Fitness expert and entrepreneur Jodi Melton was introduced to Pilates 25 years ago—and never looked back.
“Pilates is my passion and such a versatile form of exercise,” she says. “It can be adapted for virtually anyone’s individual needs.”
Melton has worked with everyone from professional athletes and actors to pregnant moms, those experiencing major health issues, and seniors looking to gain strength.
Taking her expertise and love of Pilates, she opened The Firm Body Pilates Training Center in Scottsdale in late 2020. The studio has continually grown since then, offering a variety of Pilates classes and programs.
In addition to her exercise clients, Melton, who is a certified Pilates instructor trainer through PhysicalMind Institute, also trains the next generation of Pilates instructors at her studio.
“Our Pilates studio is a beautiful, warm, and comforting place to be,” she says. “We train and employ only top-qualified instructors. We have a superior line of various types of Pilates equipment, and we purposefully keep our group classes small. In doing this, we can give individual attention to detail and form. Instructors can help clients increase their strength, alignment, balance, posture, flexibility, and mobility, among other things.”
The Firm Body Pilates Training Center offers private lessons and small classes for all levels.
“Pilates is so popular because it is so adaptable,” Melton continues. “You can adjust the program to get the intensity that you want. Pilates works toward functional fitness—the ability to have the strength, balance, and flexibility that allows one to move through daily life tasks with ease.”
Pilates can be a training vehicle for elite athletes, as well.
“It provides core strength, flexibility, balance, uniform development, and efficient movement patterns, which are all highly relevant for athletes,” Melton says. “It protects them against injury because it emphasizes developing core strength to stabilize the trunk and protect the back.”
With New Year’s resolutions on everyone’s minds, Melton encourages locals to consider adding Pilates to their 2023 to-do list.
“New Year’s resolutions are often about physical wellness and improving our health,” she says. “Sometimes, it is just a matter of being exposed to different physical activities and training until you find the right fit. For many, Pilates can be that fit.”