Deb is a wonderful instructor. She has taught me proper techniques of poses that I had been doing incorrectly prior to taking her class. She is encouraging but tough. You leave her class feeling that you have really accomplished something. I have recommended her to so many people.
I can't say enough good things about Deb.
Jackie
I have had Deb for step aerobics, basic training and of course pilates/yoga fusion and have found her to be one of the best instructors. Her emphasis is always on safety and posture. Her pilates/yoga class is always relaxing,soothing and a great workout.
She is a kind, gentle motivator and is always willing to help individually, if asked. I always look for her name on the schedule. Gloria
Gloria
I am a 56 year old woman.
My lower back pain started in the early part of the summer of 2007 and increased to become more serious by the end of the summer. I went to see my family practice doctor because I was thinking the back pain could be caused by a variety of reasons. My doctor's solution was to send me to physical therapy. The physical therapist was very good and he did all he could to help me. But after 2 1/2 months he said that I seek help from an orthopedic surgeon.
I had an accident when I was 19 years old and my right hip socket has not been normal since. Also my right leg is 3.5 cm. (about 1.5 inches) shorter than the left leg due to an operation I had in Tokyo which attempted to correct the damage to my hip. After this operation I was in a wheel chair. Then I progressed to using crutches. After another operation, traction, physical therapy, and Japanese massages I was able to walk with a cane. This was 2 years and 11 months after the first operation. Three Japanese orthopedic surgeons told me a few things I had to think about:
When I was 23, one American orthopedic surgeon in Oklahoma prescribed a one inch lift on my right shoe. He told me not to use a cane even though the right side hip joint did not have much movement. He was worried about causing damage to my back. 4 years later, my right leg was tied straight on the bed when I gave a birth to my son. I only bent my left knee to open the left hip joint at that time.
It has been many years since I last saw an orthopedic surgeon. In the past 17 years, my family practice doctor has continuously advised me to delay having hip replacement surgery until I cannot put my own socks on. But lately I have been thinking it may be a good idea to visit an orthopedic surgeon again. I think advances in technology and changes in philosophies made me think like this. Even though hip replacement surgery is becoming more common now than in the past, I should know that a regular hip replacement will not work for me, but I forgot. My mood was good. I even had a dream where I could walk as long as I wanted to. My husband and I visited an orthopedic surgeon who (to my disappointment) recommended by the physical therapy. My X-ray showed my right hip socket is a severely deteriorted state. I can see that the hip joint and the surrounding area are calcium deficient because it is not white like the other side. The doctor said, "Of course you have pain, your hip joint is bone-on-bone..." He was talking about my right hip & leg joint pain. I don't usually think about my arms, but I am constantly reminded I have a right hip/leg because they are always telling me they are there with constant (varying levels of) pain and discomfort. Some of the questions I asked the orthopedic surgeon were: Can I get a new hip? How long is the rehabilitation period? How soon can you do this? These were the questions that went through my mind. After I visited the orthopedic surgeon I decided to not have an operation that does not guarantee any improvements. The doctor was not sure how to do it either, which meant it is not as simple as I thought. He said he'll make a plan A and B and C. I was thinking, "You may be doing the operation but I am the one who will have to live with the result. I am not going through this hardship for my hip again if I am not sure of the outcome." (I am not young any more and I am little wiser)
My husband wanted to go to the Mayo Clinic to get a second (or third) opinion. But I was not able to do so. Somehow I thought that the result would be the same. I was depressed and tired of daily pain and worried about other health issues that were going on in my life at the time. Because of my age, the feeling of depression was not a special event; "been there - done that - so what?" I gained weight. I felt like I woke up one day and was 12 lbs heavier. I gained the weight in the early spring 2008. When people get depressed, they ignore many things. I did too. But It was important for me not to ignore this time. Otherwise I think the depression gets deeper. I began attending group fitness at Life-Time Fitness. Thanks to my family and friends. Without their help, I might have needed some medication or treatment for the depression.
