Exploring Pilates with Anne

What if movement is your birthright - and you don't need to be flexible, fit, or wear the latest workout gear to start?

In this grounded conversation, host Sarah Gorev reconnects with Anne from Shape It Up Pilates in Rugby - and Anne brings over 30 years of fitness industry experience to share. 

What makes this episode special is Anne's straight-talking approach. She runs a business, she's busy, and she'll tell you - she doesn't do an hour of Pilates every day. But she knows exactly what matters: the basics, done consistently, that keep you strong as you age. It's the perfect antidote to perfectionist fitness culture.

You'll discover:

* The surprising origins of Pilates 

* Why corrections aren't criticism but gifts 

* The intentional movement principle

* How COVID proved online Pilates works perfectly - with camera on and proper guidance

* Why Anne recommends starting on the mat (for years!) before moving to equipment - building that essential body awareness

* The rehabilitation sweet spot where Pilates works beautifully alongside osteopaths and physios

* How stand-up paddleboarding is actually great Pilates exercise - core, balance, breathing, flow, all of it

* The truth about posture: we're NOT designed to stay upright all day, variety matters more than perfection

* Why women especially need to think about strength as oestrogen leaves - but taking the long view 

* The accessible reality

This conversation explores the practical (how to actually start, what to expect, mat vs equipment) and the philosophical (why slow intentional movement is powerful, how variety beats perfection, taking the long view) with equal depth and honesty. Anne's willingness to share her own imperfect practice - mobility work in the morning, walking for mental wellness, Focus Therapy for listening to herself - is refreshing and real.

Perfect for: Pilates beginners wondering where to start, people recovering from injury seeking the rehabilitation sweet spot, women over 40 concerned about maintaining strength, busy people needing accessible movement practices, anyone feeling "not good enough" for fitness spaces, long-distance walkers wanting to build foundations, those seeking honest guidance without perfection pressure, or anyone interested in practitioners who've genuinely learned what works over decades.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Shape It Up Pilates: https://shapeituppilates.co.uk/

Episode highlights:

[02:00] From Legs Bums and Tums to Pilates

[03:00] Joseph Pilates and WWI prisoner of war camp origins

[06:00] "If you're thinking about dinner, you're not doing Pilates"

[07:00] Why corrections are gifts, not criticism

[09:00] Can you do Pilates online? COVID changed everything

[12:00] Physical ability - do you need to be fit?

[16:00] The rehabilitation sweet spot

[18:00] Stand-up paddleboarding IS Pilates

[22:00] Anne's honest personal practice

[26:00] The posture misconception

[29:00] Mat first, equipment later - and why

[34:00] Focus Therapy discovery

Thanks for listening.

Transcript

Exploring Pilates with Anne

​[00:00:00] 

Sarah: what if I told you that movement is your birthright? You don't need to be flexible, fit or wear the latest workout gear to get started. Welcome back to Exploring Ways to Wellness. This week I am chatting with Anne from Shape It Up Pilates here in Rugby.

I've done Anne's classes before and loved being in her studio, so it's fantastic to reconnect. What I love most about Anne is her honesty. She's been in the fitness industry for over 30 years, runs her own business, and she tells you straight.

She knows what matters. The basics done consistently and that keeps you strong as you age, which is so important for all of us. We explore what Pilates actually is and its surprising origins during World [00:01:00] War I. We talk about why it's not just for dancer or Instagram perfect bodies, how it differs from physio and why Ann recommends starting on the mat

how Pilates principles show up in unexpected places like standup paddle boarding and while waiting for the kettle to boil. Anne also shares why the corrections aren't criticisms but gifts, how variety matters more than perfect posture, and

why women especially need to think about strength as they age, and Pilates could be the perfect way . Whether you are curious about trying Pilates, wondering if you are good enough to start or simply interested in accessible movement that adapts to your own body, Anne's practical wisdom shines through.

Let's dive in.

 Welcome back to Exploring Ways to Wellness. [00:02:00] I am thrilled this week to have the wonderful Anne from Shape It Up Pilates with me to talk about all things Pilates. So welcome Anne. 

Anne: Thank you very much, Sarah. It's lovely to be here. 

Sarah: What brought you to Pilates?

Anne: Um, I wish I had a really earth shattering story, Sarah, but I don't, I was teaching, so I've been in the fitness industry for over 30 years at the time. I was teaching Legs Bums and Tums, I think 

Sarah: classic 

Anne: in a community hall. Yep. Uh, there's nothing wrong. A great class, Legs, Bums and Tums. And in the class was an osteopath and she used to come every week and they were looking for somebody to help their clients to recover from back injury or any injury.

And so. Um, I always, I suppose I wasn't just a legs bums and tums, I really did love the anatomy and physiology side of fitness, and I loved [00:03:00] adapting exercises for people in the class. So she could see probably that, there was something more that wasn't just a kind of a woo let's get the leg warmers on and just, you know, do a range of crazy exercises.

