I was eating lunch today and talking shop with one of my Centerworks-trained, PMA Certified Pilates teachers,  and we ended up on the topic of:   How to effectively get clients enthusiastic about Pilates, AND keep them signing up for lessons so we can really help them see the benefits Pilates has to offer.

So I had to put on my thinking cap and work through what I’ve done in the past 25 years as a health professional, and particularly in the last 15 years as a Pilates teacher to motivate my clients to stay committed to their exercise program.  I feel very fortunate that I’ve always had a very busy training schedule and most of my clients have been with me forever.  Well maybe not forever, but some clients have been consistent for well over 10 years, and my most recent clients have been enrolled for at least 3-5 years!

Everyone that has stuck with it has been with me since they started.  Now I realize that the last sentence seems kind of funny….but that IS the real question!

WHY have they stuck with it???

And how do we get more people to experience, enjoy, and continue with a long-term wellness program?

If you’re a Pilates teacher, personal trainer, or parent these principles will apply!  If you’re a client – struggling to stay on the exercise bandwagon, you can easily apply this information to your workout program too.

Here are Six Ways To Help Your Clients

Stick with Their Pilates Workout Program.

Dig a deep well of never-ending motivation and spark creativity for designing effective Pilates or general fitness programs with these helpful tips:

1. What are your Health, Fitness, and Exercise Goals?
2. Why did you start Pilates? (or other program)
3. What benefits/results do you expect from your Pilates Training Program?
4. What is the most challenging exercise you struggle with?
5. What would you like to see improve the most in your other sport/athletic activities?
6. What do you wish was easier in your daily life activities?

These six questions contain critical information that you really need to know to:

• Find the motivating HOT Buttons that will keep people bouncing through the door for their next scheduled workout… forever!
• Be sure that all goals and expectations are matched with the right exercises.
• Make every movement and exercise relevant, meaningful, and goal-oriented.
• Demonstrate that every exercise has a purpose and you are following a plan.
• Ensure that they know the WHY, can tell you the purpose, and understand the importance of the exercises in their workout program. (There should be a reason for both exercise selection AND the order of exercises in a program.)
• Both you the trainer and the client should be able to associate the exercises and developing movement habits to the benefit of reaching goals, improving sport or athletic performance, and enhancing the quality of daily life activities.

Personally, I drive this information home every time I see a client for a session.  Goals might change, we may get off on a tangent sometimes, but I am constantly reminding them of WHY it’s so very important that they do the exercises we’re working on and what in the rest of their life this will benefit!

I also try to relate the movements executed on the Pilates equipment to other daily life or fitness activities, so clients can see how many other opportunities they have to practice the things we’re working on outside of their training session.

If I’m lucky enough to be working with a client who’s got the time and energy to do more on their own…they will make huge strides forward much faster.

If I’m the motivating factor for their exercise program (and they know it…)  Then if I’m really good at my job, they love how they feel after a workout, and can see the value in what we’re doing – I can be confident that they’ll stick with me, because they won’t exercise on their own!  And progress will happen at whatever pace I can encourage them at, which might also be dependent on how frequently they are working with me.

I’m not looking to create a bunch of co-dependent Pilates groupies…but it’s a fact that most people like personal attention, and will push themselves a bit harder with some friendly encouragement.  Plus it’s always nice to have a cheerleader to help celebrate Champagne moments when you do something right, have a breakthrough, and achieve a goal!

Two more things to always ask at the beginning of every workout, training session, and class:

1. How is your body feeling today?
2. Is there anything specific you’d like to focus on with today’s session?

It’s always appropriate to tweak things to accommodate a high or low energy day, or perhaps something has changed with their health status that is relevant their safety and the exercises you choose to do.

For example:

Many years ago I had a brand new client show up for a Beginner Mat Class.  She had just had back surgery!  AND her doctor had released her for exercise.  She was told her she didn’t need physical therapy and to do what she wanted to get healthy.  Here’s the problem…she still had stitches!!!

While Pilates is great for helping achieve a healthy back…starting a mat class and actively bending the spine, or heaven forbid…doing Rolling Like a Ball at this point in her recovery – would have sent this poor girl back to her surgeon!  Plus, for me to help her safely get back into exercise, private training on the equipment would be the very best place to start.  I had to help match her goals up with the best exercises…and at the moment, Matwork was definitely NOT the place to start.

Clients rely on the expertise of their teacher to craft a program.

But this is a TEAM effort that involves a lot of good communication.  Without input from our customers, it’s impossible for us to do a great job, so they’ll stick with it!

Ask the questions above to your students on a regular basis…they’ll see how much you care about their health and fitness, and you can do an excellent job of increasing motivation and designing safe, effective, and appropriate exercise programs.

The result…

You’ll help clients stick with their program and create a WIN-WIN, long-term partnership for better health.

