The Pilates Truth | Issue No. 3: Pilates Isn’t Just a Workout

Pilates Isn’t Just a Workout

By Lori Taranto

When you come to Pilates, I don’t want you to simply learn how to perform an exercise.

I want you to understand why you’re doing it.

What muscles are working? What are those muscles actually designed to do? And how can this movement translate into something you do in your everyday life?

Because Pilates, to me, has never been just about the workout.

When I’m teaching a class or working with a private client, I’m constantly thinking beyond the exercise in front of us.

How can this help you move through your life better?

Maybe we’re working on hip stability. That isn’t just about having stronger hips. It can help you get in and out of a car, climb stairs, walk on uneven ground, or feel more confident on a hike.

Maybe we’re strengthening your back and improving your ability to rotate. That matters when you’re reaching into the back seat of your car, lifting a suitcase, or turning to talk to someone beside you.

Maybe we’re working on balance.

Balance isn't just something we practice on a Pilates apparatus. It’s what helps us step off a curb, walk across a sandy beach, get out of the shower, or recover when we lose our footing.

The exercise is the tool. Your life is the reason.

That is how I think about programming every class at Pure Power Pilates.

I’m not simply asking, “What exercises should we do today?”

I’m asking:

Who is in this room?
What does their body need?
What could help them feel stronger, more stable, more mobile, or more confident?
And how can I help them take what we do here into the rest of their lives?

That philosophy is the same whether you take a group class or work with me privately.

Of course, private sessions allow for a different level of individualization. But I believe every person who walks into a class deserves to be seen, supported, and taught—not simply counted as a spot on a roster.

And this is one of the things I believe a small studio can do particularly well.

When you know your clients, you notice things.

You know who needs a little more challenge. Who needs to modify an exercise. Who has been dealing with a particular limitation. Who is getting stronger. Who is moving differently than they did six months ago.

You understand their goals, their histories, their personalities—and sometimes even what is going on in their lives.

That relationship matters.

My Perspective Has Changed, Too

I think about aging differently now than I did when I first became a Pilates instructor.

When I was younger, I was more focused on how the body looked, how strong it was, and what it could accomplish. I wanted my clients to feel fit, confident, and good in their bodies.

But somewhere along the way, that changed for me.

I began to understand that the real privilege isn't helping someone perform a more advanced exercise or look better in their clothes.

It’s helping someone hold onto the ability to live their life.

Maybe that's because I'm getting older, too. I think more about the years ahead and what I want my own life to look like.

I want to travel. I want to be active. I want to be able to get down on the floor and get back up. I want to explore new places, spend time with the people I love, and say yes to the things I haven't done yet.

And I don't want my body to be the reason I can't.

That realization has made this work much more meaningful to me.

I’m not just teaching people how to move their bodies today.

I’m thinking about the body they will need five, ten, or twenty years from now.

The Proof Is in the People

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with people whose stories remind me why I believe so strongly in this work.

One of those people is Joann.

I began working with Joann when she was 79. She started Pilates with me in my garage studio, and more than a decade later, she is still committed to moving her body.

Joann’s body has changed a lot over those years. She has experienced injuries,  falls, and other challenges that could have easily become reasons to stop exercising altogether.

Instead, we adapted.

The exercises changed. Her needs changed. The goals evolved with her. Some days were harder than others. But the purpose remained the same: to keep helping Joann move through the world with as much strength, mobility, independence, and confidence as possible.

Today, in her early 90s, I work with Joann in her home twice a week.

Our sessions aren't about performing impressive exercises. They’re about what her body needs now.

That means strengthening her legs. It’s working on balance. It’s getting down to the basics and helping her maintain the ability to do something as important as getting up and moving safely.

There is something incredibly meaningful about watching someone continue to participate in her own life as she ages.

Joann reminds me that Pilates isn’t about staying young.

It’s about staying engaged with your life.

And that is really the point.

My ultimate goal isn’t for you to become really good at Pilates.

My goal is for Pilates to help you become really good at living.

I want you to move without pain.

I want you to feel strong enough to do the things you want to do.

I want you to travel, carry your own suitcase, get on and off the floor, play with your grandchildren, hike, garden, dance, paddleboard, ski, golf—or simply get through your day without thinking twice about your body.

And I want you to keep doing those things for a very long time.

Because a healthy body isn’t about how well you can perform an exercise in a studio.

It’s about what that body allows you to do with the rest of your life.

That is the Pilates I believe in.

Not just a workout.

An investment in the life you want to live.

— Lori