About Karen Appleson

 

Karen Appleson

I’ve always been interested in movement and exercise. I loved sport at school and it was the only thing I truly excelled at, so the seed was sown from early on. A degree in Sport and Exercise Science followed by a Post Grad Diploma cemented the path I wanted to take.
Pilates then found me, and it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it and I knew I wanted to become a qualified teacher, it fitted so beautifully with what I wanted to offer my clients.
My love for understanding more about how to get the best out of the beautiful human body fuels my thirst to know more and to serve my clients as best I can. Since qualifying in 2004, I have been steadily adding to my knowledge and experience .

To date I have
– PG Dip in Sport and Exercise Science 1997
– Pilates Foundation teacher 2004
– Buggy Fitness Instructor (formerly Pushy Mothers) since 2006
– Pre and Post Natal Qualified 2001
– 3rd Age Instructor 2014

Attended workshops on
– Post Natal Exercise
– Nutrition
– Erik Franklin
– Liz Chandler Gait Analysis
– Liz Chandler Healthy Hips
– APPI annual conference

After having 2 c sections, one after a very long labour and one much shorter labour. I recovered very quickly from the first c section as I had been doing Pilates 3 times a week prenatally. I took longer to recover after my daughter was born, so I have had two very different post natal experiences.
It is my work to address the body in front of me and unravel the story that has brought the client to this point.

I now work from my home studio in Cricklewood, NW London where I have all the Pilates equipment.

My work incorporates all the many disciplines I have encountered over the years. I start from a base of Pilates and build on it using Thomas Myers’ Anatomy Trains fascial work, Erik Franklin’s imagery work, various yoga and stretching and meditation techniques.

I have recently qualified as a 3rd Age Instructor with Burrell Education, geared towards helping women who are Peri or Post menopause to embrace this time of life rather than dread it. Keeping hormones healthy and life in balance.

I believe that the body responds to so many stimuli, it sometimes needs firing up with a circuit class, sometimes calming down with stretch and meditation and sometimes realigning with the power of Pilates. I believe that the more tools I can access the better I can serve my clients.

My interest in teaching women who are 3rd Age is a natural progression for me as I approach that time of life. It can be incredibly daunting when our body starts to change, I consider myself incredibly fortunate and privileged to be able to offer help and support to other women during these times.

I understand what it feels like to not get back in shape as quickly as you would like after babies.
I understand the feeling of wanting to be strong, fit and in shape as a post natal Mum and now as a 40 ish year old woman
I understand the need and the want to feel fabulous and to take steps to defy age and gravity and to be in total control of how I look and feel

I also know how easy it is not to do anything and allow reasons/excuses to sabotage ourselves from achieving that which we totally want.