What success strategies can you share that have helped YOU or your clients stick with their fitness program?

Here are a few frequently asked questions, and Five Tips to find a Great Pilates Teacher near you:

Q. I use Pilates books and videos at home, why should I participate in lessons at a Pilates Studio or Health Club?

A. Books and videos can be good tools to help you remember what you’re doing. However, nothing can replace the eye of a qualified and experienced Pilates teacher to help you understand the exercises and find the right muscles to do each exercise correctly. Books and videos will show you the basics of the exercises, but won’t help you become aware of the ways you’re cheating, or help to identify your bad habits and assist you in correcting them. Also, not every exercise is for every person. Following exactly what’s on a video may be dangerous for your body. Besides, just doing Matwork is only half of the system, so you’re missing out on half the benefits Pilates has to offer. Use of both the Pilates equipment and mat exercises is the ideal and best way to utilize the Pilates system.

A Qualified Pilates Teacher Can Help You:

• Find the right muscles to get the most benefit from the exercises.

• Learn how to modify or tweak the exercises for your body to be in safest position.

• Identify which exercises are appropriate for your body and which exercises you should skip or wait awhile before adding to your workout.

Q. How do I know if my Pilates instructor is a qualified teacher?

A. Great Question! Anyone can call themselves a Pilates Teacher – If they’ve read a book and watched a video, participated in only a weekend workshop, or completed an intensive 500+ hour Comprehensive Pilates Teacher-Training program.

To the uneducated consumer, without asking questions, you may not know if your teacher has the background and experience necessary to really help you get the most from your Pilates training experience.

The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) is an international non-profit organization to provide information and education to Pilates teachers and consumers.

The PMA^TM recommends that anyone wishing to teach the Pilates method:

• Participate in a Pilates exercise program prior to attending a teacher training program.
• Attend a comprehensive training program, and maintain a commitment to education.

The following are general guidelines, questions, and information from the Pilates Method Alliance that you can use to help search for a qualified Pilates teacher:

1. Are the instructors trained through a comprehensive training program?

2. Did that training program require a written and practical test, lecture, observation, practice and apprentice hours?

3. How many total hours were spent in the training program? (The Pilates Method is a knowledge based method of exercise and training. Time spent in certification training produces qualified teachers.)

4. Does the instructor have any other movement related teaching experience.

5. How long have the instructors been teaching Pilates?

6. What is the instructor’s / studio’s philosophy and specialty? Are they able to handle special needs, injuries and rehabilitation?

7. Does the instructor or studio teach the full repertoire of Pilates on all pieces of apparatus?

Q. How do I find a Pilates studio with qualified, comprehensively-trained Pilates teachers?

Five Tips To Locate a Great Pilates Teacher Near You:

1. See what’s listed in your local phone book under Pilates.
2. Inquire with your local health clubs.
3. Call sports medicine / physical therapy / or kinesiology / chiropractic clinics and ask where they refer their patients for Pilates Training.
4. Check with the Pilates Method Alliance. The PMA is an international membership organization for Pilates. You can search on their website to locate a PMA member Pilates Teacher/Studio at http://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/curntmemb.html
5. PilatesStyle Magazine also has a good studio referral network at http://www.pilatesstyle.com/web/directory.aspx

Remember…Pilates is for Every Body! Find a Great Pilates Teacher and check out what Pilates can do for you.

Question: Is Pilates appropriate for someone with peripheral atrophy? Balancing is becoming more & more difficult so yoga is no longer an option. If appropriate, please tell me where I might find a certified teacher/instructor. Please advise.

Answer: I do not feel it’s appropriate for me to answer this with a specific yes, or no – because I’m out of my scope of practice to recommend Pilates for a specific person, with a specific medical issue. (Especially someone I’ve never seen or worked with!)

However, here are my personal thoughts on the subject:

There can be many different reasons for peripheral atrophy. It would be important to know the causes, what parts of the body are being affected, how long it’s been an issue, symptoms, challenges, goals, a personal medical and exercise history, AND get prior approval from your primary care physician and medical specialist who is treating you for this — before starting a Pilates program. Your physician should give you the green light that it’s ok for you to begin (or continue) an exercise program – Pilates training or other forms of exercise.

Based on my years of Pilates teaching experience, and having worked with several clients with moderate to severe health challenges related to degenerative nerve and muscle diseases, Pilates training didn’t help reverse the clock and make everything “normal” but I have watched my clients enjoy substantial benefits in regards to gaining and maintaining strength, flexibility, balance, and body awareness for an improved quality of life.

Because a training session with the Pilates equipment can get you off your feet, and into more supportive positions – the challenge of balance can be taken out of the equation while learning different ways to improve strength and body control. The goal, of a Pilates program (in my opinion) would be to help identify things in your daily life activities, movements, and posture that are becoming a challenge, and then develop a program with the Pilates exercises that will best help to maintain and improve your fitness.