I met Ms. Deborah Preachuk who was a substitute group fitness instructor at the Eagan Life-Time Fitness Center. What a good timing for me! I felt I was given a great opportunity. I felt something different about this group fitness program but I wasn't sure what it was. Then I realized I was able sleep very well every Sunday night after the group fitness yoga-pilates fusion class with Deb. I think it was because my lower back pain was reduced by my participation in her class. After class I approached the instructor (Deb) and asked her a few things. Then I began telling her about my physical pain. She showed me one pose and she told me to do that everyday. I did that and it helped me tremendously. I remembered a sermon I heard once about "opportunity." God is trying to help us. But often we don't see His help and miss the opportunity. We have to grab the opportunity. I said to myself, "Yes, I missed some big opportunities in my life but I will not miss it this time." I started personal sessions with Deb on July 12, 2008. As of September 15, 2008 my lower back pain is completely gone. And I know I have to keep doing what I am doing.
My ability to do many yoga/pilates positions is still limited but that is not important to me. Deb has given me hope. I am learning about my own body. I am training my muscles since I am not getting a new hip. I am learning to do many yoga positions.
Deb says that if I don't limit myself I can do so much. Sure enough, our mind, body, and spirit are all connected. I am more than grateful to receive help from Deb.
It is not easy to keep up but I can do it as long as I can keep finding "joy" in this training. And I am willing to keep finding the joy of this training.
Toshimi S
I first met Deb in January of 2008 when she taught a 30 minute intro to Pilate's class at Lifetime Fitness. During the session Deb mentioned that if your neck hurt while performing the moves you were not doing them correctly. Since my neck has very problematic over the years I talked to Deb after class and she told me about the Pilates/Posture work she does. I checked out her web-site and decided the private work was just not really affordable.
I had problems with aches and pains in my right arm for several years. In the spring of 2007 I realized that there was a bone protruding in my right elbow. I saw my family practitioner who ordered an X-ray to make sure there were no breaks. I was told there was a lot of arthritis in the joint and was sent to rehab. In rehab I was essentially told there was nothing that could be done.
By April of 2008 my right elbow was causing me considerable pain. I saw my family practitioner again who sent me to an orthopedist. The orthopedist had me see a neurologist for some testing. When I returned to the orthopedist he told me I needed surgery on my elbow as nerves were pinched and that I had carpel tunnel which would also need surgery. He said he would try a minor surgery on the elbow that would relieve the pain but that it might not work and I might need more extensive surgery. I can not tell you how disturbing this was for me. I'm a consultant and would not be able to work during the recovery. Additionally, my hobbies are quilting and knitting. What if something went wrong?
The surgery was scheduled for June 6th, 2008. The evening of June 1st, I went to a Yoga/Pilates Fusion class at Lifetime that I had never tried before. Deb was teaching the class. In her introduction Deb mentioned the posture work she does and that she works with women who have had surgery for breast cancer to get them fully functioning again.
In 1976 I had a lump removed in my right breast. This is back when they used the ice-cream scoop method of lump removal. My sister, an occupational therapist, is trained in Myofascial Release and when she has worked on the area between my right breast and right shoulder has commented on how much scar tissue there is. During the class I started putting two and two together. After class I told Deb about the biopsy and the impending elbow surgery, Deb suggested I get the book Pain Free by Pete Egoscue and said to make sure to read the first three chapters. I explained that my surgery was scheduled for the coming Friday. Deb said to do want I needed to do but suggested I get the book and said to make sure to read the first three chapters.
I purchased the book the next day, read the first two chapters, cancelled the surgery and made an appointment with Deb. When I arrived for my appointment Deb told me that today we would get me out of pain. When I left that day my elbow, and I realized, shoulder pain were 90% gone. I've continued to see Deb not only is my shoulder and elbow pain gone but I now have no low back pain due to the work we've done in my hip and pelvis area. We are currently working to eliminate my knock knees and strengthen and my ankles which have been weak most of my life. After each time I see Deb she e-mails a set of exercises to me and I work on them at my leisure.
I truly feel like a new woman and would strongly recommend that anyone having joint problems give her work a try. I feel blessed to have met her and benefit from her work. I actually carry her cards about and pass them out to friends who are having problems.
Susan U
I like many others have benefitted from Postural Alignment. I have struggled with daily pain in my feet for years. When I was 17 I was in an accident that crushed my left ankle. After many attempts with massage, chiropractic and some physio I came to the conclusion that this was the way I would feel for the rest of life. As the years went on I would "just deal with it" but slowly I began feeling pain in other areas of my body. My back started hurting, then my right foot began giving me trouble. I went to see a foot specialist and ended up in orthotics. Thinking my days of pain were on it's way out, I thought that maybe I could actually buy a cool pair of shoes for the summer. Not so. Although the pain decreased slightly, it was still there.
