Pilates is better then aspirin – Angel F.

Angel has been working out at Body Evolutions for a little over two years as of this writing, and he always has a smile on his face for everyone. The best part is when he’s done with his session, because he likes to let everyone know just how great he feels.

Recently, as he was on his way out the door after finishing his session with Chris, he says out loud with a huge smile on his face, “Pilates is better then aspirin”, expressing just how good he felt in that moment. I happened to be there and of course I asked him if we could have that in writing. Angel agreed to write about his experience at Body Evolutions and this is what he had to say.

“My name is Angel Figueroa and I have been coming to Body Evolutions since the beginning of October 2016. I have worked in tech my whole career and have been very active in sports.

Before trying Pilates I was complaining every day about soreness in my shoulders and neck from working on a laptop every day. I had a chronic stiff neck and could not touch the wall with my hands when standing with my back up against it.

My wife was a current client rehabbing a knee and shoulder injury, and she talked me into giving it a try. Pilates and the GYROTONIC® method were new to me as I have never sought help from anyone other than a Chiropractor.

Since my wife convinced me (with a nice intro pkg) to give it a try I went down to see Chris and Sonia. After a few minutes with Chris he could instantly tell the condition of my body by spotting my posture, hearing my complaints and by performing some mobility checks.

Chris is a very good listener, I come in once per week and tell Chris what the trouble for the week is, he takes my input and develops a program for me for that visit. Every time I leave the studio I feel like I stretched back into a normal body position and I would feel great and ready to go back into the world for another week.

A few things I you like about Body Evolutions are that the place is very calm, and clean, and I feel 100% focused on working on my body parts as we go through my routine.  Chris will work carefully with you to get the full benefit of each exercise as I guarantee you will feel like cheating vs doing it right all the time. But most of all Chris is a professional body whisperer and whether I say anything or not he will observe and dial in what is needed for my body.

Chris has given me some exercises to perform at home to assist holding on to my gains during the week. He also educated me along the way as I needed to understand what the objective is for each exercise. Today my mobility and energy to golf, garden and bike ride is very high! I feel very alive and ready for action and movement. My ability to rotate during a golf swing is so much improved. I can stand up against a wall and hold my hands flat against it and I no longer complain about my body to my wife :) 

My most challenging exercise is on the GYROTONIC® tower sitting backwards squeezing my shoulders, as my posture is not very good.

My favorite exercise is side bending on the Pilates Cadillac with the push through bar, as it stretches my torso.

When I started with Body Evolutions my goals were getting out of shoulder pain, and improving mobility in my upper and lower body

Taking lessons at Body Evolutions made my life easier by taking me out of pain and tightness from office work. It has given me more flexibility to golf and to generally more active.

Chris also encourages me along the way to perfect each movement for a maximum result. I tend to need the instructions and encouragement each time no matter how many lessons I have had. His approach is to always use good communication and to train for a positive result for each movement.

I would definitely recommend Body Evolutions! Since I enjoy golfing, gardening and biking (which I do always as a weekend warrior) I find I'm always in need for Chris to help me get ready for the weekend and to prepare my body for the work week ahead. His professionalism and care factor are both very high and are much appreciated!

The tips I would give someone thinking about becoming a student at Body Evolutions would be to be specific about your goals so your trainer can design a specific improvement program.”  

~ Angel Figueroa

Thank you Angel, for your beautiful testimonial. You are a ray of sunshine and we couldn’t be happier to have you and your smile in our studio.

Sonia

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About Sonia Lopez

Sonia Lopez is a Pilates and GYROTONIC® teacher, and one of the co-founders of Body Evolutions with over 20+ years experience helping hundreds of men and women achieve a better quality of life. Her passion for teaching and sharing how to regain a youthful vibe with Pilates and GYROTONIC® is now flowing into writing and sharing how these systems benefit people of all ages in feeling their best.

Garrison’s journey with scoliosis and Pilates

My name is Garrison, I’m thirty years old and I live in San Jose, California. And before I started working with Sonia at Body Evolutions I was experiencing a lot of back pain and discomfort from my scoliosis and I really noticed it when I was waking up in the mornings and when I was driving for a lot of hours during my daily commute to and from work.

I originally heard about Sonia from my mom who is the smartest lady I know. and I wanted to go somewhere that came highly recommended.

