An interview with Pilates pioneer Gaby Noble

Voted one of the top Pilates studios by Vogue, Gaby Noble’s expertise has attracted the UK’s most successful business owners, professional athletes and a star-studded client list.

We chat to Gaby, the founder of Exhale Pilates, about how she and her team are on a mission to keep alive the original works of Joseph Pilates, along with a sneak peek into how she maintains a healthy lifestyle.

How did you first discover Pilates?

I discovered Pilates nearly 20 years ago. Having always been sporty as a kid and an adrenaline junkie, I was always after those highs but being hyper-mobile, my body didn’t always respond well to it.

I was suggested to do Pilates to complement my other training, and to help stabilise my joints by working the smaller muscle groups. This is when I instantly fell in love with it – not only the physical aspect but the mental aspect too. It was one of the only times I could focus for an hour on being present – because you have to for it to work.

Exhale Pilates’ founder Gaby Noble is an advocate for the true Classical methodology, specifically called Contrology, Pilates, in its most authentic form

You suffered from a serious spinal injury. Can you tell us how Pilates helped?

In my early 30s I was involved in a bad car accident that left me unable to lie, sit or walk properly. I was working in the corporate world at the time which involved lots of travel, and due to my accident, I was unable to work and therefore lost my contracts. As I’m sure you can appreciate not only did the accident affect me physically, but my mental state was affected too.

It was then that I used Pilates, not as the exercise method I had always used it for, but to help me heal and recover from my spinal injury, and the love of Pilates and how powerful the method is, took on a whole new meaning to me.

What makes Exhale Pilates different to other Pilates studios in London?

What makes Exhale Pilates stand out over other Pilates brands is that we’re advocates for the original Pilates method called Contrology, in its most authentic form.

Every one of my teachers has completed over 600 hours of teacher training and is experienced to teach someone recovering from a serious injury to being able to challenge the fittest professional athletes around. Clients wanting to look and feel their best, to clients coming back after pregnancy. Our teachers are qualified to teach everyone.

We haven’t tampered with or diluted Pilates as we know from experience and history that it works and transforms people’s lives. It really does unite fitness and health with recovery.

Both of our studios are also home to the full range of Classical Pilates apparatus so we can give our clients the full Classical Pilates experience. These various pieces of apparatus which include Wunda chairs, Pedi-poles, Cadillacs as well as the more well-known reformer that helps target different muscle groups and, works the body in totally different ways to accelerate results. Beyond the reformer we offer Tower classes a format that is not regularly found in the UK.

Over the last two decades, I’ve helped stroke victims to walk again and trained a number of renowned professional athletes through recovery and to perform at their optimum. My team and I are on a mission to keep alive the original works of Joseph Pilates so you can feel the difference in the way it was originally taught and what it was taught on. It is a completely different experience and if you haven’t tried it you must.

Our Exhale Education teacher training programmes are educating people in understanding and experiencing what true Pilates is, (as opposed to the watered-down trends seen in the ever-growing fitness market!)

Exhales Pilates — *In the last year, the Exhale Pilates brand has grown from strength to strength, this includes welcoming two new boutique studios in Primrose Hill and North Finchley*

Pilates has been around for decades but is recently gaining popularity. What makes it different?

Pilates has been around for decades, originally created by a man who was a professional boxer and gymnast called Joseph Pilates which a lot of people don’t know. He opened his first studio in New York in the 1920s and it was in those early years that it attracted dancers, sportsmen and models alike.

I think it has grown in popularity due to social media and household names that many aspire to look like. It’s great for Pilates but it also means that everyone is trying to do it and giving their own interpretation of an incredible discipline that unfortunately has been so watered down to keep up with trends.

This means it has moved far away from what Pilates really is all about, which is focusing on form and control until more advanced movement patterns are introduced or your workout speeds up. I also think lockdown has helped the rise of mat-based Pilates which is also great. We see lots of apprentices that go through our Master Mat course go on to do great things online which is amazing to see.

Pilates is just an incredible full-body workout that a lot of people don’t realise. For many, exercise is about dripping with sweat, pounding the treadmills or muscles aching from fatigue and I cannot stress that this is not the case – and this will certainly bite you in the bum later down the line if this is all you do.

To say Joseph Pilates was ahead of his time, working muscles you didn’t know you had is something not to be ignored. Pilates will fatigue muscles by building strength, stamina and tone all at the same time. The results are long lean and balanced muscle groups which not only provide physical change, but mental strength and change too. We follow the original 34 mat sequence with all the Pilates apparatus that Joseph Pilates created to leave no muscle or joint unturned.

Gaby Noble has transformed stroke victims to walk again and trained a number of renowned professional athletes

Tell us about your favourite activewear?

Most of my workout gear is Sweaty Betty, Lulu lemon and Nike as they all cross over well whether you’re doing Pilates, a gym workout or a sweaty boxing session. I’ve recently been introduced to the Adonola sports bra which surprisingly is very supportive. As someone with big boobs, finding great tops and sports bras is always a struggle.

