This month's Client of the Month is actually a couple - Lyn & George Jackson. How did you feel before starting your journey with us? Lyn: "The year before starting Pilates I had fairly major surgery and whilst I recovered well from that I felt very unfit. I attended Andrea for physio because of a shoulder problem. She successfully treated that and we got chatting about the benefits of reformer Pilates for all-round fitness. I had to really coax George to come with me so the fact it was a 2 to 1 class helped persuade him to give it a try." How have the classes helped you? Is the golf ..read more

Our client of the month award is to show our appreciation and congratulate you for all your hard work and progress as well as to inspire others and in February, the award went to Elizabeth. Elizabeth has attended our Reformer classes for over a year now and her dedication and commitment has seen Elizabeth make huge progress with her strength and posture. It has also helped her to manage shoulder pain. She is an inspiration, and I am sure that her story will inspire anyone looking to manage pain and highlight the benefits that Reformer Pilates can have. We took some time out last week to speak ..read more

This year we started our client of the month award, recognising those who have been working extra hard in classes, uplifting others or bringing a great community spirit into our studios. In January our client of the month was Jill. Jill has attended our Pilates Reformer classes for several years and her dedication and commitment has seen her make remarkable progress especially after recently recovering from a double hip replacement surgery. She is an inspiration, and her story will inspire anyone recovering from surgery and highlight the benefits that rehabilitation and Reformer Pilates can h ..read more

Whether you are an avid sportsperson, or just like to do the occasional sports activity every week, you can have an injury at any time. I've loved sports all my life, and no matter what my level of fitness I have unfortunately succumbed to a lot of personal injury. But what I have come to realise is that there are lots of things you can do to avoid injury in sports. Below are some practical tips and strategies that can help you reduce injury. Prevent injury by effectively warming up Warming up is crucial before any physical activity. I know it can seem boring and you just want to get started o ..read more

What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis is a condition where your body loses bone density and they become very brittle and fragile. People with osteoporosis are at a higher risk of getting a fracture of their hips, spine and wrist should they fall. It particularly affects women. In fact, 1 in 2 women have osteoporosis by the age of 50. The reason women are more susceptible is because as they get older because as oestrogen levels drop with menopause bone density does too. Pregnant women can also experience bone loss. If a mum doesn't have enough calcium intake the baby can draw from her bones leadin ..read more

Despite the name, sports massage is not only beneficial for those who've had sports or exercise injuries but can help anyone experiencing tension or muscle pain. If you have a spot of niggling tension that won’t go away or find yourself hobbling away from your desk at the end of the day then a sports massage could be just the solution. Sports massage is an effective way to maintain performance and protect your body from pain and injuries; whether from stress, training for a 5k, over-exertion at the gym or just bad posture. What is a sports massage? A sports massage is a technique that targets ..read more

With oestrogen levels dropping and hormonal changes, your body can actually get stiffer and you can start to lose your mobility. These hormonal changes are also weakening some muscles and tightening others. This can lead to muscle imbalances and postural issues. You are also losing bone density and the risk of fractures increases. That's why it's so important to work on your mobility during menopause and to do exercises that support your mobility. Can Pilates support mobility during menopause? A study conducted in 2016 showed that an 8-week Pilates exercise programme helped to reduce menopausa ..read more

If you live in Northern Ireland and are suffering from musculoskeletal pain, joint problems, or injury, then shockwave therapy could be the treatment you've been looking for. Shockwave therapy is an innovative form of treatment for pain, soft tissue injuries and even fracture healing. If you've been suffering from painful muscles, have persistent joint problems or niggling sports injuries then shockwave therapy could benefit you. Find out how shockwave therapy benefits you and can be an effective and proven alternative to pain medication or invasive surgery below. What is shockwave therapy? Sh ..read more

Looking to stick to your New Year fitness resolutions this year? Achieving new fitness goals can be both incredibly rewarding and beneficial for your health and well-being. Making a New Year fitness resolution is easy, but sticking to it long-term for the rest of the year is much harder. In this blog post, I’ve taken inspiration from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits to give you practical suggestions that will hopefully help you stick to your New Year’s fitness resolutions. Change your mindset Instead of saying I want to lose this amount of weight or I want to be fitter, try instead saying I wi ..read more

Pilates is often thought of “incorrectly” as just a bit of gentle stretching a bit like yoga and only for women. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Pilates is an invaluable form of exercise that helps strengthen the body and work core muscles that are often overlooked. For men, Pilates is hugely beneficial. If you are regularly doing weight training, sit at desks a lot or just have back issues then Pilates is an exercise that could transform how you feel, move and perform. Pilates exercises focus on strength, flexibility and balance which can rectify any poor posture, and muscular imbal ..read more