Then in the fall of last year, Deb started me on a program. I imediately felt better. My foot didn't throb as much and I wasen't as exausted after a days work. At Christmas time, Deb refined my program and again I was amazed. Within a week of doing my program FAITHFULLY, I was in zero pain.
Now I tell others that are in chronic pain that they need to get on a program like this if they want to begin to feel "normal" again. I am typically very skeptical when it comes to things that aren't well known as a form of treatment, but Deb's knowledge of how the body works and how to get you back on track of feeling healthy has been amazing. Even doctors and therapists couldn't tell me what Deb was so clearly able to see. Thanks to Deb, I have very little pain in my feet,back and knees. I am looking forward to the future that doesn't include pain.
Julie K
Deb has been a positive and patient guide for me on my journey as a pilates student. Her knowledge and skills as a teacher have been invaluable for me.
Karen O
It is difficult to say how much Deb has helped me. A lot of doctors look at me disbelievingly when I tell them my scoliosis has all but disappeared because of pilates. When I was little, I had to wear corrective shoes. Even as a two-year old I was abnormally clumsy. My mom enrolled me in gymnastics and dance to try and help me gain a sense of balance, but it didn't really help. I almost died laughing watching an old gymnastics video--- I did everything blatantly wrong, then would run over to my mom wanting a hug because I thought I did it so well. This lack of awareness carried me all the way through high school. Starting in the third grade, I landed in the hospital every year for some kind of freak injury. The doctors just said I was unlucky. On a supposedly unrelated topic, every year at my well check I was told that I had scoliosis, and that if it got bad enough all they could do was put me in a brace. Every year my mom asked if there was something else they could do, and every year I got a few degrees closer to that brace.
My freshman year of high school, the year I was 2 degrees away from that brace, my freak accident of the year would spin me on a life-changing journey. To make a long story short, a several hundred pound lunch table fell on my foot, I was in a cast for 3 months and on crutches, and I tried every kind of therapy under the sun (everything from physical therapy to acupuncture having electric currents put through my leg). Nothing worked, and as a dancer I was infuriated--- I was out for the entire year. When my ordeal was close to over (my foot still hurt but I had quit therapy), a friend and I decided to try pilates. She just wanted to try it, and I wanted to get back in shape for the next dance season. Not only had I lost a whole year of intense training, my back hurt more than ever and I was going to a chiropractor twice a week. Not to mention I walked like Igore (I didn't believe my mom when she was always driving me crazy to walk normally). We took mat lessons with Deb, and after two lessons she pulled me aside and said, “Meghan, I usually don't do this, but you really need to do private lessons with me". My mom and I discussed it and decided to give it a try.
After only two lessons, Deb had figured out what countless doctors had failed to see--- my scoliosis was muscular, not skeletal. It was due to a muscle imbalance I had, my right side was much tighter than my left, and over time that had led my back to twist itself into two 13 degree curves. Deb explained that common symptoms of muscular scoliosis include clumsiness and--- she didn't even have to finish, my mom and I knew she was right. I continued my lessons with Deb, and my sophomore year my "falling down the stairs tally" (yes, my friends and I actually counted) dropped to 11… all the way from 57 the previous year. My spine began to straighten almost right away. After four months, Deb had me roll down to show my mom the progress I had made, and my mom started crying in the middle of Deb's kitchen. About a year after I started lessons, I got a back x-ray and saw that my curve had dropped from two 13 degree curves to one 4 degree curve. 4 degrees. I couldn't believe it, nor could the doctors.
By then it was my junior year, and I went out on a huge, huge limb. I wore high heels for the first time to homecoming. The last time I tried on heels it was because my mom's feet were getting cut so I switched shoes with her. The "heels" were very chunky and about 1.5" high. I took two steps and fell face flat on the pavement. At homecoming I only tripped a couple of times… my friends even noticed. Not only could I wear heels now, but my dance coaches actually pulled me aside and said they had never seen so much improvement in anyone so quickly. They asked what happened and I told them exactly what--- Deb. I wore heels to my Junior prom that year, and by the end of the year my "falling down the stairs tally" was (drumroll please) ZERO! I didn't fall once, not even in heels.
