Trueform Physio Pilates

04/12/2025

Winter has a way of narrowing things.
The mornings are dark, our afternoons are cut short. Shoulders creep up, joints stiffen, and even those of us who usually keep moving can feel ourselves tightening, breath, mood, all of it. Were we as bad this time last year?

It’s completely normal.
Cold changes how our muscles behave. Less daylight shifts our energy. And when you’re already managing pain or stiffness, winter can make everything feel just that bit louder.

At Trueform, we talk a lot about meeting your body where it is.
Some days that’s strength work. Some days it’s a few steady lunges (yes, the “Gently Lunge It” ones).
Some days it’s simply noticing:
How am I actually feeling? What would feel supportive right now, rather than demanding?

This comes from the way Ali works too, her background in trauma-informed approaches to the body means she’s trained to look for the small signs your system is giving you. Not labels or diagnoses.
Just the quiet cues that help you move with more ease, not more force.

So if winter has you feeling tighter, slower, or less like “your usual self”, try this today:

Pause. Breathe low. Think about slowly unclenching your jaw.
See if one gentle movement, a shoulder roll, a heel raise, a slow step-back lunge, feels possible.

And if you’d like more support this winter, we’re here.
Sometimes one thoughtful session is enough to get you moving with confidence again.

Want to discuss a 1:1 or join our small group sessions for the New Year?
Call us on 01943 864944. or more details can be found on our Profile.

21/11/2025

Are you embracing or resisting a distinct push to hibernate.

The recent dip in the weather has taken us aback a bit, and made me think about the times where we start pushing against ourselves.
We try to keep the same pace, the same output, the same expectations… even when our bodies are signalling … Noooooo!

And strangely, the harder we push, the more tense and hemmed-in we can start to feel, as if we’re ‘crouching’ in on ourselves to get through it.

A friend of mine has been travelling between countries this week, trying to make a journey that the weather simply wouldn’t allow. Torrential rain, landslides, diversions… no matter how he re-planned it, the route was unsafe.
Eventually he stopped and said, “I’m staying put.”

A hint of disappointment. But mainly relief.
Something relaxed the moment he gave himself permission not to force it.

At Trueform, we’re all for stretching comfort zones, that part matters.
But there’s a recognisable point where pushing becomes over-pushing, and the body knows long before the mind catches up.

Sometimes the most grounded thing we can do is recognise the conditions we’re in, internally and externally, and say:
“Not today. Not safely. Not like this.”

That’s not avoidance. It’s moving with the season, not against it.

If you’re noticing that push–pull in yourself, you’re not alone.
This is something we explore a lot with our Trueform members at this time of year.

21/11/2025

You don’t need an hour-long workout to make progress, sometimes, a few good squats will do.
Current studies show that short bouts of focused movement, done regularly, can improve strength, circulation, and balance.
We’ve been looking at why the humble squat deserves a place in your day, and how much difference it can make.

In our last article, we explored the idea of Activity Snacks, small, repeatable movements that add up to genuine health benefits. Here, we’re focusing on one of the most effective and accessible forms of them all: the squat.

20/11/2025

There’s a kind of loss that men rarely talk about. Because it's not due to a particular moment, but more gradual, a slowing of pace, of power, a certainty in movement.

The body that once did what you asked now answers more slowly.

Dr. Susan Block, professor of psychiatry at Harvard, calls this a grief response to physical decline.

Strength, endurance, and movement are woven into how many men define themselves. When that changes, it isn’t vanity, it’s identity.

We see it often at Trueform.

Men come to us because they want to keep doing the things that make them who they are, running a business, keeping the team going, supporting a partner, fixing what’s broken, setting their own pace.

They’ve built a life around capability.

So when the body starts to argue back, the shoulder that won’t settle, the knee they can no longer trust on the stairs, it’s more than pain. It’s a quiet question that keeps returning: what happens when I can’t keep up?

The answer isn’t denial or bravado. It's connection. Or... re-connection. With nature, with people, with your own body.

And it’s in movement. Measured, safe, guided, and personal.

Because motion itself can become a form of therapy, a way to reconnect mind and body when both feel a little lost.

This Movember, we want you to know that we recognise that feeling for what it is. We offer space, small, quiet, assessment-led, where men can work through it physically, without needing to say much at all.

06/11/2025

You’ll recognise the lunge, but this one’s a little different. We’re stepping back and staying there, finding our balance and control in a static reverse lunge rather than striding forward and moving quickly up and down.

Start by checking your placement: ribs soft with the pelvis tucked gently so its open across the hips (your “gates and bridges”). This is where those pelvic tilts earn their keep, they help you understand your pelvis in neutral, so you know where you’re working from.

Move slowly. Any pain? then discomfort is a signal to stop, not to push harder. The goal here isn’t strain, it’s control.

You’ll feel how keeping your balance naturally brings your core online, even though that’s not the main focus. Over time, these small, steady movements build strength and stability through the hips, thighs and bottom, the muscles that keep us steady on our feet.

