She’s had two knee replacements, but you won’t find this grandmother in a rocking chair, thanks to Pilates.
I have two fake knees and a bad ankle. Sounds pretty typical for a 72-year-old, right? You might expect that I spend a lot of time sitting on the sofa reading or putting my feet up and watching TV. But I’ve always been very active. In high school, I was on the basketball and field hockey teams, and played tennis and golf. I’m a terrible couch potato, so the idea of being stuck in a chair and not being able to move my body always drove me crazy. I needed an exercise method that would condition my body without causing more damage to my joints. Thankfully five years ago, I found Pilates.
STARTING DOWNHILL
An accident when I was 21 set the stage for major knee and ankle issues decades later. I was skiing in Vail, CO with my about-to-be ex- boyfriend. I was a near-beginner, and he was an avid skier. He took me to the top of the mountain, where I fell at least three dozen times on the first half. I told him I needed to get to the bottom and take a lesson, so he tightened my bindings, put me on an easy trail without a map and went off to do his thing!
I ended up going down a too-steep slope and hit some rough terrain; when I fell, my bindings did not release. I flopped on my left side and saw my leg move in a place where there was no joint. After the ski patrol got me down the mountain, and I was X-rayed, it turned out I had a double spiral fracture. After a three-hour ambulance ride to Denver, I was in surgery for another three hours, a full cast for three months and a half cast for six weeks. They didn’t do rehab back then, so I just walked a lot to build my leg back up once the cast (and the boyfriend) were gone. And then it was off to being a sporty girl again!
A FULL, ACTIVE LIFE
Denne historien er fra July - August 2016-utgaven av Pilates Style.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2016-utgaven av Pilates Style.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Finding New Momentum
Overcoming obstacles caused by the pandemic, the virtual version of this popular festival still achieved its goals.
Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey
In his authoritative biography of the first woman to open a studio, Reiner Grootenhuis delved into her personal papers to tell the harrowing story of her time in a prison camp during World War II.
Racism in the Pilates Industry
Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.
For Self-defense
Moves of the Month
Comfort Food Made Healthy
This fall, cozy up to tantalizing comfort food that’s also healthy. A new cookbook from Kristin Cavallari shows you how.
Pilates Postcard
A Pilates teacher shares how the method is making waves abroad.
The Ultimate Gift
One year ago, Kahley Schiller’s life was completely upended by an extreme health crisis. But thanks to her 20-year Pilates practice, the 40-year-old was able to recover quickly.
Revelations
For Sarita Allen, a star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a protégée of Kathleen Stanford Grant, Pilates was key to her decades-long career.
Meaning WITHIN THE Movement
The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.
PILATES IN THE HOOD
Though she’s trained many top stars, Kim Carruthers says she’s most proud of her work as the founder and director of a nonprofit bringing the method to underserved communities.
