Pilates helps me...

Every day I hear real life examples of how Pilates is helping Wellspringers in their everyday lives. The movements that you do in the studio are focused on improving your day-to-day movement such as getting out of a chair, reaching behind to pass your kids something in the car or improving your pickleball game. It's never about getting better at Pilates, it's about getting better at the game of life.

Here are some of my favourite ways that Pilates helps YOU.

It helps me not have a sore back after a day of 4wd-ing.

As a fan of 4wding and someone who has had back pain, I hear you! There can be a lot of bumping around in a 4wd vehicle as well as prolonged periods of sitting. Exercises that lengthen the back of your legs (ie feet in straps) and hip flexor stretches to loosen the muscles along your hip can make a big difference to someone experiencing lower-back pain. There's also the essential abdominal work that helps create a strong core - keeping you steady in a 4wd and in everyday life.

It helps me climb up onto a table at Fraser Island to stay away from the dingoes.

This is one of my favourite reasons for doing Pilates that I've ever heard. And it came from my then 95 year old client (who is now 97) and had been doing Pilates with me for about a year. She told me that her family went for a walk and she felt a bit exposed to potential dingoes walking past so decided to climb up onto a picnic table with a large stick. She told me later she thought "I would never have had the strength or confidence to get up here if I hadn't been doing Pilates with Holly". Brilliant. With this client, we always work on leg strength and balance. You never know when you need to climb up onto a table to stay away from dingoes!

It helps me put my luggage overhead on a trip.

We can take for granted the ease with putting a bag in an overhead plane locker... until we can't. Mobility at the shoulder joint so you can reach up overhead is essential for everyday life. But you also need to be able to manage load (ie weight). So dumbbells are an integral part of Wellspring Pilates. It's not "pure" Pilates but that's not what it's about. Staying true to the original Pilates principles is not my goal at this studio. I want clients with strong arms, strong bones and the ability to do the things they love. One client told me recently that she is doing Pilates to "get on a plane at 80 and get off the floor at 90". I'll take that as a solid reason!

It helps me feel more stable walking down the stairs.

This reason for doing Pilates really resonates with me at the moment. My time in a moonboot has been frustrating and physically limiting and walking down the stairs, one step at a time, with my hand on the rail is very peculiar for me. I used to bound down the stairs, carry loads of laundry or 5 bags of groceries without batting an eyelid. When I hear clients have concerns walking down the stairs, their Pilates exercises are focused on building leg strength and improving proprioception. What's that, you ask? Proprioception is knowing where your body is in space (even if you can't see it). So I will give you challenges in the studio to move an arm or a leg over or under a bar - for example - to help you understand where you are. That way you know where your foot is, in relation to the stairs (even if you can't see the stairs thanks to the laundry basket). It's all about reducing the risk of a fall or an injury.

It helps me improve my pickleball game.

I have a number of clients in the studio who love their rotation-based exercises. Think games like tennis, golf or pickleball. These clients often have good movement in their spine due to these sports but it doesn't mean we can't improve a little bit more! Exercises like woodchop on the trapeze, seated rotation with the ring on the reformer or mermaid/rotation on the Wunda chair. Clients that sit at a desk need even more help with rotation so these exercises are great for (almost) everyone.

It helps me reach up high to a top shelf.

I've had a few clients in the past year with frozen shoulder. What does that mean? Essentially you can't lift your arm higher than shoulder height. So those wine glasses on the top shelf? You need help to reach those. Hanging sheets on the line? Almost impossible to do. Blow drying your hair? Not a chance. These are movements for daily life. Whilst Pilates can't fix frozen shoulder, we can still work with keeping as much movement at the joint as possible. For clients with regular movement, exercises include overhead arms with dumbbells or a theraband and using the stick from the Wunda chair for some shoulder-based exercises.

Every person has their own reason for coming to Wellspring. It might also be the community, the fact you can chat about gardening, books, places to go on holidays, restaurants to eat at and get tradie recommendations. Building my business was about helping people move better. That's always the goal. Getting clients strong and pain-free? Even better.

So, whatever your reason is for doing Pilates, I'm here for it.

Till next time, Wellspringers,

Love Holly

xx