In the words of Joseph Pilates, “You are only as young as your spine is flexible.”
Pilates is a corrective exercise regimen created by Joseph Pilates originally named Contrology. Pilates helps students gain strength, control of breath, concentration, precision of movement, balance, uniformity of muscles and flexibility.
Anyone in the sales profession has at one point or another struggled with concentration, control, and finding balance. We also are terribly rough on our bodies- sitting at a computer for 8–10 hours a day and arching our neck in awkward poses to be able to talk and multitask. The result is neck, back, and shoulder pain and posture like a question mark.
I was introduced to Pilates in my fifth decade as a human walking this earth. I remember noticing a popular actress who was 52 having incredible posture, and she was in amazing shape with long, elegant muscles. She was giving all the credit to Pilates. I went ahead and did what everyone does, I bought a “Classic Pilates” DVD and a mat.
Embarking on the practice of Pilates from a DVD was an immediate and resounding failure. I found myself lacking any proper form, absolutely no control of breathing, and at best I struggled awkwardly with most of the movements. I had sore muscles and a bruised ego. I felt defeated and just quit with very little progress made.
About a year later, I had the fortune of working for a Fitness Management software company as a Software Sales Specialist and in the course of my interaction with clients, I came to learn how Pilates instructors help with the individual journey. I learned about top athletes seeking to balance their bodies and move more efficiently by hiring Pilates instructors to take them through a regimen of corrective exercises. I saw dozens of women who used instructor-led classes to sculpt, refine, tone or rehabilitate their bodies with amazing results. I knew that the piece missing for me was having that professional instruction and access to the precision movements enhanced in a studio environment.
I struck out to find an instructor. I found my way to the Pilates Collective in my town of San Luis Obispo, CA. When I say I “found my way” that is an understatement. At that time, the studio was small and tucked in behind another business, so they didn’t even have a front door. The owner Keira was texting me step by step instructions to find her for our first session. Keira impressed me immediately. She was a 20-year student of movement, dance, and Pilates. She also was a practicing attorney. Another benefit of Pilates is it enhances your everyday life by reducing stress and eliminating poor movement patterns. Keira was proof of this! She had a full-time job as a lawyer and managed to be so serene, graceful and poised.
She asked me a ton of questions, but it was not geared towards “losing weight” or “getting in shape” or anything that sounded like a gym membership pitch. She focused on my movement, where my goals were for movement, what I had done in the past and where I was at today. I explained to her that I was a lifelong swimmer and runner. I had been a lifeguard and a swim instructor in my twenties. I had run 10K’s and 5K’s but for the most part, I had fallen into a rut with more defeats than successes.
Keira had been injured as a dancer and sought out Pilates to rehabilitate and in the process found a new way of living. She started her business by adopting tools from other modalities of fitness, physical therapy/rehab and wellness to better her clients. She invited me into this collective and collaborative group of ideas, systems, people and energy and in that first session I started to understand what had been missing.
I am not going to say it was easy- in fact, I really sucked at it. I had years of breathing and movement habits that I needed to unravel and start training my muscles to move correctly. The reformer was intimidating at first, with its five reformer and eight tower springs. Each spring, each strap and each rolling movement is all about gaining control and focus. I had very little of these and I felt it.
I kept reminding myself that even some top athletes who are in fantastic shape were a beginner like me at some point. Motivated to incorporate Pilates to rethink movement, Antonio Brown, the NFL star uses Pilates often. He sought to enhance his core strength and develop explosive power in his hips and glutes. Pilates helps create muscle balance through strengthening and alignment. LeBron James gets up for a 5:00 AM Pilates class as part of his fitness regimen. I tried to picture them struggling to “Roll Like A Ball” just as awkwardly as me!
After my first 3 or 4 sessions, I noticed how it helped me in my work. I kept noticing my movement, my stance, my posture, and my breathing. I became aware of how and where my breath started and finished. I could hear Keira in my mind saying “Breathe — from here!” as she pressed on my upper torso and helped me develop control.
Something also happened at about a month into my practice- I realized how strong I am. Truly strong and physically capable of very powerful movements! I started taking on more challenges. I went back into the pool and started lap swimming again. I found hikes that I had previously believed would be too challenging and I went on them with a renewed sense of purpose. I even joined a SPIN class which I had never even considered. (Keira joined me there sometimes because she loved the intense cardio and music.)
I had been guided to a new confidence through the mat and reformer sessions with Keira and it was spilling over into the other areas of my life. My Pilates instructor was a gentle guide and a witness to the amazing work and progress I put into my practice every day. She tells me I am a Pilates Bad Ass and I believe her. I am now celebrating my one-year anniversary as a student of Pilates and I just started training for my first Triathlon.
Really. Swim, Bike and Run all in one event.
I made a move to embark on a magnificent and very challenging sales role working for one of the largest and most respected software giants as a Territory Sales Manager. I just finished my first 6 months here and I am at the top of the leaderboard in sales performance. Pilates helped make me into the salesperson I am today-strong, confident, balanced, and able to manage stress with ease. I guess I am a Sales BadAss as well. I remember a Sales Manager once told me, the harder you work for something, the greater you will feel when you achieve it. I am certain of the truth in that statement today.
