Everyone's Favorite: Hot Honey Toast
Hot Honey Egg Toast is a quick, balanced breakfast or post-workout meal that's ready in under 10 minutes. Crispy whole grain toast is topped with cheesy spinach eggs and a drizzle of hot honey for the perfect combination of sweet and savory. Each serving provides high-quality protein from Eggland's Best eggs to support muscle recovery, along with whole grain carbohydrates to help replenish energy after exercise.
The Core Collective
Elevate Your Pilates Practice with Expert Wellness Tips and Inspiring Stories
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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Yield: 1 Serving
Hot Honey Egg Toast
By Marilyn Burrel, Master Trainer, Club Pilates
Harder Isn't Always Smarter: What Makes a Pilates Class Worth It?
Most of us were taught to grade a workout by how wrecked we felt at the end. Sweat, soreness, arms too tired to lift over your head in the shower. Those are easy to measure and they feel like proof, so we trust them.
You can usually tell within a few minutes. A thoughtful challenge builds. The warm up sets up the work that comes next. When something gets harder, it gets harder in one dimension at a time; a longer lever, a lighter spring, a smaller base, not four at once. Your instructor tells you what an exercise is for, not only what to do. And when your form breaks down, they change something instead of asking you to keep going and hope.
A Reformer is a beautiful piece of equipment. It is also just a piece of equipment, and you can do almost anything on it, including things that are not Pilates at all.
Hard Should Have A Purpose
What makes a class Pilates is the method underneath it: breath, control, precision, working from your center out to your limbs, and moving your spine in every direction it was built to move. The Reformer serves that. It does not replace it.
The Reformer Isn't The Method
In a non-stick skillet over low-medium heat, add honey, then top with cheese and spinach.
Make two little wells, crack one Eggland's Best egg into each well, cover with a lid and let cook about 4 minutes, until the eggs are set and the edges of the cheese are melted/golden.
Serve each egg on a slice of toast.
Member-to-Instructor Spotlight: Jennifer Stauss
Recipe in Partnership with Eggland's Best
Instructions:
Find more recipe inspiration at EgglandsBest.com/recipes.
But they measure effort, not progress. Soreness mostly means you did something unfamiliar, and exhaustion can mean the load was poorly chosen just as easily as it can mean the work was good. I have watched people grind through a class that gave them nothing, and I have watched people leave barely damp and move better all week.
The signals worth watching in Pilates are quieter. Did you feel the work where it was supposed to be? Did the exercise get easier by the fourth rep because you found the right muscle, or harder because you were compensating? Do you feel taller walking out than you did walking in?
Challenging the body with intention means the difficulty is placed on purpose. The spring you were given, the moment your instructor asked for one more. Difficulty without a reason is just fatigue. With so many places to take a Pilates class right now, it is worth knowing what you are looking at.
2 Eggland’s Best eggs, Large 1 tablespoon hot honey 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach 2 slices whole grain toast
Ingredients:
2 Eggland’s Best eggs, Large 1 tablespoon hot honey 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach 2 slices whole grain toast
When you are comparing studios, ask what training the instructors completed and how long it took. Ask whether classes are leveled, and how you move from one level to the next. Then watch whether the instructor demonstrates the whole hour or watches the room.
Two people in the same class do not have the same hips, same history, or the same day. Asking them to produce an indentical shape asks one of them to fake it.
One Size Doesn't Fit Every Body
The point of an exercise is the job it is doing, not what it looks like. Bend the knees, shorten the lever, change the spring; the work stays the same and the person gets to actually do it. A modification is not a lesser version. It is the version that lets that body find the intended work. It works the other way too. If an exercise is easy for you, you should be given somewhere to go.
New exercises every week are fun. Fun is not the same as growth.
Progress in Pilates often does not look like a harder exercise. It looks like holding your alignment for the whole set instead of the first half. It looks like a lighter spring, which is usually more demanding, not less. It looks like carrying groceries up the stairs without thinking about your back.
Variety Without Progression Is Just Novelty
Formats and levels keep that going. Working across equipment asks your body for balance, rotation, suspension and control in ways one apparatus cannot, and levels give you an honest place to start and a real place to go next.
Anyone can read a sequence off a card. An experienced instructor knows why that sequence exists, what it is preparing you for, and what to do when the body in front of them does not match the plan.
Expertise Is What Makes The Difference
That is the difference you feel. Not more cues, better ones. Cues that tell you where the effort belongs, how to organize the position, and why you are doing it at all. When you understand the why, you stop chasing the shape and start owning the movement.
