Narelle

Narelle came to Pilates more than a decade ago quite accidentally and, as it turns out, never really left. What began as curiosity quickly turned into teaching, and these days she spends a good portion of her time introducing people to muscles they didn’t realise existed.

As the owner of Reformer Pilates Heathmont, Narelle has created a studio that is welcoming, down-to-earth and refreshingly free of fitness intimidation. You don’t need to arrive wearing expensive activewear or already able to touch your toes. You just need to turn up.

Alongside Pilates, Narelle is also a qualified naturopath and runs her clinic from the studio. This means conversations about sleep, stress, hormones and the strange ways the human body behaves are never far away.

Her classes are practical, a little challenging and often accompanied by an 80s or 90s playlist. Participants can expect calves, triceps, glutes and at least one moment where the core exercises prompt a few dramatic sighs or muttered complaints. This is generally taken as a sign that things are working as intended.

Narelle enjoys working with people who simply want their bodies to behave themselves a bit better — whether that means fewer mysterious aches, stronger legs or glutes that remember they exist.

For Narelle, the studio is more than a place to exercise. It’s a place where people can turn up as they are, get on a reformer, have a laugh, discover their glutes again, and leave feeling like their body has done something useful for the day.

And occasionally complain about the calves.