54 | NOVEMBER 28 • 2019
L
ife is a marathon. From
getting up and out of
chairs to hauling in gro-
ceries or hoisting a toddler onto
one’
s hip, daily tasks add up and
take a toll on our bodies.
Studies have repeatedly
proven the mental and physical
benefits of keeping in shape
go way beyond looking good
in a swimsuit. Kelly Reynolds,
owner of Pilates studio Red
Spring in West Bloomfield, said
the looking good part is just
a side effect of having strong
muscles that improve posture,
reduce pain and increase stabili-
ty as we age.
Reynolds, who started her
career in environmental sci-
ence but reinvented herself as a
Pilates instructor after the exer-
cise healed her abdominal mus-
cles after childbirth, said how
you fit in a dress or jeans should
not be the reason to enter into a
sustainable exercise regimen.
“Women and men alike come
to me for reasons that go deeper
than aesthetics,
” Reynolds said.
“They come because they want
to feel good and keep mobile
throughout the day. People want
to get on the floor and play with
their grandchildren or go kaya-
king or play tennis and golf into
retirement. Pilates gives people
the strength in their deepest
core muscles that gives them
the ability to function.
”
Reynolds said the reason
Pilates is so effective is that it
works the body’
s “powerhouse”
core muscles: the deep, sta-
bilizing muscles that support
the spine and torso. Working
on a reformer machine also
strengthens the stabilizing leg
muscles to take the strain off
knees.
Some of Reynolds clients,
such as Carolyn Tisdale of
West Bloomfield, have found
improvement and pain reduc-
tion even after multiple knee
surgeries. Reynolds also gives
her clients exercise homework
and tips on how to perform
daily tasks without causing
strain or injury.
Some of Reynold’
s clients
reclaimed flexibility and
mobility and a pain-free life
after enduring surgery and
chronic pain after sports-
related injuries.
Rick Tyner, 59, of West
Bloomfield was an avid ice
hockey player and athlete before
rupturing a disc on the ice
about a decade ago. Tyner need-
ed back surgery, but years later
still suffered from chronic pain.
Then, he started doing training
sessions with Reynolds and
describes it as a “life-saver.
”
“By strengthening the mus-
cles around the spine, you are
taking all that work and strain
off of your spinal cord,
” Tyner
said. “It works specific sets of
muscles. To get the results I
wanted, I took private training
sessions with Reynolds three
times a week for six months. It
takes time and consistency to
build that strength. Now, after
three years, I am healthier than
when I was younger.
”
BALANCE IS THE KEY
In addition to maintaining core
strength, good balance into
middle age and beyond is also
key to living a fully mobile life.
According to the U.S. Centers
for Disease Control, 3 million
older people are treated in
emergency departments for fall
injuries. But falling does not
have to be an acceptable inevita-
bility of getting older.
Lisa Fein is a balance instruc-
tor who teaches group classes at
the West Bloomfield Recreation
Center as well as classes at
assisted living centers and
private home-based sessions.
Her clients range from people
in their 70s and 80s who have
never regularly exercised to
those who have been active all
their lives.
Clients also come to Fein,
who has a master’
s degree in
exercise science, to continue to
improve balance and function
after completing physical ther-
apy or seek her advice on how
to continue safely exercising
after receiving a diagnosis of
osteoporosis.
From getting down on a
yoga mat to sitting or standing
behind a chair for support,
Fein’
s clients exercise to what
levels are available to them
and progress as their strength
and balance improve. Some
of Fein’
s clients, with enough
practice, graduate from canes
and walkers to walking inde-
pendently again.
Most don’
t think about it, but
walking is a feat of keeping one’
s
balance, Fein explained.
“Many of my clients are a
work in progress,
” Fein said.
“I have had patients who first
came to me using a walker after
having a brain tumor removed.
With time, support and con-
sistent exercise, he noticed
increased strength and pro-
gressed in time to walk inde-
pendently. Above all, I teach my
clients how to more safely move
their bodies to keep active.
”
Boom
STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A Core
Strength
Staying strong is key to fl
exibility
and balance.
TOP: Red Spring Pilates owner Kelly Reynolds works with Carolyn Tisdale.
STACY GITTLEMAN