Joseph Pilates Quotations

I'm fifty years ahead of my time" Joseph Pilates quotes. Joseph Pilates might be astounded to see what his method of exercise has developed into. But he might also be thrilled and surprised to see how well Pilates has been international accepted.

Joe Pilates was not only an educator; he was an entrepreneur, a businessman, a self-taught fitness guru and an author. His books 'Your Life' written in 1934 and 'Return to Life Through Contrology' written in 1945 give you an insight into the mind of this confident and seemingly tireless man. Here are a few quotes by Joseph Pilates about the exercise regime he developed and called 'contrology'......

"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure. "Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities."

"A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of doing sloppy callisthenics or forced contortion."

"Contrology is not a system of haphazard exercises designed to produce only bulging muscles. ... Nor does Contrology err either by over-developing a few muscles at the expense of all others with resulting loss of grace and suppleness, or a sacrifice of the heart or lungs. Rather, it was conceived to limber and stretch muscles and ligaments so that your body will be as supple as that of a cat and not muscular like that of the body of a brewery-truck horse, or the muscle-bound body of the professional weight lifter you so much admire at the circus."

"Contrology develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit."

"Contrology is not a fatiguing system of dull, boring, abhorred exercises repeated daily 'ad-nausem'."

"The art of contrology proves that the only real guide to your true age lies not in years or how you THINK you feel but as you ACTUALLY are as infallibly indicated by the degree of natural and normal flexibility enjoyed by your spine throughout life."

"This is the equivalent of an 'internal shower'. As the spring freshness born of the heavy rains and vast masses of melting snows on mountains in the hinterlands cause rivers to swell and rush turbulently onward to the sea, so too will your blood flow with renewed vigour as the direct result of your faithfully performing the Contrology exercises."

"Moreover, such a body freed from nervous tension and over-fatigue is the ideal shelter provided by nature for housing a well-balanced mind that is always fully capable of successfully meeting all of the complex problems of modern living."

"Patience and Persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavour."