FUN IN THE SUN!

5 OUTDOOR WORKOUTS THAT WILL STRENGTHEN YOUR PILATES

pilatesstyle ®
pilatesstyle.com

10AY0S N EW SCIENC
E:

WTO IMPROVE E
HOW SOCIAL
MEDIA CAN
HELP YOU LOSE
WEIGHT
IC
YOUR PRACT
ALL YOU NEED ARE
TH REE RU LE S 13 E A S Y
WAYS LEAN
TO SPRING-ACCE
BE
COULD YOUR BODGY? YOUR SP
SS STRESS!
COMPENSATIN BONUS BENEFIT: LE

HOW TO
DETECT AN D THE SIMPLE THING
YOU CAN DO TO
CORRECT
THOSE LIVE
LONGER
L
DETRIM ENTSA
PATTERN (SEE PAGE 28)
( R E A D: N O M O R E
INJURIES!)
 Table of Contents
FEATURES IN EVERY ISSUE
44 100 Ways to 8 Editor’s Note
Improve Your Fine-tune your foundation.
Pilates
Three simple rules will 10 Contributors
take your practice into See the people behind this issue’s workouts.
unchartered territory.
12 Stay Connected
50 Spot On The latest in our digital community.
Teachers, the tactile
cues that will unlock 14 Bulletin Board
movement potential— Should you do Pilates with a belly piercing?; The new
and make a big Pilates non-profit you need to know about; Pilates in
difference in your the Netherlands
clients’ matwork.
96 Last Lessons
56 Properly
Connected
Get inspired!
76
Enlisting the right
DEPARTMENTS
props can help
integrate your 50 16 Q&A
entire body for Why you feel the “burn”; An exercise you can do
better performance anywhere—while anyone’s watching; The latest plant-
in the studio and based milk; Benefits of moringa; For the pros: Should
everywhere else. clients be in charge of spring setup?

62 How to Break 23 Teasers

the Habit The latest Pilates trends, products, research and
The Reformer news, delivered.
exercises that will
help you detect—and 36 Eat Smart
correct—your body’s Losing weight has its benefits, but if you’re not careful
imbalances. it can come with a hefty price tag: your health.

70 How to Spring- 40 Success Story

Clean Your After a childhood of agony, it took just three

BENJAMIN AND MANDY PHOTOS BY ROD FOSTER; COMPLEMENTS PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE ISAAC
Space—and Mind Pilates sessions for one reader with rickets to find
Clearing out the clutter some relief. She eventually found a new career as
doesn’t just translate to a method teacher, too.
a tidy place. Find out
why it’s the ultimate 74 Get Cooking
stress-reliever. These veggie-spaghetti spins on classic comfort food
are totally twirl-worthy.

ON THE COVER On Sandy Shimoda: Bra by Hollie Watman, 76 Complements

bottoms by Noli Yoga. Photographed by Al Mida. Hair by Annie Cavanagh,
Take your workout outdoors with five activities that
makeup by Autumn Abrams.
will enhance your work inside the studio.

80 Pro Zone

62 Studio-less? Don’t miss these ingenious “hacks” for

teaching without a designated space.

84 Powerhouse
Romana Kryzanowska protegée and physical
therapist Lori Coleman-Brown shares her secret for
communicating the method to just about anyone.

88 Moves of the Month

For going through infertility treatment.

Pilates Style Vol. 15, No. 2 (ISSN 1549-6937) is a trademark of and is published bimonthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec) by McAby Media LLC, 12829 Trinity Street, Stafford, TX 77477. Subscriptions $34.94 per year
(6 issues), Canada (price includes GST) $44.94 – U.S. funds only. Foreign prices available upon request. Please visit our web site, www.pilatesstyle.com, for additional details on pricing and options. Single copies $4.95 plus $3.00 postage and
handling, the Annual Resource Guide (Jan/Feb) single copy price is $9.99 plus $3.00 postage and handling. Visa, MasterCard and Discover accepted. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER:
send address changes to Pilates Style, P.O. Box 334 Stafford, TX 77497. No material in this issue may be reprinted without written permission of the publisher. Entire contents copyright 2012 by McAby Media, LLC. All rights reserved. McAby
Media, LLC assumes no responsibility for the advertisements, nor any representation made herein, nor the quality or deliverability of the products themselves. Opinions of contributing authors do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
Articles and photographs are welcome, but cannot be considered unless exclusive publishing rights are given, affording the publisher full ownership of content. Publisher assumes no responsibility for accuracy of unsolicited manuscripts and
any material accepted is subject to possible revision at the discretion of the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A.

4 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 A-5100Y ™/® Trademark or registered trademark of Merrithew Corporation, used under license. All rights reserved.

Discover the key to connectivity.

Fascial health is a crucial element in maintaining overall physical function, yet fascia is one of the least
understood tissues of the body. The new Merrithew™ Fascial Movement Foundation Course explores the very latest in
cutting-edge research on fascial anatomy and physiology, as well as practical applications for a wide range of fitness
modalities, including Pilates, yoga, dance, barre, athletic conditioning, sports performance and rehabilitation.
Find out more at merrithew.com/fascia
 editorial first-generation teachers
BAMBI ABERNATHY MARY BOWEN
Editor in Chief Killingworth, CT; Northampton, MA
JAY GRIMES
AMANDA ALTMAN Los Angeles, CA
Managing Editor
LOLITA SAN MIGUEL
ANNE MARIE O’CONNOR Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Executive Editor
advisory board
BRENT D. ANDERSON, PhD, PT, OCS
art/photography Physiotherapist, Founder/Director,
Polestar Pilates, Miami, FL
RICK MCMILLEN
Senior Creative Director JOAN BREIBART
Founder, PhysicalMind Institute,
NICHOLAS NGUYEN New York, NY
Creative Director KATHY COREY
Owner and Director, Kathy Corey
RIMA JEAN Pilates, Del Mar, CA
Webmaster
SUZANNE GUTTERSON
ROD FOSTER Owner/Director/Teacher, Suzanne
AL MIDA Gutterson Pilates Body Conditioning,
Contributing Photographers Albuquerque, NM
JILLIAN HESSEL
advertising Author of Pilates Basics,
West Hollywood, CA
MATTHEW ABERNATHY DAWN-MARIE ICKES, MPT
Executive Advertising Director Evolve Integrative Wellness,
832-768-7999 Orange County, CA
matthew@mcabymedia.com
RAEL ISACOWITZ
Founder/Director, BASI Pilates™,
executive Costa Mesa, CA
MOIRA MERRITHEW
BAMBI ABERNATHY Executive Director of Education,
President/Publisher MERRITHEW™, Toronto, Canada;
Premier brand STOTT PILATES®
SIR MCMILLEN
Vice President FRAN MICHELMAN
Board Member, PILATESfoundation
UK Ltd., London, England
staff
CHRISTIANE NORTHRUP, MD
MARNA MCMILLEN Holistic OB/GYN, Best-selling Author,
Accounting Manager Lecturer, Yarmouth, ME

KYRIA SABIN WAUGAMAN

Pilates Style is published by
Director, Fletcher Pilates®, International
McAby Media, LLC Director, Body Works Pilates,
12829 Trinity Street Tucson, AZ
Stafford, Texas 77477
832-886-1120 RISA SHEPPARD
www.pilatesstyle.com
Creator of the Sheppard Method
Pilates, Los Angeles, CA
MARI WINSOR
Owner/Director, Winsor Pilates,
Los Angeles, CA

Not all fitness exercises featured in Pilates Style are suitable for everyone, and these or any other exercise program may result in injury. To reduce
the risk of injury in your case, consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program. You should be in good physical condition and be able
to participate in the exercises. The instructions and advice presented are in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. If you engage
in any exercise or exercise program featured therein, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities,
and assume all risk of injury to yourself. McAby Media, LLC disclaims any liabilities or loss in connection with the exercises and advice herein.

All advertising is subject to approval before acceptance. McAby Media, LLC reserves the right to refuse any ad for any reason whatsoever. Actual
publication does not constitute any agreement for continued publication in any form. Advertisers warrantand represent that the description
of the products or services advertised are true in all respects, and McAby Media, LLC assumes no responsibility for the content of the adver-
tising, promises made, or the quality/reliability of the products or services offered in such advertisements. Information provided by advertisers
is provided on an “as is” basis without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of
merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. McAby Media, LLC expressly disclaims any and all liabilities for any and all direct, indirect
and consequential loss or damage, including but not limited to loss or damage to property or for loss of profit, business, revenue, goodwill or
anticipated savings resulting or arising from the information contained in the advertisements appearing herein.

6 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

PILATES BARRE YOGA DANCE
#SPREADYOURTOES | W W W. TO E S O X . C O M
 Editor’s Letter
Build a
better you
WRITING THIS LET TER about building a solid 56, Karen Ellis brings “Success Story” teller
IS HARDER THAN IT foundation for your forth some simple (yet on page 40, a shout-
S E E M S . In introducing practice. It’s spring, often-overlooked) out. Her unbelievable
each issue to you, I after all, and what better props that help integrate mental and physical
always try to be genuine season to revisit those and connect the body, strength throughout her
and speak from the ever-important basics? which is more than lifelong battle with a rare
heart, but somehow In our cover story on necessary for progress. form of rickets pretty
not come across as page 44, Sandy Shimoda One of the most much floored me. I was
too corny (cringe!). But shares her three “Golden essential aspects for astounded to read what
that’s the challenge: Rules” for achieving your building that solid Pilates did for her body
Whenever I start best-ever Hundred— frame is having body in just a few sessions that
thinking or talking about one of the method’s awareness. In “How years of physical therapy
Pilates, I can’t help but foundational exercises— to Break the Habit” on and surgery couldn’t do.
get all sappy and start and the cool thing is page 62, Mandy Wright She just knew viscerally—
gushing (cringe!). It’s that those rules apply to is on a mission to help and right away—that
just that the method every other exercise in you find and correct any Pilates was her answer.
is so much more than the repertoire. compensations your Corny as it is, I’m
HAVE YOU exercise… Here I go Teachers, looking body might be making; sure you feel the exact
SIGNED UP FOR again. But I’m hoping for some extra tools a balanced (and pain- same way.
THE WEEKLY that if you picked up to help your students free) body that can help
SCOOP YET? this magazine, there’s a grow? In “Spot On” you live your best life S E E YA O N T H E M AT,
Stay connected to us—
good chance you feel on page 50, Benjamin is the ultimate goal we
and our community—in
the same way. Degenhardt shows you aspire to.
between issues with
The underlying theme how to make the most Speaking of living
our new biweekly
of this issue might be of your tactile cueing life to the fullest, I feel
newsletter. Sign up for
the most important during the matwork. A compelled to give B A M B I A B E R N AT H Y
free at pilatesstyle.com.
thing in Pilates: It’s few pages later, on page Heather Crosby, our E D I T O R- I N - C H I E F

Happy March MATness!

JOIN ME THIS MONTH
IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA
M OV E M E N T C R E AT E D
BY B E N J A M I N
D E G E N H A R D T (who’s
pictured with me
at left). Share your
photos and videos on
Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter, etc., with
#marchmatness2018.
And don’t forget to
check out Pilates Style’s
Facebook (/PilatesStyle)
and Instagram
PHOTOS BY ROD FOSTER

(@pilatesstylemag)
pages for March
MATness fun from our
friends and contributors.
For more info—and to
find out the exercise
of the day—visit
marchmatness.com.

8 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 G R A D U AT E T O G R AT Z
Fo r m o r e in fo r m a tion, please call or em ail our sales r epr esentati ve at
2 1 5 .7 3 9 .7 3 7 3 / s a le s @ grat zindust ries.com

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 Contributors
The People Behind the Workouts

SANDY SHIMODA

W R O T E : “100 Ways to Improve Your H O W I D E F I N E P I L AT E S : It’s corrective

Practice” on page 44 exercise that conditions a body to move
with vitality, skill and ease.
P I L AT E S T R A I N I N G B A C KG R O U N D :
My training is in classical Pilates. I F I H AV E F I V E M I N U T E S T O M OV E ,

The larger,
FIRST THING I NOTICE ABOUT A
N E W C L I E N T: the way they walk, hold
their body and communicate.
I ’ L L D O : Backbends on the Ladder
Barrel make me smile every time I
do them!

versatile P I L AT E S W O R D S I L I V E BY: I love the

motto of [my studio] Vintage Pilates,
“We don’t change the work, the work

Pilates ball
changes us.”

APPAR ATUS/PROP MORE PEOPLE

SHOULD BE USING : the Foot Corrector.

FAVO R I T E E X E R C I S E F O R “ T E X T
N E C K ”: Arm Series on the Spine
The new Soft Movement Ball Corrector.
features a unique size that allows
you to perform a wide variety
of Pilates movements. Its 12”
BENJAMIN DEGENHARDT
diameter is perfect for those who

find a 9” ball too challenging,
and allows for endless moves
that increase core strength,
flexibility, and balance.
Learn more about
this and other
Pilates products
at OPTP.com.
W R O T E : “Spot On” on page 50
P I L AT E S T R A I N I N G B A C KG R O U N D :
I completed teacher trainings with the
Kane School and Halfmoon Pilates,
became a teacher trainer for Equinox
and am PMA-certified.
FIRST THING I NOTICE ABOUT A
N E W C L I E N T: their readiness to enroll
in the practice and willingness to
work hard.
P I L AT E S W O R D S I L I V E BY: Recently,
this Joseph Pilates quote from 1963
has inspired my practice and teaching:
“You have to learn how to tense your
muscles if you want to really know
how to relax.”
SANDY PHOTO BY AL MIDA; BENJAMIN, KAREN AND MANDY PHOTOS BY ROD FOSTER
anyone who wouldn’t benefit from
using the Neck Stretcher (or Head
Harness) in their practice!
FAVO R I T E E X E R C I S E F O R “ T E X T
N E C K ”: If the Neck Stretcher isn’t
available, the seated portion of Neck
Pull (see it on page 53) always does
wonders for the neck and upper back.
H O W I D E F I N E P I L AT E S : A thorough
movement and fitness discipline
developed by physical culture pioneer
Joseph Pilates.
I F I H AV E F I V E M I N U T E S T O M OV E ,
I ’ L L D O : The first five exercises on the
mat, a brisk walk, and/or a quick little
office dance.

800.367.7393 | OPTP.COM A P PA R AT U S/ P R O P M O R E P E O P L E
S H O U L D B E U S I N G : I can’t think of

10 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

KAREN ELLIS
W R O T E : “Properly
Connected” on page 56
P I L AT E S T R A I N I N G
B A C KG R O U N D :
Constantly evolving and
strongly influenced by Joe
Pilates’ original work, with a
rich past of contemporary
and classical—but the
bodies in front of me are
the best training!
FIRST THING I NOTICE
A B O U T A N E W C L I E N T: I’d
have to say their energy.
P I L AT E S W O R D S I L I V E
BY: “Civilization impairs
physical fitness” is one of
my favorites!
MANDY WRIGHT
W R O T E : “How to Break the
Habit” on page 62
P I L AT E S T R A I N I N G
B A C KG R O U N D : BASI
Pilates certificate (and I’m
now BASI faculty).
FIRST THING I NOTICE
A B O U T A N E W C L I E N T:
how they walk into the
studio, how they stand when
they are naturally chatting to
me about what their goals are.
P I L AT E S W O R D S YO U L I V E
BY: Balance in body, mind
and spirit. It is elusive, but
we work toward it, and that’s
where we find peace and
FAVO R I T E E X E R C I S E
F O R “ T E X T N E C K ”: Hug a
Tree done very well, while
focusing on the opening
of the arms (scapular
movement).
H O W I D E F I N E P I L AT E S :
Movement that encourages
integration of all body parts
including—and especially—
the mind.
Cool mesh Full coverage Stylish studio
I F I H AV E F I V E M I N U T E S uppers sole grips to street designs
T O M OV E , I ’ L L D O : The
Hundred somewhere, then
legs, either on the Chair or Cool mesh Full coverage Stylish studio
uppers sole grips
Cadillac, Swan, Saw and Discover how SHASHI can improvetothe
street designs
look and
Chest Expansion.
feel of any floor-based activity or sport from
barre to Pilates, yoga, indoor cycling or golf.
Discover how SHASHI can improve the look and
feel of any floor-based activity or sport from
barre to Pilates, yoga, indoor cycling or golf.
www.shashionline.com
happiness. As Joseph Pilates
wrote: “Not too much, not www.shashionline.com
too little.” @Shashi_USA
FAVO R I T E E X E R C I S E F O R
“ T E X T N E C K ”: Arm Circles
on the foam roller. @Shashi_USA
Shashi Socks
H O W I D E F I N E P I L AT E S :
Pilates is a practice that helps
us live a better quality of life Shashi #shashisocks
@shashi_usa Socks
with more joy and happiness.
I F I H AV E F I V E M I N U T E S
T O M OV E , I ’ L L D O : Pelvic @shashi_usa #shashisocks
Shashi, LLC
Curl, Spine Twist Supine,
Chest Lift, a hip extensor
stretch and a back extension.
Shashi, LLC
© 2017 SHASHI. All rights reserved.
 Stay Connected The Latest in Our
Digital Community

KEEP US POSTED /pilatesstyle @pilatesstylemag @pilatesstyle

ON “FREE AS A BIRD” BY
MICHELE LARSSON AND
KEVIN BOWEN:

“As a Pilates instructor and breast

cancer survivor, I can’t wait to check
this out! Thanks for highlighting this!”
—@russopilates

“Pilates has greatly improved my

ON “YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS
STUFF UP”:
“Have had exactly the same experience
as number three happen. Awkward.”
—Danielle Doucet Strickland
clients’ ROM as well as overall strength
and flexibility. Speaking firsthand,
amazing results seen with post-op
lumpectomy and radiation treatment as
well!” —@bethpilates

“OMG—I love the one [with] the ‘owner

is a real bitch’ comment. LOL.”
—@jessschmidley

ON OUR JAN/FEB COVER “This illustration is perfect.”

FEATURING ACTRESS
DENISE RICHARDS:
“Great cover choice! I can’t wait to pick
up a copy!” —@stephaniedeondra
“Gorgeous.” —@michelle.wagner78
“Go Denise! Real girl! Real exercise!”
—@mindyourbodynyc
—@mistywarrenpilates
“OMG! They are hilarious!”
—@southportpilates
“So much fun to read!” —@alisha.porter
“That was fun. I’d love to add my
stories to the mix! Maybe this could be
ongoing.” —@eecon13

“Beautiful cover!” —@1studiok “LOL! Yes, we can’t make up the

comments or stories we hear.”
—@two_west_pilates

WE ASKED: WHAT DO YOU

THINK DISTINGUISHES

MICHELE PHOTO BY ROD FOSTER; YOGA/PILATES ILLUSTRATION BY BIGSTOCK

PILATES FROM YOGA?

“Yoga is a practice of stillness. Pilates is a

practice of movement.” —JT Boss

“Both are best, just move the body and

connect the mind.” —Peg Lewellin

“I love the mental and emotional benefits

of yoga, but when I began doing it daily
and stopped Pilates, I lost my core and
started developing lots of aches and pains.
I now do yoga once a week and Pilates
and other exercise the other days, and feel
much better.” —Ellen Lee Weisman
“Both in combination is perfect!”
—Diana Waechter
“Most important above all…keep
moving!” —Natasha Jaffar
THE LATEST ON
PILATESSTYLE.COM
Introducing…The Weekly Scoop! Every
other week, we’ll send you a roundup
of the latest posts on pilatesstyle.com
so you’ll stay connected and won’t miss
a beat. Look out for even more original
content, bonus exercises from the mag,
videos and then some, from some of
the most inspiring movers on the planet.

12 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 13
 Bulletin Board What’s New, What’s Happening

You Q. Can a belly piercing

be unsafe or inhibitive
Asked: during Pilates exercise?

A. To start, the piercing needs to be done

professionally and hygienically. The piercing
should then be allowed to heal properly and
completely, a process that may take several
months. These efforts are made to avoid
dermatologic problems like skin infections,
that can sometimes lead to more serious
complications, such as a systemic infection.
A colleague of mine and a board-certified
dermatologist, Margarita Lolis, MD, conferred that
a belly piercing is not of concern “as long as there
is no evidence of an underlying cyst or surrounding
skin infection.” Signs indicating the presence
of these issues include surrounding redness,
tenderness, swelling or warmth.
If these problems are not present, a navel piercing
should not theoretically inhibit the practice of
Pilates. But every body is different, and every
manipulation of it has a cause and effect. If a piercing, some clients may also feel discomfort in
client with a belly adornment cannot articulate the prone, hyperextended or flexed positions that cause
spine efficiently for reasons otherwise unknown, increased friction on the piercing. So teachers,
perhaps a trial of piercing removal might be when a piercing is present, keep some Swan Dive
appropriate. Depending on the shape of the and Roll-Over modifications at your disposal.

» Carrie McCulloch, MD, is a leader in anatomy and
movement education, author and co-founder of Kinected
in New York City. With backgrounds in movement and
medicine, she bridges gaps between these worlds for
students, teachers and clients. Carrie is a cofounder of the
FAMI Workshop, an internationally renowned anatomy
immersion course for fitness professionals held in a
medical school setting. Her latest book, Netter’s Moving
AnatoME: An Interactive Guide to Musculoskeletal
Anatomy, is due out in 2019. She originally received her
full certification from STOTT PILATES®, and is currently
completing a 200-hour YTT.

INTRODUCING…

THE PILATES
INITIATIVE! PIERCING PHOTO BY BIGSTOCK; MAT PHOTO COURTESY OF TPI

Kevin Bowen, an internationally

renowned advocate and authority in
the Pilates industry, shares what the
nonprofit he founded is all about—and
why you should get initiated.
MAN ON A MISSION:
“The Pilates Initiative’s
mission is to be an
informational resource,
and to support and
advocate for the
professional Pilates
community, as well as to
A BOV E: ONE OF THE GOALS IS TO BRING PILATES CLASSES TO CHILDREN IN NEED.
promote and further the
Pilates method through
community outreach and
involvement,” explains
Core Dynamics owner
and director Kevin Bowen,
who dreamt up the idea
in response to the current
status of the Pilates
community coupled with
the changing political
landscape in regard to
health care. “TPI takes a
grassroots approach to
these goals by creating
an active, involved
group of members and
supporters.”
G R O U P E F F O R T: “I felt
that as a community we
could do so much more
to assist in making the
world a healthier place,
and what better way to do
this than to support local
communities through and
with the Pilates method?”
# G OA L S : “Our initial
goal is to get our
membership involved
through weekly
community movement
classes and monthly
self-health classes and

14 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 A Pilates teacher

Pilates Postcard
shares how the
method is making
waves abroad.

