How Pilates Changes a 40+ Body

It’s no secret that Nic and I are in our early 40s…and we have to say, we’re pretty happy with the look of our #rigs overall, we often get told that they’re ‘quite tidy…for our age’ – we’ll ignore that last bit.

But like all women, we also have our problem areas; Nic has had two nine pound babies and Bev has had a lot pies and Champagne. From our very limited survey (ok, we asked about 10 of our lady mates) we found most women don’t love their thighs, tummies, bum and arms and want to feel confident in their kinis’ come Summer.

And stretch…

And because we both care about our health and fitness, are vain and want to fight this ageing malarky with all we have, when we met the amaze balls girls from Pure Moves in Cottesloe and saw the toning and lengthening of the core that Pilates creates we had to give it a crack.

Basically everyone we know who does Pilates regularly has a bangin’ body and we wanted to get us some of that for Summer!

So we’ve both been doing Pilates for approx three months now. I’ve been going pretty much two times a week the whole time, and I’ve noticed huge changes to my body in such a GOOD way.

I stayed in the Beginner’s classes for longer than I should have, because I had a #girlcrush on my instructor Laura, so I blame her. She totes got my spazzy clumsiness instantly and that my scoliosis means I’m crooked and can’t always bust all the moves. She also looks straight at me whenever she’s telling people to be careful and not fall off the Reformer beds… #shejustgetsme.

But in the last few weeks to challenge myself more, I’ve graduated to the open classes and I’m stoked that I can actually do them. I can literally feel my posture getting better, my stomach flattening and my legs (especially my thighs) getting heaps more toned. My bum has also lifted and my love handles are less handles and more of a slight curve now.

And although I miss Laura, I have to say that all of the instructors at Pure Moves are awesome, they know their stuff and make the classes loads of fun. An hour goes by so quickly you won’t believe it.

Me + the gorgeous Maddy. I would NEVER have worn a crop top six months ago…

I’m also someone whose had to visit the Osteopath pretty much every month for most of my adult life, but with Pilates I can stretch my visits out to six to eight weeks and I don’t wake up feeling like my lower back is being weighed down by a small bag of cement sometimes. Pilates is a game changer.

And apart from feeling more confident in yourself overall and being told you look great (which in turn makes you feel great…) Pilates also teaches you to trust your body, working with the Reformer beds, you learn to pull your own weight up and do twists and turns that you didn’t think you could.

Pure Moves Owner Jo Millard said Pilates works so well for women because it targets the deep core muscles, while strengthening the arms, legs and butt.

“Reformer Pilates is fantastic for sculpting and toning the entire body. It creates long lean muscles without the added bulk. There’s a reason why it’s the exercise of choice for the likes of Jennifer Hawkins, Jesinta Campbell and the Victoria’s Secret Angels,” Jo said.

Beverly

Odds are if you're looking for Beverly and can't find her she's somewhere quiet devouring a magazine from cover to cover with a glass of wine in hand. A fastidious editor, she has a love of cheek stains, beachy curls, and boho glam style (maxi dress obsessed!). But she truly believes her one true talent is being event ready in under 20 minutes.