Client of the Month -- December 2012

I can’t believe it is already time for our last client of the month for 2012! Boy how time flies.  But I am proud to announce this month’s client of the month is Brian Carey!  Brian was one of my very first male clients and has been working out with us here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit for over 3 years.

Brian has always been interested in working out to keep his body healthy and fit, as well as to control the diabetes he has had for the last 42 years.  He just decided he wanted to try something new and gave Pilates a shot.  In his own words, he “got hooked right away.”  He likes that it is an intense workout, but that he also doesn’t get tired of it because we are constantly changing it up.  He did try Pilates once before at another location, but didn’t like that they weren’t more closely monitoring what he was doing—and since he wasn’t so sure himself on his first try, it didn’t really work out.  He told me he enjoys the fact that at our studio, the classes are small and that there is an instructor who is always keeping an eye on his form.  His advice to new people interested in Pilates? Just give it a couple of sessions and see what you think.  Even though it may be slightly more expensive than larger group classes, he feels like you get what you pay for, and that the value you get at 15 to Fit is exceptional, particularly with all the one on one attention.  Who could ask for a better compliment? 

Brian has always dedicated time to exercise and has done a fair amount of cardio and weights—but he feels like Pilates offers a full body workout and this is one of the things that he thinks is the most different about Pilates from other types of exercise (and one of the things he likes the most about it).  He also thinks the workouts are intense—he jokes that sometimes his male friends tease him about doing Pilates, but that he just challenges them to come in and see what it is all about.  He enjoys that the workouts continue to increase in difficulty as your skill level increases, so that you always have new goals to accomplish.  He likes the class he takes weekly because it incorporates the machines (the reformer and the chair) as well as the barre and the TRX equipment.  He tells me he can really feel his core working!

Brian told me he didn’t have specific goals when he started with us here besides trying something new, but that he has seen so many benefits from Pilates—for one thing, all his doctors, who closely monitor his health particularly because of his diabetes, have told him that he is in great shape because of all he does.  He also is very physically active in his business (he owns a mobile dry cleaning service called Pressed 4 Time) and feels like not only does he have more energy, and better balance, but loves the fact that when he leans to pick something up, or is bending over, he automatically tucks in his stomach muscles—a habit he credits to his Pilates practice. He also has started incorporating portions of his workouts at the studio into his personal workouts. THOSE are exactly the kinds of things that I LOVE to hear!  Keep up the good work and congratulations Brian!

November Client of the Month

My client of the month for November is Stan!  Stan has been working out with us since March and is extremely dedicated to his exercise program—both here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit but also on his own—he also likes to run and lifts weights.  This dedication to his health and he consistency as a client are the things that inspired me to make him this month’s client of the month! I think you will find him an inspiration as well.

Stan is 68 years old and a retired attorney. He was somewhat of a work-a-holic when he was practicing law and had let his health priorities slip a bit.  About 4-5 years ago, his doctor told him if he didn’t start exercising and lose weight, he was going to become diabetic.  Even though he had tried an exercise regimen in the past, he was really motivated this time.  This is when he started running and lifting weights.  However, within the last year, he started developing knee problems when he ran.  He went to see the doctor about his problem and was told he should try yoga.  After talking to his daughter about it, she recommended Pilates because she thought he would like it better than yoga.  He took a couple classes with her while visiting her in Hawaii and enjoyed them. When he got home, he started scouting out places to try it in Indianapolis.

Luckily, he found us doing a web search and even though his plan had been to try several and decide which place he liked best, he ended up finding us and because of the convenient location (lots of parking too) and our friendly staff, he just stayed with us (and his lovely wife has since joined us as well).  He told me he has worked out with nearly all our trainers and has enjoyed working with all of them.  He generally does two classes every week that he is in town.

Stan told me that he really has enjoyed Pilates because he likes things that test him—even though he has been working out now on his own for awhile, he likes the fact that Pilates targets muscles that he doesn’t target in his other workouts.  He also likes that in each new workout (which we change every week or two) there are new exercises to try and new areas that are targeted.  He also really appreciates the fact that because we keep our classes small (usually a maximum of 4 people), each person gets a lot of personalized attention from the trainer.

