body – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Monster Moves

As children, movement is often playful and fun. Then, as adults, we tend to see it as repetitive and grueling. But it is important to remember movement can be playful and productive. As long as moves are safe, it is okay to be light-hearted with them, especially if that makes you more likely to move.

These are all movements named after monsters. That is silly to begin with.

Try them if the Halloween season is bringing out your playful side. Or encourage your kids to Keep Moving by doing their best impression of these monsters. Have a family monster impression challenge and see who can pull it off best. Hopefully you’ll wind up laughing and movement will feel fun!

Check out all these fun moves in the video below from NBC CT Live.

Frankensteins – This is a great warm-up move. It stretches the hamstring. You are trying to move with a stable pelvis. And if you want you can add some arm circles or twist.

Mummy – This works your shoulders and upper back muscles. It’s actually beneficial at counteracting that forward slump […]

Monster MovesMaggie Downie2024-10-23T17:52:46-04:00

Standing Abs

There are multiple reasons to opt for a standing ab workout.

If you have trouble getting up and down off the floor, you don’t have to. Even if you can get up and down, these moves are convenient because you don’t have to pull out a mat and get on the floor. If you’re prone to neck pain when doing traditional ab exercises, standing abs reduces the chances the neck gets aggravated. Often, lots of other body parts are working with you while you do standing abs. And, as most of the physical challenges we face in life occur when we are standing, standing abs are a real functional type of movement.

Consider trying these moves in the NBC CT LIVE video below:

Side Bends with a Squat

Standing Bicycle –single leg or alternating

Opposing Limbs

Keep Reading

Looking for a more gentle way to Keep Moving? Click here to read about Low Impact Cardio.

Struggling to sleep? Read This Blog for effective exercise tips to improve your sleep quality.

Keep Connected

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Standing AbsMaggie Downie2024-08-21T17:01:17-04:00

Limber for Life

It is so easy to skip stretching. I skip it myself after many workouts. What gives? We all know stretching is beneficial. Why do we brush it aside so easily?

To encourage ourselves to stretch more we need to 1) enjoy it and 2) recognize it has value. Even if we don’t love exercise, many people make themselves do it because they know it’s good for them. Why isn’t it the same for stretching?

Why We Stretch:

Range of Motion

We don’t need to be the newest member of Cirque Du Soleil, but it’s beneficial to maintain our mobility. Ultimately that’s what stretching does. It helps you keep your full range of motion (ROM) at every joint.

When we lose range of motion and flexibility, it limits what we can do. Maybe you’ve noticed you can’t get up and down off the floor anymore, it’s hard to get your sock on, or you can’t scratch that itch on your back in a spot you used to be able to reach.

Reduce Pain

Also, limited ROM can lead to pain and discomfort. If joints are clamped down and restricted it can lead to injury or pain. This works at the other extreme too. People who are hypermobile often […]

Limber for LifeMaggie Downie2024-03-08T16:38:15-05:00

Keep Kids Moving This Summer!

Your kids are home from school. You’ve played all the board games you can. And, maybe it’s even a rainy week. What can you do to burn off a little of that excess energy building up in both you and the kids? KEEP MOVING, of course.

You probably have items in your home that can help create a playful, imaginative workout. Here are some ways to help kids stay active with household items:

Painters Tape

Put a strip on the floor—young enough kids can use it as a balance beam. They won’t be balancing, but they can try to walk along it and stay on the line. You can make it straight or zig zag it.

If you have a hallway, use painters tape to turn the floor into a hopscotch. Swap a bean bag for the rock you’d use outside and now your child can hop their way down the hall.

Or, in the hallway, put tape at different intervals and different angles to create a “Mission Impossible Laser” hallway. Your child has to try to get from one end to the other without touching the tape. This one is easy to make easier […]

Keep Kids Moving This Summer!Maggie Downie2023-06-21T17:05:02-04:00

Do You Really Need to Exercise?

Please don’t get me wrong. This is not an article about how you shouldn’t exercise.

It has an important role in our health and wellness, but exercise is not the only way to move and stay healthy. What’s really key is physical activity.

All exercise is physical activity but not all physical activity is exercise. Exercise is the traditional, scheduled, planned, intentional movement you think of when you consider running, weight lifting, and of course your favorite Pilates class (join me through Glastonbury Parks Rec Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 to get your virtual fill of that). Physical activity is any movement that activates the muscles and expends energy. That’s pretty much every movement.

Many large, multi year studies show that the more physically active someone is the less likely they are to die of all causes, including cancer and diabetes. In addition the more physical activity we are the happier we are and the less likely we are to develop Alzheimer’s. And it’s a sliding scale. Add a little bit of physical activity and you’ll live longer and grow happier. Adding more only increases the benefit. That’s where exercise can […]

Do You Really Need to Exercise?Maggie Downie2022-05-03T17:01:20-04:00