About Groovy Body Pilates

Groovy Body Pilates offers affordable, personalized, one-on-one training on a Stott Pilates Reformer in a private home setting in Brooklyn Heights. Pilates, particularly private sessions, can be very expensive when taken at a studio. My hope with Groovy Body Pilates is that I can provide the same Pilates experience and benefits, but at a more affordable price.

Why is Pilates so popular?
Pilates focuses on engaging the mind with the body to create exercises that involve the whole body. Every exercise is performed with attention to the breath, proper form, and efficient movement patterns.

The benefits of Pilates:
• Improves and develops long, lean muscles
• Enhances core strength and flexibility
• Improves balance
• Increases coordination
• Decreases back pain and stress
• Heightens body awareness

The exercises are relatively safe, low impact, and appropriate for all ages and skill levels. I can attest to the fact that your body will change with a regular Pilates practice—mine surely has!

What is a Reformer?
The Reformer provides finely tuned exercise resistance that allows one to work very precisely to develop good alignment, core strength, and flexibility. The springs provide resistance from the machine. The rest of the resistance is provided by your own body weight. The springs hook on the spring bar, and different springs can be unhooked to increase or decrease the resistance.

The carriage is the part you put your body on. The carriage is moved by pushing against the foot bar, or by pulling the straps or ropes at the other end of the reformer. The carriage glides back and forth along the inside of the frame, responding to the effort you exert and the amount of resistance set up by the springs. Reformer exercises can be done lying down, sitting, kneeling or standing on the carriage.

At Groovy Body Pilates I use a Stott Pilates Reformer, which is a piece of equipment normally used in a Pilates studio. My Reformer was purchased from the studio at which I used to work in Arlington, MA called BodyAccess.

How is the Reformer different than Mat Pilates?
While the Reformer does integrate elements from Pilates Mat-based work (Mat is the foundation of Pilates), it is more of an athletic, overall body workout, and often appeals to people who tend to get slightly bored with Mat-only exercises.

What is a Pilates jump board?
A Pilates jump board is a padded, vertical platform attached to the foot-end of the Reformer. By doing a choreographed cardio exercise routine on the jump board, users can spring up and down off the jump board while lying on the moving carriage of the Reformer. You will burn calories and get a solid cardio workout while lying down!

Cardio workouts on the jump board can also challenge the core, elevate the heart rate and train coordination. Other benefits include burning more calories, working the core in a different setting, and strengthening your muscles.

You can either do a whole session of the jump board, or divide it up by doing half jump board, and then switching to the Reformer repertoire.

Is it safe to do Pilates during pregnancy, as well as post natal?
No two women's bodies are the same, and this is especially true during pregnancy. There are workouts that are quite appropriate for some people during pregnancy and not for others. During a normal, healthy pregnancy, moderate exercise is safe for the fetus. If you haven’t previously done Pilates Reformer training, I would suggest not starting something new until after you have had your baby. If you have been consistently practicing Pilates prior to your pregnancy, unless otherwise directed by your doctor, it should be safe to continue to do so.

A woman's body goes through many changes during pregnancy and exercise must be adapted and modified as the pregnancy progresses. The beauty of Pilates is that it can be individualized for anyone's ability. Adjustments are made to exercises, and light equipment might be added (ie: spine supporter) with each trimester.

Pilates is an excellent tool to help post-natal women develop core stability and trunk strength. Pilates can definitely help rid your belly (and other parts of your body too!) of excess baby weight.