Yeah. So they invited me into their, their clinic and I said, great. And I thought, I think I need a bit more training than this. And then that was the late nineties, uh, coming into the two thousands. And at that time, Pilates was becoming more mainstream, so there were more opportunities to get training in it.

And so I was going to go into an osteopathic clinic and there was some osteopaths who were running some Pilates training courses. So I said that seems like the logical place to go. And that's how I got into it. And then I, then I went into the clinic and then built you know, started seeing clients and helping them and using the pilates method to help people.

And that's how it all developed. 

Sarah: Fantastic. Yeah. So essentially, if you could describe for us [00:04:00] what Pilates involves and what, what makes it stand apart from other types of physical activity? 

Anne: Pilates in its truest original form, uh, was designed by a man called Joseph Pilates. So it was designed by a man and he, and he developed it. He was always a fitness enthusiast. So he was a boxer, he was a skier, he was a gymnast. And then World War I broke out and then he became an intern, and then he started to use just his principles of fitness, um, to help the people he was in the prisoner of war camp to help their respiration, their breathing, their um, just their, their muscular strength. And he attached bed springs to the bed frame. And if you know anything about Pilates, you may have seen reformers online. And so the original bed spring is still an action today except it's fancier. 

Sarah: That's amazing.

Anne: Yeah. 

Sarah: I did 

not expect you to say that. 

Anne: No. [00:05:00] So, and he was on the money because obviously as we need, we all need to look after our muscular strength. And it doesn't have to be very difficult. We just need to keep the skeleton and the muscles active, and of course they probably weren't getting very good nutrition and there were obviously disease, like respiratory disease was high.

So the breathing, so a deeper breath to get the diaphragm working, to get the rid of the stale layer outta their lungs. The resistance of the springs kept them stronger, kept them physically capable, and then war ended and he went I think he actually was in England for a while and then ended up going to America.

And then he ended up opening a studio, which was underneath the New York City Ballet, and then he started to look after rehabilitate dancers. 

Sarah: Yeah, 

Anne: so Pilates is, it originally was made more in the, for the rehabilitation market, if you wanna think about, to help people move better, [00:06:00] recover from something in, or enhance the movement that they already had.

So it's very precise. So it was meant for one-to-ones Originally it was, it was, it was, it was done on a one-to-one basis and then small groups, and then eventually it became slightly bigger, like no more than 10 people on, on a, on a, in a group, or maybe seven. So very precise. There's a flow to it.

So there's. The exercises are in their original altogether, do flow from one to the other. There's the breathing is key to it. And the deep core, as in your buttocks, your hips, your stomach, your back. That is your basis for your, for all of your exercises. So all those muscles are switched on, not all of them, but you know, sometimes more, some more than others.

Sometimes you're concentrating more on the glute, some buttock, sometimes you're concentrating more on the hips, more on the back, you know? But essentially that core is your, is your starting point. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: And when that is there to give you a good foundation, and then you can [00:07:00] add all the other arms, legs, all that in.

So in one way. Because we live in a very, uh, digital world, and it's all visual. In one way it could be quite boring for Instagram or to see it because, you know, when you're looking at it, it looks like nothing. But when you do it, it's like. Good Lord, how can lifting my leg off the floor be so very difficult?

Yes. And then you know, you are doing Pilates. If you're lifting your leg up and throwing it around and you're thinking about what you're having for dinner, you're not doing Pilates. You're just throwing your leg around. 

Sarah: Yeah. Yeah. It's that very intentional movement, isn't it? Yeah. I remember when I was d oing it in your classes and it's that you can very easily get it wrong.

I can totally understand Yes. How you're saying, you know, one-to-one or small groups, because I remember, you know, you'd be correcting people and mm-hmm. It was a very slight movement. Would completely change the whole [00:08:00] exercise. Yeah. And you could really feel, as you said those muscles. Like engaging in a way that they hadn't been before and was challenging.

Anne: Yeah, because it's, it's, it's a wonderful, I mean, it depends how you look at it. I mean, from my point of view, and that's, guess that's what we're here today. From my point of view, it is a gift to be able to, somebody comes into the studio, of course they have habits, of course, their body has, they've been using their body in the same way maybe for 40, 50, 30 years.

There's no point in them coming to class and you allowing them, allowing them, I mean that like, you know, of course you're not rigid, but there's no point in allowing them just to repeat the same bad habits. They're there to improve something. So if they're there to improve, they want to create a change.

It is my job to help that body experience how it is to move differently in their body. 

Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

Anne: So the piece about correcting. Somebody can be seen in a very negative way, but it's not, it is the best [00:09:00] bit of coming to a, a, I'm gonna say proper, but I am gonna use the word proper.

