Where it all began | My Purpose and Vision for our Community

by Elle de Wet August 29, 2020

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I had a thought the other day. When I first opened any. BODY Pilates & Exercise Physiology I was very vocal about why I started the studio and my journey to finding my purpose and what I love to do. Over the last 12 months we have grown so much. Not only has our community of trainers grown but our community of members. I truly feel like the staff at the studio are like family, and each and everyone of them are unique and so special to the space. Some of you might not get to see my face that much anymore but I want to ensure you that I am still there, still doing what I love and still trying to make a difference in peoples lives.

Where it all Began

The studio opened in February 2018. After only a few months I had gotten sick of my first graduate job as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist however I was really enjoying working as a Pilates Instructor in other boutique studios. I had worked in various studios all over Brisbane however I noticed that things could be done better. I wanted to open a studio that catered to all bodies, that educated people but most of all I wanted to create a space people wanted to call their second home.

I had this idea, and within weeks with literally no plan I signed a lease and bought 6 reformers. I had no clients and no idea what I was doing. All I knew was that I was passionate about Pilates, I finally had acquired my degree as an Exercise Physiologist and was hoping it would come in handy!

My Journey in Health

At the age of 22 I was pretty stoked with life. I was working in Marketing, I had a boyfriend that loved me, a supportive family and lots of friends that appreciated me for me. At the age of 22 I weighed 116kg. I never really saw my weight as an issue. I still managed to do the things that I loved, I didn't quite see how my obesity was holding me back. At the age of 22 my dad came into the city where I worked and spoke to me heart on heart about my weight. He laid it out to me straight, "Elle you are overweight and one day when you want to have babies your health will be at risk". From that night I am not sure what changed but for the first time in my life I wanted to be smaller. I accepted that the chubby girl in the mirror was not me and it was FINE TO WANT TO IMPROVE myself. Yes it scared me to think that I might fail, but without even knowing it I started to put things in place that would make it hard to fail.

I have lost over 50kg since then, and everyday I have to work hard to maintain balance in my life.

I was 24 when I decided that I wanted to have a career in health. I was petrified of getting overweight again and thought, if I made health my life then surely that would help me create a life that made me put health first.

My Philosophy

For a lot of us health is a roller coaster. For most of us it is not easy to always make the right decisions. It is not easy to prioritise fitness and nutrition over a night out and a juicy burger. It comes down to self love for me. Its not easy to be consistent, to get on a 'roll'. Over the years I have really had to work on consistency, and I still do! I guess as I have further deepened my understanding of holistic lifelong health I have spent less time in the "red' and more time in the "green" and that is what truly counts.

For most of us there will be bad times. There will be times where we are unmotivated, where we prioritise all the wrong things. Normally these times are going to be associated with slumps in your mental health and may even be linked with traumatic events in your life. These times will happen, what is going to be important is that we find tools and a supportive community and the KNOW HOW to get back on track and even find health coping mechanisms through these times. That is why I created any.BODY Studio. It is a place people can turn to, to find answers. To take small steps forwards self improvement. I very often talk to my clients about your health "tool belt". What have you learnt today to put in your tool belt, to help you towards managing better habits, or dealing with your chronic pain? There is always a way to take steps forwards but knowing where to go and what to do is the hardest part.

If you have read this far then thank you. Thanks for letting me share a bit more about me, this is in the hope that next time you are in the studio you will share a little bit more about you

See you in the studio xx