APD Pilates, Northamptonshire (2026)

Hi I am Lexi I am a South Northamptonshire based Level 3 Pilates Instructor specialised in Pre & Postnatal & common orthopedics with over 9+ years of experience.

05/09/2026

Living with AS can sometimes feel like a catch-22. 🤍

You know movement is important for maintaining mobility, strength and function, but when you’re sore, stiff or having a flare, exercise can feel like the last thing you want to do. And sometimes, doing too much or pushing too hard can leave you feeling much worse.

That’s where finding the right balance comes in.

As someone living with AS myself, and as a Pilates instructor, I know how important it is to find ways to move that work for your body, your symptoms and where you are on that day.

It’s not about pushing through pain or avoiding movement altogether. It’s about learning how to move in a way that supports you.

So, here are some of my top Dos & Don’ts for exercising with AS on the Reformer, especially if you’re navigating a group class and aren’t offered enough modifications.

THINK:
Light → controlled → comfortable

DON’T:
Force → overload → push through pain → feel obliged as everyone else is doing it!

Move well. Move regularly. Modify when needed 🤍

Save this for your next session and share it with someone living with AS

04/09/2026

🎒✨ BACK TO SCHOOL & READY TO ROLL! ✨
After the holidays, Alexis Prince-Donoghue is BACK in Blakesley! 🧘‍♀️

PAYG Village Mat Pilates starts NEXT WEEK with two chances to join me:

🕛 Wednesdays 12pm
🌙 Thursdays 7.30pm

All levels welcome with plenty of modifications, options & progressions available to support different abilities, mobility and experience.

🩰 BARRE IS FINALLY COMING BACK!

We’ll be bringing Barre back in a few weeks start date TBC.

Fancy giving it a go? DM me to register your interest and I’ll keep you posted!

And when Barre returns…

🔥 THURSDAY DOUBLE UP! 🔥
Barre + Mat Pilates on a Thursday and get your second class for just £5!

🤍 1-2-1 REFORMER
And let’s not forget my 1-2-1 Reformer sessions at my home studio in Blakesley.
Group classes can be brilliant, but sometimes you need more individual attention, whether you’re returning from injury, managing a common musculoskeletal condition, postnatal, or simply want a programme built specifically around you.

Think personal training with a focus on strength, conditioning, mobility and movement coaching, all tailored to your goals and needs.

No trying to keep up at the back of the class.
No one-size-fits-all approach.
Just focused time, individual coaching and a session designed for YOU. 💪🏼

📍 Home studio, The Lambfold, Blakesley

Want to know more? DM me to chat or book

24/08/2026

Back in the studio after the summer break 💪✨ Warming up ahead of my evening sessions with some core strengthening, resistance and a focus on control.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it find it hard to get back into the swing of things after a break… but here we go! And honestly, I couldn’t be happier to be back. 🤍

A supine series using the loop around the thighs and feet to add resistance to the lower body. Around the thighs, it challenges the hip abductors and glutes. Around the feet, it adds resistance to the leg movements, demanding greater control while maintaining pelvic stability and a supported lumbar spine.

Meanwhile, the arms are working in straps against medium-to-strong spring resistance, adding an upper-body challenge while the core works to stabilise the trunk.

A great combination of strength, stability, alignment and control🔥

Looking for 1-2-1 reformer tailored to you? DM to get started

03/06/2026

I’m not going to sugar coat it some days are rough!
Today isn’t the greatest!

As a Pilates instructor, people think this means I’m always flexible and pain-free... often assume movement comes easily, especially when they see me perform advance exercises.

The truth is when you are living with AS that on flare days, even the simplest movements can feel challenging and it’s a constant balancing act between moving enough to ease the stiffness, but not so much that I aggravate the pain more.

Today my Pilates practice looks different. Slower. Gentler. More focused on breath work and mobility than performance.

Frustrating for someone who is historically so active BUT that’s the beauty of movement, it can adapt to what your body needs!

Navigating a flare, what symptom is hardest for you: pain, stiffness, fatigue, or something else? 🤍

InvisibleIllness

28/05/2026

I absolutely adore 💓 my 1-2-1 clients 😂 Every session is full of little gems like this. Too good not to share!

😉

19/05/2026

Women get misdiagnosed ALL the time And Ankylosing Spondylitis is a perfect example.

Many of you asked about my diagnosis after my recent reel so I wanted to break it down properly and share a bit more context.

Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) is a form of inflammatory arthritis that mainly affects the spine and sacroiliac joints. It can cause pain, stiffness (often worse in the morning), fatigue, and flare-ups that come and go.

But here’s what makes it tricky:
It doesn’t always show clearly on early scans.
It can mimic mechanical back pain and in women especially, it’s often overlooked or misattributed for years.

In my own journey, I was even told to “just strengthen my core” which felt particularly frustrating as a Pilates instructor… my core strength has never been an issue!
What started as SI joint pain escalated during periods of intense stress and uncertainty, until I eventually reached a point where I could barely move. Blood tests finally confirmed what had been missed for so long.

Now I’m in a very different phase learning, adjusting, and rebuilding trust with my body.

Going forward, I want to use this space to:
✨ Demystify what AS actually is (beyond the textbook definition)
✨ Share what flare-ups can look like in real life
✨ Talk honestly about stress, inflammation, and lived experience
✨ Offer gentle movement & exercise ideas that support (not punish) the body
✨ And most importantly create a sense of support for anyone navigating this too

If you’ve been told “everything looks normal” but you KNOW something isn’t right — you’re not alone in that experience.

More to come 🤍 Please feel free to share and follow my journey!

Address

Northamptonshire

Website

http://www.apdpilates.com/

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