Pilates As Lifestyle Choice

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From Los Angeles Times October 11, 2004

Pilates as a lifestyle choice - A new magazine joins the studios,

workout videos and health-club classes fueling the current popularity of

the century-old exercise program.

By Jeannine Stein, Times Staff Writer

It's official: Pilates has gone from being just an exercise to a full-on

lifestyle. At least that's the opinion of the new Pilates Style

magazine, a polished quarterly publication covering the ever-expanding

world of Pilates, from how to find a studio to what to wear to class,

destination spas, makeup tips and step-by-step exercises.

As an exercise program, Pilates concentrates on developing core muscles

through toning and stretching, which can be done with and without

equipment. It was developed about a century ago by German immigrant

ph Pilates and was adopted by ballet dancers before hitting the

mainstream in recent years. Its popularity has fueled a marked increase

in Pilates studios, workout videos and classes at health clubs.

But Pilates Style is about more than training — it's fashion and

cosmetics and travel and celebrities. This is exercise marketed as

lifestyle, even though some of Pilates Style's lifestyle features have a

tenuous relationship to the exercise. A story on fall makeup palettes,

for example, quotes a Henri Bendel makeup artist and notes that ph

Pilates once opened a studio in Bendel's New York City store. A fashion

spread features women in workout pants and tops with fake fur jackets

and scads of chunky jewelry.

" This is our touch of whimsy, " says , president of Lifestyle

Media Inc., the magazine's New York City-based parent company, which

also publishes Dance Spirit, American Cheerleader, Pointe and Stage

Directions. " We've got to have something that's totally fun. Besides,

one of the benefits of doing Pilates is that you're going to look good,

and you want to show your body off. "

A magazine devoted solely to Pilates probably shouldn't be that

surprising, considering its speedy growth in the last few years.

According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn., there were 9.5

million participants in 2003, up from 4.7 million in 2002. Many larger

gyms offer Pilates mat classes, and some offer private training using

machines. It's likely the fastest-growing exercise activity, according

to an association spokesman, who predicted a slower but " healthy " rise

in the next few years.

Pilates is certainly not the first sport or exercise program with its

own magazine. Not all, however, try to shoehorn the activity into a

lifestyle. Yoga Journal has, of course, with stories on travel,

alternative medicine, nutrition, skin care and philosophy that not so

subtly advocate a peaceful, wholesome lifestyle. But yoga has a history

that goes back thousands of years, and the practice has a strong

spiritual component. Although one can argue that Pilates incorporates a

strong mind-body connection, it stops short of anything vaguely divine.

That may make it difficult to pinpoint what a Pilates lifestyle is and

who partakes of it.

Editor in chief Deborah Quilter says students and teachers of Pilates

are " conscious about what they're eating, interested in other forms of

movement, in a mind-body connection, and they're interested in going to

places where they can still do Pilates. " Quilter is an author and

personal trainer who took her first Pilates class some 16 years ago and

has studied " sporadically " since then. Since taking the helm of the

magazine, she has immersed herself in Pilates culture, discovering that

this crowd is generally upscale, primarily women (though many men are

devotees as well), and that they like to drive SUVs.

These broad characteristics could be applied to many people, but she

narrows the focus a little: " This is more than just going to the gym, "

she adds. " Pilates means more to people. It's kind of like a nice club,

and that sense of belonging makes it part of the lifestyle. "

Reaction to the magazine among Pilates studio owners, teachers and

students has been primarily positive; most are happy to see a

publication devoted to their interest rather than having to read bits

and pieces in general health and fitness titles.

" There has been no unifying vehicle before for everyone interested in

Pilates, " says Siri Dharma Galliano, founder and director of Live Art

Pilates Studio in Los Angeles. Galliano, who has trained celebrities

such as Uma Thurman and -Ann Moss, has another of her clients,

actress Debi Mazar, featured in the magazine. " I think the success of

the magazine is going to lie in the success of the industry. "

But could the addition of fashion and makeup be trivializing the

benefits of Pilates? Perhaps, says Melinda , director of Performing

Arts Physical Therapy: the Pilates Studio of Los Angeles. " I think it's

being somewhat glamorized, " she says. " I see it being positive for

spreading the word about Pilates, but we've been approaching doctors

over the last 13 years who have said it's a fad and never going to catch

on. There's a little concern because I don't want people to get the

wrong idea. "

says the magazine won't shy away from tackling controversial

issues such as the debate on standardized teacher certification and the

merits of various forms of Pilates, such as Stott and Winsor. Such

concerns will be addressed in first-person columns to " enable Pilates

professionals to express their views on different aspects, " according to

. " We look at this as a forum that everyone can be part of that

will unify the community and not pit sides. We're not here to take a

stand; we're here to help the enthusiast enjoy Pilates. "

Pamela Cincola, who has studied Pilates for three years, wishes the

magazine had been around when she was a novice.

" Even the articles that are for beginners were kind of a nice

refresher, " the 58-year-old Long Beach resident says. " I compared it to

what I was learning and found it to be a good barometer for knowing the

consistency of a style of exercise. "

The magazine bodes well for the fitness industry, says Bill Howland,

director of research for the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub

Assn., a health club trade organization. " It's one more discipline that

people can plug into, " he says. " Most Americans are inexperienced when

it comes to exercise, and they need reliable information. If this

becomes that, that's a positive thing. "

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