About Me
Hello and welcome!
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My name is Julie Dennis and I am a Pilates instructor. I live in Cowbridge with my husband, two children and five cats. Yes that's right, I am a crazy cat lady!
When I am not working, I love being outside. I try and start every morning with a 30 minute walk come rain or shine to wake up my body and mind setting me up ready to start the day.
Most weekends we can be found adventuring somewhere. We love good old fresh air and hearty exercise. I'm not sure the children always like climbing up the mountains or walking miles along the coast, but lets just say it's character building!
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The other great love of my life is my bright orange camper van. You may well have seen me around. I have a tiger on the front so you can't miss me! This has been a wonderful addition to the family as there is nothing like cooking bacon rolls and a fresh brew after a walk. It also means we get to travel further afield with our adventures, sleeping with rather more luxury than a tent can afford.
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When not walking, I'm often running. There are so many fabulous places to run locally and it really does help clear the head. After a good run it always feels perfectly justifiable to sit curled up with a purring cat on my lap relaxing.
Pilates and Me
For years I suffered with non-specific lower back ache and I found Pilates reduced this to zero. This was due mainly to my improved posture, knowing how to stand without causing my back to suffer and also strengthening my core abdominal muscles to help support my lower back. I also found that due to the improved posture and breathing techniques that I was able to drastically reduce my asthma medication which I only use now if I am unwell.
Pilates makes me feel invigorated and revitalised after every class. As an added bonus, I have even grown an inch which means a lot when you’re only 5 foot tall! Due to these wonderful changes in my own body, I became really keen to introduce Pilates to as many people as possible and so decided to train as an instructor myself.
I started my instructor journey back in 2017 and was trained by Peak Pilates. Subsequently, I have completed courses with the Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute (APPI) in ante and post natal Pilates, Pilates for kids and Pilates for osteoporosis. Since qualifying as an instructor I worked for three years at Barefoot Studio before setting up as Bodyworks with Julie. It is wonderful to be working as my own boss and dictating my own timetable. It also gives me the flexibility to tailor classes to the needs of my clients.
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I have also recently trained in FitCore through Peak Pilates which is a fusion of cardio and Pilates and is a great new challenge and an exciting new way to work out. If you fancy a fast and exciting workout to music, then give it a go. It has certainly made me fitter and stronger than I ever have been before!
