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People frequently ask me "Can I lose weight doing Pilates?" "Is it a
vigorous workout?" "Will it tone my body?" My answer is
usually, "Yes, yes, and yes! However, how much depends on you."
Randy Davis, a 30-something publishing industry manager, is one of my
inspiring students of Pilates. Her story is worth telling - in her
own words without my feeble attempts at interpretation, glitz or set
up - as she tells it directly, succinctly and without hesitation.
This is the same manner that Randy has approached every Pilates class
session since we met in April 2003, the start of the first program at
her residential gym/spa in Bergen County.
She usually arrives as the first person to class, and quietly bounces out
the door when the class concludes. She has always made sure,
(whether thru large group classes or small-group private sessions)
that she found a way to practice Pilates a minimum of 2X a week. A
good practice to keep, if you can maneuver it into your life
schedule. It is one that I also personally employ, although my
sessions incorporate use of the Pilates apparatus, with my private
instructor in NYC.
As one of my regular students, I invited Randy to speak with me about
her personal Pilates experience and offer her story for the benefit of the many other students who
seek to find a way to tone, tighten and strengthen their bodies as they lengthen their
muscles. Whether 30-something or 60-something, conscientious attention to the
work can help you uncover, as did Randy, a life with a little more splash!
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When did you start using Pilates as an exercise
discipline?
I started Pilates Mat work in April 2003 and I have been doing
the work
consistently for three years now.
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What caused you to start a
Pilates Program?
At the
time I knew my body had changed for the worse from lack of exercise. I really
didn’t know how to get started with an exercise program. I had been a
varsity
track and field athlete in high school and college, but ten years out of school, I no longer had any interest in trying to start running again. When I
saw the flyer advertising the new Pilates class, I thought it would be a good way to ease back into working my body without any impact.
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When and what led to
you know it was the right program for you?
I knew
Pilates Mat was the right program for me when at the end of the 12-week session;
I was not willing to wait for the next program series to start up again. There was an extended break between series,
and instead of waiting those few months, I
asked Gina about the possibility
of
private sessions. She was
able to get a small group together for a semi-private
class and I knew right then I had the desire to
be consistent with the work. As I have progressed, I understand more why I like this type of exercise so much. I started in
modified versions of
the basic
exercises, and two years later, I’m doing variations of the intermediate exercises
and
full versions of the basics.
In Pilates,
I will never master a move for Gina will always find a way of
increasing the
challenge. It’s the challenge I look
forward to each week.
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What body changes (posture, weight,
size, muscle tone) have you or
others noticed along the
way? I love
the new body I have been creating with Pilates! My waist has cinched in and my
muscle tone has improved in my shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen,
thighs, butt, and
calves. My legs look and feel longer, and all of my joints are more open and
flexible. I walk taller and can walk up stairs without tiring out.
My clothes
fit better and best of all, my husband has absolutely noticed!
So needless to say, I feel sexier! Pilates has helped me lose 20 pounds,
though
my friends and co-workers tell me I must have lost more because
I look like a
different person.
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