Special Note: Regis­tra­tion for the chal­lenge will close at 10 p.m., Monday, Jan. 9th.

The Pilates Chal­lenge is a moti­vat­ing & inspir­ing, 6-week program designed to deliver a new body & great Pilates habits…

In order to get the maximum benefit from Pilates, consis­tency is key. We know how diffi­cult it can be to build time into your schedule to take care of yourself. This is why we created the Pilates Challenge…

And every time we do the Pilates Chal­lenge, we look for ways we can make it better than the last one. We think that this time we’ve made so many improve­ments that it’s like 2 or 3 previous Pilates Chal­lenge updates combined!

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But first, you may be wonder­ing how the chal­lenge works and what it consists of…

What is the Pilates Challenge?

The Pilates Chal­lenge is a 6-week program designed to deliver outstand­ing results and push your current practice to the next level and beyond. There are a number of differ­ent packages to choose from and even if you’ve never done Pilates, we have a package for you and we’ll make sure you have the best possible experience!

When Does it start? 

We are going to start on January 9th, 2012. This means you’ll need to register by the 9th if you want to take this chal­lenge BUT, the maximum number of atten­dees is 35. This is a hard limit and we cannot accom­mo­date any more than that so, if you’re absolutely certain you want to partic­i­pate, we recom­mend locking in your spot sooner than later.

How Does it Work?

Initially, you sign up for a package that matches your needs and goals. We have four Pilates Chal­lenge packages to choose from and two of these are designed to get new students up to speed on Pilates, the studio and with the teachers in one case and to get you ready to take reformer classes in the other.

Each package consists of credits for groups of differ­ent class types. Once you’ve signed up for the chal­lenge, your credits are added to your account on the Pilates Tonic sched­ul­ing system and at that point you will log in and sign up for each class you intend to take during the 6-week challenge.

For example, when you register for the 4-hour package, you’ll be putting 4 classes on your schedule each week and when you follow through (which we will be helping you do!) and make it to the end, you will have a brand new body, a major sense of accom­plish­ment and a big head start on your 2012 fitness plan! (Not to mention the big smile on your face when you wake up feeling great every morning and realize what a great thing you did for yourself. )

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“…it isn’t about where you think you are, but where you can go—a quarter inch at a time. …it isn’t neces­sar­ily about these huge jumps in improve­ment, but about the small changes we make in our lives, in the way our bodies move, in how we treat our bodies… in the classes as we slowly improve our form and find muscles and places that we’ve just let go unmoved for a long time.

Not only has this whole expe­ri­ence changed my body phys­i­cally, but it has changed me emotion­ally to where I now know I can [do it] and I know that I’m making positive changes in my life. This expe­ri­ence has been invalu­able to me in so many ways and that, to me, makes it all the more worth it.”

—2010 Pilates Chal­lenge Participant

The Details

6-Week Time Frame

We know the Holidays are here and  we also under­stand how helpful struc­ture and a time frame are to help you set and make your fitness goals, not only during, but imme­di­ately after the holidays. In fact, it’s this very delicate time right after all the hustle and bustle of the season finally winds down when we might be the most tempted to put off starting some­thing like yet another commit­ment. But we are here to encour­age you every step of the way because we all know that there’s no better way to empower yourself and get the year off to a bril­liant start than to trans­form your body and mind in 6 weeks.

Private Session

The private session that’s included in the Pilates Chal­lenge is tailored to meet your needs. There’s a lot to be said for having an instruc­tor focused on you, your needs and your tech­nique. In this session the instruc­tor will help you zero in on what is going to help you get the most out of your classes.

Mat Classes

Pilates Tonic mat classes are designed to help you strengthen from the inside out and enjoy yourself at the same time. We incor­po­rate the Pilates prin­ci­ples into every class, yet you’ll find that no class is exactly alike. In Mat Class you will learn the funda­men­tal move­ments of Pilates as applied to exer­cises on the mat. We’ll use props such as balls, rings and bands. The mat exer­cises are adapt­able to all levels and will help you quickly gain strength and confi­dence in the Pilates method.

