20/10/2026
I used to be the person chasing the hardest class on the timetable.
If I walked out with anything left in the tank, I’d feel annoyed. Unsatisfied. Like I’d spent an hour exercising and somehow hadn’t done enough.
So when I talk about this, I’m very much talking to my former self 😂
What’s changed is what I value, both as a student and an instructor.
Some of the best classes leave me feeling strong and energised, then surprise me with a few sore muscles the next morning. But I’m also learning to appreciate a great class without needing soreness to confirm it “worked”.
The science supports that: soreness isn’t a scorecard for progress, and resistance training research shows we don’t have to push every set until we physically cannot do another repetition to build strength.
For me, that means thoughtful resistance, appropriate challenge, room to recover between efforts and gradually building what we can do. We can work hard without making every minute an endurance test.
I want Pilates to be something people can return to regularly. For someone who enjoys daily movement, that might mean alternating challenging sessions with gentler work, mobility and a different focus. Rest days still matter, and what’s appropriate will look different for everyone.
Because for mums like me, that hour at the studio is about so much more than the workout.
It might be the only hour all day when nobody needs a snack, a cuddle, an answer or something washed. An hour that does as much for my head as it does for my body.
I want there to be space for us to come in and move without feeling we have to give every last bit of ourselves to earn it.
And as an instructor, I think we need the skills to deliver that. To challenge people, adapt to who’s in front of us, and help them leave feeling good.
Making someone legless cannot be our only measure of a class well taught.
Are you someone who needs to feel absolutely cooked to feel satisfied? Because honestly, I get it 💕
