We’ve spoken about motivation in the past as well as the benefits of consistency when it comes to exercise and health. That’s why we’re happy to announce the success of our APOGEE Challenge.

If you’re not familiar with our challenge, it’s a competition where one member will win a Whole Foods gift card. Participants must complete 28 days of exercise within one month in order to be eligible. Not an easy task by any means – But that hasn’t stopped these motivated members from kickn’ butt and rocking steady! In no particular order, here are our challenge participants all of whom are still in the running to win:

But, if we had to guess, we’d say they were motivated by something more than just a gift card (although it doesn’t hurt!).  So keep up the motivation, guys! Every challenge becomes a stepping stone once we overcome it.

And, for those of you who need proof that consistency pays off, here’s a wonderful letter we received from a member, Allison who want’s everyone to know just how much Pilates has improved her already stellar tennis game.

“As a recreational and competitive tennis player, I am always looking for ways to improve my game. I started taking group tower classes at Apogee Pilates studio in White Plains. I started with a once weekly class. I quickly saw improvement in my core strength on the court and in daily activities. My posture improved and I realized that I needed more. I now do a minimum of two private sessions per week. The outcome is tremendous. I am capable of so much more on the tennis court with increased speed, endurance and accuracy. I also believe that Pilates has helped strengthen me and has saved me from injury. I highly recommend a commitment to pure Pilates for competition in any sport and for longevity.”

Allison McCarthy

White Plains, NY

So, just to be clear, we want there to be tons of names to choose from for this month’s winner and we want even more names next month. Great job, everybody!

So, what better place to get started than the very beginning? We’ve put together this list of 5 interesting facts about the Classical Pilates method and its creator. We bet even some of you seasoned vets didn’t know all of these!

1. Joseph Pilates, a German national, developed his techniques rehabilitating bed-ridden patients during World War I while in an English internment camp. His students reported fewer injuries and illness than any of the other camps.

2. It’s a myth that PILATES is an acronym for “Proximal Integrating Latent Agile Toning Exercise”. The name comes from the styles creator, Joseph Pilates who changed his name from the original Pilatus.

3. Joe Pilates brought his new exercise to America in 1926, introducing the routine to ballerina, dance and athletic schools.

4. Contrary to common belief, Pilates will not make you taller but it does improve posture which allows you to display your full height and stature.

5. Pilates was originally termed, “The Art of Contrology”

There you have it – 5 fun facts. You learn something new every day. Be sure to keep an eye out for our next set of facts and some giveaways to come soon.

Oh, and do us a favor – Give us a Happy Birthday wish by liking our Facebook page on or before 4/7/11 and following us on Twitter. OK? Thanks!

She’s there to help: Jane and the staff at APOGEE Bedford Hills are offering free 15-minute private stretching sessions to all APOGEE members. They’ll help you safely and gently stretch aching muscles to ease soreness. Then, you should address your weaknesses so you’re ready for the next big storm.

Where you’re aching is a key to the kind of training your body needs, says Jane.

Sore lower back? Basic Pilates moves on the Reformer will strengthen your Powerhouse, the core and back muscles that you probably strained while lifting and throwing the snow.

Sore legs? Lunges and squats will build strength in the quads and hamstrings to make pushing and lifting even the biggest shovel easier.

Sore shoulders? Try shoulder press and rows to strengthen your back and arms so you can throw snow with ease.

Huffing and puffing? If you’re out of breath, you need cardiovascular fitness. Try an intense interval training class or use one of the new treadmills, increasing the incline to challenge yourself.

Call  now (914-244-1606)  to schedule your free 15-minute stretch at APOGEE Bedford Hills—the staff is offering the sessions from now through 9:00pm Wednesday, January 5. Or, consider private training at APOGEE Bedford Hills or APOGEE White Plains.

Then, two years ago Alyssa joined APOGEE White Plains, started doing Pilates and found out what was missing: Intensity, focus, and core strength.  “Pilates has made me strong and lean,” says Alyssa. “The trainers here really understand how to train a woman’s body.”

In September, Alyssa tried the new TRX class and found a whole new way to challenge her body.  In TRX class, Alyssa puts her hands or feet through ropes attached to the walls: She must use her core to stabilize her body as the instructor directs the class to do squats, modified push-ups or other moves. “Instead of weights, you’re pushing or pulling your own body weight,” she says. The ropes are unstable; it takes strength and control to keep aligned. “It’s really hard!” says Alyssa. As with Pilates, there’s no boredom or rut, the instructor is always switching activities and effort. “You might do ab work then jumping jacks,” says Alyssa. “Your heart rate is always elevated.” These intense intervals deliver huge fitness benefits in very little time.

