Interested in Pilates?

One of our Certificate Programs is Pilates Mat Instruction. For anyone who enjoys Pilates, and is interested in a career teaching it to others could find this program to be useful.

You will be taught by some of the best in the world of Pilates. Simona Cipriani is a trainer who helped athletes as a massage therapist at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and 2006 Torino Winter Olympics. Dr. Jospeh Muscolino has written numerous books used in the teaching of Pilates across the country.

You’ll get a hands on approach to Pilates and learn every aspect on how it works and what you need to do to be an effective teacher. Click here for a detailed website that gives the origins of Pilates and benefits of it, as well as many other resources.

by Adam Marciano

Winter/Spring 2011 at Purchase College Continuing Education

Our Winter/Spring 2011 catalog is now available online.  Click here to see our latest course offerings.

Purchase College Continuing Education asked, “Who was Joseph Pilates?”

We’ve probably all heard about the benefits of Pilates exercises, but who was Pilates?  According to Wikipedia, Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1883, the son of a prize-winning gymnast father and a naturopath mother.  Sickly as a child, he devoted his entire life to becoming strong and healthy, and helping others do the same.  He came to the US around 1925, and the system of physical exercise he devised was embraced and promoted by famous dancers such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham. 

“I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They’d be happier.” — Joseph Hubertus Pilates, in 1965, age 86.  [from an article in WebMD, as recommended by Pilates Instructor Simona Cipriani]

Here is a video of Pilates teaching a student:

Mat Pilates Certification Workshop (Purchase College Continuing Education)

Simona Cipriani knows the importance of Continuing Education, as the instructor for this summer’s Pilates Certification Workshop, she will be aiding other instructors in the maintenance of their certifications. With this summer’s certification workshop focusing on the upper body, students will study the pathology of the area, receive a breakdown of exercises, review common ailments, as well as review the anatomy and physiology of the neck, shoulders, and upper back.

So why is it so important for instructors to be certified? According to Simona, “Customers today are more sophisticated, they know the difference between someone who’s certified and who’s not”. Education for instructors however doesn’t end at certification, it is also important for instructor to continue with their education beyond certification, as they are required to complete continuing education units annually in order to maintain their certification.  With this workshop students have the opportunity to receive the units necessary to maintain their certification while learning relevant skills.

Classes start July 10

Pilates Occupational Outlook (Purchase College Continuing Education Pilates Mat Certificate)

Have you been thinking about a career change? Are you passionate about health and wellness? Well a career in the fitness industry might be just what you’re looking for. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook of 2010-2011, employment prospects for fitness workers are expected to increase 29 percent, which is much higher than the standard increase of other professions. With an aging population who require less intense fitness regimes, pilates instruction is one area of the fitness industry that is expected to steadily increase. So how do you get started on a career as a pilates instructor? Doing something simple as taking classes can be an easy way of determining if a career as a pilates instructor is right for you. Once you have taken classes and developed an interest in pilates, the next step is to complete a pilates instructor training program. Pilates instructors can typically find employment in pilates studios, gyms and other fitness facilities, as well as personal pilates trainers. To find out more information about our pilates instructor training program click here.

Open House — Purchase College Continuing Education

On Thursday, February 4 from 6:30-8:30pm, we will be hosting our Spring 2010 Open House for our Professional Certificate Programs and Personal Enrichment Courses. Attendants will be able to meet with instructors to discuss our Spring certificate programs and courses, and register for classes, so save the date- February 4.

Location: Purchase College, Student Services Bldg., Room 0129. Park in the W1 parking and follow the signs.

RSVP: conted@purchase.edu or call (914) 251-6500

Click here for more information

New Year Pilates (Purchase College Continuing Education, Certificate in Pilates)

Purchase College, SUNY, Continuing Education…

So it’s the first week of 2010 and you have yet to set your New Years resolutions. That’s okay, don’t sweat it. It’s probably the same thing every year: quit drinking, quit smoking, get out of debt, get organized, pick up a hobby, lose weight. Why not start something new THIS year and try Pilates? Commit to something worthwhile that’ll make you feel good about yourself and get results in time to show off your hot new body for the summer!? The man himself, Joseph Pilates says, “If you will faithfully perform your contrology [Pilates] exercises regularly only four times a week for just three months…you will find your body development approaching the ideal, accompanied by renewed mental vigor and spiritual enhancement.” Sounds like a good deal.

So, lets get started. Personally, I like to sign up for Pilates classes rather then learn from DVD’s or books but to each his own. Going to a class provides extra guidance and an motivational environment but DVD’s and books provides you the convenience of practicing on your own time in your own space.

Check out this link that will guide you to a list of DVD’s that can help you get started right now: Top Ten Pilates DVDs.

Here is a list of the top Pilates classes YOU can join:

New York City

*Pilates On Fifth

*Grasshopper Pilates Downtown

*DLFIT PILATES & WELLNESS STUDIO

*Pilates at the Ultimate Body Studio

*Crunch Gym

*Volar Pilates

*Bent Pilates Studio

*Mind Your Body Pilates and Gyrotonic

Westchester

*Fiore Pilates

*Pilates Connection

*Pilates Center of Westchester

*Center for Movement

*Freedom Road Pilates

None of these studios work out for you? No worries, click here if you want to search for a Pilates Studio near you!