Stan’s goal when he started exercising was to get in good shape—he was doing what his doctor recommended. He likes that Pilates rounds out his fitness program.  He also has avoided that diabetes possibility that his doctor warned him about and amazingly, he has been able to go off of several other medications he had been taking for blood pressure and high cholesterol.  My favorite part though? He has also been able to improve his surfing and mountain hiking which he enjoys when he visits his daughter in Hawaii.  Pretty impressive huh?

Good work Stan!

Clients of the Month - October 2012

I decided to do something a little different this month for client of the month—this month there are actually THREE clients of the month because I wanted to feature them, but they work as such a tight team, it only seemed right to feature them together.

Annie, Courtney, and Libby have been working out as a team here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit since April—and while that may not be the longest of many of my clients, the fact that they are so dedicated and consistent is one of the reasons they impress me so much.  Annie and Libby had done Pilates elsewhere before, but when Annie saw my sign one day just driving by, she decided to get Libby to give it a try with her.  Shortly after that, Courtney joined them.  These three ladies all work together and are friends outside of the studio—so they have a great time talking and laughing (and working out of course) with our trainer Georgeanna.  They work out twice a week over their lunch hour.

Courtney mentioned how she enjoyed working out over her lunch hour because it breaks up her day a bit and gets her out of the office.  They all really enjoy the flexible scheduling they can have here at the studio.  As far as the studio goes, they mentioned some of their favorite things—first, they love Georgeanna (or “G” as they call her) who is their regular trainer.  They really enjoy working out with her and I have seen first-hand the camaraderie they all seem to share.  They told me they also like the facility and the ability to be able to do a triplet on the equipment, as not a lot of studios have as many reformers set up as we do.

As far as their individual needs, they like that while they are different ages, and at different exercise levels, that they can still get the perfect workout for their individual bodies. They like that the exercises are adaptable to their various needs and strength levels. And they have gotten so comfortable with the machines and the workouts, Georgeanna tells me they are practically experts at knowing all the names of exercises and what spring level to set the machines.

They all had goals to get stronger and leaner when they began with us.  Courtney says people began complimenting her right away. She also felt an immediate connection with Pilates (which she had not tried before).  She felt like it was the right type of exercise for her because while it made her stronger, it also respected her body and didn’t cause the kind of pain or fear of injury that other harsher types of programs sometimes do.  Libby mentioned that she really enjoys the mind-body connection of Pilates. Annie felt like she is meeting her goals of getting stronger and leaner and has enjoyed the fact that people have been asking her what she is doing because they have noticed a change in her.  They all feel more aware of their core and have integrated better flexibility and posture into their daily lives (Joseph would be so proud!) as well as just a healthier lifestyle—they are proof that once you make one little step towards health, it makes you want to continue it in other areas of your life.

When I asked them about how they have been able to stick to it and remain consistent, they replied there were several reasons.  First, they don’t hate it (always a bonus).  They also like the accountability of not only feeling like the owe it to themselves, but to each other to show up—since they are counting on the other ones to be there (and save money as a triplet).

They told me they were shocked when I asked them to be clients of the month, but once you see them in action, and hear about their dedication and success, you can see immediately why they have earned it! Congratulations ladies!

Client of the Month - September 2012

I am happy to announce our client of the month for September—Tom B!  Tom is nearly 60 and is a small business owner and bookkeeper.  I love that the way Tom came to us is through his lovely wife Dee (who was our client of the month back in February).  She kept telling him he should try Pilates and finally just bought him a gift certificate to Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit for Christmas last year.  He finally got over his initial thoughts that Pilates was just for women and decided to give it a try (after all, the money was already spent right?)

Tom had never tried Pilates and really didn’t know what to expect.  He had gone to gyms before and had even tried working out one on one with a personal trainer but just didn’t seem to be able to stick with it.  He says he must not have had the willpower to do it, but I disagree because he has become an extremely dedicated client since starting back in January. I think he just needed to find the right fit for him and we are it!

