Pilates at GHF - Testimonials

“Pilates has made a great deal of difference to my body. It has increased my flexibility and balance, which is extremely important as one ages. My balance, core strength and overall condition have improved immensely since beginning Pilates Reformer classes. I am constantly telling friends and co-workers how Pilates has enhanced my posture and wellbeing. The stretching and strengthening of muscles I didn't know existed is continually surprising and helping improve my quality of life."
-Ileana Koerner

Ballet Barre Class
"The class is fabulous and I've been to every one. It's a great workout and Tiffany is a wonderful instructor. I only wish it would last longer. Thanks for holding this workshop. I've done ballet before but never realized how similar some of the moves are to Pilates."
-Sue

"The session with Robin went very well. My reformer is very basic. So the cables are all one strength. Robin has been very helpful in helping me figure out how many to use. I meet with her again Fri. Yes, I am enjoying the workouts. You guys have been great."
-Jerlyn

"It was great! Shelly was wonderful, as usual. She led us through several movements that worked our entire bodies. I left there feeling longer and more relaxed-like a combination of yoga and a massage had taken place."
-Lisa

"We LOVE Pilates for so many reasons. It is a way to exercise when we think we are exhausted and cannot do anything! It helps keep our bodies stable and flexible. It has helped us continue physical training despite injuries.

We have been doing personal training consistently since January, 2004. Personal training incorporated the strength training we needed in our pursuit of weight loss and healthy living. We added cardio training off and on over the years, depending on our schedules and goals. When our teaching careers became extremely stressful and grueling, we began doing Pilates during personal training sessions with Robin Zukowski. Pilates quickly became our requested Friday afternoon workout after an exhaustive week of teaching. When we felt we couldn’t do anything else physically challenging, we did feel Pilates was a way to keep our bodies moving and stretching.

In August 2011, we started doing a Pilates chair class on Saturday mornings with Sherrilene Classen so that we could develop more flexibility and balance in our daily movements. As we noticed our aging bodies becoming less mobile, we realized that we were missing a component in our physical activity that involved strengthening our bodies while being aware of how our muscle groups work. Pilates filled that need without adding further stress.

Now that we have retired, our schedule has allowed us to concentrate on our health even more. We realize that we are not as physically active as we were when we were working. (Teaching demanded that we were on our feet 6 hours a day!) So we have scheduled our physical training to include 3 days of personal training, 3 days of cardio, and three days of Pilates every week. We feel that addresses strength, heart and lung health, and stability, flexibility, and balance.

Our individual stories:

· Jeanne, now 63 years old, has experienced shoulder impingement syndrome and is limited in weight lifting. Pilates allows her to maintain range of motion without risk of further injury. It also allows her to strength supporting muscles to help heal the impingement. Her physical therapist has set limits on her lifting and movements, but encourages Jeanne to do what she can with no pain. With Pilates there are various levels of difficulty presented in order to challenge her safely. Pilates has helped her posture and her awareness of what causes injuries to her shoulder. She definitely feels that Pilates has allowed her to continue to grow in physical fitness while accommodating her limitations.

· Patti, now 55 years old, had suffered a foot injury in June, 2011 which greatly impacted her physical activity. It was painful to even walk. Physical therapy and Pilates allowed the foot to heal while continuing physical training. Pilates helped strengthen the foot, ankle, and calf muscle so that balance and flexibility have been restored to the injured foot.

· In September, 2012 Patti was diagnosed with a ventral “sport” hernia which caused a severe pain in her lower abdomen during some daily movements. There was often pain during physical activity. Through Pilates Patti has developed a stronger core and strengthened her abdominal muscles so the pain happens less often and with much less severity. The goal is to avoid the need for surgery to repair the hernia.

Pilates has made us more aware of our bodies and makes us concentrate on our entire body for smooth movements. Our goal is for the Pilates movements to become a lifestyle and to carry us into our future as more flexible, balanced, and strong women.

-Patti & Jeanne