We’re at it 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. Wow- that’a alot a Pilates. Here’s some shots of our new superstars.
Shari Jones and Ann Beck doing the Swan on the Wunda Chair
Anne Beck and Joanna Harp doing the Ballet Stretches
Shari Jones showing off her flexibility
Nancy Myers, VP, is organizing a few tours around the globe. I will be travelling to do teacher trainings on a few different continents in the next few years. If you have a studio anywhere in the world and would like to host a teacher training, please contact us soon. Right now we have interested studios in Japan, Korea, Brazil, England, Ireland and Israel. You can jump in and possibly save on airfare if you tag along with another teacher training in a city near you. Email nancy@ellie.net.
EHS had a booth at the NYC Pilates Style conference last week and I taught two Walk-ilates classes. Nancy Myers, EHS vice president came out from SF and Leslie Lester, a dear friend of mine from college (I went to McGill the my freshman year and shared an apartment with her) came down from Toronto and we womaned the booth for the three days. We sold lots of MBT shoes to the masses of interested folks and made a lot of great connections with people from around the country. We even got Mari Winsor in a pair!
I will be travelling to various parts of the US and internationally to do Walk-ilates teacher trainings. Any interested people should contact Nancy if they want to set up a Walk-ilates teacher training at their studio. Email nancy@ellie.net.
People seemed happy with the Walk-ilates classes as well. 
NY1, the NYC 24-hour television station aired a spot several times today about Walk-ilates and the benefits of the MBT shoes.
Kafi Drexel covers Health & Fitness for NY1 News
Walkilates Workout Uses Pilates To Teach People How To Walk 
July 24, 2006
Is simple, everyday walking causing you pain? A new workout promises to help you put your best foot forward. NY1 Health & Fitness Reporter Kafi Drexel filed this report.
There’s no doubt about it; New Yorkers pound the pavement probably more than people do in almost any other city.
But when it comes to putting one foot in front of the other, are most of us putting a lot of undue stress on our bodies? Pilates instructor Ellie Herman says she sees it every day.
“Walking is something that we do every day from 5,000 up to 10,000 steps a day. So if you’re walking incorrectly, you’re actually reinforcing a lot of bad patterns muscularly in your body,” she says. “And so many people end up with joint disease, all kinds of problems, because they walk wrong.”
To address those issues, Herman’s come up with what she calls Walkilates, a spin-off of using basic Pilates moves to build into your everyday walking routine.
The hour-and-a-half long class starts off with 45 minutes of core strengthening mat exercise, then puts the technique to work by hitting the streets.
They do it all while wearing MBT, or Masai Barefoot Technology, shoes. The soles of the shoes are rounded, creating unstable walking conditions that are supposed to help your muscles work harder.
“The whole point of the shoe is that you roll rather than hit the ground flat, and it takes the compression out from your knees, your hips and your spine,” says Herman.
Ellie Herman isn’t the only one incorporating these special MBT sneakers into workouts. Other studios around the city are also starting to incorporate them as well.
The only thing is they start at about $235 a pair. So the big question is, are they really necessary to hit that perfect stride?
Dr. Andrew Sands, Chief of Foot and Ankle Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital, says while Pilates and any type of workout that combines core strengthening with walking is good for your stride, the verdict is still out on just how effective the special shoes are.
“From a scientific point of view, I don’t know any true scientific papers showing the specific shoe helps that much,” he says. “From my perspective, I think that anything that gets people out moving is good, and whether they do it in a special $250 shoe or a $100 hi-tech running sneaker is a good thing.”
But the MBT’s are a key part of Herman’s routine, and her clients swear by both the shoes and the workout.
“I feel much stronger when I walk,” says client Zoe Sanders. “I am very much aware of my positioning when I walk. I think I’ve definitely seen a change in the shape of my lower body.”
Link to NY1 website:
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/Living/health.jsp
Check out these new styles… they’re not too ugly! These new styles have a slightly different sole and they tend to run a little narrower. So if you have wide feet you may need to go up a half size or so… Get them online try them on at all three studios. One free Walk-ilates class with each MBT purchase, plus one free Pilates session with a student trainer!
Come and get in in any of the studios or order it from our online store…
There is some apocryphal rule in Pilates that one should not do Pilates until the body is fully developed… that tacit restriction was passed down to me from the elders. But as I’ve come to teach the work for over a decade I’ve been slowly realizing how silly that rule is.
What could be a better way to correct postural imbalances and motor impairment- before it’s too ate! Most postural patterns begin when we’re children and become indelibly marked on our bodies in our teens. I can’t say just how many times I see people and wish I could have put my hands on them earlier to put them on a better path.
There are so many gentle and effective ways to put developing bodies in correct alignment and to educate these young and tender souls to take proper care of their instrument. The teen years can be very detrimental to the posture. Somehow those hormones have their way of making some people slouch. Pilates can work on self esteem and empowerment from the inside out.
In SF and Brooklyn. We will interview interested candidates and award scholarships based on need and eligibiiity. Call or email the studios for more information; SF: 415-285-5808, nancy@ellie.net, Brooklyn: 718-230-3707, brooklyn@ellie.net.
In SF and Brooklyn. We will interview interested candidates and award scholarships based on need and eligibiiity. Call or email the studios for more information; SF: 415-285-5808, nancy@ellie.net, Brooklyn: 718-230-3707, brooklyn@ellie.net.
This summer we’re launcing a new program for teens. It’s a perfect way for these yuggin’s to learn about their posture, develop some core strength, and just get into kick ass shape! WE all know waht a difficult time the teens can be for some– I wish I had had some Pilates to get me through that murky time!
Dates: July 10th-August 4th, 3 hours/day. One hour of Mat/Props/Ball, one hour of Pilates Equipment, and 1 hour of aerobic Walk-ilates. It’s for 4 weeks, but you can take 1,2,3, or all four! Check the worldwide education calendar for details.