Reformer Classes

The Reformer classes offer all the benefits of mat class with the addition of some resis­tance and assis­tance where needed. The spring resis­tance used on the Reformer adds a whole new dimen­sion of strength training to Pilates. The springs also provide support and assis­tance for exer­cises that would normally be diffi­cult on the mat and this allows you to work more deeply and specif­i­cally. If you’ve never used the reformer, you’ll be an expert by the end of the chal­lenge and, frankly, you’ll wonder why you waited to try it out!

Stretch­ing & Flex­i­bil­ity Classes

The last thing we want you to do is build strength on top of tight muscles. If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that tight muscles can prevent progress in Pilates and even cause injury. You’ll be surprised at how much easier Pilates becomes when unnec­es­sary tension in the body is released through effec­tive stretch­ing. Most of us, even those who teach it, under­es­ti­mate the impor­tance and effec­tive­ness of stretch­ing as a part of our routine.

If you haven’t expe­ri­enced the Pilates Tonic stretch classes, you’re in for a lovely surprise. Our stretch­ing programs go well beyond the usual, casual stretch­ing that you might find in some programs—you will learn great ways to release chronic tension through­out your body! Stretch classes really prepare your body for a great workout and reduce any like­li­hood of injury, not just during class, but while you’re busy living your life. (Note: Stretch classes count as mat classes.)

Unlim­ited Cardio Sessions

The cardio goal in the Pilates Chal­lenge is to get at least 2 hours of cardio every week. This breaks down to three, 40-minute cardio sessions each week. These sessions fall into three cate­gories which we are calling, Walks, Walk/Runs and Runs. We start at the studio and, depend­ing on the day, we will walk, the Walnut Street Bridge, Coolidge Park, River Walk or the hills of North Chat­tanooga. We apply Pilates concepts during the Cardio sessions and get your heart rate really going!

Journal

Jour­nal­ing is a powerful way to help you track your progress through­out the Pilates Chal­lenge. In past chal­lenges we have given each partic­i­pant a stylish paper journal to track their progress. But this year we are doing some­thing even better—we’re going digital and you’ll have an online journal where you can not only track your own expe­ri­ence and progress, but see how your friends might be doing as well (if you choose to!).

Measure­ments

We offer to take your body measure­ments at the begin­ning, middle and end of the Pilates Chal­lenge. You will not believe the inches that come off if you commit yourself to the required hours. Of course, taking measure­ments is optional and totally up to you, but many of found that looking forward to that final measure­ment is that extra little moti­va­tor that gets them into class on those days when you are looking for any excuse to avoid coming to class.

The Bonuses

The Fitbit Ultra – Included in Every Package

(We’re SO excited about this one! ) One of the hardest things about doing a chal­lenge, or any kind of new, set routine is under­stand­ing where you are and what kind of progress you’re making. Often, we actually think we’re making NO progress when we’re really doing an amazing job. We just can’t see it. Well this changes everything!

From the Fitbit site:

We think this is a natural addition to Pilates in general and an obvious and fantas­tic tool to track progress on the Chal­lenge and we can’t wait to hear your thoughts and feedback after trying it out. Trust us, you don’t realize how amazing this little thing is until you’ve spent your first 48 hours with it and then all the lights go on in a big way!

Moti­vat­ing & Inspir­ing Emails 

Through­out the Pilates Chal­lenge you will receive daily email messages from Pilates Tonic. These messages will cover a wide variety of topics ranging from recipes, health tips, Pilates tips, journal activ­i­ties, inspi­ra­tional quotes and other kinds of fun facts and tidbits to inspire, motivate and help keep you at your best during the Pilates Challenge.

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Mobile Moti­va­tor Texts (Optional)

This year we are trying another crazy tech thing to help motivate and inspire you. We know how it is when you get to the end of the day and find that checking e-mail was never even an option. So, we thought it might be fun to get a text instead of, or in addition to, the daily email.

This is an exper­i­ment for this chal­lenge and we hope you’ll let us know whether you find it useful and/or as helpful.

You’ll have the choice between receiv­ing daily emails, or daily text messages from Pilates Tonic to motivate and inspire you. We’ve been working on these for a while and look forward to testing this out!

Round-Robin Mini-Workshop

This is an evening workshop where we break down specific exer­cises on the mat and all appa­ra­tus. This special workshop is only for Pilates Chal­lenge partic­i­pants. The studio will be set up in a circuit of stations for you to move through. It’s designed to give you the oppor­tu­nity to use all the appa­ra­tus and try out exer­cises you don’t normally have the oppor­tu­nity to do in a class setting.