F R O M : Loes Buenen, owner of Studio Element in to know your body,

Tilburg, the Netherlands becoming aware of
it and learning to
H O W S H E G O T T O T I L B U R G : I was born in a small optimize its use.
village south of Holland (Schijndel), but because
I had been studying at the dance academy since MY T Y P I C A L C L I E N T:
the age of 11, I ended up in Tilburg. Then I moved In private classes,
to Utrecht for a few years, but returned to Tilburg I mostly work with
because of love. injured people. In
group classes, it’s
P I L AT E S T R A I N I N G B A C KG R O U N D : Pilates diverse. It’s mostly the
crossed my path at the dance academy. Two years average person who
after I graduated, my former jazz dance teacher, wants to move more,
Yvonne Schüller, opened a Pilates studio—Studio maybe because of
Zuid in Eindhoven—and also offered classical light back pain.
Pilates training called Pilates Link. I was dancing
in her company back then, and she offered me a T I L B U R G ' S P I L AT E S
job as a trainer if I was willing to take the course. “ C U LT U R E ”: In
So I decided to study with her. From 2009 through Holland a lot of
2016 I worked at Art of Movement and learned a people still have no
lot from Stephanny Turton-Kat, who works closely clue what Pilates is. Mostly they think it’s some A BOV E: CLASSICALLY
with Marie-José Blom. sort of yoga, or that it’s abdominal exercises. The TRAINED BUENEN DOING
apparatus work is quite unknown since there are OPEN LEG ROCKER
T E A C H I N G S T Y L E : I really love to work with not many studios. And in Tilburg, people are not IN TILBURG IN FRONT
injured clients, to give them back their confidence really used to spending money on personal training, OF—WHAT ELSE?—AN
and help them learn to trust their bodies again. so I really had to build up my clientele (which has EVERPRESENT WINDMILL
I also love to introduce the average “man on the worked its way to a waiting list for privates).
street” to Pilates and open up the world of sensing
their own bodies. I guess for me, Pilates is not F O R M O R E I N F O : studioelement.nl or
so much about the exercises, but about getting facebook.com/studioelementtilburg

seminars,” says Bowen,
who cofounded the
Pilates Method Alliance
in 2001. “We would
like to get 100 different
locations up and
running by the end of
the year, if not sooner.
We will also be starting
POSTCARD PHOTOS COURTESY OF LOES BUENEN
limited lobbying and
legislative involvement
when needed.”
B R I N G I N G P I L AT E S
TO KIDS AND MORE:
“We are also planning
a program for children
called Camp Pilates as a
PMA provides an entry-
level national certification
standard exam for
the Pilates profession,
is a membership
association and offers
an approval process
for some instructor-
training programs,”
levels of membership:
Enthusiast (for the
Pilates practitioner);
Instructor (for an
individual instructor of
the Pilates method);
and Business Member
(for studios, facilities
or businesses related

the TPI Relief Fund to
assist members of our
organization who are
the victims of a natural
disaster or extenuating
economic or health
hardships and in need
of assistance. Members
can apply through an
annual application
process. TPI will also
provide ongoing
advocacy for the Pilates
community in terms of
way to bring Pilates and
wellness to many of our
underserved children.
Our final outreach
initiative is Move Well
- Thrive. This initiative
will focus on bringing
healthy movement to
special populations
such as seniors,
caregivers and more.”
WHY IT’S DIFFERENT
F R O M T H E P M A : “The
explains Bowen. “TPI
is a membership
organization and public
charity whose main
focus is supporting the
Pilates method. TPI does
not approve instructor-
training programs
or offer a national
certification exam.”
H O W YO U C A N G E T
O N B O A R D : “There
are currently three
to the Pilates method).
More than just joining,
we are asking all of our
members to get actively
involved by supporting
our initial outreach, TPI
community classes.” For
more information, visit
thepilatesinitiative.org.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 15

 Q+A Answers to Your Pilates + Nutrition Q’s

Q. Why do those micro movements in Pilates

classes burn like crazy?
A. We have all
experienced it in
a Pilates or barre class:
the metabolic process
taking place.
When we perform
body recruits fast-
twitch fibers to power
through the last few
aka lactic acid. Fatigue
might happen more
quickly in these micro
You think that set of leg an exercise, our body repetitions. This occurs movements because
lifts is almost over, and recruits muscle fibers as the fuel source we perform them for
then the instructor cues to get the job done. used by the slow- longer periods of time
you to pulse your leg Exercises that are twitch fibers during toward the end of a set
just a wee bit higher. performed at a slower aerobic metabolism of exercises.
You want to throw your pace and with a fuller is depleted, and the Now that you know
water bottle at her. range of motion for body switches to that it’s just exercise
Don’t be discouraged— the joint involved will anaerobic metabolism physiology, lie back
the burn we feel during begin by recruiting in fast-twitch fibers to and enjoy the burn.
small movements like slow-twitch fibers synthesize a new fuel Oh, and lift your leg a
pulses or isometric in the muscle. As the source. The burn you little higher…
MAT PHOTO COURTESYT OF BIGSTOCK

holds boils down to one movement continues feel is the byproduct of

thing, fatigue. It’s just and fatigue sets in, the anaerobic metabolism,

» Amanda Jessee Iiams is the co-owner and director of curriculum of Pilates Instructor
Academy in Overland Park, KS, where she trains Pilates instructors, teaches workshops
and develops online continuing-education courses. Amanda holds a bachelor’s in
exercise science and a master’s in higher-education administration with an emphasis
in exercise physiology. She has been a professional in the fitness industry since
1996, holding certifications such as PMA-CPT®, NSCA and ACE, and she’s a Level 3
NeuroKinetic Therapist. For more information, visit pilatesinstructoracademy.com.

16 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 Lolita’s Corner
by Lolita San Miguel,
First Generation Pilates Teacher

Q. What are some exercises I

can do while waiting in line,
for the bus, etc.—you know, the
kind no one will be able to see I’m
doing, wink, wink?

A. One of the most successful ways to add exercise to

your routine is to attach it to a regular daily activity.
If your regular routine involves some down time while
waiting in line or traveling to work, you could use this time
to perform an exercise that improves posture and core
strength. Standing in proper posture enhances muscle
balance by strengthening the postural muscles while Did you know graduates of my 160 hour, 4-session
increasing the flexibility of the opposing muscle groups. PILATES MASTER MENTOR
Visualizing good posture is a great way to work out while
waiting in line. Here’s how to do it:
PROGRAM
become
Stand in Pilates stance with your hips and feet turned out
and your heels together. Shift your weight slightly backward SECOND GENERATION TEACHERS?
into your heels as you draw your hip joint directly over your First Session | MARCH 21 | Palm Beach Gardens, FL
ankle joint. Think of tightening your thighs by drawing your www.LolitaPilates.com
knee caps upward while pushing the floor away with your
feet. Reach your sit bones downward while pulling your
pubic bone upward using the back of your legs and lower- MAY 3-5, 2018
belly muscles. Be sure not to grip your buttocks—feel just the PILATES DAY MEMORIAL
bottom of your buttocks working to turn your hips outward. I CELEBRATION IN NEW YORK!
like to call this the “smile” of the buttocks. www.lolitapilates.com/pilatesday2018
Then, work your way up to your head and shoulders by
imagining that this area is a coat hanger: The crown of
your head would be the hook hanging on a closet bar; your
shoulders would be the sides of the hanger, and your arms
would be the sleeves of the coat on the hanger. Reach
BREAKING NEWS!
Soon Lolita will start her
upward as if your head were on that bar in the closet, and
relax your shoulders as if they were just hanging on the Pilates Affirmative Action
hanger. Hold this position while breathing deeply, in through Program for Men
your nose and out through your mouth. www.LolitaPilates.com

Comprehensive Pilates Training Programs

United States
San Diego, CA Chicago, IL

Atlanta, GA San Juan, PR

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Palm Beach Gardens, FL

International
» Christine Romani-Ruby, PT, Sydney, Australia Riga, Latvia
DEd, MPT, ATC, PMA®-CPT, is an Brasilia, Brazil Asunción, Paraguay
internationally renowned teacher
with 25 years of experience in clinical San José, Costa Rica Chisinau, Moldova
practice. Dr. Ruby has successfully Strasbourg, France Perth, Scotland
integrated physical therapy and Pilates
Munich, Germany Geneva, Lausanne, Lutry,
to create innovative rehabilitation Paudex and La Chaux-de-
and wellness programs for conditions Numazu and Tokyo, Japan Fonds, Switzerland
such as back pain and sport-specific Moscow and Istanbul and Mersin, Turkey
programs for professional athletes. Founder of PHI Pilates in St. Petersburg, Russia
Pittsburgh, PA, she guides clients in the study of their own Kiev, Ukraine

WWW.LOLITASLEGACY.COM
movement to improve posture and reduce pain and risk of injury.

It’s FUN, it feels GOOD
and gets RESULTS!
Bring bootybarre to your studio
and boost your revenue—contact
us about hosting a course!
created by TRACEY MALLET
world-renowned fitness and wellness expert
The bootybarre® is built on a strong foundation
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functional strength, and a beautiful body!
why bring the bootybarre to
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• Continued support with NEW online
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www.bootybarre.com
Q+A
Q. Is oat milk healthy? Is it any better
(or worse) than other plant-based
milks like almond or soy?
A. Nowadays it seems like you can get milk from almost anything. While soy, rice and
almond milk may be the most familiar, there’s newcomer oat milk, made from
soaked steel-cut oats or whole groats.
Oat milk has a consistency similar to skim milk, and it’s just as nutritious in many
ways. Aside from being free of lactose and cholesterol and easy to digest, oat milk is
a good source of protein, iron, zinc, fiber and phytochemicals. Research has shown
that including oats in your diet helps protect against heart disease, certain cancers and
stroke. Oat milk, too, is a good alternative to soy or almond milk for those with allergies. It
also works really well in baked goods.
On the flipside, oat milk is slightly higher in calories and sugar. Taste can be a factor,
as some people find it mild and nutty while others regard it as too “earthy.” Adding
a dash of cinnamon or vanilla for extra sweetness in your latte or cereal can help.
Another benefit: Oat milk is easy to make at home—all you need are oats, water and
a good blender. (Another recommendation: a fine cheesecloth to use for straining so
your milk is silky, not lumpy.).
Although oat milk is free of calcium, most commercial brands are fortified with
calcium and vitamin D. If you choose to DIY it, remember to consume plenty of
calcium-rich foods like broccoli, tofu, kale and figs to ensure you’re getting the
recommended daily allowance.
Each alternative milk has its pros and cons. Experiment with different types to see what
works best for your palate, needs and lifestyle.
GOT (MACADAMIA) MILK?
OAT MILK AND MORINGA PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK
The latest dairy-free “mylk” to
hit stores? Milkadamia, which is
made from raw nuts grown on an
Aussie family farm. The creamy
cow’s milk alternative—available
in Original, Unsweetened,
Unsweetened Vanilla (our fave)
and Latte Da Barista—is also free
of GMOs, dairy, soy and gluten
($ 4; milkadamia.com).
18 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
 PILATES
Comprehensive Program
Bridge Program
Licensing Courses
Continuing Education
Private Immersion

Q. Moringa seems to be all the

buzz lately. What exactly is it,
and should I consider adding it to
my diet?

A. Moringa has been used for centuries as both medicine

and food. Originally native to parts of Southeast Asia,
it can now be found all over the world, as it’s a fast-growing
and inexpensive plant to cultivate and maintain, even in the
driest of climates, which is one of the reasons it’s known as
“the miracle tree.”
Another reason? Almost all parts are edible. The roots, seeds,
flowers and especially the leaves contain healthy doses of
vitamins C and A, iron, magnesium, calcium, protein, essential
amino acids and even fiber—more than many fruits and
vegetables as a matter of fact. It’s no wonder it has been used
to combat malnutrition in many developing countries around
the globe.
Moringa also contains two potent antioxidants: chlorogenic
acid (also found in green coffee beans), which has been shown
to help reduce blood sugar, and quercetin, a powerful flavonoid
that acts as an anti-inflammatory and antihistamine. As a result,
moringa has been touted as a way to boost energy, increase milk
supply in lactating mothers and help alleviate some symptoms of
anemia, asthma, diabetes and arthritis; more conclusive research
is needed to know if these claims hold up.
In the United States, moringa is mostly sold as a supplement
in powder form (from dried leaves) or as a liquid/oil. The
caffeine-free dark green powder has a nutty smell and
earthy flavor similar to matcha or spirulina. If you’re feeling
adventurous, try a spoonful in your morning smoothie, juice, or
even add it to stews, dips and baked goods.
Moringa is generally regarded as safe when taken as directed.
As with any supplement, however, buy
only from reputable sources, and always
check with your doctor before taking it.

» Nutrition expert Leslie Dantchik, MS,

is the author of the health blog
alphabitesnyc.com. The longtime Pilates
and exercise enthusiast has a master’s in
applied physiology and nutrition from
Teachers College, Columbia University.
www.fletcherpilates.com
 Q+A

for the PROS

Q. Do you think
clients should
change the apparatus
setup on their own?
Should they be
expected to know the
names of the exercises?

A. I have always felt that

clients should definitely
not change their own springs.
It is the responsibility of the
instructors to do this. Besides the
potential liability issues, I often
want to vary spring settings in
the moment to make an exercise
more or less challenging. I make
those decisions on the spot
based on the intensity of the
session, the client’s mood, the
time of the day and my objective
at the time. The client cannot
measure all of these factors.
more seasoned and I am
absolutely sure he or she knows
how to safely change a spring
setting, I may on occasion ask
him or her to change it. However,
I’d like to stress that this is the
exception, rather than the rule.
Imagine having asked a client to
put one spring on for Balance
Control Front or Side Split, and
then the spring pops off due to
being placed incorrectly. It could
result in a disaster!
As for knowing the names of
the exercises, I again feel that a
session, not be quizzed on the
names of exercises. Does it help
the flow if he or she knows the
names of the exercises? Sure.
However, it is in no way essential.
Over time, most clients will pick
up the names, but I don’t feel it
should be required—rather it just
happens naturally.
The bottom line is that we
are paid fairly to teach, guide
and serve the client during the
session—it is our responsibility to
fulfill that role.
TEACHING PHOTO BY BIGSTOCK

Saying that, as a client becomes client has come to enjoy a Pilates

» Rael Isacowitz, MA, has been practicing Pilates for more than 35 years, and is the founder
and director of BASI Pilates, a comprehensive Pilates education organization established
in 1989 that spans the globe. Rael designed the concepts for BASI Systems equipment and
was a driving force in founding the company. He also created Pilates Interactive, the one-
of-a-kind e-learning software, and has authored two best-selling books, Pilates and Pilates
Anatomy (Human Kinetics), the latter co-authored with Karen Clippinger.

20 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 Stand Up with us
Support Stand Up To Cancer today to help
cancer patients become cancer survivors.

Give $25 or more to Stand Up To Cancer through the Miles To Stand Up program and
you’ll receive 10 American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for every dollar donated.
Donate and earn at standuptocancer.org/americanairlines

Pictured: Stand Up To Cancer Ambassador, Bradley Cooper

along with American Airlines team members currently
fighting, surviving and co-surviving cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer is a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.

American Airlines and the Flight Symbol logo are marks of American Airlines, Inc. © 2017 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.
Offer valid on contributions made online at www.SU2C.org/americanairlines. Minimum $25 donation required. For charitable deduction purposes, each mile is valued at 3 cents per mile. The receipt of
miles may reduce the tax deductibility of your donation. Mileage cap for a 12-month period is 600,000. Bonus miles do not count toward elite-status qualification. Please allow up to eight weeks for the
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 Featuring hundreds of studios across the country…

STUDIO FINDER

CALLING ALL
STUDIO OWNERS:
Get your studio a premium listing
in our newly revamped Studio
Find a Pilates Finder on pilatesstyle.com—
studio near you it's bigger and easier to use
than ever!
today!
Visit the PS Shop at
Start your search at store.pilatesstyle.com
pilatesstyle.com. for more details.
 Teasers Trends, products, research + news

24 TEASER SPOTLIGHT 28 TEASER WELLNESS 32 TEASER BEAUTY

Pilates with puppies—’nough said!
26 TEASER CORE
Play or Pass: the Pilates Wheel; How
exercise can benefit eye health; True or
false: Women have less endurance than
men; Two new resources to fine-tune
your practice; Plus: Can Pilates give you
a six-pack?
The life-altering benefit of doing your Take your shower experience from
chores; How much working out can boost everyday to ahh-mazing.
your mental state; Tips for an accurate
blood pressure reading; How to use social 34 TEASER STYLE
media to lose weight; Madeline Black on The color of the moment will put you in the
California’s recent fire tragedy spring spirit.
30 TEASER FOOD
Trend alert: refrigerated bars; New frozen
“bowls” you’ll love; Science on how the $
of food affects diet; This spice might help
you burn fat; The best way to clean your
produce; Zucchini-laced blondies!

ALL IN THE DETAILS:

SWIMMING
ON THE SPINE CORRECTOR
Kathey Corey helps you get more out of it.
modeled with Amy Corey As you make
small up and
Reach in opposition,
down movements
stretching your arm with your limbs,
forward and your leg
behind you.
Keep both your pay attention to
shoulders and
hips level.
your stability. If
Think of lifting your
arm from the center
you’re moving
of your chest to forward, you
prevent rotation in
the shoulder.
need to stabilize
through your
shoulders; if
SWIMMING PHOTO COURTESY OF PILATES ANYTIME; HEADSHOT COURTESY OF KATHY COREY

you’re moving
backward, focus
on quieting your
hips and pelvis.

To find your balance, lift
both your arms and legs; if
you tip forward, move your
body back and vice versa.
Lift your torso upward from
the center of your chest
with your neck long and in
line with your spine.
The movement should As you lift your leg, press
come from maintaining the both hips evenly into the
stabilization through the Spine Corrector to help
center of your body; this maintain pelvic alignment.
anchoring will prevent you
from doing too much arm
or leg work.

» Kathy Corey, PMA®-CPT, is a master teacher who began
her career with the Pilates technique in 1979, and has
been considered a leading expert in the community for
almost 40 years. She’s the director of Kathy Corey Pilates,
with programs taught across the United States and in 28
countries worldwide. Kathy is also on the Contributing
Editor Board for IDEA Pilates Today and is an IDEA
expert. In 2014, she was appointed as the president of the
International Education Committee for Pilates in Asia,
and is also the president and director of the International
Pilates Heritage Congress, held in Joseph Pilates’
hometown, Monchengladbach, Germany.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 23

 Teaser

Spotlight Get the Scoop

Pilates with Puppies

Alexis Miller, owner of

Cisco Pilates in Asheville,
NC, discovered a great
new way to up the
BOTTOM PHOTOS BY CAROLYN GORDON

fun factor of her mat

classes: inviting furry
friends from the local
humane society to join
her human students.
By Anne Marie O’Connor

24 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

I F G O AT S C A N D O
YO G A ( A S T H E Y H AV E
E V E RY W H E R E F R O M
CALIFORNIA TO NEW
H A M P S H I R E ), W H Y
CAN’T PUPPIES DO
P I L AT E S ? That was
the question Alexis
Miller, owner of Cisco
Pilates in Asheville, NC,
asked herself when she
spotted the Asheville
Humane Society (AHS)
booth at a local 5K race
this past June. All of a
sudden…lightning bolt!
“I thought, Everyone is
doing yoga with goats,
cats, horses. I decided I
needed more puppies in
my life, and that I should
do [a class called] Pilates
with Puppies!”
She contacted
Adam Cotton at the
AHS and proposed
teaching a mat class,
with the entire $10 fee
being donated to the
organization. Cotton
was immediately on
board. “He said he had
just gotten a local yoga
teacher to do their first
Yoga with Cats class, so
he was excited about
Pilates with Puppies.”
Miller recalls.
So beginning in
October, Miller started
offering Pilates with
Puppies once or
twice a month at the
AHS. “People were
ridiculously excited
about the puppies,” she
says. “To be honest,
I thought we would
get nothing done in
this class. It’s a mixed-
level class, with a lot of
people who have never
done Pilates before. And
there are definitely a few
Miller says Pilates with Puppies is
a great way to introduce people
to the method, as it gets people in
the door who wouldn’t normally
consider taking a Pilates class.
people who really aren’t
there for the Pilates! But
I was really surprised
how much we actually
got accomplished in
an hour.”
Miller limits the class
to 40 people, which is
the room’s maximum
capacity. “Tickets
sell out in advance—
sometimes as much as
a month or more,” she
says, but she keeps a
wait-list in case there
are any cancellations.
(No-shows understand
they won’t get a refund.)
The puppies are
generally about two
months old. “Their small
size is helpful for lifting
them in some of the
exercises,” Miller says.
Some of her favorite
moments are when a
puppy climbed onto
a woman’s stomach
during the Hundred.
“Another participant
held a water bottle in
her mouth and had a
tug of war with a pit
bull!” she recalls.
Miller says Pilates
with Puppies is a great
way to introduce
people to the method,
as it gets people in the
door who wouldn’t
normally consider
taking a Pilates class.
“One woman even
posted on Facebook,
‘This is probably the
only way I would ever
do Pilates,’” Miller
laughs. “I’m getting tons
of positive feedback.
Everyone thinks it’s a
super-fun class and a
great cause.”
It has also been a
boon for the humane
society. “They are
getting lots of new
faces at the AHS, which “My three cats are
is great, because they scared of dogs, so
run frequent adoption while I would love to
specials on all animals, adopt one someday,
including dogs, cats now is not the time,”
and rabbits.” While the she explains. “But I love
Pilates puppies are dogs, and this class
usually all available for is giving me lots of
adoption, “the AHS says exposure to get lots of
they never have trouble doggy love.” PS
adopting them out.”
But other animals and OPP OSI T E PAGE , TOP TO BOT TOM: ALEXIS MILLER (CENTER)
dogs upwards of six GETS SOME DOGGY LOVE AT HER PILATES WITH PUPPIES
months old are more CLASS (PHOTO © ADAM TAYLOR 2018); A PUPPY MAKES THE
of a challenge; Pilates HUNDRED MORE FUN.
with Puppies brings
awareness to pets of all A BOV E , TOP TO BOT TOM: MILLER THOUGHT THE PUPPIES
ages (and species) that WOULD BE TOTALLY DISRUPTIVE, BUT WAS SURPRISED THAT
need adoption. PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO FOCUS ON THE MOVES AS WELL (PHOTO
So far, Miller hasn’t © ADAM TAYLOR 2018); THE PUPPIES ARE SMALL ENOUGH THAT
adopted a dog herself. THEY CAN BE USED TO ADD CHALLENGE TO AN EXERCISE.
 Teaser

Core Get Fit

PLAY
OR
PASS:
the
Pilates
Wheel
P L AY. Developed by Polestar Pilates–trained Kristin
Anderson and movement and human performance
specialist Brian Abercrombie of L.A.-based Engine
Fitness, the Pilates Wheel is equipped with “resistance
bands,” handles and foot loops to help you recreate
exercises from the Reformer, Cadillac and Wunda
Chair repertoire in your living room. “We took the
principle components of the Pilates machines and
stripped them down,” says Anderson, who had
been working on the prototype since 2014 with
Abercrombie before they brought it to market in
2017. “We were able to maintain the principles with
the Reformer’s moving footbar; we also have the leg
and arm springs of the Cadillac, and the constant
spring load of the Wunda Chair.”
“We designed this for people who can’t afford
Pilates [sessions] or don’t have access. There’s a
huge number of people who have always been
curious but don’t want to go into a studio—a lot of
men. The Pilates Wheel takes the intimidation factor
out of it,” adds Abercrombie.
In addition to home users, Anderson and
Abercrombie aim to bring the Wheel to studios and
teachers—and have a teacher-training program in
place. But “this is not a replacement for the Pilates
mechanisms, it’s a substitute,” notes Abercrombie.
Another bonus: It can support beginners,
sometimes even better than the Pilates apparatus
can, according Anderson. “There are several
movements when you first begin on the Reformer
that are hard to do. With the Wheel, there is a
progression to the progression.”
For example, adds Abercrombie, “during the
Hundred, the Wheel holds your head and neck in the
correct position so you can learn slowly; for Teaser, it
has the ability to support the neck and torso.”
Our verdict: Aside from the super-versatile and
portable device, what sets the Pilates Wheel apart
from other apparatus simulators is the quality
instruction, both on demand and IRL via Facebook
Live. Anderson and Abercrombie are the real deal,
and understand how to support the beginner and
safely challenge intermediate and advanced
students alike. Abercrombie sums it up best: “We’re
not just ‘product people’—we live this.”
Choose from two models: the COR and the DLX,
which includes an anchor system ($199–$249;
thepilateswheel.com).—Amanda Altman

73%
False. Researchers from
TRUE OR FALSE: the University of Waterloo GLAUCOMA ILLUSTRATION AND JACKKNIFE PHOTO BY BIGSTOCK
WOMEN TIRE put 18 men and women
OUT MORE of similar age and weight
QUICKLY THAN through the paces on the
MEN DURING treadmill, and discovered
AEROBIC that the females’ oxygen
ACTIVITY. uptake—the measure of
The reduced risk that people how quickly muscles extract
who work out at a moderate oxygen from the blood—
to vigorous level have for was about 30 percent
developing glaucoma, one better. That translates to
of the biggest causes of improved performance with
blindness in America that less muscle fatigue and
has no cure yet. And the perceived exertion.
more movement you do,
say the scientists from the OXYGEN
15.99
University of California, Los
Angeles, the more your risk
will plummet.

