Bryony Deery, the founder of Pilates by Bryony (use code LAURYN for 2 months free) and host of Beyond the Mat, is here today to tell us all about how she got into Pilates and tips so you can too. If you follow her on Instagram or do her workouts you know she is always calm, cool and collected, all while looking incredible.
If you have yet to meet Bryony, go listen to her episode on The HIM & HER Show. She gets into her incredible health journey, from an insane car accident that affected her body in so many ways, how she fell in love with Pilates, how she discovered what healthy habits work for her and the business ventures she started before finding her platform today, it will give you so much insight into what Pilates can do for you.
Keep reading for tips on getting started with Pilates, little hacks that make all the difference, AND her favorite easy, healthy recipes.
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My Pilates journey started when I was 18 after I had a car accident. I was left with severe injuries and I was recommended to try Pilates for my recovery. To heal my injuries, I needed to strengthen my body, rebuild my mobility and gain more flexibility. Pilates wasn’t really a thing or “trendy” at that time. However, as soon as I started and felt the changes to my body, I was hooked! To say it has changed my life is an understatement. I LOVE it when subscribers say the same thing. Hearing how it’s impacted their lives is the best feeling. I want everyone to try it and feel the benefits!
Pilates soon became my new non-negotiable and with consistent practice my chronic pain had gone after 6 months. I was completely healed through the power of movement. I knew Pilates was going to stay in my live forever and I then years later became classically trained in London so I could deepen my understanding of the practice. At the same time, I was running another business. Like so many of us, all was going great until COVID struck, the business relied heavily on people working in the office. We had to close the business and my life changed overnight. I moved in with my parents and looked after my mum who wasn’t very well at the time. It was here when something really clicked. Health, wellness, and Pilates was my daily saviour.
I signed up for a Zoom subscription and began training friends online and in May 2021 not knowing if anyone would join, I taught my first group class on Zoom. Day by day, through word of mouth and social media, more people signed up and by the end, 500 people subscribed to the January Challenge. I was shocked! I had gone from 0 to 500 people in a matter of months. January was amazing but everything was very manual and a total shit show, but the chaos was somehow amazing! Luckily something worked, next I knew, people wanted to know about the February challenge, which by the way, didn’t exist at the time. In my head I had just reached the end of January and was so grateful for people turning up on Zoom. That was my win! I truly had no idea that my passion would turn into an online platform for everyone to enjoy too.
Bryony Deery’s Tips For How to Get Started With Pilates
Pilates for me is about teaching people a method that serves the body rather than breaking it down and punishing it. It had been a form of medicine for me, and I wanted to share this type of transformation with others. I wanted a workout that people would look forward to and can stay consistent with. Also, I want to show people you don’t need to slog it in the gym for hours to feel the effects. Our classes on the Pilates By Bryony platform combine the form and foundation of classical Pilates with the burn, fun and results from contemporary. The Pilates world doesn’t typically mix these two methods but for me it’s completely transformative.
THE SECRET TO PILATES – FORM!
I know it sounds so simple and repetitive, but your form is the most important part of Pilates. If your form isn’t right, you won’t feel that Pilates burn! Our form and masterclasses section on the app focuses specifically on how to correctly maintain your form in key Pilates movements. When I’m teaching, it’s amazing how many people tell me what a difference it makes when I adjust their form, even the slightest change. If you focus on this at the start of your Pilates journey, you’ll be a pro in no time.
CONSISTENCY
Long gone are the days, where we believe hours hammering it in the gym for days everyday gives you results. In fact, the second secret to Pilates is consistent training. All you need is as little as 15 mins or 30 mins per day. I promise you, this will give you aesthetic results, create alignment, improve posture, build strength and compliment any other training methods you use. And if you can’t make it on the mat every day that’s okay too, just create a consistent routine that works for you. Once you’ve mastered your routine, increase the amount of time on the mat and you’ll start to practice Pilates with a different, more mindful mindset. It’s incredible!
LEVELLING UP AT YOUR OWN PACE – EQUIPMENT
Using equipment in your practice can really level up results, make it more challenging and changes the types of movements you do. However, I recommend, introducing equipment when you have a few weeks under your belt, this can also be a goal you set yourself. However, find your form first, before moving on to harder movements with equipment, but once you’re ready it’s a fantastic feeling.
SET ATTAINABLE BUT CHALLENGING GOALS
We always talk about setting goals, but it really is the key to development. I believe they should be achievable but hard enough, so you feel challenged and satisfied when you reach them. This gives us a healthy buzz, we feel proud at what we’ve achieved and then we have more motivation to progress to harder or different kind of goals. Some goals to think about could be:
Turn up on the mat for you. Make your practice about you and how it’s serving and benefiting you. This is your time and make it a non-negotiable because you’re serving your body in a healthy way.