The differ­ent stations will involve the Monkey Gym, Wunda Chairs™, reform­ers, the cadillac and pedipoles. This will also give you the oppor­tu­nity to learn and try new exer­cises you won’t get in a class setting. The date is for this event is Monday, January 23rd 6:30 — 8:00 PM.

Pilates Chal­lenge Private Facebook Group

You have the option to partic­i­pate in a private, Pilates Chal­lenge Facebook group. This is a great way to stay connected with fellow Pilates Chal­lengers. You can ask ques­tions, compare notes and encour­age others as well as receive extra moti­va­tion and inspi­ra­tion yourself.

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The Pilates Chal­lenge Tee Shirt

Every Pilates Chal­lenger will get a fabulous, Pilates Tonic T-shirt embla­zoned with the date of your achieve­ment: Pilates Chal­lenge, Winter 2012. Some­times it’s the little things that make all the differ­ence.

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Unlim­ited Cardio Sessions

And we did say you get to take all the cardio you want this year, right? Well, now we did! That means you can sign up for every single cardio session we offer, no matter which package you choose. Cardio is such an impor­tant part of the chal­lenge and we want to make sure you have every oppor­tu­nity to include it.

Free Atten­dance at the Upcoming Stretch­ing & Flex­i­bil­ity Series

When you become a Pilates Chal­lenger™ you are also regis­tered for a FREE spot in the upcoming Stretch­ing & Flex­i­bil­ity series. This 6-week series starts in March and we’re still devel­op­ing the curricu­lum. More detail will be avail­able as we get closer to the date. (Note: If you choose to take advan­tage of this outstand­ing bonus, the first session is manda­tory in order to participate.)

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“[I liked the] encour­age­ment, the cama­raderie, and the cardio sessions. No matter how hard it was, I felt like every instruc­tor was there triply, encour­ag­ing us to continue to go farther and farther both in the pilates classes and in the cardio sessions.

For me, the increased pilates classes and basi­cally living at the studio really made me feel like we were really “all in it together” and working towards a better lifestyle. I didn’t think at first I would like running with people, or that I would enjoy the sched­uled cardio, but it really made all the difference.

By commit­ting to it, I learned to love running for the first time and found that even on the days you couldn’t find your pace, nobody cared and everyone still talked about how well everyone else was doing.

Will espe­cially was essen­tial for me as I found he knew just how to push me to try a little bit harder, but also on the days where I just couldn’t go as far or as hard, he was still able to help me find a place where I made a positive stride for that session.

The cama­raderie obvi­ously was essen­tial as I feel like we really “jelled” as a group and are still pushing each other to get better.”

—2010 Pilates Chal­lenge Participant

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OK, enough with the words already, let’s see the packages!

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Register Now and Reserve Your Spot!

As mentioned above and in the FAQ below, there is a hard limit of 35 students for this chal­lenge and we really cannot make any excep­tions! We’ll start a waiting list if we fill the class though, so let us know if you weren’t able to reserve a spot. We’ll update this page as soon as the class is full, so if the regis­tra­tion buttons are gone, or don’t work you’ll know what happened.

When you click the “Sign Up Now” button below to reserve your spot, you’ll be taken to our Mind Body Online site and you’ll just need to select your package from the popup menu, and then check out.

If you have any diffi­culty at all, please send an email to help@pilatestonic.com, or just call us at (423) 702‑5233 and we’ll be in touch right away!

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The 6-week Pilates Chal­lenge in the spring bumped me up to 3 classes/week rather than 2. I am absolutely convinced that, along with health­ier eating, doing Pilates 3 times each week has dras­ti­cally improved my body!! I still kept up a lot of walking in addition, but found the core strength­en­ing to be essential.

My chal­lenge didn’t end there, as I have contin­ued the same schedule all summer (as best I could). Since the end of April, my weight has dropped 22.5 pounds, and reduced 19.75 INCHES overall (with 6 differ­ent measure­ments). I am a Pilates addict and constantly receive praise from friends. They all ask “what diet are you on?” I simply say:PILATES!!!!

My personal chal­lenge with this next 6-week session will be to add a 4th class each week. Cannot wait to see how much more my body will improve at the end. 

