Lisa Pellow is poised like a gymnast on a chair-like device as she slowly raises her feet up to her waist, her hands grip what look like the handles of two snow shovels. Her back is pressed against the chair as she breathes slowly, her bare toes pointed.

Ms. Pellow is demonstrating the Pilates "electric chair" apparatus in her new Touchstone Pilates studio, 250 Mt. Lebanon Blvd., adjacent to the Lebanon Shops in Mt. Lebanon.

	Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Lisa Pellow demonstrates an exercise on a piece of Pilates equipment dubbed the Cadillac, at her business, Touchstone Pilates on Mt. Lebanon Boulevard in Mt. Lebanon. Ms. Pellow has traded a banking career for her own Pilates studio. Click photo for larger image.

The tranquil studio is filled with natural light from windows overlooking the busy shopping district below.

Mirrors line one wall and overhead lights were placed with particular care so that clients would not be looking up into them when lying face up on the various Pilates "mats" and "Reformers," machines, which line the opposite wall.

A Mt. Lebanon native, Ms. Pellow returned to the South Hills from Boston to launch the business. She is now recognized as the only Pilates instructor in Pittsburgh certified by Romana Kryzanowska, the protege of Joseph H. Pilates, (1880-1967) who developed the original Pilates exercise methodology.

After years of various fitness regimens, Ms. Pellow was introduced to Pilates in 2001 by her personal trainer. By 2004, she was hooked and decided to become a certified instructor. "The light bulb went off," Ms. Pellow said. "I was tired of the rat race."

She decided to cash in on the lucrative Boston real estate market by selling her home there. She moved back to Pittsburgh in February and opened Touchstone Pilates on June 1.

Ms. Pellow was no stranger to athletic training; she was a member of the diving team at Penn State.

"Pilates changed my body. I've done every type of fitness training, but this is the best total body workout. It forces you to control your body through your mind," she said.

Balancing a successful career in banking in Boston, Ms. Pellow embarked on a quest to become certified by Romana's Pilates, which promotes itself as maintaining the purest form of the exercise originally developed more than 80 years ago.

The Pilates Method is a series of exercises that can be performed on a mat or with specialized equipment.

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. He started life as a small, frail child, which fueled his fascination with exercises that would make him healthier, stronger and more physically attractive. Obsessed with attainment of the perfect body, he became an accomplished skier, boxer and gymnast.

During World War I, Pilates was interned due to his nationality and it was during this time that he, using hospital bed springs, designed exercise apparatus and used it to rehabilitate injured war victims.

Mr. Pilates later came to America, and in 1926, he and his wife opened their first studio in New York City, where many of their first clients were dance masters such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Martha Graham.

When he retired, Mr. Pilates entrusted his system to his protege, Romana Kryzanowska.

"Romana promised she would keep it pure and true to his teachings," Ms. Pellow said.

Pilates includes more than 500 specific exercises. While Pilates has its roots in yoga, it is a more rigorous workout, Ms. Pellow said.

Students are taught how to engage their "powerhouse," which is described as the core area, including the muscle band of the abdomen, back and buttocks.

"What (Mr. Pilates) believed in was minimum motion. It's a challenging workout but it's fun and, when taught properly, it's safe," Ms. Pellow said.

The so-called "cadillac" is the largest piece of Pilates apparatus and includes a trapeze with springs and pulleys that slide across horizontal metal bars rising above a waist-high padded mat.

Lee Ann Dawson, of Mt. Lebanon, admits she was intrigued upon seeing it for the first time at the Touchstone studio.

"That 'cadillac' really looks like a hospital bed," she said.

Students are guided through a series of slow movements as they push the trapeze, while springs provide resistance. "Reformers" and "mats" are additional pieces of Pilate's apparatus.

Some, like the "electric chair," have a crude appearance that can be traced back to Mr. Pilates' original invention.

They have withstood the test of time, Ms. Pellow said. She insists there is no need to change the original Pilates exercises and enjoys being able to teach her clients what she considers to be the "true" version of an exercise that has taken many forms in today's competitive exercise industry.

The certification required a minimum of 600 hours of training. She was required to take a written and practical exam at several levels of instruction for each piece of apparatus.

"People laugh when I tell them it was harder than my MBA, but it was," said Ms. Pellow, who earned her master's degree at the University of Pittsburgh.

Most people who are seeking certification through Romana's Pilates take several consecutive months to focus on completing the course of study. Ms. Pellow, who didn't want to give up her banking career at that time, chose another path. She flew from Boston to New York City for one week a month, completing the "rigorous training" in two years.

Four months after moving back home, Ms. Pellow is certain it was the right decision.

"Pittsburgh is a small town but that's what makes it so wonderful. People here want to help you, [and] people here are loyal," she said.

"The key to success in this business is location," said Ms. Pellow, citing the free parking and heavy foot traffic along Mt. Lebanon Boulevard, near where the Touchstone Pilates studio is located.

Ms. Pellow's business background drew her to the South Hills for another reason.

"In Mt. Lebanon, there are fitness-conscious people who can afford to make an investment in themselves," she said.

Moving from her job as a senior vice president of corporate finance at CIT Group in Boston to a Pilate's instructor has been a smooth transition.

"I get so much more satisfaction out of helping someone than I ever did doing a deal," Ms. Pellow said.

Ms. Dawson is one of those people that Ms. Pellow is helping. She's completed seven private sessions with Ms. Pellow and is amazed at the results so far.

"I've been so impressed with how quickly I've felt more flexible and stronger," said Ms. Dawson, also of Mt. Lebanon.

After a knee injury last year, Ms. Dawson was concerned she might have trouble with the exercises and getting back to some of her hobbies.

"I've just been tickled being able to garden," said Ms. Dawson. "I'm a believer."

Though she acknowledges the private sessions are pricey, Ms. Dawson considers it an investment and expects to do the exercises on her own at some point. "I'm essentially looking to get the basics down," she said.

Sessions are $59 each and Ms. Pellow recommends clients commit to at least five private sessions before moving on to a class setting.

Cindy Ogden, of Mt. Lebanon, is another client. Recently widowed, Ms. Ogden believes Pilates can improve her quality of life and prevent the type of suffering her husband endured in his illness.

"It's almost a spiritual thing, [and] it's working. I'm feeling like a million bucks."

For more, call 412-344-5050 or visit. touchstonepilates.com.