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.