Pilates myths number two... pilates teachers only practise pilates... So, here’s the thing... yes, we are passionate about pilates, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only movement we do! And that is not a bad thing! Personally, I love spin and I love to lift heavy weights. I also work out with a personal trainer (kudos to Chris Horton, my PT at Virgin Chiswick for putting up with me!) I do this alongside my pilates practise and often break my gymtime into 20 mins cardio, 20 mins pilates and 40 mins weights. When you’re teaching 15 hours +, it’s important to look after your body, first and foremost, and that’s part of my reasoning. But I also believe it gives me a whole different style, and I often merge my gym work with my pilates to offer my clients something different. It also allows me to work with people who have another passion to the best of my ability; right now I’m working with a cycling fanatic, a tennis player and a weight lifter... pilates is part of their mix to make them more efficient (and less likely of injury)... I also feel our bodies need different things at different times, and any fitness regime should have variety in it. I encourage all my clients to try different things! Plus pilates is a great bedrock to ensure great technique in the gym too. I believe in this so much that I’m actually in the process of becoming a PT so I can merge these styles even more. So teachers, don’t be afraid of letting your clients know you do something else too! It might encourage them to try something different...