An added benefit is the mental workout that Pilates and TRX provide, says Alyssa. “During Pilates and TRX you have to be focused on what you are doing; you really understand what you are doing for your body,” she says. Such awareness has helped Alyssa clean up her diet, knowing what she eats will affect how her body works. “I feel so much better eating lots of fruits and vegetables and fish,” she says.

Alyssa realized just how fit she is when she was hiking outside of San Diego recently. The hike was straight up a mountain trail for one hour. “The guys on the trip were saying, ‘How do you make it look so easy?’” she says. “I realized how strong I am and that I know how to use my core.” For Alyssa, that’s a change worth the investment.

Find a TRX class in White Plains or Bedford Hills.

“It’s calm and friendly,” she says of the APOGEE studio on Mamaroneck Avenue. “And I’m getting a complete workout—toning, cardio and strength with weights.”  In early July, Angela took her first Pilates mat classes and private Pilates training sessions.  A former gymnast, she found herself calling on core muscles in ways she never had before. “Now my stomach is flat, and I also have curves at my waist,” she says.

When  APOGEE introduced Functional Integrative Training (F.I.T.),  Angela signed up for IndoRow and Kettlebells, eager to add intense strength and cardio to her routine.  And has she ever! “In IndoRow, Lesly Levy takes me places I’d never go on my own,” she says.  Lesly synchronizes the class, so everyone is rowing at the same pace, then repeatedly takes the group to peaks of intensity, alternating with short periods of recovery. “I always think I’m not going to make it,” Angela says. “But I do!”

In her weekly Kettlebells class, Angela challenges her body in a different way.  “It’s really works  my backside,  especially my butt,” she says. Lunging and squatting while keeping a 5- or 10-pound kettlebell weight in motion is a challenge that builds total-body strength.  “I’d never even seen a Kettlebells class,” Angela says, “but after five minutes I said, ‘This is amazing!’”

“I’m getting a complete workout every week,” says Angela. She’s doing Pilates twice a week, usually one mat and one Tower or Reformer class, and one IndoRow and Kettlebells class, for a totally of four weekly visits.

As much as her body is challenged, Angela has found that time at APOGEE also creates a mindful awareness that benefits her outside the studio. “I go in all stressed, but come out feeling calm and refreshed—that is something I didn’t expect,” she says. She now has tools that help her in her daily life. For example, a Pilates teacher  pointed out that Angela holds tension in her shoulders and tends to take shallow breaths. “Now I am aware,” says Angela, “I’ll be in the car and notice that my shoulders are up around my ears. Or if I’m at home in a stressful situation, I can ask myself, ‘Am I breathing?’ and remember to take a breath.”

“I feel better in mind, body and spirit,” Angela says. “APOGEE is my own personal oasis.”

Find a Pilates or APOGEE F.I.T. class in White Plains.
Find a Pilates or  APOGEE F.I.T. class in Bedford Hills.

Strength Training, Including Pilates:

If you’re a beginner: For the most rapid change, beginners should do Pilates twice a week.  “Pilates is a new physical language that you have to learn,” says Susan Moran, senior vice president of Power Pilates, an APOGEE Wellness company. Beginners will get results if they practice twice a week for an hour. “Just two hours a week—it will change your life!” says Susan.

Beginners can also strength train—with weights or other types of resistance—twice a week, says Jane Nielsen, APOGEE’s Fitness Manager. “It just takes 20 minutes,” says Jane. “You don’t need hours and hours.”

If you’re already active: Schedule in three weekly Pilates sessions and increase the frequency of your strength training to three or four times a week, says Jane. To allow your muscles a day to recover, don’t do the same exercises two days in a row, she says. “You might do lunges one day and work on inner and outer thighs the next,” says Jane. Ask an APOGEE trainer to create a list of exercises that challenge different muscles, reducing your risk of injury while working all of your muscle groups.

The exception: “You can work your abs every day,” says Jane.

Cardiovascular Training

Running, walking, cycling, striding on the elliptical, and indoor rowing build cardiovascular fitness, ease stress, reduce risk of chronic disease and help you maintain or lose weight.

