Running with Pilates

Groupon- Are you nuts? They are coupons, people, is it 1997 again?

Do we have to explain AGAIN to those of you that think paper worth = money?  Haven't we been through this as early 20 somethings that appeared to be millionaires on paper based on stock options- POOF, it's gone!

Have read way too many of the recent articles hailing Groupon as the latest Microsoft/Google/Facebook.  If you are an investor- you are nuts, out of your mind!  Groupon has absolutely no control over the coupons that it offers.  For instance, I took over a space on Mass Ave in Arlington that was previously occupied by another pilates studio when I opened in Jan 2010.  The previous studio owner offered a Groupon in October 2009 that sold to a couple hundred people KNOWING THAT SHE WAS GOING TO CLOSE THE STUDIO!  She pocketed the money and buyers were left with nothing to redeem.  She told Groupon that I was going to honor the arrangement- I didn't even have the equipment to do so!  She lied to them, sold classes knowing that she was not going to be able to honor them, took the check, cashed it and kept it. Groupon was left refunding the cash after it had already paid her.  And this was when they were still selling to hundreds, not thousands! From Groupon, there was no investigation into the company by Groupon, they called one day, asked her to do it, she did and then she bolted.  It looks all well and good and the numbers that they are reporting are impressive, but you cannot have a company that is completely dependant on the customer service of others that you have not worked with to develop trust and a relationship.  There's a restaurant up for sale in Wellesley today December 9th that ran a Groupon on November 24th.  Am surprised so many folks are stupid enough to think this is a viable business model.  Will completely collapse within the year.  As a consumer- hell yeah, there are some great deals- if I wanted to throw some $100s on the fire to deal with upcoming lawsuits and unsetted transactions, then I would be an investor.  Groupon needs to get a little more picky about who it does business with and not just, and a direct quote from them when I spoke with them in the spring, "by looking into the Yelp and CitySearch reviews of the businesses that we choose to work with".  Oh, there's a stellar way of understanding business practices- I wrote a yelp review as I was sitting at the bar waiting for takeout and commenting on the behavior of the bartenders of a local restaurant-yeah, I have an MBA and had some good points, but the dude next to me, not so much! 

Pilates Misconceptions

Twice this week, I have been horribly offended by misconceptions about pilates.  Pilates is exercise, it is hard, you should be dripping with sweat during and sore after your workout.  If you are not, your teacher isn't teaching pilates or you are not listening to what he or she is asking you to do- I know all too well about the latter in teaching group classes.

I received an email on Tuesday night from a sedentary 60 year old woman who had been diagnosed with osteoperosis and had been told by her doctor that she needed to do pilates.  She was asking about attending general group classes at my studio.  The words, "Absolutely not," were at the tip of my fingers, but instead, I sent her an explanation of the regimen, the precentage of time during the class that we are in particular spinal positions (flexion being the majority and an ABSOLUTE no no for osteo clients) and two youtube videos showing the exercises rolling like a ball and rollup to share with her doctor.  I told her if he would approve and she could provide me with a note saying that this workout was appropriate for her condition, she could attend classes.  It was a little harsh , but I was ticked.  How dare that doctor send a patient to a class that he has absolutely no clue about.  If I hadn't been honest and had been just looking for a dime, I could have invited her in and completely destroyed her body.  I am still so angry with her doctor- I should have asked for his name!

Then, this afternoon, I was reading a blog post written by a trainer regarding Crossfit and its appropriateness for baseball players and among the comments, a person wrote about how the blogger was lumping Crossfit into ways to get people moving- as he referred to "like Curves and Pilates" and I almost lost it!  Curves is a franchise for formerely sedentary women and yes, it is good that at least some sort of exercise is accomplished. I just read this morning in the NY Times magazine that the average American woman weighs 167.5 lbs- that is too heavy for most frames.  Women need to get moving, I get that- hop on the treadmill, walk down the road. Pilates is not your first stop.  It is a hard core sweat from top to bottom workout and if that isn't what you're looking for, then you need to go elsewhere.  I will talk about controlling your body using muscles deep in your belly that you may not want to think about where they are if they are buried under a few other layers, but it is important that you do in my class.  I will make you keep those belly muscles turned on and then stretch everything else to the extreme and you will work harder than you ever imagined.  And that is pilates.  And it works for some and not for others.  You must develop a sense of feeling what is going on in your body- when I do it right, I am cramping in my obliques from overuse in just one exercise, five minutes into the warmup.  I posted on the blog post, but it was a couple months old, so who knows if the offender will see it.  Bring that dude on, after one of my pilates classes, he will have a hard time turning his torso to hit the snooze button the next morning.  Or maybe not, if he needs to stop every other exercise and regroup and over-rest.  But, if he can hack it, after six weeks, his belly will be flatter, golf game improved, body awareness improved and I hope that because he has to think of the paunch he had developed, he thinks twice about that venti mocha twice a day. 