26 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

RESEARCH ALERT:

Can Pilates Give

You a Six-Pack?
Maybe, maybe not— three times a week
whether or not you supervised by a Peak
can sculpt abs à la Pilates teacher, while a
Channing Tatum or second group abstained
J Lo is determined by from exercising.
your DNA. But a group After eight weeks,

26%
of Turkish researchers researchers measured
aimed to measure the the subjects’ rectus
method’s effectiveness abdominis and internal
by examining the rectus oblique thickness using
abdominis, aka the six- ultrasound technology,
That’s how much
pack muscles. In the and found a significant
group exercise
study, published in the increase both during
might lower your
journal MOJ Yoga and contraction and at rest;
stress levels,
Physical Therapy, 40 in other words, the
compared to going
healthy women—of exercisers got stronger.
at it solo.
similar age, BMI and Not surprisingly, they
marital status—who also discovered that the
Source: The Journal
had never done Pilates Pilates group had better
of the American
before were divided into balance and stability,
Osteopathic Association
two groups: one did compared to when they
45 minutes of matwork first hit the mat.—A.A.

HOMEWORK

No More Excuses!
Here’s our take on the latest resources to help fine-tune your practice.

BALL ROLLING FOR HAPPY BREAST CANCER

HEALTHY HANDS RESTORATION WORKOUT
64 pages, Angela Kneale, OTD, MA, OTR/L ON THE MOTR
90 minutes, Suzanne Martin, DPT
L E V E L all
E Q U I P M E N T two 1.1-inch balls L E V E L for those in need of upper-
T E A C H E R Angela Kneale is a STOTT body strengthening after breast cancer
PILATES ® instructor, an occupational or any other upper-body surgery
therapist, an integrative health coach, E Q U I P M E N T a Balanced Body MOTR
a Franklin Method educator and the (a cylindrical foam roller with an
owner of Embody Health Wellness attached T-bar with pulleys)
Life in Wayzata, MN. T E A C H E R Suzanne Martin, DPT,
W H Y W E L OV E I T Because texting, PMA-CPT, is the founder and
typing, stirring pots, playing tennis and other everyday hand- educational director of Pilates Therapeutics, an ACSM-certified
related stress positions take a toll. These exercises can help cancer exercise specialist and a certified lymphatic therapist.
increase dexterity and relieve pain. Her studio, Total Body Development, is located in Alameda, CA.
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S You’ll discover that improving hand health W H Y W E L OV E I T Breast cancer surgery survivors can’t
requires re-educating the entire body in the areas of breathing, just jump into upper-body-strengthening exercises. Martin
total-body alignment and nutrition; plus the exercises feel good provides expert guidance on injury prevention, comfort and
and are fun to do. encouragement with her Pilates program that encompasses
B U Y I T $14.95 for book, $16.50 for book and ball set; optp.com more than 30 exercises that progress in difficulty.
S P E C I A L F E AT U R E S There is a tutorial on how to set up the
MOTR, which is availabe for purchase from Balanced Body.
B U Y I T $21.95; amazon.com —Heidi Dvorak

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 27

 Teaser

Wellness Get Healthy

Contemplations RED
by Madeline Black Red dust falls
Red flames sparks
Red trucks hauls
Red dog barks
I N O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7, W I L D F I R E S B E G A N
SPRE ADING ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA , Red helicopters soar
igniting terror and destruction throughout the once- Red phone alerts
idyllic landscape. “At 4:30 a.m., I was awakened by Red hot door
my husband saying there is a fire and that I need to Red bruise hurts
get up. At first, I was in shock,” recalls the Sonoma,
CA-based teacher of teachers Madeline Black. “At Red hills smoke
sunrise, we began preparing the house; we had no Red panties packed
power or Internet. We could see the flames on the Red hose soak
hill near us. All we could do was to wait and watch Red generator jacked
for eight days.”
During that time, Madeline opened her studio, Studio Red autumn leaf falls
M, which had regained power, for anyone in need. “On Red tomatoes on the vine
the second day, I led a free restorative movement class Red bird calls
focusing on calming the nervous system. When the Red glass of wine
fires were contained and people were returning, we
held a gathering to reunite and ground ourselves to Red light stop!
help start getting back to life’s routines.”
Here, Madeline shares a piece she crafted amidst
To donate to the fire
the chaos.
relief effort, visit
sonomacountyfirerelief.org.

» Madeline Black is an author, poet,

movement specialist and internationally
renowned teacher in the Pilates world, with more
than 25 years of experience teaching teachers. Her
most recent book, Centered: Organizing the Body
Through Kinesiology, Movement Theory and Pilates
Techniques (Handspring Publishing, 2015), is a resource
for all movement teachers. For more information, visit
madelineblack.com.

TO D O … Crossing items off that list not only

feels good, a new study out of the
ed
1. Shop at Whole Foods: ne University of California San Diego
sa lmon for din ner School of Medicine says it might even

ry
2. Fold an d pu t away lau nd
lower your risk of death—talk about
multitasking! Researchers tracked an
ion
3. Resc he du le Pi lat es sess
older population of women, aged 65 to

for 9 a.m. th is Sat urday

99, and found that even light activities
(i.e., those to-do-list tasks) made a
mer
4. Take Ch loe to th e groo
significant impact on health: Thirty
minutes accounted for a 12 percent
5. Sor t th roug h ma il pil e decrease, while the same amount of
moderate exercise (say, a leisurely stroll)
boosted the benefit to 39 percent.
28 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
 80%
…of 295 mental-health patients polled by
researchers from Michigan State University
and the University of Michigan believe that
working out boosts their mood and anxiety.
What’s more, 50 percent said they’d be
willing to shell out the cash for a personal
trainer had their physician recommended
exercise as a coping mechanism.
Source: General Hospital Psychiatry
130/80
THE NEW
=
GUIDELINE FOR
DIAGNOSING
HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BLOOD PRESSURE PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK
R E C E N T LY I S S U E D BY T H E A M E R I C A N H E A R T
A S S O C I AT I O N A N D T H E A M E R I C A N CO L L E G E
O F C A R D I O LO G Y, this lowered threshold (it was
previously 140/90) aims to help people get a leg
up on their condition before they land in a hospital
bed. Although some experts believe this could
put 46 percent of Americans into an unhealthy
category, here’s the kicker: There’s a margin of error
when taking blood pressure, says Dr. Paul Whelton,
a cardiovascular specialist at the Tulane University
School of Public Health who's also the lead author
of the new guidelines. Here, he shares how to
prepare your body before you get cuffed to ensure
an accurate reading.
CAN social media HELP YOU
LOSE WEIGHT?
It can be a #usefultool, according to recent
research published in the Journal of Interactive
Marketing. But the study authors aren’t referring to
scrolling through your Instagram feed for healthy
recipes or mini workouts; instead, it’s the virtual
support communities that you should turn to to
help drop pounds. The key is making your goals
public to your like-minded “friends,” who will likely
offer words of encouragement—”you got this!”—
and hold you accountable—”post pics!”—even in a
small way. You’ve got nothing to lose, other than
maybe that weekly doughnut habit, right?
DO...
• Stay seated without talking for five minutes. Make sure you’re sitting in a chair
that supports your back, and that your feet are flat on the floor; don’t cross
your legs.
• Hit the bathroom: empty your bladder beforehand.
• Roll up your sleeve; you want the blood pressure cuff to rest on bare skin,
not clothing.
• Have your pressure taken again if it’s reading as high. Ask the nurse or doctor
to do it on your other arm. Still high? Come in again and have it retaken a
third time.
DON’T...
• Exercise (for once!), drink caffeinated beverages (sorry!) or smoke cigarettes
for 30 minutes prior to the test.
• Sit or lie on the exam table—a regular chair is best.
• Allow your arm to dangle in midair or rest in your lap; make sure it’s on a
supportive surface like a desk.
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 29
 Teaser

Food Get Fed

Trend Alert:

REFRIGERATED BARS
Fresher than your standard shelf-stable go-tos, these
filling snacks are made with real food—and without any
preservatives, GMOs or gluten.

THE CHEFFY ONE: PHYTER BAR

These plant-based treats are the brainchild of Chef David Choi Jr.,
who grew up in a household of Korean vegan chefs. Organic fruits and
veggies are the main ingredients, and the rest of the list is also sans soy.
Sweetened with coconut palm sugar, these hearty bars in flavors, including
Sweet Potato + Coconut, Butternut Squash + Peanut Butter, Cranberry +
Strawberry and Beets + Cocoa, are high in fiber (five to six grams each) to
keep that full feeling going ($2.69; phyterfood.com).

THE PRETTY ONE: NUTTZO BOLD BITEZ

Packed with the brand’s multi-nut and -seed butters, these bars also contain
grass-fed collagen, known for benefits like promoting skin and hair health.
Two varieties—Power Fuel + Collagen and Peanut Pro + Collagen—deliver 10
grams of protein from egg whites and peas, plus zero soy, dairy or palm oil.
Even with just five grams of sugar per bar, this nutty snack satisfies a candy
craving with cacao nibs and rice crisps ($2.59–$2.99; nuttzo.com)

THE OG ONE: PERFECT BAR

A family of 13 siblings took their late father’s original recipe—“it’s perfect,”
he’d proclaimed—to spearhead the chilled-bar phenomenon. Thirteen
organic flavors, like the new Chocolate Walnut Brownie and Mocha Chip,
contain a blend of superfoods that you can’t taste (think: kale, alfalfa, celery),
along with rice protein and seeds. These bars are on the denser side, so save
half for later ($2.99; perfectbar.com).

This Bowl is 100 2x

That’s how much more
CHANCE OF HEALTHY DIET

You know those “bowls” loaded with “all the

“cash money” perishable
goods” that you see all over your Insta feed?
COST OF HEALTHY FOODS

foods like dairy, fruits

And you know how you never have time to
and vegetables cost
make one? Enter Daily Harvest Bowls in six
compared to unhealthy
microwavable yet fresh-tasting varieties,
packaged goods like
including our faves Cauliflower Rice + Kimchi
soda, cookies and chips.
and also Brussels Sprouts + Tahini, made with
What’s worse, for every
organic veggies, herbs, grains and seeds.
14 percent increase in
Yasss ($6.99–$7.99 each; dailyharvest.com).
this cost discrepancy,
the Drexel University
researchers determined
that the chance of
consumers having a
healthy diet plummeted
by 24 percent.

Source: the International Journal of Environmental

Research and Public Health

30 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 NEED SOMETHING

5.5% SWEET? Try these squares from Laguna Beach

...of Americans consider themselves reality show alum and accessories

vegan,
compared to just 1 percent in 2014.
designer Kristin Cavallari, who happens
to also be a major Pilates devotee.

Source: GlobalData

A N S W E R : B , according
POP QUIZ: to a new study published
WHAT’S THE BEST in the Journal of
WAY TO CLEAN Agricultural and Food
YOUR PRODUCE? Chemistry. Food scientists
from the University of
A. Run it under the faucet Massachusetts, Amherst
for a few secs. put water, baking soda and
bleach to the test against
B. Soak the goods in two common pesticides,
baking soda. and found that about one
teaspoon baking soda
C. A little bleach goes a mixed with two cups
long way. H2O yielded the cleanest
result. But before you start
Zucchini Almond Butter Blondies
D. All of the above. stockpiling the soda, the
(Makes 16 squares)
researchers warn that every
pesticide is different and
These are about to change your life because you’re going to discover that dessert can
might require a different
taste amazing and be somewhat good for you (and you can’t taste the zucchini at
solution. Your best bet:
all—it just makes these super moist).
Blanching or canning
your fruits and veggies,
purchasing organic, or 1 CUP CREAMY ALMOND BUTTER combined. Fold in the chocolate
better yet, growing your 1 EGG chips and zucchini. Pour into the
own. It is spring, after all! ½ TEASPOON PINK HIMALAYAN SALT prepared dish, pressing down to
½ TEASPOON BAKING SODA spread evenly.
½ CUP COCONUT SUGAR 3 . Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until
½ TEASPOON PURE VANILLA EXTRACT golden brown and a toothpick
½ CUP DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS comes out clean. Let cool slightly
COLANDER AND CINNAMON PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK

1 LARGE ZUCCHINI, GRATED before serving.

Cinnamon 1 . Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line

Win
an 8-x-8-inch baking dish with
for the parchment paper.
2 . In a large bowl, mix together the
almond butter, egg, salt, baking
Add the sweet spice to the list of nature’s best
soda, sugar and vanilla until well
fat-burners, say researchers from the University of
Michigan Life Sciences Institute. It’s cinnamaldehyde,
the essential oil that lends that unmistakable flavor, Reprinted from True Roots by Kristin
that might give our metabolism a boost by signaling Cavallari. Copyright © 2017 by Kristin
fat cells to burn energy. Although these findings are Cavallari. By permission of Rodale Books.
promising, they’re still preliminary—so don’t go all Available wherever books are sold.
shaker crazy on your oatmeal just yet.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 31

 Teaser
Beauty
Give Your Bathroom the
Spa Treatment
DID YOU KNOW?
The global wellness industry
generated $3.72 trillion in revenue
in 2015, the last year for which
statistics are available; the spa
industry accounted for $99 billion
of that total. Mind…blown.
Source: The Global Wellness Institute
32 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
Get Groomed
No need for a complete bathroom
redo—by swapping out a few
staples you can turn your
everyday grooming routine into a
mini spa sesh.
BAR NONE
Icons including Audrey Hepburn and Jackie
Onassis relied on Dr. Erno Lazslo, the
pioneer of bespoke beauty, to keep their skin
camera-ready. Even if you’re not a selfie fan,
you can benefit from his legacy with Erno
Laszlo Cleansing Bars. A major step-up from
your current bar, each boasts botanicals
and antioxidants that target a specific skin
concern—sensitive, detoxifying, hydrating,
firming or brightening ($38 each for 3.5
ounces; ernolaszlo.com).
DRY RUN
Luxe towels are a spa signature. The Aquis
Waffle Luxe Hair Towel feels posh but is
super-practical: It’s made with ultra-fine
fibers that won’t cause tresses to frizz, plus it
reduces hair drying time by up to 50 percent
($35; sephora.com).
SHOWER POWER
One simple way to upgrade your shower to
spa status: The Shower Clear Original Nickel
Shower Head. Not only does it deliver a high-
quality spray, it can be opened after each
shower for easy cleaning (or just let it air dry),
which prevents health problems caused by
mold ($285; shopshowerclear.com).
DIRTY SECRET
Mud treatments are one of the oldest-known
skin treatments, and for good reason—there’s
nothing like them for leaving skin smooth
and radiant. The Body Shop Spa of the World
Himalayan Charcoal Body Clay combines the
purifying powers of charcoal with exfoliating
clay and moisturizing willow bark and fair-
trade sesame oil ($24 for 6.75 fluid ounces;
thebodyshop-usa.com).
FACE CASE
Don’t let the inexpensive price tag fool you: The
MODA SPA Facial Treatment and Cleansing
Kit will elevate your daily face-washing ritual.
Created by renowned makeup brush company
Royal and Langnickel, the Deep Pore Cleansing
Brush helps get rid of makeup and dirt more
effectively, while the Spa Facial Brush helps you
apply moisturizers and masks in a smooth, even
layer ($14.99; modabrushes.com).
 MUSCLE RELAXER
No sauna? No problem! Speed your recovery
post-workout with Pursoma After the Class Bath
Soak. Created in collaboration with cult fitness
teacher Taryn Toomey, it contains magnesium
to relieve muscle soreness, and hemlock spruce,
lavender and white pine essential oils to calm
your mind ($34 for 9 ounces; nordstrom.com).

SPOON IT ON
Masks like Farmhouse Fresh Pajama Paste
Soothing Active Yogurt Mask mean you don’t
have to depend on your facialist for a skin
reboot. The fresh blend of yogurt, bentonite
clay, wild honey and oats reduces redness,
softens skin and shrinks enlarged pores ($23 for
3.25 ounces; farmhousefreshgoods.com).

HAIR TREAT
Garnier Fructis 1-Minute Hair Mask is a spa-
worthy formula at a drugstore price. This 98
percent naturally derived mask contains avocado
and coconut oils that can be used three ways: as
a conditioner, a leave-in conditioning cream or a
mask that all leave hair glossy and smooth ($4.49
for 3.4 fluid ounces; garnierusa.com).

TIP: For a salon-like feel, shampoo, rinse, and then

apply your mask to wet hair, concentrating on the
ends. Twist your hair into a loose bun, put on a
shower cap, and then cover with a hot towel. Wait
15 minutes before unwrapping. The result? Dull and
frizzy hair is transformed to silky and shiny.

EASY WAYS TO Upgrade YOUR SPACE

Kate Cummings, a Jersey City, NJ-based interior designer
and stylist, shares a few of her favorite tips for bringing a
little Canyon Ranch magic to an ordinary bathroom.

L I G H T A C A N D L E . The lighting and subtle scent will instantly

put you in relaxation mode.

A D D A T E A K B E N C H . During a shower, it makes shaving your

legs easier; afterward, you can just sit and soak in all the steam.

I N V E S T I N A WA L L- M O U N T E D S OA P D I S P E N S E R . An easy
way to mimic that luxurious spa-shower feel, a dispenser can
also save you money: You can buy your shampoo, conditioner
and body wash in bulk (which also means less waste).
BATHROOM PHOTO BY BIGSTOCK

C R E AT E A T O W E L D I S P L AY. Place a few rolled-up towels on

top of a train rack shelf.

G E T WA R M A N D C O Z Y. A heated towel rack and comfy pair of

slippers are spa amenities that are easy to recreate at home.

—Nicole Grippo Ruotolo

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 33

 Teaser

Style Get Functionable + Fashionable

Purple Reign
Symbolizing originality and ingenuity, Pantone’s
Color of the Year—Ultra Violet—will help you be
your best self at the studio.

GRAPE GEAR:

A. The GPS-clad Garmin Vívosmart HR+

Smart Activity Tracker’s touch screen
lets you see your stats even under bright
sunlight, perfect when you’re out for
MOISTURE-
WICKING a jog or doing matwork at the park
($179.99; buy.garmin.com).

BUILT-IN B. Plastic-free yet lightweight, the

SHELF BRA
collapsible Que Bottle is as portable as
it gets. Comes in 10 colors, which range
from basic to bright ($24.95 for 20-ounce
size; quebottle.com).

REFLECTIVE C. Keep loose strands in check—and your

ELEMENTS
hair out of your way—with the super-
stretchy Athleta Vital Headband ($14;
VENTILATED athleta.com)

A.

C R O P T O P New Balance Printed Strappy Crop Top;

$70, newbalance.com. TA N K Nike Dri-Fit Stretch Tank;
B.
$65, net-a-porter.com. S P O R T S B R A Sweaty Betty Upbeat
Padded Workout Bra; $70, sweatbetty.com. B O DYS U I T Tory Burch
Seamless Full-Length Bodysuit; $148, torysport.com.
T-S H I R T Reebok Together We Go Further Tee; $28, reebok.com. C.
S W E AT S H I R T Sweaty Betty Fleece Tech Workout Sweat;
$135, sweatybetty.com. L E G G I N G S New Balance Accelerate
Printed Tights; $60, newbalance.com. B A G Runetz Purple Athletic
Gym Bag; $50, runetz.com.

NEXT-
LEVEL
Essentials
The Ultra Violet hue is also
about visionary thinking.
These innovative must-
haves will put you in that
future state of mind.
H I G H -T E C H T O W E L
The quick-drying, super-absorbent
TowelTech Premium Towel is
double-sided; use one side to wipe
your face and the other to wipe
down equipment. There’s also a
magnet hidden in the corner so you
can hang it from metal surfaces, and
a mesh pocket for stashing your stuff
($60; toweltech.com).
POSTURE CHECKER
Keeping upright is equally important
during your session as it is at the office,
in the car, etc. The Upright Go Posture
is small and discreet—the device sticks
to your upper back—and connects to
a free app to alert you when you’re
slouching too much. It even has
“training” programs to help you get used
to sitting taller ($79; uprightgo.com).

34 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 WATERPROOF

ANTI-ODOR

GRAPE GEAR:

A. The on-trend mirrored framed Ray-Ban

Blaze Clubmaster Lens-Over-Frame
Sunglasses have comfy silicone nose
ANTI- pads, not to mention full UVA/UVB
MICROBIAL
protection ($195; neimanmarcus.com).

B. Not only does the JUNK Men’s Velvet

Lux Headband absorbs sweat, but it's
poly-spandex blend feels cool against
your skin ($15.99; junkbrands.com).
LINED
C. Fully charged in just five minutes, the
Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones
deliver quality sound and three hours of
playback so you can zone out when you
need to ($299.99; target.com).

T-S H I R T Nike Men’s Dri-Fit Knit Gradient Short Sleeve; $56,

A.
runningwarehouse.com. S H I R T UnderArmour UA Threadborne
Wall Long Sleeve Shirt; $45, underarmour.com. J A C K E T Patagonia
Men’s Stretch Rainshadow Jacket; $199, patagonia.com. B A G Diadora
Medium Soccer Team Bag; $20, sportsunlimitedinc.com.
B. C.
J O G G E R S Underarmour UA Threadborne Fleece Stacked Joggers;
$70, underarmour.com. U N D E RW E A R Tommy John Light Air Trunk;
$45, tommyjohn.com. S H O R T S Nike Men's 7-inch 2-in-1 Challenger
Running Shorts; $40, dickssportinggoods.com. L E G G I N G S Eastbay
EVAPOR Compression Tight 2.0; $18, eastbay.com.

