Health and Healing through Pilates – a personal journey

This year I have undergone two major surgeries which have played havoc with my body and my exercise routine, not only because of the surgeries but enforced time off to rest and recovery which I am decidedly not very good at (the rest bit)!

The first one was a total knee replacement for traumatic osteoarthritis after I sustained serious leg injuries in an accident nearly 40 years ago. I was able to offset the surgery by over a decade because of my physical training regime but the time had come! I prepared myself with both strength training ( weights, gym ) and a spot on Pilates routine (see One2One personal training). I was off the table and walking on the knee within a few hours – this was the start of intensive physio along with enough rest – which proved to be very necessary.

Fast forward… The good news is that I was back in the saddle, taking my classes and personal training programmes after just 8 weeks, albeit gently and sensibly!

The second is far more personal. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011. It was a late stage high grade tumour which required immediate major surgery followed by 18 months of treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I’d had no time to prepare for this shocker but because I was regularly performing Pilates and other exercise I was fit and recovered full mobility in my arm and retained my chest muscles. The recent surgery was to tweak a reconstructive surgery and again prepared my body for the onslaught and healed well, enabling me to get back to work early (I certainly don’t recommend this for everyone – my self employment was definitely a factor)!

I have learned so much from my experiences and how exercise is a big part of a holistic approach to health and healing – and also my great medical team – and I love incorporating my knowledge into my Pilates courses and classes. Remedial exercise is my specialty and I am indeed very grateful to be continuing my work.