Tom had also had some abdominal surgeries before starting Pilates and had some fairly extreme weakness in his core stomach muscles.  We both knew this was an area that needed some work.  And I knew that Pilates was the perfect solution.  We went slow and in the beginning he will tell you he couldn’t do several of the classic Pilates core exercises and was doing roll ups only with extra assistance.  But now, his abs are so much stronger, he can do things like teasers and even advanced exercises like the tendon stretch! How cool is that?

But probably one of the most positive things he has to say about Pilates is how quickly he started seeing results.  As I mentioned, he had tried other exercise programs before and got frustrated and quit because he just couldn’t see or feel results.  But with us, after just 3 months here at 15 to Fit, Tom says he began to really see results.  He says he felt stronger and he could see muscle definition improvements. When he began seeing this difference in his muscle tone and could feel those muscles firming up, it helped keep him motivated to stay with it.  He told me he just started feeling so much better in general.  That is what we love to hear!

Of course one of the other things that he says helps keep him motivated (and honest) is the fact that he has a regular appointment for his twice a week group reformer classes.  The classes are small (only 4-5 people) and he knows if he cancels at the last minute, someone else might be missing an opportunity to go.  He also really enjoys the small class sizes because of the personal help that you get in every class from our instructors and the fact that if he goes regularly to the same classes, you start to see some of the same faces on a regular basis and you get to know the people in your classes.  He has even seen several other men show up in the classes! (See, it isn’t just for the ladies).

He likes the personal attention from the instructors because Pilates was new to him and he appreciates the one on one attention to make sure he is doing each exercise correctly and making sure that he doesn’t hurt himself.  He really likes the reformer classes because he really enjoys the machines—he feels like the resistance on the machines from the springs really has helped him gain the strength that he has gained.  He enjoys the constant changing of the classes/exercises and the fact that you don’t get bored doing a million repetitions of the same thing over and over.  He says that because of the variety, the classes go by very quickly (no greater compliment when you are exercising right?).

Tom’s goal when he started with us at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit was to just get moving.  He wanted some assurance that as he got a little older, his body would still be strong to support him.  He knew there was no time like the present and he did get moving and saw results quickly after.  We love him for his persistence and the fact that he rarely complains during class! So congratulation to Tom B. for being our September client of the month!

Hey all! Georgeanna here. I thought I'd drop by to write a line about our new Pilates/TRX/Barre fusion classes. I have been teaching a TRX/Barre fusion on Wednesdays at 9:30 am, and it has been a blast. I am excited to add more Pilates to the mix! A lot of you have done some TRX work in our group equipment classes, or tried out our Barre class when we had one. Maybe TRX scares you (heck, anything invented by the Navy SEALS as a method to keep THEM in shape is a little intimidating!) and maybe you haven't had a ballet class since you were five years old. Well, good news: our Pilates/TRX/barre fusion classes aren't bad, I promise. In fact, they are a great way to workout!

Let me back up. If you are saying "what is TRX?" I'll give you a quick run down. TRX is suspension training, meaning you use your body weight to create resistance; no weights, no springs, nothing but this straps. The straps are designed to be used lots of different ways: hand in, feet in, ankles in, one hand, etc. This allows a mutlitude of exercises, some that are new and unbelievably hard, like this:

and some that are more familiar, and are based in Pilates principles (you already know!), like this:

If hearing the phrase "barre class" makes you fear I'm going to slap a tutu on you, rest assured. Barre classes are a legitimate workout method for people seeking fitness, not just people in the Bolshoo Ballet. In fact, barre classes are growing in popularity all across the USA (this V Barre, Dailey Method, etc.) People love that it is low impact: no running, nothing hard on the joints. Don't get me wrong: you will still get a great workout. Dancers have incredible bodies, and they do barre every day. We tweak it so that you don't need to dust off your pointe shoes, but you still get the incredible sculpting that barre work brings. It is great for men and women of all shapes and sizes and all athletic abilities! You won't be doing this:

                                                                But you will be doing this:

And finally, we are adding in some Pilates to our fusion experience. Pilates will strengthen, stretch, and lengthen your muscles, which is a great combination with the cardio of TRX and the sculpting of Barre. 