At Club Pilates, every instructor completes a 285-hour core to 450-hour comprehensive teacher training program before they run a class, and keeps training after that. Classes are leveled and progressive by design, and the programming moves you through the full range of equipment on purpose.
A class is worth your time when you leave moving better than you arrived, and when that is still true six months later.
That is the whole test. Not how sore you were on Tuesday. Whether your body is quietly becoming more capable, stronger, more mobile, steadier, more yours.
Anyone can make you tired. Very few people can make you better. Choose the room where someone is watching you closely enough to know the difference.
What It Comes Down To
Marilyn Burrell brings over 25 years of Pilates teaching experience, currently serving her 10th year as a Master Trainer at Club Pilates. She is also a member of the Corporate Education Team, helping craft the education and development programs for the brand. With a passion for movement, Marilyn holds over 70 certifications in the industry.
About Marilyn
Her expertise extends to troubleshooting dysfunctional movement patterns, honed through personal experience and collaboration with a physical therapy program in a retirement community. Having guided over 750 individuals through the 500-hour comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training program, Marilyn also designs alignment and functional movement-focused continuing education classes for Pilates instructors.
Beyond her professional pursuits, she cherishes time with her three daughters and enjoys paddle boarding for leisure.
For Jennifer Stauss, becoming a Club Pilates instructor wasn’t a single leap—it was a series of open doors. What began with her first reformer Pilates class eventually led her to a Club Pilates studio in St. Louis, first as a member, then behind the front desk, and ultimately to the front of the room as an instructor. Along the way, the community that made her feel at home as a member became the same community that encouraged her to take the next step.
In this Member-to-Instructor Spotlight, Jennifer shares how Pilates became more than a workout, what gave her the confidence to pursue Teacher Training, and how her own experience as a member continues to shape the way she leads and supports others today.
Q: Can you introduce yourself and share a little about where you are today?
Meet Jennifer
My name is Jennifer and I am an instructor in St. Louis, MO. This is my journey from the front door, to the front desk, to the front of the room.
Q: What initially brought you to Club Pilates?
I took my first reformer Pilates class in 2016 while we were living in a different state for my husband's job. I fell in love with it immediately. We moved back to St. Louis in 2019 and shortly after that I saw that a Club Pilates location was opening near me. I was so excited to get back to being on the reformer on a regular basis. I instantly felt at home with my new community of instructors and fellow members.
Finding Her Way Back To The Reformer
Q: When did Pilates begin to feel like more than another workout?
Pilates has always felt like more than just another workout. When I leave a class, I not only feel that I have worked and challended muscles, I feel centered and grounded. How often do we spend 50 minutes being fully present in our bodies with no interruptions from cell phones or the outside world? In the beginning, I just knew I felt really good leaving class. It took awhile for me to realize that the breathing, focus, and presence I felt was a big reason for that good feeling. That feeling plus the encouragement I received from my instructors and the comradery I felt with my fellow members really began to build a community that I didn't even realize I needed.
More Than Just Another Workout
Walking Through The Next Open Door
Q: What ultimately led you to pursue Teacher Training?
About a month after I joined, an email went out that the studio was looking for someone to help out at the front desk. It felt like it was meant to be for me - a natural next step toward maybe reaching that goal of being an instructor. During my time at the sales desk, I got to know our members better and build a relationship with them. I got to know the instructors and had a front row seat to what it is like to be an instructor. Maybe a month later, another e-mail came out that a Teacher Training session was beginning that summer and would be held at my studio. So there I was, looking at another open door. The stars were finally aligning. My kids were older and I was starting to consider what work and life would look like once they were both off on their own. At this point, I was the only thing standing in my way.
Q: Did you have any doubts or fears about taking that next step?
I was excited, but also very afraid. Imposter syndrome was a real problem for me. Also, the training is comprehensive and intense. I was afraid of failure. I was worried about public speaking. "Who am I to lead a room full of people through a workout?" On one hand I had all of these doubts and fears, but on the other I still had this certainty that I wanted this. I am so lucky to have an incredibly supportive husband and family, a great network of friends, and my Club Pilates community who supported me and encouraged me through it.
Q: What helped give you the confidence to become an instructor?
One of my biggest boosts came from the members at our studio. I worked the front desk through my teacher training and would often be asked "how are you doing with your teacher training?" I would tell them it was going well and they would say "I can't wait to take one of your classes!" That gave me so much confidence! When the time came to teach my first class I was a ball of nerves, but I looked at a room full of faces who had been cheering me on the whole way. I knew they wanted me to succeed - and it made all the difference.
Q: What was the most rewarding or surprising part of Teacher Training?
