Weekly Wrap Up. Week 35. 2024. Carfest and Imposter Syndrome.

Carfest 2024!

On the week that we hear Oasis is reforming… as we go in search of bucket hats and Parkers and middle aged men across the country cut their fringes weirdly short and grow in their sideburns, it’s a hello from me in a very sunny Pembrokeshire where I am having a well deserved few days away from it all with the essentials - camper van, two dogs, walking boots and a pile of books. Absolute bliss!

Carfest!

Well what a fantastic few days we all had. I think the name is misleading and as Chris Evans (who created and runs it) becomes ever more health and wellness focused, so too does the festival which saw me spending most of my time listening to talks from the likes of Dr. Rangan Chaterjee, Kirsty Gallagher, Dr Louise Newson, and Megan Rossi to name but just a few. Plus Tim Peake, Noel Fitzpatrick, Deborah Meaden… the list goes on!

I will be referencing things I learned from the talks I attended as we go along- we can all buy the books, listen to the podcasts, watch the programs but is always seems much more powerful when you are there in person hearing first hand. Mind you, I was busy typing notes on my phone in one group talk and looked up to see Megan Rossi staring at me and I was mortified - I sort of wanted to jump up and say “no, listen - I am writing notes, I am not what’s apping my friends… I am storing your wonderful words of wisdom!!!”….

My camping booking was changed at the last minute. No problem but having had a lot of emailing back and forth to confirm what was what, I decided to just check what the set up was as I had my enormous sized tent (attaches to the side of my camper and makes life a lot easier). I couldnt reach my “girl on the site” so referred to the website where it stated “no gazebos, no windbreakers etc” so I dutifully removed all the tent paraphernalia from my van, deciding to the embrace the cosy challenge of sharing a very small space with my good friend Vanessa who was arriving the following day. My contact did call me back when I was on the M3 and was very vague and really not sure so I decided not to risk it and continued on my way.

Well… let’s just say that on arrival it became clear that I was the only rule abider and I was the only, I repeat ONLY van who did not have an entire canvas village attached… I honesty did contemplate turning around and going home for it, but if you can recall the hurricane of last Thursday, I decided to be grateful not to have that wrestle and instead tried to work though my sense of betrayal and loss.

I was absolutely thrilled to teach my classes in the studio at “Spa fest” where a timetable of events ran over the 3 days. I was delighted to have huge turn outs for both classes with my twin nephews and Lou as my guests of honour who very loyally joined my Sunday class - thank you!

In spectacular fashion, I mixed my times up, arriving impressively early for my first class and nearly bursting a gasket as I charged across the site when I realised my error for my second… I should have been more than aware - I had been screen shotting all the different talks and events I wanted to attend that day and had sent to Lou who was coming on the Sunday and she rather pointedly sent back a screen shot of “Juliet’s Pilates 2.00pm” which clashed with a talk I had planned on attending… ah yes, that small detail!

We had “The hay bales” talks where an astronaut and a space man chatted together (Tim Peake and Sam Ryder) and were fully emboldened, inspired and warrior like after so many empowering talks from a huge range of presenters.

As a “performer”, I got access to The Green Room and The VIP Guest bar where I enjoyed some major imposter syndrome as people asked me what talks I was doing or what books I had out… well, you never know…. Watch this space

Chris tends to encourage anyone who is a guest on his radio show to come along “and do a slot” so I brushed shoulders with “Trent Crim” ( have you heard the rumours about a possible season 4??) Vassos of course and Andy Ramage but oh my, oh my, oh my… to have a chat and a selfie with Uncle Bryn!! Rob Brydon is part of the Carfest family and is always there, and never fails to entertain. Uncle Bryn tho!!!! Someone did ask him just what did happen on "that fishing trip" but he swears he does not know!

I must admit I was disappointed in two performers (Scouting for Girls and Sam Ryder) who asked for a chance to get their breath back between songs. Really boys, you need to seriously raise your game! We all know as I have mentioned previously that our Tay Tay goes through her entire set while running on the treadmill in order to be fit - mind you... my brother and I were googling the singers from our teenage years to compare where we were!