So why TRX/barre fusion? Why not?! I know I love to change up my workouts because I fear boredom, so our fusion is fun and never gets boring. If you HATE TRX, you know we won't be there a whole hour (and vice versa!) Because our classes are limited to four people, we can cater to YOUR needs in each class. You will have lots of individual instruction from our knowledgable instructors (me included :)

In conclusion, check us out! We have Pilates/TRX/Barre fusion classes almost every day!

Client of the Month - August 2012 (A tribute)

This is a very special client of the month post for me and in some ways hard for me to write.  This client, Patty Scanlon, passed away last summer.  Her birthday would have been this month which is what inspired me to make her my client of the month for August.  She was such an amazing person, a wonderful client and just a general pleasure to be around—I felt like this would be my own little way to honor her memory, and share with you her personal drive.  If her story doesn’t motivate you to exercise, I am not sure what will!

First of all, just to get an idea of what kind of a person Patty was, I want to share with you what she did for a living.  She was a licensed clinical social worker who specialized in play therapy for children.  She worked with children every day who were struggling through difficulties in life—anything from living through a divorce to being victims of sexual abuse.  Her job was tough—she was always doing everything she could to make these kids’ lives better—and sometimes just bearable.  One of her favorite quotes, which I think applied so well to her life, was this one by James D. Miles: “You can easily tell the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”   Her job was tough and could have easily made someone grumpy or stressed, but not Patty.  She loved helping these kids and she loved life and it always showed.

The next thing you should know about Patty is that she had multiple sclerosis, or MS.  She was diagnosed more than 10 years ago, which was around when I first had the opportunity to meet and work with her.  She came to me when I was a personal trainer, after being referred by her chiropractor.  She worked out with me then for a couple of years.  I took a few years off after that, and our paths crossed again when she noticed my sign advertising Pilates in 2007.  Her disease was progressing somewhat, and she was more motivated than ever to maintain her strength and flexibility.  Pilates helped her keep a fuller range of motion throughout her remaining years.  She was such a role model to me, and many clients because of her perseverance to exercise right up until a few months before she died.  In fact, I will never forget one of the last group classes she came to (she did group classes as well as privates in the years she was a client) because her head had been shaved (she later developed a brain tumor which was what ultimately took her life) and she was a little weaker than usual.  I will tell you, not a single person in that class that day made any little complaint about their bodies or having to exercise when they saw how hard she was working just to keep her body as strong as possible with everything she was going through.

Patty had a tough road, both with her own health and with her job, but her spirit was so positive and happy—my husband at one point shared office space with my studio and gave Patty the nickname “Giggles” because he could always hear her laugh when she was working out.  I know Patty used working out as a way to keep herself as healthy as possible, but I am also proud to say that I think she saw coming in and training with me, and laughing with me, as a kind of catharsis too—she could vent a little about things going on in her life and job, and keep her mind and body as strong as possible.  It was my pleasure to know her, and train her for so many years.  I took pride in knowing that in some little way I also felt like I was vicariously helping those kids she helped—I helped take care of her a little and hopefully made her work and her path just a little easier.

I also wanted to share one other memory of Patty because it was such a special thing.  Sometimes you have the opportunity to do things for people in life that don’t seem like that big of a deal until you see the looks on their face.  Patty was a HUGE fan of the Bob & Tom show on Q95.  I mean, huge!  She listened for years and years and always wanted to meet them.  As luck would have it, I also train Tom Griswold from the show.  I sort of hesitated asking this favor—I am sure he has requests like this all the time, and it isn’t something they do on a regular basis, but I asked him if there was any way Patty could come watch the show (I shared a bit of her story with him).  He instantly said yes and wanted to know when she could come. (What a nice guy.)  He told me later about how much she laughed during the show and how thrilled she was to get to meet them all (check out the picture!).  It wasn’t more than a week or two later that Patty passed away.  I was so glad that she got to check this one little thing off of her “bucket list.”  And I am so grateful for the kindness of Tom and the staff at the Bob and Tom Show. How cool is are they for making this happen for Patty?


