By John Stanch

It’s Christmas morning, we’ve exchanged gifts and had a pleasant breakfast. Next, I will drag my wife out of the house and make her work. I did the same thing on New Year’s Day. At that time, I felt guilty, reluctant, and embarrassed. But this time, nearly 12 months later, the bad feelings dissipated, and the stress was gone. This time, it wasn’t hard; it felt natural, instinctive. She, on the other hand, still needed a little persuasion to go to work on her day off, but she knew what it meant to me. So on Christmas morning, my begrudgingly supportive wife and I went to the studio, and I did Pilates for the 359th time this year. I haven’t done much of any workout for most of my life, but this year I learned to love Pilates, practiced it every day, and have become a regular in Pilates class.

It was so hard in the beginning. The last time I exercised consistently periodically was in college. The only thing that got me to show up were my friends in the gym to spot me. Not a spotter in the sense of weightlifting, although that’s what we did. It was more about the hang and having someone there to keep you honest and on point. Perhaps I had imagined I’d become buff or whatever if I kept it up, but I found it boring, and I gradually stopped. I suppose that’s generally what guys like, but it was never for me. I also tried the machines for a bit, but it’s way too easy to stop without someone to hold you accountable. About the most consistent I’ve ever been was probably aerobic and Reebok Step group classes at the company gym during my first internship.

For the past twenty years or so, I’ve been slaving away at my desk designing, editing, animating. I always told myself I would eventually work out consistently once I animated my way into a comfortable living. It felt like that time would never come and that it would be all downhill and big guts from here on out. So instead of looking towards the stars, I shifted my gaze right in front of me; we had a Pilates studio and I was out of excuses. It was still difficult to take that step. I’m not certain where the courage finally came from, maybe it was the constant nagging suggestions from my wife, or just that I didn’t feel happy with who I had become. Nonetheless the resignation subsided and on New Year’s Day 2025, I went downstairs like a grumpy little b*tch, and told my wife, “Let’s go.” My bewildered wife and I went to the studio so I could try Pilates again.

The beginning was frustrating, distracting, and I felt numb. I would go through the motions, struggle mentally, thinking nothing would change and it would be best to quit sooner rather than later. I was moving all the parts of my body that I hadn’t moved in years. Pilates found muscles and things in my body that I never knew were there. I was sore every day: I was reluctant to go, but I had to keep the streak alive. That’s what worked for me. Maybe I would feel sore all the time, maybe nothing was going to change; I didn’t know. But once I had a few weeks under my belt, I had to keep the streak going. I know what I did isn’t feasible for everyone with busy schedules; 3 or 5 times a week would have been just as good a start but I think I needed the discipline of going every day. I kept the streak going when I traveled too because I always keep a Pilates instructor by my side. She probably wanted to sleep in when we were traveling, instead, she came up with creative resistance training solutions with Pilates at the core, whatever she could dream up with the equipment the hotel gym had to offer, so I could keep it going.

That’s how it began. I spent months testing my wife’s patience with private Pilates sessions. It was too scary for me to show up at the group classes. Not so much because it was mostly full of women; I was used to being the only guy jazzer-sizing and whatnot during my internship. I wasn’t afraid of the women being stronger and better than me either; I knew they were. I wasn’t able to get myself to go to Pilates class because, if you looked at me, nothing about me said Pilates or that I had much class. I had to represent her studio better.

By April, there was no turning back. I had invested in myself and was slowly seeing improvements. That motivated me to make other good decisions, like swapping fries for a salad and cutting sugar. I wasn’t a maniac about it; if a meal ran a bit on the sweet side, I’d eat it, but I dropped sweet snacks and juices. My sacrifices were relatively easy for me but I was happy with the small wins adding up. I would probably be ripped by now if I could ditch the carbs, but there needs to be some joy in life.