If your feeling lucky, why not go for the extra mile and sign up for the SUNY Purchase Certification Program in Pilates? Spread the joy!

-Michelle Jun

Purchase College (Continuing Education) Professional Certificates

Christmas Shopping at the Awaken Wellness Fair (Purchase College Health & Wellness Certificate Programs)

The holiday season can be a stressful time of year for those struggling to find the right gifts for their love ones. With Thanksgiving over, the countdown to Christmas is officially underway. For those of you not keeping track, Christmas is 20 days away, which means it’s time to get started on your holiday shopping. With all of the different gifting options available, one category that gets severely over looked is the health and wellness field. With all of the parties and dinners associated with the season, and the anxiety of Christmas shopping, the holidays can take its toll on our bodies and minds. This is an area of our lives that often times gets neglected during the frenzy of the holiday season, which makes it an ideal time to shop for gifts geared towards health and wellness.

I recently had the opportunity to attend the semi-annual Awaken Wellness Fair at the Double Tree Hotel in Tarrytown, which gave me the opportunity to explore some of Westchester’s local health and wellness programs. The event was filled with representatives from every aspect of the wellness community, including everyone from medical practitioners to energy healers. The events wide range of vendors made it a perfect place to scope out potential holiday gifts. This might seem like an unusual place to go looking for Christmas presents, but I came across a lot of great gifting ideas designed to keep you and your love ones in sound mind and body this season.

While making my rounds at the fair I made sure to sample as many of the different products and services that were available. One of the first things I made sure to do was try out all of the various beauty products on display. I thought there was a great range of organic beauty lines featured at the fair. Organic beauty products can be a great gift for those environmentally conscious women in our lives, or for anyone in need of pampering this holiday season. There were also quite a few massage studios and spas in attendance at the fair. Giving someone a gift certificate to a spa or for a massage can be a great relief for someone in need of relaxation, as the holiday season can cause its fair share of stress. For your more adventurous friends, something like a session of reflexology, were pressure is applied to a specific area of the feet in order to relieve tension to a correlating body part, can be a great alternative to a full body massage.  There were also quite a few fitness studios promoting pilates and yoga courses at the fair. Something like this can be a great gift for those fitness buffs we all know. One of the things that caught me off guard were the various readers and psychics that were conducting one on one readings at the fair. Having a reader look to see what’s in store for 2010 can be a great gift to signal the start of the New Year. And last but not least, the gift of education is always a great gift for those of us with love ones looking to make a career change, or to further their knowledge in this field. Purchase College’s health and wellness programs which includes the Pilates Mat Instructor Certificate, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition CEU Certificate, and the Alexander Technique course can be a great gift for anyone interested in health and wellness this holiday season.

-Queennett Williams

Men and Pilates (Purchase College Continuing Education, Certificate in Pilates)

Purchase College, SUNY, Continuing Education… There seems to be a common misconception that Pilates is geared towards women. Perhaps this “women-only” exercise is due to the way in which it has been marketed provoking a greater response from women than men. After all Pilates mostly appear in women’s magazines and uses women to advertise the method. The paradox in this belief is that Pilates was actually created by a man for men and the first practitioners were soldiers, athletes, and boxers.

Take a look to see if you or someone you know can identify with one of the following categories. Then, learn how Pilates can be effective for you.

The  “Steroids” Man

Generally speaking, men are more concerned with building muscles rather than staying fit. Men who are “bulked up” tend to be less flexible because their joints are too tight. The overall benefit of haven built these muscles is less effective if you simply can’t move your body comfortably and with ease. Instead of having the aesthetic of strength in muscle mass, Pilates can strengthen the tendons and ligaments in which these bulky muscles are attached to.

The “Beer Belly” Man

Men tend to carry extra weight in their belly whether or not they actually drink beer. Pilates, the developer of core strength, can help you get that 6 pack you’ve always wanted. Because most of Pilates’ exercises center on your abdominals, you can decrease your waist size without having to hit the gym and at the convenience of your own home.

The “I’m getting old and don’t have time to exercise” Man

Let’s face it. The older you get, your bones get weaker and your metabolism slows down. You start to develop back pain and perhaps you’re building insecurities about the way you look. Fortunately, Pilates has come to your rescue. Each exercise has been carefully designed to improve your posture and the efficient movement patterns you perform during each exercise trains your body to move in ways you thought you never could again!

What was that? You don’t the time?

Well, here’s the thing. Everyone has time to LOOK GOOD. You can even make room to FEEL GOOD. This mind/body exercise can be performed in less than thirty minutes which means you’re only thirty minutes away from changing your body for the rest of your life.

The “I’m too shy to work out in a room full of women” Man

Personally, I like to exercise privately. So, I hear you. Being in a room full of women doing pretzel-like exercises can be intimidating. Or, it can be bold. Think about it. How many men have the confidence to engage in activities labeled as “women-only”? The ladies will recognize this as courageous.

Click here to sign up for the Purchase Pilates Certification program now!

-Michelle Jun