Experience, education, passion, and compassion are all part of the package with Endurance Pilates and Yoga owner and trainer Julie Erickson. This Best of Boston® personal trainer has over 25 training certificates and credits under her belt - including International Certification from Stott Pilates and Balanced Body Pilates and certification from Pilates Method Alliance (PMA-CPT) - and continues her training and independent study. As compassionate as she is experienced, Julie has donated her time and talent to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombings regain their strength, and works to help students with Parkinson's disease and brain injuries improve their physical performance.

If you haven’t already taken a class at Endurance Pilates and Yoga, getting to know this energetic superwoman is just one more reason to check it out.

What inspired you to create Endurance Pilates?
I have been teaching fitness for 21 years. Owning my own studio is a dream come true, but I use my MBA as much as my decades of fitness trainings and certifications. We also have a unique way of teaching Pilates so that students are able to translate their learnings into all of their activities - dance, golf, running, swimming everything that people do outside of the studio. Our job is to get you so good at what we are teaching that you are always doing Pilates!

Why is Endurance Pilates so effective?
We have a very hands-on approach to teaching and all of the teachers are required to train under me for 1,000 hours. Much of this is in observing me teach my 50+ clients every week, so by the time our teachers are leading classes, they have seen just about every type of body and situation and know exactly how to communicate, correct, and help folks move better!

What is your fitness philosophy and teaching style?
I am a very hands-on teacher - you will likely have my fist in your gut and I will poke your butt if you are not working those glutes! I personally feel that there is an exercise regimen out there for everyone, and that you just need to find your form of movement and stick with it! I personally LOVE to run and do Pilates!  

What is the one workout move everyone should master?
Everyone should master a proper bridge using the glutes and the abs.

What is your “go-to” workout song?
It’s such a cliché: “Eye of the Tiger”

What do you eat before working out?
It’s always tricky to balance just enough [food] with too much. When I am doing my long runs, I keep everything as simple as possible. [For example], for a pre-workout meal, I’ll have Saltine crackers or a piece of sourdough bread with real butter or - once in a while - almond butter. I’ll also have orange juice, tangerine juice, or lemonade watered down with seltzer.

Be honest: What is your favorite cheat meal or guilty food pleasure?
I eat mostly anything! For me, it is all about the ingredients: I don’t eat preservatives and I try to keep my food as chemical-free as possible. I drink wine, eat real sugar, cheese, and cake with frosting - as long as it is made without chemicals! I have been a vegetarian for 24 years, but I love nachos and pizza and - when I am in the depths of marathon training - I could eat an entire baguette after a 15- to 20-mile run! 

What advice do you have for someone just starting his or her fitness journey? 
There will be days when you don’t want to [exercise], have no time, or have too much else to do. DO IT ANYWAY, even if it is just for five minutes! It is a privilege to live in a body that can move, and your body is the only one you have been given. 

What is your most memorable teaching moment?
I train instructors to make them Pilates teachers.  I will never forget the day one of my instructors was teaching a student and just absolutely nailed it: She saw the imbalance, picked the right exercise, told the student how to do it, corrected the movement pattern, and did exactly what the student needed. I realized that not only had I given that teacher the gift of an occupation, but also in turn, she would be able to go on to make other folks stronger. My greatest compliment is seeing the girls that train with me work with their own students.