More than anything with this post, I wanted to honor Patty and her memory because I have been thinking about her a lot lately.  I also think she was a great role model in life for so many reasons—and I think even in death she continues the legacy of the way she lived her life.  I know she also taught me about dying with grace.  I also wanted people with serious and terminal illnesses to hear about her and realize that exercise may be able to help keep their bodies strong while they fight other battles.  I am sure she would love knowing that she might help even one more person who might be struggling out there with a similar disease.  I am so glad I got to know Patty as a client and as a friend--for all these reasons, I have made her my posthumous Client of the Month for August!

"You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than you can in an hour of conversation." - Plato

Client of the Month - July 2012

I am happy to announce my choice for July’s client of the month, Brenda S! Brenda is a dedicated, loyal client, who even with a busy schedule and full time job manages to always show up for her group classes.  Brenda has been working out here with us at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to fit for 3 years this month (so what better timing for her to be client of the month right)? Happy Anniversary Brenda!

When Brenda started Pilates with us, she was really tired of her usual exercise program which mainly just included working out on her elliptical machine at home.  She was really looking for something different.  As luck would have it, she happened to drive by our studio and see our sign.  That motivated her to give us a call.  And since her first class, she hasn’t looked back.  She now regularly participates in 2 group reformer classes per week (including our “jump” class sometimes.  She likes having her classes on the schedule and feels much less likely to blow them off then she did when she was just working out at home.

One of the things she likes about Pilates in general is the fact that the classes and routines change all the time.  She likes how we are constantly shifting the programs so they never get boring.  She also told me that just when she feels like something is becoming a little “easy,” we shake it up and make it just a little more challenging.  That is how we keep you progressing.  We watch our clients as they work out and we NEVER want it to be easy!  Of course, we always want your work out to be fun too, but it should be challenging.  She also likes that Pilates works on all areas of the body as well as having its focus on the core.  She says she feels much more toned and muscular throughout her body.

Brenda likes our studio in particular because she likes the fact that the classes are very small (maximum of 4 people in most classes) so that even though they are a discounted price, you are still getting individualized attention from the instructors.  She knows if her form is bad in an exercise, that it will quickly be corrected.  And this is something that she feels may be a problem for her working out on her own.  It is too easy to learn something the wrong was and just continue that way if no one is there to correct you.  This will certainly not happen at 15 to Fit!  She also told me she really enjoys the way we are constantly integrating new equipment into our classes (she is benefiting from my equipment addiction!).  Most recently we introduced the TRX equipment which is a completely different and lots of fun. 

Like other clients of the month, Brenda enjoys the camaraderie of the classes as well and told me how she has really enjoyed getting to know some of the other people who regularly work out with her in the same classes.  Her advice to others looking for motivation to exercise? Find something you really like to do and focus on that—she has found that here at 15 to Fit and we are so glad she did!

Congratulations Brenda!

Client of the Month- June 2012

I am happy to announce our June Client of the Month- Mike F.!  Mike started doing Pilates here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit about 2 years ago when he just happened to notice our studio.  He had never done Pilates before, and had always utilized a more traditional workout including weight training and running.  But after a hip replacement several years ago, he wanted to involve a trainer in his workouts so that he would stop constantly injuring himself.  He was also just looking for something different to do—he had just been doing the same workout on a stationary bike and then spinning through the various weight machines at the gym and was kind of bored with it I think.

He really liked the core strengthening that came with Pilates—he wasn’t constantly injuring himself because he had a trainer watching his form and making sure he wasn’t pushing things too far.  He was feeling stronger and felt his flexibility was greatly improved.  He liked the variety in the workouts and realized how important building core strength was to his overall health.  Before, he had just been focused on mass building and some cardio.  I think he realized that as he has gotten older, that core strength and flexibility are just as important.

Mike is also a golfer and can see the improvement in his golf game.  His increased flexibility has surely helped in this area as well.  And Pilates is such a great complimentary workout to many sports, but especially golf. In fact, I even wrote a post about it awhile back.  (You can read it here.)

