After years of countless muscle and joint overuse injuries, Victoria Sandoval Knutar turned to Pilates. The exercise offered relief to her body, exhausted from 13 years of competitive swimming, which involved training for 30 hours a week and attending matches almost every weekend. Today, Knutar and her team of instructors help athletes and others recover from and prevent injuries through Pilates at her studio, Reform Pilates and Fitness. The business specializes in one-on-one and small-group Pilates instruction. “It’s very personal. I know every single one of the people that come through the doors,” Knutar said. “I know every single one and how they move. I haven’t had anyone come in who hasn’t been successful in this environment or has gotten injured in this environment.” Many gyms offer classes for fast, high-intensity group Pilates, she said. Alternatively, Reform Pilates and Fitness focuses on teaching the True Pilates Method, which is neither fast nor slow and considers exercise both a mind and body discipline, Knutar said. “It’s a series of movements strung together that move the body through all the ways it moves, all the plains of motion, that balances stretch, strength and control,” she said. Her studio helps clients with injuries, chronic pain and surgeries as well as clients who are antepartum and postpartum. “I have one lady who came in and couldn’t even do a plank, and now she’s rock climbing—and she’s in her 60s,” Knutar said. When Knutar first began attending Pilates classes, it was incredibly challenging both physically and mentally. She trained under Lolita San Miguel, an instructor who was certified to teach by Joseph Pilates, the inventor of Pilates. Originally from Austin, Knutar moved to Katy in 2007 and began teaching Pilates classes at corporate gyms, she said. In 2014, Knutar opened Reform Pilates and Fitness, and at the time, Katy did not have many dedicated Pilates studios, she said. Pilates has steadily increased in popularity over the past 10 years in Katy, Knutar said. She teaches classes every day and has two other instructors that teach weekly, she said. The average class size is three people, and the most popular classes focus on form, function, technique and flow. “I love seeing my clients grow,” Knutar said. “A lot of people who come here stay here for a long time and kind of stick around. It’s nice to see everybody get so strong and feel so good.”

Reform Pilates and Fitness

3750 S. Mason Road, Ste. 700, Katy 832-441-4622 www.reformpilateskaty.com Class schedule varies by day.