Piloxing!

“Sleek. Sexy. Powerful.”  That is the mantra of our newest class here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit.  “Piloxing” is a new exercise phenomenon in L.A. and is the brain child of Viveca Jensen.  Now, we traded some jokes about what exactly “piloxing” means (is it a cross between pillow fighting and boxing?)  but in reality it is an intense workout combining Pilates and boxing that is done in a group class setting. Celebrities such as Kirsten Dunst, Heather Morris from Glee, and Haley and Hilary Duff are doing it.  Just think, you can be one of the first in Indiana.

Piloxing combines the “power,” agility and strengthening of boxing with the grace, toning and flexibility of Pilates (i.e. the “sleek”).  These moves are done in varying intervals, and are complemented by some fun dance moves to bring out the “sexy.”  The intense boxing intervals will bring your heart rate up and burn calories (you can burn up to between 400 and 800 per hour class) and the Pilates aspect of the workout will bring the heart rate back down a bit and stretch, tone and lengthen those muscles.  The class is done barefoot (so no fancy footwear required) and utilizes lightly weighted gloves that can be purchased at the studio.  We also incorporate a mat workout to cool down and will provide yoga mats for that part of the program (or you can bring your own if you like).

The class is led by one of our lovely instructors, Anne Hasbrook, who is one of only two certified Piloxing instructors in Indiana! And we have her!  Our first class is scheduled for Tuesday May 3rd at 6 p.m. and we expect to continually add more as demand grows.  Contact us to schedule your class.

For more information, check out piloxing.com and these recent articles from Harper's Bazaar, In Touch, Redbook, and People.  And if you would like to see a video of one of Viveca's classes to see what's in store for you, click here.

So now that you know all about "Piloxing" and have scheduled your class, for a giggle, what else can we come up with to combine "Pilates" with?  "Pilooking" (Pilates and Cooking)? "Pilurfing" (Pilates and Surfing)? "Pilopping" (Pilates and Shopping)? "Pilunting" (Pilates and hunting)? "Pilyaking" (Pilates and kayaking)? "Pi-latte" (Pilates and waiting in line at Starbucks?) Please share if you come up with something cute!  You know, laughing is one of the best exercises for your core!

Zumba with Cesar Acosta!

Image via Wikipedia
It is an exciting Spring around here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit! We have the privilege to be working with several new instructors and to offer several new classes in our recently remodeled group class space.  Starting April 25th, we are proud to begin offering Zumba with Cesar Acosta.  Cesar is a native of Venezuela and has been teaching Zumba since 2006.  He only teaches his lively classes at a few places around Indy, and 15 to Fit is happy to have him.

Zumba is a workout using easy to learn dance movements set to Latin and International dance rhythms.  The rhythms vary fast and slow and combine those moves with toning exercises--so we can burn calories, sculpt muscles and have a really good time listening to fun music while we are doing it. 

Our first class is being offered April 25th, and will be a small group, so if you want to dance with Cesar, you better sign up quick.  You can see the schedule and sign up here.

Who was Joseph Pilates?

A little history lesson:

Joseph Pilates was the founder of the Pilates method.  He was born in Germany in 1883.  He was quite a sick child, and apparently decided at a very young age to improve his physical fitness.  He was a gymnast, a body builder, a diver and even a circus performer for a time.  It was actually while being interned in a war camp in England during World War I, that he really developed his method which he originally called “contrology.”  During this time, he developed many of his floor exercises that are still incorporated into many of the mat work exercises we still do today.  As he began to try and help rehabilitate people who had serious injuries, be began working on equipment that ended up being some of the classic Pilates equipment, like the reformer (some of the original equipment was based on hospital beds and bedsprings, which if you look closely at equipment today, you can still see this inspiration.

In 1925 he moved to New York (and met his wife Clara on the boat on the way over). Together, he and his wife started their first studio focusing on contrology. Their method focused a lot on the mind body connection in exercise as well as the intense focus on the core of one’s body to strengthen the body.  Due to the proximity of his studio to several dance and rehearsal studios, they had quickly developed a following of many dancers. 

Joseph Pilates died in New York in 1967 at age 83, and obviously his legend has continued.

For fun, check out this video of Joseph Pilates and one of his famous students training.

Some of my favorite Joseph Pilates quotes:

"Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor."

“I'm not concerned with body building; I'm just trying to make people normal human beings.”

“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.”

“A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion.”

“…a body freed from nervous tension and over-fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind that is always fully capable of successfully meeting all of the complex problems of modern living.”

***Thanks to You Tube, Wikipedia and About.com for so much valuable information!