"been doing Pilates with Monica for almost half a year now. And I love it. I went with a few niggles in my shoulder and pain in my knee and thought it would sort those and work my core. And while it has done that, it has also done lots more. I am now so much more aware of my body and using it properly in every day life and doing other exercise. My body is now so much stronger and I feel like I have much more control which is great The Pilates is also a bit like HIIT Pilates and so a proper work out and a real challenge which I love having 1:1 sessions is great too as Monica ensures everything is correct and so there is no escaping which is great as you know you’re working your body for the whole hour.I love my hour a week and love feeling my body is getting stronger. A way to go still but I have every faith that Monica will get me there!" CH, 41, Norbiton
A busy working mum of 3 approached me enquiring about doing some pilates. She was struggling with a niggling pain in her shoulder blade, a clicky knee and felt her balance was very poor. This woman was very active- running, dog walking, playing netball and tennis. Despite feeling fit her body was starting to tell her otherwise.
I did a thorough musculoskeletal assessment, using my physiotherapy skills. This led to some interesting conclusions including a slight leg length difference, significant weakness and tightness around her left shoulder and weak glutes.
My focus was to strengthen her anterior and posterior chains (front and back anatomical slings) to provide stability to her lumbar pelvis area. Adding to this improve her lateral sling strength to provide more stability at her hips for balance.
The sessions have progressed from matwork based core exercises to more of a HIT (high intensity) pilates using lots of different small equipment. The foam roller, resistance bands and magic circle add variety and help build muscle bulk. The ova ball can assist with core engagement and also be used to intensify the exercise.
My client has gone from strength to strength, committing to weekly one to one sessions as well as practising herself at home when she can. At a recent review session she commented that she no longer has any shoulder pain, her knee is fine and her netball has improved!