Pilates instructor puts classes on the internet

9:46am Tuesday 27th November 2007

A FITNESS coach has invested £40,000 in a webbased service as demand for her exercise classes continues to soar.

Pilates instructor Lindsay Jewison, from York, has set up an internet site that allows users to take part in a range of classes whenever they want and from wherever they are .

Ms Jewison, who has been teaching pilates classes throughout the wider Yorkshire region for the past five years, hopes the venture will create five jobs for instructors and administration staff over the next couple of years.

"The aim of www.myexercisestudio.

com is to make exercise affordable, convenient and fun because we all know how hard it is to fit it into our hectic lives," she said "The online classes mean that you can take part anytime, anywhere and with whoever you want, whether that's with a group of friends or by yourself."

Pilates is a unique system of stretching and strengthening exercises developed more than 90 years ago by Joseph Pilates.

It focuses on training the mind and body to work together to achieve the goal of a better balanced body and overall fitness.

Ms Jewison took up pilates six years ago at the age of 50 and was so impressed with the results that she decided to make a career out of the exercise.

Since qualifying as a professional instructor, she has continued to increase her knowledge of pilates with ongoing study and research around the world.

Her new business - www.myexercisestudio.com - is one of the first of its kind to be launched in the UK.

It is a membership website and users pay a monthly fee of £9.99 to take part in pilates classes as often as they like.

She said: "Pilates is an incredibly popular form of exercise because of its many benefits such as improved strength and muscle tone, better posture and balance, increased flexibility, reduced stress and improved joint mobility.

"I currently teach all ages - even people in their eighties - as it can help to relieve the symptoms of many illnesses.

It's also very popular with sportsmen and women who want to improve their performance."

Ms Jewison plans to add other forms of exercise to the website in the coming months.