And that is the problem.  Many folks don't want to understand what their body can and cannot do based on stiffness from sitting all day at work, muscle imbalances from being too heavy and eating way too much crap or just a general lack of understanding how to feel what exercise should be.  Most people want to say they run or do pilates or go to Curves and then maybe once a month do one of these things.  Sorry folks, you need to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE.  Get up early or sneak it in somewhere.  Know how much you eat and be okay with stopping.  90% of the time, I eat really well, so when I want to stick a fork in the frosting can, it's ok- I probably ran 20 miles sometimes earlier in the week and have eaten veggies, bread and fruits otherwise.

Makes our jobs as true pilates instructors really challenging.  Doctors need to know what they are advising for their patients and men need to try pilates- when you have the right instructor, it is the hardest exercise out there!

Mental Map of Our Bodies

I had an interesting discussion with a student last night regarding pilates and mind-body connection.  I had mentioned another student that had a very hard time feeling anything that we were doing in pilates class even with tactile cues, verbal cues and just about any prop that I could think of to force her muscles into the proper position.  It is pretty rare that this happens as part of the way I structure my class is to get the proper muscles to fire at the right time and order so that the core is activated correctly and it is extremely challenging physically and mentally.  As students progress, they get more freedom and I trust that their bodies have learned this patterning and can move on to additional exercises with the proper form and the same degree of mental focus.

My student mentioned the concept of a "Mental Map of our Bodies" having heard it from an Occupational Therapist's description.  Just the concept and name made a ton of sense to me.  Scientific Ameican had an article on the concept and the effects of aging on our Mental Maps http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolving-mental-maps.

I started to think about the groups of people that I watch move during the day- my son, my students, the cheerleaders, even people on the street.  I truly think that the development of a mental map is something that occurs very early in life- as babies like the article mentioned, BUT early childhood is probably even greater of an indicator of a person's abiltiy to develop a strong mental map of his or her body and consequently, how successful that child will be as an adult exerciser.  Even more important, I truly think that a mental understanding of the physical body is a huge necessity for overall health later in life- from sufficient activity to healthy eating- the pieces that seem to have been lost in the struggle to maintain healthy weights. 

Watching the kids at Alex's baseball camp a few weeks ago, I can already see huge differences in ability between kids between the ages of 8 and 10.  Some of the kids can barely throw a ball overhand, others know exactly how to put their body weight behind a throw, can get their arm back and can fling it full-force back at their coaches.  They didn't wake up one day knowing how to do this- they learned it.  These are the same little boys that naturally float to the ball and are able to scoop it up without even looking at it, sending it to the appropriate target and making a play.  They make it look effortless and don't have to think too hard to do what is needed.  Some of the others can't get their legs into the right position, almost fall over while picking up the ball, and have no idea what to do with it.  They expend so much mental energy getting their physical bodies to do the right thing that they can't get to the place where they are mentally thinking about what to do next with the baseball.

I then had the honor to participate in an incredible pilates training a few weekends ago, led by Jay Grimes with such wonderful folks attending as students- Kathy Ross-Nash, Bob Liekens (created Power Pilates) and Peter Fiasca.  Seriously, being in the audience with these folks was an honor- watching them move was amazing.  And, everyone owed their abilites to their study of pilates- many of them for over 50 years.  Most of the instructors that had been practicing for over 10 years were in such complete command of their movements and had the bodies of 20 somethings- well into their 50s and 60s for some of the participants.  Mr. Grimes also mentioned the importance of all of us in the fitness field watching The Biggest Loser in order to see what the human body is capable of.  Jillian and Bob get 500lb men to run up hills.  And on treadmills for hours.  And you know what- when the men that run up the hills are surprised when they can- and that keeps them working harder. 

Learning from those who are motivated!