PA G I N G T H I S S I P P E R WEAR ABLE RELIEF M AT T O G O

The BPA-free Memobottle is designed
to fit like a book in your bag, making it
less obtrusive than a cylinder design.
While it’s environmentally friendly,
the real added bonus is that every
bottle sold helps provide two people
in need with clean drinking water for
a month ($22–$36 depending on size;
memobottle.com).
Using technology like electrotherapy
and microcurrents, the PainPod 3
features stimulating pads that can
be placed anywhere on your body.
It connects to a controller with 12
customizable modes of operation
to help alleviate pain and boost
performance ($479; painpodusa.com).
The Wellness Pad doubles as a mat
and a lightweight, foldable bag with a
removable strap.. The pad is made of
the same material used in antibacterial
running shoes, helping to keep it
odor-free ($120; technogym.com).
—Robin Villalobos

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 35

 NUTRITION NEWS

Eat Smart

ARE YOUR WEIGHT-LOSS

EFFORTS SABOTAGING
YOUR HEALTH?
Dropping pounds can change your life. But beware
of the unexpected side effects of your methods.
by Joanna Powell

O H , T H E B E N E F I T S O F LO S I N G W E I G H T ! Not approach. “Your body is not a bank account, it’s a

only will you look sleeker and feel more confident—
and have an excuse to buy a new wardrobe—but
shedding even a modicum of body fat can boost
energy, end mental fog and improve a myriad health
issues. In fact, dropping just five to 10 percent of
one’s body weight has been shown to lower the
risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer and
depression.
With such a payoff on the horizon, many of us will
try just about anything to maximize weight loss.
After all, the end result justifies whatever means
necessary, right? Not always. In the effort to lower
our BMIs, many of us make the mistake of employing
methods—from strict calorie counting to overdoing
meal replacements—that can actually sabotage our
general well-being. “When
dieting,” cautions Jacob
Teitelbaum, MD, author of
From Fatigued to Fantastic!
(Avery, 2007), “one can
just about anything to
aggravate fatigue, pain maximize weight loss. After
and other problems [that
can result] from nutritional
all, the end result justifies
deficiencies.” Or—worse whatever means necessary,
yet—regain the weight (and
then some) and end up
with a slower metabolism,
which a 2016 study found happened to 14 Biggest
Loser contestants.
Moreover, adults who are overweight or obese
“often make common mistakes that can delay their
progress or negatively impact other aspects of
their health,” notes Caroline Passerrello, MS, RDN,
LDN, spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics. While Passerrello advocates seeking
counseling from a registered dietitian when
undertaking a weight-loss regimen, these are some
surprisingly basic blunders that every dieter should
chemistry lab!” quips best-selling diet guru JJ Virgin,
CNS, CHFS, author of the Sugar Impact Diet (Grand
Central Life and Style, 2016). In other words, the
problem with foods that make people fat isn’t simply
that they have too many calories. It’s that they cause
a metabolic response in the body that causes us
to store fat and overeat (think processed carbs like
crackers, soda and even white rice). On the other
hand, high-quality foods—fresh fruits and veggies,
lean proteins, healthy fats—rev up the metabolism
and keep our systems humming.
Obsessive calorie counting—and food weighing,
for that matter—can also amp stress levels, which
in turn produce the stress hormone cortisol. Study
after study links cortisol to increased storage of belly
fat—the worst kind. In 2000,
researchers at Yale University,
Many of us will try for example, found that
slender women who had
high cortisol levels also
carried more abdominal fat.
B O T T O M L I N E : “When
it comes to eating for
weight loss, calories
right? Not always. count, but quality matters,”
insists Passerrello. Skip
the calculator, and focus on eating nutrient-rich
foods (vegetables, fruits, lean protein and whole
grains) while getting rid of empty calories. And
instead of playing the numbers game (i.e., counting
calories and carbs), try to be more mindful of your
hunger and fullness levels. On a scale of one to 10
(one being ravenous, 10 meaning you-need-to-
unbutton-your-pants stuffed), “try to stay between a
three and a seven for most meals,” says Passerrello.
SALAD PHOTO BY BIGSTOCK

be aware of—and avoid! DIET SABOTEUR #2: YOU EAT THE SAME
FOODS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
We know that having too many options at mealtime
DIET SABOTEUR #1: YOU OBSESSIVELY can lead to overeating (hello, Sunday brunch
TRACK CALORIES IN VERSUS buffet!). But on the flip side, it’s not smart to limit
CALORIES OUT. variety too radically. Some dieters, in the hopes of
If you can't eat a single bite without tallying your avoiding temptation, reduce their food intake to just
meal math, you may want to consider a less dated a few “safe” items—say grilled chicken and salad—

36 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 37
 When Healthy Isn't the „
Same as “Diet Friendly
M A N Y O F T H E M Y T H S S U R R O U N D I N G “ H E A LT H Y ” F O O D S
H AV E B E E N D E B U N K E D : We now know that low-fat is not
necessarily waist-friendly, and that gluten-free products
often contain more calories than the foods they replace. But
it’s still tempting to convince ourselves that a midafternoon
granola bar or post-dinner fro-yo is actually diet compliant.
“Many of the so-called health foods are actually anything
but,” says Frank Lipman, MD, founder of Eleven Eleven
Wellness Center in New York. “Even those who are
knowledgeable about nutrition can be fooled by hard-to-
decipher labels, slick marketing campaigns or mom’s out-of-
date advice leftover from childhood.”
Dr. Lipman has a long list of so-called healthy foods that
can actually hurt your health. Some of the worst offenders
on his hit list:
ENERGY BARS
Many of these “candy bars in fancier wrappers” cause blood
sugar spikes—and deliver little nutritional value. “Convenient as
they may be, they’re crummy substitutes for real food,” says Dr.
Lipman. “Even the high-end bars tend to be heavily processed
sugar-bombs with hardly enough protein or fiber to make them
worth eating.”
DIET SODAS
They’re flavored with anything-but-natural sweeteners, which
have been shown to have an appetite-triggering effect—so
you’re likely to eat more, not less! According to a 2009 study
from the University of Minnesota, just one diet soda a day
was associated with a 36 percent increased risk of metabolic
syndrome and diabetes. Other studies have established a link
between diet cola consumption and bone density loss.
FROZEN YOGURT AND SMOOTHIES
Many frozen yogurt treats are chock-full of chemical additives
and sugar, and smoothies can quickly become sugar blasts
as well when made with juices, simple syrup, ice cream and
bananas, notes Dr. Lipman. Instead, ask for a simple shake made
only with unsweetened almond milk or water, ice, fruit and
powdered greens or protein.
For a truly healthy sweet fix, indulge
in a bit of dark chocolate, frozen
berries or plain Greek yogurt. If it’s
crunch you crave, munch on raw
veggies, apple slices, kale chips,
dried seaweed or a handful of
nuts. A 2010 study at UCLA found
that people who snacked on
pistachios instead of pretzels lost
more weight and experienced
bigger drops in triglycerides and
cholesterol levels—even
though the pretzels contained
fewer calories.
38 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
which they repeat over and over again. Besides
making for dull mealtimes, extreme restricting can
actually backfire.
That’s because consuming the same thing every
day, even if it’s an organic, non-GMO, all-natural
“superfood,” can put you at risk for not getting
the complete nutrition our bodies need. And that
can lead to cravings strong enough to derail even
the steeliest willpower. The Dietary Guidelines for
Americans advise eating a variety of nutrient-packed
foods, incorporating elements of the five food
groups (vegetables, fruits, dairy, whole grains and
protein) at every meal. By satisfying your body—and
taste buds—chances are you’ll be better equipped to
resist that 1,200-calorie bacon cheeseburger calling
your name at lunch.
An easy way to make sure you’re getting the
proper nutrients is to “eat the rainbow”—meaning
filling your plate with a spectrum of colors. Dark
greens like spinach and kale pack a ton of folate,
calcium, iron and vitamin K. Orange and yellow
foods (peppers, pumpkin, squash) contain high
levels of vitamin C and important antioxidants.
Red tomatoes have lycopene, a cancer-
preventative micronutrient.
CHOCOLATE, BELL PEPPER AND PILLS PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK
“There is a reason why nature supplies such a
variety of foods,” notes Dr. Teitelbaum, creator of
the phone app Cures A–Z. “It is because this is what
our body needs.”
B O T T O M L I N E : “When dieting, the trick is to get
a wide variety of whole, nutrient-rich foods, while
cutting out the sugar and white flour,” he adds.
DIET SABOTEUR #3: YOU’RE EATING
TOO MUCH OF ONE NUTRIENT.
Beyond varying your food groups, it’s also essential
that the three macronutrients—fat, protein and
carbohydrates—are balanced. Of course, we all
know the evils of too many carbs (especially the
refined kind): the insulin spikes, the inflammation,
the lethargy. But overdoing protein can cause not even know we're getting from food on a daily
dehydration, and according to research from the basis. “Although supplements contain the vitamins,
National Institutes of Health, may eventually stress minerals and amino acids that are most critical,
the kidneys as they work overtime to rid the body there are a number of co-nutrients that can also
of the extra nitrogen protein be very helpful, which are
it generates. As for fat, yes, only found in food,” notes
it’s back in favor and touted
In this fast-changing Dr. Teitelbaum. Moreover,
for its ability to help your world of functional food in 2005 researchers at
body absorb nutrients, boost Tufts University found
energy and promote satiety.
and nutraceuticals, it’s “little justification for the
But butter and bacon lovers tempting to think popping general and widespread use
beware: Eating too much of dietary supplements,”
saturated fat can raise your
vitamins and supplements concluding instead that
level of LDL (bad) cholesterol can replace bad eating “optimal health outcomes
and increase your risk for relate to dietary patterns, not
heart disease.
habits. Not a great idea. nutrient supplements.”
What’s the right ratio?
According to guidelines from the Institutes of B O T T O M L I N E : If you have a particular deficiency
Medicine, carbohydrates should make up 45 in something, take your supplements. Otherwise,
to 65 percent of our daily calories (that means natural, whole foods deliver far more beneficial
vegetables, fruits and grains—not chips, crackers goodness.
and cake); protein should run between 10 and 35
percent; and fat 20 to 35 percent (with limited
saturated and trans fats). DIET SABOTEUR #5: YOU’RE EATING
OUT AT “HEALTHY” RESTAURANTS
B O T T O M L I N E : Improving balance isn’t just for TOO OFTEN.
Pilates class. Your macronutrients may need an People who regularly cook at home rather than
adjustment, too. eating in restaurants have been found to consume
fewer calories and carbs, not to mention lower
amounts of fat and sugar. But are the new “healthy”
DIET SABOTEUR #4: YOU RELY TOO eateries, farm-to-table restaurants and chains that
MUCH ON SUPPLEMENTS INSTEAD OF let you create your own organic salads, such as
WHOLE-FOOD SOURCES. Sweetgreen, Panera, Dig Inn and Native Foods Café,
In this fast-changing world of functional food as good as cooking at home?
and nutraceuticals, it’s tempting to think popping Usually not. Even at a healthy restaurant,
vitamins and supplements can replace bad eating oversized portions are always a risk, and you
habits. Not a great idea. While multivitamins can unknowingly end up eating a day’s worth of
and supplements are helpful when you have a calories at one sitting (though the growing trend of
medically diagnosed deficiency, we need whole listing calories, fat and other nutritional information
foods for caloric energy, for psychological and is a breakthrough in the right direction). What’s
physical satisfaction and—most importantly—for more, there are reasons restaurant food tastes
micronutrients, aka the trace elements we may good—and they’re called salt, butter and starches. continued on page 95

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 39

 THE POWER OF PILATES

Success Story

Girl, Unbowed

Born with a rare form of rickets, I GREW UP IN

D U X B U RY, M A , O N
45-year-old Heather Crosby’s THE SHORE SOUTH
O F B O S T O N . I was
childhood was shattered by a series hesitant to walk as a
child; I preferred to sit in
of excruciating—and unsuccessful— my little red wagon and
point to things. When
surgeries. But after she met Romana I was two, my parents
realized something was
Kryzanowska, everything changed. wrong and brought me
to Boston Children's
Hospital, where I
By Heather Crosby, as told to Beth Johnson
was diagnosed with
hypophosphatemic
rickets. It is a very rare
form of the disease that
causes the kidneys to
reject vitamin D and
phosphorus. It caused
my bones to be porous
and weak.
CHILDHOOD
AGONY
The treatments that
followed were brutal.
When I was seven, I was
hospitalized so they
could put a nasogastric
tube through my nose,
down my throat and
into my stomach and for
24 hours, pump massive
doses of vitamin D
and phosphorus into
me. I vomited and had
diarrhea the entire time.
The next day, they did it
again; this time, I was so

40 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

traumatized, they had to
tie me to the table. And
after all of that, it didn’t
help at all.
LIMITED, BUT
ATHLETIC
As I grew, all the bones
in my body were
misshapen, especially my
legs, which were severely
bowed. Amazingly, I
loved being active. We
had a tire swing with big
knots, and I'd climb all
the way to the top of the
tree. I loved playing on
the jungle gym and riding
my bike. But any impact
on my bones was painful.
I could never jump off
the swing; I had to wait
until it stopped, and then
carefully stand up.
NOT A
TEXTBOOK
CASE
At the same time, the
doctors were telling
me that I should be
very emaciated and
pale, with stringy hair.
They even gave me
dentures for my top
teeth in second grade,
because they said I’d
never grow adult teeth.
Meanwhile, my hair
was thick and long, I
had beautiful skin, my
teeth grew in fine, and I
was really strong. Deep
down, I knew that the
doctors knew very little
about how to treat
this disease. But they
insisted on even more
excruciating operations.
FIRST
SURGERY
On my ninth birthday,
they broke both of my
femurs (thigh bones)
and implanted pins in
an attempt to straighten
my legs. I was under
anesthesia for 17 hours,
and afterward, the pain
was horrible. I was in a
full-body plaster cast for
four months.
At one point, I said to the
doctor, “If you make the muscles
strong to support the bones,
that makes more sense to me
than breaking them.” The doctor
replied, "What do you know,
you're just a child."
EVERY YEAR,
THE SAME
MISERY
Every single year after
that, until I was 15, I had
some sort of surgery
on my legs. At 11, they
broke the femur, tibia
and fibula of my left
leg, and put in pins and
screws. I fell down the
stairs at home a few
days later, which led to
gangrene, and I almost
ended up losing that
leg. When I was 12, they
hammered a titanium
rod into my right femur,
and I was in a cast for
almost six months. At
13, they had to redo that
surgery. When I was 14,
they jammed a titanium
rod into my other leg. It
just went on and on.
Each surgery left me
in more pain, with more
scar tissue and less
range of motion.
After the first
operation, when I was
just nine, I said to the
doctor, “If you make
the muscles strong to
support the bones, that
makes more sense to
me than breaking them.”
The doctor replied,
"What do you know,
you're just a child."
But by the time I was
15, I started to rebel. I
would go to a doctor’s
appointment, and if the
doctor didn’t listen to
me, I’d just walk out.
ANIMAL LOVE
While recovering from
all the surgeries, I had
put a cast on you.”
(We both kept our
promises.) In 1993, he
broke my leg in three
places and took out
the rod. His kindness
and understanding
made such a positive
difference in my
recovery, as did the
advances in physical
therapy since I was a kid
to have a lot of home in the ’70s.
schooling, and when
I was in school, I was HEADING WEST
cruelly teased about my While recovering, I
bowed legs. Animals had a lot of time to
were my solace, and think about my future.
horses were my favorite I decided I wanted to
of all. I thought that go to veterinary school
since I’m short with at Colorado State
bowed legs, God made University, one of the
me perfect to be a top-three large-animal
jockey. So after high veterinary-medicine
school, I earned my schools in the country.
bachelor’s in equine If I set up residency
science at Mount Ida in Colorado for two
College in Newton, MA. years, I could go to OPP OSI T E PAGE: CROSBY
After graduating, I school at in-state rates. HANGING OUT ON THE
went to work for a large So I decided to move CADILLAC IN HER STUDIO.
animal veterinarian—my to Boulder, attend the
dream was to become Boulder School of BELOW, TOP TO BOT TOM:
a vet—and I rode horses Massage Therapy so I’d CROSBY, AGE SEVEN, WITH
daily. But one day when have a skill I could use NASAL GASTRIC TUBES;
I got on the horse, I to support myself, and WITH A HALO ON HER LEFT
couldn't sit all the way then go to CSU. LEG AFTER SURGERY IN 1999.
down on the saddle.
It felt as if there was a
door-stopper under me.
NEW DOCTOR,
DIFFERENT
OUTCOME
My boss, the veterinarian,
recommended a great
surgeon, Dr. Timothy
Hresko at Boston’s
New England Baptist
Hospital. It turned out
that the titanium rod I’d
had implanted when I
was 12 was now sticking
out of the top of the
femur by about two
inches, which is why I
couldn’t sit all the way
down on the saddle.
I told Dr. Hresko, “I
can't take being in a
cast again.” He replied,
“If you promise not
to put any weight on
it, I promise I won’t
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 41
 I had to do. The day
after I graduated from
massage school, in
September 1996, I
walked into the Pilates
Center of Boulder to
inquire about their
intensive teacher-
training program.
Unfortunately, I didn’t
have enough time or
money to enroll before
starting veterinary
school at CSU. (I got in!)
LETTING GO OF
CLO CK W ISE F ROM TOP In the summer of A DREAM
L EF T: SOME OF THE METAL 1995, I did just that. I moved to Fort Collins
THAT WAS TAKEN OUT OF Massage school opened for school, but within
HER LEGS; PRACTICING me up to things I never a semester, I started
THE SNAKE (PHOTO CREDIT even knew existed, from having all kinds of
CASEY PINA); HAVING FUN acupuncture, Reiki and problems with my
WITH AERIAL FABRIC. Rolfing to lomilomi thyroid and my lower
massage. It’s also where left leg. I didn’t find
I first heard of this man out until recently that
named Joseph Pilates, thyroid issues are
who had also had another symptom of
rickets. I learned he had rickets. It got so bad that
managed to straighten I had to quit school and
his legs without surgery, move home. Needless
and went on to lead a to say, I was crushed.
full, healthy life. I was
stunned! BACK TO
BOSTON
A BIT OF I went back to Dr. Hresko
PILATES and he said, “We need to
I went straight to the take out all of the metal,
local rec center and and I need to break this
signed up for a six- leg one more time. So
week mat class. When let’s just do it once and
I saw the teacher do get it over with.”
Climb a Tree, I thought So at 27, they broke
it was absolute magic. my leg in four places
I knew in my soul that and put an external
Pilates was something fixator—like a halo—on
42 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
my leg. There were pins
sticking out of my legs. I
couldn’t leave the house
because it would gross
people out so much.
POST-
SURGERY,
AGAIN
Eight months after
that surgery, walking
with a cane, I got
an administrative
job in Boston for a
construction company.
Even though I was
going to one of the
best physical therapy
places in the city, I still
couldn't get the last 15
degrees of extension
in my leg. I started to
swim for exercise, but
the long fins I used gave
me shin splints. Then I
got heel spurs. As my
pain increased, so did
my depression. Just
walking to the car, and
then from the car to my
office, was excruciating.
I was 28 years old and
didn’t even want to put
my feet on the floor.
And then I remembered
Pilates.
The next day, in 2001,
I went out and bought
Brooke Siler's book,
The Pilates Body, which
soon became my bible.
I called her studio,
explained my situation
and was referred to
Romana Kryzanowska,
one of Joseph Pilates’
students.
OFF TO MEET
ROMANA
I was invited to come
to Drago’s gym in
Manhattan, where
Romana was working,
the next week. At that
point, I believed she
was my only hope!
When I arrived, I handed
Romana my X-rays.
She promptly put them
aside, and said, “Let's
just see what you can
do, little girl.”
She put me through
what I know now to be
an advanced-beginner-
or intermediate-level
Reformer series. Then
she led me to the
Cadillac for the first five
mat exercises, some
breathing exercises
and finally the Roll-
Down against the wall.
At the end of that first
private session, she
said, “Practice those
mat exercises and come
back next week, same
time.” So I did. I did
everything she told me
to do from then on.
FAST
PROGRESS
WITH ROMANA
By the third session, I
had regained that last
15 degrees of extension
in my leg, and I knew
that Pilates was the
answer to my lifelong
pain and limitations. It
helped build the muscle
necessary to support my
weak bones. Romana
didn’t guarantee results,
she just said, “Mr. Pilates
did this, and it worked
for him.”
So for two years,
every week, I would
drive from Duxbury
to New Haven, CT,
take the train to Grand
Central Station, then
put on my air cast
and walk to West 57th
Street for my Tuesday-
at-noon appointment
with Romana. Every
week I became a little
stronger, experienced
less pain and felt
more confident. Three
months in, Romana
recommended a
teacher in the Boston
area—Lisa Silveira—so
that I could have a
second weekly session
near home as well.
It wasn’t too long
before I got rid of the
air cast and stopped
having shin splints. I had
always been ashamed
of my legs, and here I
was developing muscles
and seeing them getting
straighter. I started
loving them for the first
time ever.
Another time, I was
walking down three
flights of slippery stairs
when my feet slid
week, I bike or walk with
I had always been ashamed of my my dog 25 to 50 miles a
legs, and here I was developing week. I still experience
pain—in my bones,
muscles and seeing them getting nerves, joints, muscles—
straighter. I started loving them for every day. I have to
do some Pilates daily,
the first time ever. to loosen my joints.
My legs will never be
straight in front of me. turns out that she had straight, but they’re not
I thought, This is it, you trained the sisters who as bowed as they were
are going to be seriously owned the studio, Amy when I was a kid.
hurt, but I managed to Taylor Alpers and Rachel I hope to someday
catch the railing with my Taylor Segel. In 2002, I regain all of the range
pinky finger and make started the year-and-a- of motion that was lost
the connection to my half program. from being operated
core. I pulled my feet on, and being bound
under me and landed A STUDIO OF in casts. I know Pilates
like a cat! I knew Pilates HER OWN will make it possible,
work had saved me I finished my training in because Pilates has
in that moment, as it 2004, and the next year, given me everything I
has on countless other I opened my studio, am today. PS
occasions. Liquid Movement Pilates
Center, in my hometown
ROMANA’S of Duxbury. I know it’s a
BLESSING cliché, but it was really
Romana respected a dream come true. So
my determination often a new student
and willingness to comes in the door, and
go through a lot of they’ll say, “I’m not going
discomfort to get better. to be able to do that.”
We had an incredible But just like I acted with
relationship. After a year Romana, they keep
and a half of studying doing what I tell them to
with her, I invited her to do, and it works. I even
lunch. I told her, “I feel had a 97-year-old male
like Pilates is something student tell me, “You
that I need to teach, know what, Heather?
and I want to know if You’ve taught me you
you will give me your can teach an old dog
blessing.” She said, "Of new tricks.”
course!”
She recommended THE ULTIMATE
the Pilates Center of GIFT OF
Boulder—the very PILATES
same place I had visited Today, in addition to
before vet school! It teaching six days a
A BOV E: WITH HER
RHODESIAN RIDGEBACK,
SIRIUS (PHOTO CREDIT
MASON W. HARVEY).
L EF T TO R IGH T: TEACHING
A MAT CLASS (PHOTO
CREDIT STEPHEN W. KEEP);
TEACHING A TOWER CLASS
(PHOTO CREDIT GIANNA
LEONARD)
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 43
100
WAYS TO
IMPROVE
YOUR
PILATES

44 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 T H E H U N D R E D M AY B E O N E O F T H E F I R S T
E X E R C I S E S YO U L E A R N E D O N YO U R F I R S T DAY

Once you’ve O F P I L AT E S . It’s an exercise that gets your blood

circulating while connecting and engaging the
mastered The muscles of your center (back, abdominals and seat).
At first glance, it may not look that difficult—how
Hundred, you’ve set hard can it be to pump the arms and count to 100?
Or maybe it does look that daunting: I’m supposed
the foundation for to hold up my head for 100 counts and breathe?
While you can’t deny that properly executing The
success in the rest Hundred takes practice, the good news is that the
principles you learn along the way can pave the way
of the repertoire. for some of the more difficult exercises on the mat
and on the Pilates apparatus.
Here’s how to make Don’t know where to start? See my Golden
Rules (below), which are the keys to making your
that happen, and Hundred more successful. Next I’ll show you how to
implement these three guidelines to tackle some of
how to use those the more difficult exercises on the mat.
Keep in mind that whenever you find yourself
principles to pump struggling in your workout, it might help to
rediscover the basic exercises and the fundamental
up every aspect of principles of Pilates. By deepening your
understanding and skill of the simpler exercises,
your practice. you’ll build the strength, control and flexibility you
need for more complicated movements. Here’s
an idea: Try testing my Golden Rules around the
By Sandy Shimoda • Edited by Amanda Altman
studio on different pieces of equipment. Before
you know it, you’ll surpass 100 ways in which your
PHOTOGRAPHY BY AL MIDA; HAIR BY ANNIE CAVANAGH, MAKEUP BY AUTUMN ABRAMS; TOP AND SHORTS BY HOLLIE WATMAN, BRA BY LULULEMON

Pilates has improved! PS

GOLDEN RULES
Behold, three guidelines to follow to help you master The Hundred—and the rest of
Joe Pilates’ work.

RULE #1
• Tighten your seat and abdominals to stabilize your hips while reaching dynamically with your legs
and feet to create length in the front and back body. For this workout, keep your legs and feet
on the mat during The Hundred (see photo below).

RULE #2
• Activate your abdominals to lift your head while elongating your neck and upper spine away
from your hips, creating a two-way stretch—a principle I learned from my mentor Jay Grimes,
who defines it as the act of “reaching in (at least) two directions away from a strong center”—that
deepens the strength of your center.

