What does being “fit” mean?

According to Oxford Dictionaries online, fit as an adjective has several qualities:

• having the requisite qualities or skills to undertake something competently
• informal: ready
• in good health, especially because of regular exercise
• British informal: sexually attractive; good looking: who’s this fit babe?

CoreFocused, LLC, of Hollis, NH, is a Pilates & Cycling studio geared towards personalized training of 1 or 2 students at a time. Weekly students of CoreFocused experience many of the above qualities of the word “fit”. Pilates and Cycling students of CoreFocused state that their bodies support them better in their daily life with less or no pain, as compared to their condition before starting a fitness plan at CoreFocused. By learning optimal body mechanics through Pilates exercise, they can enjoy activities & sports again about which they thought they would only be able to reminisce. The pleasure of the moment can be enjoyed through Pilates and cycling as the mind-body connection and the breath work relieve the body & mind of stress. Students have exclaimed they haven’t felt this good since childhood. Living in the present moment is a peaceful, energizing, stress-relieving state that is healthy for the student on a cellular level and also for the community on a social level. Joseph Pilates, the turn of the 20th century creator of the exercise method, believed that if everyone practiced his exercise method, the world would be a better place.

A regular practice of Pilates exercises promotes a sense of peaceful readiness, knowing that you have the capacity to handle life’s challenges. There is something magical and magnificent that happens when your body’s alignment improves through the biomechanics of Pilates and a re-awakening (or perhaps initial establishment) of pathways of energy in the body. One student expresses what many have experienced, “Pilates exercises have helped me strengthen muscles I didn’t even know I had.” Many of us live day to day using only the major muscle groups, leaving many other muscles to wither through neglect. Today’s life style involves a lot of sitting and promotes holding patterns in our hips and lower backs that are not beneficial to body, mind or spirit. Pilates is the antidote to “our civilized life-style”. Pilates exercises challenge students in multiple planes & directions to focus on and use their neglected, seldom used core muscles in a progressive building block method which assists them in becoming “un-stuck”. As a result, they feel remarkably better and have greater range of motion and less or no pain. Feeling good then translates to looking good & feeling strong and exhibiting a shining happiness which is attractive in social & a sensual sense. As the Oxford dictionary asks: who’s this fit babe?

“Getting fit as a couple has become very popular. It’s a great way to spend time with someone you love,” says Jody Secules, owner of CoreFocused. February is “Get fit with your Valentine” month at CoreFocused. Check out www.corefocused.com and or call Jody at 603-554-7522. CoreFocused has convenient online scheduling. Choose from class times of 60 or 75 minutes, in formats consisting of Pilates or a Cycling/Pilates blend. CoreFocused just added 2nd SPINNER NXT exercise bicycle to the studio offerings in addition to the full suite of STOTT Pilates apparatus for one or two students. Jody is a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor in mat exercise & all apparatus in the CoreFocused studio. Each year, Jody participates in advanced training to broaden and deepen her understanding of the human anatomy and how to work with unique individuals to optimize their fitness. CoreFocused, located on Wheeler Road, is an eco-friendly Hollis-based business, helping clients optimize their fitness since 2005.

STOTT PILATES® photography © Merrithew Corporation