It really is amazing what a straight back can do for you. If it wasn't for Deb, I think I would have ended up going to college this year in a wheelchair. I can't believe how Deb was able to figure things out, it was like she had a sixth sense and knew exactly how to fix me. She not only fixed my back, but my hypermobility (I had dislocating shoulders and hips) has all but disappeared. I used to not even notice when my shoulders dislocated because it happened so often. I would reach out to grab something and out flew the shoulder. Now, it has happened maybe once or twice this year.
I can't thank Deb enough. I am so much healthier because of her. My mom doesn't have to rub my back every night, and I have been off painkillers for a very long time. I haven't been to the hospital since my junior year, and that wasn't even because of a freak injury. I can walk without wondering which piece of nothing I will trip on now, and I know it sounds silly, but I have been a lot more social since I have gained so much confidence in myself. I walked all over New York City in heels, and even when my heel got caught in a hole I didn't fall. I can wear flip-flops in the summer instead of having to wear tennis shoes for the support. I have a normal life now, and I owe a lot of it to Deb.
PS~ The one thing I will always remember about my graduation is not the speeches or getting handed my diploma. It is that I wore heels and walked across that stage without the thought of falling even crossing my mind. Not only that but I raced up the slippery plastic stands to give my mom a hug--- again without even worrying about falling. Those are the silly little things that can really change someone's life.
Meghan W
Deb is very knowledgeable and confident, therefore making you feel comfortable and secure that following her instruction will bebefit you greatly.
Beth D
When I started working with Deb nearly a year ago, I was very frustrated. My body was struggling with a nasty little trifecta:
In most part due to daily fibromyalgia pain, I hadn't exercised in seven years. I had no muscle tone left. My clothes didn't fit. I was tired, sore, and unhappy with what I saw when I looked in the mirror. It was demoralizing remembering what by body USED to be capable of, and realizing just how deteriorated that body had become.
I reached a point in time where my fibromyalgia pain decreased a bit. I realized this was a window of opportunity to take control, to start to find a solution. My childhood ballet instructor raved about what Pilates did for her body after a knee injury. I researched local Pilates instructors, visited a few studios, and ultimately chose Deb at Pilates Integration. I knew I needed personalized instruction. I knew I needed someone with rehab experience and extensive anatomical knowledge who was willing to adapt exercises to my needs and progress. I knew her experience with competitive athletes and their unique motivational and body issues would be beneficial to me, especially at the beginning when progress would be slow. Deb and I spent most of my first session talking - about my health history, athletic experiences and my expectations - and then set reasonable yet challenging short-term goals in context with my body's reality.
In the ten months Deb and I have been working together, amazing things have happened. I require less daily prescription pain medication to manage my fibromyalgia. My energy level is higher, and much more predictable. We are slowly correcting alignment problems caused by decades of pounding and hyper-flexibility, especially in my arches, ankles and knees. I'm toning up. And though weight loss was not my primary goal, I have lost 15 pounds and am wearing (kinda)-skinny jeans. ;-)
I'm not a competitive athlete anymore, and never will be. I'm on the backside of 40, and pain remains with me every day. But I have found a form of exercise that I am already somewhat competent at, but will continue to challenge me. And a trainer who knows just how hard to push me. It is so satisfying to know I have improved my body's condition, control and performance through my own hard work.
As someone who has lived much of the last decade limited by my body's deficiencies, I can't express how great that feels. And I don't take it for granted.
Tammy H
Deb is professional, knowledgeable and edifying. She is deeply respected by all who attend her classes, and by the rest of our staff. I look to her as a role model.
Jen R
My high school daughter Meghan is a dancer who has always been involved in many competitive sports despite having scoliosis. We had her condition closely monitored by her pediatricians and were told the only intervention for it would be a back brace if the curvature reached 19 degrees. Annual X-rays showed the curvature in her back stopped at 13 degrees and she had visibly turned and sloped shoulders by the time she was done growing.
Meghan had a serious foot injury for which we had seen several top specialists who tried every procedure, treatment and therapy they knew of and each then referred her to someone else to try to resolve her constant chronic pain. We were basically told after a year-and-a-half she would have to live with it and take medication to control the pain. For the first time in our lives we turned to "alternative" therapies.