Decided to check in with some of my students who are motivated and do continue to take the time to work out.  I have several students that drive 40+ minutes in order to take my classes- that is not a small commitment.  So, I started to ask why they work out, how they started and what keeps them coming back.  I've only surveyed a handful ranging in age from late 30s to mid 50s- all women- for some reason, that' is the chielf demographic of the studio thus far!  Although I am very happy to have had a couple twenty-somethings pop in over the past couple weeks- I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope that they stick with it!

• The younger they started, the more it had to do with vanity- myself included!!  The older exercisers started to ward off a host of evils, such as diabetes, obesity,high blood pressure and the various stages of bone disease (osteos)
• They all wish they had started earlier or had started a more regular program earlier
• Every single exerciser looks at least 10 years younger than non-exercisers  that I know are in the same age range- how's that for the fountain of youth?
• Exercise is a non-negotiable for these women- it holds the same importance as a daily shower or meal.  It has to be done.
• Some of the women exercise because they love to eat and they feel like they can control their weight better with an exercise program.
• The women I spoke to participated in a variety of exercise regimens- pilates, of course, but also yoga, running, spinning, walking, boot camp classes, cycling, horseback riding and weight lifting being the most cited.  I certainly enjoyed hearing the variety in the activities enjoyed- find your form and stick with it!
• Did I mention everyone looked 10 years younger, thinner and happier than their peers?  10 years- when the cheerleaders I coached last summer guessed my age, they thought 28...I'm 37 and I have an 8 year old child- to hear this from 16 year olds whose parents are closer to my age, this was a huge compliment- they didn't believe me when I told them how old I was :) 
• Some of the women have struggled with their weight prior to exercise, but most had not until their 30s and 40s

Just some interesting observations- every single woman raved about how exercise made them feel, look and live!

Workout Realities

http://bit.ly/aKxeFE

I learned a lot over the fall about working out, motivation and adhering to an exercise program from working with several groups of women- from my cheerleaders, to my regular pilates students, to the the women that participated in Westford's Biggest Loser.  Perhaps it was the notion that like-minded attracts like-minded, but I found that the easiest group to motivate were women in their thirties, with children who had been active in the past.  Least easy to motivate- post 50s women who had never exercised.  I can imagine sharing the above article with the group of women and their arguments against it would have been very similar to some of the comments that readers posted below.  I will say this bluntly, post 30 something, if you do not engage in a vigorous workout program, you will gain weight- period.  And by vigorous, I mean sweating like crazy- running, biking hard on hills, something sustainable, but barely- completely out of any comfort zone.  If you continue to "treat" yourself with a trip to the ice cream stand and a nightly cocktail to congratulate yourself on walking for 30 minutes earlier in the day, prepare to keep that muffin top.  If your salad is heaped in creamy dressing and cheese with steak tips on the side, don't expect a flat belly.

  I am sick of the coddling that went on post this article- reality is harsh, cut the calories and move more.  Look at labels, know how much you are eating- enough of the excuses.  There is no magic pill and truly exercising sometimes hurts when you are moving enough to make a difference.  Even pilates isn't just enough, it'll make you better at the other things you need to be doing, but everyone needs to burn calories, to get leaner, it is just healthier.  Stop the treats- you don't deserve a cupcake after a walk.  Yes, if you ran 20 miles and have burned every calorie out of your system, replenish.  And why does every book group have food as the focal point- get away from the constant noshing.  Nothing tastes as good as thin feels.

Two Months into Business

Well, technically, a little over two months into the business.  I am still the prime teacher, toilet cleaner, accountant, manager, webmaster (all me- www.endurancepilates.com), publicist and procurement expert of the studio.  And am living up to the name- Endurance, it is certainly needed.  Had a great article published in the local paper which pullled in a couple students to the open house on Saturday and lined me up with a new private for next Friday- hoorah!   http://tinyurl.com/yhoxtzq

And, I think that I can finally get back to some semblance of a running career.  I made the mistake of letting myself take days off.  I really can't get into that habit- I have SO much to do that if I let myself do everything before scheduling a run, it never happens.  So, I committed to the Providence Marathon on May 2nd-the fear of running a marathon unprepared will get my sneakers on before I sit in front of the website coming up with better keywords or try and figure out why the $20 is showing up as other rather than drop-in fees. I can do all of that at 9:45PM, running is a little hard that late at night.  Daylight hours are longer, mood is up, time management is back in line- let's see if I can get back up over 60 miles this week.  I also snuck in a bunch of reformer and a little crazy circus pilates on the cadillac which is always fun and was sore for the first time in I can't remember when!!  The crazy stuff is also easier when I am leaner, so gotta get the miles back up!!  I can't think of two better exercise combos!

