At the start of 2026 this year, I was almost, if not practically, rock bottom. Bottom of the rock, under the rock, in the soil under the rock, down in the dumpies, one might say. Not quite as bad as the rock bottom I found myself at/in/under in 2019 but not far off.

After multiple miscarriages, a deep dark winter and coming off my mental health meds, I found myself crying daily, awake all night. Every day was such a struggle, every moment, every second. I ended up in A&E seeking desperate help. I’d been here before, I knew I needed my meds, my therapist, rest and time. It wasn’t long before I started to feel myself again. Thank you NHS, thank you Pam, thank you Samina, thank you Jen, thank you Pammie, thank you mum and dad, thank you Sam, thank you village! It takes a village! 

Once my brain was a bit more like my brain, I thought right, Lots, movement. You need to move your bod! I thought, it’s probably best to be guided through something and around some people so I booked into a strength class at my local yoga studio with a wonderful teacher called Alice.

It was SUCH a struggle to get myself there, an early Saturday morning, Sebby crying for me not to go, but I got there. Alice said at the start of the class “the fact you've shown up is enough, if you’re not feeling like pushing yourself today, then don’t. Just get through it. Maybe you do want to push yourself but simply get through these next 45 minutes and you’ve done it.” So that’s what I did. I just got myself through those 45 minutes, moving, breathing and lifting some weights. 

So I booked myself in for the following Saturday morning class and the following and the following. I just kept showing up once a week to lift some weights. And I started to feel pretty f-ing great. I started to increase my strength training to 2-3 times a week, often just doing 15 minutes myself at home alongside my Pilates.

So here’s a formula for feeling good for you, a little strength training, a little Pilates, lots of friends and family around you, and ultimately Spring and Summer arriving like a beautiful angel sent from heaven to lift the rock you’re under away. Okay it’s not as simple as that I know I know, I had weeks of therapy and my mental health medication does a lot of the heavy lifting (no pun intended) but this summer I’ve honestly felt the best I’ve felt in a long time and considering I was in the soil in January like a sad wiggly worm playing a tiny violin, I’m really proud of myself. 

Because yes there is a formula, it’s often as simple as seeking help, moving your body, getting outside, leaning on your loved ones but most of the formula is YOU showing up for yourself. It’s you, saying to yourself, alrightey my love don’t let this defeat you. Get out of bed and claw yourself back up again. 

So the story continues, I saw that my favourite and best ever Pilates mentor Joanne Combe was running a Strength Training qualification in the May of this year, I signed up…(with my claw lol.) And I’ve loved doing the qualification and blending my learnings with my Pilates experience and the whole time thinking yippee yoo I get to deliver this to my wonderful LMP community! That’s you. You’ll notice I haven’t spoken much about the science behind Strength training yet because a, I’m not a researcher or a scientist and b, it’s all over the freaking internet and the information of course is already conflicting. I'm qualified to teach you movement safely and hopefully in a fun motivating way.

Here’s what I believe, progressive strength training is good for you. Pilates is good for you. I think you should be doing both. I think you should still love and enjoy it rather than feel like it’s a chore. I think combining Pilates and strength training is the perfect recipe for longevity, whole body functionality and wellbeing. Each supports and complements the other. Yes, media awareness around strength training is at its highest and to be honest with you, I often reject things when they get hyped because I get overwhelmed. Like ahh stop telling me what to do! 

So perhaps, like me, you love your Pilates but know you need to add some heavier weights so you can feel strong to carry you through life, you hate the gym. The instagram Strength people overwhelm you. You’ve maybe tried some generic strength programs but they don’t feel like you!

It doesn’t have to feel like the opposite of Pilates. There can still be mindfulness and body awareness and real connection! You can feel safe and held. 

I hope by introducing Strength training to LMP, I’ll be bringing it into a world you already trust, your mat, your practice, gentle guidance. Challenging in a way that feels good not intimidating so that you feel capable, empowered, f-ing good, f-ing cool! It does make you feel quite badass. Climbing the stairs like a warrior, moving through your day with an ease and skip in your step, carrying your shopping like “I could bicep curl these bags if I wanted to.”. Grounded, powerful! 

I think you’ll surprise yourself. I want you to surprise yourself. A feeling you’ll want to come back to again and again. But also just showing up for yourself some days, getting through it. 

I’ll be sharing a video soon about everything you need and a bit more about what to expect. They’ll be a little taster class in September but the full Strength x Pilates challenge will now go live from 5th October. We’ve delayed in slightly just because you know me, I want to get it right! Good things take time. 

See you! 

Lots xx