Joseph Pilates was born in Germany in 1880. A sickly boy who suffered from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever he dedicated his life to becoming physically stronger. Joe studied body building and gymnastics and by the time he was 14 he was fit enough to pose for anatomical charts. In 1912 he moved to England and worked as a self-defense trainer and a circus performer as well as earning money from boxing. During World War 1 he was interned with other German citizens in a camp near Lancaster where he trained other inmates in fitness and exercise. It was here that the beginnings of his Pilates method began to form. Pilates believed that the modern life-style, bad posture and inefficient breathing lay at the roots of poor health. He devised a series of exercises and training techniques in order to teach his method. The method, which he called "Contrology", focuses attention on core postural muscles that help keep the body balanced and provide support for the spine. After the war he returned to Germany before he emigrated to the United States in 1925. On the ship to America he met his future wife Clara. The couple founded a studio in New York and taught their students well into the 1960's. Pilates method soon established a following amongst dancers and performers. Well-known artists such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham became devotees and regularly sent their students to Joe and Clara for training and rehabilitation. Pilates practiced what he preached and lived a long and healthy life. He died in 1967 at the age of 87. Today Pilates is practiced around the world by athletes, dancers, fitness professionals, as well as the general public.