Weekly Wrap Up. Week 37. 2024. September reset

September is the new January

It's great to be back. Really! I think most of us need some sort of routine and structure and I most certainly do. I'm hitting this September hard and I am bringing you with me. You know that September is the new January? Why choose the start of the year for resolutions? It's dark, cold, miserable.. we feel post Christmas blues and a new resolution in January can very swiftly fall by the wayside.

September! This is the time to roll up our sleeves and take on new tasks. We have packed away the bbq and the garden cushions, kids are back at school which means it's safe to to go out for a coffee or visit the supermarket but the days are still reasonably long and it is still fairly warm. This is our new term - really we ought to have all done a selfie of ourselves outside our front door in our new "back to class" get up but maybe next year... but let's look at this as the start of our new school year - so much opportunity, so many things we can achieve... and just under 16 weeks of the year left. What can you take up or give up to be a healthier, fitter, stronger, happier better version of you? 16 weeks is a super time frame to consider starting slowly, but knowing that with consistency and. commitment, by the end of 2024, that new habit will be firmly established and will no longer be an effort but will be a part of routine. Why not set yourself the challenge to see the year out even stronger or fitter than when you welcomed it in?

Let me have your ideas - I am genuinely interested and completely support you. My goal is to get out on my bike, come rain, snow or blow (Yorkshire saying) and I have a distance I really want to achieve before I wave goodbye to 2024. I will let you know how I get on. It's my own personal little "thing"!

I attended lots of talks and presentations at Carfest as I have already said and would like to share with you some nuggets that I really appreciated.

Kirsty Gallagher (not that one, the other one - the Goddess one) suggests we sit for 3 minutes every day and tap into our feelings. This may sound a bit woo woo (to quote Brian Aldridge) but hear me out. Just 3 minutes. Sit quietly and observe how you are feeling. Really connect to your feelings, be they good, bad or ugly. I have to admit that this is something I do on a very regular basis after much practise but rather than trying to disguise the discomfort, stop and embrace it, get to know it and sit with it. Become familiar with it so that it wil then become far less threatening and may even make more sense.

The amazing Edith Egar states "you cannot heal what you cannot feel" which I really buy in to, While hiding, disguising, medicating or ignoring our discomfort in whatever shape or form it presents, we are unable to get to know it and move on from it.

Another comment I liked was around RIP - rest in peace. Why wait until you are dead to rest in peace? What gains will you get? Learn to sit and rest in peace now, while you still draw breath and can appreciate it!

Think of something you really enjoy - if you are not doing it, maybe now is the time to consider how to find the time or resources to do it?

More stress makes us less able to experience joy - FACT! so why not use this month to start having more fun, doing something you enjoy?

Did you know that doing more of what you love makes you more resilient to stress?

Maybe this is something you will think about and weave into helping you become even more fabulous and happier than you already are, and help make this a September to remember!

New in the library this week.

Pilates with weights - mixed ability

Barre inspired workout - Clare's class

Some back to basics foundations - All levels.

Please note I am working through the library and removing lots of old content so if there are any classes of over a year old that you particularly like, this is your final call.

Talking final calls - I sent out some dates for the rest of this year for social jollies. If you have not received them and are interested, please let me know.

And finally…

Don't underestimate the power of doing really simple things consistently over a long period of time.

Walking, sleeping, resting, eating protein and fresh vegetables, drinking water, getting sunshine and fresh air, laughing with people you love - they may not get likes on instagram but they work. Start today!

Have a good weekend and go on - start something today!

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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?".

The Zanzibar Yoga Festival

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

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.