When you get back from holiday cross-eyed with jet lag after a hellish journey to find one of your incredibly talented clients has transformed your hallway floor in your absence. Wow! What a sight for sore eyes…Joel, you are a magician 🤩 Hopefully you can work out what’s the before and what’s the after photos as I can barely type with fatigue! 🤪

Off on our honeymoon at long last…after a crappy few weeks some R&R is VERY much needed 🤩🇨🇦

This exercise has been a firm favourite with clients this week! It gets the upper spine mobilised and really seems to iron out any knots between the shoulder blades. Feels blissful ☺️ Brilliantly demonstrated by my fab client Becky 🙌🏻❤️

✨ BALANCE ✨ Maintaining our balance is critical as we age to prevent falls. I try to regularly include balance work in my lessons. Inspired by some exercises shared by @samanthawoodphysio, here you can see my brilliant client Philippa challenging her balance in the studio today. She was as solid as a rock - no wobbles here! ⚖️ 💪🏻 ❤️

It’s high time I posted about Pilates again! I know, I’m useless at social media posts 🙈 Anyway, here’s a pic of my brilliant client Jenny enjoying a deep hip flexor / quad stretch on the ladder barrel. One of my favourite ways to stretch as feels really supportive. Have a great weekend all…I’ll try to post again before the year is out 🤣❤️

A few pics from our wedding…some are a bit out of order but hopefully you get the gist! ❤️🎉🥂🥰😍

All dressed up and ready for our fancy dinner! Bubbles first of course! 🥂🍾

Married my best friend yesterday ❤️ A huge thank you to all my amazing clients who contributed herbs for the table decs, gave gifts and cards…and a particular thank you to my amazing client Joy and her equally talented daughter Louise for so kindly making our stunning cake. You are all so very kind and generous. A wonderful day was had and more photos to come ❤️

✨ OUT OF OFFICE✨ Well, that’s me done with work for the next 10 days. Feeling completely overwhelmed and grateful for all the cards, well wishes and gifts my wonderful clients have given me. I’m one very lucky bride to be 🥰🙏🏻 Thank you so much and see you on the other side!! ❤️🤩

Appreciating the simple things in life (amazingly all grown in our garden) 🌸

✨ All set and ready to teach my first mat class of 2023! Can’t wait to get back to it! ✨ If you’re interested in joining one of my weekly classes, head to my website (link in bio) to see all the details ❤️

✨ CLASS RECORDING COMPLETE!✨ Just filmed my class recording for next week’s beginner general class. In addition to the in person class, I give all clients a recording of the class I teach each week so that if anyone can’t make it, they can catch up or clients can do the class again if they really enjoyed it! Recordings are available for 2 weeks and during that time clients have unlimited access to them. Next week’s class features the stretchy band and gives a full body workout. It’s not going to be quite as frenetically fast as this reel though, promise!! 🤣❤️

✨MY FIRST REEL!✨ Late to the party I know (understatement!)…here’s my little reel about the humble step barrel…a piece of kit that’s been in my studio for years but only recently I’ve discovered how useful it can be to help clients - especially those who are less flexible - to stretch 🤩 The frame of my Reformer Cadillac Combo really help clients to feel safe when stretching too. Let me know what you think! ❤️ #pilates #stepbarrel

✨ SHOULDER STRETCH✨ In my opinion, this shoulder stretch exercise on the Cadillac looks like it should be really painful…the joint looks so odd moving in this way, doesn’t it?! But I can assure you it’s actually a really good way of freeing up the shoulder and getting rid of tightness. My brilliant client here, Joel, fits wooden floors for a living so his shoulders come under a lot of strain every day. He finds this exercise really helpful in loosening them up after a strenuous day’s work. If your shoulders are stiff and achey then get in touch as I can help put them right! ❤️

✨ My incredible client Christine making light work of roll-ups with the roll up bar ✨ When Christine first came to the studio she was in pain and very uncomfortable in her body. Now the pain has gone and she’s getting stronger by the day. She always works really hard and will gladly take on any exercise I give her. Frankly, she’s an inspiration (plus doesn’t she look glamorous too? 🤩). If you’re fed up with aches and pains in your body, get in touch and I can help! ❤️

