Sue Hopcutt's Pilates/Stretch & Fitness

15/11/2025

Hi Everyone
Pilates Is Movement
Are you experiencing aches and pains? Sore back, achy feet, hands and joints - dodgy knees, tight neck?
My Pilates Classes can help you find ease in your body In a supportive and friendly environment with like minded people. I will teach you exercises that will help you address these issues..
🌟Relax and release tension
🌟Build muscle tone to improve your strength
🌟Improve your posture and core stability
🌟develop easeful movement and control
I'm a local Pilates Instructor of 22 years experience and I love my job and hearing from my clients how much their bodies have changed in strength, tone, stability and posture.
Spaces available for Barnabas Church Hall, Emmer Green at 7pm. Please contact me via WhatsApp or message me below
I have some 1-2-1 slots available, please contact me for more details.
Many thanks
Sue

10/11/2025

A 2019 study by La Touche et al. explored how people with chronic low back pain imagine movement.

Researchers compared 100 people with back pain to 100 without, asking them to visualise and “feel” movements in their mind (known as visual and kinesthetic motor imagery).

🔍 What they found...

People with chronic low back pain:

Found it harder to imagine movement clearly.

Took longer to mentally picture or “feel” movement.

Those with poorer imagery ability also had more fear of movement, lower self-confidence, and greater disability.

⚠️ Limitations:

It was a cross-sectional study so we don’t know if pain causes poor imagery or if poor imagery contributes to ongoing pain.

Imagery ability was self-reported, which can be influenced by attention or motivation.

✨ What this means for Pilates & movement teachers:

Chronic pain isn’t just about the body, it can change how the brain represents movement.

Helping clients reconnect mentally with how movement feels and looks can support their recovery - this is why mindful practices like Pilates can be so powerful with managing pain symptoms.

Focus on perception of movement while moving 💪

Movement is medicine

Tom

04/11/2025

Pelvic Floor & Back Pain!!

A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis by Ju et al., published in Medicine, examined how Pilates affects depression and anxiety symptoms in women.

The researchers analysed 18 randomised controlled trials including 827 female participants who took part in Pilates programs ranging from several weeks to four months. These were compared to control groups such as usual care, health education, or non-specific exercise.

👉Key Findings

Pilates led to a moderate to large reduction in depressive symptoms and a moderate reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to control groups.

Women who practised Pilates for 12 weeks or longer tended to experience the greatest improvements.

Benefits were observed across a wide age range, with particularly strong effects in middle-aged and older women.

The findings suggest that Pilates may be an effective mind–body intervention to support emotional wellbeing and quality of life in women.

👉Study Limitations

The included studies varied in duration, frequency, and type of Pilates (mat, reformer, or mixed), making it hard to pinpoint the optimal approach.

Most trials involved small sample sizes and short-term interventions, so the long-term impact remains unclear.

Participants typically had mild to moderate depressive symptoms rather than diagnosed major depression, so results may not generalise to clinical populations.

👉Takeaway

The key takeaway for me is that Pilates (and exercise in general) has more benefits than just physical.

If you're a Pilates teacher remember, you're not "just" a Pilates teacher 💪

Movement is medicine

Tom

04/11/2025

Pelvic Floor & Back Pain!!

When it comes to pain management, it's not so much one thing is causing all the symptoms but that there are many stressors that are contributing to the person's sensory and emotional experience.

This study did grab my attention as I've had the experience many times that when I help an individual train their pelvic floor (usually a combination of strength and "release" work), they note their lower back feeling a lot better.

It's important as movement professionals that we don't become so reductionist that we believe that the "one perfect exercise" cured someone's pain.

It's usually a series of events both physical, emotional and social that work together to improve someone's experience of their body.

From a physical and sensory perspective the pelvic floor is connected directly to the spine.

If the pelvic floor is weak and the individual is experiencing prolapse or incontinence issues, this can be deeply distressing for the individual (also contributing to lower back pain).

The skill is in knowing what pelvic floor intervention is needed whether it's more strength, mobility, "release", integration etc...

