Weekly Wrap up. Week 21. 2024

Hi everyone

What we have been up to.

A strong start to the week with Rollers on Monday, and I am still recovering from our Tuesday weights class. Did you all think it was a tough one this week? That followed the 8am mat with soft ball and I will be repeating that class (or a version of it) and recording thanks to your feedback. Clare sent you into a lower body burn with her usual smiley "this is all going to be easy" approach and Thursday saw us going through some sequence and flow in Power Pilates. This morning's weights class was chest and back strength and I gather it was, again a tough one. (I do really love getting your feedback not least to reassure me that it wasn't just me finding it tough!)

If you have any questions at all on equipment, please always feel free to get in touch.

In other news

I lost my Garmin watch while out walking the dogs on Wednesday. What was supposed to be a reasonably short walk (following a very long bike ride in the rain) turned into a 2.5 hours search to retrace my steps and getting utterly drenched and with no success. Having shared my loss on various FB groups and asking for everyone to keep their eyes peeled, I trotted off to John Lewis to replace it.

I was discussing the options with a charming and really helpful sales assistant. What did the upgrades on the new model involve, I asked? "Well" he said, "as well as the standard running, cycling, swimming training options, they have now added several new, more random activities".

I am going to pause for a moment. I think we all know exactly where this is heading.

Once I had fully furnished Josh with all the facts about exactly WHY Pilates was worth including on the watch and why actually, yes lots of us did indeed track our Pilates classes, he left to check stock on the model I had chosen, no doubt reflecting on what must have felt like his lucky day, being able to have learned so much..... meanwhile I was perusing other items I might need such as 75" televisions with surround sound when one of his colleagues smiled at me and said "I love your chunky laces" nodding at my trainers. Only unfortunately I misheard him and thought he said "I love your chunky legs" to which I responded "I BEG YOUR PARDON?"... "I love them" he repeated - "I have exactly the same ones".... once we had established our crossed wires, we were having quite a chuckle about it as Josh, the John Lewis expert on adding Pilates to your Garmin watch returned and all was well.

I have now taken receipt of a shiny new sports watch but went out yet again today to have a third and final search but with no success. After many, many hours and miles and miles of training for 2 Moonwalks and various other activities, I feel like I have lost an old friend.

What’s coming up.

Bank Holiday weekend so no live classes on Monday. Several of us are getting together to go to the Isle of Wight on Thursday for a walk and lunch and therefor, there will be ONE LIVE class (on Thursday) covered by Clare and it will be 08.30am. Please be kind to her as she will have just retuned from some hill training before she and Lou set off to Snowdonia for another epic running endurance event.

It is their fault I am now getting my endurance legs back and I am venturing out this Sunday for my first ride out with The New Forest Cycle club. I am actually a little completely terrified as it is nearly all men and they are fast. However if I don't embrace the challenge, I will be the biggest hypocrite in town so here goes.

Other stuff.

The library is starting to change shape so bear with me as things move around but I am getting ready to start doing a lot more recording so get your requests in. You will see we now have "Clare's classes" and I have uploaded 2 more of her classes this week,

Quotes from this week.

"If you are not willing to look like a beginner, you'll never become a master. Being a learner is not only the cost of entry, it is the key to success!"

My favourite this week

"If you want a simple formula for having a good day, then get your workout done and do your most important task before lunch. Knock those two things out by noon and you will really feel ahead of your day."

Have a lovely long weekend and see you on Tuesday xx

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So, you ran the London Marathon.... what next?

By juliet • May 7, 2026

In the words of Holly Willoughby, "first of all, "how are YOU?".

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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

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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.