'cause there's a lot of stuff going on that's not really Pilates. It is a gift to come to a studio and for someone to guide you and allow that, that teacher to guide you and you suddenly think, oh, I can really feel a muscle muscles, or I can feel my body in a completely different way than how I have ever felt it move or be before.

And hopefully the idea is that you feel better. 

Sarah: Yes, 

Anne: you know that you are moving better, that your back might feel a bit better or your neck or your everything. So it is a relationship, it's a trust between the client, the clients, and the teacher. And that takes time to develop as well. 

Sarah: Yeah, that's beautiful the way you described that as guiding you through I can imagine its all about finding the right teacher, as you say, because one person could come across as being sort of very critical at a time when you are trying your [00:10:00] best to do something. Mm-hmm. And another person, you sort of trust that actually it's gonna make a significant difference if I follow what I'm supposed to. Yeah, I know during lockdown, which was something crazy like five years ago now.

Mm-hmm. It still weirdly feels like yesterday. 

Anne: Yeah. 

Sarah: You did a couple of things online, which were great for people to be able to follow, um, you know, keep up their practice if you like. But, um, do you have a view on, because you can't have that same sort of interaction online. If you've, you aren't able to get physically get to a studio such as your wonderful studio in Rugby, is there something people can look for, which, you know, the certain exercises that can be done over classes online, or would you always suggest it's something that to start you off you should have some sort of one-to-one interaction with the teacher.[00:11:00] 

Anne: So obviously COVID was great in one way. It was terrible and great because it completely plowed down barriers that we thought were there. And I remember having this conversation with my husband. He was like, could you do this online? I said, there's absolutely no way you could do Pilates online.

There's just no way. And of course, COVID came around and there we were all doing Pilates online perfectly well. If you can't get to a, a studio or a class joining an online class, if possible, a live online class is perfect.

Of course. And, and Pilates teachers have developed, like all other people who went online over COVID, have developed that skill now. You want a class that it has you, you have your camera on, they can see you and they can still deliver a very effective class or workout if you're on a one-to-one because they can see you and they can direct you to where to put the camera.

And I, let me just see this of whatever they need. So yeah, absolutely. In terms of starting. [00:12:00] Pilates just on its own with no interaction with anybody there. There's a lot of good stuff out there, but I think it will be just useful to book a half an hour. 'cause there are some very basic principles that you need to make sure that you've got.

Um, and that is basically in my mind, so the pelvic stability, the breathing, there is some, you do need a little bit of more support 'cause it's quite a lot to take in. Um, but you know, you could easily, somebody could easily just do a half hour with somebody and get quite a lot 

Sarah: and get those key bits.

Yeah. Yeah. I seem to remember even doing, there might have even been like an intro thing I did with you or one of the teachers at your studio before joining the classes, and it was around that pelvic area and the breathing, so that once you got into the class 

Anne: mm-hmm. 

Sarah: You sort of knew the basics.

Anne: Yeah, because when we started out, first we used to do beginners level 1, 2, 3. And then I, then I was, then it became that people would [00:13:00] come to beginners and say, well, they're not really beginners. Like they're perfectly fine. There's nothing, right? They're moving really well. So that's when we started to introduce these introdu intro sessions.

Uh, so used come in some, and we start off just about a half an hour, just so we can see, okay, how are you moving and what is your, what is the, are you having any issues? 'cause some people just wanna just. Just find something that's gonna work for them. It doesn't ha you don't have to have an issue to do Pilates.

You just, so people sort wanna try it. So, yeah, so some people are moving really well and they're ca capable, so there's no point in putting them into a Pilates or beginner's session. So it's a great opportunity for us to think, okay, this person was fit in really well in this class, not that class.

Sarah: Yeah.

Anne: Yeah. 

Sarah: And do you have, do you need to have a cer certain level of physical ability? To 

Anne: No. 

Sarah: To start or can any Pilates exercise be adapted depending on what's going on with you? 

Anne: Yeah. So then, then it comes down just the understanding of the human body. Mm-hmm. Like, [00:14:00] we're not robots. Sometimes there is that feeling that people look at the body like a robot, like, oh, this is a joint and it moves like this, but it's not its complex. It's all connected. Everything in the human body is all connected, inter interconnected. So we have to see it as a unit, like a whole unit.

And like all humans move, they blink. Like we, we all, we were able to to to, to clench our fists and open our fi like our fingers. And that is connected to other things. If I make a fist of my hand and then I, and I stretch my fingers, it's also moving up into my forearm, up into my bicep. You know what I mean?

So everything is connected. So even the most basic movement will have an impact and can bring a benefit. So yeah, so we do something called Aging Strong in the studio, and that that's a combination of people are sitting and some people are standing. Some people cannot get on the floor, some people are able to get on the floor.

It would be lovely if we could, if it's ever possible for us to embrace [00:15:00] that movement is for everybody. Yeah. It's not just for people who are wearing the best, the latest trainers and the less the latest workout gear. A human movement is the most basic thing that we can do as humans.

