Pilates pros open new studio in Green Valley

If fitness and better health are high on your holiday list for a family member or friend, consider a gift certificate to Serenity Pilates, a new business opened this fall in Green Valley by two seasoned exercise pros.

Serenity Pilates, located at the Marketplace mall at 125 Calle de las Tiendas, Suite 105-A (between the Health Food store and Saigon Nails) is owned and operated by Jennifer Adolfs and Kim McGuire, who previously worked at Mind 2 Motion pilates studio in Green Valley.

Adolfs continues to conduct exercise classes at Green Valley Recreation, as she has for the past nine years, and McGuire maintains her regular schedule of exercise classes at La Posada, where she’s worked for three years.

Both owners said they wanted to start their own business and put their combined expertise to work to create a “serene, therapeutic, and energizing environment” for clients they have worked with for years and new ones yet to come.

The two will be hosting an open house for clients and those interested in learning more about Pilates and its benefits on Friday, Dec. 12, from 3 to 6 p.m. at their business.

Adolfs is a Certified Pilates Instructor with eight years of experience and an American Council on Exercise Certified Specialist with 10 years experience.

An enthusiastic bicyclist, golf and tennis player, Adolfs practices what she teaches, all the time. Her goal, she said, is to improve clients’ physical fitness and/or skill at sports and other recreation “by strengthening and realigning your body with Pilates.” She specializes in helping those with back and joint problems.

Her long-term clients include Dave Lorimer, 68, who suffered severe injuries in a a helicopter crash during the Vietnam war, and, most recently, his wife Janet, who started Pilates training after she noted the benefits it provided to her husband, including increased body control and awareness, less difficulty in walking, and an improvement in flexibility.

“I believe that if we can improve these health conditions through exercise, it’s much better than spending thousands on surgery and medications,” said Janet, 67, who noted a “big improvement in flexibility, posture and strengthening of core muscles in the abdomen and back.”

“Jennifer,” she said, “is fantastic and has helped both of us so much.”

McGuire, a Certified Pilates Instructor, American Council on Exercise Certified Personal Trainer and a Certified Instructor for the Arthritis Foundation, turned to Pilates after more than two decades in the health care field, including 10 years as a communications specialist for a non-profit hospital in California and several more years in marketing, sales and public speaking.

“For more than 30 years, I’ve been involved in exercise, participating in weight training and classes ranging from step aerobics to Yoga,” she said.

An experienced golfer, Pilates instructor and personal trainer for the past three years, McGuire said her goal is to help clients “sculpt their bodies to improve appearance and confidence and increase energy.”

Sahuarita Mayor Lynne Skelton, 51, who has been doing equipment Pilates with McGuire for the past 14 months, said she’s “very pleased with the results and can notice a big difference in my body tone and in the elimination of joint aches and pains in my hips and my knees.”

“I’ve seen a 100 percent improvement in my physical condition and am now able to enjoy seven to 10-mile hikes on a regular basis without pain”, she said.

Despite a sagging economy, Skelton, the Lorimers and several other Serenity clients we spoke to say they plan to continue their Pilates sessions because of the health and fitness benefits they provide.

Invented in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates to aid bedridden prisoners of war in Germany regain strength, balance and flexibility, the Pilates system involves 500 specific exercises on specially designed equipment.

Joseph Pilates eventually moved to New York City, where his studio and his exercise system almost immediately gained popularity with New York City Ballet dancers, seeking to retain or regain top physical conditioning, and mental focus on their art.

Eventually, the system, with its emphasis on a “mind-body workout” attracted followers throughout the United States and many other parts of the world.

Adolfs and McGuire said Pilates offers many benefits, especially for older adults, because it’s a low-impact exercise system that doesn’t strain the body, but strengthens and stretches core muscles.

Benefits, they say, include improved balance and coordination, a decrease in back and joint pain, increased strength and muscle tone, better posture and breathing, flattening the stomach and losing “love handles,” along with an increase in energy and concentration.

For more information on Serenity Pilates, call Adolfs at 440-1871 or McGuire at 240-7860.

Kathy Engle is a freelance writer who lives in Amado. You can contact her at kdengle@earthlink.net.