As an instructor and co-owner of Body Reformers over the past 18 months I have been lucky enough to see what 12 months of regular Pilates looks like. You might think I’m going to show you how much weight and cm you can lose? No, I want to give you an insight into what 12 months of Pilates looks like through my eyes.
What would you be willing to do to avoid a full hysterectomy, or to just not pee yourself when you laugh anymore? Pilates for 12 months looked like this for one of our regular members. Avoiding surgery and reclaiming pelvic floor strength was huge for her and is for many women in our studio. Not only are the physical benefits obvious, but the mental and emotional wellness as a result are life changing.
Imagine a life with no back or joint pain, one where you didn’t have to spend hundreds of dollars at physiotherapists and doctors or pop pain killers daily to cope with your pain. Twelve months of Pilates can look like this, it’s true, and I know too well what herniated discs and nerve pain feels like. Pilates can literally re-align your spine and re-train your bodies stabilising muscles to manage that pain without surgery and without pain killers! Every day we see clients slowly improve their spinal health, reducing, and in some cases completely eliminating their back pain.
12 months of Pilates will not only deliver clear physical results but what I see in our studio every day is women and men giving 45 mins to themselves, to their mental wellbeing to burn off the crazy! I have read all the articles and blogs which claim Pilates improves mental health and reduces depression, but to literally see this before my very eyes, and witness clients go from slouching, unconfident, sad and in some cases depressed souls to strong, happy, empowered individuals who now walk tall warms my heart and reminds me why I left my corporate career to become a Pilates instructor.
We should all love ourselves and love ourselves enough to take care of our bodies the way it deserves. Tina has done just that over the past 12 months. Her transformation has been amazing. Take a look at the photo below, you may notice her huge weight loss, her toned arms, or her small waist, but look a little closer; what I see is her smile, her light that is now shining bright. It is that inner belief and confidence Tina now holds that is truly special and is flowing into all parts of her life.
This is what 12 months of Pilates looks like to me!
Liza David
