A note from Your Reformer Founder, Emma.
Seven years ago, I was an emotional ticking time-bomb.
I had a short temper and would cry easily. I was working crazy hours in our business. I was running 6 days a week and training hard in the gym for a marathon.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved what I was doing, but it was sapping me and I was SO stressed out. After I completed my first marathon, my husband Ben I decided to start trying for our first baby. I came off the pill and like so many other women, my period never turned up. After western medicine investigation, I was diagnosed with PCOS and we started fertility treatment. After two years of IVF we still weren’t pregnant, and I was a hot mess.
I needed to make some changes.
I started seeing an amazing naturopath who helped me identify the journey I needed to go on. I started meditating daily, I cut back on work and I stopped my hard-core workouts and running.
I evolved into more ‘feminine energy’ workouts such as yoga and Pilates. Pilates afforded me the all-important mindbody connection, but I still got my sweat fix. My body shape changed immensely and I was slimmer and more toned even though it felt like I was getting less of a workout.
And then..
My stress levels reduced drastically, and the very next IVF cycle we tried, I was pregnant!
I loved Pilates so much I upskilled to become an instructor and BAM! My husband and I launched 6 wellness studios. Just like that. It was work, but it never felt like work – I had found my passion. Now, 3 years later we fell pregnant naturally, we have another beautiful baby boy and we’re all thriving instead of surviving.
I still maintain Pilates practice because it is so adaptable and supportive both Pre and Postnatally and now I simply have to pay it forward so you can reap the benefits too.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll already be wondering what other benefits Pilates may provide, so here’s a little list:
- If you are a highly strung, type A person, Pilates is a fantastic exercise option. Rather than further increasing cortisol levels which occurs in HIIT workouts, it helps to find balance. You may find you achieve secondary results such as weight loss, hormonal balance, mental clarity and better sleep.
- If you are bored with exercise and struggling to stay consistent, Pilates (particularly on the reformer bed) has so many exercises and variations that you will look forward to each and every workout you do.
- Reformer Pilates is great in adapting to injuries and catering to a range of body types. A physio or clinical Pilates instructor is qualified to provide you with a rehabilitation program on the reformer to nurse your injury back to a greater functional movement.
- Pilates has been found to help elite sports people to improve their performance through its functional movements and ability to strengthen smaller muscle groups that can be missed with compound exercises commonly performed in the gym.
- Pilates may assist you in achieving a better posture and reduce back pain associated with working at a desk all day, breastfeeding, or lifting heavy things (in your job or maybe your kids J )
I can’t say this with enough emphasis. Give. Pilates. A. Try.
There’s a reason it is the fastest growing mode of exercise in Australia right now!
Join the YR movement with me, you won’t regret it.
Emma x