When I began the teacher training, I was surprised (and slightly overwhelmed) by the depth of knowledge required to become fully certified. I enjoyed learning about Joseph Pilates and his thoughts behind movement and maintaining a healthy body. I love that he knew long ago the value of breath, concentration, and precision while working through an exercise. He knew that this not only improved the physical body, but the mind as well.
Learning To Lead
I loved the in person training weekends. It was a lot of fun to practice all of the different movements and use all of the apparatus available. I would go home exhausted, but in the best way. My Master Trainer was so knowledgeable and encouraging. It was also great to collaborate with other trainees and share struggles or successes we were having. The day I passed my full certification test, I was so proud of myself. It had been a long time since I had pushed myself to learn something new and this training required A LOT of learning. After going through the training, I also had a new respect for my instructors and their level of knowledge.
Q: How did your experience as a member influence the instructor you wanted to become?
As a member who was preparing to become an instructor, I started to think about what I wanted my classes to be like. Music has always been important to me so curating my own playlists was at the top of the list. This will sound silly, but I also appreciated when the instructors put our weights away for us, so that went on the list too. Ultimately, I realized that I just want people to feel better when they leave than when they arrived. So my goal became to create a space where the vibe is upbeat and the members feel valued, whether it’s a word of encouragement or finding success on a move they have been working on. I will safely lead them through a workout, and hopefully in the process give them a little extra something they may not have known they needed.
Q: How does it feel to lead classes in a space where you were once a member?
Leading classes where I was (and still am) a member has made my community that much stronger. Somedays I am leading the class and some days I am on the reformer with everyone else. The camaraderie you build while going through a workout together is special and unique. I think by continuing to take classes, it has helped deepen my relationship with our members. I also think they appreciate seeing their instructors "practice what they preach."
From Member To Instructor
Q: What has been the most meaningful part of becoming an instructor?
I find the most meaning in the members themselves. During a teacher appreciation week, someone wrote a note that said "Jennifer - you make me feel like I belong. Thank you". I still have it on a shelf in my room as a way to remember my why for starting this years ago. It is priceless to me.
What do I find most meaningful? The benefits to the body are wonderful, of course. But what I find most meaningful is much more than that. It's knowing that someone who may not feel like they belong elsewhere, knows they are valued in my class. It's watching the young woman who has felt insecure about starting a new fitness routine show up week after week and her confidence starts to build when she holds a plank for 10 seconds longer than she could the week before.
As you look to the future, what do you hope Pilates can offer others—and where do you hope it takes you next?
I cannot stress enough that Pilates is for every age and every body type. For anyone considering it, I say go for it! It can be scary to step into any new fitness routine but you will be met with a community who wants nothing more than for you to succeed. Every single one of us is aging and while we can't stop from aging, we can take steps toward aging well. I believe that Pilates is one of the key methods available to help us all age well and remain mobile throughout our lives. My approach to my future as an instructor remains the same as when I started - just keep walking through the next open door (including this interview!). I don't know what lies ahead and I am so happy where I am, but if a new opportunity presents itself I may just take that next right step. As my husband and I near the empty nester phase, we would love to travel more. Combining Pilates with travel would be a dream come true for me!
Keep Walking Through The Next Open Door
Jennifer’s path from member to instructor is a reminder that growth doesn’t always happen according to a set plan. Sometimes, it starts by finding something that makes you feel better, discovering a community, and being willing to walk through the next open door when it appears.
Coming Full Circle
Today, the same encouragement Jennifer once received from her instructors and fellow members is something she gets to give back from the front of the room — helping others feel stronger, more confident, grounded and, perhaps most importantly, like they belong.
Ready to turn your passion for Pilates into purpose? Find a Club Pilates Teacher Training program near you and take the next step in your Pilates journey.
Originally from the Nashville area, Jennifer Stauss now calls St. Louis, Missouri home. She completed her full comprehensive Pilates certification through Club Pilates in June 2025 and has loved continuing to grow as an instructor and as part of the Club Pilates community.
About Jennifer
Jennifer especially enjoys the variety of classes Club Pilates offers and the opportunity to work with members at all different stages of their Pilates journey. She also values the strong sense of community within the studio and loves getting to know the members who make it such a welcoming and supportive environment.
Outside of the studio, Jennifer enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, reading, being outdoors, and thrifting with friends.
At this point, I was the only thing standing in my way.
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I would go home exhausted, but in the best way.
It's the members who are ahead of me in life by 10-20 years, able to move with ease because they have maintained mobility in their joints and spine through their Pilates practice. They are so inspiring. Each person who comes into the room is their own inspiring story and I admire them all for their commitment to themselves and their goals. All of this creates meaning for me.