Via WHNT News 19 - HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Only a couple of days into the new year and many people have new health and fitness goals. Whether it’s losing weight, getting stronger or just starting, there’s something everyone wants to accomplish.
The Club Pilates facility in West Huntsville can not only have you standing taller, looking leaner and feeling healthier, but trainers and owners say they’ll have you doing Pilates for life.
Robin Serwatka, a Master Trainer at Club Pilates has been teaching Pilates for almost 20 years, she says many people walk in apprehensive but walk out loving it.
“I promise you it’s really simple, it’s for everybody, every age and every ability,” she said.
Pilates focuses on the core. The activity is a form of low-impact exercise that aims to strengthen muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility. While people may think Pilates and Yoga are two different things, Serwatka says they’re not because Pilates already has all the yoga in it.
“What Pilates does, is work all of your core muscles, so everything that we typically neglect, in terms of posture and sitting all day and being hunched over our phones and computers, this can undo all that damage by coming in for a session a day,” Serwatka told News 19.
With packages for every budget, Serwatka says Pilates, like any exercise, is something that you need to keep consistent and paired with healthy eating habits.
"You can’t eat 50 Twinkies and expect to work them off in 50 minutes, but, when you come into class and see just how good you feel, so you don’t want to go to those unhealthy foods,” Serwatka explained.
Core strength is key when it comes to Pilates and your abs have to be complemented by your back if one isn’t strong, the muscles can’t work together. But, she says every class targets that issue.
“So what we do in every single class that we teach is something that we call extension exercises and that’s working the back of your body,” Serwatka said.
The goal is to find the back muscles, get them turned on and pull you into an upright position. But, all of this takes time to undo and Serwatka, like many other Pilates trainers, goes by the words of Pilates pioneer, Joseph Pilates.
“In 10 sessions you would feel the difference, in 20 sessions you would see the difference and in 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body, so you really do need to stick with it for a bit of time, to get the understanding of the exercise,” Serwatka said.
Pilates is about, quality, not quantity.
“When you are going too fast when you are using the wrong muscles, you are defeating the purpose of that exercise,” Serwatka says each exercise was thought out in Pilates and serves a unique purpose, “When you go more slowly and focus more on good posture, that’s where we tease out those muscles that are usually sleeping and not doing what they’re supposed to be doing.”
Serwatka says those are typically your posture muscles that give you nice tight abs, the muscles that keep you upright, the muscles that keep your shoulders back and down.
Josh Schlutz, West Huntsville Club Pilates franchise owner, says people who come in and try Pilates, normally stick with it.
“They follow that up by saying I’m going to do it for the rest of my life and it is something that fits all body types, all people, folks that think they can’t do this,” Schultz said.
If you would like to try a Pilates class at the West Huntsville Location, Click Here. Oh, and your first 30-minute session, is free!
