Finding Balance Within Your Body and Connecting With Your Mind
Everybody needs Pilates. It’s written all over the Club Pilates brochure. Every body needs Pilates. Everybody and every body deserves to feel good – not just physically, but mentally and emotionally/spiritually as well. Club Pilates Lake Nona is the place to help you achieve that mind-body balance and connection. You might find yourself wondering, “What is Pilates?”
“Pilates is a series of exercises that was developed by Joseph Pilates, originally on the reformer he created, which … deals with springs, tension and release, so that’s what gives you the lengthening of the muscles,” explained Michelle Bethencourt, owner of the Club Pilates Lake Nona location. “But the main focus is the core. Everything comes from the core, the abdominals. And from there, you stabilize, and the movement comes out. Joseph Pilates was very focused on a healthy spine, and with a healthy spine, you have a healthy body, you have a healthy mind.”
So how can you benefit from Club Pilates? You’ll increase strength, prevent injury, boost flexibility, and improve posture.
“Pilates just helps strengthen and get you to your best self,” stated Bethencourt. “One of the things about Club Pilates is … Club Pilates is for everybody and for every body. What’s great about Club Pilates is that we cater towards everyone. Whether you are 95 and have arthritis and maybe have diabetes, or you’re someone who’s slightly overweight and having health issues, to the person who is like top of their game, physically fit … we have something for everyone.”
Pilates is also really good for those who have injuries and need rehab. Club Pilates instructors receive over 500 hours of training to complete the certification program, so expect the most knowledgeable staff.
Club Pilates offers seven different types of classes with four different levels of difficulty, which although they are in a small class setting of 12 members maximum, the exercise is still very individualized for each class member. As a new studio, the Lake Nona location only currently offers five types of classes.
Reformer Flow
The signature class on the Reformer with a contemporary twist; strengthens and lengthens the entire body.
Cardio Sculpt
Recommended for those with basic Pilates experience, this class combines high-energy and low-impact and is perfect for cardio lovers; utilizes the Pilates jumpboard, which creates an aerobic workout without adding any stress on your joints.
Center + Balance
Aim to recenter and balance your body; this class focuses on light movement and deep stretching with apparatus-assisted stretching.
Restore
This one-of-a-kind class utilizes foam rolling and myofascial release. The Restore class is not recommended for those with high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, varicose veins, or pregnancy.
Control
This class is exclusive to Club Pilates and utilizes the Barre Above method where you will sculpt and define your legs and glutes. The Barre Above method combines ballet, Pilates, yoga, and strength training for body toning.
“Because we are a new studio, I want to make sure all of our members, regardless if they’ve been doing Pilates for seven years or this is their first time, they all understand the Joseph Pilates foundations.”
Those foundations are centering, concentration, control, precision, breath and flow. When these foundations are married together, that’s when you achieve that mind-body connection, which Bethencourt says is “very enlightening and it’s almost addictive.”
Pricing at Club Pilates Lake Nona for the unlimited (single-studio) membership is $199 a month, which means that you can take as many classes as you’d like within the month. An eight-pack (eight classes a month) membership is also available for $159 a month and the four-pack (four classes a month) is $89 a month. Memberships aren’t for you? Drop-in classes are $29, and classes are 50 minutes long.
For more information on Club Pilates Lake Nona, visit clubpilates.com/lakenona or stop in for a free intro class. You may call the studio at (407) 910-2855 or book online to reserve your spot. Club Pilates Lake Nona has classes Monday through Friday beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m. with the current class schedule as follows:
- 6 a.m.
- 7 a.m.
- 8 a.m.
- 9:30 a.m.
- 10:30 a.m.
- 11:30 a.m.
- 4 p.m.
- 5 p.m.
- 6 p.m.
- 7 p.m.
Classes are also available on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 a.m. through 3 p.m. every hour. Joseph Pilates said it best: “You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions.”
Photos Courtesy of Club Pilates
