When Amy Schmit started teaching fitness classes at a local gym, she never imagined that one day she would add Pilates to her fitness repertoire, let alone convert part of her home to a studio.
Schmit's interest began at the request of clients who were interested in taking Pilates classes. When first approached about the idea, Schmit said she remembers thinking "Pilates shimates…what's this all about?"
But as more and more of her clients began inquiring, Schmit started reading books and taking classes from other instructors. It wasn't long before she too was hooked on the Pilates method.
Amy Schmit's home has been transformed into "The Pilates House." In what would be the living area sits two Pilates Reformer machines.
According to the Pilates Method Alliance, a professional association and certifying agency for Pilates teachers, "Pilates is a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body. Practiced faithfully, Pilates yields numerous benefits including increased lung capacity; strength and flexibility, particularly of the abdomen and back muscles; and improved posture, balance, and core strength."
Schmit became certified in Pilates and began teaching clients at her gym using a combination of mat and machine exercises performed on apparatus such as the Pilates Reformer, Chair or Trapeze Table.
In 2007, Schmit decided to venture out on her own and opened "The Pilates House" which coincidentally is in her Edgewater home.
The "studio" takes up two rooms on Schmit's first floor. The adjoining rooms house two Reformers, a Pilates Chair, Trapeze Table, resistance bands, foam circles and all of the "gadgets" used in Pilates exercises.
Schmit said it was an easy decision to turn her home into a Pilates "palace."
"Pilates is an integral part of my family's life," said Schmit. "We had the equipment and space so it just made sense to transform it into The Pilates House."
Schmit has a bustling business with clients coming from all over South County including Mayo, Edgewater, Davidsonville, Riva and Galesville. She works in tandem with physical therapists whose clients suffer from neck, shoulder and hip injuries along with individuals simply wanting to strengthen and tone.
While Schmit's neighbors think it's a bit strange to have such large machines and odd equipment in what would be considered the living and dining room, her clients say they enjoy the home-style atmosphere; and at the core, love the Pilates program Schmit offers.
Terry Villano, of Deale, has been a client of Schmit's for some 15 years. Villano, who has a reconstructed knee, said when she met with Schmit she was looking for an alternative to traditional exercise regiments.
"I read an article that said Pilates brings a physical change to your body by creating long, lean, strong muscles, with emphasis on your core," said Villano. "I talked with Amy who reassured me that Pilates works to balance imbalances that occur from injuries, of which I had. It's been a decade since I reached out to Amy and my joke with her is that she has been stuck with me ever since."
"Pilates with Amy at The Pilates House is like getting a massage and a great workout at the same time," said Karin Meyers of Edgewater.
"My husband Ted and I have been regulars at The Pilates House for several years. Every class is a surprise and no two classes are alike. Ted has really benefited—bringing him relief from years of chronic back pain that doctors and chiropractors couldn't cure."
Gayle Parman, of Beverly Beach, has been taking mat and reformer classes from Schmit since 2001. Parman said in one hour of Pilates she achieves muscle toning, flexibility, cardio, mind building and everything she needs to "grow old gracefully."
Schmit offers private, semi-private and trio classes. She even holds "Poolates" in her backyard pool during the summer where she takes Pilates exercises and adapts them to the water.
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