Then, last year, Mike realized his ongoing back problems were going to require surgery—which he had last November.  After a few months of rehab, I was so glad to get him back in the studio several weeks ago.  I felt as his trainer that the best course of action would be for him to do a few private sessions to make sure that we both knew where he was physically and to make sure he didn’t overdo it in a group class.  Mike prefers the group classes though and is happily back as a regular client in classes twice a week!  I couldn’t be happier with his progress and am so glad that he has gotten back to Pilates.  I think Mike is a great example not just to men (Mike doesn’t understand why more men aren’t doing Pilates), and some of my slightly older clients, but to demonstrate how Pilates can be a great workout to incorporate even after a major surgery like this.  And for his perseverance and dedication, I am happy to name him client of the month!

Client(s) of the Month - May 2012

Lynn & Paul at the Summit!

For May, I am excited to announce my first husband and wife team for client(s) of the month! Lynn and Paul have been working out with me together in a duet for several years now.  In fact, I have known Lynn for a very long time and she actually worked out with me before I became a certified Pilates instructor and did other types of fitness training.  We have been through a lot of exercise together!

One of my favorite things about these two are their wonderful travel stories—they are very adventurous travelers and love to hike in places like Utah, Machu Picchu and have even summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.  I spoke with Paul who told me how much Pilates has helped with his flexibility and from preventing muscle inflammation and tightness.  This type of increased strength and flexibility was certainly beneficial during the very grueling climb to the top of Kilimanjaro. Paul told me that he definitely felt much looser going into the intense climb. Lynn also told me how when she was in  Bali doing a treacherous ropes course that she thought to herself how happy she was that she had been doing Pilates for so long.  She told me that not only did it improve her core strength, but that it also increased her confidence at that moment just when she needed it most! .

They have always worked out with me personally and I am honored to say that one of the reasons they like our studio at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit so much is because of me!  You know it warms a trainer’s heart to hear things like that (not that my other trainers aren’t wonderful, but it is always nice to hear that people still like working out with me too!)  Paul also mentioned how he enjoys that in some ways Pilates is similar to yoga, but that he feels like it is even better because of the increased resistance from the machines—you get similar benefits as you would with yoga, but you are also strengthening even more.  They also like that Pilates integrates working out all the muscles in the body and doesn’t just focus on certain muscle groups the way many forms of traditional exercise does.

When Paul and Lynn first started training with me, Paul’s goals were really just to get himself out of the house to do something physical.  He wasn’t very regular about his exercise regimen and found himself doing things somewhat sporadically—often dependent on the weather.  It seems in the winter, he tended to get a little less enthusiastic about exercise.  They started doing Pilates with me regularly and have been dedicated and loyal clients since.    Because of this dedication and loyalty, I am happy to name them clients of the month!

Client of the Month- April 2012

I am excited to announce our April client of the month—Julie L.!   Julie is a busy woman—an attorney, wife and mother of two.  Julie is another of my favorite long term clients—she has been working out with us here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit for nearly 4 years—the cool thing is she won her first sessions at a school health fair, and has never looked back since then (she had never tried Pilates elsewhere).  She enjoyed it so much that she has stuck with it—I would say any exercise regimen that anyone sticks with for that long must be working!

Her initial goal once she started working out with us was just to get generally more fit.  When she started seeing that progress taking shape, she added getting more toned and losing weight to her goals.  She has definitely seen major progress in her goals—she feels much more physically fit, much more toned, and can tell her core strength has improved greatly. No more “girl push-ups for Julie!  Additionally, once she combined her work outs with a healthier eating program, she has managed to lose about 20 pounds since starting Pilates.  She has kept up her motivation because she likes being challenged and likes to keep improving the difficulty of her work outs.  Her husband will also tell you that he appreciates the results of her workouts and loves seeing his wife in a two piece bathing suit!