There was, understandably a lot of chat about the power of social media and having had encouragement and input from a couple of people, it motivated me to start doing more video online content, so I started the day I got home. Dodgy home editing and definitely keeping the reels "real" but you have to start somewhere, right?! Have you any idea how absolutely terrifying it is to record and post on socials? I mean I am live online every working day but posting is a WHOLE different ball game… this is where you are exposed and open to critique and really putting yourself out there. I have had so many teachers I worked with, approach me about this and how to start it so I jokingly said to one that I would lead by example - that set me up didn't it! I have no choice now!

When we were approaching lockdown and everyone was starting to choose to stay home and I turned up to an empty village hall ( that seems forever ago now) just a few days before Boris locked us up, I decided to embrace my inner warrior and I went live on instagram. Absolutely terrifying . TERRIFYING as I saw more and more (and more.. and more) popping up…. All I was doing was my usual class but to a screen, standing on a stage in an empty hall… why is it so different? I don’t really know but it is and what was amusing/reassuring was talking to quite a few apparently successful authors and influencers in The Green Room, many of whom I have heard and seen on tv and radio, who all confessed to imposter syndrome…. Clearly we all need more practise with Kirsty to embrace our inner Goddess…. she however, had us all taking off our shoes and holding our hands to our hearts with our eyes closed and I can't quite believe everyone was invested in that one

When I got to the studio on the first day, my “manager” asked me to do a quick talk to camera VT (SOO down with the lingo) which would be posted on the Carfest Socials. Well, I faffed about not being ready, not prepared, did I need to do my hair blah blah, and then decided “Oh Sod it, just do it” which I did and ironically having shared to my own socials have had more positive commenters and feedback than I think, any other post I have done!! The sunnies helped cover up the real me and the look of panic I think!

Retro fest was just delightful with a vintage caravan and tent village with all the owners dressed in clothes of the relevant decade and a large WW2 display of vehicles again with everyone in relevant uniforms and I did also walk over the bridge and enjoy some car racing. It was very funny to see my very first car, the Escort Mk 1 going round the track as a vintage!!!

The music line is always so varied and seeing everyone live is always exciting so we bopped along to the likes of Jake Shears, Richard Ashcroft, Olly Murs, Beverly Knight, The Feeling, Reef, Judge Jules and of course, the closing act and absolute joy of UB40. Lead singer Ali Campbell is so ordinary looking and unassuming despite his very distinctive voice and global fame. He didn't engage with his crowd at all and seeing him close up on the big screens dotted about he could honestly pass for a Ricky Gervais character like Clive the supermarket trolley collector!

All the monies raised go to various childrens' charities and it was great to see different people such as CEO of Children in Need, Simon Antrobus as well as Ellen MacArthur coming up on stage to talk about their work as well as meeting some very inspiring young people who have benefited. While we are having a huge amount of fun, it is a good check in for us all.

And so to sunny Pembrokeshire. I picked the dogs up on Monday morning, unpacked and repacked the van ready for an early Tuesday get away and both dogs lay by the van door the whole time - there was no way I was leaving them again! We had the bonus of meeting up with my bestie Emmafrombloodycardiff for an impromptu coffee in a service station on the M4 en route which was lovely! (so named as many years ago, way before sat nav etc., I would get spectacularly lost every time I visited, bearing in mind that she has lived in the same house for 29 years. Anway, to sum up how it was, one day my mother asked my then 9 year old daughter where we were going that weekend to which she replied "we are going to visit Emma in Bloody Cardiff" which has stuck forever more!

I have packed walking boots, light weights, mini loops and several books so all corners are covered - pleasure, maintenance and relaxation. Mind you, Bertie is slow at the mo and not totally sound so walking may be somewhat curtailed.

To answer a question I was asked recently, no we will not be easing back gently on my return w/c 9th… I am keeping up with my training,.. how about you? I know you are all in very good hands with Clare taking best care of you anyway.

May I take this opportunity to wish our online friend in Madrid a really wonderful wedding day tomorrow (Saturday) - you kept that quiet but I have my sources! Have a truly happy day and lots of love to you both.

The September challenge will be going up in time for the start of month and as always, do let me know how you get on.

We have a really super group getting together for lunch in a couple of weeks and I very much look forward to seeing you all.

There will be no weekly wrap up next week.

