Weekly wrap up. Week 27. 2025.

Tour de France, Wimbledon and do men do Pilates?

I have been enjoying the second season of Tour De France on Netflix, pending the upcoming Season 3 and the actual event next week.

I can't help feeling having recently completed my circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight on my gravel bike that I am quite expertly placed to study the form and technique of these professional, world class cyclists. All I can observe is that riding some 100 - 200km a day for 21 days incorporating almost vertical hills, reaching speeds of over 60 kmh, they don't appear to be remotely out of breath and none of them gets off on the steepest bit of the mountain climbs to push!. Most impressive. What training and conditioning and courage.

Actually a client of mine used to live in France and the Tour went past their front door. She told me about the amazing carnival atmosphere and hordes of people who came to set up camp at the roadside, with drinking, bbq's, flags waving, music playing and so on, and when there were cries of "THEY'RE COMING, THEY'RE COMING" and everyone would dash to the road to watch as .... whoosh - there they go and...well, there they went!

In addition we have the heaven that is Wimbledon. I LOVE this time of year with the warm, long summer evenings. I finish work,and can have the back doors open, put on the T.V. and flop in front of whatever match is playing and enjoy world class sport.

Obviously though, I have to bring this around to Pilates so here we go...

It is interesting how many people still think Pilates is for women. Fortunately this is changing but I still get asked if I ever teach men and the answer is yes and actually 1 and sometimes 2 of my weekly classes have more men than women.

Don't forget that Pilates was invented by a man by the name of Joseph Pilates (although he called his work "Contrology and it was renamed Pilates after his death).

The vast majority of professional sports men and women/athletes incorporate Pilates into their training schedule. I have posted many a photo of Murray, Federer and Djokovic on a reformer (keeping it topical - I did notice a Pilates reformer in the home of word class Tour rider Waot van Aert in the TdF doc)

(Check out Mr Murray here in his Teaser on the Pilates chair!)

Pilates is over 100 years old and the principles remain the same. Breath, coordination, control, precision of movement all in addition to a strong and balance body with improved posture.

World class athletes know they need this form of exercise and movement to help them with improved body awareness and to stay strong and injury free. Mobility and core strength is essential in order to continue with all the other forms of sport and activity.

For us mere mortals, let's consider some of the reasons why we need this exercise in our lives, irrespective of gender -

Pilates builds strength in a low impact way so is perfect for long term joint health.

By building strength and muscular endurance, low back pain can be dramatically reduced.

By connecting to a strong core, coordination and balance is hugely improved.

You may be lifting heavy weights in the gym or beasting your opponent on the tennis court but can you stabilise your spine?

Pilates is not about lying on the floor and stretching. Still think it's easy? Come and join a class with me and let't have fun with The Hundred and see how long you can hold a Teaser. Two of the more recognisable exercises that can only be performed correctly if you are connected to your centre and have a strong core.

Who knows? With enough practise, you might be able to ride uphill without getting off to push!

Do you know, we are EXACTLY half way through the year?

All that hard work you have put in during the first half needs maintaining so PLEASE don't let the summer holibobs undo all your effort. What steps are you going to take to make sure you stay on track? We will have an almost full live calendar ALL the way through the summer, in addition to a library positively bulging at the seams - there really is no excuse and if you need extra support or guidance, give me a shout and let's make sure we head into Autumn as strong, fit and well as we start our summer.

If you haven't achieved as much as you had hoped, IT IS NOT TOO LATE. Start TODAY. Choose how you want to see the second half of the year - fitter, stronger, happier, more motivated... what are your goals?

What is coming up.

WRINKLES? AGEING SKING? Read on....

I am really looking forward to our upcoming Teatime Talk. TUESDAY 15TH JULY. 7PM.

Dr Vix Manning will be telling us about her soon to be published book "The Inflammation Game" and how inflammation in the body can cause all sorts of nasties, not least AGEING OUR SKIN?!! Never mind aching joints - let's talk WRINKLES! So before you skip off for some botox, put this one your diary and remember to share the love and invite your friends and family. As always our talks are free of charge and open to everyone. Head to Teatime Talks on my website for all info and online members will find the link in the live calendar.

Finally... Enjoy the library and maybe keep to your usual class routine in my absence and select a class the night before so that you are ready to log on and take a class. Why not message a fellow online member so you can both do the class at the same time and feel the connection that way?

Have a great weekend, I will see you bright and breezy on Monday 14th.

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Sitting in Southampton airport and other stuff

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! )

Why runners need to lift weights

By juliet • April 8, 2026

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.