This article came in a roundabout way, with a trip to a community charity fair with a friend, and some mini muffins. The cake stand volunteer, super-charged with enthusiasm for the venture, offered package deals on cookies and small bakes whilst simultaneously trying to auction a colossal meringue-y confection to the highest bidder. It was all for a good cause, so we each chose something sweet, and my friend mentioned in conversation that I teach Pilates in Essex. The stallholder said, as she packaged the goodies, ‘Well, those ladies do like their Pilates out there, I suppose. For me, all I do is just eat healthy and do lots of walking. But those ladies out there, they really do like that sort of thing.’