Ted
Click On Ted's Picture to Find Out Why He Does Pilates
When I met Ted a few years ago, he was a eighteen months into retirement, six months past his last cigarette and stockpiling Butterfingers in the freezer. He walked the dog daily, but could see this wasn’t enough to balance the caloric bonanza of candy, chips and cocktails. Like some, (but not nearly all) of my guy students, he’d been encouraged to try Pilates by his wife, Pam (her story here).
We both sweated through my customary “first-lesson-free”. Grabby quads, sticky hip flexors and a military spine made even the simplest movements potentially frustrating for a man who on many levels was strong and fit. When confronted in the mirror with his “bat wings” (sagging tricep muscle) while doing magic circle from-the-shoulder, he did a double take and gasped “wtf is that hanging off my upper arm?”. Our first motivational moment.
Over the next few months, he came weekly for a private, often grumbling that he wasn’t “getting it” fast enough. I reminded him (and myself!) that it had taken him 70+ years to create this body, to be patient and to trust the work. Increasing his attendance to 2x per week, in a beginner class with 3 others, was the key to accelerating his progress. He inspired them (as eldest, only guy and perpetual perpetrator of “laughalates”) enjoyed the camaraderie of the shared experience (take a close look at his feet in this picture....) and worked hard to “feel” the muscles we activated. Grunting with effort and concentration one day, he was asked by a classmate if he was giving birth. “Yes” he said, “to a whole new body!”
Incremental success is highly motivational and I could not ask for a more committed student. He recently added a private to his weekly class schedule, telling me that choosing to spend his long-term-care insurance premium on Pilates instead was a worthwhile investment in himself. Thank you for trusting me with your body Ted!