While flipping through a catalogue of fitness DVDs I noticed one that read, “based on Pilates”. Hmm, I thought, then what is Pilates? I was intrigued and continued turning the pages of the catalogue until I found a DVD that was described as “Pilates as Joseph Pilates created it.” I bought it, watched it and commenced a daily practice of it.
I had been weight training for a few years and was looking for a new fitness modality. The search was over. Six months of self practice lead to connecting with classically trained instructors Dyane Harvey and Pamela Pardi for 75 hours of private instruction in preparation for an audition for acceptance into the classical Pilates Teacher Training with Romana Kryzanowska and her team at Drago’s Gymnasium on West 57th Street, New York City. My audition was nearly flawless and I was accepted into the program. After completion of 500 of the 600 requisite hours for teacher certification and a growing desire to learn about anatomy, biomechanics and the science of movement, I enrolled in the Kane School of Core Integration, completed 150 hours and obtained my Pilates Teacher Training certification in 2004. In total, my nearly 800 hours of training consisted of seminars and sessions with Romana Kryzanowska, Sari Santo, Cynthia Shipley, Jerome Weinberg, Edwina Fontaine at Drago’s Gym, Brooke Siler at Re:AB, Kathy Grant at NYU’s Tish School for the Arts, Kelly Kane at the Kane School and Mari Winsor and Ana Cabán DVDs. I’ve been a classical Pilates devotee since 2001. I opened Perfect Parts Pilates, Inc. in 2003 and obtained my Master of Science in Gerontology in 2009.
Research Interests
Active Aging, Senior Fitness, Afro-Boomers, Baby Boomers, Centenarians, Elder Babes, Vintage Babes, Longevity, 50+ Love, Blue Zones
Papers
Is Pilates an Effective Therapeutic Intervention for Osteoporosis?, Can Pilates Flatten Your Abdomen and Relieve Stress Too, The Five E’s of Exercise Motivation
