Advances in health and fitness keep Ruth Neil Stover literally on her toes.

And what she learns about her profession she shares with her clients of all walks and ages.

Well being is her calling.

“This is my passion,” said Stover, taking a break at her downtown Auburn studio, Corestar Pilates. “This is the work that I was meant to be doing. … I’m grateful for the opportunity to being doing this here and that people have found me.”

Stover, a longtime Auburnite, business owner and instructor with more than 30 years of experience, works to empower others to live healthier lives through education, practice and inspiration.

Her studio has grown steadily in the eight years she has occupied the former JC Penney Building. She and her staff offer a wide range of classes – from yoga to barefoot fusion, jump-fit rebounding to body rolling – six days a week.

“The body should enhance everything that you do, whether it’s lifting a bag of groceries out of a car, or climbing a ladder, or lifting weights at the gym,” Stover said.

Pilates is the basis of what Stover’s studio does. It is a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the body. Given systematic practice of specific exercises coupled with focused breathing patterns, Pilates has proven itself invaluable not only as a fitness endeavor but also as an important adjunct to professional sports training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds, Stover said.

As Stover explains, Pilates and other classes are designed to build core strength and flexibility, a foundation to good health and the prevention of injuries.

Stover is constantly learning and applying new methods and techniques.

She has taught everything – from kickboxing to step aerobics, from yoga to dance classes – throughout her career. She has taught at large national chains and at small local clubs. She also was asked to teach Pilates to her peers on a national level.

At 57, Stover continues to use all of her training and knowledge of the body and its powers to help those in healing and those intent on improving their quality of life.

The lessons continue. Stover is working to become a certified nutritional therapist. Diet plays a big part in today’s exercise, she said.

“It’s the piece that I’ve been missing in my business,” she said. “I have realized, especially as I get older, how much what I eat affects how I feel.”

To learn more, visit corestarpilates.com.