Testimonials
"I am a 60 year old retired teacher with arthritis in most of my joints which has affected my ability to exercise. I used to walk three miles five times a week, but arthritis in my feet negated that form of exercise ....." more>>.
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Rebecca Shiffer - October 2006
"In my fourth decade, the feeling of immortality that I had in my 20s started to wear off, and I realized that I needed to pay more attention to my health and flexibility now in order not to be slow and creaky later....." more>>.
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Dr. Edward Leonard - July 2006"About 10 years ago, when we visited our son, David, in London, his impression was that my movements were slower than normal, which he attributed not to jet lag, but possibly to early Parkinson's Disease (PD)....." more>>.
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"One day in 1993 I was on my way to take a dance class at Dance Place. I had just turned left on to 8th street when someone ran the stop sign at 8th and Lawrence, turned left, and hit my car head on....." more>>.
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Michelle Mendelson - February 2006"Pilates has been good to me. Not only has it helped me become stronger and fitter, but it led me to a new career and continues to bring great people into my life....." more>>.
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"After years of searching for the "perfect" work-out, I discovered Pilates while living in San Francisco, California in 2002....." more>>.
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Virginia Freeman - November 2005"I came across Joseph Pilates in LIFE magazine in the 1940's while I was a dance major at the University of Wisconsin....." more>>.
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"When I started Pilates 5 years ago, I thought of it as just another exercise regiment to get 'in shape' ....." more>>.
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"As a result of my job tasks of bending, crawling, and lifting materials, I was suffering from a recurrent lower back pain crisis...." more>>.
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Christine Payne - February 2005
"I love the Excel training as it is the "purest" form I've found in my Pilates search; it's a great touchstone for me wherever I'm taking classes...." more>>.
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"Several years ago while experiencing an episode of sciatica that often occurred after lifting even one moderately heavy object, I decided that I needed to begin a daily regiment of back strengthening exercises....." more>>.
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Jessica Gowen Mangino - November 2004
"When the Washington Post published an article about Excel in the fall of 1998, I decided to enroll in mat class to address chronic low back pain....." more>>.
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"On the first day of my freshman year, I received my schedule, and there it was... Pilates 101....." more>>.
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"I attended my first Pilates class in college and I was amazed at how long and strong my muscles felt and how energized I was after the workout......" more>>.
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"What's this new yuppie-get-healthy phenomenon I thought? Some kind of cult? Pilates doesn't sound too hard, and it can only make my stomach flatter, I said to myself. ......" more>>.
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"I started to do Pilates, in part, because of an experience walking down the escalator at the Dupont Circle Metro. ......" more>>.
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Jessica Woodruff - February 2004
"My experience with Pilates began after I sustained spinal injuries in two serious car accidents, and was left with constant tightness and pain in my back, neck, shoulders, and hips......" more>>.
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"Some time ago, I had a passing interest in Pilates; I purchased The Pilates Body, read some of it, but hadn't attempted any of the exercises....." more>>.
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Amanda Smith Breon - November 2003
"I came to Excel in February 2002, no more than a month after the death of my father....." more>>.
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"I consider myself an avid runner (over 35 miles a week) and for 7 years that was the only form of exercise I was doing....." more>>.
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Sarah Alexander Goldfrank - July 2003
"Pilates has truly changed my connection with my body -- mind, muscles, breath and spirit...." more>>.
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"Three and a half years ago, a wise chiropractor advised that I find an exercise program that would work on my spinal alignment...." more>>.
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"I have been very curious about Pilates since the early 90's... Strangely, though, I never took any Pilates until last year....." more>>.
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Shelley Carpenter - April 2003
"Two years ago in April, I was given the gift of Pilates from a friend who watched me struggle with constant back pain and fatigue when I tried to accomplish many simple tasks. ...." more>>.
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"As a result of my job tasks of bending, crawling, and lifting materials, I was suffering from a recurrent lower back pain crisis and a massage therapist suggested Excel Movement Studios. ...." more>>.
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"After injuring my back in a rugby incident, I searched for alternatives to surgery. ...." more>>.
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Kristina Milionta - January 2003
"I have a love affair with my powerhouse. I constantly check on how it's doing and revel in every moment of soreness it goes through. ...." more>>.
