Hello April!
It’s Spring! And as we creep outside and into a little bit more normality, you may be thinking about reassessing your fitness, getting back to it after a hiatus, or trying something new! In this newsletter, I’ll introduce our teachers, focus on the benefits of strength training to improve balance and walking or running, give you an update on our classes and prices, and a little taster of my Swedish massage.
Please read on, and until the next time, squeeze and breathe,
Love Hannah x
Meet the teachers!
This month, we’re delighted to welcome our new teacher, Beth, and there’s some more information about our lovely teacher Monika.
BETH ALLCOCK
Hello, I’m Beth, founder of PilatesbyBeth.
I’m a BCP qualified Mat Pilates teacher specialising in Pilates for Pre and Post Natal and Bone Health.
I’m particularly passionate about the latter as I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my mid Twenties, and Pilates was key to my rehab and building bone strength. I love to share my knowledge and experiences to help clients in a similar position.
I currently teach in studios in London and Essex, 1:1, for brands including MobFit, on FaceBook for The Pilates Community Live, Bodyset Physio in Harley Street and, of course, on Zoom!
Off the mat, I share my time between London and the Peak District, where I love to hike up hills with my boyfriend or play tennis at our local club.
My absolute favourite food is avocado on toast – served with a glass of prosecco of course!
I look forward to seeing you on screen in my classes and interacting with you – please do leave comments below the sessions and we can chat further!
Meet you on the mat.
B X
If you’re already a member of our Facebook group, you’ll have seen Beth’s welcome video. CLICK HERE for Beth’s welcome and to join our Facebook community (more below on this).
MONIKA ALEXANDER
Hello, I am Monika. I have been teaching Pilates for about year and a half, having changed career, when looking after two young kids and a full time job with terrible commute proved too much.
I have always loved physical exercise and spent most of my 20’ experimenting with pretty much everything that fitness industry had thrown at us – from Les Mills gym workouts, to kick boxing, fitness DVDs, running and yoga. Then came the children and thrown everything in my life, including my fitness lifestyle, on its head. Coming back to exercise, especially running, I kept getting injured and that’s when I rediscovered Pilates and never looked back. It gave me the perfect blend of strengthening and flexibility, fixed my posture and strengthened my core. On top of its physical benefits, Pilates has really challenged me mentally in a way that no other exercise had. I love how it forces you to focus on the breath and mind body connection, and gets me into almost meditative state. I am a keen runner and I have seen how much Pilates practice helped me improve my form and running gait and fingers crossed I haven’t been injured for a very long time now. This really ignited my interest in Pilates as a cross training method for athletes – runners, cyclists, swimmers, golfers to list a few, for enhancing performance and injury prevention. I have also qualified in pre and post natal Pilates, as it really helped with improving my pelvic floor and post pregnancy lower back issues and I wanted to share the benefits of Pilates with other mums.
Why strength training can improve your overall health
Scientific studies have shown time and again how training with resistance can improve your overall health. Below are just a few of the benefits outlined in some of the studies.
Strength training provides multiple health benefits (Westcott and Baechle 1998):
- Reduced risk of adult-onset diabetes
- Lower blood pressure
- Decreased arthritis pain
- Maintenance of or improvement in lower back health
- Reduce chances of osteoporosis
Glucose metabolism improves because resistance training contributes to an increased metabolism and the resulting increases in energy needed for larger muscles. After participation in a strength training program, decreases in blood pressure in middle-aged participants have been noted (Westcott and Baechle 1998). Resistance training strengthens the muscles around joints, which aids in joint functioning. These stronger muscles can then absorb and cushion the impact of shock to the joints.
Other clinical outcomes of high-intensity resistance training include the following (Singh 2000):
- Increased functional independence
- Improved gait velocity
- Improved sleep
- Decreased depressive symptoms
- Increased self-efficacy
- Increased overall physical activity level
- Improved static and dynamic balance
In adults there is a strong correlation between desired walking speed and muscular strength (Bassey, Bendall, and Pearson 1988), so resistance training is an effective way to maintain physical activity. Strength conditioning exercises that utilize standing positions while using free weights can increase balance and coordination (ACSM 1998c). Thanks to these types of physiological changes, the postmenopausal woman who was fearful of falls or a broken hip is more likely to believe she can be active without injury (Singh 2000).
Strength training is not just for the young!
Did you know that Monika does a RUNNER’S LEGS STRENGTHEN class on Monday? (see the class schedule below).
CLASS SCHEDULE
Want to join in? Try out some of the benefits of Pilates?
I’m delighted to tell you that you can have a FREE WEEK of Pilates Community membership (SILVER LEVEL) to see what we have to offer. CLICK HERE to join the Facebook group, where you can have 30 minute class every morning (and classes are recorded so you can do them whenever is convenient). After a week, you’ll be able to join as below:
MONTHLY ONLINE PILATES – only £14.99 per month!
Look HERE to see what we can offer with our monthly membership, which includes access to a special members area, with hundreds of online videos to do in the comfort of your own home. Prefer live videos? You’ll also have access to our daily LIVE Facebook videos (schedule above).
TERM AND PAYMENT DETAILS FOR GOLD AND PLATINUM MEMBERS
GOLD – Please pay for next term now
You can pay monthly or termly.
Monthly £50pm
Termly – 12 weeks
Term dates: 19th April – 12th July
(no classes half term week commencing 31 May)
12 week Zoom course – £180
12 week Zoom course + 45 min Swedish massage – £200
6 week course (to half term) – just £90!
Zoom classes Monday 9.15, 7.30pm
For more details on our Gold Zoom membership, see HERE.
PLATINUM
One-to-one classes – existing Gold clients benefit from a special rate: just £100 for 5 sessions!
For more details about our one-to-one sessions, please see the website HERE.
SWEDISH DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE, Garden Studio, 11 Fullers Road, Rowledge, Farnham
Get ready to start back to everything after Easter, loosen up and get rid of those knots!!
Contact me to book your slot.
If you are local to Farnham I am returning to giving Swedish deep tissue massage from from 19th April.
Times
Tues – Sat 9 -12, and 5 – 6.60pm
Prices
Full body Massage – 1hr £45 or block of 5 £200
Back and neck Massage – 35 mins £35 or block of 5 £150
Pay now to Business account “Farnham Pilates”
Ac 00095005, sort code 30-93-20