RULE #3
• Connect your arms to your back so your back muscles are initiating each pump while you reach
dynamically with your arms and hands to deepen your center. This will help you lighten the
weight of your head.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 45

THE ROLL UP...
a continuation of The Hundred

• The most difficult • As you progress into • At the same time, • To maintain Rule #3,
moment in The Roll The Roll Up, maintain maintain Rule #2 as resist the temptation
Up is pictured here. Rule #1 by keeping you roll your torso to lift yourself up
It’s the point in space your seat strong off the mat: Don’t let from your shoulders.
where you’re either and your reach your neck strain, Instead, keep your
lifting your torso consistent so that or your torso shorten. arms connecting
off the ground as you’re forced to Instead, maintain the downward into your
you roll forward, or move from the two-way stretch as back even as your
lowering it down center of your body. you lift your torso spine is rounding
before returning it to Don’t let your legs up and over in the forward. It may take
the mat. bend, your feet lose forward direction. By some practice to feel
their reach, or your the same token, avoid your back muscles
hips move back and the same pitfalls as connecting your
forth in space. you lower. arms to your torso—
practicing the pumps
in The Hundred will
help with that.

THE SWAN...
The Hundred upside down

• As you set up for The • When you’re ready to down, and notice
Swan, revisit Rule begin arching your how it challenges
#1. You may find upper spine, connect the back side of
that activating your your arms to your your center (back
abdominals against back (see Rule #3) by and seat) to lift your
gravity can be tricky. gently pressing your upper torso.
Take time to balance hands into the floor
the work of your seat while being careful • Challenge yourself
and your abdominals not to bear too much to maintain Rule #1
so that they hold weight on your as you move. The
your hips evenly from hands. Just as in The more you arch your
front to back, just Hundred, you want upper back, the more
like in The Hundred. your center to do the work it will take to
Your hips should majority of the work maintain your hips
not tilt forward nor of lifting your head and the two-way-
backward when and torso (Rule #2). stretch (Rule #2).
elongating on Think of The Swan as
the mat. The Hundred upside

46 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

HIGH SCISSORS...
The Hundred in midair

• The initial setup for High Scissors is The Hundred
standing on one end. As you lift both legs to
the ceiling, use your center to create as much
vertical reach as you were able to achieve in The
Hundred (Rule #1). Gravity turns even the setup
of this exercise into a great challenge.
your upper back, creating a solid base for a more
dynamic reach (Rule #2).
• As one leg reaches away from your head, keep
reaching your opposite leg toward the ceiling to
maintain that Hundred feeling in your center.

• You may find it helpful to feel the connection • It’s difficult to keep your torso lifting as you
of your arms down your back in this position reach one leg behind you. You can see my
(Rule #3): Stand strongly on your upper arms so struggle to maintain The Hundred in my center
that you can elongate your neck away from as I move one leg at a time.

Whenever you find yourself

struggling in your workout,
it might help to rediscover
the fundamental principles
of Pilates. By deepening your
understanding and skill of the
simpler exercises, you’ll build
the strength, control and
flexibility you need for more
complicated movements.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 47

 KNEELING SIDE KICKS...
The Hundred against all odds
• Now your arms and legs are doing different
things, and your center has to hold it all together.
• As one leg reaches to the side, elongate your
upper torso in the opposite direction as you
would in The Hundred (Rule #1). While kneeling
on your opposite leg, create an equally powerful
reach down into the mat so that your hips feel
strong, stable and balanced from front to back.
• At the same time, one arm connects to your
back by reaching down into the mat, while the
THE BOOMERANG...
rolling with The Hundred
• As you approach the end of your mat workout,
The Hundred should be so automatically
programmed into your body that you can roll
nonstop without losing it. The Boomerang puts
that idea to the test.
• This photo shows the end of the Boomerang and
the challenge to keep your hips stable while your
legs reach forward (Rule #1). Simultaneously, the
arms stay connected down into the upper back
(Rule #3) while the entire body maintains a two-
way stretch from front to back (Rule #2).
48 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
opposite arm connects to your back by gently
pressing the palm of your hand along the side of
your head (Rule #3). Both arms work to keep the
chest open and the upper torso long from front
to back.
• When you’re ready to begin moving your free leg,
you must maintain your two-way stretch and the
feeling of The Hundred in your torso (Rule #2).
Good luck.
• To initiate movement in the opposite direction,
simply round your torso backward, holding on
to the sensation of strength and length that you
felt during The Hundred. Maintain that sensation
as you switch your legs overhead, and as you
roll forward to complete the exercise. If you’re
really maintaining the strength developed in The
Hundred, you’ll move with a steady and controlled
rhythm and a consistent two-way stretch no
matter where you are in space.
BALANCE CONTROL...
The Hundred on a tightrope

• Here, you have only your head and shoulders to

balance upon. Working to create the feeling of
The Hundred in your body as your legs switch in
the air is a true test of skill and control.

• Start with one leg reaching away from your

head and to the ground, while your opposite
leg reaches away from your head and to the
ceiling. Use this two-way stretch to create the
same strength in your center that you have in
The Hundred (Rules #1 and #2).

• Connect your arms into your back as you pull

one ankle down to the floor (Rule #3). Take note
of the difficulty I am having in keeping length in
my neck as I tie all the golden rules together in
this challenging exercise.

SANDY SHIMODA is the owner of Vintage Pilates

in Los Angeles, CA. Together with first-generation
teacher Jay Grimes, she offers graduate-level courses
to certified teachers who are interested in deepening
their understanding of Pilates. To learn more about
the offerings for teachers at Vintage Pilates, visit
teachers.vintagepilates.com.
Sandy was certified by Romana Kryzanowska, and
has studied with and taught alongside Jay Grimes
since 2004. She has been a featured demonstrator
in videos for Mari Winsor and Peter Fiasca, and has
written articles for Pilates Style, Pilatesglossy and
Peter Fiasca’s book, Voices II. Sandy is also a regular
contributor to pilatesology.com.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 49

SPOT The right tactile

ON
feedback is key to
unlocking movement
potential and deeper,
more meaningful work
on the mat.
By Benjamin Degenhardt
Modeled with Shannon Bynum Adams
Edited by Amanda Altman

50 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 O N E O F T H E M A N Y T H I N G S T H AT FA S C I N AT E M E
A B O U T T E A C H I N G M OV E M E N T I S T H E A B I L I T Y
T O T O U C H P E O P L E ’ S L I V E S , B O T H L I T E R A L LY
A N D F I G U R AT I V E LY. Because no matter what,
in any positive movement experience, something
profound happens, be it discovering a new sensation,
developing a new skill, finding proper alignment, or
simply feeling better. Teaching Pilates facilitates that
process by way of curating the experience with select
cues and exercises—and with touch.
“I invented all these machines…I thought, why use
my strength? So I made a machine to do it for me.”
I often reference this quote by Joseph Pilates (circa
1945) as an important link in understanding the
comprehensive nature of the Pilates method. Mr.
Pilates was referring to the Universal Reformer here;
the apparatus he designed was intended to serve
as an extension of the teacher, perhaps even as a
teacher in and of itself with its tactile feedback and
dynamic means of resistance. The quote also implies
that, in the absence of apparatus, a teacher’s physical
support can be a powerful tool to promote a better
embodiment of the work.
No matter how well we can communicate with
words or demonstration, there is something that only
the right touch can accomplish. It is a kinesthetic
sensation that is impossible to “unfeel.” Our personal
movement behavior develops long before we can put
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROD FOSTER; HAIR BY TIFFANY LEE, MAKEUP BY MARLA NYAMDORJ; BENJAMIN’S BOTTOMS BY RYU, SHANNON’S TOP BY LORNA JANE
THE ROLL UP
MOVER
S E T U P Lie on your back with your arms overhead, legs
together and feet flexed against the spotter’s hands.
1 . Lift your arms, head, neck and shoulders to
sequentially roll up, maintaining the pull with
your feet.
2 . Stretch over your legs, actively keeping the round
shape of your back.
3 . Roll down with control, maintaining the pull on
the spotter’s hands.
SETUP–STEP 2
it into words, which is why any student will benefit
from teaching strategies that involve high levels of
tactile feedback. As an extension of the senses we
usually rely on, hands can feel what eyes can’t see
and express what words can’t say.
If you are an avid practitioner of the matwork,
you are probably already familiar with the exercises
I have chosen here. Instead of delving into the
benefits, breath pattern and nuances of each
movement, I’ve chosen to show how I physically
spot my students here. If you don’t have a friend
on hand to help spot you, you can simply visualize
the traction provided by these techniques; if you
are a teacher, practice them with your students to
unleash new movement potential.
When applying touch, be mindful of the amount
of pressure you apply—less can be more—and pay
special attention to the instructions that follow.
Instead of “forcing” the body into a position or
exerting pressure, use your touch to meet the
mover’s resistance, evoke a movement direction, and
invite effort and opposition. Of course, always ask for
permission first, and try not to be in the way of the
moving body.
Side effects include being more present and
engaged in your practice and teaching, and your
students might create new movement behaviors
more quickly. You’ve been warned. PS
SPOTTER
Cup both of your hands around
the mover’s feet. Rather than
holding them down, merely offer
your hands to the mover, and
remind him/her to pull on you
throughout the movement.
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 51
 THE SAW
MOVER
S E T U P Sit with your arms and legs extended wide,
feet flexed and spine lifted.

1 . Rotate your trunk to one side.

2. Round over the leg in front of you, stretching one
arm forward and the other backward in opposition.
THE SWAN(LIFT)
3 . Return to the starting position. MOVER
4 . Repeat the sequence to your other side.
S E T U P Lie facedown with your legs together and
arms out to your sides at shoulder height.

1 . Stretching your body in all directions, lift your

head, chest, arms and legs off the floor.
2 . Continue to lengthen—it’s a small lift—and then
return to the starting position.

SETUP
STEP 1

SPOTTER
A . Place the fingers of one hand against the
mover’s head to invite lengthening through
the crown of the head.
B . Place the heel of your other hand against
the sacrum, and tent your fingers against the
bottom ribs to traction the lower back and
STEP 2 remind the mover to find length (rather than
crunching in).

C.

A.

SPOTTER
A . In the setup, hold the mover’s arms, and
pull them gently back and up.
B . During rotation, place your foot against
the mover’s inner leg to help anchor the
hip down.
C . During the reach, place one hand against
the shoulder blade while gently pulling the
back arm to create opposition. B.

52 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

THE NECK PULL (SEATED) A.

MOVER
S E T U P Sit with your legs extended hip-width apart, feet flexed and hands
cupped behind your head.

1 . Lift through your waist, and actively push your head into your hands and into
that of your spotter.
2 . Round forward over your legs, still pushing your head up into your hands as
well as the spotter’s hand while avoiding sinking into the spotter’s other hand
on your front body.
3 . Restack your spine to return to the starting position.

SPOTTER
A . Place one hand behind the mover’s hands. Remind the mover to
press the head up into your hands, and meet his/her resistance
throughout the movement (don’t push down!). Use your other hand/
arm to give the mover something to bend the spine over (rather than
pushing into the ribs or stomach).
B . If you do the full Neck Pull, refer to the spotting technique from The
Roll Up for the articulation up and down.

STEP 1
THE MATNESS HAS BEGUN…
Benjamin is the mastermind behind the
annual social media campaign, March
MATNESS, which invites everyone—
from the newbie student to the master
teacher—to share photos of Joseph
Pilates’ original mat exercises throughout
the month of March. We think it’s a fun
way to get involved in our community and
inspire others to do the same. For more
information, visit marchmatness.com;
don’t forget to use #marchmatness2018
with your every post. Also, check out the
Pilates Style Facebook (/pilatesstyle) and
Instagram (@pilatesstylemag) pages for
exclusive videos, tips and more from some
of our favorite movers.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 53

 THE JACKKNIFE
MOVER
S E T U P Lie on your back with your arms overhead and legs together on the
floor. Pull on the spotter’s legs as you lift your legs toward the ceiling.

1 . Actively push your lower body into the spotter’s hands to lift
your hips.
2 . Once in shoulder stand, reactivate the pull of your arms, and
then slowly lower your hips back down.
3 . Lower your legs to the starting position.

STEP 1 STEP 2

B.
SPOTTER
A . Find a grounded
position about
an arm’s length
from the mover’s
shoulders.
B. Hinge at the
hips—move them
back as you lean
your upper body
forward—to grab
the mover’s feet.
C . Meet the mover’s
resistance and
straighten your
legs as he/she
lifts the spine,
then reverse
the movement
pattern and let
go of the feet
as the mover
returns to the
starting position.

54 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

THE KNEELINGSIDEKICK
MOVER
S E T U P Get into a kneeling position, and extend one
leg out to the side with one hand behind your
head and your other hand on the floor.

1 . Keeping an active side-bend in your body and

your head pushing into your hand (like Neck
Pull), kick your working leg forward as much
as possible.
2 . Swing your leg back as far as possible.
3 . After this set, repeat on your other side.

SPOTTER
Kneeling behind the mover, place one hand
on the top elbow, and cup your other hand
around the outside of the hip of the supporting
leg. Gently traction your hands apart to evoke
length in the upper body and stability in the hip.

STEP 2

BENJAMIN DEGENHARDT has been involved in Pilates
and movement training for more than 15 years, and is the founder
of 360° Pilates, an online education platform and live workshop
program for Pilates professionals. Upon completing classical and
contemporary teacher training and continuously studying with
experts in the movement field, Benjamin developed his perspective
on Pilates by synthesizing historical research on Joseph Pilates’
thought process with a modern understanding of movement, health
and fitness training. He presents his work at conferences and training
facilities around the world. To learn more about Benjamin and
360° Pilates, visit benjamindegenhardt.com and 360pilates.com.
SHANNON BYNUM ADAMS is a classical Pilates instructor
and the owner of the movement studio, Urban Body San Jose
(urbanbodysanjose.com). She’s also licensed to teach The
GYROTONIC ® and GYROKINESIS ® methods and certified in the
American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. Additionally,
she has completed Benjamin Degenhardt’s 360° Pilates program.
Shannon believes in the healing and corrective strength of Pilates,
having used the method to fully recover from orthopedic surgeries,
including two total hip replacements.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 55

PROPerly
Connected

Enlisting the right gear can help integrate the

entire body to boost your performance in the
studio—and keep you injury-free everywhere else.
By Karen Ellis • Edited by Amanda Altman
 ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DO WHEN
WORKING WITH SOMEONE NEW IS ASSESS
AND ADDRESS THE CLIENT’S BASIC SKILL
S E T, N O M AT T E R T H E B O DY I N F R O N T O F M E .
For example, can the client get down to the
ground? What about up off of it? Can they get
a good grip with their feet or hands? Can they
stand tall for more than a minute? Are they
able to focus on doing one task well? These
are important skills at any age. Depending on
what I see, I can make the workout challenging
or focus on finessing the basics. Together
with the client, we explore how all these skills
are connected during a session—to do that
effectively, I have a few often-neglected props
in my arsenal.
I always spend time on footwork, especially
since other forms of fitness typically don’t; the
focus on the feet is one of the things that sets the
Pilates work apart. Footwork is so critical because
Check out how
it’s a chance for people to understand the ways much space these
in which the feet can move, and how the feet
can adapt to surfaces to ultimately function
toe stretchers
better. Foot issues, such as weaknesses in the help to create!
arches, toes and ankles, can result in problems
up the chain of the leg and body; likewise,
weaknesses above the ankles can put great
demands on the feet.
You’ll notice that as people age, bunions can
form and toes can become misaligned (it’s even
worse for people like ex-dancers and high-
heel lovers). Outside of the studio, and during
Pilates if you’re not careful, this misalignment
in the toes can be intensified. A quick solution
is working with toe stretchers: I do simple
proprioceptive and mobility exercises wearing
toe stretchers, and leave them on for much
of the workout to bolster better alignment
Footwork with Toe
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROD FOSTER; HAIR BY TIFFANY LEE, MAKEUP BY MARLA NYAMDORJ; CLOTHES BY PILATES NERD

throughout the foot.

Props can also enlighten the connection from
distal to proximal, like the feet to seat (hips)
Stretchers
or hands to shoulders, or they can help to
D O T H I S I F… you have foot weakness or stiffness,
better organize the joints in any given exercise.
or can’t get a good grip with your feet.
I like to play with squats, hand and wrist
WHY IT WORKS
fitness, shoulder and back mobility and overall
• promotes better alignment of the toes,
strength. The idea is to integrate the body with
specifically the big toe, while articulating
good feedback that translates to improved
through the ankles and joints of the feet
performance in the moment—and beyond the
• mobilizes the toes and strengthens the foot
workout itself. PS
muscles to enhance overall gait
• brings awareness to the feet

S E T U P Sit on a Sitting Box that’s on the floor with

GENERAL GUIDELINES
P R O P S toe stretchers; Sitting Box;
High Heel Rescue Loop; dowel; bean
bag filled with 1–3 pounds of beans
or sand
B R E AT H Breathe naturally throughout.
R E P S Varies
the toe separators on your toes, knees bent,
and your feet parallel and flat on the floor hip-
width apart.
1 . Flex your feet up, and then return them to the
floor. Do 5–8 reps.
2 . Flex your feet up, and then “wrap” your toes
over the toe stretcher; extend your toes. Do
8–10 reps.

I N C R E A S E T H E C O N N E C T I O N When wrapping
and extending your toes, think “jazz toes”—
spread them wide.

M O D I F I C AT I O N Do this exercise without the toe

stretchers. You can also perform it while sitting
on a regular chair or Reformer.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 57

 Footwork with High
Heel Rescue Loop
D O T H I S I F… you need to improve ankle/foot
mobility and strengthen the feet.
WHY IT WORKS
• strengthens the outer hips and the muscles that
rotate the upper leg
• brings awareness to the connection between the
feet and the glutes
Squat Progression on Box
D O T H I S I F… you can’t lower your body from
standing to the mat or vice versa, or if you need
help with the fundamental squat.
WHY IT WORKS
• works on alignment while deeply flexing the hips
and knees
• enhances muscle pliability, joint articulation and
fascial fitness
• provides a cardiovascular challenge
S E T U P Stand tall in front of the Long Box with
your feet parallel and hip-width apart. Holding
onto a dowel, extend your arms forward at
shoulder height.
SETUP
58 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
SETUP
S E T U P Same as Footwork with Toe Stretchers, but
place the Loop around your feet below your toes
and flex your feet up.
SQUATS
1 . Bend your knees to come into a squat, bringing
your hips back over the Box.
2 . Return to standing. Do 3–5 reps.
ROLLING LIKE A BALL
1. Squat all the way down to the Box, set the
dowel aside, and prepare for Rolling Like a Ball:
Rock back on your sit bones with your feet in
Pilates stance (heels together, toes apart), and
hands on your ankles with your elbows wide.
Gaze at your naval, coming into a C curve, and
scoop your belly.
2 . Rock back to the tips of your shoulder blades, and
then rock back to your sit bones. Do 3–5 reps.
S Q UAT S : S T E P 1
 INCREASE THE
C O N N E C T I O N Focus
on minimizing your
knee movement—
when you open the
spring, feel your
outer seat muscles
STEP 1 STEP 2 engage. Try to keep
stable throughout
1 . Open the spring, keeping your heels fixed on 2 . Do 3–5 foot circles in each direction. your legs. Don’t
the floor and feet flexed upward; return to the let your toes flex
starting position. Do 5 reps. more than your feet.

GEAR GUIDE

Yoga Body Toe Separators

ROLLING LIKE A BALL JUMPS ($49.95; store.yogabody.com)
1 . Rock back again, and then as you come forward,
Balanced Body Standard
land on the floor with bent knees and your arms
Sitting Box and 32-inch Maple Dowel
reaching to a high diagonal.
($225 and $27, respectively; pilates.com)
2 . Add a little jump, pointing your toes in midair and
reaching your arms toward the ceiling.
High Heel Rescue LOOP
3 . Squat back down, and then lower back to the
($69.99 for Loop and HHR System;
Box. Do 5 reps.
highheelrescue.com)
I N C R E A S E T H E C O N N E C T I O N As you squat,
Pilates Nerd Bean Bag
don’t allow your knees to come forward of your
($50; pilatesnerd.com)
ankles. Your weight should it be in your heels
to enhance glute activation—your seat is your
power here. While lowering to the floor, stay
lifted in your body—aka defy gravity. Allow the
momentum from the rolling to give you a burst
of energy for the jump!

M O D I F I C AT I O N Instead of jumps, do gentle heel

lifts (relevés).
A DVA N C E D For the jumps, roll on a mat instead of
the Box.

ROLLING LIKE A BALL: ROLLING LIKE A BALL

STEPS 1 & 2 JUMPS: STEPS 1 & 2

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 59

 Bean Bag Series
D O T H I S I F… your hand grip strength is lacking,
or if you have stiffness in your fingers and/or
weak wrists.
WHY IT WORKS
• strengthens the hands, fingers, forearms and back
• increases wrist mobility

S E T U P Stand with your feet hip-width apart and

legs engaged (without locking your knees) on the
Box. Holding onto the bean bag dowel shoulder-
width apart, reach your arms forward to shoulder
level. Prep by isometrically squeezing and pulling
outward on the dowel for a few reps.

ROLL UP AND DOWN

1 . Keeping your arms straight, begin to roll the

dowel toward the floor, reaching the knuckles of
one hand toward the floor and wrapping them
under, as you flex through your other hand and
separate your fingers.
2 . Reverse the roll up of the dowel to bring the bean
bag back up to the starting position. Do 1–3 reps.

SQUATS ON BOX

1 . Repeat Roll Up and Down, adding a squat as you

roll. Do 1–3 reps.

I N C R E A S E T H E C O N N E C T I O N Make sure to fully SETUP

flex through your hand and pull your fingers back
as you roll the bag up and down.

M O D I F I C AT I O N S Remove the beans or sand

from the bag, or just use a dowel. Take breaks if
needed. Omit the box.

ROLL
UP AND
DOWN:
STEP 1

S Q UAT S O N B OX : S T E P 1

60 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

Back Extension
with Dowel
D O T H I S I F… you need to improve
posture and back strength.
WHY IT WORKS
• promotes shoulder alignment while
SETUP
strengthening the back body
• enhances posture

S E T U P Lie facedown on the Box with

your shoulders at the edge while
holding onto the dowel behind
your thighs with straight arms.
Keep your neck neutral, and legs
together and active.

1 . Keeping your legs lifted, gently grip

the dowel and guide your shoulder
blades together while opening your
STEP 1
collarbones. Do 5 reps.
2 . Continue the effort with your
shoulders, but add more upper-
body extension and reach the
dowel toward your feet.
3 . Allow your entire body to rest,
and bring the dowel to the floor
overhead with your arms straight.
4 . Lift and reach your legs and arms.
Do 3–5 reps.

