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!

Client of the Month- December 2011

This month, my “client of the month” is an entire football team!  In case you haven’t heard, the Cathedral Football team recently became (for the second year in a row) State (4A) Champions in football!  This is good news for Indianapolis, but also for me personally because I have had the privilege of training the football team for the last 2 seasons.  I still vividly remember my first day training them—imagine 75 teenage boys on an open football field in August and me teaching them Pilates and yoga moves.  I am telling you they had their doubts for sure.  When I simply told them, if their mothers could do it, so could they, they realized they should buckle down.   But one of my proudest moments about training these boys is the fact that even though there were a number of them that sort of snickered in the beginning, by the time this season was in full swing, they were going to their coach, Rick Streiff, and asking him to get back to it (we had scheduling difficulties in the beginning of their season this year, but got back into the swing of things at the end of this season).  The fact that these young men were specifically requesting to do Pilates is a great testimony for its benefits!

Coach Streiff initially contacted me about starting Pilates because he was looking for a good recovery workout after games.  Last year, Cathedral had a lot of Friday night games, so I trained them on most Saturday mornings.  Before starting Pilates, they had been doing some weight training and light running for their recovery and the Coach felt they were not recovering as well as he wanted.  He had heard about Pilates and then talked to someone at the University of Florida’s football program and heard they were using it in their workouts.  That’s when he decided if it was good enough for them; it would be good for his high school players too.

He has realized that not only did he find a good recovery workout, but that it has evolved into a really good flexibility and core strength workout.  He has mentioned how much he likes that it really stretches out these young men’s muscles in ways that traditional workouts (like weights and cardio) do not.  In fact, Coach Streiff has confessed that they have worked a lot of the moves they have learned from me into all of their post practice workouts.  Of course I love training them myself, but it is my mission to teach people how to incorporate exercise into their life as much as possible, so I am just as happy to hear they are doing things they learned from me even when I am not around!  I am also happy to hear that since they have started incorporating Pilates and even a little yoga into their post-practice and post-game workouts, that their injury rate is lower and they are recovering from games much faster with a lot less soreness and stiffness.

So, because of their work ethic and dedication, and of course, because of winning the State Championship for 2 years in a row, I would like to congratulate the Cathedral Football team for being December’s client of the month! Go Irish!

Client of the Month--November 2011

I am totally excited to announce our second ever client of the month for November: Anita J.!  After discussing it with the other instructors, we all agreed that Anita has impressed us not just with her dedication to her exercise program but also because of her inspiring ability to make a fitness/health goal and meet it!

At the beginning of the year, Anita was looking to meet a couple of different goals.  First, she wanted to find an exercise program that could help tone and strengthen her core and she wanted to lose 15 pounds (and still be able to enjoy food, wine and beer which are part of her livelihood).  What was the thing that set her over the edge to make this goal a reality?  Her pants were too tight.  She realized when her clothes were becoming uncomfortable, that she was becoming uncomfortable.  She didn’t want to buy bigger pants; she wanted to fit into her pants better.  So she set up a personal program for herself which included healthier eating, spin classes several times a week, and 2 Pilates sessions a week at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit.  She does one advanced reformer group class and one private training session per week.  One of my favorite quotes from Anita when I asked her how she met her goals is that she looks at fitness as “a gift to herself.”  I think that is a great personal attitude and extremely empowering.

Anita told me some of her favorite things about working out with us here at 15 to Fit (besides for some of the friends she has made in class) which of course I want to share with you as well!  Anita loves to work out very early in the morning and enjoys the fact that we have very early morning classes (she is here at 6:30 on the days she works out).  She also told me that she appreciates the fact that all our instructors are so well trained.  We pride ourselves on our training and are continually working to improve ourselves.  (We can’t exactly ask you to do it and not do it ourselves right?) In fact, I am excited about some new training that our instructor Carmen is embarking on right now—but more on that later.  Anita also specifically mentioned the personal attention that she gets here at the studio.  Even in a class setting, she said she always feels like her personal fitness needs are attended to and she is constantly improving her form.

Anita is 50 years old and has worked hard to meet her goals this year.  She told me, at a certain age, “you gotta move to move.”  Love that mantra. She has also been a dedicated client for a year and a half and rarely misses a session.  She has had back issues in the past and feels like Pilates has been the thing to make her more limber.  So, you are probably wondering, did she get herself back into her pants? Yep! Did she lose the 15 pounds?  Yep!  And we couldn’t be more proud of her.   And for all those reasons, and just because she is so much fun to train, congratulations to Anita for being Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit’s November Client of the Month!