The fact that the workouts are continually evolving and increasing in difficulty are also one of the things that she really enjoys about working out at 15 to Fit.  She feels like her work outs never get “old”—there are always new levels within Pilates that she can attempt to master so she doesn’t get bored and always feels challenged.  Her other favorite thing about our studio in particular is the fun instructors and the camaraderie that she feels among the clients.  I am proud to say that so far nearly every client of the month has said something similar about our studio—both of our instructors and clients.  This makes me so happy that everyone feels so welcome and has so much fun while there are here working out with us.

Julie takes advantage of our group reformer classes—she varies the specific class she takes so that she can get a regular reformer class and sometimes also takes the class that focuses on a lot of “jumping” to give her an additional amount of cardio work.

I am also proud to say that Julie also recently referred her own daughter to our studio and she has also started taking classes.  Her daughter knew how much her Mom enjoyed it and watched her strength improve and wanted to get in the game herself.  Her daughter also plays soccer and her team uses some of the ab work in their own training.  Pilates has allowed her to work on her core and on strengthening her muscles to improve her soccer game.

Julie wanted me to mention that she would like to share that as a woman in her forties (or for any age really), that she feels like some people might shy away from doing things like Pilates.  She feels like it is great exercise program for me or women of any age and that she plans on making it a “lifetime exercise.”  No better endorsement than that (well that and that she is willing to trust her daughter with us!)  We will be happy to have both of these lovely ladies around our studio for many years to come!

Client of the Month- March 2012

This month, I have decided to highlight one of my clients that has been with me the longest. Erin started with me when I first started training in Pilates and believe it or not, was working out of my garage!  That was nearly 5 years ago, and she has been a loyal client from the garage days to my first studio and my eventual move to our current studios.  This place just wouldn’t be the same without her around! 

Erin has been doing Pilates for over 10 years (she started in San Francisco way back before her kids were even born).  She is a staunch exercise hater and claims that Pilates is the only thing she has ever stuck with long term (even though she still loves to complain throughout her training sessions-- but we’ve gotten used to it).  But I’d say doing something for 10 years+ is true dedication!  As I said, in those 10 years, Erin has had two kids and has managed to keep herself in great shape—with Pilates, walking, and a good diet (even though she is a huge food lover—she even writes a blog about Indianapolis restaurants, www.indyrestaurantscene.com ). I always tell her, anyone who can eat as much as you do and stay in such good shape is doing something right (to be fair, she eats a lot variety-wise, but is extremely healthy in her portion sizes).

Erin tells me the things she likes about Pilates is the constant variation in the routine and exercises, and that she never does so many repetitions of anything that it becomes too boring.  She has worked out at several Pilates studios throughout her Pilates “career” and tells me she likes Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit because of the true connections she has made with our staff and other clients (she and I have become good friends over the years—we always joke that her sessions are sort of half work outs and half therapy sessions for both of us). We certainly always have at least a few good belly laughs while she is working out (for instance the other day when I asked her to do a certain exercise in a certain way, and she replied, “are you f$@*ing kidding me??”).  She did try a couple of other places in Indianapolis before she found me and did not feel like she was given the individual attention she needed or just didn’t make a connection with her trainers.  She does two sessions a week here (and often one yoga class as well) and is one of the most reliable clients I have ever had, and that is saying something for someone who flunked gym class in high school (her, not me!).  She always teases me that I have “a sickness” because of my love of fitness.

Erin’s goals have always been to maintain a healthy weight and strong body (and she would tell you to be able to eat lots of good food and drinks lots of good wine)—she certainly has met that goal, and continues to maintain her level of fitness as she continues working out with us.  She has recommended several friends as clients and is a fun person to work with.  For all those reasons, and because of her extreme dedication to her healthy mind and body, she is March’s Client of the Month!

Client of the Month - February 2012

It is hard to believe it is time for a new client of the month already—is it just me or is time flying by?  But I am happy to announce our February client of the month is Dee!    Dee is in her 50s and works as a personal assistant.  I am happy to say she was recommended to Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit through another one of our clients, Tom Griswold, from The Bob and Tom Show.  I love it when we get new clients through word of mouth from current clients!  And one of the reasons I have chosen Dee this month is because she has already referred me another client—her husband! 

