As a lifelong athlete who has climbed mountains and run marathons all over the world, I took up Pilates last year, thinking it would be a great addition and support to my exercise program. After 6 months of training with Suzanne I feel transformed. My core strength is much better, and I’ve improved my physical health – and my overall health and wellbeing. I recommend Pilates With Suzanne to anyone who is looking to obtain more from their lives.

– D.A., female, age 43 

Before finding Pilates with Suzanne my back was jacked up. Three bulging disks in my lower back would reduce me to tears, and I actually passed out from the pain on a couple of occasions. I’ve been an avid golfer for 30-plus years. About 4½ years ago I was forced to give up the activity I enjoy most because of a flare-up with my back. I decided I had to make a change, because golf was too important to me to lose. A casual conversation with a friend led me to Pilates and, specifically, to Suzanne Smith. I’m currently playing golf at least once a week, hitting the ball farther than I ever have, and enjoying the game again. Last weekend, I moved 10 yards of mulch around the house, took 2 long walks with my wife and dog, and played 18 holes of golf.

Before Pilates, my life was full of aches and pains in my joints, back, and neck. Now I live pain-free and the only thing I’ve done differently is Pilates. I may be 58 years old, but I don’t feel 58 years old!

– N.T., female, age 58

After losing an entire mountain biking season to a knee injury, I was expecting my first ride to be a painful experience. I had started taking Pilates with Suzanne 2 months earlier and didn’t think it would really make a difference in my riding. Boy was I wrong! After a year off from training, I went farther and faster than I had over a year ago. I hadn’t been doing anything else, so it had to be the Pilates training. This proved to me that Pilates definitely works!

– B.W., female, age 35

After four years at Pilates With Suzanne, I have gained significant strength and balance. I no longer experience lower-back pain, which I had endured for many years.

Suzanne continually avails herself of professional-development opportunities related to Pilates expertise and to gaining knowledge of the human body. Suzanne’s ongoing education results in leading-edge teaching techniques and platinum-level anatomy knowledge.

Pilates’ core strength and body awareness made a huge difference for me in a recent 25-mile biking event. Typically I would be sore the next day. But, I wasn’t sore – I felt strong and pain free! During the ride, I continually performed a ‘Pilates scan’ on my body, as I heard Suzanne’s voice inside my head coaching me. Thank you, Suzanne!

Pilates helps me age gracefully. It helps to prevent the typical wear-and-tear that comes with an active, outdoor Colorado lifestyle.

When I found Suzanne 2 years ago, my back hurt most of the time, and the muscles in my arms, legs, and jaw ached. I also had limited flexibility and balance. Suzanne’s careful, knowledgeable, and personalized coaching has allowed me to regain strength, flexibility, and balance. She has also taught me techniques to recognize the conditions that cause pain and reverse them before they become significant. I no longer have chronic pain, and I now can do activities that I had given up.

Recently I had an abdominal muscle removed due to a benign tumor. After 3 months I was still in pain. My anesthesiologist/pain-management physician referred me to Suzanne – one of the best medical recommendations I have ever received! In about 9 months, I was in much better shape than before my surgery. I have referred many people to see Suzanne, because she is exceptional at what she does.

I began training with Suzanne at her Pilates studio about 1 year ago, when I had been diagnosed with osteopenia. I was strongly advised by my doctor to get involved in a reputable weight-bearing exercise program. After 1 year of Pilates, taking 3 classes a week, the results from my last bone-density exam showed a ‘significant bone-mineral increase’ in my lower lumbar spine and my right and left hip bones. There is no doubt that this marvel is the direct result of my Pilates training with Suzanne. Thank you, Suzanne!

As a runner for 30 years, my knees and hips were overused. I began taking Pilates with Suzanne Smith to regain strength and flexibility in my legs. After 9 months of Pilates, the strength and flexibility have returned, so I can now pursue my new sport – bicycling! Suzanne has helped me get my life back.

Pilates with Suzanne has made a remarkable difference in my life. I was a skeptic, but knew I needed to address my physical condition to stay active doing things like hiking and skiing. I decided to give Pilates a try, and I am no longer a skeptic. Suzanne is simply the very best. She is passionate, well-trained, experienced, and keeps up with new techniques in her field. She combines this expertise with a special aptitude for teaching and coaching, so her clients receive maximum benefit. Also, her classes are small, which enables her to give each of us lots of individual attention. For me, the result is improved strength, increased flexibility, and much better balance. I hate to miss a class, because I always leave feeling good mentally and physically.

I had struggled for many years with lower-back pain and started Pilates classes with Suzanne at the suggestion of my chiropractor. I’ve been with Suzanne for 5 years, which says a lot, as my previous habit was to try some form of exercise for a while, then drop it. Suzanne has taught me that I’m not ‘broken.’ Through the strength training and stretching using the Pilates method – combined with Suzanne’s careful coaching and extensive knowledge of the body – I have become stronger and much more aware of how I move. My osteopenia has stabilized, and my maintenance visits to the chiropractor have become shorter and much less involved. Now, if I start to feel back pain, I know what to do about it. Suzanne is a true ‘body geek’ who continues to update her knowledge and skills and brings this back to her clients. She listens very closely when I describe symptoms and adjusts the exercises to meet my particular needs. She is very careful to not exacerbate an injury.

I have always been plagued with back, neck, and shoulder problems, and have been taking Pilates classes for more than 4 years from some of Houston’s ‘best and brightest.’ We spend summers in Colorado Springs and, after finding Suzanne, the bar has been raised! Her knowledge of the human body and how it relates to Pilates movements is like no other teacher I’ve had. Suzanne truly gets me to experience the mind-body connection, which takes my workout to a whole new level. Suzanne is not there just to teach the class – she’s actively involved in making sure you do the movements correctly. Therefore, the changes to the body are amazing. Through my experience of Pilates with Suzanne, I am now pain-free, and I carry myself with ease and good posture. She is the best!

Having had a T3-L3 spinal fusion 7 years ago due to scoliosis, I have been looking for ways to maintain flexibility and strength. Pilates With Suzanne has been amazing! After only 4 sessions, my overall pain is much lower, my movement and energy levels are better, and it is a seriously crazy workout! Suzanne is amazing at working with my limitations and finding different exercises for me. She is a wonderful partner in discovering what I am capable of doing!

I’ve been a client of Pilates With Suzanne for 4 years. When I started, I had shoulder and neck issues. Suzanne conferred with my chiropractor and developed a program that helped me gain much-improved range of motion and flexibility in these areas and throughout my entire body. I highly recommend Suzanne to anyone wanting to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Before Pilates, I used to dread the trip downstairs to the storeroom at work, because my knees would hurt and I felt unsteady going down the stairs. Now, after 2 years with Suzanne, I bound down the stairs without even thinking about it. Last week I skied a black run for the first time in 5 years. I feel as if I’m getting younger! I have complete confidence in Suzanne – she is so knowledgeable! And I’m very grateful to her.

Suzanne’s Pilates classes are a great blend of stretching and strengthening. Nothing I have done in the last 30 years has had a more positive impact on my body and posture.

Pilates With Suzanne has kept me strong and limber. I don’t think I could still ski, hike, bike, and do yoga without the core strengthening work I have done with Suzanne.

Suzanne has an amazing ability to adapt the Pilates workout to whatever unusual conditions her clients have.

I thank Suzanne’s Pilates instruction for keeping me in shape to carry grandchildren, shovel snow, and garden without worry of injury. She is great!

Pilates is therapy for my core!