Fit to Print Volume 23 Issue 2: June 2014 | Page 27
Mind Body Spirit
continued from page 6
create a challenge that strengthens not
only my core, but my entire
muscular/skeletal body! I have become
more flexible and notice a huge
difference through my hips. I am also
much more attuned with my body and
feel much stronger overall. I love, love,
love Dina's instruction of the class…it's
the perfect blend of her knowledge,
challenge, direction, concern and
personality that makes her the Best at
what she does!
Sheryl Dowd
Going to the Mat: Fran Capurano, Sheryl Dowd & Kathleen Maiolo
me. Well, I have my own mat now and I
know the rows and the props, and I am
now a Pilates “lifer”. THANKS Dina and
Susan xoxo
Susan Daniels
I have been doing Pilates consistently 3x
per week for the past 6 months. I have
been a fitness enthusiast most of my life
and have been a Personal Trainer,
aerobics and Spin instructor. My fitness
journey all began with taking aerobic
classes over 30 years ago that led to my
becoming an instructor and giving classes
at a dance studio in Centerport. The two
other women I taught classes with
discovered a fabulously amazing
instructor in Babylon at the Fitness
Incentive. I'll never forget how excited
they were telling me about their
experience. Corinne was the instructor,
and I couldn't wait to go take her class
after hearing how they raved about her.
That was absolutely the greatest class I
had ever taken and I have been a fan of
Cor's ever since! I ran with Cor for many
years as well, although I am glad to be
done with that as it is hard on the
skeletal body. I became a certified
Personal Trainer after years of training,
and I became certified to teach Spin
after falling in love with the Spin
program at Fitness Incentive. I then met
the greatest trainer, bar none, Jim
Cordova, who guided me with his wealth
of knowledge of nutrition, form and
muscular development, to the greatest
transformation my body has ever known!
With his guidance I competed in a fitness
competition and took first place in the
Novice category at the tender age of
50!
I have been at Fitness Incentive from
their humble beginnings on Grove
Place and am currently enjoying the
Spin program with my favorite
instructors: Jourdan (who is a
powerhouse just like her mom), Mary K
(D.J. Queen) and my soul sista
Sara…who all contribute to keeping me
in great cardiovascular shape. I
recently added Pilates to my fitness
mix to increase core strength and
flexibility. I believe it is important to
incorporate all components that
increase your fitness level…which has
led me to Dina! I decided to give mat
Pilates class a try after hearing from
Francesca Capuano how fabulous Dina's
classes are and seeing the amazing
transformation it has had on Fran's
body. I tried yoga but was never able
to be consistent so that is what
ultimately led me to try Pilates. I had
my spin and weight training but was
looking for something more that would
help me with core strength as well as
hip opening and flexibility. Pilates is
quite a challenging workout, one I
never would have imagined, especially
after all my years of fitness and
training hard and heavy! It is the
perfect blend of strength, form,
alignment and stretch that has taken
my fitness to a new level. It is a
challenge without the heavy weights!
Pilates has given me a greater
understanding of my body's natural
alignment which helps me to make the
necessary corrections to my form and
Summer 2014 FIT to Print
I have been a member of Fitness
Incentive since 1985. I have been doing
Pilates consistently for approximately 3
years. I have always worked out as
long as I can remember…Jazzercise,
aerobics, weights etc. My mentality has
always been “the harder the better”.
That worked okay for me through my
twenties and part of my thirties. When I
reached my 40's, my body started talking
to me. With all of the high impact
jumping, etc. I ultimately injured my
knee and lower back. I started to realize
it was time for me to look into other
means of staying fit. It took me a while
to abolish my “harder the better” mind
set. After physical therapy for my knee,
I knew I needed to add stretching to my
regimen. I tried Yoga, but could never
tap into that “yoga head”. I tried Pilates
and I really liked the way it made me
feel. I always had posture issues and
Pilates made me more aware of them. I
do not do conventional abdominal
exercises any more and my core has
never been so strong. My lower back pain
is virtually gone. I have learned to enjoy
the feeling of not going in and breaking
my butt to the point of strain and still
getting an amazing workout! I have
recently added Pilates jumpboard classes
which gives me a great cardio workout
without the stress on the joints. In
addition to my past injuries, there have
been some stressful changes in my life
lately Pilates moves works better with
the phase my body is in now. I come to
Pilates and I leave feeling better…inside,
outside and all around.
These heartfelt testimonials prove that
Pilates works for anyone. People of all
backgrounds, all fitness levels and all
ages. I want to thank everyone for the
kind words, and I also want to note that
this particular article features
testimonials from females…stay tuned to
future Fit to Print Newsletters for
testimonials from our Pilates MEN! If you
have not tried Pilates yet….don't wait
another day! See you in class! Happy
Summer!
Dina Voigt is a certified Pilates, yoga &
spin instructor, as well as a certified Personal Trainer.
She manages the Mind, Body & Spirit program at FI.
Questions? Contact her at: [email protected]
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