Joan Breibart, Founder of the PhysicalMind Institute, started the Pilates boom in 1991 when she organized The Institute for the Pilates Method which introduced the first Pilates certification program; the first Pilates Matwork video, “Working out the Pilates Way”; the first Pilates Encyclopedia of the Reformer Exercises; the invention of the patented Mini Reformer, a collapsible reformer,  and numerous other innovations including a new Chair now marketed as the Mve. 

In addition, she is co-founder with Meredith Luce MS, RD, LN of 80Bites, a weight loss program that is compatible with Pilates principles: less is more! 

I interviewed Joan to learn more about how consumers can navigate the crowded and confused marketplace of fitness and diet.

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: Joan, you've been deeply involved in the fitness industry for years. What inspired you to start PhysicalMind and dive into the world of Pilates?  

Joan Breibart: Yes, I started doing Pilates 60 years ago in New York as a client, but it wasn’t until 1991 when I started the Institute for the Pilates Method – now PhysicalMind Institute – that I became involved professionally. 

Joe died in 1967 and the Method died with him, though it was never really successful. That's what people don't understand. When he was alive, he had a studio on Eighth Avenue for a  few clients and most were dancers because George Balanchine and Martha Graham approved of this exercise since it would strengthen without bulking.  But also, of course, there was no fitness world. People don't understand this today. Nobody thought about exercise even though President John F. Kennedy made a statement about our need for physical fitness.  And no one knew a calorie from a carb, or vegan and gluten-free or keto, etc. But in 1963 Weight Watchers started and soon running and aerobics to burn calories. So for 20-plus years Americans were on the diet roller coaster and gaining and losing and re-gaining.  But in 1991, the dieting  biz  was in retreat  because people saw it hadn’t worked and that's when I realized I could  market Pilates because  previously it had been  rejected because  it wasn't “fat burning!” The press jumped on the story because of the celebrity angle and then one article led to another. And as it kept getting more popular as I would send the articles to other journalists and add new celebrity names like Madonna and Oprah.  So that's how hundreds of articles were published in the 90s. 

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: With so many fitness trends and diets out there, it can be overwhelming for consumers. How do you recommend individuals cut through the noise and find what works best for them?  

Joan Breibart I think that cutting through the fitness trends is going to be easier and easier because of Ozempic. Once people stop trying to “torch “ calories and understand it is quantity that matters then so many abusive exercise regimens will be unappealing. Right now, Peloton is on life support.  Xponential which owns ten boutique franchises has legal issues.  More fitness companies will fail. People see that the wellness industry with $trillions in sales has been successful financially but has failed the bodies.  

My advice is to learn about your own body.  Once you know your own body you can do any type of fitness and get benefits.  I did a  CrossFit  Class when I was 79 because I know what to do and I can see when they're doing things that are stupid for me. Maybe they're good for somebody else, but not for me.  

You can take your body and your mouth anywhere as long as you are in charge. Learn by asking direct questions to   Certified  Exercise Instructors and Trainers who are in your employ!  You are paying them.   So you might say, “How come when I'm seated on the mat and I lean forward  my back  rounds or  I have pain here, etc.?” Stop looking at the  Instructor in a Pilates   Matwork class who can fold over and put her chin on her knees.   You can’t do this, but is this range of motion even necessary to get benefits? There are free YouTube exercise videos telling people that in their 70s they can do a split who will not and should not and who probably never did in their entire lives! This is so obviously just hype that I  think people are becoming skeptical and this is the first step.  They've had enough failure that they're ready to take charge and stop the adulation of instructors who show off.    You're the customer; you're the boss; they're working for you.  

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: Your patented Pilates products aim to bridge the gap between tradition and innovation in the world of fitness. Can you tell us more about your approach to developing these products and how they address the needs of modern-day practitioners? 

Joan Breibart:   People don't understand that  Joe Pilates was not a Pilates teacher: he was an inventor. I'm an inventor. An inventor invents and many times they should just quit after a couple of inventions. Joe probably would been more successful if he had quit after he created the Universal  Reformer and the Magic Circle. But he went on to fashion an entire gym including a foot corrector and a bed.  He died broke and angry.  I wish he could see how his brilliant inventions have helped many bodies but this has been a struggle because marketing is all that counts.  A young woman who works at PepsiCo kept asking me questions about who's PhysicalMind’s target market. And finally, I had to say to her that it is anybody with a body, anybody with a mouth! And that's very hard for people who are so used to thinking that this product is for this person, not for that one.   

Parasetter®, which is our most popular product, is good for my granddaughters who are five and eight. They love it. And children in Japan take classes on it. But it's ideal for anyone who's overweight, obese and needs to lower cortisol while lengthening their spine.  It is not a simplistic product such as so many I see on Social Media. It's complex as are all of Joe’s inventions so initially people didn’t respond. But eventually, they were accepted as are mine because they actually help! 

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: Your Body Conversations® podcast and your Substack offer valuable insights into navigating the fitness and diet landscape. What motivated you to start these platforms, and what do you hope listeners and readers take away from them? 

