Meet Pilates Instructor Kim Graff–With Over 25 Years of Experience

Tahoe is blessed with some of the most stunning scenery to be found. That makes it a terrific place to be active and fit. This also means that Tahoe is home to some exceptional fitness experts: Kim Graff is one of those experts. 

Kim Graff has over 25 years of experience practicing and teaching Pilates in the Tahoe basin. For many years, she owned and worked out of Pilates Bodies in Crystal Bay. In 2020, she made the move to Tahoe Fitness Loft, and we’ve been thrilled to get to support and feature her expertise and passion. 

Graff has always been an athlete, and in particular, she has a background as a dancer and personal trainer. And, before she was 30, her body had been through significant challenges and change: she suffered a broken neck in high school when a golf ball hit her during a cross-country running race. And, she became a mother for the first time at age 19 and had her three children by the time she was 25. Approaching her mid-30s, Graff was experiencing significant back pain. 

She’d done weight training and yoga, and that was helpful. But then she tried Pilates: “My back felt better immediately,” recalls Graff, who is now 63. She’s been doing Pilates ever since, and she credits the practice for keeping her moving well and continuing to pursue the outdoor sports she loves. “I’m stronger than ever,” says Graff. 

This is despite breaking her arm in a skiing accident about a decade ago, and undergoing a hip replacement a few years back. Graff notes that these challenges have contributed to making her a better instructor. “It’s made me more understanding and empathetic,” she says. “I’m able to work well with clients who are going through their own challenges.”

As an instructor, Graff holds three certifications, each of which required over 400 hours to complete. Suffice to say, she has a deep knowledge of Pilates. Graff teaches group classes and one-on-one private sessions, using the tower, chair, and reformer. While many of Graff’s clients are longtime students of hers, she teaches all levels–from first timers to those with years of experience. 

Especially for newer clients, Graff recommends starting with private sessions, to learn how to Pilates correctly, and then moving into group classes. One of the beauties of Pilates is that focusing on the basics is always recommended; there’s no need to get fancy. 

“The basics, done right, are always challenging,” says Graff, noting that she adds variety for students by switching up the equipment. Pilates is about precise, controlled movement. Graff says she’s seen a lot of clips on the Internet of people using Pilates equipment to do a lot of complicated movements: “Pilates is not about performance and competition,” she says. 

Graff’s traditional approach to the practice is one people can explore for a lifetime, and in fact, many of Graff’s clients have been with her for years, and they are now older adults. 

“A lot of my clients are 65-plus,” she comments, adding that she works with people in their 80s. Graff adds that, with consistent practice of Pilates, she sees her clients also continuing to do the sports they love: play tennis, ski, golf, hike. 

Indeed, Pilates can continue to deliver benefits, and consistency is key. Graff notes that there’s a common adage in the Pilates world: the first 10 sessions help build you internally, after 20 sessions, you see results externally, and by 30 sessions, you’re experiencing your best body–inside and out. 

In other words, Pilates first builds your core and helps you develop more healthy movement patterns–it provides greater body awareness. Then, your posture begins to realign and you hold your body in a more elongated, balanced way. After 30 sessions, you begin to see the impact on your musculature: Pilates builds long, lean muscles. Sustained, continued practice maintains continued benefits. 

Beyond these physical benefits, Graff sees how clients move with more confidence in everyday life, how Pilates provides a clear sense of body empowerment. 

Even after almost three decades, Kim Graff’s passion for practicing and teaching Pilates is as strong as ever. “I keep teaching because I love what I do,” she says. “I love my clients and I love the work.”