It was sometime in June or July when my wife began weaning me from the private sessions. Once she decided to open another studio, we got too busy and it made more sense for me to fill an empty reformer during classes. Going to my first group class was sort of like the first day of school. I was scared, and afterwards, I didn’t want to go back. I had preferred the comfort and solitude of the private sessions but somewhere after a few weeks of juggling private and group classes, I began to prefer the group classes. It was like being at the gym with my buddies, granted I didn’t know anybody then, but there were a bunch of friendly faces with the same goals as you to improve themselves, stay fit, and take that time for themselves. Everyone was focused on themselves, it was only encouraging and none of the pressure I feared. Like a room full of silent spotters; I found comfort knowing that somedays we all were dying to hear the instructor utter “feet in straps” (signaling the cool down), just as bad as me. I loved the camaraderie and accountability that came with the group classes, and I had become a regular.

After a solid 7-8 months of Pilates, I was starting to feel stronger. I had zero definition, but I felt stronger physically and mentally. My body felt as if I had one giant, undefined, solid sausage muscle running through my core from my head to my toes. The group classes kept me disciplined and allowed me to perfect my form. I tried every class, each piece of equipment, and every instructor. The instructors are all knowledgeable, encouraging and they feel like personal trainers the way they correct and encourage you. Some are tougher than others; there may have been one instructor’s classes that I didn’t frequent, and that’s when I thought, if I didn’t want to go I probably should; the same way I felt when I did my first session of the year. So I started to add the tougher classes and instructors to my regimen. In the moment, I would be dripping in sweat, screaming on the inside, wondering why I would take the difficult classes but it sure felt rewarding as I walked crawled out of there. I found Pilates far more engaging than a typical gym workout. You may still have an predominently arm or leg day but Pilates simultaneously works your whole body, and the instructors always keep the classes fresh by mixing in new exercises so it doesn’t get stale. I swear each of them could tell you fifty different ways to work one muscle.

By the end of October, I was seeing and feeling so many improvements. My weight dropped under 200 lbs for the first time in a decade, 199.9 to be exact, but damn, that was a huge milestone for me and it was proof my disciplined approach was working. As I teetered around that number for the next several weeks, I would constantly tell myself I was gaining muscle, not fat, so I wouldn’t get discouraged. I could begin to see and feel more tone every week.

As the year wound down, I showed up less in Pleasant Valley. I began taking half of my classes in Kingston at my wife’s fresh, energizing new studio. The space was still a bit unfinished but had the same great vibe, great people, fabulous new-to-me instructors, and some revered instructors from Pleasant Valley. I’ve gotten pretty good at this Pilates thing. I even get compliments on my form and pace from the instructors, but that is credit to all of them. I think the secret is to pretend you are a robot, move only the body part they tell you to and do it as slowly as possible. Don’t always assume you can check my form for tips though, there are days when I am off in left field during class, glancing around the studio, daydreaming of which aspects of the studio I should improve for everyone next.

I did Pilates every day this year and everything I accomplished is thanks to everyone at So Young Pilates, my wife, my dog Brookie, the instructors, and all of you, my spotters, who show up and work hard alongside me. This recap was probably too long and way more personal than I planned, but I’m happy if it can motivate others to carry on or begin a fitness routine, even if it isn’t Pilates. I genuinely unbiasedly 😉 think it should be Pilates at So Young Pilates though.

I have never felt better and healthier. I no longer get debilitatingly sore after workouts; the consistency keeps my muscles loose and ready. I believe I have become less prone to injury, and I think I heal faster if I do twist or bend something the wrong way. I’m not as flexible as I had imagined but it will take time to undo 40 years of bad posture. My muscles are nothing huge nor perfectly toned, but I’m seeing and feeling some well-distributed definition that I’ve never seen in my life. On top of gaining muscle, I dropped over 35 pounds, added 4 notches to my belt, and got a fresh wardrobe since I can actually fit into the smaller clothes I’ve hoarded for years.

I’m happy I finally feel I can associate myself with Pilates, and class.

Pilates Class

By John Stanch

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Pilates Class

By John Stanch

The Pleasant Valley

Studio

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