For a month, get on the mat for 15 mins – 30 mins. The next month, increase to 30 – 40 mins each time.
Schedule a Pilates session before the kids get up.
BE OPEN FOR CHANGE
If you are completely new to Pilates, you need to be open that your routine will adapt so you can make time for yourself on the mat. This might be getting up 30 mins earlier or scheduling a class at lunchtime. Being agile with your practice makes the first few weeks really enjoyable. I promise you will never want to miss a practice session.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
In January 2024 we launched an accountability challenge, and it was so lovely to see everyone partnering up. People were messaging saying how beneficial it’s been for them. Staying accountable with a friend or family member really helps you both stay on track. I think it’s always such a nice way of connecting with others and also staying fit and healthy together. Then treat yourselves when you have both stayed accountable and reached your goals.
PREPARATION
Keep your (rolled) mat out ready for practice and get your clothes ready the night before. However it looks to you, preparation can be key to the start of a consistent Pilates journey. I try to keep my morning free from meetings and calls to make time for myself and schedule in my workouts or Pilates sessions. This is my focus mode time.
HEALING POWER OF PILATES
Pilates is enjoyable, fun and gives you both mental and physical benefits. As I’ve said before Pilates is medicine and “the why” you chose to do Pilates will be different from person to person. But what is guaranteed, is the amazing feeling it gives you. It isn’t meant to be over strenuous on your body, but it is meant to push your body to tone, lengthen and give you more strength than you have ever felt before.
This year is big year for Pilates By Bryony. We have so many exciting things happening and we are always thinking of new ways to make the platform bigger and better. I always say, the app is for and built with the subscribers in mind. They are at the core of what we do. We’ve actually just launched a Founders Club, a group of incredibly inspiring subscribers who we engage with regularly. They’re such a lovely group of people. The idea is to grow this group yearly and take on new founding members.
We are also so busy organizing more events in and around the UK. We have Padel, Pizza and Pilates evening coming up, walking tours in different cities and more in-person Pilates events. We are building out the app to include more mindfulness aspects and including more collaborators. My vision is for the app to become a wellness destination for people around the world.
You can sign up to our 30-day trial via the website and then download the app. We also sell our own equipment, which has been carefully designed to elevate your practice. In the past I found that a lot of Pilates equipment was painful or flimsy, therefore, I set out to make high quality equipment for people who want more out of their practice. All the pieces are easy to travel with too.
As a little bonus, I wanted to share some of my favorite recipes with you too.
Protein Dough Bars
1 cup of almond flour
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1/2 cup of Form vanilla protein powder
3 tbsp of coconut oil
1/2 cup of oat milk
1 tsp of vanilla extract
2 tbsp of maple syrup
1/2 bar of HU chocolate (chopped into chips)
2 bars of HU chocolate (for topping)
DIRECTIONS:
Mix almond flour and peanut butter to form a dough.
Add protein powder, coconut oil, oat milk, vanilla extract. (If too dry add a little more milk.)
Mix in chocolate chips
Transfer dough into a baking tray and press down, then place in freezer for 15 minutes.
Melt 2 bars of HU chocolate and pour over dough. Return to freezer for 15 minutes and chop into bars
Vegan Banana Pancakes
2 3/4 cup of oats, ground
2 ripe bananas
1 2/3 cup oat milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Olive oil for cooking
DIRECTIONS:
Blend all ingredients together until it forms a batter.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat then pour 2 tbsp per pancake and fry on each side for 2-3 minutes.
Serve with maple syrup, bananas, berries or chia jam.
Simple Salmon Bowl
2 filets of salmon
1 lemon
Tenderstem broccoli or broccolini
cashews
microwavable rice
soya sauce to taste
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Season salmon with lemon, salt, pepper then bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 355 F.
Steam broccoli so it’s tender but still has a crunch.
When salmon is done, flake it up with a fork.
Add salmon to a medium heat pan with broccoli, cashew nuts and rice.
Add juice of half a lemon, soy sauce, salt and pepper, butter then serve.
Bone Broth Ketchup
1/4 cup passata
3 x tablespoons of tomato paste
2x tablespoons of water
2x tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of maunka honey
1 tablespoon of Planet Paleo bone broth powder (onion & garlic)
Pinch of salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Add all ingredients to a pot over a medium heat and stir well for 10 minutes.
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Make sure you check out all her AM and PM routines in this post and listen to her second conversation with Lauryn where they talk about all their little wellness tips that make all the difference. You can also listen to Lauryn on the first ever episode of Bryony’s podcast, Beyond The Mat.
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ How to invest in your health (it’s more than what you eat).
++ Check out this post on how to combine hot yoga and weights for insane results.
PILATES MUST-HAVES:
