is meeting this! We go through full range of movement, we use bodyweight as well as small equipment, so even if you are not lifting weights, you are doing your bit. (N.b. provided this is min. 3 times a week and you are pushing yourself to max ability in each of those sessions in one way or another and bringing in bands, small weights etc for additional resistance) WHAT COUNTS BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES AT HOME BANDS, BALLS, BODY WEIGHT, LOOPS A QUICK EXPRESS SET WHEN YOU GET BACK FROM YOUR RUN/WALKING THE DOG 15 MINS IN THE KITCHEN - YOU DON'T NEED TO COMPLICATE IT IT DOESNT NEED TO BE FANCY, STRUCTURED OR ELABORATE. IT JUST NEEDS TO HAPPEN Generally ALL types of resistance training work, as long as they are performed with high efforts which means that you get to a point where you are almost at failure. In other words, choose what you enjoy as you are more likely to stick to it and work harder at ut. CONSISTENCY IS KEY and the BEST exercise programme to do is the one you enjoy and will be more likely to stick at! MEMBERS. We have multiple classes involving strength and resistance every week. NON MEMBERS - I am just putting dates together for another 4 week strength program. Please email me if you are interested. More details to follow (I am delighted to be starting a 4 week strength training session with my local running club so I really am doing my best to share the love! )
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Let's start with Improves balance and coordination Improves bone density Boosts metabolism and weight management Enhances mental health Helps with daily activity  A few more?! Improves posture by strengthening your core and back muscles Reduces risk of injury by strengthening joints, ligaments, and tendons Helps regulate blood sugar levels and lowers risk of type 2 diabetes Improves sleep quality and helps you fall asleep faster Enhances athletic performance (speed, power, endurance) Slows down age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia) The ACSM (American college of Sports Science) is the bible of the fitness world with regards to fitness and exercise prescription and has recently done a huge survey, publishing it’s findings in a new report which has got the fitness world very excited as it is the first survey of it’s kind since 2009.
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