Pilates with Piera

13/03/2026

I'm sharing this very timely post from The Eve Appeal since March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and Mother's Day is approaching. Today also marks 24 years since the passing of our mum, Eileen.

I don't put a lot of very personal stories on my feed...however I wanted to share this as I'm really proud of what my siblings and I have achieved, and for the support we received from friends, family and the many Pilates-goers who donated and came to my fundraising sessions last year. Thank you to the amazing staff at The Eve Appeal for your support and for sharing our story with others. We hope it will inspire people to help with this fantastic cause and to stay educated about gynae health and the five gynaecological cancers.
"We want to make sure no one is diagnosed late because they didn’t know enough about their body or because the stigma society places on gynae health stopped them seeking help."

Last year, Piera, Luisa and Ant took part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks trek in memory of their mum and raised an incredible £1,329! They shared their story about why they took part and what the challenge meant to them.

“Our mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2001 and unfortunately passed away the following year. It’s deeply important to us to support a cause that means so much to our family.

We were inspired to support The Eve Appeal together after Luisa first volunteered with them in 2013, spending a day working in their office. She then went on to organise various fundraising activities among friends and family, which in turn inspired both Piera and Ant to get involved as well.

We have supported The Eve Appeal in various ways over the years, including taking part in the Hadrian’s Wall trek. We were keen to support them again, and when we saw the Yorkshire Three Peaks trek, we thought it would be an exciting new challenge. We were truly supported throughout every stage of our fundraising journey, and raised an incredible £1,329!

If you want to do something positive to raise awareness of gynaecological cancers, look no further than The Eve Appeal. They are such a great charity, and we were truly impressed by their passion, energy, and the real difference they are making.”

Thank you so much to Piera, Luisa and Ant. If you are feeling inspired by their amazing achievement, you can take on one of our treks in June or September and find out more here: https://eveappeal.org.uk/events/?category=treks&utm_source=Organic&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Treks

20/02/2026

*** Classes start up again from next week ***
Here's a Buffy reminder to let you know that I have some spaces available. Sadly she won't be joining us but she will be doing some of her own moves in the meantime, perhaps a rest pose and a downward dog. Definitely NOT a cat though.

She has become very particular about her food...good quality kibble mixed with wet food and tuna...neh. Stale piece of bread found under a soggy pile of leaves...yes please! So picky.

06/02/2026

*** Colder Month Traditions ***
Ok, so I don't actually practice Pilates in the frost but I have been going on some very windy runs lately and it has been both envigorating and exhausting to run against the blasts of fresh air.

A few months back I asked you what sort of traditions and routines you plan around the autumn and towards the Winter. I was delighted with the responses and have included them in my latest newsletter.
Check out their thoughts and ideas here:
https://www.pilateswithpiera.co.uk/so/25Pkq4zt0?languageTag=en

Thank you to all those who shared this with me ❤

03/01/2026

I was reading today more about how Winter is a time for restoration and slowing down. And since we are now in Winter it's ok to feel that you are still in a restful state during January - to leave behind this pressure to recreate yourself and kick-start lots of energetic new habits. I'm not one for resolutions and sometimes feel a bit of guilt tied in to the fact that I haven't planned things for the year - like how now should be the time to decide what goals I would like to set. I think it can feel natural to use this time to do that but also for me this feels not so natural. I am much more likely to feel motivated once Spring arrives. Right now I am still a little in hibernation mode with movies and reading in the evenings and less socialising...and I'm ok with that!

Wishing you a wonderful start to 2026, whatever that may entail for you ❤️

21/12/2025

Celebrating Winter Solstice with a dip and a hot sarnie.
A dip with my fabulous friend and the freshly made sarnie c/o my hubby ❤

It was cloudy and we didn't get the see the sunrise but a lovely experience nevertheless. It was fresh that's for sure...

Reflecting a bit about this time last year, I started to realise that perhaps 12 sea dips in 2-3 weeks was too much for me. And that's ok! I tried it in the Winter and decided that it wasn't for me (not without the accompanying steam element anyway). Also thought about slowing down and not rushing as much... yes I thought about it but not sure I executed that one very well.

