Less noise - More of what matters
I shared something on Instagram this week about my intention for the next four months.
Focus
Not a September reset. Not a new routine. And definitely not a list of another 10 things I should be doing.
Actually, quite the opposite. And it was interesting to see in the comments how many of you resonated with this.
I want to feel less scattered. I want to go deeper rather than wider, use what I already know and be much more intentional about where I put my time and energy.
And it got me thinking about how difficult that has become when it comes to our health:
Does anyone else feel completely bombarded by the science of ageing?
Take magnesium to help you sleep.
Take creatine to help preserve muscle.
Walk 10,000... or is it 15,000?... steps a day.
Eat 30 different plants a week.
Lift weights.
Get enough protein.
Prioritise your sleep.
Don't forget mobility.
Manage your stress.
Look after your bones.
And breathe!
None of these things are necessarily bad advice. Some of them can be really useful.
But jeez..... it's a lot.
We have Instagram, podcasts, AI, newspapers, magazines and TV all telling us what the latest research says we should be doing to age well.
And I think sometimes more information actually makes it harder to know where to start.
Because what is right for your body?
This is one of the reasons I still love Pilates so much.
Pilates asks you to pay attention to the body you're actually living in.
When you're lying on your mat, you notice how your back feels that day.
When we breathe deeply and intentionally, you can feel your lungs fill and your rib cage expand.
You notice where you're holding tension. You feel your spine move. You begin to understand what neutral feels like for you.
It's intentional.
Pilates is a mind-body practice and, over time, it teaches you something I think we're in danger of losing amongst all this information:
How to know your own body.
Not the 20-year-old in the matching crop top and leggings on Instagram.
Her genetics, hormones, calorie needs, sleep, lifestyle, weekly schedule and training history may be completely different to yours.
Her workout isn't automatically your workout.
And that's OK.
It's also why I love training women and men in midlife.
Because this is where I'm at too.
I've had two slipped discs. I've trained hard, run half marathons, lifted weights and practised yoga and Pilates for years.
And my frozen shoulder has certainly been a pain in the... shoulder. 😉
I won't have experienced every injury, ache or niggle that you have. But I understand what it feels like to want to keep doing the things you love while your body occasionally has other ideas.
And that's really what all my training is about.
Whether it's Pilates on the mat, Pilates Strength, free weights or the Reformer, there is one thread running through everything:
Building strength from the inside out.
Understanding what your body can do now, and then gradually helping it do more.
Not because you need to achieve a certain number on a fitness tracker.
🤩 But because you want to improve your golf swing.
🤩 Still be playing tennis or badminton in ten years' time.
🤩 Try Padel or Pickleball.
🤩 Ski all day without your back giving up by lunchtime.
🤩 Play with your kids — or eventually your grandchildren.
🤩 Climb the stairs easily.
🤩 And put your own suitcase into the overhead rack.
That's what strength is for!
You don't necessarily need to do more.
If you love running, absolutely add a run to your week.
Try Padel. Play golf. Go swimming. Get on your bike.
And please get outside for a walk every day if you can — even if some days it's only 15 minutes.
But Pilates and strength training shouldn't become another enormous list of things you have to squeeze into an already busy life.
They need to work around your life.
Consistency will always matter more to me than trying to do everything perfectly.
And I think resilience comes from knowing yourself well enough to recognise what you need, what you enjoy, what your body responds to — and what is just more noise.
So I'm simplifying too.
One of my intentions for the next four months is to cut the crap in my own life and business too.
I'm not adding more courses or coming up with endless new ways to exercise.
I want to go deeper with what I already know works for you and make it really clear how you can train with me.
How you can work with me
So I'm simplifying JPH Pilates into four ways to train, depending on where you are right now.
1. Group Mat Pilates
Come and join me on the mat in person with my fantastic community.
This is where we build the foundations: mobility, control, core strength, balance and body awareness.
It's also where you learn to listen to your body. How does my back feel today? Is one side moving differently to the other? Where am I holding tension?
And there's something very different about moving together in a room full of people.
2. Core Strength Membership
Can’t get to my classes, want an extra session in your week or need something that fits around a busy life?
Join me online for Live and On-Demand Pilates and strength, with progressive programs designed to help you build strength and keep moving forward.
Pilates Strength Fusion is included, taking the Pilates foundations you already know and layering in extra resistance with dumbbells, bands, balls and other equipment.
No endless scrolling wondering what workout to do next. Just a clear, progressive way to get stronger.
3. Small Group Weights
Friday mornings at 9am.
This is the next step if you're ready to get more confident with weights and progressively challenge your body with more load.
We'll work in a small group so I can keep an eye on technique, help you understand the exercises and encourage you to progress rather than simply repeating the same weights week after week.
And everything you've learnt through Pilates — control, alignment, breathing, stability and body awareness — comes with you.
We're not abandoning Pilates to lift weights.
We're building on it.
4. Private 1:1 Reformer Pilates
This is where it's completely about you.
Your body, your history, your niggles, your goals.
Whether you're coming back from an injury, managing an ongoing issue or simply want more individual attention, we can use the Reformer alongside my Pilates and strength knowledge to create something specific to you.
Because no two bodies are exactly the same.
Four ways to train.
But they all come back to the same thing:
Know your body. Build your strength. Keep doing the things you love.
You don't need to follow every piece of wellness advice you read.
You don't need to train like the 20-year-old on Instagram.
And you definitely don't need to make your health another enormous source of stress.
Find the movement you enjoy.
Build strength.
Move your body regularly.
Recover properly.
And learn to recognise what your body needs.
There will always be another supplement, another study, another podcast and another wellness trend telling us what we're missing.
Sometimes resilience is knowing yourself well enough to cut through the crap, choose what matters and stick with it.
That's what I'm trying to do over the next four months too.
Less scattered. More intentional.
Maybe it could be your intention too.
Let me know what you hope to do less or more of, I can't wait to hear.
Love Jane x
Confident to the Core
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