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      Bodyworks changed my life. My pain is gone. In my 60s, I feel better than I did in my 20s. Kim is warmhearted and funny, and she has an eagle's eye for the ways a body can get off kilter. Her classes perform miracles.
      Erin M.
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      Kim is knowledgeable, positive, and kind. Her classes move in an organized pattern to maximize each person’s potential. They are challenging but supportive, but I look forward to her wisdom, expertise, and her charming personality each week.
      Anne S.
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      I have severe scoliosis, and one leg is an inch shorter than the other. After a lot of pain, I had visions of ending up in a wheelchair. With Kim's help, I've "grown" 1/2 inch; I can ride a bike, garden, and hike. After every injury or new ache, Kim has taught me how to strengthen joints and improve balance, so I can heal and keep going.
      Kathy S.
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      Liza is such an addition to our Pilates classes. She is very professional, precise in her direction as well as being encouraging. She is a bright spot in our week.
      Barbara P.
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      Liza is very clear in her directions for the various exercises in her class. She allows for adaptations to a range of abilities. She is very professional, positive, and encouraging.
      Yolande G.

OUR MISSION is to educate people—from collegiate students to those well into their twilight years—about how the body works and to enable them to move with ease and strength.

Located on the beautiful 13,000-acre campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, Bodyworks Youniversity is a perfect setting for our restorative work. We want your experience to be a “tiny vacation” from your busy life, to learn how to destress and unwind your body and soul.

We offer private and duet sessions that use heat and stretching on Pilates equipment to release and align your body before taking you to core strengthening exercises. We also offer Pilates mat classes to strengthen and tone your body, as well as to educate you about what each exercise is designed to achieve.

Consistency is the Key to Success


Consistency is the key to success when it comes to exercise. Whether you are trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just maintain a healthy lifestyle, sticking to a regular exercise routine is crucial. Here are some tips for staying consistent with your workouts:

  1. Set Realistic Goals: One of the main reasons people give up on their exercise routine is because they set unrealistic goals. Don't try to do too much too soon. Start with small, achievable goals and work your way up.
  2. Find Something You Enjoy: It's important to find an exercise that you enjoy doing. If you hate running, don't force yourself to run every day. Try different activities until you find something that you look forward to doing.
  3. Create a Schedule: Treat your exercise routine like an appointment. Schedule it into your calendar and stick to it. If you have trouble sticking to a routine, try working out at the same time every day.
  4. Have a Backup Plan: Life happens, and sometimes you may not be able to make it to the gym or go for a run. Have a backup plan for those days. Maybe you can do a workout at home or take a walk around your neighborhood.
  5. Hold Yourself Accountable: Find someone to hold you accountable. This could be a friend, family member, or personal trainer. Having someone to check in with and share your progress with can help keep you motivated.
  6. Track Your Progress: Keep track of your workouts and progress. This can be as simple as writing down your workouts in a journal or using a fitness tracking app. Seeing progress can be a great motivator to keep going.
  7. Be Patient: Results don't happen overnight. It takes time and consistency to see progress. Don't get discouraged if you don't see immediate results. Stick with it, and you will eventually see the benefits of your hard work.

Improved Endurance

Pilates is a popular form of exercise that is known for its ability to improve strength, flexibility, and posture. However, did you know that Pilates can also help to improve your endurance? Endurance is an important component of fitness that is necessary for many different types of activities, from running a marathon to hiking a mountain.

Pilates is often thought of as a low-impact form of exercise, but it can actually be quite challenging and help to build endurance over time. Pilates exercises focus on engaging the core muscles, which can help to improve your posture, balance, and breathing technique.By improving your breathing technique, you can increase your lung capacity and improve your endurance during other physical activities. Pilates exercises also help to build muscular endurance, which is the ability of your muscles to perform physical activity over an extended period of time.

The combination of improved breathing technique and muscular endurance can help to improve your overall endurance and make it easier to engage in physical activity for longer periods of time.Another way Pilates can improve endurance is by helping to prevent injuries. Pilates exercises focus on building strength and flexibility throughout the body, which can help to reduce the risk of injury during other physical activities.

For example, strong core muscles can help to support the spine during running or other high-impact activities, reducing the risk of back pain or injury.

Overall, Pilates is an excellent form of exercise that can help to improve your endurance, prevent injuries, and support your overall fitness goals. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting out on your fitness journey, incorporating Pilates into your routine can help you go the distance.

Pilates and Weight Training: Can I Do Both?

The primary difference between Pilates and weight training is that Pilates focuses on the stability system, the mechanics of movements, and building postural awareness and mobility. Weight training builds strength and power by targeting global muscles rather than small muscles and movements. Momentum is needed for lifting weights, and as a result, people often use different muscles and overload other areas. Pilates is a great complement to weight training as it teaches how to control the body rather than just use  power. The slower movements build more body awareness. Understanding the movements will help improve form and consequently strength in the gym. Pilates helps with posture, flexibility, and muscular endurance so it is an excellent complimentary workout to weight training.


Healthy Aging With Pilates

We are all aging, and we want to do so as gracefully as possible but also with the least amount of pain and injury. Pilates is an excellent exercise option for our aging bodies! It is a safe, low impact form of exercise that can help prevent and overcome physical changes associated with aging. One physical change as we age is in our posture. Aging results in a natural decline in muscle mass, bone strength, and balance. These declines in addition to decreased activity because of pain or other dysfunction will have a negative impact on posture. Pilates will help improve posture through activities that strengthen core muscles and provide a strong foundation. As a result of improved posture, muscles will be balanced and in turn this will help prevent injuries. Your Pilates instructor will educate you on how to stand upright and tall, lengthen your neck, open your shoulders, and stretch those tight muscles.

Sleep and Weight Loss

There are lots of great reasons to make sure we get enough sleep, and weight loss is one of them. Not getting enough sleep makes appetite control more difficult. When we are sleep deprived, we have lower levels of leptin which reduces appetite AND we have higher levels of ghrelin, an appetite stimulating hormone. Sleep deficiency also increases activity in other parts of the brain that make us crave junk food and high calorie foods. On the other hand, deep sleep increases the production of the growth hormone which promotes the burning of fats. It is also important to align sleeping and eating with the body's circadian rhythm whenever possible. When not aligned, there is a disruption in the regulation of appetite and metabolism which often leads to weight gain. Getting enough sleep and having a regular sleep schedule should be prioritized along with a good diet and physical exercise. Good night and sweet dreams!

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293 Ball park Road
Sewanee, TN 37375
and on Zoom app

(423) 322-1443

Monday-Friday

8a-7p

Private sessions available by appointment.