Wishing you all a wonderful break amongst all the busy times. See you in the New Year!

14/12/2025

Unimpressed....
But worth it to get a cute pic of the Buffster being festive.

05/12/2025

We've had a lot of fun with small balls these past few weeks and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone embracing the moves with determination and humour... especially when we're using our feet to catch the ball!
I love challenging my Pilates peeps in different ways. Just listening to the laughter and the many noises you all make is enough to encourage me to keep adding more interesting exercises.

A big high-five to this morning's class for letting me take some amazing shots of them doing some awesome movements 🙌🏼 Thanks guys ❤️

24/11/2025

*** Pre loved equipment! ***

I have a few mats and slim pillows that I no longer need, from back in the days when I provided all equipment to my classes and looked like I belonged to the Deliveroo crew with my massive cube bag.

The mats are great for packing away, either flat in your boot (been handy for my Pilates "emergencies") or curled up and popped into a bag. The pillows are useful to use behind your head if you sometimes need a little lift, especially for extension work. Both are very light in weight.

I have 3 of each - if you would like one you can DM me or send me an email pilateswithpi@gmail.com

Details:
Blue mats
136 x 51cm open
45 x 51cm folded
around 9mm thick
£6

Thin pillows
30 x 21xm
2.5cm thick
£4

I also have an unused Easy Shaper with dvd and instructions - £5

11/11/2025

Last month our Friday morning class celebrated 'Wear it Pink' day for the charity Breast Cancer Now to help raise funds and awareness of breast cancer.
We rumaged the cupboards in search of our pink socks, bobbles and t-shirts and even managed to rustle up some matching mats, weights and bands.

Thanks to the lovely Liza Walker for suggesting and organising it and well done for the money you raised ❤🙌

01/11/2025

Autumn vibes 🍂🍁🎃
As we enter the colder months, my motivation typically drops and I find myself shying away from socialising - my energy levels take a delve and the main thing I want to do more is eat rubbish food.

I'm trying to listen to what my body and mind needs but sometimes it's wrong (eat crap and don't move) and what I need more of is in fact movement and a good dose of the outdoors. A majority of my photos are based outside and that's because I really love being out during those daylight hours. It is definitely something that I make more of an effort to maintain during these darker, cooler months...even when all I want to do is nip into my pjs at 5pm and sit on the sofa for the evening - though that can be fine too at times.

I've popped a few pix that represent my experience of Autumn so far.

And I'd love to find out what changes you make around this time of year and towards the Winter. What routines do you start or continue with and do you change the way you do anything - exercise, cooking, social events?
Here's my little survey to collect your answers which I will present on my next newsletter ❤️❤️❤️

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F95KN9H

17/10/2025

Autumn 🥮 🍂🍁
I've noticed the temperature drop so much more this week, had the fire on and finally the central heating. Yes, it's that time. Trying to find ways to autumnify (making that a word) the house, more blankets and candles are a good start.

My newsletter is coming out next week, if there's a seasonal event you're running or know of and would like to add it please drop me a line. If it's in the realms of well-being I am interested. Or something to do with Halloween...also very interested.

It's a boring video of Buffy but she was on the hunt for duck crap (the little so-and-so). I didn't think there was a possibility of her already rotten stench breath getting worse but she found a way. Delightful!

15/09/2025

We did it!

I'm so chuffed and really proud of my sibs and I for doing this - we managed *just* under the 12 hours (11hrs 58 mins!) racing along the street at the end to make sure we made it.

On Saturday evening I felt quite ok physically, feeling pretty pleased with myself.
Ah, the joys of delayed muscle soreness! I've been hobbling around a bit since then and stairs are my enemy today.

A huge thanks to our family and friends for their support and to my clients who came to my charity classes and donated. So far we've raised an awesome £1,279!
Well done also to everyone who took on the challenge for the charity and thanks to the amazing team at The Eve Appeal for their encouragement - it was lovely chatting and sharing some of our stories.

There's still time to give on our fundraising page:
https://www.justgiving.com/team/luisaandpiera
❤❤❤