If you were to ask me what exercises are the most important to do as we get older, I’d say without hesitation ✨ BACK STRENGTHENING / EXTENSION! ✨ 👉🏻 Our back muscles are often forgotten about in favour of working ‘the core’ but if you don’t strengthen the back of your body as well, you’ll forever be imbalanced. 👉🏻 As we age, the tendency to have a forward stoop increases and back extension work can help to mitigate against this. 👉🏻 People often think back extensions have to be really extreme but it really doesn’t have to be. There are all sorts of back extension / strengthening exercises for any type of body. 👉🏻 This exercise I’m doing here is one of the more challenging ones (but there are easier ones too I promise!) called Swan on the Ladder Barrel. 👉🏻 Drop me a note if you need to strengthen your back and keep your posture tip-top! ❤️

✨STEP BARREL SPINAL JOY! ✨ The step barrel also has the rather draconian name of ‘spine corrector’ which doesn’t sound all that appealing, does it?! However, it’s a wonderful piece of kit for all sorts of reasons. Here, my lovely client Annie is doing a brilliant job of showing how the step barrel can help mobilise the spine, work the abs, open across the chest and stretch the shoulders all in one move 🤩 Great job Annie! 👍🏻❤️

✨ Happy Monday everyone! ✨ In my old corporate life days, I used to dread Monday mornings but now I really look forward to them! Each week is different and I can’t wait to get started teaching my lovely clients so they feel stretched and strengthened…making sure we have fun in the process too of course 🤩 This week is pretty bonkers as I’m taking Thurs pm and Friday off work so have condensed my teaching into 3.5 days. It’s going to be full on but I’m ready to get going! Hope you have a good one ❤️

Yesterday my friend Sarah (AKA ‘P’) came over to have a session on the equipment. This girl is strong 💪🏻!! It was so much fun teaching her and introducing her to some challenging exercises (which she did with ease!). Here she is doing ‘Double leg with rotation’ - such a pro! The commentary is worth listening to for a bit of a giggle 🤣 Keep watching for the elegant ‘dismount’ too! Well done P!! Come again soon please xx

✨FREE TIME ME TIME! ✨ Given half the chance, when I’ve finished teaching and need to move you’ll find me on my trusty reformer (or ‘transformer’ as some of my clients prefer to call it!), feet in straps doing hip work and spinal articulation. It never fails to feel amazing! I try to stretch my perennially tight quads and hamstrings too for that added feeling of length. Delicious 🥰 Ps this is sped up - I’m not quite that manic in real life 🤪

Meet my lovely client Phil! She’s a real trooper and great fun to teach…even on a hot day like today, she worked super hard. We spend lots of time working on posture and strengthening her upper back as well as spinal mobility and core work. Well done Phil 👏🏻 If your posture could do with a bit of attention or you’re feeling really achey and stiff, then get in touch as I can help! ❤️

✨Multitasking at its best! ✨ Here is my fabulous client Eve strengthening her quads 🦵🏽 whilst also giving those biceps a good workout 💪🏻 Assisted squats are brilliant for building muscle tone. If you need to stretch and strengthen your body, please get in touch! There are a plethora of exercises to choose from which can be tailored to your exact needs ❤️

✨ BACK OPEN TOMORROW ✨ After a lovely week’s holiday, I’m really excited to get back to teaching in the studio tomorrow! Despite it being the middle of the summer holidays, it’s shaping up to be a busy week and I’m really looking forward to catching up with my fabulous clients again ❤️

✨BRAND NEW IN PERSON PILATES CLASSES✨ Starting in September, I'm offering the following in person mat classes: Mondays - Wells Blue Sports Centre 👉🏻 5.30-6.30pm Beginner / General class Thursdays - Croscombe Village Hall 👉🏻 9.15-10.15am Beginner / General class 👉🏻 10.30-11.30am Seniors class Initial 6 week term is £60 (or early bird discounted price of £55 if booked before 15th August) My aim is to make these classes fun, informative and welcoming so come join me! Contact me if you'd like to find out more ❤️

