Shirley Hardy’s motto is simple: eat in moderation and keep your body moving.

It’s advice the 73-year-old yoga and Pilates instructor regularly shares with clients at her Warwick studio.

Years ago she lost a lot of weight in order to fit into a special dress; because the diet wasn’t sustainable, the pounds eventually came back on.

“I wanted to get as thin and trim as I could,” she said. “I worked out like crazy and thought I looked pretty good, but after that you just go right back to your original size.

“If you go on this restrictive diet you end up slipping back to where you were. I don’t eat a lot of food and I don’t weigh 300lb either, I think the key is to enjoy certain foods in moderation.”

The best way to get fit is to find an enjoyable exercise, and stick with it, she believes.

“Your body will tell you if it’s good or not or if it hurts,” she said.

“I don’t expect people to run down the road and go for 50 miles — I don’t even do that. I walk. The trick is to find out what works for you, not your neighbour down the street, and do that.”

Mrs Hardy discovered Pilates by accident. In her younger years she was an avid tennis player; by the time she was in her fifties she was working out regularly at a gym.

“When I was a manager at Trimingham’s I’d take my lunch break a little later in the day, and go to the gym.

“I’d usually do some weightlifting, go on the treadmill or walk on the elliptical machine.

“One day one of the girls wanted to go to lunch late so I took her earlier spot. When I got to the gym there was a class going on and the receptionist asked if I wanted to go to it. I didn’t have a card, but they let me go in anyway. It was a Pilates class.”

Mrs Hardy loved the exercises, and was soon “going back every day”.

Pilates uses controlled, precise movements to stabilise and strengthen the core. It’s said to be a good exercise option for seniors, because it is low-impact, helps improve balance and can increase bone density.

“You don’t even realise you’re moving and working your whole body,” she said. “In the gym, you’re usually working out one part at a time — maybe your arms or legs — but this was different.”

She joined a small group and then on open day, on a whim, signed up for a training course.

“Up until that time I had been working at different places, but I reached a point where I didn’t have a job so I decided to take that time to get my certification.

“When you’re working full-time you can’t spend too many hours in the studio. I’m also married, so I had to choose how I spent my time wisely.

“I finished the qualification ten years ago and have been teaching ever since.”

Pilates isn’t like weightlifting, she stressed.

“I’ve always been pretty active and was certainly never a weakling, but how strong you are has nothing to do with Pilates,” Mrs Hardy said.

“It’s about how connected you are with your mind and body. Your thinking changes completely once you start doing Pilates.

“I became aware of what was happening in my body when I walked or while I was sitting in the car. I could feel my limbs moving or if my spine wasn’t properly aligned. My breathing changed and I started listening to what my body was telling me.”

She teaches yoga to students at Warwick Academy for part of the year but most of her clients are senior citizens.

“A lot of clients come with some problem or another. As we get older it happens, but it shouldn’t stop us from doing things,” Mrs Hardy said.

“I have Pilates equipment here at the studio and people sit down on it and say I can’t do this or that, but you don’t know until you try. If they have a hip problem I’ll show them how they can still work out their arms and legs. You figure out what you can do and start from there.”

For more information contact South Shore Studio on 705-0845 or delmere_1@yahoo.com.