Helen makes friends on the fitness mat
A WOMAN settling into a new life in Doncaster has found the best way to get to know the locals is to get them fit.
Qualified fitness instructor Helen Durdy reckons her regular Pilates classes in Tickhill and Bawtry are a great way of meeting people after moving from Leeds.
The 29-year-old, who married into a well-known Tickhill farming family, is a busy young woman as she is running beginners, intermediate and pre and post natal classes in the Parish Room, Tithes Lane Pavilion and at Tickhill Cricket Club as well as at Bawtry Hall Conference Centre.
Pilates is a form of exercise that targets deep core muscles building strength from the inside out which helps people become more toned and relieves tension and stress.
It works for men and women of all ages helping first time exercisers, recovering athletes and seasoned keep fit enthusiasts looking to enhance their performance.
Oxford-born Helen moved to live in Tickhill last July with husband James Durdy, whose family farms in Tickhill.
Helen and James met at Reading University where she gained a BA Honours in English and also studied to complete a number of health and fitness qualifications.
She said: "I made the leap to set up my own small business and I'm finding it very fulfilling establishing classes and a client base around the Tickhill area.
"It is also a great way to integrate into the community after moving from Leeds. I currently have 10 of my own community classes and also instruct Pilates in some local gyms."
Helen qualified as a personal trainer with the National Academy of Sports Medicine lin 2004 and she worked for David Lloyd Leisure in their flagship club in Leeds.
She was also the club's studio coordinator and as part of this role she was instructing a number of classes including aerobics, step, body conditioning, circuits and cycling.
And it was then that she noticed there was increasing demand for Pilates classes as it became more and more popular.
Helen added: "Pilates was something that had always interested me and I regularly attended classes that I very much enjoyed so it seemed like a natural progression to qualify as an instructor.
"Since then I have never looked back and have now focused my career further towards Pilates and have also studied to be able to teach pre and post-natal Pilates."
For further details about Helen's classes contacted her by email on helendurdy@googlemail.com or by telephone on 07973 384131.
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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