That's what we do. We're designed to move, we've got all these joints in our body, and that once you have a joint, that's an indication of this area is meant to move. 

Sarah: Mm. 

Anne: So if you think about the amount of joints you have in your body, your feet this quarter, 25% of your bones and joints are in your feet.

So that gives an indication. They are meant to move, feet are meant to move, and that's why you've, you've got this whole industry of the barefoot or the minimal shoe. Where there's not much, uh, not, not much heels in them. There is also the other opposite where there's lots of heel and put and cushioning because there is an understanding that the foot is designed to move.

Um, and so by, by not encasing it in too much [00:16:00] material, it will then benefit everything above it. The legs, the hips, the glutes, the pelvic floor, the lower back. But if you keep your foot like in a boot and it's, it can't really move, that is also affecting the ankle, the knee, the hip. It's a bit of a, I know it's like blow your head 

Sarah: off.

It's fascinating, isn't it? When you start to think of the amount of combinations of things moving and how they're all sort of interconnected and as you say, even if there's a particular part of you not working perfectly at the moment, there is a way of sort of. Getting to it without putting yourself in pain or 

Anne: mm-hmm.

Sarah: And which makes sense. Again, coming back to your original point about it coming from the rehabilitation area. Yeah, 

Anne: Yeah. So, yes, exactly. I mean, what you said is right if you have a sore shoulder. Well, you can still work. You can still work around that structure and that your shoulder will still be getting benefit because there are muscles that run through your shoulder that might that start on the opposite side, on the back of your [00:17:00] pelvis.

So say you had a, a sore left shoulder. You could, we could, you could do something on the right hand side of your body because the muscles connect diagonally across to that shoulder on the left hand side. You are still at a, on a long distance working that left shoulder but from very far away.

And if therefore say you're not sort of hurting your hurting it. And also your brain can also not worry about it because when we have pain, our brain thinks, oh no, be careful, be careful, be careful. It's gonna hurt. So we need to kind of ease our way in and around. Sort of go in the back door. 

Sarah: Yes. Yeah.

Anne: Yeah. So the brain is like, oh yeah, this is easy. I know I can do this. So, yeah. 

Sarah: So does it work in a similar way to physiotherapy then, but. 

Anne: Yes. Yeah. So I did a few qualifications, so I did that one with the osteopath I spoke about earlier. And then I did another, another Pilates course that was underwritten by a physio, so a [00:18:00] physiotherapist.

So physiotherapists would use Pilates all the time in their everyday practice. Yeah. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Fascinating. 

Anne: I personally believe the sweet spot for Pilates is for people who they go to their osteopath and their osteopath says, okay, you're, you need to build the muscles in your back.

And so the osteopath and the Pilates student would work together. So they might refer you to, to me, and I say, okay, the osteopath might say, but she needs to be very careful of this. So we go, okay, fine. So we work around that issue, just as I just said, we work around it, but we still get you stronger. And then you start to feel, oh yeah, this is, this doesn't hurt.

You start to move more. Then the gradually. Gradually over time, this is the long game, you will start to feel better. You will be in less pain because you are moving. Soft, not softly. Softly is a word that people think, oh, we not, it's pathetic. It's not. It's moving gradually more and other muscles will be engaging and other muscles will get stronger, and then you can, [00:19:00] then you'll start to feel a bit more confident.

You just being to trust yourself again and trust your body. And then you don't go and see your osteopath quite as much and you start to do a bit more. You start to go into a class and then gradually, gradually over time you forget that you came with back pain. 

Sarah: Yes. 

Anne: And so that is kind of, that's for me is where pilates is then is the perfect.

So it allows you to move on, move out of that ever decreasing circle of discomfort. Going to for treatment. Going for treatment. Going for treatment. 

Sarah: I guess from what you're saying, it sounds like it could be quite a nice complementary physical activity to other things you could be doing if you were a runner or if you were doing just anything, I guess.

Anne: Oh my goodness, Sarah. Yes. So another thing that we introduced in the studio is that we go, like for example, the last couple of years we've done standup and paddle, because that is for me. Yes, come to the studio, but take your skills out into the big world. [00:20:00] Go out. Stand up and paddle. That's Pilates. You're, it's your core.

It's your balance. It's your breathing, it's your focus, it's your concentration, it's your flow. You need all of those things to stay on that board. 

Sarah: Oh my I love it. I know. Never considered the two would be incredible. Yeah. It. Yeah. Perfect. 

Anne: Yeah. So long distance walking. Another great example of where Pilates would come in, the foot, the ankle the hips, the hip strength, the breathing all comes in to long distance walking.

So I have the new year. There's a lady coming in to give, we're doing an event. She just, she runs walking holidays and we're just gonna just say, I want people to open their eyes to. Yes, come on a Monday at nine 30, but literally on a Saturday, go and do something with your body and challenge it a little bit and put these skills into, into everyday life and get out there and experience the world.