What does a week of workouts look like for you?

Daily movement is key whether that’s getting my steps in or moving on the mat for 10 minutes. I generally do three full Pilates sessions in the studio a week and one to two weight sessions as it’s extremely important for women to help with bone density especially post 35 years old. I feel a massive difference in my overall wellbeing when I am consistent with both types of workouts. It’s when I feel my strongest and best. If I have time (and the energy) I will do a Boxing session which I love, especially to let off steam.

What does being healthy mean to you?

The meaning of ‘healthy’ has definitely shifted for me over the years. Where it was always about what you ate and what workouts you were doing, healthy to me is getting a balance across all aspects of your life. Things have accelerated at such a speed over the years and it’s become an all-or-nothing approach which becomes a very unhealthy way of doing things. Finding balance in the things you love, that make you feel great, bring out the best in you and make you function at your optimum is my definition of healthy.

Do you follow a specific way of eating?

I generally follow the FOD Map diet as I’ve always suffered a lot with my stomach. Gluten, garlic, onions and fruit with stones are my biggest culprits that really trigger a flare-up, so I tend to keep them out of my diet. I also don’t have much dairy or red meat. As a guide, I never have fruit after a meal or eat salads in the evening but as a whole, I love eating out with friends and trying new restaurants so I don’t try and ‘cut stuff’ out just be more mindful of what I know can trigger me and when.

Tell us about your morning routine?

I get up around 6am and drink a glass of water to hydrate before enjoying a cup of coffee. I then take ten minutes to map out my day. This will include my thoughts, ideas, tasks for me and my team and the things I am grateful for. I then take a moment to remind myself what my strengths are, my why and the things I am grateful for because every day is a different day full of unexpected surprises.

If there are challenges going on I’ve learnt from experience the power behind finding the learnings behind it before it takes hold of my emotion and too much time out of my day. I then tidy my apartment as I cannot leave for the day without the bed being made or the kitchen being spotless for my return home.

Are there any wellness practices you swear by?

For me, it’s reflexology. Reflexology is incredibly powerful and as a Pilates teacher, I appreciate the importance of feet. It’s crazy how so much can be seen and felt through the foundation of our body. Releasing pressure in the feet frees so much throughout the body, with this I also find it fascinating to look to see what’s going on in someone’s movement patterns. Just working on someone’s little toe can release problems in the neck, hip, and back even as far as releasing headaches, and with reflexology using such concentrated deep pressure around the foot can release so much more.

What are some of your favourite wellness brands?

I’ve actually just finished the five-day summer detox with Press and loved it. I was advised never to just juice, especially pure green as it can flare up my sensitive stomach, so the summer detox is a mix of juices, soups, and light meals for the evening. It was easy to do and saved having to think about what to eat during a particularly busy period.

I know when I’m under that amount of pressure it goes to my tummy regardless of how careful I am so to have worked closely with Press to devise the best products for me to help manage my stress was perfect and will definitely do it again. I’ve also just started taking Naked Biotics which is a liquid probiotic and use JS Health Vitality and Collagen in my smoothies.

And favourite wellness books and podcasts?

I don’t read many wellness books except my go-to bible Return to Life, which is all about Joseph Pilates and his work.

I recently finished Mary Portas’ book, Work Like a Woman, which is incredible and empowering. I’m lucky to have her as one of my clients, so we often discuss the difficulties in today’s society of being a strong businesswoman whilst being sensitive at the same time. She believes it’s an incredible tool to have and one that isn’t easily combined but when done well that can be a superpower. Mary’s podcasts are also fab.

The Diary of a CEO by Stephen Bartlett is also one of my other favourite podcasts to listen to and have just started reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle as well as Roxie Fanousi Manifest which is currently by the side of my bed.

How do you find balance in life?

Balance is not really in my vocabulary and one that I need to work on for sure. I’m very high energy and thrive off being busy. Adding important disciplines and tools in the even higher-paced society we live in now is paramount as I know only too well when the wheels come off as I’ve experienced episodes of burnout in my career.

Walking has got to be one of the best mediations for me, being with nature and allowing my body to move at the pace my brain is going helps bring everything back to the present. If my brain is moving too fast, I tend to start to walk fast, then as I process, I slow down the walk and my brain slows down too. I just feel the happiest and calmest when I’m in nature especially when I’m walking with my dog.

Meditation is something I’ve tried quite a few times but find it hard to do on my own and be consistent with. It’s something I’m going to keep working on as know the incredible benefits.

Pilates though gives me all the above and more, one of the reasons I fell in love with it. It helped slow my brain down, keep me present and feel empowered and strong. Doing Pilates has consistently been part of my self-care routine. I also love to hang out with friends, have a glass of wine or watch rubbish TV – these slow the working Gaby down, and are things I personally enjoy doing.