Some of what I do with my special needs clients is Pilates. Some exercises have been creatively modified; other exercises I pull from my experience in dance and general fitness that I feel are applicable to continue gently encouraging the body to stay strong and healthy. This is my approach! It might be different with a different teacher.

If your Physician agrees that Pilates might be beneficial and recommends you give it a try, then you can start the search for a qualified Pilates teacher with the knowledge and background to work with you.

Not all Pilates teachers are created equal. With health challenges, it would be best to find a teacher with good experience, and it might be advisable to find someone with rehabilitation background or physical therapy experience (You want to find a Pilates teacher who is confident to work with special populations.)

Ask your potential Pilates trainer if they’ve worked with other clients with special needs or peripheral atrophy. If you’re lucky enough to be in an area of the country with an abundance of Pilates professional, I’d recommend visiting several studios, asking lots of questions, and possibly take lessons from a few different teachers to be sure you’ve found one that has a personality that clicks with yours and fits the bill for knowledge, expertise, ability to help encourage you, and can design a Pilates training program that allows you to work at your own pace.

Begin with private one-on-one Pilates training, and let the teacher you are working with help guide you into Pilates Mat or other equipment classes if and when it’s appropriate for you. (Private Pilates lessons may be your long-term best and safest option.) Chances are there will be lots of exercises and concepts that you will be able to take out of the studio for “homework” as a supplement to your Pilates personal training routine.

To locate a Pilates Teacher near you:

• See what’s listed in your local phone book under Pilates.
• Inquire with your local health clubs.
• Call sports medicine / physical therapy / or kinesiology / chiropractic clinics and ask where they refer their patients for Pilates Training.
• Check with the Pilates Method Alliance. The PMA is an international membership organization for Pilates. You can search on their website to locate a PMA member Pilates Teacher/Studio at http://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/curntmemb.html
• PilatesStyle Magazine also has a good studio referral network at http://www.pilatesstyle.com/web/directory.aspx

It’s so important – that we maintain a good level of wellness! Finding an exercise program that you can do safely to maintain strength and flexibility will keep you as healthy as possible. It doesn’t have to be a wild and vigorous workout to get results. There is a difference between a professional athlete training for sports performance, and you or me enjoying exercise to maintain a good quality of life. Check with your doctor to be sure it’s ok for you to be active, and then find exercises you can do and enjoy that keep you moving at your own pace… and keep on moving!

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If you’re looking for more general info on peripheral atrophy visit: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000593.htm

 Blessed to have had an excellent first teacher (David Mooney) and to have had the opportunity to study with many great teachers and most of the Pilates elders.  Romana Kryzanowska, Sari Pace for my first teacher-training program, Colleen Glenn for my second, and Dianne Miller for my third.  Continuing ed. workshops with Dianne Miller, Michelle Larsson, and others. And, through my association with the Pilates Method Alliance, it’s been a privilege to participate in continuing education with all of the Pilates “elders,” Mary Bowen, Ron Fletcher, Lolita San Miguel, and Cathy Grant – all of whom studied directly with Joseph & Clara Pilates.

I can say that I’ve learned more about Pilates in the past seven years, than I did in my first seven! 

The reason – I never stopped wanting to learn more. 

While my hometown Wichita, KS has not been a hot-spot with an abundance of Pilates teachers. For me to learn and grow it has always meant traveling in search of teachers with more experience and something relevant to share. 

I’m here to encourage you to make it a priority to find a mentor or two and keep on learning.  If you’ve attended a workshop, and just have your manuals to rely upon…it’s to your advantage, (and that of your students) that you find someone to take lessons from to continue learning more about the exercises in your own body. Find someone to observe teaching – to keep developing your eye for corrections, and program development. Find workshops that interest you to keep adding additional layers to your education.

I learn lots from my students while I’m developing creative ways to help them reach their goals and better understand Pilates.  I learn new things everytime I give myself a workout.  I learn new things everytime I take a class, lesson, or workshop with somebody else.  I learn new things at every conference I attend.  (Sometimes I learn things I love and can’t wait to share.  Sometimes I learn why I’m doing it my way – and better appreciate the skills I have and the mentors who have shared their expertise with me)  Either way I’m a better teacher for my time & energy applied to continuing my education.

I’m now teaching in a studio where there are Pilates teachers who have gone the extra mile to keep educated, and others who have done their initial workshops and that’s it!  There is a HUGE difference in the knowledge, understanding, execution, and teaching skills of these teachers.  If you’re looking for a long-term carreer as a Pilates Professional – the best money you will ever spend is on yourself and your personal education.  Make it a priority and you’ll find you’ve got lots more to give to your students which will keep them enthusiastically coming back for more.

Invest in your education.There’s good job security in being a great teacher!