MatWorkz Pilates Studio - Winter Park, Orlando

MatWorkz Pilates and GYROTONIC® Studio in Orlando Winter Park

Health

Pain and your Mind

I have been using a somatic approach to how I teach pilates for about 10 years now.  It is good to see we are moving past the old paradigms of pain therapy.  I am always amazed when a client comes in with a chronic pain pattern and within one lesson they get relief.  The power of our focus/mind is amazing!  The following is a good article addressing this paradigm shift.

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/change-your-mind-set-reduce-your-chronic-pain/

 

We are still running our $45.00 introductory lesson.  Give us a call!

G.I.F.T.-Gift It Forward Today

For those of you who know me, I am a big fan of the online learning platform  http://www.coursera.org  A couple of years ago I audited a Positive Psychology course; it’s a new, blooming field in Psychology which focuses on how our positive emotions affect us. The concept has become a rich resource in personal and professional development for me.

Feeding into that dynamic is my recent COURSERA endeavor, Living a Life of Happiness and Fulfillment –the subject matter hones in on the emotion of happiness.  It became the catalyst for my GIFT (Gift It Forward Today) yoga/GYROKINESIS® class*.  The course talks about the “seven deadly sins” to hindering happiness with positive antidotes to those sins.  Love and Giving is one of three antidotes to the Third Deadly sin of Neediness and Avoidance.  This sin resonated with me.

I found myself intrigued by the giving as an antidote, and learned the researchers found there are three types of reciprocity styles when we interact with each other.  One is through giving, another is through taking, and the third is through matching.  What they discovered is givers are represented disproportionately at the top and bottom of  the career “success” ladder.   They then went on to see what strategies where used by the those at the top of the ladder.  The following is what they found about “successful” givers:

    •First is they contained the cost of their giving.  By this I think of filtering my giving.  The filter would be something like a question to myself: How much is this going to take?  Am I the right person for this?  Can I find someone else who might be a better and or more efficient resource?  Key question:  Where am I best able to apply my energy for maximum results without burning myself out?

    •Second is what is called value extending strategies.  So I look at the way I am going to help one person and figure out how to extend that value to multiple people, including myself.

    •Thirdly is to have fun and physically see the results of the giving!

Thus the GIFT-Gift It Forward Class.  I meet all the strategic requirements of successful givers!  I give a yoga/GYROKINESIS® class, if 10 people attend I have multiplied my giving tenfold, and I experience the giving by teaching the class!  BONUS:   those in the class give in their community using the above parameters and we create a ripple of giving.

If you want to know more about giving,  Give and Take by Adam Grant  goes into deeper detail.

FOLLOWUP

Just a followup!  We had 25 people, from 9 years to 75 years, come to the Gift class!  It was an exceptional afternoon of breathe and movement!

 

 

Posture and Mindfulness

Turns out our parents were right. Sitting up straight is an important skill to achieve. However, the definition of what “up straight” is can be relative to where our bodies are used to being in space. Yes, we need to have balance between the front, back, and sides of our bodies. We need to have our heads balanced on top of our spines and we need to be able to move with ease and grace from any position regardless of how we’re sitting or standing. But in order to have balanced posture, we need a reference point to where being “upright” is. Texting, computer use, and driving makes balanced posture a challenge, as our bodies are very adaptable. Our bodies will accommodate whatever position we tend to be in and our brains will register it as “upright”, indifferent to what “upright” really is. So forward heads and rounded shoulders become our default posture. Here are a few tips on how we can help our bodies reset and find our natural balanced posture. It takes awareness and time, but not much time.

When we are sitting in the car:

1. When driving keep the back of the head against the headrest. Just resetting the middle of the back and the head will help our brain realize what upright really is.
2. Keep both hands on the wheel. Leaning with one arm on the side armrest may not seem like a big deal but these daily habits add up. Just think how much time is spent driving the kids to school, driving to work or waiting in traffic on I-4!
3. When driving tilt the rearview mirror up just a tad. Sit up just a tiny bit more, head back against the headrest and lean into upper back/ribcage area.

Implementing these daily posture habits will give our brain a new option for what “upright” is. Even more important, it sets us on our path to a mindfulness self-care practice.

Check back for balanced posture tips in the office!

Party like it is 1999!

1999 seems a long time ago, but in the same instance time has flown. As Einstein said, time is relative! When one of my teachers came to me and said, ” Deborah, no one knows where we are.” It gave me pause. So some 18 years after we opened the first studio location in Hannibal Square, I had to sit down and develop a marketing/branding strategy. A daunting task for a small studio owner.   Through a dear client/friend  I found Matt Garrepy of Fusion Marketing  We have similar life philosophies and we “got” each other so the journey for a fresh face on MatWorkz began.

One of Matt’s key questions,  “Are you willing to step out of your “comfort” zone?” already put me out of my comfort zone!  However, knowing what I know about personal growth, I said of course.  Here is the process in a capsule.

First, we asked our clients to fill out a 2 minute survey.  The responses were humbling and surprising!   We got a 95% return rate from our clients and some amazing information. The data helped to crystalize what we already knew. Our clients valued our knowledge base, our passion, the welcoming atmosphere at MatWorkz, and the life changing power of movement.