Client Of The Month- October 2011

I am really excited about a new thing I am starting at the studio—Client of the Month!  I am always so amazed at the effort and persistence of so many of my clients.  So often, you guys are MY inspiration.  Anyway, I wanted to come up with a little way to celebrate those who are inspiring me each month.

My inaugural choice for client of the month is Marlene P.!  She isn’t a long term client (yet) but in the months she has been coming (she started in May) I have been amazed by her persistence, enthusiasm and progress!  One of the things that makes Marlene’s story so interesting and impressive is that she came to Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit after about 2 ½ years of inactivity.  Marlene had been recuperating from a serious illness and it took that long for her to recover. She felt like after such a long period of not exercising, that her muscles had really started to atrophy.  She knew it was time to start some sort of exercise program, but she also knew she needed something that could safely get her body healthy again.  She had been through a lot and she didn’t want to overdo it.  She also knew her core was where she wanted to focus.

She found our studio through one of the promotions running at that time, and told me she instantly felt welcomed.  She felt like we all made sure to take her personal situation into account and make sure that the program she started was in her best interest.  She started out slow, but is now doing 2 group reformer classes every week.  I am proud to say that she says one of her favorite things about our studio is the personal attention she gets, even in the group classes.  She says she feels the instructors really care about what they are doing and it makes her more enthusiastic because of our enthusiasm.    She also said she appreciates that we are very careful with her (there are times when I have had to tell her to wait, that she wasn’t ready for a particular exercise), but that we all still push her to the extent of her ability—but in a safe and healthy way.  To me, that is one of the greatest accomplishments—for clients to feel our dedication and enthusiasm in the work we do. That, and seeing the amazing progress in clients like Marlene.

I asked Marlene what her goals were when she started and she said, she wanted to strengthen her core and body, but she also just wanted to “feel better.”  And now she tells me that she feels absolutely wonderful.  She feels that we have met and exceeded her goals.  I am so proud of her and so proud of my instructors too.  Hopefully reading Marlene’s story gets you motivated to start or expand your exercise repertoire.  I know she inspires me every time I train her.  And if you want some of the personalized attention that Marlene has gotten, check out our online schedule or call us at 317/281-6762. 

Congratulations Marlene!

Student Turns Instructor!

Meet Margaret!

So I was so excited when one of my own clients, Margaret, started hinting around that she was interested in becoming a certified Pilates instructor.  One of the reasons I am so excited about it is because Margaret started training here at Indianapolis Pilates by 15 to Fit just a little over a year ago  and is one of those people who always thought she hated to exercise (I have several clients like that—you know who you are!).  How cool is that that she found us, decided to give Pilates a try, and now wants to train to become an instructor herself because she loves it so much?

Because she was turning 50, Margaret decided she needed to find something to keep her body moving that she actually didn’t hate.  She has told me that she has tried lots of other types of exercise—the usual stuff, running, joining gyms, and just never felt the support and encouragement that she finds working out here.  She also loves the fact that Pilates gives you an all-over entire body (and mind) work out and is a great exercise for everyone, no matter what your body size or type.  It is this passion that has inspired her to want to pay that new found love of exercise forward.  So once she had thought about doing it, she and I chatted and I told her about a great studio in Cincinnati, Body Mind Balance, that trains instructors in Power Pilates.  Anyone can become some sort of Pilates trainer, but Power Pilates is a very thorough training in classic Pilates with innovation and is a place where even I, and several of my other trainers, have continued our Pilates education.  I am excited to say that recently Margaret had her first instructor training session in Power Pilates Beginning Mat and passed!  I couldn’t be more proud.  Even when she had her doubts about it throughout the weekend session, she and I sent text messages back and forth and I reassured her.  I knew she could do it and she did!

I am also proud to say that she has told me that one of the reasons she has continued with her own personal growth in Pilates is because of how welcoming and friendly she has felt our studio is.  She told me how much she immediately liked it because the instructors are always positive (while still giving correction of course).  She has also become friends with other students, and just feels that the Pilates experience at 15 to Fit is so much more encouraging and helpful than many other exercise atmospheres.  She told me when she belonged to a local gym, they only ever told her what she was doing wrong, and that made her dread going in at all.  Look at her now, wanting to share her newly discovered love of Pilates with others.  She was also excited to see that her training sessions in Cincinnati were also very positive and encouraging —even when she had to take what was basically a written anatomy test!  I told you, this is a serious training program!

Margaret told me that if someone had told her a year ago she would be taking any kind of training class in any form of exercise she would have told them, “you are out of your freakin’ mind!”  So just think, if she can come this far in such a short period of time in her desire to exercise, all you need to do is get in here and take a class or two.  The first step is often the hardest, but once you’re here, you never know, I may just turn you into the next Pilates instructor in Indy!  Check out our online schedule or call us at 317/281-6762.