Welcome to this week’s Newsletter! 

Well, are you a lover of snow or do you hate it? Do you take every opportunity to get out when the snow starts to fall, go for a walk, stick your tongue out to catch the snow flakes, have a snowball fight, even make a snowman? Or do you prefer to watch through the window, wrapped up in a cozy woolly jumper with a hot chocolate? If you are the former then you probably have no difficulty tuning into your ‘playful’ side and it’s this that is the topic of this week’s Your Whole Self — the importance of playtime. 

All Face-to-Face Classes are running as normal this week. Apologies though to my Friday morning classes at Old Woodhouse — unfortunately I had a family emergency which meant I wasn’t able to teach. My youngest granddaughter ended up in A&E on Thursday evening so I stayed over to look after her older sister, and then stayed there for the Friday to help with the baby so that Mum and Dad could have a rest. I will book an alternative date to make up for the missed classes, and this will be notified to all class participants directly once this has been organised with the venue. As I write this Newsletter, Trixie still isn’t well, but we are hopeful she is now starting to pick up.

All live Online Classes will be running to the regular timetable this week. 

Also, I am really looking forward to starting our Christmas Calendar celebrating 25 Years of Movement, which starts on Sunday 1 December with a live Pilates with Weights class in Zoom at 9.30am. There will be 25 workouts to choose from, all recorded so you can do them at any time, but the Sunday classes will always be live and will always be with hand weights. I will be launching the 25 Day Christmas Calendar of Movement in next week’s’s Newsletter. I do hope you will join me.

This week’s Exercise Of The Week is the final mobility flow sequence for November. It starts in a seated position and focuses on lots of mobility for the spine and shoulders, putting it together with some strength and weight bearing with a lift. It’s a tricky sequence so it’s very important to listen to your own body and work appropriately without pain.

If you have any questions about this or any other Exercise Of The Week please message me.

As suggested at the start of this Newsletter, I want to look at the importance of playtime for your health and wellbeing.

When was the last time you truly let yourself play? As adults I think we often forget that play isn’t just for children, but a vital part of nurturing Your Whole Self. 

Playtime is about forgetting your to do list, and just having fun, laughs and feeling the joy. It’s a way to reconnect with what makes us happy. 

My best playtime is when I’m with my granddaughters, doing silly voices, pretending to be animals, crawling around on the floor, playing make believe, but I also have some silly times with friends. One of my friends in particular who I have been friends with for over 40 years — we always seem to revert to our daft behaviour of when we were in our early 20s, messing about at work, doing silly voices and laughing until our pelvic floors couldn’t take any more. 

These moments of pure joy have a magical effect on our mental and physical well-being. They reduce stress, boost creativity, and remind us not to take life too seriously.

Incorporating play into your week doesn’t mean you need hours of spare time, it can be about sprinkling fun into everyday moments. Specifically focusing less on ‘getting things right’ OR ‘achieving my goals’ and more on the enjoyment. For example, when was the last time you went for a walk and spent the whole time kicking leaves around? 

Playtime is about freedom, connection, and finding the simple joys in life, it’s one of the only times I truly forget about everything else, and switch off and focus totally on having fun. 

So, this week, make time for play — you might just find it’s the best self-care of all. 😊

Have a great, fun-filled week — keep moving, keep looking and feeling good.

With love,

Jane xx