I Retrained as a Pilates Teacher at 42 — Here’s What Nobody Tells You About Starting Again
My Life Has Changed So Much
If someone had told me five years ago that at 42 I would be teaching Pilates for a living, I would never have believed them. But my life has changed so much in the past couple of years.
Going back four years, that’s when it all started. I wasn’t in the happiest place. I definitely wasn’t unhappy, but I wasn’t living my life the way I do now, in terms of the happiness scale.
Tired, Grumpy, and a Bit Lost
I was 38. We’d not long come out of the pandemic, and I was exhausted, physically and mentally. I felt unhealthy, tired, grumpy, and a bit lost. Each morning I’d take my children to school, then walk my dog in the park, usually listening to a podcast. My favourites were Mel Robbins and Diary of a CEO. I was always searching for answers on how to improve myself.
It was one January morning that I listened to a podcast on gut health, and the impact it can have on your wellbeing. It instantly struck a chord, because I knew exactly how bad my own gut health was. I would eat anything and everything: a quick breakfast cereal, mid-morning biscuits or a stash of sweets for a sugar fix, a sandwich and crisps on the go at lunch, more snacks, the children’s leftover dinner, picking as I cooked for my husband and I, and then a huge dinner around 9pm before falling into bed at 10 after several large glasses of wine. In fact, I didn’t sleep “well” unless I’d had those glasses of wine. I felt like I needed them to switch off and unwind.
The Small Changes Became Bigger Ones
So I started researching gut health, diet and lifestyle – and made small changes. The small changes became bigger ones, and eventually my whole outlook on diet, movement, and lifestyle had shifted completely. I ate to give my body what it needed, I got the morning sunlight, the evening wind down, I mastered my sleep, I learnt about supplements and added them in where needed.
It Was Instant Love
I left the high-impact, stress-inducing workouts behind and found Pilates. It was instant love. For that 50 minutes of a class, my mind switched off completely from all the worries and to-dos. It calmed me. But it also started transforming the way my body looked, which was a huge plus. Pilates combined with a healthier lifestyle was showing up in the way I moved and the way I lived. I felt more confident, lighter – not just physically but mentally – and happier.
I Instantly Replied: Me Too
I fell in love with the whole Pilates movement so intensely that I knew I wanted to bring it into my life more, so I started looking into teacher training. Everything in my head was telling me no: you’re too old to start this now, keep doing what you’re doing, it’s too late to pivot in your forties.
Then, out of nowhere a friend messaged me for advice. She knew I loved Pilates and she wanted to train as a teacher herself. I instantly replied: ME TOO! It felt so good to say it out loud, and to have someone else who felt exactly the same, who was the same age as me. So together we started the process, and together we finished it, two women in our forties, both with university degrees, both having worked the corporate office jobs and climbed the ladder, both raising children and juggling the usual chaos of home life while now working part-time.
Skipping Down the Road With Happiness
The process was daunting, but it felt so good to get out of my comfort zone. That in itself is hugely confidence-building. Reminding yourself that you can still do new things, that you can still learn and grow. I felt like I was back at school, learning anatomy and science, and it was fascinating. I had something just for me again, too. Each time I headed off to training I’d have butterflies in my stomach, and I’d come home buzzing for what was coming next.
Taking tests for the first time since university was scary. But again, how good it felt to feel those nerves – to push myself out of that bubble and challenge myself. Passing was the best feeling. And teaching my first class? I thought I might be sick on the drive there. Afterwards, I felt like I was skipping down the road with happiness.
We Only Have This One Life
That first step of reading up about gut health snowballed into something much bigger: looking after myself again. For years I’d been an afterthought in my own head – everything else came first. Now I wake up and look after me. It’s such a cliché, but the happier I am, the happier my family are too.
Living on fumes as you scramble through life isn’t sustainable. It takes bravery to admit you want more. When you feel you have everything you thought you wanted but know that something isn’t quite right. We only have this one life and why shouldn’t we live it being the happiest version of ourselves. It could have absolutely nothing to do with gut health and Pilates – but instead you love painting or swimming or singing. Just grab hold of that passion and use it.
If I could leave you with one piece of advice, it would be this: take a moment and check in with yourself. How are you really feeling? Are you looking after yourself, or just battling through? From there, start making tiny changes – slow and small. This time next year, you could be looking in the mirror at a happy, healthy woman you almost don’t recognise – and smiling, knowing you did that.
Ashley posts about style, health and a positive mindset on Instagram @amothersedit