✨ Streeeeetch ✨ Of all the ways to stretch my spine, this exercise, cat stretch kneeling, is my favourite. It looks precarious and not desperately elegant but it feels wonderful to elongate the spine in a defying-gravity kind of way. Bliss 🥰 If your spine needs to be lengthened, get in touch ❤️

This is my wonderful client Eve who is just a delight to teach! She’s doing one of the incredible exercises that the incomparable @rael_isacowitz taught in the #basilftllondon: semi circle on the Cadillac. She loved it and I loved teaching it to her 🙏🏻❤️

The reformer: the most recognised of all the pieces of Pilates kit. Essentially it’s a big frame with a carriage that runs along it with various springs, straps and pulleys attached to it. It’s so versatile and you can work every single part of the body on it. My clients and I have decided, however, that we don’t like the name ‘Reformer’. It sounds so draconian and terrifying! 😱 Instead, we’ve decided to name it the ‘Transformer’ which has much more positive connotations! 🐛 ➡️ 🦋 Have you used it? If so what’s your favourite exercise? ❤️

✨ Is anyone else as bad at regularly posting on IG as I am?! 🤣 Half the time I can’t think of anything interesting to say so I’m always in awe of those who can do it consistently! Anyway…I haven’t posted for a long time so I thought I’d say a big howdy 👋🏻 and introduce myself again! ✨ I’m Ali, owner of The Pilates Room Wells which opened at the beginning of 2022 (previously I ran The Pilates Room Bristol) ✨ I live in the gorgeous city of Wells with my fiancé John (ooh still getting used to calling him that 🤩) - we actually only got engaged last weekend! 💍🥂🥰 ✨ As you can see from this pic which was taken on the eve we got engaged, I am not a slave to Lycra and believe in enjoying life to the full (which, for me means plenty of 🥘 🍷 🌳 🥾 as well as Pilates of course!). Everything in moderation as my dad would say! ✨ Having previously worked in various corporate jobs, I eventually realised in my mid thirties that office work was really not for me and I retrained as a Pilates teacher. I definitely feel like I’ve found my calling! ✨ There is nothing more rewarding than helping someone at the end of their tether with aches and pains to realise life can be lived more comfortably with a bit of focus on strength and flexibility exercises that suit their body. ✨I create tailor-made programmes that are specific to the needs of my clients. I have clients ranging in age from their twenties through to eighties, including people with chronic back pain, stroke survivors, people with Parkinson’s, people recovering from hip / knee replacements and all sorts of other things too. But you don’t need to have a condition to try Pilates: I also have many clients who just want to get stronger and more flexible. It really is universal! ✨ Aside from Pilates, I am an avid beginner gardener and also love going for long walks in the Mendips with John. We have big ambitions for a big (well, big to us!) vegetable plot this year…time will tell if we can grow anything edible though 🤣 ✨Over the years, I have amassed a huge number of nicknames: AliMac, Macca, Macaroon, Jabba (!), Ditsy / Dits, Fledge amongst others! ✨ Think that’s it for now! Happy Friday ❤️

✨ Precision is what makes Pilates a highly effective way to correct / address body imbalances. We are asymmetrical beings and often have one side that is stronger / weaker / feels different to the other. Or we may have suffered an injury that alters the way our bodies move. ✨As a result, our bodies can get used to compensating for this by over-using some muscles whilst under-using others and/or ‘twisting’ the body in some way (most usually the pelvis) to trick us into thinking we are all balanced and equal. Bodies are very cunning like this! 😈 ✨My job as a Pilates teacher is to spot these compensations and try to correct them as best as possible to ensure you’re recruiting your muscles in the most effective way. Often a minor adjustment can make a huge difference to how an exercise feels. ✨This is why 1-1 Pilates can be so beneficial as you’re very unlikely to spot these unbalances in your own body. Get in touch if you’d like to book in for a session! ❤️