And while lunges sometimes get a bad reputation for being “hard on the knees,” a slow, supported, static version like this can actually help you build stability around the joint. The Reverse Lunge: A Descriptive Electromyographic Study was set up to record exactly what’s going on during the exercise. The findings indicate that it can be effective for addressing knee pain, improving stability, and building strength, potentially offering advantages over traditional squats. The exercise is noted for reduced knee strain and enhanced single-leg stability, engaging muscles like the gluteus medius for balance and strength. If you’re interested then bob STUDY below and I’ll send a link through, or Google the title, it should come up top.

If needed, hold onto a wall or chair for support, and remember let the movement be small. Each repetition adds up, helping you move with more ease and awareness in everyday life.

06/11/2025

That's a nice surprise from Ilkley Chat we just got recognised as one of their top fans! 🎉

23/10/2025

Hitch, Hinge and Dig.
We’ve been looking at those smaller exercises, that might not look like much but can turn out to be the some of the most effective strengthening exercises you can do every day. 
A block under one foot, a small hitch through the hip, a pause before you hinge forward.
These small adjustments wake up the muscles that quietly hold us together, the hip and the bottom.
You start to feel how one side leads and the other follows, how the balance shifts with the smallest move.
And as ever with these movements, it’s about noticing what’s doing the work.
The steadiness builds from there, quietly, deliberately, until strength feels like something you’ve grown into, not forced.

17/10/2025

https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250926-how-to-futureproof-your-knees Have you been keeping up with our recent squat technique videos? The latest research is increasingly backing the idea of activity snacks (short bursts of movement through the day) and squats are one of the most powerful, accessible tools in that toolkit.

Of course some of us feel that squats might mean more pressure on our knees. That’s why this article caught my eye: “How to future-proof your knees” (BBC Future). It talks through how squats and other movements can be part of protecting joint health as we age.

Some key takeaways (in my view) that connect back to what we do at Trueform:

Strength protects joints. Engaging and strengthening the muscles around the knee, quads, hamstrings, glutes, helps stabilize the joint and reduces stress on cartilage and ligaments.

Technique > quantity. Better alignment and controlled range of motion, make a big difference in how knees respond over time.

Consistency over extremes. Small, regular movement, like the squats you see in our videos, can mean better results than big workouts when it comes to long-term resilience.

Load awareness. Listening to your body is important: smart progression, avoiding overload, and considering joint history or pain cues is how you build sustainably.

If you’ve been watching us on video but wondering how to make those squats safe and effective long-term, this article reinforces what we believe: it’s not about pushing as hard as possible, it’s about intentional, well-executed movement repeated regularly. And that's what Trueform is all about.

💡 Take a look and drop me a comment: what’s one activity tweak you can make today?

Our knees are arguably one of our most important joints, but also one of the most poorly looked after. Science tells us putting in some work now pays dividends later.

16/10/2025

Get Your Bottom into Gear with a Stronger Squat

Once you’ve built a solid foundation, being able to hinge, sit, and stand with a flat back and your tummy engaged, you can start taking things up a level.

Adding single-leg work helps you develop even more control and stability. You can begin lightly, just taking a little pressure off one leg, then gradually progress until one foot lifts completely.

It’s a small shift that makes a big difference: more strength through the hips and thighs, better balance, and a deeper connection between how you move and how you feel.

As always, it’s not about speed or numbers, it’s about building strength that supports you in daily life.

Remember: Quality over quantity.
Each repetition is an opportunity to connect strength, balance, and awareness, where real progress begins.

16/10/2025

...not just another exercise class

When D. first came to Trueform, she didn’t know the real cause of her back pain, a leg length difference. And like many of our clients, she’d already tried other routes without lasting success.

What changed here wasn’t a “fix.” It was learning a system that allowed her to manage her body, long-term. Eight years on, she still checks in with us because she knows her body feels better when she keeps it on track.

At Trueform, we don’t promise “correction.” We teach management. Control. Awareness. And when you use those tools every day, the difference is huge.

D. describes it well: this isn’t just another exercise class. It’s professional, personal, and it lasts.

09/10/2025

When your physio says your bottom isn’t pulling its weight, a chair squat can become your best friend.

Start by hinging back toward the chair, keeping your spine neutral, and guiding your descent with control. Even if you need to push yourself back up, that’s fine — this is your training ground.

Over time you’ll build strength, stability and quality of movement.

In one trial at at Penn State University, just 30 seconds a day of chair-stand work improved older adults’ functional strength and balance vs controls (FAST Functional Activity Strength Training).

And according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, just one minute of squat breaks (you may have already heard of Activity Snacks) during long sitting periods has been linked to better brain blood flow and attention.

No extra equipment needed, your own body (and a chair) gives you everything you need to start.
Let me know how it feels this week.

09/10/2025

Well, in a one-to-one session, we wouldn’t have you going full “footballers on reformers,” with legs-akimbo such as this Metro video, but it does show the point rather well, even strong, athletic bodies find things challenging when they meet the precision and control Pilates demands. If they're given a bit more time and focus they'll feel and see the benefits.