The early bird discount for my online Fit Floor Support For Life 6 week pelvic foor programme is ending soon!

www.fitfloorsupportforlife.com

Click the link below to find out more about this extensive pelvic health programme for movement professionals.

Movement is medicine

Tom

03/11/2025

Pilates For Movement

Are you experiencing aches and pains? Sore back, achy feet, hands and joints - dodgy knees, tight neck?

My Pilates Classes can help you find ease in your body In a supportive and friendly environment with like minded people. I will teach you exercises that will help you address these issues..

🌟Relax and release tension
🌟Build muscle tone to improve your strength
🌟Improve your posture and core stability
🌟develop easeful movement and control

My new Pilates class starts on
Monday 3rd November Barnabas Church Hall, Emmer Green at 7pm

I have spaces available. Please contact me via WhatsApp or message me below 🙏. For two weeks only. New to Pilates try a Taster tonight 3rd November for £6.50 or Monday 10th November for £6.50. Have a friend who is interested DM me 🙏🏻

01/11/2025

Pilates For Movement
Are you experiencing aches and pains? Sore back, achy feet, hands and joints - dodgy knees, tight neck?
My Pilates Classes can help you find ease in your body In a supportive and friendly environment with like minded people. I will teach you exercises that will help you address these issues..
🌟Relax and release tension
🌟Build muscle tone to improve your strength
🌟Improve your posture and core stability
🌟develop easeful movement and control
My new Pilates class starts on
Monday 3rd November Barnabas Church Hall, Emmer Green at 7pm
I have spaces available. Please contact me via WhatsApp or message me below 🙏

15/10/2025

Menopause & Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Pilates exercises adapted and modified to help with these conditions.
See my timetable below

Using Your own body weight to strengthen an essential for these conditions with many adaptations and modifications to help.

Pilates is all about breathing, centering, stabilisation, control, Precision and flow.

Happy to help get started on your pilates journey. Fo all ages and abilities.

How is your skin??

Thanks
Sue

29/09/2025

🌟New Clients Only - You will receive a free class when you book a 6 or 7 week course and monthly subscription on zoom🌟

Pilates Spaces
Meeting House, Henley Monday's @5.15pm
School, Dance Studio Monday's
, Tuesday's @6.30pm - Join my class members from France & Italy, Caversham, Wallingford & Emmer Green
Barnabas Church Hall, Emmer Green Thursday's @9.15am

Enquries Welcome, Why not give me a ring for chat.
Thank you
Sue

17/09/2025

WHAT IS PILATES?
I know it's a long post 😄 It does however explain Pilates 🙏

Pilates is a low-impact exercise system that improves posture, strength, flexibility, and body awareness. It focuses on controlled movements, core stability, and muscle balance, making it suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. Pilates can also help with injury rehabilitation and prevention, as well as stress relief and overall well-being.

Key Benefits of Pilates:
Core Strength:
Pilates exercises strengthen the deep core muscles, including the abdominals, back, and pelvic floor, leading to improved stability and posture

Flexibility and Mobility:
Pilates enhances flexibility and range of motion in joints, promoting smoother and more efficient movement.

Muscle Strength and Endurance:
Pilates builds strength and endurance in various muscle groups, particularly those that support posture and alignment

Posture Improvement:
By strengthening core muscles and improving body awareness, Pilates helps correct posture and reduce muscle imbalances

Balance and Coordination:
Pilates exercises often involve controlled movements that challenge balance and coordination, improving overall body control

Injury Rehabilitation and Prevention:
Pilates can be adapted to address specific injuries and strengthen weak areas, aiding in rehabilitation and preventing future injuries

Stress Relief and Mental Well-being:
Pilates can be a mindful practice that promotes relaxation and reduces stress, contributing to overall mental well-being

Weight Loss:
Pilates can contribute to weight loss by increasing muscle mass, which boosts metabolism and helps burn calories.

Body Awareness:
Pilates emphasizes mindful movement and precise ex*****on, improving body awareness and control.

New Venue Pilates on Monday's School, Dance Studio, Emmer Green.

If you are interested please drop me a message below for more info. If you haven't done pilates before, please let me know so we can have a chat before the class.