A realistic approach to staying injury-free after 40 Motivation looks different from person to person. Some people can train without much thought. They just push themselves and get it done. Others need something to look forward to, a goal, a plan, or a reason to stay consistent. Neither approach is better than the other. We’re simply different. For me, I know that if I want to improve, I need something ahead of me. A goal gives my training direction and meaning. But just as important as wanting to train is how you train, especially if you want your body to feel good and if you actually want to enjoy the process. How often you train really matters I often explain it like this: If you train once a week, it can feel like starting from scratch every time. It rarely feels easier, it just feels the same, week after week. You may still see small improvements if you really focus during that session and carry the awareness into daily life. But progress is slow. If you train twice a week, things

Many women I work with tell me the same thing: “I do core training. I’m strong. I can feel my abs working. So why does my body feel different than it used to?” And it’s a very important question. Because after 40, it’s incredibly common to still be active, still train regularly and yet start noticing small changes that weren’t there before. Not big problems. But small signals. Maybe your core exercises don’t feel as effective. Maybe your back or hips get tired more easily. Maybe your balance feels slightly off. And for many women, maybe you notice a bit of leaking when you run, jump, laugh hard, or blow up a balloon. Not all the time. Not every day. Just enough for you to think: “Hmm… that didn’t use to happen.” That’s not something to ignore. But it’s also not something to panic about. It’s your body giving you early, very useful information. The Two Types of Core Muscles, And Where Many Women Go Wrong When we talk about “the core,” it’s important to understand that it’s not just one

Has your body quietly changed, without you really noticing? Today’s blog is about something I see all the time in my work as a physiotherapist and Pilates teacher: your body changes, and so do your habits, often without you really realising it. Life gets busy. Routines settle in. The body finds easier ways to do things. And before you know it, your function has shifted, not because something dramatic happened, but because small daily habits slowly add up. Breathing: something we do all day, but rarely think about Recently, I read a book about breathing, and it really made me reflect on my own habits. We breathe all day, every day. But many of us have adapted to breathing more through the mouth rather than the nose, especially when we’re under stress, exercising, or rushing. In Pilates, yoga, and martial arts like karate, there’s a strong emphasis on nasal breathing. And for good reason: The nose warms and filters the air It provides important sensory input It helps filter viruses and p

When we talk about pelvic floor training, many people still think it’s all about squeezing as hard as possible and holding on. But that approach misses one of the most important elements of pelvic floor function: timing. Your pelvic floor is not meant to be switched on at full power all day long. It is meant to respond, to movement, pressure, gravity, and daily activities. When it works well, it does this automatically. When it doesn’t, symptoms like leakage, heaviness, lack of control, or discomfort can appear. Let’s break down what really matters when training your pelvic floor, and why timing, mobility, and coordination are the keys to long-lasting results. The Pelvic Floor Is a Responsive System, Not a Static Muscle Your pelvic floor is part of a pressure-management system. It works together with: your diaphragm (breathing muscle) your deep abdominal muscles your posture and movement patterns Its job is to adapt: to load to movement to changes in pressure That means it needs: mobil

If you want to start running, or enjoy running more, strength training matters. But not just any strength training. There are different ways to build strength, and understanding the difference can completely change how your body feels when you run. Not all strength training is the same Strength training is not one single thing. One type of strength training focuses on power and load, often in mid-range positions where muscles are strongest. This is where you lift heavier weights, usually through a smaller part of the movement. It’s effective, especially for building muscle power and muscle volume. Another type of strength training focuses on strength through range, being able to move your joints freely and control that movement with strength. This means having enough strength at the beginning, middle, and end of a movement, not just where the muscle feels strongest. This second approach is where Pilates fits in. In the way I teach Pilates, the focus is on: Full range of motion Joint f

A new year often comes with a burst of motivation. We want to feel fitter, healthier, stronger. We promise ourselves that this will be the year we finally stick to it. And honestly? That intention is great. But as a physiotherapist, I see the same pattern every single year. January arrives, and people go all in. More gym sessions. Harder workouts. Less rest. Everything at once. And then February comes. Energy drops. Life takes over. Small niggles turn into pain. Motivation fades. Workouts get skipped or stopped altogether. Not because people don’t care. But because the approach was never sustainable in the first place. The problem isn’t motivation, it’s overload Your body doesn’t need one month of extreme effort. It doesn’t need shock tactics. What it needs is consistency. Real, long-term progress doesn’t come from doing 110% for a few weeks. It comes from building habits you can actually live with, all year. Movement that supports your body, instead of stressing it. Training that give