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When White Plains resident Cynthia Adams first joined APOGEE Pilates & Wellness Center in May 2009, she was hesitant: She didn’t know anything about Pilates and wasn’t even certain she could perform the exercises. Just four months earlier, she’d had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery and was still undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer.

It turns out that Pilates was just what Cynthia needed. Now, during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month,  Cynthia reflects on what Pilates has given her: balance, strength, and the knowledge that her body can heal.

Before her first class at APOGEE White Plains, Cynthia felt less than balanced. “I’d spent so much time focusing on my breast, shoulder and upper arm that I’d forgotten about my core and my other side,” she says. “Pilates is tremendously balanced. I strengthened my legs and my core and my right side to offset the limitations on the left. I feel longer and taller,” says the corporate attorney, who will turn 43 in November. “It was empowering to regain my strength using my own body.”

Cynthia is particularly grateful for the understanding she received from the APOGEE White Plains center staff.  Before starting a new class, Cynthia let the instructors know she was recovering from surgery and each helped her modify exercises when necessary.

Maintaining her fitness and wellness routine was part of healing and visiting the APOGEE Pilates & Wellness Center was important. “It’s a beautiful facility,” Cynthia says. “You feel you’re doing something good for yourself just by walking through the door.” There were times during her chemotherapy that Cynthia couldn’t make it to class, but she was able to do basic mat exercises at home.

Now, “happy, healthy, and cancer-free” and approaching the one-year anniversary of her diagnosis, Cynthia has added a weekly Saturday yoga class, moved from Intro to Beginner level Pilates classes and is about to start exercises on the Reformer. “I’m enlightened about my body’s healing abilities,” she says. And when she returns to work in mid-October, she plans to apply the healthy lifestyle lessons she has learned in Pilates to the financial world.

Dr. Howard Sichel

As you may have heard, APOGEE has a brand-new wellness partner in Power Pilates, a company that has established an international reputation for quality Pilates teacher training and education. At its helm is Dr. Howard Sichel, whom we are delighted to welcome to the APOGEE family.

In the 20 years since its founding, 7,000 teachers in 10 countries have earned their Power Pilates certification. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Dr. Sichel has been one of the driving forces behind bringing Pilates into the health and fitness mainstream. What was once the province of professional dancers is now generally recognized as one of the most effective methods of whole-body conditioning. He is also responsible for the renewed appreciation for the “classical method,” which honors the original philosophies and teachings Joseph Pilates himself.

How did this all come about? “Truthfully, it was out of frustration that I discovered Pilates,” Dr. Sichel admits. An avid sports enthusiast and athlete, he became a chiropractor on the advice of his father and the experience of a mother who “had practically been saved by one.”  But, the more he practiced, the more he recognized his professional limitations. “I could make temporary changes in people’s lives in terms of pain. But, there were no long-term corrections. There needed to be an exercise protocol where people could participate in their own healing.” Master dance instructor Marjorie Perces introduced him to one of Joe Pilates’ earliest protégés, Romana Kryzanowska, and he started referring his patients to her.

The healing powers of movement proved so extraordinary that in 1989, Dr. Sichel integrated a Pilates training studio into his practice. As his clientele grew, so did the need for qualified teachers. So, in 1997, he worked in concert with seasoned instructors Susan Moran-Perich and Bob Liekens to develop a comprehensive classical Pilates teacher certification program that has earned a reputation for producing some of the world’s best-trained instructors.

Dr. Sichel’s adherence to Joe Pilates’ precise method remains steadfast and passionate: “Everything Joe Pilates prescribed is bio-mechanically sound…It never needs to be changed; it just needs to be explained.” As APOGEE’s new Executive Vice President his mission is clear: “My goal is to ensure that every member feels better physically, emotionally and spiritually. If a person really invests in what APOGEE has to offer, I can promise complete success in reversing many of the damaging effects of aging.”

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Hear more from Howard in the APOGEE Podcasts