Enjoy your life with a strong, healthy body. Lovely. 

Sarah: I love it. Yeah. I'm [00:21:00] sold. I'll be, 

Anne: I know that's what I really want, but, oh, Sarah, it breaks my heart. People have so many obstacles they put in their way. I haven't got time. I'm not good enough. I'm not strong enough. That's for other people. I'm too old. I'm too heavy.

I'm too short. Like you, you're thinking. No, just go. 

Sarah: Well, you've just read off my list really, so I, no.

For the next set of classes because, uh, clearly I'm making excuses and, um, and none of them hate to be there because, 

Anne: no, and I get it because if you are looking on Instagram and social media, the only people who are there are beautiful people. 

They all look amazing. But most studios are not filled with people like that.

They're filled with normal, everyday people. 

Sarah: Men, women, young, old course, everything in between. Did, do you have any children doing Pilates? [00:22:00] Is that something So we, because I guess they're still developing, aren't. 

Anne: Yeah, no, children can definitely do Pilates, so we would, can take on, take 16 upwards in the studio. So we do have teenagers. The thing, that's another thing that also breaks my heart is that because it is. Making you aware or giving you the opportunity to become aware of how you are moving and how you, how that feels.

And we do have mirrors in the studio. 'cause sometimes I do have to say like, can you see that when you lift your arm, your shoulder comes up? If you can't, if you can't feel it. And if. So if you see it, then you think, oh, I see what you mean. But a lot of young people would find that's too much. That's way too, they don't want that much attention on them.

They would misunderstand that correction possibly. Okay. So sometimes it's too much for people who are just developing in so many different ways, although it would really benefit them. There's a lot of worry. There can be a lot of worry around. Oh, she's telling me off and it's a bit like school. 

It's [00:23:00] just knowing, I suppose again, knowing that teacher is not trying to make a fool of you or anything like that. Mm-hmm. They're just, they're trying to help you. Yeah. It will be brilliant for teenagers, but this is, I'm just telling you my experience Yeah.

Of having young people in the studio that it's, yeah. Sometimes they're just not ready emotionally or they don't have the maturity yet to take on some of the stuff. 

Sarah: Yeah. And how have you found in your own personal life, Pilates has changed things for you? Have you ever had sort of a particular reason why you have needed to turn to it or it's just been as a daily practice, really important for keeping up your general fitness?

Anne: So I'm not gonna lie to you, Sarah. 

Sarah: Perfect. 

Anne: I run a business. Yeah, at the end of the day, I run a business. And you are self-employed, aren't you? Yes. Fully, yeah. 

Sarah: Yes. 

Anne: Self-employed. Running a business is so time [00:24:00] consuming. It absolutely swallows you up. Sometimes 

Sarah: it does. 

Anne: So it is, I do have a, I do have a practice but in no way am I doing an hour of Pilates every day.

So in terms of how it has helped my me, I, I know it's important, so I know that if I don't do what I say I should do. I am going to have problems as, as I age, because now I am in my fifties now I'm a late fifties. So it's becomes becoming more and more important. It's important in your thirties, but as we get older, we tend to stiffen a little bit.

It's becomes really important. So I focus on mobility. So I, I work all the joints of my body in the morning, so, and that's nothing fancy, just, in the kitchen, just working it all. And I'll do that throughout the day. Little bits, just little bits and bobs. So Pilates has helped me see what it's like when you don't move.

Right. And you and I also [00:25:00] feel so much better just by doing it. It doesn't have to be fancy. I'm not doing fancy things. Yeah. Just those, those foundational movements that I know will keep. Hold onto my balance, my pelvic floor and my core, keeping them strong. My buttocks are strong, my hips are strong for the, for females, males as well, but for the female pelvis is wider than the males.

And we also go through that change, the hormonal change, and that does affect the hips, the pelvic floor, that pelvic area. So in order for us to be well. Right through our later years working our around the muscles, around our pelvis is absolutely paramount. It's really important that we stay strong on our buttocks, hips, and that helps our pelvic floor and then the core and back tend to come along with that anyway.

Yeah so for me, it has really nailed down. That message has really gone into my being and I make sure that I do something every day in that area. But again, I want to emphasize this is not fancy. It's [00:26:00] basic. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: And then I walk 'cause I love getting outside. And so pla you know, Pilates was made by a person who loved moving.

He was a skier, he was outdoor person. So getting outside is really important for us as humans as well. The light helps to set, resettle our body clock just getting away from. As I say, I run a business. Getting away from all of that is lovely. Yeah. Just sweeps out the cobwebs, gives you a different mindset.

You come in, a different person, come back from the walk. So it has helped that 

Sarah: fresh air. 

Anne: Yeah. 

