Despite once having a career that took her around the world, Jessica Winstanley has been at her happiest since she opened The Lifestyle Institute – one of London’s premiere Power Plate studios. And what with detox, diet and shaping up on everyone’s mind, Wahanda decided it was high time to quiz her on why Power Plates should be everyone’s answer to a fitter figure.
What did you do before you set up The Lifestyle Institute?
I worked in event production, mostly concerts and sporting events. I worked for a company in Frankfurt and lived in New York at the time – a lot of travelling which I loved!
So what was it that attracted you to Power Plates and in turn a career in that area?
A few things – my diminished lower back pain after my first month of training, wonderful changes in my physical shape, and increased strength – all in a relatively short period of time. After I started training on the Plate, I would look at a gym and simply see inefficient use of time and effort.
Initially they were described as another faddy fitness craze or the lazy way to exercise, but they’ve continued to increase in popularity and credibility, why do you think that is?
Quite simply, results from users and media coverage of these results! I hope that the ‘lazy way to exercise’ belief goes out the door – my partner was the World number one squash player for years, in peak physical performance, but he found Power Plate training to be his most difficult and rewarding off-court form of exercise. Men though, in general, have not yet embraced even trying Power Plate – I find this disappointing as it is such an efficient way to build strength, without blowing out your back with heavy weights.
How would you compare the male / female ratio of the classes, is it more women-orientated?
Yes – my studio is about 85% women. I really enjoy training and chatting with my female clients, but sincerely hope that men will start accepting this form of training. Many top football clubs, including Manchester United, are now using the Power Plate as main forms of training, so I hope that fans follow suit! Many professional golfers actually travel with their own Power Plate to each event!
For those who aren’t yet convinced, what kind of workout can you get from a Power plate 
session?
It completely depends on what you want to focus on – whether you want to have a big sweat or stay dry. If a client is in fairly good shape and they are prepared to work as hard as possible, I like to take them through a mix of strength and cardiovascular work, moving quickly between postures to minimise rest periods and maximise strength output. We will use every major muscle group, with a strong focus on core strength. After a client is familiar with several different postures, I like to set the Plate to 5 minutes and work through each set with 30 second breaks in between, for 20 minutes, followed by a stretch. I challenge any gym buff to give it a try – I doubt they would be disappointed!
What other types of class can you integrate with power plates?
TLI has several different classes other than your classic full body training including boxing, cardiovascular, circuits, glutes & abs, upper body strength and stretch & core. We are also introducing Yoga in a few weeks.
So what do you think is next in the world of Power Plates?
R&D at Power Plate has been busy – they are introducing some fantastic new additions to the machine which will increase its usage. The concept of acceleration training will always stay the same though – the vibrating platform will only be enhanced, not changed.
What about the Lifestyle Institute, any big plans for 2009?
Well, we were planning on expansion prior to this economic nosedive! We plan on taking it easy in regards to growth, I suppose we’re a bit boring on the ‘play it safe’ side of things! My ultimate goal for TLI would be to team up with a health care provider, making our services available to a wider range of clients.
And how about you, any New Year’s Resolutions?
I’m not a big resolution kind of girl – I’m pretty satisfied with the big picture. Except for wanting to see more of Great Britain, get back into cooking, starting a poker night, finishing business books, buying a dog, wine tasting, ok…. there are some, I guess I’ll start working on them!!!
Book a 2-for-1 Power Plate session at The Lifestyle Institute for just £20, read more about Power Plate sessions at The Lifestyle Institute, and don’t forget you can spend your Wahanda voucher there too!
Next week, we’ll by trying out Power Plates for ourselves at the top three locations in London so don’t forget to check back to see how we got on!
At Wahanda we’re always one spa step ahead when it comes to new treatments – we brought you the Geisha facial, four hands massage and now this: no-hands massage! Imagine a massage treatment that is both deeply profound and wonderfully relaxing without the use of hands. Yes, you heard us – get pampered or learn to pamper someone else with a massage which solely uses the feet as therapeutic tools.
So now that you can literally ‘enjoy feet’ like never before, let us explain how it works. Clients are treated on a padded mat on the floor, and the massage is given seated, using a series of carefully placed chairs, which allow access to the client whilst providing support so that the therapist is not put under strain. One advantage of the technique is that it allows a fuller deep tissue massage as the central position on a chair over the body allows the therapist to make a direct comparison of the muscles either side of the body and these muscles can be worked on simultaneously. If you’re a bit sceptical of this sudden feet friendliness, worry not! The massage therapy has been so successful that Sue’s company, Enjoyfeet, give workshops and have also produced a DVD which teaches all you need to know about the unique no-hands technique for giving a full body massage, including back, buttocks, legs, feet, neck, chest, abdomen, arm and hand massage. Find out more on how you can put your tootsies to the test at www.enjoyfeet.co.uk.
