Mari Winsor
{{Short description|American fitness instructor (1950–2020)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mari Winsor
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1950|03|11}}
| birth_place = Marshall, Michigan
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|04|28|1950|03|11}}
| death_place = Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, California
| nationality = American
| education = Michigan State University
| occupation = Pilates instructor
| spouse = Elliot Nachbar
| years_active = 1990-2016
| known_for = Winsor Pilates founder
| notable_works =
}}
Mari Winsor (March 11, 1950 – April 28, 2020) was an American fitness instructor known for her workout videos, books, and studios popularizing Pilates.
Career
She first worked as a professional dancer, apprenticing at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City, and then worked as a dancer in music videos in the 1980s.{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Chris |title=Mari Winsor, Pilates Instructor to the Stars, Dies at 70 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mari-winsor-dead-pilates-instructor-stars-was-70-1292758 |accessdate=1 May 2020 |work=Hollywood Reporter |date=April 30, 2020}} She received her Pilates instructor certification from Romana Kryzanowska and founded her own studio in 1990. She credits Pilates with helping her recover from multiple injuries sustained in a 1994 motorcycle accident.{{cite news |last1=Nguyen |first1=Daisy |title=Pilates promoter is a walking advertisement |work=Ocala Star-Banner |agency=Associated Press |date=October 26, 2004|quote=[Mari Winsor is] often seen in a ubiquitous infomercial peddling Pilates videos}}
Her self-branded version of Pilates, Winsor Pilates, is notable for its celebrity practitioners and ubiquitous late-night infomercials.{{cite news |last1=Lacher |first1=Irene |title=Call Her the Oracle of Pilates |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-04-cl-18450-story.html |accessdate=1 May 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=October 4, 1999}} Winsor is the author of The Pilates Powerhouse (1999), The Pilates Workout Journal: An Exercise Diary and Conditioning Guide (2001), and The Pilates Pregnancy: Maintaining Strength, Flexibility and Your Figure (2009).
In April 2020, she died from ALS, which she had been diagnosed with in 2013.{{cite news |last1=Olya |first1=Gabrielle |title=Miley Cyrus's Pilates Instructor Mari Winsor's Brave ALS Battle: 'It's Been Humbling' |url=https://people.com/bodies/miley-cyruss-pilates-instructor-mari-winsors-brave-als-battle-its-been-humbling/ |accessdate=1 May 2020 |work=People Magazine |publisher=Meredith Corporation |date=March 7, 2016}}{{cite news |title=Mari Winsor, Pilates Guru and Celebrity Trainer, Dies at 70 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/04/30/us/ap-us-obit-mari-winsor.html |date=April 30, 2020 |accessdate=1 May 2020 |work=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press}}
Filmography
- Winsor Pilates Series (2002)
- Winsor Pilates Upper Body Sculpting (2002)
- Winsor Pilates Ab Sculpting (2002)
- Winsor Pilates Accelerated Body Sculpting (2002)
- Winsor Pilates Bun & Thigh Sculpting (2002)
- Advanced Body Slimming (2002)
- Winsor Pilates Maximum Burn Super Sculpting & Body Slimming (2003)
- Winsor Pilates Power Sculpting Advanced (2003)
- Winsor Pilates Power Sculpt Bun & Thigh (2003)
- Pilates for Pink Workout (2008)
- Mari Winsor Slimming Pilates Kit (2009)
- Shape 5 Day Jumpstart (2010)
- Mari Winsor Cardio Pilates (2010)
- Mari Winsor Lower Body Pilates (2010)
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:American exercise and fitness writers
Category:American exercise instructors
Category:Michigan State University alumni
Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in California