Teen Moves: supporting the next generation with functional movement
Kirsten King’s Mission to support teenagers worldwide
When internationally respected Pilates educator Kirsten King, also known as Kee, founder of Fluidform, began working with her eldest daughter after a major surgery, she had no idea the experience would spark a movement program designed to support teenagers everywhere.
“My eldest daughter Charlie underwent an appendectomy when she was 12 years old,” Kee explains. “I worked with her over 12 months to gently reconnect her abdominals post-surgery, bringing them back together through breath work and functional movement.”
What emerged from that year was more than physical rehabilitation - it was a deeper understanding of how profoundly teenagers need movement that is considered, functional, and emotionally supportive.
“Body awareness, core strength and stability is an area I feel deeply connected to and passionate about,” Kee says. “When it comes to guidance and education in this space, resources are limited.”
This gap in education, combined with the realities of teen life today, became the catalyst for Teen Moves with Fluidform - a dedicated tween and teen Pilates program that is supporting teenagers across the globe.
Photography @fluidform
Why Teenagers Need Better Support
According to Kee, growing bodies endure enormous physical and emotional load. Heavy school bags, academic pressure, long hours sitting at desks or hunched over screens, and the social intensity of adolescence all leave their mark, often in ways teens don’t yet recognise.
And while for some, compulsory sport drops off in later high-school years, screen time, online trends, and comparison culture accelerate. The result? A generation navigating posture issues, body image challenges, and movement imbalances without the tools to support themselves.
The statistics speak clearly:
By age 14, 43% of girls who once considered themselves “sporty” disengage from sport* Their reasons include:
Fear of being judged
Lack of confidence
Academic pressure
Not feeling safe outdoors
Kee sees the consequences daily - particularly in young girls seeking aesthetic-based exercise trends online. “Young girls are following YouTube workout videos or taking up running in order to look a certain way,” she says. “Coupled with carrying oversized school bags and playing intense sports, our teens are overusing joints and muscles without any concept of body awareness, core connection and stability.”
The physical implications - hip, lower back and pelvic imbalances - can have long-term consequences. But Kee is equally concerned about the emotional impact: “Not to mention the damage it does to their confidence and sense of self.”
Photography @fluidform
A Mother, a Teacher, and a Movement Advocate
As a mother of three daughters and a teacher to thousands of parents and young people, Kee understands firsthand the complexity teens face today.
“I hope to help navigate positive body awareness in young people through discovering a mind-body connection, teaching the importance of core strength and the power of functional movement,” she says. “I want to teach young people that exercise goes beyond physical benefits- it has the ability to transform the way we breathe, move and live with confidence.”
“Teen Moves was shaped by my studioexperience and home life. I realised young people lacked trustworthy, clear guidance around movement that supported their developing bodies. That’s why I created this hybrid program, dedicated teen classes in studio, paired with a comprehensive online program for home practice- making high-quality, safe instruction accessible to teenagers everywhere,” she explains.
Why Pilates Works for Teens
Joseph Pilates himself understood the importance of early movement education:
““In childhood, habits are easily formed – good and bad. Why not then concentrate on the formation of only good habits and thus avoid the necessity later on in life of attempting to correct bad habits and substituting them for good habits.” ”
“Teen Moves builds those good habits. Pilates offers a safe, functional, and developmentally appropriate way for teens to build strength, awareness, and emotional resilience” said Kee.
Benefits of Pilates for Teens
Foundational strength and balance to prevent pain and injuries
Positive body awareness to support lifelong wellbeing
Improved coordination and physical performance
Stronger muscles and bones
Enhanced flexibility and stability
Postural awareness to counteract technology use
Increased confidence and self-esteem
Reduced stress and tension
Improved focus, energy, and mood
For active teenagers who engage with social or competitive sport, Pilates complements different forms of exercise by strengthening our slow-twitch fibres and local muscle groups. For those feeling overwhelmed by school or social pressures, the practice builds emotional resilience through breath, focus, and mindful movement.
Photography @fluidform
The Fluidform Approach
Kee’s method is rooted in functional strength, mobility, and deep core connection and the Teen Moves program applies these principles specifically to growing bodies.
Classes emphasise:
Postural correction
Abdominal and glute activation
Alignment for heavy school bags
Stability for team sports
A supportive, non-competitive social environment
“Our teenagers are sponges for education and knowledge, building foundations that set them up for adulthood,” Kee says. “By integrating functional movement into their lives from a young age, they are building strong, balanced bodies with healthy emotional wellbeing.”
A Program with Purpose
In a world where teens are bombarded with unqualified fitness trends and aesthetic expectations, Teen Moves offers something rare: movement grounded in science, safety, emotional intelligence, and genuine care.
Kee’s hope is simple - not to change teenagers, but to equip them.
To give them confidence.
To help them understand their bodies.
To teach them that movement is not punishment, but power.
And to set them up, as she says, “to breathe, move and live with confidence.”
* womeninsport.org
Photography @fluidform
Kirsten King is the Founder of Fluidform Pilates. You can find out more about her method via fluidformpilates.com/ or her Fluidform Training program training.fluidformpilates.com/