There are many reasons to practice Pilates. What’s yours? Is the reason you started the same reason you keep coming back to it? For most people, their motivation to keep doing Pilates changes along the way. Here are just a few reasons people start (and keep doing) Pilates. I wonder if yours is on the list!

The Internet Made You Do It

Reformer pilates has become hugely popular over the last couple of years. In my community and surrounding communities, more and more studios are opening up with the primary focus being the reformer. I was getting a lot of emails asking if I have reformer Pilates for a time, which made me want to explain the whole method, why the apparatuses exist, and the benefits of it all. Why the obsession with reformers?  It turns out social media was doing an amazing job of spreading the word about the mysterious machine called the reformer. If the internet brought more people into Pilates, it’s a good thing – though I won’t ever stop saying you need the whole system to see the most benefits. 

To Transform Your Body

Pilates is well known for its ability to transform your body, but I don’t mean just how it looks. Yes, if you do a quick Google search for “Pilates”, you’ll see a lot of photos of very fit people. They are probably on a reformer of doing very advanced exercises that require a great deal of balance and flexibility. Do those people exist? YES – but Pilates is really for every body, not just fit ones.

How It Looks

If you have the goal of looking like a fitness model, there is nothing wrong with that. And yes, Pilates can help you have better, taller posture while also gaining strength and some muscle mass. I know when I first started working out, I liked the visible, physical changes in my body, too. But as you regularly practice Pilates, it will transform your body from the inside out. 

How It Moves

Often people are told that they need to strengthen their core to solve XYZ and that Pilates will help. This is the truth but not the only truth. It will do much more. Pilates will help you to improve your full body strength, mobility, flexibility, control of movement, awareness of movement, and concentration. 

How It Heals

People are regularly referred to Pilates as a way to prehab or rehab from an injury, surgery, or accident. I’ve seen many articles and interviews about athletes who found Pilates this way. Then find that they feel and perform better than ever, and keep doing Pilates as a regular part of their training. 

Why I Do (And Teach) Pilates

When I first started teaching Pilates it was because mat Pilates was the newest trend in gyms and people were going crazy for it. I definitely loved the idea of looking great from working out. I also was super excited to jump on a reformer when I first had the opportunity to do so. As time went on, I expanded my knowledge of the method and the awareness of my own body. I also started gaining new aches, pains, and small injuries from overdoing it with aerobics, spinning, and running. 

I came to realize that Pilates was what I needed to support my body in all the other things I love to do in my life. It made me aware of my posture, helped me heal from (and prevent) injuries, and I simply move better through life and my hobbies when I practice Pilates. 

And this is why I teach Pilates. I love to help people to feel better, good, and even great! It’s so gratifying to have a client come into the studio and tell us a story about a win that they have had in their life or an aha moment. For example, I have a client who had been in several serious motor vehicle accidents and dealt with chronic pain. One day, she noticed that she was able to step in and out of her tub without hitting her foot on the edge. She knew it was Pilates that made the difference. I had another client who avoided getting into his wife’s car because it was too low, and he had to awkwardly climb in to accommodate his knees. Then came a day he couldn’t avoid it, and he managed to get in the “normal” way. He was thrilled!

Practice Pilates to Feel Great

Personally, I love to be active in life. Hiking, biking, running, lifting, and travelling. I love to sign up for events and races to keep me motivated. I love to help others who love to be active too. I’m super grateful to have discovered Pilates for myself but I’m even more grateful to be able to share it to help others with their goals and day-to-day life.

Years ago, when I was just starting out as a Pilates teacher and building my business, I began working with a business coach who taught that it’s important to have an ideal client avatar. Basically, I needed to understand exactly who I’m talking to. Who are they? What do they like to do? What do they eat? Where do they hang out? What are their hobbies?

I knew that I loved to help all kinds of people through Pilates but understood that it’s beneficial to one’s business to have a specialty or area of expertise. The more I thought about it, I finally narrowed it down: I enjoy helping active adults keep doing the activities that they love. For me, one of those things is running.

