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Pilates and Yoga instructor says anyone can get stronger, healthier and feel better
McCOOK, Neb. - Pilates can be described as “mindful movement”, according to instructor Katie Farrell, who has recently opened a Reformer Pilates studio located in office space inside Elevate Wellness and Physical Therapy at 801 West C Street.
She went on to explain that Pilates involves breathing in a specific way, using certain muscles in a specific way, and building core strength through very low-impact repetitions. In Pilates, the focus is on the spine. “One thing Pilates does really well is teaching people how to move correctly and use the right muscles. It not only provides a good workout, but it helps relieve pain because it teaches you the correct way to move your body so you don’t cause unnecessary tension,” Katie said.
Reformer Pilates is done on a Reformer machine that has springs to add resistance. While the resistance can make it more challenging, Katie says that the elevated machine makes it more accessible for some people because it is up off the ground. “So even people that have mobility issues, or if they have an injury, we can strengthen the things around whatever they’ve injured and avoid causing further damage.” She teaches the exercise form in very small groups or one-on-one because it involves so many different precise aspects of movement.
Katie said Pilates is a great exercise for adults who are beginning to experience aches and pains or people who are just beginning to get into an exercise routine. The one-on-one experience can focus on specific movements or areas of concern. She emphasizes that a Pilates workout can be customized to provide benefits to anyone, no matter what their fitness level or mobility issues may be.
But don’t expect to do a Pilates routine and not experience some soreness in the following days. “Most of my clients are usually sore the next day or two, but I have yet to have somebody come back and say it was awful,” Katie laughed. She went on to say it is usually a “good kind of sore” because it means that you are getting stronger and working muscles that need to be worked.
In addition to the Reformer Pilates at Elevate, Katie also teaches a Yoga Basics class at McCook Community College on Thursday evenings. In Yoga, a pose is held for a period of time, building endurance, strength, and flexibility. Yoga is more of a meditative practice that focuses on relaxation, de-stressing, and breathing. Katie says she loves her MCC Yoga Basics class because it’s very beginner friendly and unintimidating.
Katie said that choosing between Pilates and Yoga depends on the benefits that you want to achieve. In Pilates, the focus is more on building strength, whereas Yoga focuses more on flexibility, endurance, and stress relief.
Katie says she tries to make her students understand that they should focus on the benefits they are trying to achieve and not on how they look when they are performing the exercises or holding the poses. “One of my biggest challenges is teaching people that you don’t have to look like the person next to you. During the session, I’m telling you the things that I want you to do to keep you in good alignment and to keep you from getting hurt. But the pose itself is not going to look the same from one person to the next. And there’s nothing wrong with that.”
She also says she tries to focus on getting healthier, not just losing weight. “You can get healthier and not lose a pound, but you’ll feel so much better. Everybody’s body is different. Anyone can get stronger. Anyone can get healthier. And anyone can feel better.”
Katie (Latta) Farrell is a McCook High School graduate and has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in Nutrition and Health with a minor in Psychology. As a college student, she worked at a physical therapy clinic that also offered Pilates instruction. With their encouragement, Katie became a certified Reformer Pilates instructor and began offering Reformer Pilates at the clinic.
After getting married to Chris Farrell, another MHS graduate, they moved to South Dakota for his pharmacy schooling where Katie became certified in Yoga. The couple moved back to McCook in 2019, bought a house, had a baby, and started their lives in McCook.
More information about class offerings and pricing is available at katiefarrellyoga.com where you can also register for classes. Katie’s phone number is 308-340-5484.
Open House
Thursday, March 18
from 4 to 6 p.m.
at 801 West C Street.