I am posting on socials so find me there but the laptop is now closing… when I was chatting to Dr. Rangan Chaterjee (wink, wink - see how I slipped that in - he is SO tall… my ex husband was 6’4’.. actually he probably still is, and RC is definitely taller)… annnwayyyyy, I commented on how commendable it was that he goes fully off radar for 4 weeks, staying off all social media etc… “oh yes”, says I…” I will delete my socials Apps and my work email apps’…. “Well done" says he “That will really enhance your time away blah blah”… "oh yes" says I "I was so inspired....." - well that was a load of rubbish as you can see!! It is a work in progress so I am posting this, doing a couple more recordings (consistency is key, don’t you know) and then the laptop really is closing as I do my very best to switch off for just a week… hmmmm….

I saw a great post yesterday that said “one of the best things about running your own business is you get to choose which 80 hours a week you work”

I am however stuck into a blood thirsty Patricia Cornwell crime thriller except unfortunately the 2 victims of a gruesome murder were camping... slightly unfortunate choice of reading as I am in my van in the middle of nowhere!!

And finally…

Just one this week…

A bad attitude is like a flat tyre. You can't go anywhere until you change it!

See you on socials soon and in classes from 9th.

Have a great week and toodle pip x

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Weekly Wrap up. Week 18. 2025.

By juliet • May 1, 2025

USE IT OR LOSE IT! I saw a post on instagram that I shared today. It is a video of a large family posing for a group photo, with many of them sat on the floor. Once the photo has been taken, they try to get up and that is where chaos happens (along with a lot of laughter) as they are clinging onto eachother, trying to get to their feet and getting into a total heap. Very funny... but also not... I was involved in a workshop today at Limewood and the phrase "Use it or Lose it" came up in the presentation. We all know the saying and can use it quite flippantly but how about acknowledging that if we no longer perform that particular activity, our body thinks it is no longer required and we find we CAN'T perform that movement. We need to condition our body and therefor when we first try a new exercise for example, we can feel quite unstable or uncoordinated and lacking in proprioception but as we repeat and practise, the move becomes more familiar and we grow in confidence and ability. Think of some of the sequences we do in Pilates or some of the more complex moves in our weights work - not for the faint of heart and performed only once we have built up the skills and have the coordination and understanding of what needs to go where. However as we stop doing those (or any other)moves they quickly become harder to reach. If you haven't seen it, do please watch "Secrets of The Blue Zones" on Netflix - about communities where people not only live beyond 100 but do so with good physical and mental health. It is a superb watch but the factors are the same in each community and one of them is of course, exercise, be it walking up a practically vertical hill to church or getting onto hands and knees to tend the garden daily. Whatever you do or don't do, please don't be the one rolling around because you cant get up from the floor!! Using it beyond all reason this weekend however are Lou and Clare - please join me in wishing them the very best of luck as they set off together at 6.45am on Saturday to run 100km around the Isle of Wight. If you recall, they did 50km last year and that achievement set them up for going the full distance this year. It also did something else as I went over to watch them and had a bad case of missing out, as I can no longer run and realised how much I missed the training and camaraderie of an endurance event and it was off the back of this experience that I came home and bought a new bike. So a year (and lots of cycling and joining a club) later, I am also off to the island on Sunday to cycle 100km on the IOW Randonnee. I respect that my challenge is nowhere near the scale of what Lou and Clare are undertaking but there are some big old hills over there... good job we have a Bank Holiday Monday to recover!!

Weekly Wrap up. Week 17. 2025.