Second, we updated our brand. This was a tough decision.  Our original logo was hard to beat, but Matt’s presentation of a fresh look was unanimous.  More on the mandala in another post!

Third, we updated our website. We reached out, again, to our clients for volunteers, testimonials and they did not let us down. Dynamite Studios, two awesome women, did a great job and were very flexible and patient. You can checkout the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrViTx1aW1s&t=2s .

The last thing was to get all the moving parts of the website organized by Anne Allen of NuStart Solutions.  The website has finally come to fruition and we invite you to enjoy the essence of who we are and what our community represents to us.

We are overwhelmed and grateful for the support and commitment our clients have given us. Whether it be their dedication to their pilates practice (many for almost two decades), answering our survey, giving testimonials or showing up for the video shoot for the website. They have validated our commitment to be the best at what we do and love.  Our hearts could not be fuller!

We are just as excited by our fresh face as when we opened those many years ago!  It is time to party like it is 1999!

 

 

  • I enjoy an active and healthy life because of the incredible instructors at MatWorkz. Their knowledge about the marriage of anatomy and exercise is demonstrated in every class. When I leave the studio, I always feel great! My body and mind have been strengthened. MatWorkz is amazing!
    Nora Hickey
    Orlando, Fl
  • I’m entering my 12th year as a student at MatWorkz Pilates & GYROTONIC® Studio. Deborah Watson and her dedicated instructors care about my physical and emotional welfare. It shows in their passion displayed in every class. They ensure proper form, technique, and makes every class more unique than the last. The studio is well equipped and is full of positive energy. Nothing else in Central Florida compares to this studio!
    Christine Stewart
    MAITLAND, FL
  • At MatWorkz, Deborah and her staff are a group of dedicated, skilled professionals who provide you with individualized attention regardless of age, body type or athletic ability in their warm and fully equipped studio. Participating at MatWorkz for 16 years has been super beneficial for me – Increasing both my strength and flexibility while addressing any specific issues that may occur with knowledge and patience.
    Gail Thomas
    Lake Nona, Fl
  • Never have I been as impressed with an instructor’s knowledge and dedication to her craft as I have with my experience with Lisa. Her dedication to my Pilates training has improved my personal body awareness, core strength, flexibility and ability to prevent neck and back injury from golf and other activities of daily living. Though I don’t have the “six-pack” abs, I feel stronger whether I sit, stand or move purposefully.  
    Kerry Schwartz
    Orlando, Fl
  • I started private lessons with Lisa almost one year ago. After sitting behind a computer for over ten hours a day for the past twelve years, my body was craving movement. I was concerned that I had trouble getting out of my desk chair and that my balance was not what it used to be. I quickly realized working with Lisa three times a week was exactly what I needed. I was not born with the workout gene, but I quickly fell in love with Pilates: building core strength, seeing my posture improve and feeling more confident about my balance.
    Randye Falk
    Maitland,Fl
  • I am so grateful to have found MatWorkz, and Lisa especially.  I suffer from chronic vertigo and for years, it severely limited what kind of exercise I could do.  I had lost so much strength.  Lisa works with me to adapt every exercise in a way that I can do it. She's super kind, very funny, and really warm and supportive.  I have gained so much strength and flexibility, it has greatly improved my every day life. I've become much more active, even starting to play tennis. I can't recommend Lisa highly enough.
    Maggie Lloyd
    Winter Park, FL
  • MatWorkz is a top quality Pilates facility with up to date equipment and a very professional atmosphere. I've been practicing Pilates with Lisa Ryan for a year and a half and have benefitted immensely from her depth of knowledge and commitment to my progress. Lisa and her teachings have improved my strength, coordination, and flexibility all of which are so important in preventing injury. I highly recommend MatWorkz Studio.
    Lisa Prast
    Winter Park, FL
  • MatWorkz is a well-designed and very attractive Pilates studio. The team, especially Deborah and Lisa, are extremely knowledgeable about Pilates and match their expertise perfectly to each client’s needs. The experience is both challenging and comfortable as they are excellent at motivating each client but also understanding and adapting to physical limitations. I feel so much better, stronger and taller every time I finish a work-out at MatWorkz!
    Robin Suarez
    Orlando, FL
  • 5
    My husband and I have been doing Pilates at MatWorkz for over eight years. Leslie is an amazing instructor and is always challenging us and keeping our workouts innovative and interesting. Leslie has helped us prepare for and recover from surgeries as we age as athletes. Pilates is a means to a healthy and vibrant lifestyle as you age. As former marathon runners and triathletes we were looking for a place to maintain our core strength for our athletic lifestyle. As a result, we continue to enjoy running hiking, biking, and ropes courses as much as we did as a young married couple. The studio is bright, clean and has all the latest equipment. If you are looking for a personalized place to work on your fitness goals, we highly recommend MatWorkz as a studio to stay fit, be challenged, and feel welcomed and appreciated as a client verses a membership number.  
    Don & Julie Bieger
    Winter Park, FL