A total body workout!

Just wrapping up a 4 day trip to Austin Texas, where, if you’ve never been there is literally surrounded by lakes everywhere. If you’re an avid outdoors person, then Austin is a place that will not disappoint you. My brother and his awesome family own a house in the city, but also have a lake house about 40 minutes away on lake LBJ. Now, I haven’t water skied in quite some time, and knee boarding is completely foreign to me, but it was initiation by fire trying to keep up with the young niece and nephew out on the water and before I knew it I had a board strapped to my feet and a rope handle tossed at my head and a V8 monster engine ready to blow gallons of water in my face as I yell the two words that will either spell my demise or see my success, “Hit It!”

Before I let you in on what happens next, I think it fitting that you all know what it was like in my pre-Pilates life when I tried this, mind you carrying around an extra 30 or so pounds around my middle. The last time I tried to ski/wakeboard, etc I yelled, “Hit It” and all that happened was a lot of boat groaning, trunks filling up with water and a handle being ripped out of my hands before I could ever get up. I used to ski when I was a kid, so I had some technique back in the day, but that extra weight was keeping me from getting up. After 6 or so failed attempts, my hands were shot and cramping, and I was relegated to watching others more fit (than me) from inside the boat. Not fun at all, and quite embarrassing to be honest.

This time, and with that image still haunting me, I took a big inhale and yelled, “HIT IT!” The boat roared to life, my heart rate quickened in anticipation and a funny thing happened…I popped right up. Wasting no time, I veered outside the wake, a massive smile showing all 200 of my teeth evident for the passengers inside the boat to see. I zipped from one wake to the next trying to catch air, and make rooster tails of waves behind me. My core was firing as were my obliques, and all of those “hundreds,” “roll ups” and “rollovers” suddenly were worth the countless hours of working out.  I was having a blast.

Fo two days I shredded that lake.  I was now about ten years older, than when I had my last skiing debacle, but clearly I was much more fit at 40 then I was at 30. This weekend was a direct result of the time I’ve spent in the Pilates studio and at home doing my mat work. I have never doubted that the Pilates for Men 10-20-30 Challenge we created last year was powerful, but MAN…was it impressive to see the direct result of the work.  I am so proud to be able to share this story with you, and I hope you find it meaningful enough to share with others.

Until next time!

-Art A.

Tags: austin texas, lake lbj, lakes, pilates, pilates 10 20 30 challenge, pilates for men, wakeboarding, water skiing, water sports

Push Up with a Twist!

In July I was asked to be a spokesperson for Jenny Craig after they had tapped into the Pilates for Men series we shot on Youtube last year. They invited me down to San Diego along with 7 other people to shoot their 2010 ten minute corporate video.  They were excited at the progress I had made, and I think especially excited at how quickly I was able to lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. When I look at the first video of that series we shot last summer of 2009, I realize how far I’ve come.  I’m thrilled that people are watching this video series and calling their local Pilates studios and booking appointments.  Anything that gets the word out to the rest of the world that Pilates – both traditional and progressive – is genuinely good for the body, mind and soul is a fantastic word indeed.   We are still seeing some interesting growth in our studio with both men and women interested in combing a nutrition regiment with an 8-pack or 16-pack purchase of either privates or group classes.  They are trying to get the most bang for their buck and it makes perfect sense to do so.

Challenging the thinking of your clients…Since I’m so into cycling lately, I’ll use my new  mindset to share with you how the impossible can become a reality. I went from doing a three mile ride six months ago (and complained about a sore butt the whole time) to completing a 70 mile ride 10 weeks later.  I rode from the Los Angeles Zoo to the Long Beach Aquarium and then back to the zoo in an organized ride with about 1500 riders.  It was hard, I was hot, it challenged me, but I did it in 4:40 hours.  When I tell non-riders about that ride their mouth hits the floor.  70 miles? No way! That’s impossible.  Well, clearly it isn’t.  Now I’m ready to sign up for a century ride (100 miler), and signing up for next year’s AIDS Ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles (nearly 600 miles!).  It has opened the door to me thinking that I would love to ride my bike from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean.  A mere 3,000 miles trip. I’m not saying I’m going to do it, I’m just saying I think I can do it someday, and I can see myself doing it.

My point is that until you actually embark on something, it’s hard to fathom the possibilities.  I rode from Studio City (the valley) to the beach last Sunday.  I never thought that was possible either.  It was a breeze. Got their in 55 minutes. I think the same translates to Pilates.  If our clients aren’t sure where they’re going, or where their destination is, then perhaps they try Pilates, get through their session(s) and think, “Eh, well I tried it. It was kind of cool” and that’s the end of it. BUT, if we really spend the time with new clients and create a ‘plan’ for each of them individually, rather than just introduce them to Pilates we can better understand where they want to be and where we can take them on their journey. I’ll leave you all with a great quote that you all know, “I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.” –Joseph Pilates

Until next time.

-Art

This is Hard!

I think I understand why Pilates is so popular in Los Angeles.  It isn’t because we have the greatest studio in the world, although I am partial to the warmth, cleanliness and space of our studio in Encino, CA. Talk to most good Pilates operators in and around the Los Angeles area and by and large you will hear them say that their business is very good!  We hear that business has been growing in a down economy.  Part of the reason for the growth is the huge number of Baby Boomers that are aging, and retiring. In order to keep their bodies functioning at a high level, they turn to the low impact, huge results of Pilates as part of their fitness regiment.  They also turn to Pilates to help them after they’ve finished their physical therapy for rehabbing injuries.  However, I realized why more and more people are turning to Pilates each day here in Los Angeles while on my daily bike ride home from the studio.  Now mind you, I ride home along Ventura Blvd, which is very very busy…and I do break the rules a bit and ride on the sidewalk for most of it.  BUT…I see everything! I notice everything and I can smell everything, from the stores that you’d never notice while driving, to the plethora of restaurants, to the crazy drivers, and their antics inside the sanctity of their cars.

Since I ride on the sidewalk for most of the route, I’m careful, I ride slowly and I give the right of way to pedestrians. It also gives me time to relax, gather my thoughts for the day. Mostly, however, I get to see the insanity of what drivers go through every single day. I started to think we don’t just live in the city of Angels, but at times we live in the city of something else that kind of rhymes with angels, but also sounds a bit like brass and holes.  Yup…and I bet out of their cars, they are extremely nice people…but man, I saw nearly five nasty accidents on an 8 mile ride home last night.  Oh, and the horns…holy mackerel, the horns!  It was a cacophony of brass – hole instruments emanating from under the hoods of their Toyotas, Nissans and BMW’s.

So it all brings me back to the big exhale that our clients breathe the moment they walk through our doors.  We offer that sanctuary where they can not only exercise, but they can detox and feel good if only for an hour of their day.  And that, is why our businesses our growing.  The more we give our clients and future clients the ability to have a safe haven, the more we’ll help them preserve, lengthen and enjoy their lives.

Until next time!

-Art A.

Tags: bicycling, cycling, la traffic, los angeles, pilates, pilates for men