Clyde and Dawn Buchanan do most everything together, including serving as election-day poll workers in their township, enjoying a regular breakfast tradition at a favorite restaurant and being employed for many years at the Traverse Area District Library.
The couple, married for 51 years, even take weekly Pilates classes together — an ongoing practice they can’t imagine not having in their lives. They’ve been enjoying their noon classes at the studio with friends for many years.
“It’s gotten to be like family,” Clyde said of their class at Pure Pilates in Traverse City. “It’s comfortable because we know everybody. It’s what we do.”
“We’re used to being together 24/7,” Dawn added. “I think it’s a support to do it together.”
A Pilates ‘prescription’
Clyde, 79, began his Pilates practice first, in 2011, at his doctor’s suggestion.
“I thought I’d try yoga,” said Clyde, who has spinal stenosis, a common condition for people older than 50 that can put pressure on the spinal cord and the nerves that travel through the spine; it mostly affects the neck or lower back. “But my doctor said, ‘No, go see Kim at Pure Pilates.’”
“It was doing so much good for him,” Dawn, 76, said of her husband’s time at the studio, taking classes with instructor Kim Marian. “She’s so knowledgeable about the body and the mechanics.”
“I don’t have to take narcotics [for his back pain],” Clyde said of Pilates’ many benefits. “I’ve gotten more out of it with Kim than any physical therapy.”
An activity they do together
It wasn’t too long after Clyde began taking classes when Dawn decided to start a practice of her own.
Together, the couple takes two 30-minute sessions each week. They also each take a session — 30 minutes with Kim for Clyde, 50 minutes with instructor Julie Dean for Dawn — on Fridays.
“It’s more a maintenance thing for me,” Dawn said. “Because I am doing Pilates, my body — it’s not deteriorating like it might have as I age. I know I have more core strength … I still go up and down the stairs all the time, I walk without problems.”
And when election days roll around, Clyde and Dawn always look forward to their Pilates session the following morning. The same goes for when they travel – the day after returning from a trip, they make sure to get into the studio.
“It helps to work out the kinks from sitting all day, at the polls or in a car or plane,” Dawn said.
Clyde and Dawn say they are especially grateful to have found Pure Pilates and the studio’s highly trained and professional instructors.
“Another thing we like about the Pure Pilates studio is the class size,” Dawn said. “With a limit of seven, the instructors can pay attention to everyone, and if anyone has specific needs (always or on a particular day) they can pay special attention to the individual needs.”
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