Weekly Wrap up. Week 6. 2025. Why stress is good for you!

Why stress is good for you!

I had a lovely week skiing over New Year. It is one of my lifelong passions and I hope to be skiing into my dotage.

There was more than one occasion when I could have gone flying, usually when trying to race my 15 year old twin nephews but I really felt the benefit of both strong legs (weight and strength work) and being balanced and having core strength (Pilates) which enabled me to stay upright and quickly recover.

I talk a lot about how one discipline supports and enhances another and it was really brought home to me on this trip, having prevoiusly faced a partial knee replacement and wondering if my skiing days were on the wane.

You know how much I believe that exercise is so much more than movement, as we think about increased balance, energy levels, improved mind body connection and enhanced neural pathways but let me bring something else to the table.

I am currently reading from my "friend"Dr. Rangan Chaterjee's latest book "Make Change that Lasts" and this extract really resonated.

I quote... " ... Exercising your body makes it more resilient because you are putting it through manageable amounts of stress.

As it works to handle the stress, and then returns back to normal, it is "practising" HOW to deal with stress.

This means that when a bigger load of stress comes into our life, which it inevitably will, we will be more ready and able to handle it.

A study in 2021 found that just eight weeks of aerobic exercise improved resilience and our abilty to react to non exercise stressors - in this study, participants moved their bodies just three times a week with sessions of 30 - 50 mins."

If that doesn't make you want to get up and move, I honestly don't know what will. Isn't that fascinating! Another massive gain and even greater resilience.

If you are a podcast fan, please do find Dr Chaterjee's pod "Feel better, live more" (and search the 2 most downloaded episodes so far - "How to reivent your life in 2025" #505 26/12/24 and "How to make changes that actually last" #506 1/1/25)

I see most of you on a very regular basis and you are every bit as commited to your health, fitness and wellness as me and that makes it a joy to work with you! I am not sure if you realise how advanced and experienced you are but I brag about you A LOT!

It is staggering, the difference not only with physical ability but also general coordination and concentration with those who are less dedicated and are more infrequent in their exericse - and makes my job a lot harder. It is known that Joe Pilates expected all his clients to attend his studio a minimum of 3 times a week and if they didn't, they were no longer welcome and I must admit, I really understand why!

(Incidentally, this doesn't necessarily mean focused Pilates or lifting weights but movment, mindfulness, stretch. 10 mins a day of some roll downs and squats and shoulder bridges. Simple, do'able and sustainable)

What's new in the library.

It's been a busy week and we have lots of new content.

Mondays' All Levels Pilates 2 - All Levels.

Tuesday's Standing core - this is in the Strength section and I really do recommend you all have a look at this one! It's tough.

Thursday 8am Soft ball and Abs - it's tough! Find this one in "Mixed ability".

Friday's 8am Light weights and fit bands - find this one in Strength.

Clare and I are really looking forward to seeing lots of you for our walk and hot chocolate/coffee on 22nd. If you have not seen the info and would like to join, please speak to me.

Dont forget to put April 2nd in your diary too for a trip over to the IOW to see our online friend over on the Island.

AND Finally

"If you quit now, you'll end up right back where you were when you first began, and when you first began, you were desperate to be where you are now! " - Anon. Just keep turning up

Have a great weekend and may I recommend "Man on the Inside" on Netflix. It is just wonderful - very gentle and very, very funny.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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.