\n I don\u2019t have TikTok or a Labubu, I don\u2019t journal or manifest, I don\u2019t drink BuzzBallz and I didn\u2019t watch the Eras tour.\n<\/p>\n
\n I\u2019ve only just come round to the idea of a matcha latte and until a week ago, had never set foot in a Reformer studio.\n<\/p>\n
\n Now I\u2019m a fully converted Reformer \u2013 and by that I don\u2019t mean I\u2019ve signed up to Nigel Farage\u2019s party, but that I have been baptised as a Pilates princess.\n<\/p>\n
\n For the uninitiated, Reformer Pilates is\u00a0a full-body workout using a specialised bed with a sliding carriage, springs, a foot bar, straps and pulleys for adjustable resistance, offering a low-impact way to build strength and flexibility and improve balance.\n<\/p>\n
\n The practice was invented by Joseph Pilates who, whilst working as a nurse during the First World War, experimented by attaching springs to hospital beds, so that patients could start toning their muscles even while they were still bed-bound.\n<\/p>\n
\n Despite being around for more than a century, Reformer has witnessed a huge rise in popularity in recent years, and has become one of Gen Z\u2019s favourite trendy pastimes.\n<\/p>\n
\n I was invited along to try my first ever class at Cove, a luxury Reformer Pilates studio in Lindfield which opened in October 2024 and was recently named the \u201cBest Pilates Studio in Sussex\u201d at the Muddy Stiletto Awards.\n<\/p>\n
\n The studio is located in the Old Forge, a Grade II listed building nestled in the picturesque village of Lindfield (Image: Cove)\n<\/p>\n
\n The studio is nestled in the Old Forge, a Grade II listed building just off the picturesque village high street.\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s no wonder Lindfield has scooped up so many awards year after year (it was banned from the Best Kept Village for winning it too many times), because it\u2019s just glorious.\n<\/p>\n
\n It looks particularly lovely at this time of year, with the lime trees which line the high street glittering with lights and people hunkered down behind the steamed-up windows of its many snug pubs and restaurants.\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s like something out of the movie The Holiday.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Old Forge is an inherently gorgeous building \u2013 the beams make the studio a uniquely special place to exercise \u2013 but owners Jodie Cruttenden and Laura Humphreys have done a wonderful job at transforming it into somewhere that feels both cosy and intimate, as well as airy and calming with its coastal-themed interiors.\n<\/p>\n
\n Everything about Cove felt thoughtful and designed to make your visit feel completely comfortable.\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s the small details, down from the fridge stocked with cans of Trip and the array of herbal tea on offer in the lounge to the baskets of bobbles and toiletries in the loo and the deluxe hand products on the basin.\n<\/p>\n
\n The beautiful coastal-themed lounge, with a fridge stocked with Trip cans and a range of teas (Image: Cove)\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s also a local business through and through.\n<\/p>\n
\n Jodie and Laura are Sussex born and bred and are lifelong friends.\n<\/p>\n
\n The pair met at ballet class at the age of four, went on to attend Oathall Community College together,\u00a0worked their first jobs side by side and have remained close ever since. Growing up in and around Lindfield, Jodie says that opening a studio in the heart of their community felt like a \u201cnatural full-circle moment\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\n She says it is important to them that Cove has a community feel, which is why they launched a run club and mum club and in January they\u2019ll be launching a walking club and Cove retreats.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPeople have made friends from their classes,\u201d Jodie tells me. \u201cPeople will stay and chat afterwards.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s also a studio that caters to all levels, with everything from a class suitable for complete newbies \u2013 like me \u2013 to more challenging levels.\n<\/p>\n
\n The low-impact nature of Reformer means it works for those recovering from injury and a wide range of ages (Jodie says they have customers of 85+).\n<\/p>\n
\n Even Jeremy Clarkson recently revealed in his column for The Times that after years of loathing every form of exercise, Reformer is the first kind that he has embraced.\n<\/p>\n
\n Laura Humphreys and Jodie Cruttenden met at the age of four in a ballet class (Image: Cove)\n<\/p>\n
\n The Reformer may look like a medieval torture device, but I came away from the class glowing and feeling blissfully conditioned.\n<\/p>\n
\n Cove instructor Alice was fabulous, and the beauty of Cove\u2019s small classes is that you benefit from individual support. It\u2019s also a far less intimidating space for beginners than some of the bigger studios which tend to have classes of at least 12.\n<\/p>\n
\n The class felt like it worked all the parts of me that needed strengthening and stretching in a way that hasn\u2019t felt possible at bodyweight-only classes.\n<\/p>\n
\n Although I felt challenged and pushed \u2013 my abs and legs were shaking at certain points \u2013 I didn\u2019t come out red faced, sweaty and exhausted.\n<\/p>\n
\n I like staying active, but I have to admit that I\u2019m sometimes watching the clock when I exercise. Not in this class. The dynamic nature of Reformer makes it really rather fun. I really enjoyed sliding along on the carriage and moving my legs up and down with the foot straps.\n<\/p>\n
\n Even with a mat, you can come away feeling a bit bruised from a floor class, so it felt really nice to be lifted up.\n<\/p>\n
\n When the class finished, I was disappointed \u2013 and if that isn\u2019t a glowing reference for a workout, then I don\u2019t know what is.\n<\/p>\n
\n The beautiful beams make the studio a special place to exercise (Image: Cove)\n<\/p>\n
\n I think Reformer is perfect if you want to feel more supple. If, like me, you\u2019re someone who can barely touch your toes, then it\u2019s a no-brainer.\n<\/p>\n
\n Admittedly, at \u00a325 a go it isn\u2019t cheap, but you can pay almost double that at studios in London for classes three times the size. Even if you don\u2019t go along regularly, it would be a lovely thing to go along to \u2013 alone or with friends \u2013 for a monthly treat.\n<\/p>\n
\n Jodie was absolutely right about the community feel. As I gathered my things to leave, I could hear people in the studio enjoying a lively catch up about someone’s new puppy before their class.\n<\/p>\n
\n It isn\u2019t always easy to make new friends in smaller towns and villages. So, if you\u2019re looking to limber up and meet new people, then grab some grippy socks and give it a go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I don\u2019t have TikTok or a Labubu, I don\u2019t journal or manifest, I don\u2019t drink BuzzBallz and I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-213340","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}