Leonine. It's the first word that comes to mind when Donna Stevenson greets you at the door. With her auburn hair, big smile and lithe physique, you can't help but think of a jungle cat. But it's more than just looks; there's also something regal in the way that 57-year-old Stevenson carries herself. Her posture is fabulous. Her shoulders are square but relaxed and her back is straight but not stiff. She seems confident and comfortable with her body.
Stevenson says it's a dramatic change from just a few years ago. She brings out some photographs of a 1998 trip to Vancouver Island with her husband, David. Her face beamed with vitality, but her body didn't match. Her shoulders were rounded, her posture was slumped and her arms were tucked in like someone trying to hide. She was also packing 20 extra pounds on her five-foot-six-inch frame. It was around the same time that Stevenson began to experience changes in her body associated with premenopause, a time when a woman's body produces less estrogen and progesterone, affecting mood, muscle tone and metabolism. "I expected to have some hormonal changes, some night sweats and maybe a bit of thickening," says Stevenson. "But it hit me like a brick wall."
The path to Pilates
To counteract the weight gain, Stevenson cranked up her usual exercise regimen. She hit the gym four to five times a week to lift weights and increased her time on the stairclimber, treadmill and stationary bike. While her overall health remained good, she couldn't seem to get her body into the shape she wanted. "Everybody said, 'Oh, it's menopause. Throw in the towel.' But I wasn't about to give up."
Then, as fate would have it, Stevenson read an article about Pilates, a discipline developed nearly 90 years ago by gymnast Joseph Pilates. Followers used special equipment and did mat exercises to strengthen and balance the core -- the muscles of the back, torso and legs.
The onset of change
Stevenson started taking Pilates classes at her local community centre. She signed up for one session, then another, and another. Within three months she started to notice a difference in her body. "I put on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn for a while and thought, 'Hmm, my jeans must have stretched.' And I noticed I walked more erectly," she says. "It was what I imagined it must feel like when you're really tall." After her workouts, she felt mentally refreshed rather than totally exhausted.
Stevenson's transformation was only slightly off the mark set by Joseph Pilates. "He said, 'In 10 sessions, you'll feel different; in 20 sessions, you'll look different. And in 30 sessions, you'll have a different body,'" she quotes. "It took me a little longer, but I had already committed to going through the sessions."
Reigniting a spark
Now, four years after taking up Pilates three times a week for an hour each time, Stevenson is leaner (she has lost 17 pounds), and more toned. She also has more energy and stamina. And she credits better sleep and reduced stress to Pilates. But more than anything else, says Stevenson, Pilates has helped her to get her spark back. "When you feel good and when you feel that you look good, the energy you radiate is so different. You have more confidence."
Stevenson's passion for Pilates has touched others. Her husband, bank manager and hairdresser are now regular practitioners. Her sons, ages 37 and 28, have also expressed an interest. Pilates has also changed her career goals. Two years ago, Stevenson gave up her full-time work in a sales and marketing business to become a certified Pilates instructor, most recently teaching at her own Esprit de Core Pilates Fitness Studio in West Vancouver. "I want to reach out to premenopausal and menopausal women," Stevenson says. "I want to give them the vitality and the sense of serenity that I found."
Most of all, Stevenson is glad she didn't listen to the people who told her that menopausal women shouldn't bother trying to hang onto their good looks and great bodies. And she offers this advice to anyone who is looking to change their fitness level at any age: "Listen to your intuition. When someone tells you, 'That's it honey; that's life' and your voice says, 'No, that's not it,' listen to it. You have to find what works for you."
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