Pilates Princess

Once upon a time, lived a girl who just wanted to lift weights and do nothing else :).

We all know how this story goes, injury and pain – tight hips the list can go on.

I never imagined I’d become a Pilates instructor.

If you’d asked me a few years ago what kind of training I enjoyed, Pilates probably wouldn’t have even made the list. Honestly never took stretching seriously.

Then somehow I found myself in Greece, ready to learn and become a Pilates teacher.

I passed the course, came home and thought…

“Right… now what?”

So I rented a room.

Advertised my own classes.

And hoped somebody would actually turn up. I have thought hundreds of classes but that first class on my own was terrfying.

I started with one class a week , then became two and then became three. These were my classes and I still love teaching them.

The funny thing is, I still wouldn’t say Pilates is my favourite way to train. If I had an hour to myself, chances are I’d still end up lifting weights.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all I should be doing. In fact, it’s probably the reason I’ve stayed as injury-free as I have over the last few years. (We’ll ignore my knee deciding to explode during HYROX in January… that wasn’t Pilates’ fault. 😂).

It forces me to slow down, lots of rehabbing and I was able to fix myself.

I’m someone who always wants to be doing more, lifting heavier, running faster, just doing more.

Signing up for another race.

Pilates asks you to do the opposite.

Slow down, connect with the body, breathe, check in with yourself.

I think we often treat mobility and stretching like they’re optional.

Something we’ll get around to when we have time but the truth is, we don’t really get to choose. If you don’t make time, the time will come when you have no choice.

Just like we don’t get to decide whether we enjoy resistance training.

As we get older, our muscles naturally get weaker if we don’t use them that’s why I think everyone should do some form of resistance training and some form of mobility work.

Not because you have to love it.

Not because you need to become a Pilates Princess, nor do I.

But because your future self will thank you for it.

And maybe that’s what I’ve learned the most from teaching Pilates.

Sometimes the most valuable training is the training your body needs, not the training your ego wants.

You don’t have to love every part of training.

You just have to respect what each part gives you.