An air of relaxation permeates the entire atmosphere in Kate Nesbitt's studio, called Pilates Virginia, on the Downtown Mall. The simplicity of the studio, with its mirrored walls and smooth wooden floors, seems to entice Pilates students. White roses sit on a stool in the corner of the room as soft music fills the air. All the while, Nesbitt's smooth voice guides students through exercises.
"Pilates aims to provide strength, flexibility, coordination and balance without impact or creating bulky muscles," said Nesbitt, a certified Pilates instructor. "Specific breath patterns accompany each exercise to increase circulation, alertness and relaxation."
After having been developed in the early 20th century as a physical therapy and rehabilitation treatment, Pilates (pronounced Pi-LAH-teez) now is widely used as mode of "mind-body awareness." And just recently has the workout made its way into the Charlottesville area.
"The Pilates workout was once only available in exclusive Pilates studios in major cities," Nesbitt said. "While generations of ballet dancers and elite athletes have found Pilates to be an extremely effective training program, it was something of a fitness secret."
Now that Pilates has been introduced to Charlottesville, many University fitness buffs are jumping at the opportunity to get involved. And if Hollywood stars like Madonna, Jessica Lange, Danny Glover and Glenn Close are reveling in the Pilates experience, then it must be something special.
"The purpose can be to further one's fitness level, cross-train for a specific sport or rehabilitate a musculoskeletal injury," Nesbitt said.
Dancers especially have found Pilates to be very valuable. Nesbitt herself was suffering from a dance-related hip injury when an orthopedic surgeon introduced her to Pilates 20 years ago.
"In 1980, I found myself working out in a Pilates studio surrounded by dancers of the New York City Ballet," Nesbitt said. "Pilates served to simultaneously rehabilitate my hip and keep me fit for modern dance performances."
To then become a certified Pilates instructor, Nesbitt underwent 210 hours of instruction and a six-hour written and practical exam.
Second-year College student Lindsay Smith also has found Pilates to be of great value to her dancing career.
"I've been dancing since I was four years old and wanted to start a workout that would increase my flexibility, tone my muscles and not make me bulk up," said Smith, a member of the Virginia Dance Company.
Smith explained how she had begun training privately with a Pilates instructor in her home state, New York. She now works privately with Nesbitt on the Advanced Reformer exercises.
"Doing Pilates for the past five months has had major improvements on my physical well-being," Smith said. "My muscles are much more tight and toned, but have not gotten excessively bigger."
Nesbitt did, however, want to make sure that students understood that Pilates should be combined with 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity three to five times a week for optimal fitness.
Despite the fact that Pilates is not a cardiovascular activity, Smith said that after leaving her lesson, she is usually tired from working out, but "very peaceful and relaxed."
As University students, stress is an inevitable part of college life.
"Anything you can do to help yourself with stress relief, I would definitely recommend," said Renee Vincent, an occupational therapist who also takes Pilates lessons from Nesbitt.
Smith said she would recommend the class to anyone "who wants to encompass their entire body and also their mind."
Pilates exercises include the use of mat exercises and reformer exercises, the latter of which incorporates the use of machinery, such as the Reformer, the Cadillac, the Chair and the Barrel.
The reformer exercises are especially useful for rehabilitation needs. Nesbitt explained how one of her private clients had broken her ankle while playing basketball about nine months before getting involved in Pilates. The basketball player went to physical therapy, but the ankle remained weak, with limited motion because of scar tissue. After just a few sessions of reformer exercises, Nesbitt said the athlete's ankle felt almost completely rehabilitated.
"The reformer machines are great for ankle, knee and hip injuries," Nesbitt said. "The Reformer is resistance equipment so it's comparable to doing a weight workout at the gym. The exercises strengthen muscles, but are gentle on your body."
For those students who are not interested in using Pilates as a rehabilitation method, but as a method of improving physical fitness, the workout offers beginner, intermediate and advanced mat courses.
The advanced course really allows students to "come and get a kick-butt workout and feel great," Nesbitt said.
She added that students should ideally come to class two to three times a week for optimal results because "they'll learn it faster, and they'll retain the ability to do it better if they come more than once a week."
Some people, however, go to just a few sessions, their goal being to learn basic mat work. They then do the exercises on their own, incorporating the movements into individual workouts. But that is not always the case.
"Some people make a lifetime commitment to Pilates," Nesbitt said.
Nesbitt also explained that people who really benefit from Pilates make a commitment to do it for at least eight weeks.
"Then they're hooked," she said.
By integrating both strength training and flexibility into its exercises, Pilates brings to students a heightened sense of fitness and relaxation.
"Pilates has taught me to incorporate the principles I'm learning into everyday living," Vincent said. "After leaving class, I think I walk about an inch taller."
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