Welcome to this week’s Newsletter. 

I hope you have had a good week, and not letting the grey, wet days get you down too much. It can feel a challenge to how we feel when the daylight never seems to show up … but lots of you take joy from the spring buds that are popping through. I’m seeing lots of photographs of snowdrops, and other things starting to sprout up so if you are fortunate to have a garden with all this loveliness starting to show its face. Spend time with it, it definitely helps. 

This week Your Whole Self is all about the This vs That mindset — you know how so many things in life get framed as one thing or the other. Right or wrong, all in or not trying, strong or gentle. I notice this a lot, not just in the fitness world, but in life and how we live, think and even how we talk to ourselves. So this week I have been wondering what might change if, instead of asking which one, which side, we allowed ourselves to explore both. If you are feeling some pressure in this area at the moment then I think this will resonate with you and maybe give you a different way of thinking.

All Face-to-Face Classes continue as timetabled this week. We are heading towards a half term break next week, however some classes will be running due to earlier sessions being cancelled because of bad weather. Check the timetable for your regular sessions — and remember that classes definitely continue this week.

Just a reminder for replacement class dates: 

• Monday — Old Woodhouse — replacement classes are on 16 February
• Friday — Rempstone — replacement class 20 February
• Friday — Old Woodhouse — replacement class 27 February

Online Classes are running as normal this week.

At a meeting I had with other Fitness Professionals earlier last week, the Coach asked us some questions about what we stood for, and what we stood against, and one of the things that resonated with me was the idea that everything had to be this vs that, either/or, and that this seems to be the theme that is pushed to us, particularly in the fitness world, and I definitely stand against this. 

Everything seems to be:

• strong or flexible
• disciplined or kind to ourselves
• all in or not bothering at all
• busy or resting
• right or wrong

It is like we have to choose a box which is one side or the other, and that’s it!

Well, let’s look at life in general. We know that it really isn’t that easy or tidy (see what I did there either/or). What if it could be This AND That? What if we had a bit more space in the middle where we can be strong and flexible, where we can be committed and compassionate. Maybe we can move our bodies and rest them. We can set goals each day and days where we simply do what feels good. Once we start to consider This AND that thinking, the pressure eases, less judgement, less I should be doing better, and we start being more curious about what we actually need in that moment.

In terms of exercise, I see the arguments/opinions all the time, people thinking that exercise has to be :

• high intensity OR pointless
• long duration OR not worth doing
• perfect OR a failure

But movement in general lives very happily in the middle space, in the and, Pilates definitely lives here. You can work hard and move gently. You can find challenge and also modify. You can build strength and nourish your nervous system. Some days you will feel energised and powerful, others days you will need softer, slower, more supportive — both are valuable.

It can definitely shape our behaviour, when we get stuck in This vs That thinking we often swing between extremes — ALL or NOTHING, ON it or OFF it, Motivated or Fed up. But if we change that middle ground and say This and That immediately we are giving ourselves permission to be human. This kind of thinking encourages more consistency without rigidity, it helps us listen rather than force, and it creates habits that actually last, because they fit real life, not an idealised version of it. 

So together this week, I want you to start to notice:

• where am I putting unnecessary pressure on myself?
• where could I soften an ‘either/or’ and move it into an ‘and’?
• what would feel supportive right now?

Because movement, health, and life don’t have to be a battle of the opposites. Instead it’s a conversation and finding a way to be supportive, adaptable, and rooted in real life.

Have a good week everyone. Keep looking, moving, and feeling good.

With love and support,

Jane xxx