Unite Health Presenter Of The Month
We are thrilled to award Mike Fielding as September's Unite Health Presenter Of The Month. Mike has worked as a Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist for over 17 years, as well as completing post training in a variety of courses including Acupuncture, Fascia release, MET's, Manips and Taping. Embarking on his APPI career in 2002, Mike is one of our valued lead presenters. We chat to Mike about his journey with Pilates.
When did you first discover Pilates, and why do you love it?
I first discovered Pilates in 2001 when I did the APPI's 2nd ever course in London. I love Pilates because it allows me as a therapist to treat such a wide variety of clients. For example the other day i had a session with an Olympic swimmer doing performance Pilates followed immediately by a session with a 92 year lady working on balance and falls prevention. Surprise surprise, I did different exercises with these two clients :)How did you get started as a APPI presenter/trainer?
I started with the APPi as an presenter back in early 2002. I was approached by Glenn Withers (the founder) after doing my Matwork exam in late 2001, to come on board.What’s been the proudest moment in your career?
I was extremely proud of myself when I lead my first course after assisting on about 8 courses, as I found speaking in front of my peers very intimidating whilst I was at University. I was proud to be ale to present a course in front of a group of my peers; that was a big deal for me.What is your favourite APPI course to teach at the moment and why?
My Favorite course is the Matwork 1 course - it's the first course I ever taught, and it's the course where you have the opportunity to start other therapists down a very exciting journey and draw them into the world of APPI Pilates. I believe the first course can make the difference between a therapist just doing that course and liking it, or investing in the whole method and loving it.
What is your favourite Pilates exercise and why?
I love shoulder bridge as it's the exercise that can be tweaked to incorporate all of the muscular slings depending on the modification that you choose especially when you introduce small equipment. It can be used for mobilising, core endurance, force closure....the list goes on :)
Winter is over. But Spring can still be chilly. Any advice to share with our readers to help stay motivated health/ fitness wise in the colder months?
Consistency is the key - the more you incorporate the Pilates principles into other exercises the more you get out of them. And the better you feel - that serves as its own motivating factor.
Do you have a favourite quote or idol?
I have always been a massive fan of Michael Johnson the sprinter. He used his core endurance to adopt a very upright running style that meant that as his competition were starting to rock and roll and become less efficient in the home straight , he held his form, destroying his fellow competitors and the world records. The 400m still stands today after 20 years!!
Mike is presents our Matwork Level 1 and Matwork Level 3 courses in Sydney.
You can view the full course schedule here.