Sarah: Yeah. To 

Anne: prioritise. And I guess 

Sarah: The breath work, that's part of your Pilates as well? 

Anne: Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I'll just go for a walk and just not, not very fast, but just breathe, just look around and think, you know.

Just Yeah. Be in the world. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: Because, you know, because work can take your attention away, you know, it can sort of 

gobble up so 

much time. 

Sarah: Yeah. But to have that [00:27:00] consciousness of having those intentional actions that can aid your body as you said. Yeah. Particularly knowing sort of as you move through life, that um, it becomes more and more important that you keep things moving.

Work tends to be sort of quite sedentary, doesn't it? You know, you're sat at a desk. I mean, I've sat here now very conscious. I'm hunched over staring the screen you, 

Anne: but that's another misconception because posture is meant to change. We're not meant to stay in the same upright position.

We're designed to move and to slump and to, but the thing is, is not to stay in the same position. So if you're moving around and changing your position, even if you have to sit, that's better than trying to sit up really upright all day because the muscles will get very tired holding you up like that.

So everybody beats themselves up about that business of I have to sit all day. My posture's really bad thinking. Well, no. If it's fine, that is what you have to do. So, but yes, if you can get up off the chair, that is going to help. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. And don't worry, stop. Like [00:28:00] being forward in a forward position with your head close to the screen is not the end of the world for 10 minutes.

Just remember to come back out of it. So yes, you do have to be somewhat conscious of, of what you're doing.

Sarah: Yeah. My husband's got a standing desk, so I'm always very conscious that I'm like sitting Yeah. Standing. 

Anne: But the standing desk is, is wonderful, but again, we're not designed to stand all day either.

Sarah: Yeah. He can get quite tired as a result of it. 

Anne: Yeah. So he is 20 minutes standing, 20 minutes sitting 20 minutes on big, those big stability balls, you know? Yes. So it's about variety. It's not about just one thing. The only other thing I did wanna say that I do for myself, which pilates has reinforced, is I do lift weights.

Not like major heavy ones, but I do use resistance. And pilates does use resistance, whether that be resistance bands, springs, we have springboards in the studio and they have resistance. And then I, so I do lift weights about three times a week. Because for females especially, 'cause oestrogen leaves our body and we lose muscle.

Yeah. And when we lose muscle, then we become weaker. [00:29:00] So it's really important for women and men, but women predominantly because of the hormonal change that we hold onto our muscle. 

Sarah: And it does sound like that that's an ex, uh, a really good example of where the two can complement each other.

Anne: Yeah. 

Sarah: In terms of sort of having that core, that strong core, that means that you can safely lift the weights. 

Anne: Exactly and so everywhere. This is not a, this is a message that many, many of your listeners, listeners have heard. Women have gotta lift heavy, but if you've never lifted weights before.

Please do not go to a gym and start lifting heavy. You need the long view. Again, you need to start from the bottom, from the basic, but don't be sad about that. It's exciting. You can get your skills there and then you slowly, slowly 'cause your ligaments and tendons. They need an opportunity to be able to tolerate that new load.

Your pelvic floor, your back, your skeleton. So you're looking at a year, like not six weeks. You look at [00:30:00] a nice long year. Just accept that this is what you are going to do to look after yourself and embrace it and think, right. I'm gonna start from the beginning. I'm gonna get my core strong.

I'm gonna get my balance. I'm gonna start standing up with good alignment. I'm gonna be able to learn how to breathe. Then I'm gonna add a little bit of weight on. I'm gonna see, does that make me leak as in my pelvic floor? Does that make me bulge in my abdominals out? Male men tend to hold their breath when they exercise and then they start to develop maybe a hernia or am I doing that?

You know? So there's lots of things to consider. It's not just about lifting heavy. Yeah, it's about lifting heavy well and then progressing gradually. 

Sarah: Fantastic. So you would say like Pilates is a good way then of supporting, creating that supportive structure that that can then Yes. Help you on your journey to.

To be doing things like lifting weights. Fantastic. And if I was looking just, just, if I was looking [00:31:00] for, um, for a class to start me off, back onto the, uh, Pilates journey, there's different types of Pilates, aren't there? You mentioned reformer. 

Um, yes. So, yeah. And some include equipment, some don't.

Mm-hmm. Could you tell us a little bit about the difference between the different classes that can be on offer? 

Anne: So again, this is a personal opinion. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: My personal opinion is to start off on the mat and to use your, your own body weight and learn how to be, how your alignment is on the mat, and learn how to lift your own body parts before you start adding a resistance.

External resistance in. And develop a, a good level of skill there because you are, you're getting to know yourself, your own body, and then you can take that, then anywhere, you can take it to the reformer where you're adding in springs and load and movement and. Then the spring board, which is the same, but the spring boards, you're not [00:32:00] move the carriage, there's no carriage, not moving carriage.

