Pilates - [puh-LA-teez]
Pilates is a unique system of exercises designed to utilize the body efficiently to attain a higher level of overall wellness. The aim is greater flexibility, lengthening, strengthening, body balance, and establishment of a centered core. Pilates is a kind, full-body conditioning program that can be adapted to any age or fitness level. It is gentle enough for rehabilitation, yet challenging enough for the strongest of athletes.
THE FOUNDER - JOSEPH PILATES
Joseph H. Pilates was born in Germany in 1880, and as the result of a frail childhood, developed a lifelong interest in body conditioning. In 1912, he left Germany for England and trained as a boxer. During World War I, he was interned in England as a German national and sent to the Isle of Man to work as a nurse. He designed exercise apparatus for immobilized patients by attaching springs to their hospital beds in the hopes of speeding recovery and rehabilitation, which led to the development of the machine which is now known as the "Reformer". He later became an accomplished skier, diver, and gymnast.
From England, he emigrated to the United States, where he formalized his fitness regime, developed specialized exercise apparatus, and opened the Pilates Studio in 1926. Since then, his system has been used by individuals at all fitness levels, as well as by dance companies, sports teams, and fitness enthusiasts. Joseph Pilates died in 1967 in New York City.
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