Joan Breibart: So, Body Conversations, Substack, even Medium - Why did I do these things? Well, you have to do them. That's about it. It's not something that I wanted to do. It's very time-consuming. Body Conversations® is a terrific title, but what I say is not what people are used to hearing.  Most podcasts in this “wellness” space are just filled with cliches,   but people listen to them. Why are people in their thirties asking about longevity? I'm 83 so this seems nuts for my generation. When we were in our 20s and 30s,  we never thought about it. Nobody who's young should be thinking about longevity. But there are now tech people who are spending millions trying out different exercises and supplements and foods and light therapies to live to be 120.  People feel they can experiment with their one and only body but the truth is the exact opposite. What people don't understand is that the body wants consistency and predictability. It doesn't want you to do this kind of diet and then six months later do that kind of diet and then do Peloton and then do CrossFit and then do Orange Theory.  That's not what the body wants.  I probably could eat the identical meal as someone else and I might absorb only 75% of the calories and another person might absorb 95%, because my body has had a consistent protocol.   I could never prove this theory but then most of the “studies” on diet and nutrition “prove”  diets and yet 65% of the population is obese. Just today someone sent me a text that Equinox is starting a $40,000 a year gym membership. And they'll sell it to people because they're going to give them the impression that they'll live longer, and people are so gullible that they'll do it and buy it.  

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: As someone deeply rooted in the Pilates tradition, how do you see the practice evolving to meet the needs and preferences of today's consumers? 

Joan Breibart: Reformer Classes is the evolution. Almost all studios offer them. Matwork will decline unless there are props: TYE4X®  is one.  Soon people will  do Standing Pilates® and Circular Pilates®

Joan Breibart: Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: In your experience, what are some common misconceptions or myths surrounding fitness and dieting that you encounter, and how do you address them?  

Joan Breibart: I think that misconceptions is a nice word, but essentially everyone's confused. There is a failure to understand that the body is smarter than any marketing organization. That's about the easiest way to say it. Your body learns what it needs, and if you go against it the end product won’t be good.   

I am starting to guide the public on how they can take their own body, learn everything they need to know about their body and their mouth, and then they take charge. If you're six foot two, I don't think gymnastics is going to work for you. Now, no one probably will take offense at that but the truth is for most there are limitations. If you are obese, there are different kinds of exercises that you need to avoid. And any person who thinks that regardless of your shape and size, you can do anything is wrong.  One of the best bodies in terms of functionality is short in stature with a long torso and very short legs. Now people don't want that body, they want to be tall and lean and willowy. So right then and there you see  that what people desire is not often possible or even better.  Most of Joe's teachers -- Eve, Romana, Carola, Kathy - were short. I mean, really short. I mean, under five feet.

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: With the rise of social media influencers and celebrity-endorsed diets, how can consumers differentiate between genuine health advice and marketing hype? As someone deeply rooted in the Pilates tradition, how do you see the practice evolving to meet the needs and preferences of today's consumers? 

Joan Breibart: I think people are beginning to recognize that social media influencers are not their best friends. As things continue to change because of Ozempic, there will be fitness business failures. I hope that people will not throw the baby out with the bathwater. And by that, I mean that they're losing weight and they think I don't need to exercise because I only exercise to lose weight. And I hope that doesn't happen, but it may happen. Hopefully, it won't be for a long time if it does happen.  GLP-1 which is   Ozempic and Mounjaro and others will be in a pill form soon. The CDC knows the obesity numbers are wrong so they need these medications to cover the fraud.  

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: Your work spans both physical products and educational content. How do you integrate these aspects to provide a holistic approach to fitness and wellness for your audience? 

Joan Breibart: You have to remember that our educational content for the most part is for Pilates or other BodyMind  Professionals.  So, We create these programs so our patented products will be used in live or Zoom sessions or classes. Joe did this too. He gave Pilates teachers choreography. Remember there are only ten true spinal movements whether it's yoga, Pilates or BARRE, or whatever.  Soon the public will know  these facts and then be able to take charge, which they need to do, and not be vulnerable to some hype from a company or an influencer on Instagram.  

Posh Lifestyle & Beauty Blog: Looking ahead, what trends do you anticipate shaping the future of the fitness and diet industry, and how can consumers stay informed and empowered in the face of constant change?  

Joan Breibart: As far as the trends are concerned, the most important thing will be weight loss. And once the majority of the population in the U.S. is no longer obese, then everything else will change as to how we view exercise and why we would do it. I'm hopeful that people will lose this weight, feel better about themselves, start to do things that people have quit, such as ballroom dancing and playing sports because sports are fun. But at this point, we'll have to wait. I mean, by the end of  2024  we will have a clearer indication of how fast this will happen, but it will happen. And it could be completed within two or three years if the government would make certain initiatives and would have mandatory waistline measurements which Japan has had since 2008. So, we'll have to see where it goes once these drugs are in pill form. But right now,  think about how wonderful it is that we know that these drugs can also treat addictions and Parkinson's and  Stroke and heart disease. So, it's a golden age of medicine. That's what the New York Times says. So, I'm optimistic that everything's going to start to be better and people will be smart enough to avoid the hype because that's what they have to be. They have to get smarter. Thank you.