_Can everyone do Pilates? Absolutely. Will everyone’s Pilates be the same and look the same? Absolutely not. We all have different bodies, issues etc. Of course it’s exciting to do new things, but it’s not very exciting to be injured or frustrated. Your instructor’s job is to choose exercises that are appropriate for your body on any given day. Depending on your goals, fatigue, life, those will most likely vary. Your job is to focus in class and communicate with your teacher if you experience any pain/discomfort. We all like to do “new” and “fun” things. Working within the system, a good instructor can keep the variety, keep you progressing and keep you safe.

_I have recently started working with a professional swimmer. What a pleasure it is to see an athlete of such an elite caliber fine tune his instrument. He is amazed at how in line Pilates is with his “dry land” training. In addition to the obvious strenghtening of his Powerhouse, working toward symmetry will be a major accomplishment and can only help to improve his speed. Also, strengthening the bottom so the hip flexors don’t have to overwork will be a big advantage. Like all of us, he has “weaknesses,” but everything is relative. This incredibly strong individual is already making minute adjustments that are we hope will make a huge impact on his execution of his sport and his goal of making the 2012 Olympic Team.