—Jenny Hopkins

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: I am new to Pilates Tonic can I still take the Pilates Chal­lenge?
A: Yes! The New Tonic package is the package for you!

Q: I have taken mat classes at the studio, but have never taken a reformer class. What do I need to do to take reformer classes?
A: The New Reformer package is the one for you. The reformer prep package is built right in. That way you can start the Chal­lenge on January 9. You’ll schedule the 3 reformer prep private sessions at the begin­ning. Once you’ve completed the 3 sessions you’ll be ready to start your reformer classes.

Q: Why is there no longer a mat-class-only, or reformer-class-only option?
A: You get optimum benefits from Pilates by using the mat and the equip­ment. The Pilates Chal­lenge is all about deliv­er­ing real, measur­able results. By partic­i­pat­ing in both mat and reformer classes you will get those results.

Q: I am going to be gone one of the weeks of the Pilates Chal­lenge. What do you recom­mend I do about the classes that week?
A: The classes you receive for the Pilates Chal­lenge may be used however you need to during the 6 weeks. So if you need to double up on classes one week and take fewer classes the next, that’s no problem. We just want you to get your classes in during the 6 weeks.

Q: Is it possible to make payments on the Pilates Chal­lenge?
A: Yes. You may either pay in full, or break it up into 2 equal payments. The first payment needs to be made by the first day of the Pilates Chal­lenge. The 2nd is due 4 weeks later. We do require a credit card to keep on file which will auto­mat­i­cally be charged at the begin­ning of the 4th week. The first payment must be made in person, or over the phone.

Q: I already have an existing package of classes. I’m afraid they are going to expire while I’m taking the Pilates Chal­lenge.
A: We under­stand that many of you already have existing packages and we don’t want you to lose any of that credit. We “freeze” whatever current classes you have the day the Pilates Chal­lenge starts. As soon as the Pilates Chal­lenge is over we re-activate your prior classes. You have the same amount of time left to use the classes that you had before the Chal­lenge started.

Q: How long do the cardio sessions last and how does that work?
A: The majority of the cardio sessions are 40 minutes long. We have 3 cate­gories for the cardio, Walks, Walk/Runs and Runs.

Q: What if I don’t want to do the cardio, or prefer to do it on my own?
A: It does not change the cost of the Pilates Chal­lange, but it is no problem to do your cardio on your own. No matter how you do it, we set your minimum goal during the chal­lenge to 2 hours in a week. We believe very strongly that the cardio, when combined  with your Pilates classes, is how you get the maximum, measure­able results.

Q: There aren’t class times that work for my schedule.
A: Let us know! During the Pilates Chal­lenge we add classes as needed. We want to provide classes that meet your needs. There may be others that would like the same class times as you. If that’s the case, often­times we are happy to add a class.

Q: How many spots are there and how soon should I sign up to make sure I get one?
A: The maximum number of atten­dees for this chal­lenge is 35. This is a hard limit and we cannot accom­mo­date any more than that. If you’re absolutely certain you want to partic­i­pate, we recom­mend locking in your spot sooner than later.

Q: What if it snows during the Chal­lenge and the studio is closed?
A: If we have any snow days, inclement weather days, or the studio has to close for a full day for any reason, we add make-up days to the end of the Challenge.

Q: Do I have to take the exact same classes each week?
A: No, that is one of the great things about the classes at Pilates Tonic: flex­i­bil­ity. You are free to use your Chal­lenge classes as you need to, week to week. If one week you can come on Monday, Wednes­day, and Friday and the next week Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday, that’s your option to schedule as you wish.

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I work out with a Trainer three times a week and do cardio, but [the results I get] don’t compare to the results I achieve from Pilates.

Some­times I leave a pilates class feeling like I didn’t even work out, when compared to how I leave the gym (totally drenched in sweat), but it works. I feel so much stronger and leaner and my posture always improves when I take pilates classes regularly

I have, unfor­tu­nately, had to resort to a trainer because I couldn’t always make it to class times. But I am already feeling the effects of not doing Pilates for two months—I feel less toned and [more] flabby. I have to get back to doing pilates! I enjoyed doing the Pilates Chal­lenge because I loved the feeling of being part of a group after the same goal; support­ing one another, compet­ing a little with each other and praising each other’s improvements.

—Leah Gallant