Find lying down uncomfortable? The beautiful thing about Pilates using the kit is that there are all sorts of variations we can try to help you strengthen and stretch! 🌟Standing up 🌟Sitting down 🌟Hands and knees 🌟Lying on your side 🌟Lying on your front So there you go! There are many ways to skin a cat (so to speak - no cats need to be harmed! 🐈🥰) and we can work together to find the best exercises for your body’s needs ☺️ Contact me for more details ❤️

You’ll be amazed how your strength can improve with regular Pilates practice! And I don’t mean just physical strength either 💪🏻 Your mental strength can be greatly enhanced as well. One hour of focusing on your body, breath and movement means putting aside the stresses and strains of everyday life which can be incredibly rejuvenating ☺️ You may find your concentration improves, your stress levels decrease, you sleep better and feel more optimistic. Pilates is just as much about the mind 🧠 as it is about the body 🧍🏻‍♂️🧍🏼‍♀️ Come see for yourself! ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates #pilatesformindandbody

Let me introduce you to the Arm Chair Barrel Set by @basisystems Often referred to by clients as ‘The Snail’ 🐌 because of its shape, it is a perennial favourite for stretching, side and back work plus, of course, ab work too! In my old studio in Bristol I sadly didn’t use it all that often because of space limitations but here in Wells it’s finally getting the use and attention it deserves! Want to know how it works? Get in touch to book your first session! 🤩❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates #armchairbarrelset

✨ PILATES FOR ANY LIFE STAGE✨ Pilates is universal and can be incredibly effective at helping build strength and flexibility no matter what stage of life you’re in. Which one is you: 👉🏻 A busy professional juggling multiple priorities 👩🏻‍💼👨🏼‍💼 👉🏻 Trying to keep in / get back into shape pre or post pregnancy🤰🏻👶🏽🍼 👉🏻 Active and sporty 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏽‍♂️🎾⚽️ 👉🏻 Recovering from an injury or getting back on your feet post surgery 🏥 👩‍⚕️ 👉🏻 Retired and finding your body aches and feels much stiffer than it used to 👵🏼🧓🏽 ✨ If any of these apply then Pilates can help you feel better and more confident in your body (this isn’t a comprehensive list of life stages btw and I have no doubt Pilates can help with any others too!) ✨ Get in touch if you’d like to see how I can help ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates #pilatesforallbodies #pilatesforanyage #pilatesforall

🙆🏼‍♀️ S T R E T C H I N G 🙆🏼‍♀️ ✨ I’ve been working a lot this week on helping clients find the right stretches for their bodies. ✨ Often it is a bit of trial and error to find the one that suits that particular person’s body and when you find it, it’s a revelation 🤩 ✨ There can be many reasons why a stretch might work well for one person but not for another. But the great thing is that with all the different pieces of kit in the studio, we can always find the one that works for you! ✨ Stretching as well as strengthening is a very important part of Pilates. It will help to keep you more mobile and, if done correctly alongside strength work, can help safeguard against injury. ✨ And by the way, you do NOT have to be flexible to do Pilates! This is a common myth. In fact, the less flexible you are, the more you have to gain! ❤️ Happy weekend everyone ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates #pilatesstretching

🤩 FUN & ENJOYMENT 🤩 Although clearly the main aim of Pilates is to get clients moving with more ease and comfort, my other aim is for them to have fun and look forward to their sessions 😃 It sounds obvious but if you enjoy something, you’re more likely to stick at it and be more committed. Plus frankly who wants to do (and pay for) something that you dislike / dread? 🤷🏼‍♀️ PM me if you’d like more info ❤️ #pilates #wellssomerset #lovewells

🦶 FEET IN STRAPS 🦶 ✨ It might look bizarre but lying on the reformer with your feet in straps feels heavenly on the hips and the spine! ✨ Without weight-bearing, you are able to mobilise the hip joint, allowing for the full range of movement. If you suffer from aching hips, this one is definitely for you! ✨ There are also some fabulous exercises for articulating the spine (scroll through to see these). They might look precarious but the straps provide support and resistance. ✨ Using the kit in the studio, I can find the right exercise for you to help loosen up those aching joints and get you feeling fabulous 🤩 ✨ Get in touch if you’re intrigued to find out more ❤️ #wellssomerset #pilates #reformerpilates #lovewells #happyhips #happyspine