She had significant reduction in the pain in her foot through chiropractors with acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, and myofacial release massage. She still had pain aggravated by bones which slipped out of place in her back and foot, and was having to receive chiropractic adjustments every couple of weeks.
We came to Pilates Integration, because we had heard Pilates was a great way for dancers to support their bodies, and become stronger, less injury prone athletes. Since Meghan was determined to dance despite it aggravating her condition, we wanted to do whatever we could to help her do this in the most healthy way possible. We decided to give Pilates a try.
After a couple of sessions with Deb she told us she was not positive, but after evaluating Meghan she felt she could help her straighten her back. She asked if Meghan's scoliosis was muscular or skeletal. I replied I had never heard of different kinds, I was told by her doctors that scoliosis was growth related and would stabilize when Meghan stopped growing. Deb explained she thought Meghan had a condition called hypermobility which could cause muscular scoliosis. I really was unsure of what to think, but my daughter was coming away from her sessions with Deb feeling great and with a big smile. It was not why we started Pilates, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to try...
I cannot say enough about how Deb has used her remarkable understanding of how the body works and Pilates to change my child's life. She has gone from having constant back pain from scoliosis to having a healthy straight back. She has gone from going to the chiropractor every two weeks to adjust her back and foot, to not going at all in almost a year. I cried when Deb had Meghan demonstrate her new ability to level off her shoulders after just three weeks of helping her to train through the arduous intricate process of learning how to use and sequence the correct muscles to support her back, foot and the rest of her body.
We had Meghan's back X-rayed after a Summer of Pilates and now she has only a 4 degree curve in her back, which does not fall in the range of a scoliosis diagnosis!
Thanks to Deb and Pilates my daughter has a healthy pain free body, something we never dreamed possible. Now if I give my daughter a back rub before she goes to bed it's just for fun and relaxation, not to help her through pain so she can fall asleep. What a strange chain of events led us to this blessing of a pain free body, something which many take for granted. Words simply cannot express the gratitude we feel for Debs caring support and guidance.
Jeannie W
I'm a 76 year old Grandmother who firmly believes in the benefits of Pilates.
I took Pilates twice a week for several months prior to having total knee replacement surgery. Therapists told me that my recovery was quick because of the strengthening of the muscle surrounding the knee that I did in Pilates. I'm now back at it and loving it.
Sylvia K
STOTT Pilates has taught me that practice and patience do make perfect. I have done various forms of exercise my whole life, but have never really stuck with any of them because of discouragement from my immediate lack of skill and lack of self-confidence. I had always assumed that people who were good at an exercise or sport (e.g., tennis, swimming, golf, etc) were just naturally talented, i.e., they were immediately good when they began the sport. Because of this belief, and because I have never been perfect when I began a new exercise, I would always drop the exercise after a few attempts.
I began doing STOTT Pilates about 1.5 years ago. I was very discouraged in the beginning because I could not immediately do all of the moves. I was very fortunate to begin my lessons with a STOTT trained Pilates instructor named Deb Preachuk. Deb was a very patient instructor and encouraged my progress and was able to manage my discouragement. With Deb's instruction, I have continued with Pilates for over 1.5 years. Through the 1.5 years, I have progressed from being barely able to do ab prep, to being able to do some of more advanced moves. Beyond the sense of accomplishment I have achieved from Pilates, I have learned that practice does make perfect. I stuck with Pilates despite my discouragement, and to my amazement I have seen improvements every week. I learned that it does take time and effort to move from the beginning moves to the advanced moves.
I have carried this insight into other areas of my life. I recently started a new job and was able to fall back on what I learned in Pilates to help me through the job. I remembered that I felt uncoordinated and awkward when I learned new Pilates moves, but as I practiced the moves, they became natural and more refined. With the insight from Pilates, I was able to reframe how I looked at my new job and accept that I would be uncomfortable with my new responsibilities, but with practice, the new responsibilities would become natural and more refined.
Pilates has taught me to accept that I am a beginner when I attempt anything new but with practice, I can become skilled. It has allowed me to try new things and accept the awkwardness and discomfort that comes with anything new.
Ann C