Pilates
Christchurch
What is pilates?
Pilates is a total body exercise, developed almost one hundred years ago by Joseph Pilates, to rehabilitate injured WW1 soldiers and later, for strength and conditioning of dancers. It is a series of exercises aimed at restoring balance and flexibility, improving core strength and postural awareness, and can also help with relaxation. It is a great way to increase your mind-body awareness.
Our classes are led by a physiotherapist who will ensure you are exercising safely. We run a variety of class times to suit everyone and also offer one-on-one sessions.
Who can benefit from pilates?
A wide variety of ages and abilities can benefit from Pilates and classes are suitable for all levels. We are able to adapt and make the sessions specific to suit your needs. Kate has had people attending classes from as young as 16 years old to mid-80s! Pilates is suitable for almost everyone no matter what your fitness level.
If you have any of the following problems Pilates could be right for you:
- Postural issues
- Neck and Back pain
- Post-operative orthopaedic surgery eg. lumbar disc surgery
- Musculoskeletal pain and/or injury
- Muscle imbalance issues
- Pain with sport eg. running, biking, tramping, netball, rugby, soccer, basketball, tennis, cricket, Waka Ama
- Pain at work either in a manual or sedentary job
- Weakness into pelvic floor muscles causing bladder weakness.
- Ante and Post-natal clients (Kate is qualified in specific Pilates exercises for this area)
Private Pilates appointments are available!
A one-to-one assessment is required prior to you attending your first class. This is to ensure we carry out a health screen, postural assessment and have an opportunity to teach you the important Pilates principles we use in the class, including how to activate your deep core abdominals and improve your posture awareness. We tailor this session to you as an individual.
You can join us for our 6 week class blocks which are held in the evening and at lunchtime. We also offer one-to-one sessions using a relevant ACC claim or privately at a time to suit you.
Kate Horton
Physiotherapist and Pilates Instructor
BSc(Hons), certified Matwork Pilates instructor (APPI) UK
Kate qualified in 2001 from Manchester University in the UK and has extensive experience across many areas of musculoskeletal physiotherapy in both the UK and New Zealand, from sports teams to hospital and private practice. She moved to New Zealand in 2009 and has been teaching Pilates classes regularly since 2008. Kate works with a variety of ages and injuries with a special interest in physio-led clinical Pilates using mat and reformer exercises in both one-on-one and group settings. She has recently completed professional development to help patients going through menopause and those with osteoporosis, and works closely with sports doctors to support complex musculoskeletal cases.
Kate enjoys combining manual therapy with empowering patients to learn safe exercise through guided programmes. She has a keen interest in muscle balance problems and postural issues, and particularly enjoys treating shoulder and back injuries along with post-operative care. Kate relishes the challenge of working out problems and treating injuries through a combination of manual therapy, exercise prescription, and long-term prevention strategies.
Kate’s love for how the human body works drives her passion for seeing patients progress from injury back to activity and sport. She enjoys enabling patients to safely recover and become active through exercise and physiotherapy treatments. Having ruptured her hamstring tendon waterskiing and requiring surgery a few years ago, Kate has gained newfound respect for rehabilitation and physiotherapy from a patient’s perspective.
Originally from Durham, England, Kate moved to Christchurch just before the earthquakes in 2010. Since moving here 15 years ago, she met her husband and they have a lovely son together.
Kate loves keeping active with a mix of Pilates, walking in the hills, and running – she’s been a member of Extra Mile Runners in Christchurch for several years and has completed numerous half marathons. Living close to the Port Hills provides the perfect training ground on her doorstep. You can generally find her kicking a soccer ball around with her son, playing tennis or cricket, or skiing on the mountains. She also loves travel both locally in New Zealand and around the world, plus enjoys music and photography. If Kate could only eat one meal for the rest of her life, it would be lasagne and her Grandma’s lemon flan – reminding her of family, the UK, and generally happy times.