I wanted to work with a professional studio because I felt like my problem was something that I needed to seriously get professional help with and I wasn’t getting the help I needed from doctors at traditional health care places so I wanted to do something that I knew was going to be good for me for the long term and was something that I could do for the rest of my life.

My biggest concern before working with Body Evolutions was being able to see the kind of progress I wanted to see in a short amount of time, and I definitely see the results.

My first impression of the studio here was that it’s a very neat and organized place with everything you could hope for from a professional studio.

I remember my first session for being so far out of alignment from where I am now and I can’t believe how quickly much my progress has progressed.

I’ve tried other services such as yoga, and traditional personal training at the gyms and they didn’t offer the attention to the specific needs I felt I needed to correct my type of scoliosis and other back issues, hip and leg issues and the Pilates here has definitely addressed those specifically and have helped me address them appropriately.

My favorite exercise is the short spine on the reformer because it stretches every part of your back.

My most challenging exercise is the hundreds on the reformer.

What surprised me the most about my practice with Pilates is how quickly you start seeing results and how good you feel the minute you walk out the door.

My top goals when I first started here was to work on my scoliosis alignment and to learn different techniques I can do for the rest of my life to make sure that I keep myself in good shape.

The top three benefits I’ve seen from joining this Pilates studio is the no the longer feeling discomfort from my back or joints when I get out of bed in the morning or when I am walking now I feel like I’m walking with better posture and my hips are freer, and when I’m sitting at my desk for a period of time at work I feel like I have better posture to sit in a more comfortable position for the day.

When I’m not at the studio I enjoy riding my bike, and golfing, and hiking in the hills and all of those activities require having a healthy back which has definitely been greatly improved since I started working here.

I feel like my outlook on what I’m able to do with my scoliosis and how I can further correct it for the rest of my life is looking much more positive.

What’s made me the happiest about working in the studio is how hard it is the work but how good you feel right after you’re done. You don’t have any discomfort after the hard work out sessions.

My tips for starting at Body Evolutions would be to start right away. Don’t wait. It’s worth it.

~ Garrison R.

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I first met Garrison about fourteen years ago when he was still a teenager in high school. His mom knew one of our teachers and brought him to the studio to take some Pilates lessons because he loved golfing but was having issues due to his scoliosis.

We only saw Garrison a few times after he graduated from from high school and went on to college. Then this past March 2019 Garrison was back at the studio because his scoliosis was causing him pain once more. Now an adult Garrison works long hours sitting at a desk, which isn’t good for people with healthy spines, much less for someone with scoliosis.

When we first started working together Garrison had an S-curve that created significant shoulder asymmetry, a rib hump, rotated hips, and lots of pain. Just imagine what a 30 degree curve in your spine might feel like. This is what Garrison has been dealing with most of his life. We’ve only been working a few months but we’ve already made significant progress, alleviating the majority of the stress and pain he’s been been suffering from the scoliosis.

Garrison it is a pleasure working with you and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the beautiful testimonial.

~ Sonia Lopez

Interesting workouts and focus on problem areas - Wendy G.

Body Evolutions Studio is run by two great teachers; Chris and Sonia.  I have been lucky to work with both of them as my schedule has jumped around over the years.  

I have been going to Body Evolutions Studio for over thirteen years. Sonia and Chris are both fabulous trainers and take professional pride in their work.  They keep their workouts interesting and fun, and they vary the routine so it's never boring.  Most importantly they check with me to see what areas I need to work on when I come in and if I have a problem spot they can change the work out on a dime to focus on that area.  

I feel so lucky that my daughter lived in Campbell and found Body Evolutions studio so many years ago and even luckier that she urged me to go there. 

~ Wendy G. - Saratoga

Increase flexibility and range of motion – Sam K.

I have been visiting Body Evolutions in Campbell for few years now and my experience has been very positive. Initially, I had major issues from lack of flexibility due to unhealthy muscle mass built at an early age. Over the past couple of years I have experienced dramatic improvement in my range of motion, especially in my spine and neck. It has really been life changing to experience the benefit of such flexibility in every day life. Sonia understood my body's capabilities and limitations and was able to work with me slowly but surely to overcome those limitations. She possesses an unbelievable level of patience and skill which allows her to work with every client to achieve positive results.