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Barbara Morris - November 2002
"Lower Cholesterol and blood pressure. Improved energy and strength. Better posture. Sharper memory. I could go on and on about the benefits I've gained from my experience with Pilates. ...." more>>.
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"As a guy who has held a life-time aversion to most forms of physical activity, I was wary of the idea of exercising amid unusual equipment with names like "The Reformer" and the "Electric Chair. ...." more>>.
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"I first learned about Pilates when I began dating the marvelous instructor Jill Kuhlman. ...." more>>.
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"I've been an avid golfer for 10 years and had reached a plateau in my game. ...." more>>.
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"I found Pilates in college at Ohio University in the dance building where I spent numerous hours perfecting my art. I would often gaze at the seniors and think how "cool" they were, since they were allowed to go in that room at the end of the hall with those strange machines. ...." more>>.
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"I came to Pilates about a year ago, knees relatively injured from crew and years of hard court sports, I had read much about the "mysterious" form of exercise called Pilates, understanding some of the explanations, but always wondering what exactly people were doing moving about those wooden boxes...." more>>.
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"Having worked my body diligently in different sports and pursued various body conditioning avenues, I considered myself in good shape for my age (I am a grandmother). In the classes I discovered a whole new way of judging my fitness..." more>>.
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Michelle and Kit Mendelson - March 2002
"'Feel my stomach,' our neighbor instructed Michelle, who poked obligingly. It was rock hard. This woman is older than we are, and had delivered a baby by Cesarian section, yet her middle seemed to be made of iron. 'It's Pilates. You and Kit should try it. It'll be great for his back,' she said. Thus began our Pilates experience. We hired a babysitter and signed up for beginning mat together. That was 2 1/2 years ago..." more>>.
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"The first time that I did Pilates I remember that I was so intrigued with the equipment and the philosophy behind it. The other thing that I remember so vividly is that I was very, very weak. I had been diagnosed with something called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and was even having trouble walking to my classes..." more>>.
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"On March 13, 2000 I began my journey with Excel Movement Studios. It was an evening session with a new instructor, Dianne. I didn't know what to expect but I was mentally prepared for anything -- so I thought. I was a bit intimidated by the Reformer but Dianne was very patient and before I knew it those 50 minutes flew by..." more>>.
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"It was December of 1998. I was looking at the impending New Year and my 46th birthday. Although I had been faithful to my aerobic activities and weight training for the past 15 years, I was looking for something new to spice up my exercise routine..." more>>.
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Debi Wilson-Smith - November 2001
"My son was a dancer. He flew through the air and came brilliantly alive on stage. When he was about 12 years old he was injured during a 2 week extensive ballet conference. We were sent to the sports/dance medicine rehab center at the Cleveland Clinic. Lo and behold, Pilates was the rehab method used there. It worked and he was soon grande jete-ing his way around again.
Several years after that, Pilates was recommended for me in my struggle against Rheumatoid Arthritis..." more>>.
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"Terrible! That is how I would describe myself at Pilates when I first started. I was a Freshman in college and my Pilates Certified Professor told my entire class that we should register for beginning Mat. I had no idea what Pilates was, but I thought maybe it would impress my Professor. Well, Pilates impressed me..." more>>.
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"Writing a Pilates profile certainly was not something I could foresee when I started at Excel Movement Studio when it opened a few years ago. I remember distinctly that I had invited a friend to come with me. When we left she said 'Well, I'll be taking swimming classes.' It certainly did seem like an impossible undertaking at the time..." more>>.
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"...Over the past twenty-some years I have raced on dinghies to 12 meter America's Cup boats all over the world . The racing can be demanding and it is important to be in top physical and mental condition. Ten years ago, while working out at the gym I injured myself which eventually led to experimental surgery for a herniated disk in my back..." more>>.
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"Back in high school, I discovered dance and was driven by my desire to 'catch up' to my classmates. However, the over curve in my lower spine was getting in the way of progress. My dance teachers poked and prodded at my body trying to get my spine to lengthen, without much luck..." more>>.
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"We had hit a wall. After three years, we couldn't travel in a straight line. We couldn't keep even contact in both reins. We were either sluggish or running. The halts weren't square. The transitions were sloppy. My horse wouldn't chew or foam. The right muscles just wouldn't build. Granted, he was a racetrack reclamation project, but still..." more>>.
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