My Journey to Pilates

As many will already know, I’m a Level 3 Mat Pilates specialist and I did my training with HFE, a leading provider of fitness courses and qualifications. I was recently approached by them to do an interview for their Success Stories series, where they talk to graduates about their training, inspirations and the work they’re doing in the industry.

Below you’ll find a short extract from the interview and the full version can be found on the HFE blog. Hope you enjoy!

Let’s start at the beginning, how did your interest in Pilates come about?

Having been a health and wellbeing enthusiast for as long as I can remember, I finally took a leap of faith at the age of 39 to formally retrain as a fitness instructor. I closed the door on a career that spanned over 20 years and walked away from a successful freelance marketing consultancy business in search of ‘balance’. In all honesty, my only regret is I wish I’d done this sooner.

In recent years through excessive training, injury and having been diagnosed with hypermobility I discovered and developed a new found love for Pilates. Pilates has helped me overcome injury, develop muscle strength and tone whilst helping me to focus on alignment and core strength. I have experienced first-hand the positive effects of how this low impact exercise programme can significantly change your body.

What was it like studying with HFE and what did you enjoy most about your course?

I chose to study my L3 Mat Pilates with HFE after researching various training providers as they offered everything I was looking for and were competitively priced. For me, it was about the flexibility of learning the theory elements around my other day to day commitments.

HFE provided excellent study tools in the way of the Pilates manual (which I still refer back to now) and online tools including lectures and videos. They also provided excellent learning support throughout the process. The practical weekends were the most enjoyable where I was able to meet other students and get real hands-on experience of teaching, techniques, corrections and planning classes. I found the tutors on the practical weekends really knowledgeable. If you’d like to start your own Pilates journey, then I’d recommend you check out their Pilates instructor courses