POSH PILATES BOUTIQUE COMES TO ROCKVILLE CENTRE
Rockville Centre, NY -- September 2007 -- Before you invest time and money traveling to Soho or the Upper East Side, you need to seek out distinguished Pilates instructors Michele Martino and Karen Riccio. Whether you are an enthusiast looking for a new way to stay in shape or a mom looking for the body she used to have, they can help. For years, Long Island exercisers have wanted to have all the amenities previously afforded only in the city available right here at home. Well, Pilates connoisseurs Michele and Karen understood that need and are now fulfilling it. The advent of The Pilates ABsession, their new Manhattan-style studio which opened this Fall, offers an escape into the world of Pilates that will make this previously hard-to-find yet increasingly popular fitness regimen available to local residents.
The studio, with its serene colors, music, and inspirational art, was designed to inspire a sense of calm. The equipment in The Pilates ABsession is unparalleled. Having trained on various brands, Karen and Michele invested only in top of the line equipment (Stott and Peak), which most gym facilities lack. A client can easily obtain a full body workout within an hour. The same client can use the additional facilities, which include a massage room, two large bathrooms, and a changing room to prepare for class or for an outing following a workout.
The staff can address and correct strength, alignment, and flexibility concerns, structure your workout, and build a personal program with key markers for improvement. Based on a detailed physiological review and an exercise prescription, their in-depth analysis can save you hours of preparation and thousands of dollars.
Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates during the First World War with the purpose of improving rehabilitation programs for the many returning veterans. Joseph Pilates believed that mental and physical health are essential to one another. Pilates sessions help increase strength and flexibility, lengthen the body, and align the spine. The method does not build excessive muscle mass. Experts in the fields of fitness and rehabilitation often recommend Pilates for its focus on the muscles of the abdomen and lower back. The combination of strengthening the core muscles and improving postural awareness relieves and prevents back pain.
After years of looking for the perfect workout, Co-owner Michele Martino became interested in Pilates as an addition to her vigorous workout routine. Pilates became the right mind-body exercise to add to her extensive health and fitness regimen. Realizing that her experiences mirrored those of many women who were determined to achieve optimum fitness levels, she set out for a career in Pilates. She chose to study with Pilates Academy International, a renowned penthouse studio in Manhattan that was a motivational urban retreat. The soothing environment had a strong impact on her and nurtured a deep desire to create a similar sanctuary on Long Island.
Michele subsequently gave up the real estate appraisal business that she had owned and operated since 1992 to open The Pilates ABsession with her long-time friend and now business partner, Karen Riccio. Karen also pursued her professional training at Pilates Academy International, which offers one of the country’s most rigorous programs. "We felt Rockville Centre and surrounding residents wanted many of the same amenities that were afforded to women in the city,” said Martino. “Most importantly,”
A lifelong fitness enthusiast, Co-owner Karen Riccio became quite serious about the search for physical perfection when she studied karate. She achieved the highest level brown belt and continued to study up until the sixth month of pregnancy with her first child. Leaving her career as an educator at the Hewitt School, Karen's years of nurturing intellectual development turned to the physical primarily because she was yearning for another challenge. Karen is quite cognizant of the needs of mothers in regaining their form after pregnancy. She discovered Pilates after the birth of her second child and found it to be ideal because of its emphasis on core strengthening and realignment. She finds it to be one of the most efficient methods of exercise because it simultaneously encompasses strength, flexibility and coordination. "I don't need coffee," Riccio said. "Exercise is my ultimate elixir. Pilates is perfect for me because it is a balanced workout that keeps me in a healthy frame of mind.”
Karen and Michele hold certifications in Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Tower and CARDIOLATES. They have studied biomechanics and anatomy in order to help clients achieve full body awareness, which is useful in all aspects of life. In addition, Karen has a special interest and is continuing training in Pilates for Athletes, while Michele plans to concentrate on Pilates for Golfers. Both are interested in making Pilates instruction available for other interested trainers on Long Island. They strive to provide the community with a facility unparalleled in decor, customer service, and expertise.
The Pilates ABsession opened September 17, 2007 to rave reviews, providing state of the art equipment-based private and semi-private training, as well as group classes. Please take the opportunity to view this rare find on Long Island at your earliest convenience.
www.thepilatesabsession.com (516)255-0202 40 Maple Avenue, Rockville Centre, NY 11570
