An Afternoon with the Pros
By Charles Blount
It was a not-so-hot LA afternoon at Jillian Hessel’s home. At the last minute, I got together Sam Cotrone, Jillian and Diane Severino. Jillian insisted I call Diane, and I will never regret that. I had no idea what we would encounter after I booked a photo shoot with Jerry Camarillo, another choice I won’t regret.
I arrived early, and we looked around her home studio to see where we might pull this off. I ran back to the podcast studio, got Kim Carruthers and Emmanuelle Chriqui started on their takeover of the PilatesStyle Podcast, and jumped back to Jillian’s.
Certainly, it was the most exciting production day for the new PilatesStyle Magazine. When I returned, I discovered Diane Severino. Jillian was right! How amazing is she! Sam Cotrone filed in after seeing clients, and I found myself with the perfect representatives for what life can be when you take care of yourself. I had one shot we had to get.
As we moved through Jillian’s, we found our way to one of her prized possessions: a Cadillac built by Joseph Pilates himself. (The same one Balanced Body modeled their Cadillac after.) All three of them were in their glory, sitting in order of age: Sam at 64, Jillian at 71 and Diane at an unbelievable 80 years old.
As I watched them all do their thing, one phrase from Joe kept echoing through my head: “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” It could not be more evident than when watching this crew.
What an inspiration for all of us, and what an overwhelming confirmation that the Pilates Contrology Method truly works. We asked them all questions to understand more about their daily lives in hopes of giving direction to all of our readers. This is what is possible.
Jillian Hessel, 71
1. At 71, you look vibrant, strong, and full of energy. What do you believe has made the biggest difference in how you’ve aged?
I believe the biggest factors in aging well for me have been: Always staying active, whether through Pilates, walking, swimming, hiking, dancing, biking. Limiting my sun exposure. I have very fair skin and I’ve had four skin cancers removed, after significant unprotected sun exposure when I was young. These days, I am VERY vigilant about covering up and avoiding direct sunlight. I believe I have fewer wrinkles as a result!
2. Walk us through a typical day in your life. What does your morning look like, how do you move, and are there daily rituals you rarely miss?
When I first wake up, I have an extended daily skin care routine for my face and neck, which includes cleansing, tonic application, moisturizers and of course, sunblock. I also have a bathroom “sink stretch” routine that includes rolling a tennis ball under each foot, and plié/relevés, holding onto the sink like a ballet barre. I believe maintaining mobility in my feet as I age is vital, and it’s a real challenge because I spent so many years wearing pointe shoes and jumping that I do have arthritis. Then, I progress to holding onto the sink to stretch out my back, hips, legs and arms. I love doing standing pushups, leaning against the sink, and I finish with a primitive squat.
The rest of my morning routine changed 3 years ago, when we adopted two rescue dogs! We already had two cats, so I joke now that I have morning “farm chores.” I need to clean out litter boxes, feed animals, and I’m also in charge of the (longer) morning dog walk. This can get tricky when I also have an early morning Zoom lesson to teach on the East Coast or in Europe, where it is already afternoon or evening, but I manage. The animals bring so much love and joy into our lives, especially now that my husband, Arthur, and I are Empty Nesters!
My in-person clients usually come to my Home Studio from midmorning into early afternoon, and then it’s back to Zoom lessons later, usually with Asia, where it’s early the next morning. These days, my own workouts are in the later afternoon or early evenings, unless I do an outdoor workout during an extended morning dog walk. Like Joe Pilates, I’m a BIG fan of exercising out of doors, and I have places everywhere in the neighborhood where I can do my routines.
3. What role has Pilates played in your longevity—not just physically, but mentally and emotionally?
Pilates has been a lifelong pursuit for me since I met Kathy Grant in 1981, at the Henri Bendel Pilates Studio in NYC. Back then, my goal was to rid myself of debilitating back pain, and return to my dance career, ASAP. I accomplished my performing goal with Kathy’s help, and that of my (second) First Generation Teacher, Carola Trier, who trained me how to teach in her own NYC Studio. I had the great, rare good fortune to study with BOTH Kathy and Carola simultaneously, and I believe this was the beginning of my “Hybrid of the Masters” Origin Story!
