Pilates instructor and wellness founder Bryony Basse balances a nine-month-old baby and running a business with a routine built on meditation, creatine, dark chocolate and, of course, plenty of Pilates.
Basse wakes between 6am and 7am, using an alarm but keeping her phone away from the bed and never snoozing. Her first actions are tongue scraping and brushing her teeth, followed by a warm drink, as she follows Chinese medicine principles and avoids cold drinks. Most mornings she journals, reviewing the previous day and writing down what she is visualising, plus one thing she will do for her mind and one for her body.
Movement and diet
Basse does not fast or follow a restrictive diet. At home she eats “quite monotonously” during the day to reduce decision-making, allowing more flexibility at dinner. She does not believe foods are “off limits” and eats dark chocolate every day.
Her movement is scheduled around her baby and business: four Pilates by Bryony classes each week and two weight-training sessions at the gym. She calls movement her “number-one tool” for managing stress and mental fatigue, noting that getting into her body changes her state quickly when she is “very in my head”. Pilates provides strength, control, mobility and mind-body connection, while gym sessions allow heavier loads.
Recovery and meditation
Basse is a strong believer in rest, enjoying saunas and cold water, though she notes recovery does not require expensive tools. Walking, sleep, gentle movement and proper rest days are the foundations, alongside sea swimming when possible, which she says makes her feel mentally clear.
Since having her daughter, she has become more interested in how her energy and mood change throughout her cycle, recently taking a DUTCH hormone test to explore this. Meditation is a huge part of her life, practised daily, with particular focus on visualisation as a mental rehearsal for nervous moments. She takes five grams of creatine daily for strength and recovery, and is fascinated by research on Blue Zones, noting that many healthy-ageing fundamentals are simple: movement, food, purpose, connection and belonging.
Evening wind-down and beliefs
Basse starts winding down around 10pm, dimming lights, lighting candles and playing a calming playlist. She may have mint tea and read, staying off her phone for 30 to 60 minutes before bed and taking magnesium.
She does not believe transformation comes from reinventing yourself, but from building trust through small promises kept. Most people need one or two small promises, such as 10 minutes of Pilates in pyjamas before work or putting the phone away for the first 20 minutes of the morning. “Consistency builds evidence, and that evidence builds self-belief.”
