From left, Jeff and Katelyn Elser, and their kids, Cora, Lauren and her husband Easton, Emma and Ellie
According to AI, Pilates is good for you because it builds deep core strength, improves posture, flexibility, and balance, reduces stress, and aids in injury prevention and recovery, making it a low-impact, full-body workout that connects mind and body for overall wellness, benefiting everyone from beginners to athletes. It enhances everyday movements, boosts energy, improves mood, and can even help manage chronic pain by focusing on controlled movements, proper breathing and muscle awareness.
With accolades like this, it seems the answer to just about everything we need. My sister happened upon a class a while back, and now it is a regular part of her routine. She will not miss it.
Katelyn Elser feels the same way about it. Originally developed to rehabilitate injured soldiers during World War I, Pilates is very popular among everyone from fitness buffs to nonagenarians concerned about their posture. Katelyn found Pilates about 10 years ago when a friend invited her to class as her guest.
“I was instantly hooked. I started going almost every morning at 6 a.m. and quickly fell in love with how strong and connected it made me feel,” she said, admitting getting on a reformer can feel a little odd at first.
Pilates is a constant for Katelyn, and she actually took a class on the way to the hospital to have her first baby! Pilates was also her first form of exercise postpartum.
Katelyn and her husband, Jeff, live on Signal Mountain, loving the friendly, quiet pace of the community after living in Las Vegas. With four girls between the two of them, that pace is a little stepped up, but although life is busy, it is full in the best way, she says. A former digital marketer, Katelyn knew she wanted to delve further into her passion, Pilates, a practice that strengthens both her body and her spirit.
“Pilates supported me through so many seasons of life, and I knew I wanted to help other people experience that same strength and confidence,” she said.
Peach Loft Pilates opened before the holidays at 1223 Taft Highway. In the studio, classes are small, with a maximum of eight reformers. “The coaching is personal, and the energy is always encouraging,” Katelyn says. She believes Pilates is for everyone and every body, literally. Whether you are returning to exercise after having babies, cross training for athletic performance or just wanting to move and feel better, her classes are for you.
The studio is small by design. “We focus on smaller class sizes, personal attention, and really getting to know our members – their goals, their injuries, and what their bodies need. The studio is welcoming and approachable, not intimidating – it’s a place where you can show up exactly as you are and leave feeling stronger and more confident,” Katelyn said. “It’s not just about better posture or stronger abs – it’s about creating strength, confidence, and balance that ripple through every part of life.”
Her favorite part of Pilates is what happens to folks after a few sessions. “The best part is watching people feel strong and capable in their bodies, sometimes for the first time in a long time,” she said. And forget those initial AI accolades. Katelyn’s firsthand words sum up Pilates beautifully. Sign me up.
Learn more at peachloftpilates.com.
Fun tidbit: Katelyn and Jeff can be found hosting friends, hiking the trails and traveling with their girls. What you might not know is that they are an Indy 500 family and camp at the track every year!
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Ferris Robinson is the author of three children’s books, “The Queen Who Banished Bugs,” “The Queen Who Accidentally Banished Birds,” and “Call Me Arthropod” in her pollinator series “If Bugs Are Banished.” “Making Arrangements” is her first novel and is available in paperback and on Kindle. “Dogs and Love – Stories of Fidelity” is a collection of true tales about man’s best friend. She is the editor of The Lookout Mountain Mirror and The Signal Mountain Mirror.
Ferris Robinson