My role as a Pilates teacher is: ✅To guide you through a series of exercises tailored to your body’s needs ✅Correct your alignment and check you are feeling the muscles working as they should ✅Listen to your feedback on each exercise to ensure you’re not in any discomfort (and change the exercise up if so) ✅Support and encourage you to help build your confidence ✅Provide progressively challenging exercises at a pace that feels right for you ✅To make sure you enjoy your session and feel great at the end 🤩 I am never going to: 🛑 Judge or criticise your body or movement 🛑 Push you to do something that you are uncomfortable with 🛑 Make you battle on with an exercise if you’re not enjoying it 🛑 Assume I know best - only you know how your body feels A teacher’s role is to support, guide, educate and listen. I look forward to welcoming you to the studio soon ❤️ #pilates #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilatesteacher

✅ Improve posture ✅Build strength ✅Injury recovery ✅Manage aches and pains ✅Improve balance ✅Greater flexibility ✅Reduce stress and tension ✅Mobilise stiff joints These are just some of the benefits you can experience by trying equipment Pilates. It’s not an exhaustive list either! Personally, I love it because it’s fun, you can see your progress and there is such a variety of exercises that you’ll always be challenged. Have you tried equipment Pilates? If so, why do you like it? ❤️

✨ The studio is now OPEN ✨ I’m so excited to finally get back to doing what I love most: helping people feel better in themselves by discovering strength and flexibility they never knew they had! ✨I hold a special place in my heart for my senior clients who tend to feel achey and a bit down-hearted that their bodies don’t do what they would like them to do anymore. ✨The beauty of Pilates, though, is that it really doesn’t matter how old you are; there is still a multitude of exercises that you can do! ✨This is particularly true of equipment Pilates as the kit enables lots of modifications and alternative ways of exercising that make it accessible to all bodies irrespective of age, flexibility, strength or physical conditions. ✨Do get in touch if you’d like to see how Pilates can help you. I’d love to help! ❤️ #pilatesforseniors #wellssomerset #lovewells #activeaging

✨HAPPY NEW YEAR!✨ I hope you had a great one and the heads aren’t too sore this morning 🤪 2021 was the year of creating my little home studio - here are a few pics to show the transformation 🤩 2022 is the year when The Pilates Room Wells will OPEN 🥳!! I’ve been waiting for this moment for months and I just cannot wait to get back to doing what I love most: helping people discover the wonders of Pilates ✨ Bookings are open and slots available from 3rd January 🎊 I hope that 2022 is a great year for you and that it is full of things that make you happy 😊❤️

✨ My approach to working with clients is very much centred on creating a two-way partnership 🤝 ✨ Only YOU know how your body feels and what exercises feel good / not so great. In this respect, you are the expert! 🧑🏼‍🏫 ✨ It’s therefore vital for us to have an open dialogue so that you feel listened to and can have input into your lessons 🗣💬👍🏻👎🏻 ✨Often I say to clients that we need to work together like detectives 🕵🏻‍♀️ to discover what will help you feel freer, stronger and more confident in your body 😊That’s because what may feel great to one person 😄may feel painful and uncomfortable to another😖 ✨Taking this partnership approach helps us to build an effective and tailor-made exercise plan just for YOU 🤩 ✨And before long you’ll discover strength, resilience and flexibility you never knew you had 🥳 ✨If you have any questions about my approach, please get in touch ✍️❤️ #wellssomerset #pilates #lovewells

