JIll Gravunder, owner of Olympic Pilates, has an extensive background in fitness. She graduated from Indiana University-Bloomington with a B.S. degree in Recreation. Jill has an enormous amount of energy and sought physical fitness throughout her life to release it. She is a true professional, giving 110% to her students. You can expect solid Pilates instruction and motivational reformer classes.
Jill's Personal Statement
The idea of becoming a Pilates instructor began in 2007 when I sustained an injury to my foot. At that time I was a group fitness instructor and personal trainer at a local athletic club in Poulsbo. In order to stay in the game, I understood the need to decrease the amount of impact on my body or else I would constantly be on the injured list.
While traveling on an airplane I read an article about a woman who owned a Pilates studio. I had heard of Pilates but didn't really know what it was. The article made a huge impact on my future. Not only did Pilates work on the small stabilizing core muscles but it's also a non-impact form of exercise. Like most athletes I focused on big muscle groups for power but needed more core work. I thought doing 50 sit ups was enough. It was then I decided that Pilates was the professional direction to take.
I took my first mat class in January 2008. My mind set was “I’m an athlete, personal trainer and fitness instructor, how hard could this be?” It didn’t take long for me to realize that Pilates was more than abdominal exercises and the term “core” went way beyond basic sit ups or a weight room abdominal machine.
In the summer of 2009 I began my Pilates instructor training at a studio in Gig Harbor. Though I was fit, my 50th birthday was approaching. It was a lot more work and effort than anticipated. Intense studying, practice and hours of instruction were required to pass the certification.
After being mat certified in September 2009, I taught my first mat classes at a Poulsbo physical therapy business and at the athletic club. I also included Pilates in my personal training. In the spring of 2010 I moved my Pilates mat instruction to a Poulsbo dance studio. Here I taught 2-3 mat classes each week for 4 1/2 years and slowly built my student population.
During that time I started taking group reformer lessons at a physical therapy business on Bainbridge Island. The physical therapists certified me via Balanced Body University in the summer of 2011. I taught group reformer classes for the therapists for over a year. There were seven reformers and I quickly learned how to keep the class on cue.
In 2012, I bought my first reformer and started giving lessons in my home. After a couple of years the desire to expand was hard to ignore. I yearned to have my mat classes and reformer instruction under one roof. In 2014, a second reformer was purchased and the Olympic Pilates studio was officially born in Poulsbo on August 1, 2014. Five years later expansion was necessary and a third reformer was purchased. In January 2022, Olympic Pilates downsized into a smaller studio, mat classes were no longer offered. The business became reformer classes only and they are in high demand. So much, in fact, that the 4th reformer was added in December 2022. Currently I'm able to offer single, duo, trio and quad reformer lessons.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you at Olympic Pilates in the near future.
Jill's Personal Statement
The idea of becoming a Pilates instructor began in 2007 when I sustained an injury to my foot. At that time I was a group fitness instructor and personal trainer at a local athletic club in Poulsbo. In order to stay in the game, I understood the need to decrease the amount of impact on my body or else I would constantly be on the injured list.
While traveling on an airplane I read an article about a woman who owned a Pilates studio. I had heard of Pilates but didn't really know what it was. The article made a huge impact on my future. Not only did Pilates work on the small stabilizing core muscles but it's also a non-impact form of exercise. Like most athletes I focused on big muscle groups for power but needed more core work. I thought doing 50 sit ups was enough. It was then I decided that Pilates was the professional direction to take.
I took my first mat class in January 2008. My mind set was “I’m an athlete, personal trainer and fitness instructor, how hard could this be?” It didn’t take long for me to realize that Pilates was more than abdominal exercises and the term “core” went way beyond basic sit ups or a weight room abdominal machine.
In the summer of 2009 I began my Pilates instructor training at a studio in Gig Harbor. Though I was fit, my 50th birthday was approaching. It was a lot more work and effort than anticipated. Intense studying, practice and hours of instruction were required to pass the certification.
After being mat certified in September 2009, I taught my first mat classes at a Poulsbo physical therapy business and at the athletic club. I also included Pilates in my personal training. In the spring of 2010 I moved my Pilates mat instruction to a Poulsbo dance studio. Here I taught 2-3 mat classes each week for 4 1/2 years and slowly built my student population.
During that time I started taking group reformer lessons at a physical therapy business on Bainbridge Island. The physical therapists certified me via Balanced Body University in the summer of 2011. I taught group reformer classes for the therapists for over a year. There were seven reformers and I quickly learned how to keep the class on cue.
In 2012, I bought my first reformer and started giving lessons in my home. After a couple of years the desire to expand was hard to ignore. I yearned to have my mat classes and reformer instruction under one roof. In 2014, a second reformer was purchased and the Olympic Pilates studio was officially born in Poulsbo on August 1, 2014. Five years later expansion was necessary and a third reformer was purchased. In January 2022, Olympic Pilates downsized into a smaller studio, mat classes were no longer offered. The business became reformer classes only and they are in high demand. So much, in fact, that the 4th reformer was added in December 2022. Currently I'm able to offer single, duo, trio and quad reformer lessons.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you at Olympic Pilates in the near future.