I N C R E A S E T H E C O N N E C T I O N Prep
by placing your hands behind your
head at the base of your skull, and
gently push up on your hands to
help activate your neck muscles. STEP 2

STEPS 3 & 4

KAREN ELLIS is the owner and an instructor at Prana Pilates in Costa Mesa, CA. Her love
of movement began in ballet, and she ultimately earned a BS in dance from Indiana University
and a master’s from University of California Irvine. After her professional ballet career
concluded with injuries, a passion for healing the body—and a new vocation in Pilates—was
born. For the past two decades, Karen has been teaching and evolving as a Pilates teacher. Her
first Pilates training course was with BASI and she later completed the Power Pilates Bridge
Certification, which set her on a continuous course of exploring other beautiful lineages and
the insightful people who bring Pilates to life.
In 2013, Karen created Pilates Nerd®, a line of clothing and accessories now sold
internationally and by Balanced Body, Inc. The Pilates Nerd brand aptly depicts the love and
enthusiasm she has for Pilates. One of her greatest joys is connecting people through the
awareness and benefits that Pilates has to offer. Karen is also currently a faculty member
at Orange Coast College. For more information, visit pilatesnerd.com or Karen’s Instagram
page, @pilatesnerd.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 61

How to
 Break the Habit
Creating a balanced body is the ultimate goal in
Pilates. But how do you detect and overcome those
compensations? Start with these Reformer exercises.
By Mandy Hylands Wright • Edited by Amanda Altman

M Y PA S S I O N A S A drinking enough water, deviations? Where are where you tend to

P I L AT E S T E A C H E R
IS TO HELP MY
S T U D E N T S B E CO M E
M O R E AWA R E O F
CO M P E N S AT I O N S
T H AT H AV E B E CO M E
H A B I T S . I’m constantly
on the lookout
throughout each
session to find these
detrimental patterns,
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROD FOSTER; HAIR BY TIFFANY LEE, MAKEUP BY MARLA NYAMDORJ; MANDY’S OWN TOP, BOTTOMS BY NUX
and choose sugary, these compensations carry all of your weight.
fatty foods, along with occurring? What Discover your natural
alcohol and Netflix muscles are inhibited? posture, and what
binges. Reinforcing What muscle is you can do to correct
good habits seems overworking? Simply it. Taking a video of
counterintuitive as our ask yourself, What do I yourself while doing an
bodies store the stress see? Make a note and exercise is a great way
we’re experiencing. continue observing. to get feedback.
Unless we find positive Eventually, you’ll see One of my
ways to release this a common thread most successful
tension, it slowly and have this aha undertakings has been

which can result in solidifies in our joints moment: The same my weekly sessions
serious injury and and muscles. Ultimately, compensations are with my teacher
damage to the body rounded shoulders and occurring throughout Constance Holder.
left unaddressed. spinal compressions all the movements! I have invested in
As I enter my 50s, result. That’s why we Be patient, though—a my education, and
this interest in good need to learn to take keen eye can’t be it has enabled me to
mechanics and responsibility for our purchased, it must be grow in my work and
functional movement bodies, and create earned. That’s another personally, beyond my
has only intensified. new awareness within reason it’s essential expectations.
I want to enjoy the ourselves. that educators But back to this
next decade of my Sound ambitious? continue to receive series: The following
life and on, and limit Remember that the regular sessions. movements highlight
dysfunction, pain and mind and body share a Picture a chef who compensations, and
restrictive movement symbiotic relationship: never ate, but only help me guide clients in
patterns as much as Just as we have the cooked; how would discovering enhanced
possible. power to control our they ever improve balance and harmony
I’ve found that during thoughts, we have their craft? within their bodies.
times of stress we often the power to control Students, heed the Because life’s too short
revert to old patterns awareness of our advice of my mentor to not feel good! PS
regardless of how much movement. Rael Isacowitz: “Ninety
we’ve worked toward As a teacher, how percent of the success
the good ones. We can you sharpen your of an exercise is in the GENERAL GUIDELINES
often stop exercising, eye and spot these setup.” Make a mental
sleeping well and compensations or checklist to make P R O P Reformer Sitting Box
sure you’re setting B R E AT H Varies
yourself up for success, R E P S Varies
Remember that the mind and also check in T I P Modify an exercise if you feel any strain
throughout your or tension. It’s more important that you’re
and body share a symbiotic session: Are you aware using the correct muscle group.
relationship: Just as we have the of bony landmarks? Do
you feel balance within
power to control our thoughts, your pelvis? Are your
we have the power to control scapulae neutral? Try
shifting from one leg to
awareness of our movement. another, and observe
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 63
 DOUBLE-LEG STRETCH
S P R I N G S E T T I N G heavy (all springs)
P U R P O S E increases abdominal strength and
shoulder mobility

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R
• Limited mobility in shoulder flexion and in the
thoracic spine.
• Weak hip extensors and abdominals. SETUP

S E T U P Lie on the Long Box with the tips of your

shoulders at the back edge. Curl your upper
torso up while bringing your legs to tabletop
with your hands pressing down on both knees.
Engage your abdominals and softly press your
lower back into the Box.

1 . Inhale as you extend your arms by your hips and

your legs to a high diagonal.
2 . Exhale as you circle your arms overhead and
extend your upper torso over the Box, allowing
your head to dip toward the well.
3 . Lift your upper torso as you circle your arms STEP 1
toward your hips.
4 . Bend your knees to tabletop and return your
hands to your knees to come back to the starting
position. Do 8–10 reps.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N Initiating the movement from

your abdominals.

M O D I F I C AT I O N S Be aware if your lower back

is compensating for weak abdominals. Try
extending your legs at a higher diagonal, or keep
your knees bent as you hinge from your hips.
STEP 2

CHEST EXPANSION (SINGLE ARM

WITH ROTATION)
S P R I N G S E T T I N G light
P U R P O S E works the lats and abdominals
unilaterally to observe compensations

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R Pulling on the
neck, an indicator of weak abdominals.

S E T U P Kneel on the carriage against the shoulder rests

SETUP while choking up on the straps. Inhale to prepare.

1 . Exhale as you draw one arm down and back.

Inhale and hold.
2 . Exhale as you rotate to the side of your
extended arm.
3 . Inhale as you return to the starting position. Do
8–10 reps on both sides.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N
• Keeping your pelvis under your rib cage, and your
abdominals engaged.
• Minimizing deviations if you find yourself shifting
laterally during the rotation.

M O D I F I C AT I O N S Omit the rotation, and/or use

STEP 2
both arms to pull down and back.

64 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

THIGH
STRETCH WITH
EXTENSION
S P R I N G S E T T I N G light
P U R P O S E stretches the
thighs with thoracic
(rib cage) extension

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O
LOOK FOR
• Moving from the
thoracic spine.
• Pelvic instability—not
keeping the pelvis in
neutral or in a slight
posterior tilt.

S E T U P Same as Chest
Expansion, but slightly
tilt your pelvis.

1 . Exhale as you hinge

from your knee joints SETUP
while maintaining a
long spine with a bias
toward a pelvic tuck
(to prevent going into
your low back).
2 . Inhale as you extend
your upper body
while maintaining
your abdominal
engagement. Do
3–6 reps.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N
• Keeping your torso
consistently stable
throughout.
• Where you initiate
the movement—
don’t lead with your
upper body.

M O D I F I C AT I O N
Decrease your range
of motion. STEP 1

STEP 2

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 65

 REVERSE LUNGE WITH BALANCE
S P R I N G S E T T I N G light
P U R P O S E promotes hip flexor and hamstring stretch

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R Difficulty keeping both sides

of the pelvis on the same plane and the hips to the front.

S E T U P Stand on the carriage in a lunge position with one foot

between the shoulder blocks, and the other turned out on
the edge of the footbar. Extend your arms out to your sides,
palms facing forward. Inhale to prepare.

1 . Exhale as you extend your front leg, allowing the carriage

to move.
2 . Inhale as you return to the starting position. Do
3–6 reps on both sides.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N Keeping your head on the

same plane as you move in and out—don’t
bob up and down—and staying level in your
body as you move your leg.

M O D I F I C AT I O N S Use a pole for

balance, or place your hands on the
shoulder rests.

SETUP

STEP 1

66 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

SINGLE-LEG SKATE
S P R I N G S E T T I N G light
P U R P O S E strengthens the glutes

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R
• Shifting weight off the standing leg.
• Hiking the hip on the working leg.

S E T U P Facing sideways to the Reformer, stand tall

with one foot on the platform, and your other
foot on the carriage edge at a slightly pronated
angle. Place your hands on your hips, and bend SETUP
your knees. Inhale to prepare.

1 . Exhale as you extend your leg on the carriage,

keeping your heels planted; pause.
2 . Inhale as you resist the carriage home. Do 8–10
reps on both legs.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N
• Maintaining a neutral spine.
• Pressing through your heel, and your moving leg
down and away.

STEP 1

DOUBLE-LEG SKATE
S P R I N G S E T T I N G light
P U R P O S E promotes glute strength

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R
• Pushing more with one leg than the other.
• Hiking the hip before movement begins.

S E T U P Same as Single-Leg Skate, but move your

carriage leg toward the middle of the carriage
and hinge forward at your hips, keeping them
slightly internally rotated. Extend your arms out
to your sides, palms down.

1 . Exhale as you extend both legs simultaneously.

2 . Inhale to return to the starting position. Do 8–10 SETUP
reps on both sides.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N Working both legs equally.

STEP 2

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 67

 SIDE SPLITS
S P R I N G S E T T I N G medium
P U R P O S E increases inner-thigh stretch,
abdominal control and torso stability

C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R
• Hiking the hip.
• Inner-thigh imbalances.

S E T U P Same as Double-Leg Skate, but

move your carriage leg closer to the
shoulder rests and flip your palms to
face the ceiling.

1 . Inhale as you extend your leg and

move the carriage out; pause.
2 . Exhale as you return to the starting
position. Do 3–6 reps on both sides.

W H AT T O F O C U S O N Keeping your
spine neutral—there’s a bias toward a
posterior tilt.

SETUP

GEAR GUIDE

BASI Systems Reformer and

Sitting Box ($4,345 and $295,
respectively; basisystems.com)

STEP 1

68 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

SIDE-OVERS
S P R I N G S E T T I N G heavy
P U R P O S E stretches and strengthens the obliques
C O M P E N S AT I O N S T O L O O K F O R
• A forward head.
• Losing the muscle engagement on the
underside obliques.
S E T U P Facing sideways to the Reformer, sit on the
Short Box with one foot anchored in the foot
strap, and your other knee bent on the Box. Place
your hands behind your head, keeping both sides
of your body elongated, and lean toward the
well so your body is on a diagonal.
1 . Inhale as you reach out and over, bringing your
body closer to the well.
2 . Exhale to return to the starting position. Do 3–5
reps on both sides.
W H AT T O F O C U S O N
• Keeping both sides of your body pulling away
from the footbar.
• Moving your elbow toward the ceiling as you
return to start.
A DVA N C E D Extend your arms by your ears. On the
last rep, rotate your torso and place your hands
on the frame for a stretch; hold for a breath.

SETUP & STEP 1

ADVANCED

MANDY WRIGHT has always been physically active, with interests ranging from kickboxing to raising
three rambunctious boys. She fulfilled a lifetime dream by opening Ojai Pilates by Mandy in Ojai, CA, and
currently works with the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa and at The Studio at Padaro Beach, home of Pilates Anytime.
A BASI Pilates–certified teacher, Mandy has been teaching for almost 10 years, and continues to learn and
grow as a teacher and an international presenter. Mandy is currently a BASI faculty member, having taught
the teacher-training program and various workshops in Tokyo, Beijing, Buenos Aires and across America. She
is also a NASM-certified personal trainer and -corrective exercise specialist and a MADDOG Spin instructor.
Mandy’s focus is on creating better posture for her clients though renewed awareness and improved functional
movement for a healthy and joyous life. For more information, visit ojaipilates.com.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 69


WHEN THERE’S A
MAGIC CIRCLE IN
THE MIDDLE OF
T H E F LO O R O R A
MEDLEY OF BANDS
S TRUNG ACROSS THE
R E F O R M E R AT G O L D
L I N E P I L AT E S I N
PA S A D E N A , C A , “ I A M
T H E L I K E LY C U L P R I T ! ”
laughs founder and
CEO Melissa Woolf.
“My mother's nickname
for me is ‘Messy Missy.’
I always joke that
nobody is allowed
to call me Missy. But
Messy? I won’t be
offended by that!”
Even though she
knows she’s not a
natural organizer, “I
rarely admit it out
loud because there’s
a stigma that the
opposite of organized
is dirty, lazy, inefficient
or scattered. Even so,
I totally get that many
of my colleagues
and clients like to be
more organized. And
it is always my goal
to make my studio a
safe and comfortable
place for everyone.”
So six months ago, she
reached out to Abbey
Claire, a professional
organizer in Pasadena.
Organization is not
a one-size-fits-all
proposition. The end
goal is not a spotless
studio; it’s a setup
that enhances the
space’s usefulness
70 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
WAYS TO
SPRING-CLEAN
YOUR SPACE—
AND MIND
Practicing mindfulness to conquer
clutter will not only give you a tidy,
well-ordered space, but it will also
help lower your stress levels and
enhance your mental health.
by Stacy Baker Masand
and tranquility as well
as the contentment
of its users. “I started
by asking Melissa her
CLUTTER the past, to a memory,
goals for the space,”
INCREASES to a person or to a
says Claire. “Flow
STRESS future wish. One of the
and energy were her
HORMONES principles of Buddhism
priorities, rather than
Messy, disordered is that we should be
having things perfectly
spaces not only living in the moment,
‘ordered' and labeled,”
translate to taking not focusing on the
Claire says. “We decided
longer to find what future wishes or past
on a plan of action, and
you need, they can concerns.”
ended up by sorting
also lead to feelings Her Pilates studio
items by usefulness and
of stress or being is minimalistic,
relevance.”
overwhelmed, says reflecting her belief
“Abbey was the
Chantale Bordonaro, that cleanliness and
perfect match for me
the founder and CEO of organization “allow
and my studio,” says
San Francisco–based the mind to find
Woolf. “She realized
Simplicity Source. clarity.” She points
that I'm not a hospital-
Research backs her up: to the visual impact
corners kind of person,
A 2012 study by UCLA’s of environments on
but I did have ideas
Center on Everyday how we feel and think,
about the flow of
Lives of Families found even subconsciously.
the studio. She is a
that families whose “The cleaner and more
Pilates practitioner,
homes had lots of organized your space,
so she had a leg up in
clutter experienced the more you can find an
understanding how
higher cortisol levels. emptiness in your mind
the studio should
The study also showed that allows for presence
be arranged from a
an increase in stress in your body,” she says.
practical and aesthetic
levels when it came to “In order to feel more
standpoint. She put
getting rid of items with calm and at ease with
together flexible but
sentimental value or your environment,
functional systems that
perceived value. you need to find the
even ‘Messy Missy’ can
“I’m a huge believer balance of what an
adhere to.
in decluttering because organized space and
“Since Abbey has
it allows us to have an mind mean for you,”
worked her magic on us,
environment where we Bordonaro says. “It can
I believe it has improved
can be present,” says help you feel more zen
the studio's overall
Erika Bloom, founder and leave you more
image as a competent,
of six locations of Erika time to enjoy life itself
put-together, serene
Bloom Pilates, including more.” To help you free
and professional
in New York City and up mental and physical
place. From a client
Los Angeles. “There are space, we asked top
perspective, I can really
so many items we hang experts for their best
see how her changes
on to because they tips on tossing clutter
increased productivity
have a connection to and getting organized.
and diminished noise.”

1.
T H I N K A B O U T S P O T- F I X I N G .
Organizing an entire home—or even
multiple rooms—all at once can
seem overwhelming. Andrea Maida,
founder of Pilates Andrea in Solana Beach, CA,
creates cleaning “themes” to stay focused. “In one
organization session, the theme of the day was
‘drawers,’” she says. “I organized and decluttered
every drawer space in my home—kitchen, hallway,
bedroom and bathroom.” That way, you're less
likely to get overwhelmed and give up.
3 p AN!!
m
E
3. CL
T H I N K O F A M A N T R A . Mantras can
keep you stay focused on your end goal,
and why you’re decluttering in the first
place. Maida’s go-to motivator? “A place
for everything, and everything in its place.” To that
end, she evaluates every item before she commits to
keeping it. “Do I need it? Does it please me in some
way? How did I come to own it? Does it hold an
emotional component when I look at it?” she says.
“Also, I don’t advise throwing away items that aren’t
yours. Trust me on that one.” (Yes, that even means
even your spouse’s Little League trophies.)

2.
D O A M I N I T I DY I N G S E S S I O N .

“Make sure you’re done organizing
one place before you move on to
another because it always looks worse
before it looks better,” advises Bordonaro. “If you
start with the top of your desk, don’t also work on
your files. Finish the desk, reward yourself, move
on to the files.” The worst thing you can do is to
run out of time or energy when the desk and the
files are half done and everything's even messier
than when you started.
4.
R E F R A M E YO U R T H I N K I N G .
When you think of decluttering as
something that’s empowering versus
a punishment, your whole mind-set
will change, says Bordonaro. “Remind yourself
that you deserve to have nice things, not socks
with holes, towels with stains, workout gear that
doesn’t perform anymore,” she says. “When you
hold yourself to this standard, you’re showing self-
respect and self-love. By surrounding yourself with
things that are beautiful, that work, that streamline
your life, you’re not just making your life more
efficient and less stressed, you’re reflecting a state
of mind about your life that you can take with you to
the outside world.”

e for
A placthing,
every d
an g
PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK

in
everytihts
in
place.
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 71
 5.
U N C L U T T E R W H E N YO U ’ R E
U N F O C U S E D. You know those times
when you’re feeling unproductive or
can’t concentrate on work? Instead
of jumping on social media, Bordonaro suggests
setting a timer for 15 minutes and tackling some
clutter—a messy desk, a junk drawer or a laundry
pile. It helps you refocus your energy, prevents you
from wasting time and revs your momentum for
getting back to work.
6.
B LO C K I T O N A C A L E N DA R . Bloom
puts a day of organizing on her calendar
once every month or two so she stays
ahead of the clutter, rather than doing
a little every day to stay organized. If you don’t have
an entire day to dedicate to organizing, carve out an
hour every Saturday morning for a few weeks until
the project is done, suggests Bordonaro.
7.
D E C L U T T E R B E F O R E O R G A N I Z I N G . The
majority of us organize in reverse order.
“Most people decide to get organized,
then go out and buy a bunch of
organizing supplies, only to get home and discover
they don’t fit their space or needs,” Bordonaro says.
If you declutter first, you can cut the amount you
need to organize in half, which means you need to
purchase fewer containers.
72 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
8.
S W I T C H T O C LO T H . Speaking of
containers, plastic organizers are great
for storage, but they’re not very eco-
friendly. Bordonaro organizes her eco-
conscious clients’ homes using fabric containers
that are both chic and sturdy.
9.
C U S T O M I Z E YO U R S Y S T E M . Consider
how your brain works, and try to
organize according to your natural ways
of thinking, whether you’re tackling a
pantry, garage or filing cabinet. Take spices: Some
people organize them alphabetically, some by flavor
(salty versus sweet versus spicy), others by cooking
genre (say, Thai versus French). “For some people,
when they sort according to how they use the
spices, it’s more efficient,” Bordonaro says.
10.
P R I O R I T I Z E BY H O W YO U
U S E T H I N G S . If you never use
the toaster, don’t keep it on the
counter. Or if that set of napkin
rings you use once a year takes up valuable drawer
real estate, consider exchanging it for what you do
use every day, says Woolf. “For me, premium storage
space should house the most frequently used items.”
For instance, in her Pilates studio, Woolf gives the
balls and bands that are used the most often the
premium, most convenient storage locations. PHOTOS BY BIGSTOCK
 How to Become a
Mindful Shopper
With new trends popping up all the time and social media
constantly reminding us of what we don’t have, it’s easy to get in
the “more is better” zone—especially when a new pair of shoes
or bag is just a click away. But becoming more mindful as you
shop isn’t as hard as you’d think with these simple tips.

T RY “ N O S H O P P I N G ” M O N T H S . Pilates teacher Andrea Maida

follows several blogs that impose “no buy” and “low buy” months
throughout the year, which means you can’t shop unless you’re
replacing products that run out. Impose your own “no shopping”
month, and if you need inspiration or community support, ask friends
to join in.

H O S T A S WA P…W I T H C O N D I T I O N S . If you’re in the mood to shop,

instead think about swapping with friends who have the same fashion

11.
sense as you (and wear similar sizes). “It’s a fun way to help each other
T R A S H YO U R S N A I L M A I L .
declutter,” Maida says. Just make sure you give away more than you
Maida makes her entryway a
take home, she adds.
place to streamline incoming
mail. “Keep a small recycling
C R E AT E “ H A N D - M E- D O W N ” C I R C L E S . Studio owner Erika Bloom
basket nearby, and the junk mail can go right in!”
started creating these for her friends who also have younger kids. She

12.
organized boxes labeled by age and sex in her master closet; when
AT TA C K YO U R B O O K P I L E S .
they’re filled, she gives them away to other parents.
Another item Maida is ruthless
about is books, which can stack
D O N ’ T T O S S YO U R T-S H I R T S — R E P U R P O S E T H E M . Professional
up and collect dust, only to
organizer Chantale Bordonaro advises her clients to use their stained
never be read again. To breathe new life into them,
white Ts, which resale shops don’t want, as filler in decorative pillow
she passes them onto friends or donates them to
covers instead of buying inserts. Or try them as cleaning rags.
her local library.

13.
INCREASE GOOD
K N O W W H O W I L L U S E YO U R
V I B E S . Repair or restore
D O N AT I O N . Whether it’s
items you love instead
clothes, furniture or other
of buying replacements.
household items, someone
“I recently had clothing
else can probably use what you don’t want. “When
that needed to be
you have a place in mind where you’re going to
repaired or altered as
donate, it’s easier to let go,” says Bordonaro. She
well as boots and shoes
points to a non-profit in San Francisco called Scrap,
to clean up,” Maida
where people can donate anything from office and
says. “The process of
art supplies to textiles and construction material.
returning these things
Instead of it going into landfills, those items are used
to their former glory
in free or low-cost workshops for kids or sold at
was extremely satisfying
reduced prices. PS
and energizing.”

A S K W H Y YO U WA N T S O M E T H I N G . Before Bloom buys new

products, she questions why she truly needs it. “Living in New York,
it’s hard not to get sucked into the consumerism when there’s always
a new handbag or item of clothing you have to have,” she says. So
before pulling out her credit card, “I do a lot of self-reflection. I ask
myself why I need this particular handbag when I already have three.
Ninety-nine percent of the time I realize I don’t need it.”

D O N ’ T G E T S U C K E D I N T O A G R E AT S A L E . It’s always tempting to

buy what you don’t need when it’s a bargain, but Bloom says that’s
when you get into trouble. Before hitting a sale, she creates a list of
“holes” in her wardrobe or household items she needs, so she doesn’t
buy things she doesn’t need just because it’s a deal.

AVO I D “ C H A R D O N N AY S H O P P I N G .” Bloom suggests not browsing

online after you’ve had a drink—it’s just too hard to resist temptation.
Even if it’s just one glass.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 73

 NUTRITIOUS + DELICIOUS RECIPES

Get Cooking

Oodles of
Mediterranean Zucchini Pasta Salad
(Makes 6 servings)

FAUX
Chock-full of salty flavor from the olives and chickpeas
and filled with plenty of vegetables, this zucchini pasta
salad is going to give the Italian version a run for its
money! This salad is best the next day, when the zucchini

Noodles
has softened and absorbed all the flavors of the dressing.

If your spiralizer is
starting to gather some
dust, these nutritious
spins on comfort food
using veggie spaghetti
will make you want to
get twirling again. For the dressing:
¼ CUP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Recipes by Ali Maffucci 2 TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR
1 TABLESPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE
1 TEASPOON DRIED OREGANO
½ TEASPOON DRIED PARSLEY
½ TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
1 TEASPOON DIJON MUSTARD
FINE SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

For the salad:

2 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI
1 SMALL RED ONION
1 (14-OUNCE) CAN QUARTERED ARTICHOKE HEARTS, DRAINED
½ CUP HALVED PITTED KALAMATA OLIVES
1 (15-OUNCE) CAN CHICKPEAS, DRAINED AND RINSED
½ CUP CRUMBLED FETA CHEESE (OPTIONAL)
2 CUPS BABY SPINACH
1 CUP CHERRY TOMATOES, HALVED

These tasty, twisty recipes are reprinted
from Inspiralized and Beyond.
Copyright © 2018 by Alissandra Maffucci.
Photographs copyright © 2018 by Evan
Sung. Published by Clarkson Potter/
Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random
House, LLC.
1 . Make the dressing. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.
2. Make the salad: Slice the zucchini halfway through lengthwise, being careful
not to pierce through the center. Spiralize with Blade C (flatter, linguine-shaped
noodles) and put the noodles in a large bowl. Slice the onion halfway through
lengthwise, being careful not to pierce through the center. Spiralize the onion
with Blade A (thin, ribbon-like noodles) and add half the onion noodles to
the bowl with the zucchini noodles. (Save the rest for another use.) Add the
artichokes, olives, chickpeas, feta (if using), spinach and tomatoes.
3 . Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to combine. Serve immediately
or refrigerate until ready to serve.
PER SERV ING: 238 CALORIES / 13G FAT / 736MG SODIUM / 22G CARBS / 8G FIBER /
5G SUGAR / 13G PROTEIN

74 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

Ricotta and Spinach Spaghetti Pie
(Makes 6 servings)

Spaghetti pie is an effective use for leftover pasta (if you

ever have any...). This spiralized version uses potato
noodles instead of processed pasta to give you a bigger
nutritional bang for your buck. The spinach sneaks in
some dark-leafy-green calcium, and the ricotta gives
the pie a fluffy, velvety texture and comfort-food flavor,
making this dish a crowd-pleaser.