You are, you have springs that are attached to the wall on the board, that's on the wall and you're pulling and pushing and rotating with that. But again, you need to know how to position yourself. And obviously your teacher would guide you, but it's nice if you have your own inherent knowledge and confidence.

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: And 

Sarah: joy. And it's like knowing when it feels right as, and knowing when it feels wrong. 

Anne: Yeah. Yes. When I believe so. Yeah. I believe that when you do mat, and I think you need to do mat for a couple of years, you develop that awareness of where is my weight? How am I positioning myself? 

Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

Anne: What am I doing with my jaw?

Like, am I, am I gritting with my jaw to get this thing, get to do this exercise? So that's a lot of awareness. And so therefore, when you move on to equipment, you have that. Vocabulary. You have that understanding. So yes, exactly what you say. You understand, oh, that this is not quite right. I need to kinda shift my balance a little bit more.

You [00:33:00] become much more intelligent as to where you are physically in space. And then you can, you can lift, you can push, you can do all those things, but you, yeah, you have an awareness So you don't need to worry so much. Okay. 

Sarah: I seem to remember doing a barre class as well. Mm-hmm. When I was coming to you, I, I love doing that because I also found myself in the kitchen.

I'd just be like waiting for the kettle to boil or something, and I'd just find myself and put my hand on the, on the countertop and start doing some of the movements. It was, it was almost sort of addictive to, because it was, 

Anne: yeah, 

Sarah: it wasn't dancing, but you sort of went through certain sequences of movements that, um, just felt good.

Anne: Yeah, so barre is a fantastic, fantastic 'cause that, that is like Pilates in like standing Pilates. 'cause you if you get yourself into good alignment, your core muscles will be naturally switched on.

They'll be in position to hold you there and then you start to add in the leg behind you. The leg in front or whatever you're doing, the heels lift. So yeah, so barre are great. Great [00:34:00] workout and it's, yeah, it's just lovely. But again, you just need all the principles, so that's why. So you keep coming back to your foundation.

If you have your foundation, you can do anything. 

Sarah: Yeah. I think I, I quite like that one because, as you say, because you could do it at any moment, whereas sort of when it's mat work, it felt like, oh, this is something I need to carve out some time to do. But I was able to sort of as, say, I'd just be waiting for a pot to boil on the, on the, or something, and I could just, you know, and feel like I'd done something.

Anne: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Yes. Yes, that is very key. We don't want to make it so we want to make it accessible. You wanna feel that? Oh yeah. I don't have to dedicate a whole three hours to my, of my day to 

Sarah: this. Yeah. It feels like a very accessible and adaptable form of exercise that sort of Yeah.

Anybody could fit in at, at any time. So the excuses of falling away more and more as I think about it. 

Anne: Just do it. Just, just bite [00:35:00] the bullet, Sarah. Just accept it. You just need to get on with it. 

Sarah: Yeah. Fantastic. So is there anything else that you would say has a significant impact on your wellness, maybe outside the Pilates studio, or is it mostly the walking and getting out in fresh air?

Anne: So all of those things help with stress. Um, to control stress and to keep perspective on things. I think especially the walking. For me. For me, it helps me to, yeah, to do that. So then that is, has a greater impact then on, on, on wellness, isn't it? Your mental state? Yes. Your mental wellness. And I've also started something else this last couple of years called Focus Therapy.

Sarah: Oh. 

Anne: Which I know, which is something that I came across in a, in an audio book. They mentioned it like a line and a half of it or something. And I thought, that sounds amazing. So Focus Therapy is is about listening, learning how to listen to [00:36:00] yourself within yourself. 

Sarah: Yeah. 

Anne: It's about being in touch with sensations that you're feeling and rather than shoving them down and saying, that's ridiculous, don't be ridiculous.

It's about feeling the feelings and trying to understand what they, that might be telling you. You're not on your own though. It's not like meditation because you have a listener. So it's a, it's done in partners. So there's a focuser who focuses on themselves.

They're focusing on what they're feeling and they're talking it through, and the listener is reflecting back what the person is feeling. So they're not there to, you know, it's not therapy. You're literally just helping the person who's talking to maybe go a little deeper and to maybe get some clarity on their feeling.

But you're not there. You're just the person themselves does it. They find their own answer. The listener is just guiding them and that, so it 

Sarah: sounds like 

Anne: incredible. 

Sarah: It sounds like a sort of [00:37:00] internal mindfulness, if you like. Correct. Just being 

Anne: Yes. 

Sarah: Yeah, 

Anne: totally. But it is also trying to understand what is happening in your life.

Sarah: Mm-hmm. 

Anne: Not it, it is tying it in with what's happening in your day to day. 

Sarah: Okay. 

Anne: To give you, yeah. So that is definitely something that's worth looking into. Not well known. Yes. It's not well known. 

Sarah: Yeah, it sounds very intriguing. 

Anne: The pilates has enabled me to develop a, a sense of slowing down.