My dance career kept me moving around for many years, from NYC to Miami, to Boston, back again to Miami and finally, out to Los Angeles in 1986. In LA, I met Diane Severino and Michael Podwall, who ran the Ron Fletcher Studio for Body Contrology. Through them, I met Ron himself, and he became my third First Generation Mentor! I was very fortunate to ride the 1990’s wave of Pilates growing popularity. I met and took classes and workshops with Eve Gentry, Romana, Lolita San Miguel, Ron Fletcher and Mary Bowen. What more inspiration and role modeling would I need?! ALL of these incredible First Generation Teachers I studied with lived well into their 80’s and 90’s and ALL of them continued to teach, share and inspire for as long as they could.
4. How has the way you exercise changed as you’ve gotten older? Is there anything you do more of now—or anything you’ve learned you no longer need to do?
I have always loved to stretch, but as I’ve aged, I’ve learned that maintaining muscle strength and balance are also vitally important! Despite all my physical activities, since menopause, I’ve shrunk nearly 2 inches, in part my spine due to my double “S” scoliosis. Thanks to my long legs, I’m still tall, but I often think I need a booster seat when someone tall sits in front of me in the Theatre!
I admire many of the contemporary pilates exercises when I see them, but I’m rarely tempted to try them, especially without a spotter! In the past 7 years, I’ve let go my lifelong love of downhill skiing, but I’ve embraced ocean swimming (with a wetsuit) biking, and urban pole walking. I still love to push my body during my workouts, and I change up my routines daily, but I DO NOT want to risk injuring myself!
5. What are your non-negotiables when it comes to taking care of yourself? This could include movement, sleep, nutrition, recovery, relationships, mindset, or simply having fun.
Eating healthy, adequate sleep, exercise, meditation, petting and talking to my animals, staying in touch with family & good friends, dancing, regular massage, attending music, theatre & dance performances, hot baths with essential oil, epsom salts & body scrubs are my non-negotiables.
6. Is there something you do—or deliberately don’t do—that you think people would be surprised to learn?
I joined a choir about 10 years ago, and I ended up absolutely loving the entire experience! We had an amazing conductor, and although it was a volunteer choir, I was NOT up to snuff. I was pushing my voice too hard.
I quickly discovered I could NOT approach singing in the same way as my physical workouts! I started singing lessons, and learned how to work with my voice correctly-NOT FORCING. It has been a great lesson for the process of aging: I’ve learned to ALLOW and NOT FORCE so hard! And my voice is SO much better now, when I speak at pilates workshops and conferences.
7. What do you believe people misunderstand most about getting older? Do you feel differently about aging now than you did 20 or 30 years ago?
I think in the USA ,we have a very different approach to dealing with aging than in many other societies, worldwide. Aging is of course inevitable, but the culture of worshipping youth has most certainly taken over America! We have Senior Living facilities, where older folks are separated from younger ones, sometimes by choice, sometimes not.
I’ve done a lot of traveling in Asia in the last few years, and I’ve noticed that older citizens are often honored and revered as VERY relevant for their important contributions to society, as well as the wisdom their age has imparted to them. I believe there are two extremes of misconceptions and expectations about aging: the first is that older people will automatically become slower, lose their memories and then become a draining burden to Society. The second is that EVERYONE wants to retire-some do NOT! Our daily workload may need to change and our priorities DO need to be reset, but older people still have SO much to contribute to the World!
8. If someone in their 40s or 50s asked you, “What should I start doing today if I want to feel the way you do at your age?” What would you tell them?
There IS “good pain” and “bad pain.” Learn the difference. Balance work and play and rest. Eat well, live long, and prosper.
