The Body & Movement

Meet Your Instructor: Rob

Years ago we asked all our instructors to answer a few questions so YOU could get to know them a little bit better. We decided to follow up with some of the instructors you’ve been enjoying through our virtual season during this pandemic.

Here’s Rob. You’ll find him teaching Pilates and Strength classes with Personal Euphoria and we always hear good feedback from you about his classes!

When you aren’t teaching classes, what are your favorite ways to move?

My favorite ways to move outside of classes include skiing, cycling, golfing, skating, tennis, basketball, hiking, gardening, and chopping wood.

What songs motivate you the most?

It really depends on the day. I like old school Rock and R&B, Jazz, Classical. The band Rush is motivating and inspiring.

What is your favorite food?

Sushi and Buffalo wings. I make sushi at home these days.

What time do you normally crawl out of bed?

It depends on the season and my schedule. I wake up earlier when we have more daylight.

What skill would you most like to master?

Home improvements

What would be the most amazing adventure you could go on?

A backpacking or cycling adventure.

What is your favorite season? Why?

Winter […]

Meet Your Instructor: RobMaggie Downie2021-02-01T12:19:40-05:00

Home Office Ergonomics

Home office ergonomics is about making sure your home work station is set up in a healthy way that doesn’t create pain and discomfort. There are ideal configurations and better positions, but there is no one perfect way. Even the perfect position will start to create pain in the body if we stay like that for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Here are some tips for improving your home office to create a healthier happy body:

Home Office Ergonomics Tips

Variety

Look to change your position as often as possible (every 45-minutes would be ideal). Remember it’s being in one position for extended periods that create pain and strain over time (or for some of us pretty quickly). You can make a quality work station out of a couch, a kitchen table, a counter, and even a bed.

You can sit on a pillow on the floor, facing the couch, using the couch as a desk. You can flip around and have the base of the couch give you back support and use a chair as a desk. Think outside the […]

Home Office ErgonomicsMaggie Downie2021-01-21T19:22:30-05:00

Enjoy Exercise

When was the last time you enjoyed exercise? If we change the word exercise to movement, when was the last time you enjoyed moving? It’s time to enjoy exercise again!

Enjoy Exercise Like A Child

Not long ago I was teaching my 2 and 2.5-year-old nephews to plank (as you do). One of them was really taken with it. He’d hold the plank for about two seconds and then pop up out of it (as you do when you’re two), look at me and say, “AGAIN!,” with earnest excitement. Then he’d shout an eager, “YES!” as he set his hands up on the ground to come back into plank. This cycle was repeated multiple times. I was overjoyed to see someone so unabashedly enjoy exercise.

What Moves Do You Love?

I love to move. That doesn’t mean that I never have to coax myself into it. There are times when getting started is hard for me. But overall I love the way moving feels. I look forward to taking a Pilates class, walking with Matt when he gets home from work, and running with my friends. I like the way it feels when a tough […]

Enjoy ExerciseMaggie Downie2020-09-18T15:13:33-04:00

Neutral Pelvis (and other joints)

When we hear the word neutral we typically think of a neutral pelvis. We don’t always consider that every one of our joints has a neutral position. That includes every vertebra in the spine through the neck, the shoulders, the knees, the elbows, the wrists, and the ankles. All joints have a neutral.

Spending time neutral reduces wear and tear on the tendons and ligaments that connect all your joints.

Neutral

Yes people stand the way I am on the right.

Luckily the body is incredibly versatile. You don’t have to exist in neutral all the time. The body is capable and, in fact, made to come out of neutral at different times for different activities and needs. That being said there is benefit to understanding when your joints are in neutral and enabling them some time to exist there. Due to tightness in our body, sometimes some of our joints rarely get to be neutral—a problem that can wreak havoc over time.

Neutral Knees

Consider your knees. If you are someone who tends to lock your knees when standing, your knees are regularly not in neutral. That locked position is going to put more pressure […]

Neutral Pelvis (and other joints)Maggie Downie2020-08-06T12:33:06-04:00

IMSAFE

IMSAFE is a mnemonic device for pilots to check in with their own well being before they fly. It stands for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion. As passengers when we fly, most of us are aware there is a flight check to determine whether the plane is safe. I’d never realized there is a protocol (at least for private pilots) to check in with themselves.

IMSAFE Meaning

The breakdown might seem obvious, but illness looks to see if you feel sick, medication ensures you have taken any prescription meds you need and that you haven’t taken any pills you shouldn’t before flying, stress asks pilots to assess whether they are overwhelmed by life let alone flying, alcohol is a reminder to make sure you’ve had none in at least 8 hours, fatigue makes you review your sleep, and emotion requires the pilot to once again (like stress) check in with her mental state. (In the navy E stands for Eat—whether or not you’ve eaten recently).

Food matters. Amelia Earhart mentioned a pilot needed to be fed enough to “prevent fatigue but not enough to induce drowsiness”—a difficult balance to achieve because you […]

IMSAFEMaggie Downie2020-07-23T16:00:36-04:00