By juliet • April 24, 2025

Blink and you miss it. There went Easter. I hope you all had a lovely time doing whatever you got up to and we now enter the summer term. I mean we don't really have terms but if we did, this is it... exams, summer uniform, netball and cricket and dusting off the bbq's. Personally, none of that really applies to me... well perhaps the summer uniform as I drag my shorts blinking and yawning from the back of the drawer. As for netball - I used to absolutely love it. I was always in the school team, playing Centre or Goal defence and did briefly join Lymington as an adult. When my girls were at prep. school, they reinstated a teachers v parents netball match and we won by a country mile -none of us really knew how but me being me, I went full out to start a mum's netball club one evening a week. Before we knew it, "friends" had mentioned us to the Bournemouth and Southampton leagues. This was very, very scary as we were just running up and down shouting "is that allowed? what are we supposed to do here? did that count?" so clearly in our infancy and anyway, we didn't have any matching kit but we did have a lot of fun - well, until someone went over on her ankle which promptly broke and that was the end of that. I have been spared life as a cricket mum or widow but sitting in a deckchair for hours in the sunshine pretending to watch sounds wonderful to me. As I watch my nephews revving up for the start of GCSE's, I thank my lucky stars those hideous days are behind me. I have a vivid memory of sitting at the kitchen table trying to revise while my mother sat outside in the garden listening to Wimbledon on the radio and the two are forever linked for me. Wimbledon with exams not my mother. Apparantly we have wonderful weather next week so dig out your sunscreen and if you can make it, I will be teaching on the beach for Monday and Tuesday's classes. We went through the 34 Moves recently and the upside down/inversion moves are usually the ones that need the most practise. You can really get a deep dive into these moves on the studio equipment if you ever go to a studio but we have several in our mat work - Roll over, Rolling moves, High bridge, Control balance, High Scissors and Bicycle. Remember that Joseph Pilates' philosophy was to perfect on the studio equipment and practise on the mat, hence we use all sorts of equipment and creativity to recreate as close to the studio work as we can for the vast majority of us who do not have access to a fully equipped studio. Why inversion? Gravity can lead to compression of the spine and their little shock absorbers known as discs that can become dehydrated. When we tip our body upside down, we can reverse the gravitational pull. This can help to create more space between the verterbrae and studies suggest that this allows for the discs' soft tissue to absorb moisture and rehydrate and plump up. Exercises like Roll over or the rolling moves can provide a massage for the spine and fascia as well as improving spinal mobility and of course, abdominal strength. (please note in photo above, my right arm is not perfect - my wrist should be flat and my arms could be stronger and better connected to the floor but it was the best pic I could find for now and I wasn't sharing that space with anyone else so it was a mediocre me or nothing!!!) Want more? Well, it is widely believed that being upside down can stimulate the lymphatic system and help with lymph drainage. Also the action of being upside down can increase blood flow to the stomach and therefor help with digestion and digestive issues. You don't need to be performing an advanced Control Balance move - some of the rolling moves and spinal extension we have been working on do the job in a modified way and anyhow, high blood pressure, glaucoma and spinal issues are some of the reasons why full, advanced inversion is not ideal - there are always ways to adapt, modify and practise safely. What we established in our 8am class yesterday was how many ways we can break down, build up and practise. For example, consider the Roll up, Roll down and Roll over as exactly the same exercise but variations come from the position you start from, how you work against gravity and whether it is your upper or lower body that moves. Thinking about Roll over, and going into the inverted positions (where your hands support you from under your hips), we worked on how to open up the chest, the need for strength through the traps, lats and triceps, length in the hamstrings, strength in the core and so much more. So for example, to improve High Scissors, you could consider side lying chest opener, Roll down with arms behind you, Saw and upper body only double leg kick - all moves to open up the chest and strengthen the upper body. In addition, hamstring and hip flexor stretches. Focus on pelvic floor and deep core connection so lots of abdominal and core strengthening- we could (and do) a whole class on moves to prepare us for one single and seemingly evasive exercise. What we do know is that to get better, we need to practise - a few daily exercises relevant to what you need to build on will make ALL the difference so.... with that in mind, I am going to start planning some workshop style classes again as we haven't done this for a while so your input would be welcomed. What moves really challenge you and what would you like to work on? I will get my creative hat on and build a class around the strength, stretch and mobility we need to focus on. What I continue to hear from you (and feel for myself) is the benefit of building strength from lifting weights and how that really helps with your Pilates progess. Isn't it great!!

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Weekly Wrap up. Week 9. 2025. It's nearly our 5th Birthday!

