INSPIRING Member Story!

This gorgeous member wanted to remain ANON but what an inspiring story - I know MANY women who feel exactly the same and I cannot say enough how beneficial STRENGTH training and movement in general is for us over 40's!

At nearly 45, ekkkkkk - personally I am much stronger now than I was in my 20's and 30's.

Enjoy this member story :) Rayna x

Yesterday marks 3 months since I first walked in your door and closes out the first week of the May challenge. If you had told me back then that I would soon be attending classes daily I would not have believed it.

June last year I transitioned to FT WFH and my mental health took a dive due to social isolation and work addiction, plus I’m a few months out from turning 40 so the perimenopause factor is real!  My body was feeling weak, and I had read about the decline of bone density in women as they age. I knew I needed to start building a strong body now to carry me through my later years. I want to be 70+ and still doing the things I love doing today. I had started looking into strength training but didn’t feel I could go straight into this as I had not been exercising for a couple years and was concerned about injuring myself. Pilates being right on my doorstep seemed like the perfect solution and all I had to do was work up the courage to try something new – which took me 8 months...

I had my first private lesson with Chloe and I could not think of a better person to introduce you the world of Pilates. I was very nervous, but she was so warm and welcoming that I quickly felt at ease, and then quickly felt everything burning… I remember how the simple act of breathing in and out over the days that followed was enough to remind me that my core did, in fact, exist! I booked my next private with Jade where she “suggested” that 3kg dumbbells were too light for me so naturally I picked up the 4’s and then Shannon had me doing light spring side splits in my 3rd class and we both pretended it was fine! Every class I left feeling excited to come back for the next one. 

What has happened since then? 57 classes to begin with! The biggest change has been a mental health one, I was experiencing some wild mood swings and brain fog which has improved out of sight! I feel a lot more emotionally stable and have improved mental clarity and productivity which is hugely important as self-motivated freelancer. Generally, I have found that I’m also much happier. Physically the changes have also way exceeded my expectations in this timeframe, I’m starting to see definition in my arms, I have baby traps appearing and my core has firmed up. My strength has increased rapidly and I’m now challenging myself in the 5-8kg dumbbell range, I’m choosing those heavy springs, and I did my first pull up the other day! Weight loss was never a goal as I don’t find it a motivator for me and indeed this has been pretty stable with maybe a 1-2kg drop, I tend to focus on nutrition over calorie counting so whole foods and high protein diet, BUT, I’ve lost 3cm off my waist and all my clothes are looser, so I know my body is going through some massive recomposition. 

I feel exceedingly lucky to have found Pilates Haus and wanted to give my thanks and show appreciation to the incredible talent and passion of all the trainers. Everyone has something different to give and I absolutely love that, from Chloes enthusiasm which makes every class fun to Shannons calm strength which give me focus, Jades ability to make you push yourself to your limit, Lexi pumping out the bangers while she punishes you on the reformer and Maeghans clear guidance on form and uplifting shoutouts. The thought and care that goes into each class is inspiring, every class is brutal but I’ve never felt either overwhelmed due to inexperience or unchallenged and bored, there’s always a level for everyone. Thank you, Pilates Haus, for running such an awesome program with awesome people.

Booking the first class was the hardest step and I’m kicking myself I didn’t do it sooner but I’m so excited to see where this journey goes. How long before I get that 10kg dumbbell? 😝