SHELTON — Daniel Noga Sisto’s fitness journey has been filled with pain and frustration.
Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the New York native couldn’t find a pain-free way to exercise until she tried Pilates.
“There are a lot of exercises I can’t do because of my rheumatoid arthritis,” Noga-Sisto says. “Pilates was the first time I could exercise, see results, and not feel terrible afterwards.
“It gave me mobility, strengthened my core and gave me great toning,” she added. “Pilates has helped me exercise and feel better.”
It was that feeling that inspired Noga Sisto to get into the Pilates business.
Noga Sisto had wanted to try Pilates for decades, but her retail job and family commitments kept her from taking the plunge. It wasn’t until she was laid off from her job due to the COVID-19 pandemic that she found time to attend Club Pilates in New Rochelle, New York.
Club Pilates has approximately 1,000 studios worldwide, including locations in West Hartford, Glastonbury, Danbury, New Haven, Avon, Fairfield, and Westport in Connecticut.
She loved the fitness experience so much that she decided to make it her career. She opened her first Club Pilates franchise on Federal Road in Danbury last year, and her newest club is scheduled to open soon in a 2,000-square-foot space in Fountain Square in Shelton.
“I want people to know that Pilates is something anyone can do,” she said of her newest fitness boutique location.
The company’s website states that it is “a pure continuation of Joseph Pilates’ original reformer-based control method, but modernized with group practice and expanded state-of-the-art equipment.” .
Reformer Pilates is performed using a Pilates Reformer machine and is generally more intense and more dynamic than mat-based Pilates, as it uses springs that form part of the machine to add resistance.
In addition to the reformer, the Club Pilates studio also features a variety of other equipment, she said. The club occupies more space than a typical fitness studio, has up to 12 reformers per class, and Mr. Nogasisto holds over 70 classes each week in addition to his private sessions. He said he plans to do so.
“Pilates is for everyone: it’s about strengthening your core, your movement, your mind-body connection. And best of all, we believe you can start anytime,” she added.
