Caroline, Blackburn South

I find exercise boring and I get so distracted by other things, I can only stick at things for 10-15 minutes. After that I start to focus on other things like food or what’s on TV. I’ve tried aerobics, body balance, swimming, tennis and yoga. I’m good for the first class but I usually find a good excuse not to go; too hot, too cold, and it hurts.

When I was younger I could get away with random acts of exercise, but when I got into my 40s, all the years of couch resting caught up on me and I got a bad dose of sciatica and foot pain. I finally went to an Osteopath who told me about the wonders of Pilates and he sent me to Mary. At first, I thought it would be another one of my random acts of exercise and I’d give up after a couple of visits. But I was too scared to tell the Osteo I hadn’t gone to Pilates and so I turned up at Mary’s studio.

Well, that was nearly 3 years ago and I’m still going!
What I like about Mary’s classes is that she has a way of gently tricking you into staying the course. She does this by quietly recognising the moments when you start to think of dinner and subtly changing the exercise. Nothing ever seems too hard for too long. Each hard movement is rewarded with a nice little movement that feels really good. Even during the lockdown, I’m still amazed at how Mary can even reach out to us as we do a zoom class or watch her short little videos. She seems to still know when we’re drifting off or our shoulders start drooping. I think this is Mary’s greatest skill as she has miraculously managed to keep me there for the whole hour for almost three years. This is the longest I’ve stuck at anything!

I reckon the best part of doing Pilates with Mary for so long, has been a mind shift. I’ve changed my attitude to exercise from it being a random thing to a vital part of the week. I think this mind shift is really important to stay fit and healthy in old age and that is my aim. I still want to be bending down to pick up a lettuce from the vegetable garden when I’m 103!

I would recommend Mary to anyone who asks. Especially you’re heading into your 50’s and wanting to set yourself up to pull out a few weeds and plant a garden in your golden years!