How Pilates Has Helped Keep Me Running

I’ve been a runner for years. Like many runners, I’ve dealt with my fair share of injuries: plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, and more. I’ve also caught myself just at the beginning of an injury, and thanks to Pilates, was able to work through it before it became a bigger issue. 

Some days, I do Pilates after a run to keep me limber and avoid tightness. Other days, I use it as a warm-up, because Pilates gently moves your body through all the ways your spine and joints are meant to move—foot to ankle, knee to hip, spine and more. Frankly, Pilates just helps my body to feel good! 

Marketing To My People

So, with my ideal client in mind, I decided to focus more of my content on Pilates for runners. I wrote social media posts, ran a workshop, and wrote a blog about 5 Pilates Exercises for Runners. I was excited to write that post! I took the time to photograph each exercise and explain why each one was helpful. It was easy to write about two things I’m so passionate about, but it was hard to choose only five exercises. 

The truth is, almost every Pilates exercise can benefit your running in some way. But I know that’s not how it works for someone brand new to the method. People want to know what they’ll get out of each exercise, so I picked five that I knew runners would really feel – the ones that would give them a big stretch or noticeably improve their mobility. 

I was proud of having narrowed down my focus on who I was marketing to, and who I loved to work with. I shared my blog on Instagram, getting support from my running friends, clients, and family.  

And then the messages started…

Yes, I Made Someone Mad With My Blog

I got a DM on Instagram from a Pilates teacher who I had met in person one time. She was an amazing mover and had completed an extensive amount of training in Pilates. She messaged me privately and said “Just do the work.”  

I responded that I do understand and believe in the full system of Pilates, and that is what really will help all athletes. I explained that I was marketing specifically to runners and why I had chosen only five exercises. I should have known better than to engage, because she kept at me with several other messages. I stopped after two responses to her, because she was quite nasty and I was upset. Especially when I’d met her in the past and felt she was a new Pilates ally! 

Over the next few weeks she commented on a few of my other posts… and then she was in my inbox again going on about another of them, commenting, “Oh yeah, I know – Marketing, right?” This is when I finally blocked her. 

She Wasn’t Totally Wrong

The truth is, she was right that to get the most out of Pilates, you will need a full workout, not just a few hand-picked exercises. Still, a few exercises will benefit you more than doing none. And if my post inspired someone to try Pilates for the first time, I consider that a win! Runners tend to be pretty obsessed with running and many don’t do a heck of a lot to support their running. For longevity in running, strength and mobility work is very important. 

If You’re a Runner – Give Pilates a Try

Runners are good at putting on their shoes and going running for hours on end. However, they aren’t always so good about stretching, regenerative work, or working through injuries. Pilates is an excellent way to stay strong, rehab, and even avoid those common injuries altogether. It will also help you keep running better far into the future.

If you’ve ever taken a Pilates class and wondered how your teacher makes it all look so effortless, iit might surprise you to learn how much goes into that role. Teaching Pilates is so much more than just knowing the exercises.

Pilates Training Hours

It starts with 100 hours of mat training, at minimum. And that’s just the beginning! A fully comprehensive Pilates teacher (someone who can confidently teach on all the major apparatuses) completes at least 450 to 1000 hours of hands-on, in-person training.

The Many Other Things To Learn

This training includes not only learning the exercises but deeply studying anatomy, body mechanics, and how to work with injuries and special conditions. It also includes supervised teaching, observation, personal practice, and lots of feedback.

And unlike some fitness certifications that can be completed online in a weekend, Pilates training is almost always in-person or hybrid. It’s tactile; you need to feel the springs, see bodies in motion, and get your hands on the equipment to really understand the method. 

Lifelong Learning

Most teachers continue learning well beyond their initial certification. Whether it’s simply continuing to deepen their understanding of Pilates or specializing in a certain area, there is always something new to learn. Some teachers work with pre- and post-natal clients, seniors, athletes, or those managing pain. 

There’s no single path, which is one of the beautiful things about this method. You’ll find teachers with a wide range of knowledge—some generalists, some highly specialized, but almost all with a sincere dedication to ongoing learning. 

So the next time you’re in class and your teacher offers a cue that helps you make sense of an exercise, know that moment is backed by hundreds of hours of study, practice, and care.