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

