Explore Pilates Insights for an Active, Balanced Life

You know that saying, “with age comes wisdom”? Well, I’m feeling pretty wise these days about how I take care of my body. I’ve learned a lot through my career in fitness, but there are also a lot of lessons that came from trying different workouts, having kids, healing from injury, and all the other […]

If I were to ask you to name the “types” of workouts, you would probably name the top two: cardio and strength. And if you’ve been hanging around me long enough, you may even add mobility and flexibility… But what about functional fitness? Despite having been around for over a century in various forms, the […]

Do your feet hurt? With all they do for us, it’s no wonder. And for some reason, we tend to ignore the pain as long as possible before we do anything about it – myself included! Not too long ago, I had such bad foot pain that I could barely walk. So, I turned to […]

I’ve been talking a lot lately about how exercise is meant for everyone and every body, because I want to create a space where you can finally drop the excuses and get moving. Your body craves movement, you feel better when you move, and you know you should exercise; so why is it so hard […]

Hi, my name is Melissa, and I’m a recovering people pleaser. Did you know that about me? It might surprise you if you only know me through my classes or social media. I offer advice on how to make time to work out, and am vocal about how important it is to take care of […]

Isn’t it funny how a shift in seasons can so quickly throw off our routines? Summer is especially unstructured when you have children or plan a lot of getaways; then there are the social activities that only happen in summer like BBQs and outdoor weddings. So with all of this upheaval (though we should be […]

Do you remember the first time you went for a run? I mean like a hobby. By choice. As an adult. I sure do… And it reminded me (and my whole body) that like any fitness activity, you probably shouldn’t jump in the deep end. Let me tell you about my first run… and what […]

If you are looking to better your squat depth or form, have you considered looking at your ankle mobility? When you squat, you flex at the hips, knees, and ankles. This isn’t something most people take note of, but your ankles are a huge part of the squat movement! And since squats show up in […]

Oh, push ups. How can something that looks so simple be so hard? And if they are so difficult, why do we keep doing them? I’ve come to two conclusions: 1) When you learn to do push ups correctly and can finally do one (modified or not), it’s a HUGE feeling of accomplishment. 2) Push […]

Are you letting your job affect your fitness? I think most of us have felt that way at some time or another. When I look back on my own life, there are definite “seasons” in my approach to fitness. And as I talk with friends and clients, they feel the same way. When we were […]

It’s no secret that exercise is an integral part of my life. And while I know that not everyone lives and breathes fitness like I do, I believe that it does have a place in everyone’s life – and not for the reasons you may think (like weight loss). If you have been struggling to […]

On Sundays, I lead a pace group for long runs – sometimes up to two hours – at a conversation pace. We have a lot of time to chat, and I often get asked about Pilates. For some reason, this week I started thinking about the perception of it, and that many people think Pilates […]

Have you thanked your feet lately? They are so important! They connect you to the ground and keep you moving forward, be it walking, running, or riding. Considering how much they do for us, we don’t really give them that much attention. Whenever I talk about feet during a class, someone admits that they never […]

Fitness has changed a LOT since 1989, when I tried my first aerobics class. Those SWEAT classes were high impact with ten to fifteen minutes of leg lifts or abs, and were what got me hooked on working out. Soon, I was trained as an instructor and teaching people how to have a safe, fun, […]

Yes, 2020 was hard, and each and every person has had their life disrupted in many ways. But I don’t want to dwell on that today; rather, I’d like to show my gratitude for 2020.  I’m grateful for the businesses that were able to stay open (like mine!). I’ve loved seeing the new and beautiful […]