Bailey Brown might have 164k+ followers on Instagram and nearly 600k on YouTube, but she is far from just an influencer. The nutritionist, Pilates instructor, fashion designer, and now app creator is changing the “why” in why we do Pilates. Her Align app features a variety of programs including one to align your workouts with your cycle. If you’re trying to balance your hormones with planks, there couldn’t be a better way to accomplish this. 

I recently spoke with Brown to learn about how Pilates can change your life, the importance of understanding your hormones, her activewear line, and so much more.

How does Pilates benefit the body?

Pilates is probably one of the best workouts there is. It’s low impact and helps to strengthen your entire body. If you’ve done a Pilates class, you know the burn is real and you’re sore in muscles you didn’t know existed. It also really focuses on posture and alignment. Because it’s gentle on the body and incorporates a lot of mindfulness, it’s also supportive of our hormones as women. 

What initially drew you to Pilates?

I think that I’ve tried every type of workout out there and the one I always come back to is Pilates. Over the past few years, I’ve really overhauled my mindset around working out. I used to think a workout didn’t count if I wasn’t dripping in sweat. 

Now, what I want from a workout has changed so much. I want to feel energized, not beat up. I want to feel more connected to my body and like I’ve done something that makes me feel good. Pilates is great for that.

How did you end up becoming a Pilates instructor?

I was going to Pilates classes almost every day after school when I was in university and fell in love with it. I knew I wanted to travel when I graduated, so over the summer break I completed a Pilates instructor certification and started teaching.

When I was teaching in Sydney, Australia, my boyfriend came to one of my classes and couldn’t believe how passionate I was when teaching my class. He urged me to start filming these and posting them on YouTube. We went and bought all the equipment and started my YouTube channel that weekend. As it grew, people started asking for longer classes and this led me to create my app, Align. 

Tell me about the Align app.

Align is my app where I share my Pilates workouts and it is everything I wish existed when I started my own fitness journey. There are different styles of Pilates workouts including low-impact cardio, strength, reformer, and restorative classes. 

One unique feature of the app is aligning Pilates with your cycle. How does that work?

It gives you specific steps that correspond to the hormone levels in each phase of your cycle, as well as nutrition guidance and recipes. There’s a huge emphasis on mindfulness and working out from a place of love for our bodies. It’s about celebrating what they can do and being kind to ourselves while working towards our goals. 

Should we be exercising during our periods—because many of us like to take a break during this time? 

Movement is great in every phase of your cycle but the type and intensity will be different. During the menstrual phase, your hormone levels are at their lowest and we tend to have less energy. The best thing we can do during our period its best to stick to restorative movement like walking, yoga, stretching, and mat Pilates. It turns out that intense workouts during our period are counterproductive and can raise our cortisol. It’s better to give yourself permission to slow down, rest more, and practice self-care. 

So many fitness and nutrition programs are created for men’s bodies and hormone cycles. Men have a 24-hour hormone cycle, meaning they feel pretty much the same every day. Men can handle an intense workout routine lifting heavier, running faster each day, and see great results. It’s not the case for women. 

Our cycle is around 28 days. Our hormone levels fluctuate throughout this cycle, creating four phases. In each phase of our cycle, our body requires different foods and workouts to ensure we’re supporting our hormones and able to get the best results from our wellness efforts.

You can start the program on any day of your cycle and know you’re doing the perfect workout for your hormone levels on that particular day of your cycle.

What are the essentials for practicing Pilates at home?

All you really need is a good quality, thick, non-slip Pilates mat. This will help you feel more comfortable and supported for mat workouts. The mat I use is my own brand, Align Body. I also love to add Bala ankle/wrist weights. A good setup with AirPods and your phone or laptop and a mirror nearby so you can check your form would be ideal too. 

What’s the difference between mat and reformer pilates? 

Mat Pilates is the foundation of Pilates and will teach you proper form and alignment, how to breathe to engage your core and flow through movement, as well as how to create the mind-body connection. 

Reformer Pilates is done on a reformer machine and is a great way to increase the resistance and challenge your muscles differently, once you’ve learned some basic form and technique in mat classes. You can also replicate pretty much any reformer exercises in home workouts using socks or sliding discs. I have lots of reformer-style workouts in my app and they’re super popular because of how effective and fun they are.

Tell me about your activewear line.

We just launched our new activewear range, Align Body. The sets we created are a dream! We just had a couple of pop-up events to launch them and the sets looked so gorgeous on everyone. Everyone was in love with the fabrics and how soft and buttery they feel yet supportive and flattering.

I wanted to create something that I wanted to wear every day, whether I was actually doing Pilates or just going to brunch and running errands after, and they’re perfect. All the girls who work in our office and I basically wear the sets every day, so that makes me feel like we achieved what we wanted. Something that you put on and instantly feel cute and comfy. I’m so excited about all the new items we have coming this year!

Images courtesy of Align