1 TABLESPOON EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

3 LARGE RUSSET POTATOES, PEELED AND SPIRALIZED
WITH BLADE D
1 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
FINE SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
6 CUPS PACKED SPINACH, CHOPPED WELL
3 MEDIUM EGGS, BEATEN
½ CUP RICOTTA (IF DESIRED, YOU CAN USE PART SKIM)
1 . Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2 . Heat the oil in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over
medium-high. When the oil is shimmering, add
the potatoes and garlic powder. Season with salt
and pepper. Cook, tossing, until lightly browned,
about 10 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
Let cool for 5 minutes.
3 . Immediately add the spinach to the skillet and
cook, stirring until wilted, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the spinach to the bowl with the
potatoes, and add the eggs and ricotta. Season
with salt and pepper and toss well to combine.
4 . In the same skillet, spread the mixture into an
even layer. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the
noodles are set when pressed with the back of a
spatula and the edges are just beginning to crisp.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
PER SERV ING: 219 CALORIES / 13G FAT / 207 MG SODIUM /
15G CARBS / 1G FIBER / 1G SUGAR / 12G PROTEIN

Sweet Potato Waffle Grilled Cheese

(Makes 2 servings)

A waffled grilled cheese truly is a fun spin on the

original. Of course, with just cheese and bread, there’s
not much nutritional value, so I set out to make a
healthier spiralized version—using my spiralized sweet
potato waffles! Sweet potatoes add a sweet flavor
to complement the savory cheese and bring added
nutritional benefits, such as vitamins A and C and
potassium. See—even grilled cheese can become a
healthy treat!

1 TABLESPOON EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1 LARGE SWEET POTATO, PEELED, SPIRALIZED WITH
BLADE D (SPAGHETTI-SHAPED) AND TRIMMED
FINE SEA SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
1 LARGE EGG, BEATEN
COOKING SPRAY FOR GREASING
1–2 SLICES WHITE CHEDDAR CHEESE
1 . Preheat a waffle iron according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
2 . Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. When
the oil is shimmering, add the sweet potatoes
and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing,
for about 10 minutes, until the noodles are
warmed through. Transfer the noodles to a large
bowl and add the egg. Toss to coat.
3 . Spray the preheated waffle iron with cooking
spray and carefully pack in the noodles. Cook
according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Carefully remove the waffle and transfer to a
plate. Repeat with the remaining noodles.
4 . Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray again
and return 1 waffle to the iron, fitting it into the
grooves. Top with the cheese and place the
other waffle on top. Close the waffle iron (it’s
okay if it doesn’t close completely), and cook
until the cheese melts and oozes from the sides,
about 5 minutes.
5 . Carefully remove the waffle grilled cheese and
cut it in half with a sharp knife before serving.
PER SERV ING: 143 CALORIES / 6G FAT / 262MG SODIUM /
216G CARBS / 2G FIBER / 3G SUGAR / 7G PROTEIN

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 75

 BALANCE OUT YOUR PRACTICE

Complements

When
NATURE
Calls
When they’re not in the studio, these
Pilates teachers head outdoors to
pursue their (second-favorite) activity.
by Anne Marie O’Connor

THE STAND-UP
R IGH T: JESSICA NEWSHEL
ADVISES TRYING

PADDLEBOARDING DEVOTEE
OUT STAND-UP
PADDLEBOARDING
ON A LAKE OR RIVER—
IT’S EASIER AS THERE ARE
FEWER WAVES.
“I am lucky enough to live in a town with access to a river and a beach.
Stand-up paddleboarding is a beautiful way to explore the coastline. It’s
very social as well—I usually go with a friend or two.” —Jessica Newshel,
owner of Pilates Girl in Westport, CT

H O W S H E G O T I N T O I T: In 2013, my first summer H O W S U P C O M P L E M E N T S H E R P I L AT E S : SUP

living in Westport, the town’s recreation department
offered a lesson for beginners.
H E R C U R R E N T P R A C T I C E : Depending on the
weather, I paddleboard from May to October.
I especially love going on weekdays—it’s very
peaceful and there’s less boat traffic. It’s the kind of
exercise you can do while chatting with a friend. I
even do the Pilates Abdominal Series on the board.
H O W P I L AT E S E N H A N C E S S U P : I wasn’t sure
how my Pilates practice complemented SUP until I
paddled with friends who had a much harder time
staying on the board and were fatiguing quickly!
The core strength I get from Pilates helps me to stay
balanced on the board, and the focus on my form
helps me paddle more efficiently. This control and
purposefulness embodies the Pilates principles.
helps me remember to focus on my posture and
balance when I’m practicing Pilates. The key to SUP
is balance, and keeping my balance on the board
reinforces what I practice in my Pilates studio—using
my center as a strong foundation.
A DV I C E F O R P I L AT E S P R A C T I T I O N E R S W H O
WA N T T O T RY S U P : SUP is not hard, but try it on
a river or lake first. It’s much easier to get a feel for
it without worrying about waves. Buying a board is
quite an investment, as you not only need the board
but the roof rack for your car and the garage space
(and it can be hard to get the paddleboard from the
car into the water). So I just rent one; there are two
places near me where you can rent the boards, and
then launch directly into the water.

76 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 THE HIKING ENTHUSIAST
CLO CK W ISE F ROM TOP:
TERESA MARCHOK TESTING
HER BALANCE (ABOVE)
AND DOING A SIDE PLANK
“Aging strong is important to me, and supplementing my Pilates DURING A HIKE AT BRYCE
CANYON NATIONAL PARK;
with hiking was a natural choice. The fact that my husband and I, PERFORMING TEASER AT
50-plus-year-old parents, can experience this amazing activity with HALF DOME IN YOSEMITE
NATIONAL PARK.
our autistic daughter and electronics-addicted son really underscores
the accessibility, and magic, of hiking.” —Teresa Marchok, founder of
Pilates with Teresa in Mountain View, CA

H O W S H E G O T I N T O I T: I grew up in the
Bronx, and then lived in Manhattan when I was
a professional dancer, so I only started seriously
hiking when I moved to California 22 years ago. My
husband Tom has always been an avid hiker; after
we had kids, we realized that hiking would be a great
family activity. We started hiking when my daughter,
who’s now 19, and my son, 17, were babies.

H E R C U R R E N T P R A C T I C E : We generally hike four

to six times a month. Locally we hike the Stanford
“Dish,” Rancho San Antonio and Pinnacles National
Park. We also go on big hiking trips two to three
times a year. We’ve gone to Yosemite National Park
every year since we were married there over 20 years
ago. Once our children became teenagers, Tom
rallied us to embark on a summit of Half Dome in
Yosemite. This strenuous 18-mile trek culminates in
a 400-foot granite rock ascent, pulling yourself up
with cables. With my husband’s encouragement
and proper preparation, our entire family has made
it to the top of Half Dome several times, where we
enjoyed the reward of spectacular views and an
unparalleled sense of achievement.
In addition to Yosemite, our hikes have taken us to
places like Yellowstone National Park, Sequoia and
Kings Canyon National Parks and the Grand Canyon.
My absolute favorite has been Bryce Canyon National
Park in Utah. Every time I turned a corner, these
amazing, otherworldly orange, red and white natural
spires called “hoodoos” took my breath away.
I love the way hiking makes me feel, and I love
the opportunity to unplug as a family. With no
Wi-Fi or Internet, it’s just nature, conversation and
amazing views.
H O W P I L AT E S E N H A N C E S H E R H I K I N G : It
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JESSICA NEWSHEL AND TERESA MARCHOK
flexibility. I am such an advocate of the connection
that I created a “Half Dome” workout in Volume I of
my DVD, BoneSmart Pilates: Aging Strong, which
includes Pilates exercises designed to help with
hiking. When I hike, I’m present in the moment and
my Pilates subconscious guides me to move with
efficiency, intention and ease.
H O W H I K I N G C O M P L E M E N T S H E R P I L AT E S :
It improves my muscular endurance as well as my
coordination and cardiovascular system, rounding
out my fitness profile.
A DV I C E F O R P I L AT E S P R A C T I T I O N E R S W H O
WA N T T O T RY H I K I N G : I highly recommend
trekking poles. They’ve transformed my hiking into
an integrated upper- and lower-body workout. And
for those who have joint issues like painful knees, the
poles can help offload impact to your joints, and the

provides a solid foundation of strength and extra points of contact help with balance.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 77

 THE SURFING FANATIC
L EF T TO R IGH T: JAMIE
ISAAC DOES A SINGLE-LEG
STRETCH ON THE BEACH;
AND CATCHING A WAVE.
“From the first thrill of riding a wave, to dropping down the face of a
bigger wave or traveling through a perfect barrel, there’s no feeling
on earth quite like surfing!” —Jamie Isaac, founder of Fluid Art
Pilates in Vista, CA
H O W H E G O T I N T O I T: I grew up on the Isle
of Wight in the English Channel. We’d spend
all summer body surfing. One year, one of my
childhood role models showed me how he surfed
on a real surfboard. I worked all summer, saved up
and bought my first surfboard. I’d go to the beach to
surf every chance I could get.
H I S C U R R E N T P R A C T I C E : These days I live in
Southern California. I’ll paddle out whether the
conditions are good or bad, even if it means paddling
out at sunrise to fit in a session. There are so many
reasons to love surfing: the thrill and adrenaline, the
incredible sunsets, surfing with dolphins or sharing
surf stories around a beach campfire.
H O W P I L AT E S E N H A N C E S H I S S U R F I N G :
The minute I started doing Pilates regularly, I
experienced a change in my surfing. Immediately,
I noticed that I wiped out a lot less. I could take off
on bigger waves, and I felt much more confident,
focused, in control and prepared to adapt to the
ever-changing environment of the wave. My turns
78 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018
became much more powerful and dynamic, and I
was paddling much faster and stronger. This meant
catching more waves, and therefore having more
fun! I recovered much faster too, so I was recharged
and ready for my next session, with fewer aches and
pains and less muscle fatigue.
H O W S U R F I N G C O M P L E M E N T S H I S P I L AT E S :
With surfing, the environment is constantly
changing. This inspires me to challenge myself
and other surfers in the same way in the studio.
We’ll play with the tempo and rhythm of exercises,
and challenge stability with wobble cushions,
balls and rollers to complement the more
traditional work.
A DV I C E F O R P I L AT E S P R A C T I T I O N E R S W H O
WA N T T O T RY S U R F I N G : If you can swim, surfing
is for you! Like Pilates, the important part is to find
a good teacher or reputable school with big, soft
beginner boards and either warm water or a good
wetsuit. Then jump with one goal in mind: To have
as much fun as you possibly can!
 THE ULTIMATE FRISBEE BUFF
TOP TO BOT TOM: EMILY
SMITH-WILSON (CENTER)
ENJOYS THE CAMARADERIE
OF ULTIMATE FRISBEE;
“I love Ultimate Frisbee because it’s self-officiated; competitive play is BARBARA TOBISCH LOVES
THAT NORDIC WALKING
encouraged, though not at the expense of mutual respect between GETS HER OUT OF THE
competitors. And I love that it always gives me goals and reasons STUDIO AND INTO NATURE.

to get some cardio in.” —Emily Smith-Wilson, founder of Movement

Continuum Studio in Bozeman, MT

H O W S H E G O T I N T O I T: I began playing Ultimate H O W U LT I M AT E F R I S B E E C O M P L E M E N T S

Frisbee in 2000. My bosses at the bike and ski H E R P I L AT E S : Ultimate Frisbee requires a lot
shop where I worked in my hometown of West of endurance, which also crosses over into my
Yellowstone, MT, were always looking for people to Pilates practice.
play an Ultimate Frisbee game of seven on seven.
Soon I was playing in two-day tournaments. A DV I C E F O R P I L AT E S P R A C T I T I O N E R S W H O
WA N T T O T RY U LT I M AT E F R I S B E E : There are tons
H E R C U R R E N T P R A C T I C E : I play on a team based of leagues in big cities, both here and around the
out of Missoula, MT. In 2008, we won the National world. Google “pick-up games” in your area, and
Championship and then in 2010, we won a bronze then show up with a light, a dark shirt and a pair of
medal at the World Championships in Prague. In cleats for hours of healthy fun!
2012, I played with Team Boston Godiva and won
silver at Worlds in Lecco, Italy. Then last year I was
selected for Team USA, and we won gold at Worlds
in Royan, France. Depending upon my tournament
schedule, my season generally runs from April
through October. These tournaments consist of
anywhere from two to seven days of competition,
which can be grueling.

H O W P I L AT E S E N H A N C E S H E R G A M E : Pilates
gives me ridiculous strength, coordination and
control of my body, which translates into having
endurance through long points and the flexibility
to twist my body even in a dead sprint to track
a disc, and to be able to dive to catch a disc and
still land safely on my hips and abdomen. I use
Pilates to put myself back together and as my cross
training when a lot of athletes use weight training.
I’ve never had any major injuries, which I attribute
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMIE ISAAC AND BARBARA TOBISCH; FRISBEE PHOTO BY ILLIA SHYPUNOV

to my Pilates training.

THE NORDIC WALKING AFICIONADO

“Nordic walking is a good alternative to running. I liked it from the first
moment I tried it. It improves your endurance and upper-body strength.”
—Barbara Tobisch, owner of TrainYou in Enns, Austria

H O W S H E G O T I N T O I T: I started Nordic
walking (a version of power walking that uses
special poles similar to ski poles) back in 2012.
I wanted to add some endurance training to my
routine, which until then consisted primarily of
tae kwon do and Pilates. I never liked running
because my joints started to hurt after 10 or
15 minutes. Nordic walking had become better
known in Austria, so I thought it would be a good
alternative to running. I liked it from the first
moment I tried it. It improves your endurance
and your upper-body strength; when you use the
correct technique, you train your arms, especially
the triceps. continued on page 95

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 79

 TIPS FOR TEACHERS

Pro Zone

MORE
Not ready—or interested—in being a studio owner? In part
two of our series, we talked to five teachers who thought

Teaching
outside of the box and came up with creative ways to
pursue their passion for teaching Pilates.

HACKS
By Anne Marie O’Connor

for When
You Don’t
Have Your
Own Studio
A BOV E: TEACHING
MAT CLASSES AT HER
COMMUNITY’S CLUBHOUSE
“I teach at my community’s
HELPED NYOTA DESAI GAIN
EXPERIENCE.
clubhouse.”
—NYOTA DESAI, owner of Classical Pilates with Nyota in Parkland, FL

WHY I DECIDED a week there, plus I teaching all levels,

ON THIS BUSINESS have my private clients. and since I don't have
M O D E L : When my I am not charged rent, to pay to reserve the
husband and I moved because the classes are space, I am able to
to Florida in 2015, I for the community; I keep the cost at a
decided to pursue my charge $10/class and lower price point. I
passion for Pilates. usually have up to eight also get referrals for
After I completed students (that’s how private clients. Right PHOTOS COURTESY OF NYOTA DESAI AND MELANIE RIVERA REILLY
teacher training many fit in the room). now, I am circulating
at Classical Pilates Once a month, I do a my resume to local
Education in Boca “Pilates and prosecco” gyms, community
Raton, I started with class. It’s always more centers and studios
a few private clients I fun when alcohol in hopes of subbing
got through word of is involved! It’s held or offering a regularly
mouth. in the clubhouse’s scheduled class.
Then two years ago, ballroom, where
when the clubhouse in there’s more space, so CONSIDER THIS
our gated community there are usually 15 to B U S I N E S S M O D E L I F:
was finished, a number 20 students. you live in a community
of people in the with a clubhouse or
neighborhood, as well W H Y YO U M I G H T community center; are
as the property manager, WA N T T O G I V E I T A just beginning your
asked me if I would T RY: This has been a Pilates teaching career
offer Pilates classes at great way for me to and want a low-risk way
the clubhouse. So I now get my career started. to get started.
teach two mat classes I’m getting experience

80 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 “I teach at two country clubs and a
batting cage facility.”
—MELANIE RIVERA REILLY, owner/operator of Reform Pilates in Estero, FL
WHY I DECIDED
ON THIS BUSINESS
M O D E L : About six years
ago, when I was still a
beginner-level-certified
mat teacher, I started
teaching mat at a nearby
country club. At the
time, I had purchased
a classic wood frame
combination system
to practice on while I
continued my teacher
training. (I got my Peak
Pilates comprehensive
level III certification in
2013.) The club’s fitness
director allowed me to
put it in a small room
inside the group fitness
facility. Once members
saw it, they wanted
private equipment
lessons, so I started
offering them. Since
then, I have replaced
the combination
system with the Peak
PilateSystem Deluxe and
added a Chair, Spine
Corrector and small
props. I now teach four
to eight hours a week
there. I don’t pay rent,
and keep the fees paid
by the members.
About three years ago,
I started teaching mat
at another country club
and my clients there
started inquiring about
equipment lessons.
Meanwhile, I had
bought another Peak
“I moonlight as a Pilates teacher.”
—MALLORY
WHY I DECIDED
ON THIS BUSINESS
M O D E L : I've been a full-
time copy editor and
proofreader for a tech
company in Los Angeles
for the past 16 years.
It's a great company to
work for.
PilateSystem Deluxe for everyone: The clubs
for my home. So I don't have any out-of-
asked the club’s fitness pocket costs, but get the
director if he would be status of having a Pilates
open to putting it in the studio in their club.
club’s fitness facility. The only drawbacks
He thought it was a are that at the two
great idea. I now teach country clubs, I can only
mat and privates there, teach members (i.e.,
also four to eight hours no outside clients) and
a week, and split my my hours are limited to
earnings with the club. when the facilities are
Then two years ago, open. Also, traveling to
my son Tate, who’s now different locations can
12, was taking hitting be a bummer in the
lessons at Extra Innings heavy traffic season.
batting cages in Ft.
Myers, FL. I met with the W H Y YO U M I G H T
facility’s owner to see WA N T T O G I V E I T A
about offering Pilates T RY: You don’t have
there. He had read to be a member of the
about all these Major country club—I’m not
League players who do a member of either
Pilates, so we decided to club. In fact, I didn’t
give it a shot. I set up a even know anyone
studio with three combo who belonged. I just
units. I do not pay rent; made a ton of phone
we split the fee for each calls, and told everyone
TOP TO BOT TOM: MELANIE
client or class. that I was available to
RIVERA REILLY TEACHING
teach classes anytime.
A CLIENT (TOP) AND
WHY THIS SUITS ME: My advice is to make
DOING A PLANK SERIES
Commercial rent in my yourself available.
ON THE REFORMER SAYS
growing town is very
THAT MAKING YOURSELF
high, and I was scared to CONSIDER THIS
AVAILABLE IS THE KEY TO
take the jump to opening B U S I N E S S M O D E L I F:
LAUNCHING A SUCCESSFUL
my own studio. Today nearby country clubs
PILATES CAREER.
my income is probably have fitness facilities
equivalent to what I and would be interested
would be making at a in offering Pilates; you
studio, and my financial only have your mat
risk is minimal (my certification and/or are a
biggest investment was novice teacher.
the equipment). I think
this setup is a win-win
teach Pilates. I never
thought I could do it
because I didn't have a
KING, Santa Monica, CA dance background and
didn't think I had the
personality for it (I tend
I first got interested closer to home. Around to be quiet and shy).
in Pilates back in 2001. 2002, I met a teacher Fast-forward to 2013.
I had some minor I just fell in love with, My mother had recently
back pain and started Rebecca Secord. She passed away, and I
taking Reformer classes eventually opened her wanted something to
a couple of times a own studio, Blackbird do in my spare time that
week at one studio, Pilates in Santa felt more rewarding, so
and later switched to Monica. For years, she I went through STOTT
mat classes at a studio encouraged me to PILATES ® mat training
PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 81
 WeWorkOut:
Will a Co-working
Space Work for You?
Lindsay Lopez opened FORM, which
she describes as “a shared workspace
for Pilates instructors,” in Manhattan
six years ago. This novel business
L EF T TO R IGH T: MALLORY
model results in a better bottom line—
KING (LEFT) SAYS THAT
for her and her tenants. Here, she and
HAVING A FULL-TIME JOB
one of FORM’s Pilates teachers, Kelly
WHILE TEACHING PILATES
Keesler, share their experiences.
ON THE SIDE IS THE BEST
OF BOTH WORLDS; KING
(FRONT) DOING MERMAID
ON THE REFORMER.
L I N D S AY L O P E Z : I was renting out of
this space when I was approached by the
owner to take over the lease. I knew from
experience that working more hours to
make more money doesn’t work for us as
teachers (burnout is real!).
So when I took over the lease, I knew that
I had to get creative and find ways to make
money in ways other than just teaching,
especially because New York is such an
expensive market. And besides rent and
equipment, I also had to pay for liability
insurance, commercial trash collection and
at John Garey’s studio WHY THIS SUITS things like utility setup.
in Long Beach. M E : Working full-time
I started teaching mat while teaching Pilates K E L LY K E E S L E R : I was working for
classes at Rebecca's part-time is the best of several Pilates studios all over town
studio and for my both worlds. I have the after I completed my comprehensive

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MALLORY KING, LINDSAY LOPEZ AND KELLY KEESLER; ARABESQUE PHOTO BY JAY SULLIVAN
colleagues at my full- stability and benefits that training in 2013. I loved it, but the
time job. Getting up come with a corporate pay wasn't cutting it for the time and
in front of a room of job, while teaching energy I was exerting. As a contracted
strangers to lead them Pilates gives me some independent instructor, I had to pay
through a workout extra income and allows my own taxes, liability and health
was so foreign to me! me to work in a field I'm insurance, and travel expenses. My
Plus I was 40 years passionate about. take-home pay was barely enough to
old at that point, and get by on, and the commuting from
most instructors are 10 W H Y YO U M I G H T studio to studio took up a lot of my time
to 20 years younger! WA N T T O G I V E I T A and depleted my energy.
Eventually I went T RY: In my experience,
through the Reformer there is a huge demand L O P E Z : At FORM, all of our teachers
and then the complete for Pilates instructors. pay a membership fee to belong to the
equipment training, and Even if you're just co-op as well as an hourly fee when they
I am now Stott-certified subbing at different see clients. (For legal reasons, they are
on all equipment. studios, you should be considered “renters,” not contractors.)
In 2015, Rebecca sold able to find work (at Instructors have the freedom to charge
the studio to Tracy Hess least in a big city). Or their clients what they want (they take
and it became Sandpiper try approaching the home more than 70 percent of their
Pilates, where I now HR department at your hourly rate), set their own schedules and
teach five Reformer full-time job to see if keep their clients’ contact info.
classes a week and you can teach a weekly
two to three privates mat class. K E E S L E R : Two years ago, I decided to
a week, plus I sub for take control of my time and earnings.
other teachers. I can end CONSIDER THIS Lindsay’s co-op style studio was a dream
up teaching anywhere B U S I N E S S M O D E L I F: come true. Working at one location saves
from seven to 13 hours you have a full time a tremendous amount of time and energy
a week, both before and job you don’t want to that can be used to take on more clients.
after work. My schedule give up. PS Choosing my own pay rate and working
is flexible, so I can come directly with my clients is also a huge
in early or leave early plus. I enjoy the sense of freedom I have
when I need to. making my own schedule.