I've seen the beauty of slowing down. Um, and 'cause this also takes time to develop. It's a skill that takes time to develop. So that has also been a massive part of my wellness. 

Sarah: Fantastic. Well, it has been absolutely wonderful talking to you about all of these, uh, Pilates related things. Anne. You have your wonderful studio in Rugby in the UK.

So have you got online classes and things as well, or what have you got coming up for the new year? [00:38:00] 

Anne: We have, we continue to hold onto some online classes when COVID finished. So they still run obviously online. And then we have the studio classes and we have these new Springboard Pilates classes, which is when I've added in the resistance with the springs.

And then of course we have these events that are running. So we have one with this, uh, the walking. And then we've got a GP who's going to come in and we're gonna talk about menopause and how. Give again, revisit. It's such a big issue that we just need to keep revisiting that and give clarity.

And then we also have something coming up with the physio, and that's about the pelvis, the female pelvis. And a lot of women experience hip pain and pelvic floor issues. So we're gonna talk about that. So yeah, onwards and upwards really. Classes continue. Events continue. We just try to, yeah, stay in Pilates, but also to encourage people to enjoy their Pilates outside of the studio.

Sarah: Fantastic. And of course you've, when you've got the summer, you've got those lovely, uh, paddle board or paddle sessions as well, which are absolutely incredible. Yeah. [00:39:00] So I'll pop Anne's website, Shape It Up Pilates in, uh, the show notes and, um, any relevant, uh, social media links and things as well. Yeah, that's all.

So you can, uh, keep an eye on what's going on both online and offline. Thank you so much for talking us through all of that today, Anne. 

Anne: It's been a pleasure. Lovely to see you. 

Sarah: Lovely to see you. 

 What a grounded, practical conversation that was. Anne's journey from teaching legs, bums and tums in a community hall to running her own Pilates studio. That's quite a path, and what I really appreciated most was her honesty. She runs a business. She's busy. She doesn't do fancy hour long practices every day, but she knows what matters.

Sarah: A few things really stayed with me. First, the origin story with Joseph Pilates, attaching bed springs to frames to help people [00:40:00] keep their respiratory health and muscular strength, and how they've developed to the reform as we see today. That context completely reframes Pilates for me, helping people to move better and recover.

Anne's description of corrections as gifts really struck me. When you come to a proper Pilates studio, and she did use the word proper, the teacher guides your body to experience moving differently. That slight adjustment that changes everything. That's not criticism. It's the whole point. It's a relationship, a trust that takes time to develop.

So it's worth persevering if you aren't sure to begin with. I loved her emphasis on foundations. Start on the mat. Learn your own body weight, your alignment, how to lift your own body parts before adding external resistance. We can often look to shortcut to something that looks [00:41:00] impressive. She recommends a couple of years of mat work before moving on to equipment.

Developing that vocabulary, that awareness of where you are physically in space, that's patient long-term thinking in a world that wants quick fixes. The accessibility message was powerful too. You don't need to be flexible or fit to start. The aging strong class. She runs, as an example, has people sitting and standing some on the floor, some not movements for everybody, not just people in the latest workout gear.

And as Anne said, we are designed to move. Look at how many joints are in your feet alone. Her point about posture is refreshing. We're not meant to stay in the same upright position all day. We are designed to move to slump to change position. Variety matters more than perfection.

20 minutes standing, [00:42:00] sitting 20 minutes on a stability ball that's more sustainable than trying to maintain perfect posture constantly, and the women's strength message is crucial. When oestrogen levels lower in our bodies, we lose muscle.

Holding onto that muscle becomes really important, but Anne's guidance was sensible. Don't just jump into heavy lifting. Take the long view a year, not six weeks. Get your core strong, your balance sorted. Learn to breathe properly. Pilates is such a good way to do that. Then gradually add the weight.

Let your ligaments, tendons, pelvic floor and skeleton adapt to the new load. I also loved the unexpected Pilates connections stand up paddleboarding as Pilates. Your core balance, breathing, focus, [00:43:00] concentration flow, you need all of those to stay on the board. Long distance walking, same principles and doing barre work while waiting for the kettle to boil in your kitchen like I tried.

That makes it accessible, not just something you need to carve out many hours for and feel like it's a chore. The focus therapy she mentioned at the end was intriguing, it is not well known, but it's clearly been meaningful for her wellness journey.

So if you've been thinking, I'm not good enough, I'm too old, that's for other people. Anne would tell you, those are just obstacles you're putting in your own way. Normal, everyday people fill Pilates studios. And movement is your birthright as a human. Anne offers classes at her studio in Rugby and has online options too.

She also runs events throughout the year you can find all the details in the show notes. [00:44:00] Until next time, take care of yourselves. And remember, your body is designed to move. You don't need to be good enough.

You just need to start and be consistent to experience positive change.

​Thanks for listening