By juliet • February 27, 2025

I very nearly missed it. I was thinking about an April challenge or similar when I suddenly realised that WE ARE 5! In March, we will have been online for a whopping 5 years and as we grow ever stronger, this needs to be celebrated! Friday 17th March 2020. I was in a totally empty Beaulieu Village hall as everyone was staying home and with legs shaking and heart racing, I leant my phone up against a speaker on the stage and started my first ever Facebook LIve class. A lot has happened in 5 years and we are all far more tech savvy now but this was ground breaking for me at least and I was terrified. Seeing little hearts and smiley faces floating up the screen as more and more people logged on was the biggest support I could have imagined. That week before what we all knew was coming, I was facing the “what’s next” along with millions of others. For me, “what next” was a 3 day non stop run of no sleep (adrenaline has many uses) and a huge learning curve. Along with fellow fitness professionals, I was learning how to use Zoom, membership platforms, booking programs, how to manage my website, multi screening, recording and editing. There were a lot of tears and coffee and I did not see my bed for 3 nights straight. BUT…. (indulge me here please) scrolling back through my old blog posts (still there for you to see!) I saw my first post about Live, free Facebook Pilates on March 20th and my first calendar of classes the same week as we went into lockdown. I went live, online for free every day, one way or another for 6 weeks right at the start. It nearly killed me and how Joe Wicks kept going, I do not know but I am so proud of that and what we achieved together. I was reaching into countries all over the world as at that time, not as many people were offering this and as everyone was at home, time zones were not as relevant. Friends and family were sharing the links so that they could do classes together and see eachother from wherever they were. To be honest, it is all a bit of a blur (as I am sure it is for many, many people) as I just fought hard to save my business and my sanity. I do vividly remember one class where we had zooms from Australia, America, Qatar, Dubai and Mallorca. I wrote it down on my office whiteboard where it stayed for years. It was just surreal and I honestly could not believe this was me! I was doing all this on my laptop mirrored to my TV, in my lounge! You saved me! I was on my own and horribly lonely and isolated and slowly going a bit mad and “having” to log on daily and be positve and upbeat and full of energy to motivate and inspire you genuinely saved me. I have removed most of the old lockdown content and anything that still triggers me into a shivver of how awful it was, but one thing that I hold in my heart with enormous pride is my online community. I am more proud of this than I can begin to descibe. You are my family. I created this, built and nurtured it and continue to be indescribably proud of what we have all acheived together. Our Christmas lunches, when I sit back and see so many friends, the care and what we share - please know that it means the world to me. We have got up to SO MUCH online over 5 years. I am not going to go back over it because a) it is all there in old blogs and social media posts and b) full disclosure, I am only truly, this last year, coming out of what the lockdown era took out of me and I do not wish to revisit it but…. True friendships have grown and we all know we really are “SO MUCH MORE THAN PILATES”. Only last week when a group of us met for a walk, I took so much from hearing you talking about how much YOU get from it - not just the exercise but the daily morning chats and check in’s, the community and support - that you cannot believe how you used to do one class a week, whizz in, whizz out and that was that until the following week whereas now you are doing multiple classes a week and what’s apping fellow members, logging in to see friends and sharing so much. I have been able to teach from Cornwall, Botswana, Croatia ,Pembrokeshire, the local beach…. and as my feet get ever more itchy, the wonders of online means have van, have wifi - you can come with me! I have never wanted to go down the commerical studio route. That was never for me. Far too restrictive - and as online works, the world awaits! So here we are. This last week we have beamed into MELBOURNE (furthest reach so far!), Singapore, Tanzania, Germany, France, Spain, Greece and never forgetting the Isle of Wight… we have more members than ever, a wonderful variety of classes and the library has had another update with more to come. Teatime talks are shaping up (new page on the website under construction), we have 2 socials in the diary and it’s still only February. This year is my 20th anniversary as a Pilates teacher and 22 years since I started out as a Personal trainer. As the wonderful Master Teacher Michael King (who I am going to for a week of Pilates in Crete in May) says - “Old Pilates teachers never retire. We just roll down one day and never roll back up” For our fifth anniversary, it seems only right to go back to where it started so bear with me and watch this space as I plan a collection of extra FREE classes available to EVERYONE, some on Zoom, some on instagram live. This will be week commencing March 24 March and PLEASE put Saturday March 29th in your diary and come to Beaulieu village hall for old time’s sake for a FREE class open to ALL starting at 9am - and coffee and pastries up the road afterwards at Steffs. I will sort the times and days and post next week and in our members’ calendar but everyone is included. Do also keep March 11th in your diary for the first of our Teatime talks - again, open to all. The wonders of being online.