✨ Pilates, that’s just about stronger abs, right? 🤔 ✨ Wrong! 🚫 ✨ It’s true that strengthening your ‘core’ (which, by the way, is a very simplistic way of saying ALL your abdominal muscles - there isn’t just one but several - as well your all back muscles too) is hugely important in Pilates. ✨ But it’s much more holistic than that. Legs, arms, shoulders, hips, neck, feet…these body parts all need to have attention and to be working optimally for the body as a whole to be strong and resilient. ✨ That’s why the exercise programmes I create will focus on all parts of the body and you’ll soon notice the benefits: ✅ Feeling stronger & more flexible ✅ Less injury prone ✅ Better posture ✅ Fewer aches and pains ✅ Faster recovery time from injury ✅ Effective management of many physical conditions ✅ Feeling more comfortable in your body ✅ Improved mood ✅ Relieves stress ✅ Greater confidence ✨ And the list goes on…! ✨ Book in for your first lesson to see how Pilates can help you live life with more ease and comfort ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates

📢 Calling all gents! 📢 ✨ Think Pilates is just for the ladies? 🤔 Think again! ✨I am on a mission to banish this myth once and for all. In my experience, just as many men suffer from back pain, poor posture, aches and pains as women do🚶🏻‍♂️ ✨ Therefore, that’s exactly the reason why men ought to give it a go! ✨ Not only can Pilates build strength 💪🏻 but it can help to stretch tight muscles (for example, many men have very tight hamstrings which can pull on their lower backs so stretching these can really help relieve back pain). Plus it’s a great stress reliever too 😌🕺🏻 ✨ So, gents, don’t be fooled into thinking Pilates is only for women. It’s just as applicable to you too 🤩 ✨ I’ll look forward to welcoming you to the studio soon so you can discover the benefits of Pilates for yourself ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates #pilatesformen

Springs, pulleys, straps and bars! The equipment in the studio may, on first glance, look bizarre and out of this world 🌎 But everything is designed to create resistance and/or provide support to help you build your strength 💪🏻 and flexibility 🤸🏻‍♀️ The variety of pieces of kit means you’ll never get bored 🥱 and you will see yourself make progress with every session 🤩 I can create a tailor-made programme especially for YOU to make you feel great! It’s a universal form of exercise so it doesn’t matter your age, body shape or fitness level…anyone can benefit from equipment Pilates! 🥳 I look forward to welcoming you to the studio very soon❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates

⭐️ Happy weekend everyone! ⭐️ ✨Here’s my intro video to explain a bit more about what I do here at The Pilates Room Wells ✨ If you have any questions about what equipment Pilates is or whether it’s for you, please get in touch ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates

Hello everybody! 👋🏻 Thanks for joining me on this page: my brand new Insta site for The Pilates Room Wells 🥳 I thought I’d introduce myself by giving you a few random facts about me: ✨I’m Ali and moved from Bristol with my boyfriend John to the beautiful city of Wells in June 2021 ✨Previously I ran a home equipment studio in Bristol for 4 years which I loved and made many friends along the way ☺️ ✨I’m originally from north Bucks (Newport Pagnell) ✨Before becoming a Pilates teacher, I had quite a varied career including working for the Foreign Office and UN as an intern in NYC for 2 years, then worked in HR mostly in London but had a stint living in Jamaica for a year heading up the HR team for Red Stripe beer 🍺 🇯🇲 ✨I absolutely love the outdoors and that was one of the main reasons John and I moved to Wells. The hiking around here is superb! 🥾 🌳 ✨I’m also slightly obsessed with hedgehogs and although aged 43 I finally met one in captivity, I’m still yet to see one in the wild 😢 🦔 ✨Also a lover of food in all forms 🥘 and wine (also in all forms 🤪) 🍷 ✨I bloomin’ LOVE teaching Pilates and seeing how it can help someone feel freer, stronger and more comfortable in his/her body ❤️ ✨My worst traits are definitely being messy (much to John’s despair 😩🤣) and finding accounting completely incomprehensible no matter how many times it’s explained to me (much to my accountant’s despair 🤣🤣) There you go! I hope that gives you a little flavour of who I am. If you’d like to know anything else please shout! I’d love to hear from you ❤️ #wellssomerset #lovewells #pilates

A couple of sneaky peak looks at my brand new home Pilates equipment studio, opening in January 2022! 🤩