2009 IDEA World Fitness Convention™ - All Days - All Types - Kate Watson Blog Entries

Remember when Pilates classes were quiet? They're not anymore. Sometimes it's background, sometimes the moves follow the beat. Regardless, from New Age to hip-hop, music has taken over. Golly, even in a circuit Pilates class with three stations (and three presenters cuing at once!) there was music playing underneath it all. That circuit was pretty wild--Stacey Lei Krauss saw my bemusement and clued me in: the goal was to bring fitness and Pilates together; to appeal to people who "don't want to have to be perfect before they move." Any men in there? Actually there were--more than in other Pilates classes I've visited. Let me mention two of my favorite sessions today. In the dawn block, I spent time in the Gyrokinesis workout with Stephanie Spencer. I get tingly watching this exercise--my body itches to do it, and somehow that makes sense. After all, when I doodle, I doodle in spirals, and on those days (they sometimes happen) when I'm home alone and I just have to dance, I dance in spirals. So a movement system built on spirals instinctively feels attractive. I also like the economy of effort--the end result is simple, elegant and effective, with no waste of energy. I think I'll stop by the booth in the expo hall and pick up a DVD. And the second session? Linda Freeman's "The New Yoga-Pilates Blend." New for new's sake isn't always a great idea, but this fusion class really seemed successful. Check it out next time if you missed it this time around. One thing that interests me at our events is how the presenters fall into two groups: those who basically teach a class, instructing attendees much as they would their clients back home; and those who teach a workshop, addressing attendees as instructors with their own clients back home and keeping the focus on teacher training. I'm talking about workshops here, not workouts, and it's a matter of degree, of course. My preference is for the latter--I feel that the deeper learning goes on in the teacher-training environment. But what do attendees say? I'm interested to hear.

Presenters, be warned: if you make a claim of prowess to IDEA attendees, you risk being called on to prove it! Phil Block found that out this morning. He told us he'd learned to walk on his hands as a kid after his mother challenged him to do it for a dollar--"and 30 years later," he added, "I can still do it." Well, he wasn't getting away with that. The cheer went up for a demo, and Phil--a trifle bashful now ("okay, it's been awhile")--found himself promising to try after class. What a sport: Phil came through with flying colors, truly "walking his talk" and earning roaring applause from the floor. What's more, the lesson in there was as good as the fun: if we can get our kids moving when they are still kids, their bodies won't forget. Challenge a child to move in a new way today--and plant a seed. When we lay down exercise at the cellular level, we give our children a gift that will last a lifetime. This is my last day on-site, and the impressions of my time here are swarming around in my head. I think of Charles, from Kenya, whom I bumped into on the first morning. We walked together just long enough to locate a room--and by the time we got there, we were fast friends. Charles had traveled for 2.5 days, covering 22,000 miles, to attend this event--and he had the biggest smile on his face that I've seen in a long time. Charles, come back soon--we love you! I also think of all the languages I hear as I walk the corridors--Russian, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean--and it warms my heart to feel part of something that unites people from such different places. The industry feels like it's thriving. There is so much variety out there in the way of programs and equipment; veteran presenters have got so much experience to draw on as they teach the younger attendees; and the public's need for the skills and knowledge of fitness professionals has never been greater. So keep up the good work, everyone, and have a great year. Keep connected with each other--and let the IDEA editors know how you are and what you're up to. Bye for now.

As I flew into Las Vegas from San Diego this morning, the ambient temperature was 40 degrees higher than it had been at home, but the weather wasn't the only thing here that was hot. It was a treat to land just as the first full day of the IDEA convention was starting to simmer. My first stop was PJ O'Clair's session, STOTT PILATES® Programming on the V2 Max Plus™ Reformer. If you're a Pilates instructor and you haven't discovered this equipment yet, you have some excitement in store, gauging by the participants’ comments that I was hearing. What makes it special? "With this equipment, you've got everything!" said one attendee. "With imagination and experience, the possibilities are unlimited.” The combination moves I was seeing certainly reflected that—even the veterans were moving their bodies in new ways. One thing before I move on, though—where are all the men? There was just one in this workshop. Isn’t it time we saw more male participation in Pilates classes? Is anyone having any real success with this? My own training is in yoga. I love yoga, and it’s my great wish to make more time for it again—life has been complicated the last few years. To be honest, when I watch yoga workshops at IDEA events—which I’ve been doing for more than 10 years—the level of technical proficiency among attendees concerns me. They are often long on enthusiasm and willingness, but short on alignment and presence. I see beginners more than I see advanced students. And that’s fine, of course, as long as people are aware they’re beginners. Yoga (as I know from experience) develops slowly and only with a lot of practice; I hope we’ll all persevere--the effort is so worthwhile.