In 2008 I was blessed to welcome a new client into my studio wanting to start Pilates. Her name was Jenny and she was almost 75yrs old. Jenny had never done Pilates or much else for that matter, apart from the odd yoga class.
Why now I asked? “Its now or never”, was her reply.
We began as usual with pre Pilates to ascertain what her strengths and weaknesses were and then slowly introduced Jenny into the basic repertoire to increase her lagging strength and agility. It’s been 5 wonderful years now and at the age of 80, Jenny is proudly emailing photographs to her family in England showing them what she is able to do these days due to the wonders of Pilates, and her never failing commitment.
Jenny is now adding some very challenging advanced exercises to her repertoire. She simply loves to learn and achieve more, and delights in how she feels when she walks out the door.
Her body continues to get stronger and more agile, her positive attitude is inspiring, and her commitment unwavering. However, we still get a laugh when she does an exercise she has done twice a week conscientiously for the past 5 years, only to say “Hmmm….. I rather like that one! That’s new!”
Olga Tamara
Authentic Pilates Education Australia
A LETTER FROM JENNY:
At the end of May, 2008 I returned to sunny Sydney after a cold Spring in New York. It was a week before my 75th birthday.
During the stupor of jetlag I caught sight of myself in the well-lighted, full-length mirror on my bathroom door. Oh dear, my hair was a nasty granny-blond, and clearly I had enjoyed too much fun, too many good dinners and not enough exercise. So, the first repair job was a visit to the hairdresser, who greeted me with the suspicious compliment, “My, you look as if you have been enjoying yourself. “But what about all that walking on the streets of Manhattan”, I replied. And yes, I thought, I had done a bit of yoga on and off over the years, though mostly off as I found it a bit slow.
“Not good enough, what you need is Pilates and I know the name of a good studio”, said my hairdresser. So, in the interest of vanity, I decided it’s “now or never”.
Five years later, I’m still at it. My one regret is that I didn’t take up Pilates 20 years ago, or 30 years ago, or 50 years ago! Just think, I would be completely hard-wired and not forget a single movement.
One of the many pleasures is the feeling that your body still works and causes a comfortable sense of well-being despite being unable to roll like a ball (a bug bear for me! Arghhhh!). There is also the pleasure of making many new younger friends and loads of laughs.
Jenny Armstrong
September 2013
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