JOHN ROLFE: ShopTalk

Exercise for Body and Mind

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

E-mail this story to a friend

	Staff photo by John Patriquin Nancy Etnier works with Michelle Gaston at Portland Pilates. Etnier, who works with 25 to 30 clients per week, says Pilates is a good way to improve coordination, balance and posture.
	Staff photo by John Patriquin Nancy Etnier, seen working this week with Michelle Gaston, has six certified instructors at Portland Pilates.
	Nancy Etnier Business Portland Pilates Position Owner and instructor Address 49 Dartmouth St., Portland Contact 772-8950, nancy@pilatespressherald.com, www.pilatespressherald.com Age 49 How long in this business Since 1997 Previous jobs Dancer with Ram Island Dance Company To top of story

Q: How do you pronounce Pilates?

A: Pill — ah' — tees.

Q: And what is it?

A: Oh boy . . . It's a method of body conditioning, developed by a man named Joseph Pilates, to develop the strength of the core. There's so much to it . . . it's a combination of stretching and strength, and the exercises are meant to develop your control of your body, through the connection of mind and body. So you have better coordination, balance, posture, alignment . . . It's great for men, because they tend to be more inflexible, and to get bigger bellies. You work from the center, and you just feel good when you do it.

I really believe that you should not count your age chronologically, but by how flexible your spine is. Romana Krysnowska, the woman I studied with, is in her 80s and does it daily. It's good for all ages. I have a 12-year-old (client) that's starting. She's a skater.

Q: How many people do you employ?

A: There are six instructors at the studio — all certified in New York. We keep going to New York every year to take continuing education classes — you're not going to be a good teacher if you don't keep learning, yourself.

A lot of people out there teach it but have not been well trained. Unfortunately, now anybody can use the name — it's become sort of generic, like yoga.

We're the only New York-certified studio in southern Maine. There are some others upstate.

Q: How long does it take to become an instructor?

A: I started the process of certification in '94-95, but I had young kids and it took me a couple of years.

You have 75 hours of private instruction before you audition to take classes, to see if you'd make a good instructor. Then the course is 90 hours, followed by a 600-hour apprenticeship. It's very demanding training. It's a safe form of exercise, working with an instructor, but you can hurt people if you don't know what you're doing.

Q: How often do people do this?

A: It's recommended not daily but every other day. Some aerobic exercise, like running, is a nice complement to Pilates, although running does tighten you up a bit.

If you're doing it right, it's hard, even at the basic level, but it's a good way to learn to use your body efficiently.

Q: Do you need special clothes?

A: No, just not too baggy because you want to watch your form, and not too tight because you want to be able to move freely. Stretchy cotton stuff is good.

Q: How long does a workout last?

A: Fifty to 55 minutes, and that's enough. You're really done (in) after that. There is a basic mat routine and a reform routine, with exercises that flow one to the next. You have to concentrate on doing everything as well as possible, so your brain and memory get a workout — it's a full body-and-mind workout. Every class is different, so it's constantly growing and changing, so you never get bored. You can get addicted to it, in a way.

Q: How many clients do you have?

A: I'm working with about 25 to 30 a week. My daily schedule runs five to seven to eight hours.

Q: Are the clients mostly male or female?

A: I would say we have one-third men. It's not just for women — Joseph Pilates was a boxer and he worked with boxers and athletes.

The instructors are all female. I'd love to get a male instructor in, though.

Q: How much does it cost?

A: It's $45 a session for the private instruction, but you pay in advance, $225 for five classes. In New York it's like $80 per class. You can also take group mat classes, which are $12 per class.

I have one client who does private instruction four times a week — she does speaking engagements so she can do the Pilates. She's so thrilled about the changes to her body, she walks out bouncing.

Q: Do you burn a lot of calories doing this?

A: It's not about burning calories, especially in the beginning. As it gets more advanced it gets more aerobic, but I don't recommend Pilates as a way to lose weight. For that, you need to do aerobic exercise. And stop eating.

Q: How big is your studio?

A: About 1,200 square feet, fully equipped with all the Pilates apparatus. I don't call them machines, because you work your own body to make them go.

Q: How long have you been at this location?

A: Since 2000. Before that, I was instructing at the Bay Club.

Pilates is new to Portland but the word has gotten out, with movie stars and people like Madonna talking about doing it, and we have not had to do a lot of advertising.

Q: How much did the equipment cost?

A: About $25,000, not including fixing up the space. Probably even more. Mats cost a lot. But you figure the stuff lasts a long time — there's not a lot of overhead, compared to other businesses.

Q: Can you give someone Brad Pitt abs in, say, three months?

A: I can certainly improve the abs in a month, if someone's doing it three times a week. But it wouldn't make someone lose the weight. ABOUT SHOPTALK Shoptalk allows people to describe in their own words the rewards and challenges of their jobs. In doing so, they reflect the energy, imagination and hard work that characterize the workplace in Maine. The questions for Shoptalk are compiled by Staff Writer John Rolfe. Do you know of someone who would make an interesting candidate for Shoptalk? Send your suggestion to jrolfe@pressherald.com.

To top of page