Birthday celebrations – one year on

The Pilates Physio is one year old and celebrates it’s first birthday milestone in April.

I wanted to write this blog about that first year as both a reflection and a thank you for the gratitude I have for getting me to this point.

You may or may not know that I used to work in the NHS – for 12 years – as a ward in-patient physio to begin with before I transitioned to out-patients and my love for treating musculoskeletal injuries developed. The knowledge and experience I have from both sides of physiotherapy gives me a breadth and depth of knowledge into all kinds of medical conditions so I can recognise ailments quickly and use my superb assessment and treatment skills to manage them.

But, working in A&E and the fast pace of fracture clinic as a new mum and a daughter who had suddenly and unexpectedly lost her mother, I found that I no longer wanted to be that physio.

I took a gigantic leap of faith and left my workplace, my comfort zone. I stepped into the unknown as I had never worked privately before and set up my own business – like you do. It was a bit like in for a penny, in for a pound.

And so The Pilates Physio was born.

I went boldly into business with a clear brand and a gorgeous website developed by two fabulous Scottish female business ladies and had some excellent copy written for me from another female business associate.

I studied with the APPI (Australian Physiotherapy & Pilates Institute) in London and still continue to do so to increase my Pilates repertoire and personal practice. The courses they cover are phenomenal and I learn so many valuable pointers each time I’m with them.

Over the last year, business started slowly and then has built up through word of mouth and local advertising strength by strength.

I am passionate about teaching people how to feel and find their core stability muscles to improve their overall posture, reduce their aches and pains but more importantly recognise what there body is telling them by how they are moving it.

I love teaching pregnant and post natal ladies about how to safely exercise and look after their bodies during this crazy transformational, exciting and scary time. I use my women’s health physiotherapy knowledge and experience to advise and encourage all things pelvic floor related but I have found it is the educational part that is key to success.

So during my business journey I have taken to playgroups, Mothercare events and offered to do speaking for the WI to really talk openly about Pilates, posture and pelvic floor exercises and the importance of core stability to aid normal mobility.

I am a natural teacher, I love to empower others through education and find this fusion with my Pilates work extremely rewarding. In my classes I love to observe how people move and help them tune in to moving their body more functionally and less automatically. The way we were designed to move has slightly skewed in a lot of us due to sedentary jobs and lifestyles so it is fascinating just how differently everybody moves.

During my first year of business I have achieved becoming an accredited APPI instructor and I sat a theory and practical exam to complete this qualification. I am extremely proud of that status and worked very hard to get there.

Studying and practising myself I have become so in tune with my own core stability muscles I’m not sure how I functioned properly without them. I use them when I’m walking, I correct my posture when I’m sitting, I draw in my lower tummy muscles when I empty the dishwasher and I always squeeze my pelvic floor muscles in when lifting heavy shopping or the laundry basket up as just a few examples.

I am completely in love with my foam roller. It reduces stiffness in my upper back, it rolls out my tight muscles and yes I do enjoy the pleasure pain principle it brings! I love balancing on it in double table top and strengthening my core even more and I love how versatile it is and the so many different postures and positions I can use it before. Prior to my Pilates journey, I thought you only used this as a torture method for rolling out tight ITB structures in your hip muscles!

On a personal level I have gained physical strength and an extremely toned up body. I am certainly more mindful about my body and it’s position when I’m moving or not. It has freed up my mind as when I practise Pilates I purely focus on my body movements and technique as I completely go into the zone and in doing that my soul is definitely a lot lighter and doesn’t feel as heavy as it used to do working in the busy NHS environment.

I am extremely grateful that I get up every morning and get to write about, talk about and teach others how to look after their bodies and help keep them moving. I love the freedom and flexibility it brings me – I can do the school run without feeling guilty or time pressured (most days) and it allows me to balance being a mum and a working professional much easier than before.

Being my own employer also has its difficulties too. Generating a steady income and not earning when you are sick or on holiday are some of those unpredictable unfortunate parts of being self employed.

However, I have written an online course and am currently writing my second. I’ve written the incredible C-section survival guide that is currently free but in future may be published (watch this space) and I have many more amazing resources to share with you in the pipe line.

The Pilates Physio’s first year journey has been exciting and I can’t wait to see what the second year has in store.

As a huge thank you to my class attenders throughout my first year there is a May extravaganza offer on. If you would like to learn more please visit my Facebook page www.facebook.com/MarieFellthepilatesphysio or e-mail me at marie@thepilatesphysio.co.uk.

Many thanks for helping me make my dream my reality.

Marie x