But Dee’s story is impressive because for her first 50 years of life, she never had a good exercise habit—she really didn’t like exercising and found it too easy to give up.  She had also put on weight over the years and was very successful at losing 30 pounds through a healthy diet plan and exercise.  And as if losing all that weight wasn’t enough, she has now become a dedicated client here at 15 to Fit and we are so proud of her!

Dee has tried a lot of different types of exercises and she had even tried some other Pilates studios and wasn’t impressed with their classes.    She was looking for a place where the instructors would take her age and ability into consideration so she didn’t overdo it and injure herself as she had at other places (and then burn out as well).  She has told me how much she enjoys all of our instructors in her group reformer classes, and not only does she feel like we give her the personalized attention that she needs, but that she keeps coming back for the fun that she has each session.  She says she feels like the hour just flies by because she spends so much time laughing.  And you know, laughing is a good core workout too!  She told me it isn’t just the instructors that she enjoys either; she really enjoys the other clients.  She loves the social outlet that she has in her classes.

So when Dee came to us, she set as her goal to get into an exercise regimen that she would stick with and she wanted to further define and strengthen her muscle tone.  She feels like she has absolutely been meeting those goals. She has successfully kept up with regular classes and feels much stronger.  She loves that she “never doesn’t want to go” to class and she plans on staying with it long term.  And as I mentioned, she has already turned her husband on to it as well.  He has just started in the last couple of months, but we hope to have him as a long term client too—who knows, maybe he will be client of the month one of these days too!

So, Dee, welcome to our club of clients of the month! You go girl!

Client of the Month-January 2012

My clients of the month this month are Sally & Shelley!  I picked them as a pair to be client of the month this month because they are quite the Pilates dynamo team together.  They do a duet (or semi-private session) twice a week every week and are extremely dedicated, which is why I am naming them Clients of the Month for January.  (Shelley also loves to do our energetic Piloxing class as well).

Shelley started here a few months before Sally, and actually started coming to Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit because one day she was just driving by and saw our sign.  She said she took it as a “sign” so to speak that she should give it a try.  Shelley and Sally have been friends for close to 15 years and one night, while enjoying some tasty margaritas together, Shelley told Sally about it and Sally decided she wanted to give it a try together—particularly when they figured out they could start doing a semi-private session together (nothing like setting exercise goals over a drink right?).  So they started working out together In September 2010 and have been here ever since.

When I spoke with them, they said some of the things they like about Pilates in general is that no matter what you do, you always seem to get a good, and varied, workout.  They also like that, as they said, “the routine is never routine.”  They like that every session is different.  Shelley says it is the only exercise regime she has every stuck with (and she has tried them all).  She likes the variety and the fun and camaraderie of working out with a friend, and with trainers she really likes.

They both commented on the social climate at the studio as one of the things they like about Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit specifically.  They like not only the friendship they share personally, but also the friendliness and mix of people they have met at the studio, both students and trainers.  I think one of them said it like this, “the studio has a good personality.”  I love hearing things like that because one of my goals is to have clients feel like the place where they exercise is also a place where they can have fun. Shelley, who, as I said has had a hard time sticking to any exercise program said that if it wasn’t for the people here, she might have already quit.  She talked about how when she has joined gyms in the past and just never felt like she made any personal connections with anyone other than sharing sweat on the machines (which by the way, was another thing she mentioned—the fact that we always sanitize each machine between each new user).

They both told me that they also feel like the trainers at 15 to Fit make a big difference for them.  Sally said she has been trained by several of our trainers and they have all given her great workouts.  Shelley mentioned how she liked how well informed and well trained our instructors are.  And I take great pride in that, as all of our instructors have gone through several Pilates trainings and constantly continue to upgrade their knowledge with new classes and trainings.

Both Sally and Shelley had obvious goals when they started Pilates and they are both happy to say that their overall health and fitness is generally increased.  Sally talked specifically about losing inches from her body and Shelley said that her plantar fasciitis has disappeared since she started doing Pilates.    We love hearing success stories like this, and we love Sally and Shelley! Congratulations ladies for being our January clients of the month!