Pilates studio hopes to work out in Lakewood Ranch

Allison Gregory, one of Lakewood Ranch's newest businesswomen, was having a conversation about different local businesses and whether she would recommend them to her customers of newly opened Lakewood Ranch Pilates.

"I never recommend a business until I try it myself," said Gregory, who moved to Lakewood Ranch in October of 2015 from Corte Madera, Calif.

Gregory, 44, could make a theme out of that statement.

Working in web development for 20 years in California, she started to feel kind of miserable.

"I was working long hours, and doing a lot of sitting," she said. "I was getting back pain."

She remembered a time when she followed a Pilates workout. It was a time when she felt very healthy.

"I got back into Pilates and I felt immediate relief," she said.

Trying it herself convinced her to change her occupation.

Pilates helped her quickly regain her fitness, so she wanted to do more. She found a Pilates teacher training program in Corte Madera and 450 hours of instruction later, she was ready to embark on a new career. "I wanted to do something I was passionate about," she said.

Eventually, Gregory and her engineer husband, Peter Offringa, moved to Florida because they both have family on the East Coast. Once here in Lakewood Ranch, Gregory caught the fire to not just teach Pilates, but to start a business. Lakewood Ranch Pilates is located at 9130 Town Center Parkway, Suite 103.

"I did my research," she said. "This area is gorgeous and it has a lot to offer. But this is the only machine-based Pilates studio in Lakewood Ranch."

Gregory said those who follow a Pilates regimen feel better because the low-impact exercises "strengthen the muscles that support the spine."

Lakewood Ranch Pilates opened June 20 and Gregory has seen a burst of interest even though she has yet to market her studio. "I wanted to have a soft opening so I could work out the kinks," she said.

So far, she hasn't had to deal with many kinks.

Her studio is designed for potential clients meet with her first so she can personalize a workout for each individual. "We don't let a person just come into the studio and join a class," she said. "We meet with each person individually and find out there medical history. We can then determine what they can and can't do. We always want to be safe."

When Pilates' workouts are designed properly, Gregory said they strengthen a person's core in a safe manner. "I have a 90-year-old client and he can do any exercise with a little modification," she said.

She said many Pilates studios offer "mat" Pilates where those exercising are laying on the floor. They use their own body for resistance. The machines (such as the Wunda Chair) provide extra resistance for those who need it."

Individual workouts are offered along with some small group instruction. "People want to learn without the competition factor," she said.

She urges people to stop at her studio to ask about the program, to call 210-4055 for more information, or to schedule a $35 appointment where she will study a person's medical history and then design a program.