82 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

L O P E Z : We offer a front-of-
house “concierge” service
to greet clients and keep
the studio looking amazing.
Instructors from all styles
work here, and there’s a sense
of support and community.
Finally, teachers love making
more and working less. They
feel empowered to develop
their own unique business,
style and brand.
K E E S L E R : I love that there
are other Pilates professionals
around to consult with!
We are all in the same boat
trying to build a career, so it
is wonderful to have others
around who understand what I
am trying to do.
L O P E Z : The studio does make
less per teacher per hour than
a traditional structure. That
means we are constantly having
to make sure we have enough
members seeing enough
clients to make our monthly
nut. Plus we rent out the space
for workshops, outside photo
shoots and other events to help
with the cost.
Another con is that some
teachers need more coaching
to become business-savvy than
others. Mentorship, tough love
and guidance is definitely part
of my daily job to make sure
that the teachers are successful.
K E E S L E R : For me, the
drawbacks of having your own
studio are that running your
own Pilates business means
you have to be the instructor,
the marketing manager, the
accountant and do all the
administrative tasks that a studio
would do for you if you were
an employee. It also takes time
to build a clientele, and it can
be stressful at first not knowing
where your next client is coming
from when they are not being
handed to you at a studio.
L O P E Z : I think a big
misconception with teachers
who want to set up a
cooperative studio is that
someone still needs to be in
charge—it’s not an “easy pass”
to avoid the responsibilities of
running a studio. I have always
had a “boss lady” spirit and felt
comfortable being in charge.
I have to make sure that all
the sessions get booked, the
equipment is maintained, the
toilets are cleaned, the staff is
there and paid, and enough
revenue is coming in. You
also must set terms with the
instructors ahead of time,
and have a signed contract
between parties to avoid
confusion and later issues. If
you don’t like that aspect of
things, running a co-op space
may not be for you.
CLO CK W ISE F ROM TOP L EF T:
LINDSAY LOPEZ COACHES HER
TENANTS IN SMART BUSINESS
PRACTICES; SHE ALSO TEACHES
HER OWN CLIENTS—SHOWN HERE
TEACHING A STUDENT ON THE
WUNDA CHAIR; KEESLER DOES THE
SPLITS ON THE REFORMER (PHOTO
BY BRYAN ARCHBOLD); LOPEZ’S
TENANTS SET THEIR OWN RATES
AND SCHEDULES.
 A CHAT WITH A METHOD MASTER

Powerhouse

Finding Her

Voice
A physical therapist and student of Romana
Kryzanowska, Lori Coleman-Brown uses a
variety of languages to reach her clients.
by Anne Marie O’Connor

84 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

P I L AT E S S T Y L E Tell us about your childhood.
L O R I C O L E M A N - B R O W N I was born in Rhode
Island and lived in North Haven, CT, from age six
to 16. I was always a “mover”—I loved ice skating
and dancing. As a kid I took the train to New York
to take summer sessions at the American Ballet
Theater. My family moved to Gettysburg, PA, when
I was 16. It was very different than Connecticut.
Gettysburg was all about the Civil War, monuments
and keggers. There really wasn’t much dance there;
in fact my new friends called ballet “bal-ette.”
P S Where did you go to college?
L O R I My parents thought I should get a “real”
education and be an engineer. So I went to Temple
University, in Philadelphia. I called home every day
saying, “I need to dance!” After a year, I transferred
to SUNY Purchase, where I majored in dance.
P S How did you discover Pilates?
L O R I Sophomore year, I was dancing at a party
with breakdancer Doug Elkins [who’s now an
award-winning choreographer and educator].
I jumped, caught my sneaker on the carpet
and injured my knee. My dance teacher Sarah
Stackhouse showed me how carefully done tendus
and pliés could help my recovery. She also told me,
“Don’t go to the doctor, go to Pilates!” and showed
me the Pilates room at Purchase. At that point, all the
apparatus had been pushed to the corner, and the
room was being used for storage. Fortunately, my
friend Steve Giordano knew Romana Kryzanowska
and that her studio was located in New York City.
would be like, and I was disappointed. And of course OPP OSI T E PAGE:
it didn’t pay well. I had to work other jobs to pay my COLEMAN-BROWN DOING A
rent—I was a nanny, and then a bartender at a bar on TEASER WHILE ON HOLIDAY
Wall Street. I really found my voice as a bartender. ON WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA.
It helped me overcome my shyness. And teaching
Pilates brought out the best in me; I got to use my
voice and share my movement knowledge.
P S Why did you decide to go back to school to get
your master’s in physical therapy?
L O R I My Pilates clients had problems I didn’t
understand, like pins in their knees and extreme
tightness. (I was a dancer, so tightness was
astonishing.) There was no Google back then,
no easy way to get information. I wanted to learn
what was under the skin. Job security was also a
The exercise that [Romana] gave me was to stand on
one leg while holding the other outstretched…My
knee was better in about three months despite the
doctor’s prediction that I would need to wear a brace
and never dance again! The idea of movement as
healing shifted my reality.

P S What was Romana’s studio like back then?

L O R I It was crazy and vibrant with people
everywhere! Romana definitely scared me. She was
kind, but also really intense. Somehow, I trusted
her healing powers in this whirlwind environment.
Her experience, old-world knowledge and genius
hooked me. The exercise that she gave me was
to stand on one leg while holding the other
outstretched. It was exactly what I needed—simple,
whole-body posture, straight-leg endurance. My
knee was better in about three months despite
the doctor’s prediction that I would need to
wear a brace and never dance again! The idea of
movement as healing shifted my reality.

P S Did you keep doing Pilates the whole time you

were at Purchase?
L O R I Yes, and I helped Steve reopen the Pilates studio
there. We asked Romana to come, but she didn’t want
to take the train up north, so she sent Phoebe Higgins.
I studied with Phoebe at Purchase, and with Romana
in New York. Steve also shared his knowledge with me
from his lessons with Romana. I spent hours and hours
in the Pilates room at school. I couldn’t get enough.

P S How did you end up teaching Pilates?

L O R I At the New York studio, I was on the dancer’s
scholarship and paid a really reduced fee. One
day, Romana looked at me and said, “Go stretch
that man.” She just put me to work! I also taught at
Purchase after I graduated.
A BOV E , CLO CK W ISE F ROM TOP L EF T: AS A YOUNG DANCER SHOWING OFF HER ARABESQUE;
P S What did you do after college? PERFORMING AN ITALIAN PAS DE CHAT AT AGE 16; DOING A TEASER AROUND 1988 AT
L O R I I danced professionally with a small modern STEVE GIORDANO’S SYNERGY EXERCISE SYSTEMS IN NEW YORK; ROMANA KRYZANOWSKA
dance company, performing in New York and Europe. TEACHING COLEMAN-BROWN THE SQUIRREL IN SEATTLE IN 1996; POSING WITH A CANNON
But I had a romantic idea of what being a dancer IN GETTYSBURG AT HER 10TH HIGH SCHOOL REUNION WITH HER FRIEND SANDY.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 85

 L EF T TO R IGH T: WITH consideration—Pilates wasn’t education tailored to us in a
KRYZANOWSKA AT THE a stable career back then.
I believe in, and strive very intimate atmosphere. It
PILATES CONFERENCE to create, a balance of was an amazing time!
IN CHICAGO IN 2000; A P S What did you do once
STUDENT GETS A STRETCH you got your master’s
corrective, progressive, P S Then in 2009, you ended
DURING AN INTERMEDIATE degree? athletic and routine up resigning from Pilates
SEMINAR AT ATLAS PILATES L O R I In 1992 I moved back Seattle International?
IN 2017. to New York. My first job was
aspects for each lesson, L O R I Yes, Lauren and I
at Performing Arts Physical and certainly for each accomplished a lot together
Therapy (PAPT), which was and it was time for me to
owned by Sean Gallagher,
client’s overall program move on. (We had bought
whom I had met at Temple and Pilates experience, Sean out years earlier.)
after high school. PAPT A former employee and
integrated physical therapy
to keep the mind and brilliant teacher, Teresa
and Pilates (and contained a body progressing. Shupe, had recently opened
full Pilates studio). I worked Atlas Pilates in Seattle. I
with dancers and backstage asked if I could come work
on Broadway shows. with her, and she said “Yes!”
I was there for six months before moving to Now I am the director of education at Atlas Pilates.
Seattle. I had broken up with a boyfriend and I teach both instructors and “regular” clients. It’s
wanted to get as far away as possible. This move important for my soul to teach all kinds of people.
turned out to be one of the best life decisions I’ve But it’s also really useful when doing teacher
ever made—Seattle really agreed with me! training to keep myself rooted in the work. I’m more
compassionate when I’m using my teaching skills on
P S Did you start a Pilates studio there? the floor for real.
L O R I Yes, Sean knew a teacher there, Lauren Teresa and her husband C.J. manage a top-
Stephen, and the three of us opened the Pilates and notch studio. The business provides the support
Physical Therapy Center of Seattle. Later, Lauren I need in order to focus on the work, educating
and I renamed it Pilates Seattle International. students enrolled in our teacher-training program
and providing educational outreach to instructors
P S Did anyone know about Pilates in Seattle at in our industry. It’s nice to no longer deal with the
that point? burdens of studio ownership. My appreciation for
L O R I Not really. We had to educate the public. The them overflows.
printer thought our name was “The Pirates Studio,”
and put that on our first checks. P S Some people believe that the order of the
exercises in classical Pilates is unvarying. Was that
P S You invited Romana out to teach? your experience with Romana?
L O R I Yes, Romana came for many nine-day L O R I Romana definitely demonstrated how Pilates
stretches, so we got to learn from her over is not rigid or linear. Her approach was to follow Joe
breakfast, lunch, cocktails and dinner. We Pilates’ foundational work and teach each individual
convinced our friends to take lessons with her. what he or she needed. Later, in the 1990s, in
They did not know what they were getting into. order to organize the vast amount of material for
They were like, “Who is this lady, and why is she her certification program, she developed exercise
grabbing my leg?” But they loved it. We got a rich levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Overall

86 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

 Proust Questionnaire with
Lori Coleman-Brown
We’ve given the Proust Questionnaire, a Q&A
popularized by Marcel Proust, a Pilates spin.
W H E N YO U ’ R E N O T I N T H E P I L AT E S S T U D I O, W H E R E ’ S YO U R
FAVO R I T E P L A C E T O B E ?
Walking my dog. It’s beautiful here [in Seattle]. I can walk from my
house and be in a forest in a few minutes.

W H AT ’ S YO U R I D E A O F P E R F E C T H A P P I N E S S ?
Sci-fi movies and dinner at home with my husband. Singing along
to the Hamilton soundtrack. Losing myself in great conversations
with friends.

I F YO U C O U L D H AV E S T U D I E D W I T H O N E P E R S O N , W H O
WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
I have a couple. Ronald D. Moore, who wrote and produced Battlestar
Gallactica. I love his exploration of artificial intelligence and humanity.
The other is Isadora Duncan, because she spoke her truth and broke
the rules of her time with movement.

I F YO U C O U L D A S K J O E O N E Q U E S T I O N , W H AT W O U L D I T B E ?
When you put your hands on people, what do you feel? I mean, how
do you understand people with your hands? But I don’t think he
would answer me. I think he’d just put his hands on me, push, and say
“feel that?”

H O W H A S YO U R O W N P I L AT E S P R A C T I C E E N H A N C E D YO U R
W E L L- B E I N G ?
Doing my Pilates workouts gives me a sense of structure and calm.
I’m enjoying exploring my fractal nature, understanding my rich
inner landscape, which just keeps going deeper and deeper. In the
past, Pilates would ping my former dancer self-judgment. But now
the workouts give me equanimity and composure that really help
me to be present in the world.

TOP TO BOT TOM , L EF T

TO R IGH T: CLOSING
THE CHAIN DURING AN
INTERMEDIATE SEMINAR
AT ATLAS PILATES IN 2017;
TEACHING TEACHERS AT
sequences didn’t change, but she did shift exercises ATLAS PILATES IN 2013;
within her level construct. These orders were for DOING THE VULCAN
learning the material. POWERHOUSE MIND MELD
Romana could make authoritative but contradictory WITH APPRENTICES DURING
declarations. For instance, she said, “A teacher must A FUNDAMENTALS SEMINAR;
teach with words alone,” as well as, “A teacher must TRAINING THE U.S.
not rely on words.” Another example is when she WOMEN’S OLYMPIC ROWING
taught us a quick rhythm for the Mountain Climb. We P S So it isn’t about order or rigidity? TEAM IN 2007. (THEY WENT
practiced our speed! And when she returned months L O R I Right, it’s about structure and balance. I ON TO WIN GOLD!)
later and saw us pumping like crazy, she declared, observe some teachers leaning heavily on the
“The Mountain Climb should always be done slowly!” athletic and routine components of Pilates, focusing
When people studied with her for the duration of one on challenges and doing the exercises in a specific,
group, or in groups with similar abilities, they got one off-the-shelf, nontailored kind of way, which can
strong message and carried that forward. lead to imbalance. Others lean heavily on corrective
I observed Romana for many years and in different teaching styles, which can piece apart the method,
locations and saw how she taught the group in front causing it to lose its rhythm and cadence. Over-
of her, giving groups what they needed, just like she tailoring can cause the workouts to lose the power
did with individuals. The richness she offered still of routine and flow, which is a huge loss. The orders
inspires me. What I got from her was an invitation allow habits to carry us forward with inertia, in a
to digest and integrate the chaos to grow, to make good way, while we overlay other principles and
sense of it and ultimately to own it. intentions to improve. continued on page 95

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 87

 BE BETTER AT ANYTHING

Moves of the Month

for going through
infertility treatment
by Jessica Valant, MSPT, PMA-CPT • Photos taken at Farm To Treatment Table Physical Therapy Clinic

T W O Y E A R S A G O, I F O U N D M Y S E L F G O I N G STEP 1
T H R O U G H M Y S E CO N D L A P R O S CO P I C S U R G E RY
F O R E N D O M E T R I O S I S . In the recovery room, I was
told I had a frozen pelvis and scarred fallopian tubes
and that In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) would be my only
option for having a second baby.
In the months leading up to my first my IVF cycle,
I wanted to prepare my body as best as possible
for what was to come. I created a basic program
to help me move safely and effectively during this
unique time, and these are a few of the exercises
that I found especially beneficial. They’re meant
to improve circulation, especially in the abdominal
and pelvic areas, which is important to the health
of our organs. This series is also designed to help
increase mobility in areas that may have scar tissue,
while stabilizing joints that can be affected by the
hormones taken during fertility treatments.
Going through treatment can make women feel
confused, powerless and frustrated. Try using your
Pilates practice to find some empowerment and STEP 2
peace within your body, and to help navigate you
through this unique time.

tips for teachers

Here are some important things to keep
in mind when working with a client going
through IVF.

T H E S E M OV E S A R E N O T M E A N T T O
I M P R OV E F E R T I L I T Y I N A N Y WAY. It’s
important not to make any claims about increasing
someone’s chances of getting pregnant.

AVO I D A B D O M I N A L E X E R C I S E S B E F O R E
A N D D U R I N G F E R T I L I T Y T R E AT M E N T S .
Intense abdominal work—such as the Series of
Five and planks—is generally not recommended
during this time, as it can funnel vital blood flow
away from the abdominal and reproductive
organs and to the muscles that you’re working.
Fertility treatments are a time for gentle and
focused movements—not extreme exercising.
spine twist into seated rotation stretch
P U R P O S E improves circulation and mobility in the
abdominal and pelvic organs
S E T U P Sit tall with your legs hip-width apart and
hands behind your head. Find a neutral spine,
and lift up out of your pelvis.

T H E R E I S A P O I N T I N A N I V F C YC L E W H E N 1 . Inhale as you rotate to one side; exhale to

T H E I N J E C T I O N S B E G I N . It’s called the
“stimming” phase, which indicates the time
that hormones are given to increase follicle
and egg production. The exercises here are
not recommended during that period, as they
can cause injury to the ovaries. Make sure you
understand where your client is in their IVF cycle,
and always have them check with their doctor
before starting an exercise protocol during
fertility treatments.
return to center. Do 10 reps, alternating sides.
2 . Bend your left knee, and place your foot on the
floor outside of your right knee; place your left
hand on your bent knee and your right hand
on the floor behind you. Rotate toward your
bent knee, lengthening through your spine for
a deeper stretch; hold for 3 breaths. Repeat to
your other side.
T I P Keep your elbows wide, and your hips facing
forward as you twist.

88 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

prone leg lift into swan
P U R P O S E strengthens the glutes while stabilizing
the pelvis; improves extension throughout the
spine; stretches the anterior torso
S E T U P Lie facedown with your legs hip-width
apart and hands under your forehead.

SETUP
1 . Exhale as you lift one leg toward the ceiling,
making sure there is no increased extension in
your low back or rocking of your pelvis. Do 10
reps on both sides.
2 . Separate your legs a little wider, and place your
hands underneath your shoulders. Exhale to
prepare, and then inhale as you lift up into full
extension. Do 3 reps.
WA N T T O
M O D I F I C AT I O N If you’re uncomfortable on your HEAR MORE
STEP 1
stomach, do this exercise in a quadruped position. O F J E S S I C A' S
S T O RY ? Jessica
pelvic tilt into bridge delves deeper
into her IVF
P U R P O S E improves mobility in the pelvis;
journey—and
strengthens the hips
happy ending—on
S E T U P Lie on your back with your knees bent,
pilatesstyle.com.
feet hip-width apart on the floor and palms by
your sides.
STEP 1
1 . Exhale as you tuck your pelvis, and then inhale
to return to neutral. Do 10 reps.
2 . Exhale as you roll through your spine one
vertebra at a time to lift up into Bridge. Inhale to
pause, and then exhale to return to the starting
position one vertebra at a time. Do 10 reps.

T I P S Focus on isolating the pelvic movement

during step 1. Teachers, watch out for neck
tension and thoracic (ribs) extension, which are
common movement strategies when there is a
STEP 2 lack of pelvic awareness and mobility.

STEP 1 spinal balance

P U R P O S E stabilizes the hips and pelvis while
strengthening the posterior sling
S E T U P Get into a quadruped position with your spine
neutral.

1 . Exhale as you extend your opposite arm and leg,

making sure to keep your spine in a neutral position.
Hold for up to 3 breaths.
2 . Repeat on your other side. Do 3 sets.

A DVA N C E D This is a great position to work on stability and

core strength without overworking the abdominals. Add
variations such as pulses of the arm and leg, or leg lifts.

» Jessica Valant, MSPT, PMA-CPT, has been a licensed physical therapist

and certified Pilates teacher for more than 17 years. She is a PMA-approved
CEC provider and the cofounder of Momentum Fest, a three-day Pilates and
movement festival. To learn more about her online studio and other services,
visit jessicavalantpilates.com.

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 89

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Other common pitfalls of “healthy” restaurants? HER CURRENT PR ACTICE:
• What many tout as “whole-wheat bread” is actually made I do it by myself once or twice
primarily from bleached flour. a week. I also trained to be
• Quinoa is nourishing and better for blood sugar than rice, a Nordic walking instructor
but it’s still highly caloric at 222 calories per cooked cup. in 2012, so now I also teach
• Sodium counts can escalate if you don’t pay attention— a Nordic walking course in
especially in “lean” sandwich meats. which I combine HIIT; in
• “Cold-pressed juice” sounds healthier than grocery-store OJ, between walking intervals, we
but it can still run 60 grams of sugar per glass. Smoothies are do strength-training exercise
also often sugar bombs lacking protein and healthy fat. such as burpees, jumping
• Sweet potato fries have been drenched in oil, and have jacks, lunges and exercises
little of the virtue of the baked or roasted variety. with resistance bands for five
minutes.
B O T T O M L I N E : “Always be mindful of what you are selecting
and how it is prepared if you are trying to manage your weight,” H O W P I L AT E S E N H A N C E S
advises Passerrello. Eat unadulterated veggies guilt-free, but N O R D I C WA L K I N G : Pilates
give the side-eye to huge portions, any dish that’s drowning in taught me to break down
dressing or sauce, fattening add-ons and fried anything. movements into their individual
parts and to analyze them,
which helps me focus on
DIET SABOTEUR #6: YOU’RE RESTRICTING the correct Nordic walking
FOOD INTAKE TOO MUCH THROUGHOUT THE technique and get the most
WEEK, THEN BINGEING ON WEEKENDS. benefit from the workout.
It’s one thing to have a cheat meal—after all, you’ve been on The coordination I learned
point all week, and now you deserve a little reward! While from Pilates is the perfect
weight-loss coaches generally approve of cheat meals as a way prerequisite for Nordic walking.
to stave off cravings and bump up metabolism, there’s always
a danger that a little taste will trigger a days-long spiral. And a H O W N O R D I C WA L K I N G
cheat day or a cheat weekend are another thing entirely. COMPLEMENTS HER
P I L AT E S : It enhances your
B O T T O M L I N E : To avoid going totally off the rails, plan ahead cardio endurance, which
for your cheat meal by cutting a few extra calories ahead of helps you practice Pilates
time. Then when it’s time to cheat, focus on one indulgence, over a longer period of time.
whether it’s cocktails, dessert or fettuccine Alfredo—not Tae kwon do and Pilates
everything on the menu. PS are mostly done indoors,
so Nordic walking is a great
opportunity to walk through
the nearby woods and
meadows and enjoy nature
and the scenery.
A DV I C E F O R P I L AT E S
PR ACTITIONERS WHO
WA N T T O T RY N O R D I C
WA L K I N G : It’s a great activity
whether you want to improve
your fitness or just want to go
out and enjoy nature. It’s for
all ages and fitness levels. Just
make sure that you use poles
that are the correct length
for you: If they’re too long,
you’ll be lifting your shoulders
all the time, causing tension.
The angle between the upper
arm and forearm should be a
maximum of 90 degrees. The
best way to find the correct
length is to put the pole in
front of you; the loop of the
handle should be at the same
level as your navel. PS

continued from 87

I believe in, and strive to create, a balance of corrective,
progressive, athletic and routine aspects for each lesson, and
certainly for each client’s overall program and Pilates experience,
to keep the mind and body progressing.
P S Do you adjust your cueing depending on the client?
LO R I Absolutely! I enjoy the platform that Pilates provides for me
to be a healer, scientist, artist, problem solver, guide, coach and
clown. It’s all good—and it works.
Sometimes, I use science, from my PT knowledge. I’ll cue
positioning, like “move your pubic bone toward your right lesser
trochanter.” Or I’ll use my hands to invite co-contraction by
cueing “keep pressure on my hands while you press the carriage
out,” during the Footwork. Watch Joe in the archival footage—I’m
sure this is what he’s doing.
I want Pilates instructors to know how much I value our
work. Pilates instructors’ skills are not less valuable than a
physical therapist’s. They are just different bodies of work. I
find that I enjoy Pilates as my vocation, and physical therapy is
a subset of that.
P S Is the language of anatomy useful for everyone?
LO R I No. The most useful language is the one that works!
Sometimes people think they can improve their movement and
bodies by increasing their anatomical knowledge. And knowledge
is great, for sure. But it can also lead to a situation where the
person knows what to do, therefore feels that they have done
it. They can get ahead of themselves and move onto the next
thing when the knowledge hasn’t integrated into the mind/body
connection yet. I strive to connect people with themselves to
develop their own felt sense, because at the end of the day, they
are the ones in there.
A good example of this was a client of mine who was a
doctor and who knew all the anatomy but had zero body
awareness. Even though she joked, “I’m just a head in a
jar,” I had high expectations that someone with the “brain”
knowledge of the body could bring it into their workouts. But
you can’t just think yourself into a new way of being. I stuck to
the exercises, the usual suspects: Footwork, Hundred, Short
Spine... Just when I thought she wasn’t going to get there, she
did a beautiful Roll-Up!
Sometimes a cue like, “be a prancing pony,” which works with
all of the strong men, or a quick touch with a “zshush zshush,”
is more effective. Not all movement and sensation has to be
named or understood by the logical brain. I think my next
workshop will be called “Anatomically Correct Gibberish.” Stay
tuned for this one! PS

PIL AT E SS T YLE .COM 95

 Last Lesson Get Inspired

“
—Alexia Simmons, owner of Pilates Perfect Studio in NYC

96 M A RCH • A PRIL 2018

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