If you’re a beginner: Schedule 30 to 45 minutes of cardio three to five times a week, says Jane.  Start with a goal that you are sure to accomplish; it’s better to be conservative and meet your goal than be ambitious and set yourself up for failure. “People say they want to workout six or seven days a week but that’s almost impossible,” says Jane.  Both APOGEE White Plains and Bedford Hills have a wide selection of group cardio classes to motivate you.

If you’re already active: Maintain a habit of 45 minutes of cardio five times a week. Ask an APOGEE trainer about making one or two of your workouts longer or more intense. Try a Spinning or Indo-Row class; there are challenges built into every session!

“Do cardio, Pilates and strength training every week and eat a healthy diet and you’ll look great,” says Jane. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Pilates is a trend that never goes away. Why is it so enduring?

Susan: People begin taking classes because Pilates will give them the flat abs, improved posture and increased flexibility that they want. But they keep coming because of the way Pilates makes them feel: I say 30 days of Pilates will change your life because it heals you from the inside out—from a cellular level. People are happier because they feel better—they have more energy and are healthier. Feeling good will never go out of style!

Pilates is known for developing core strength, so why is the motto at Power Pilates “Movement Heals”?

Susan: Pilates exercises build core strength, yes, but primarily Pilates improves the health of the spine. In my early years of teaching I saw people’s health improve because of Pilates. When I was 23 I had a client with a lung disease. After practicing Pilates she went to the doctor and her lung function had increased 20 to 30 percent. Now I know why: The nerves that enervate the muscles and organ systems come from your spine. When you improve the health of your spine, every body system benefits. People breathe better, have improved digestion, endocrine function and more. It’s just like Joseph Pilates said: We have the power to heal ourselves!

Related articles:
Susan Moran teaches The Hundred (video)
Who Was Joseph Pilates?
The Principles of Pilates: Linking Mind and Body

by Jen Pollack
APOGEE Instructor

As a Power Pilates instructor I developed amazing tools to help clients reach their potential. Power Pilates offers such clarity and understanding towards how to truly progress clients. I completed the program with tremendous confidence in teaching clients at all levels. In addition, as a Power Pilates instructor I am inspired by the teacher trainers to continually study and add to the wealth of knowledge I’ve developed from the certification program.

Learn more at Career Night in White Plains on Thursday, August 5.
See the continuing education classes we’ll be offering at APOGEE starting this month.

Inspired? Here’s a video to guide you:

Related links:
Find a Pilates class in Westchester

Learn more about Pilates and how APOGEE does Pilates:
How Pilates heals “from the inside out”
The seven principles of Pilates
Comparing Pilates mat to apparatus
How Pilates and yoga complement each other
Pilates breathing
Repetitions during a Pilates routine
Pilates and pregnancy

We asked APOGEE Bedford Hills Power Pilates instructor Lauren Karr what you can do to look your best when you’re barely dressed. “You want to relax and square your shoulders,“ Lauren says. “Your abs need to support your upper body.” With your head, neck and shoulders in alignment and supported by your abs, you will look taller, more elegant and graceful. The way to do this, says Lauren, is by practicing one basic Pilates move: The Hundred.

If you think you already know this exercise, take a minute to review it and be aware when you’re on the mat. Then, bring that same mental focus to your posture when you’re standing.

Position: Lie flat, arms relaxed at your sides, knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Feel where your shoulder blades are on the floor—how far from your ears are your shoulders, for example. As you engage your abs, glide your shoulder blades down your back, “as if you’re tucking them into the back pockets of your jeans,” says Lauren.

Lift: Lift your feet so your knees are over your hips and bent at 90 degrees; extend to 45 degrees. As you lift your head off the floor to look into your core, be certain the lower tips of your shoulder blades remain on the floor and your shoulders are square. “You should be folding up from the bra line,” says Lauren. “Don’t throw your neck off the spine.”

Move: When you begin to pump your arms and breathe, initiate the movement from your back, says Lauren. “Your abs are your powerhouse, but your shoulder blades must work to stabilize your upper torso,” says Lauren. “Your upper back is a secondary powerhouse.” Pump your arms up and down vigorously, inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 counts, until you reach 100 counts.

When your upper back and abs are working together, as they are during The Hundred, your trapezius and upper back will relax. Not only will you look taller, but you’ll appear calmer as well. Calm and relaxed? Now that looks good in a bathing suit!