Settling In

Woo hoo- reformers coming to the studio this weekend- hoorah! Am seriously loving it.  Am in control of the students, the curriculum- if it's too hard, they need to find a new studio- It is not called Endurance Pilates for nothing.  My only challenge is the yoga- without a core group that knows how to do power yoga, every class is beginner, so I feel like I can never begin a serious yoga portion to the studio.  We'll see- I love yoga and I am a good yoga teacher and love to share it with others, but I am never going to be a yoga studio before I am a pilates studio.  I am a fantastic pilates teacher- probably one of the best around and it is because I have spent years breaking down every exercise I know so that I can teach it like the back of my hand and I can do everything that Joseph Pilates ever had his students do- because I practice every day, have spent hundreds of hours learning and keep myself in phenomenal shape to be able to do the cray stuff that "people just talk about".  My airplane is beautiful- Lolita San Miguel said so herself :)! 

Am hoping to get back to a regular runnning schedule for me- this cold has killed me- chest cough, hacking, every day for a week, the longest running break I have taken since the sinus infection of September 2008 prior to a half marathon! Hoped for 20 this morning, got to 9, realized I could do it on Wednesday and since I was through my 5th set of tissues, backed off!  Had a bajillion other coach issues going on to send emails and make calls about , so decided to give up and deal with the trauma and prepare to tune it all out for Wed and actually make time for myself.

But, am signed up for Providence Marathon- May 2nd- woot woot!  Can't wait- am hoping to get my sorry butt up to be able to perform at a sub 3:30 pace- better lay off the french bread :)

I had students!

Hoorah!

When Linda walked up the stairs at 10 to 9 this morning, I thought my heart would burst!  I had students- 13 of them today- I love them all!  They made today exciting, made me feel like I can actually run a pilates studio.

Tomorrow, heading in to help Linda get her class settled and then taking a run to Porter Square- little past to see if I can leave some info at Marathon Sports.  I know how much pilates has helped me as a runner and I would LOVE to pass along some of the exercises that have made me a little better, faster and more efficient from a "core" strength perspective.  Pilates for Running- Running with Pilates.

Mental Endurance

Again, had to cut my run short this morning- wanted to do more than 13 miles, needed the physical stress!  And, I really shouldn't run with my phone and check my email while running in the street, but I do.  The good news was that my insurance was ready and all I had to do was hustle down to Wellesley with a check.  Studio is good to go, legal, insured, equipment owned, rent paid for the month, emails sent.  I can't think of anything except a little tidying tomorrow morning prior to class.

Dealing with the community center in Westford- Roudenbush- is a whole different beast.  I have been teaching there for seven years.  I have a pretty loyal following and have built up a number of classes.  They are a non-profit,  community center- community education.  Three years ago, they started having us sign these horrible contracts that basically said we had to teach unless we were dead- in snowstorms, illnesses, injuries and we had to sign these contracts six months prior to the start of classes.  I taught with a fever of 104 degrees once, postponed seeing my sister when she had a brain tumor, had my father drive from Maine into a snowstorm to help out with Alex so I could teach in the snowstorm that hit that evening and made many changes to my life to comply with these awful contracts.  If we missed a class, we would have to pay to rent the room to do a makeup.  Probably the least friendly environment from a management perspective that I have ever taught in.  But, I loved my students and I never had to see the management, so it worked, but I stressed way too much about those contracts.  Not at all what you would expect from the local community center (remember- non-profit too!)

Well, I told them earlier this month that I would not be able to teach because of my studio's opening and passed along the names of three instructors willing to take on classes.  They are now threatening me, refusing to take my classes off the website and trying to hold me to classes that have not started yet.  None of my regulars have signed up- they know what is going on.  Roudenbush is trying to bankrupt me by forcing me to teach the handful of students that have signed up- Sat, Mon, Thurs- all times I need to be at my studio where the overhead per month is more than I usually make in three months teaching 30 hours per week.  I even agreed to teach a god-awful hour 7:30AM Sat class so I can make it to Arlington by 9:15.  Again, non-profit community center, not so nice folks to deal with right now.  The sad thing is with all of the excitement that has been building for my new studio, this is what I am forced to put all my energies into dealing with.  Priceless. 

Ah, voila!

http://www.endurancepilates.com/