The Body & Movement

Pain in the Buttocks

Sciatica can be a pain in the buttocks —literally and figuratively. The sciatic nerve runs out multiple vertebra in the lower back and down both sides of your legs passing through the glutes (butt muscles). The compression and inflammation of the nerve at the spine can cause the pain in the glute and down the entire leg. In addition sometimes one of the muscles in your butt called the pyriformis can be adding to the pain. If you do the four stretch and you feel relief, you might have pyriformis syndrome.

How to do the Four Stretch:

Note: You can do both sides, but the side with the pain should get relief when crossed over.

Sit down on a firm chair.

Cross the leg with pain over the leg without so that the ankle rests just above the opposite knee

Sit up Tall.

Stay for 3-5 deep breaths.

Relax and Repeat Up to 5 times.

OPTIONAL: Hinge (do not round) forward slightly for […]

Pain in the ButtocksMaggie Downie2019-07-17T12:26:58-04:00

Body Shaming Yourself

Have you ever looked back at a picture of yourself from a few years ago and thought, “I looked good.” But you know that at the time you thought you weren’t good enough. The day of the picture you told yourself you had a bad hair day, thick arms, or weight to lose. We get caught up in body shaming ourselves in little ways, never really thinking we are good enough at the time.

Aside:

I selected the picture here at random. It’s from 2014 or earlier. This is an example of a picture that I see now and think I look fine, but at the time I thought I had all sorts of ways to improve myself. Now, when I catch myself thinking I don’t look good, I try to look at myself from the perspective of Maggie from five years from now. I’m pretty sure she’s thinking I look great.

Sharing What’s Good

Not long ago I read an article about how women meet up with friends and complain about themselves. They never show up and say, “I look great today,” or “I’m having a great hair day.” Part of that is societal. […]

Body Shaming YourselfMaggie Downie2019-07-29T10:51:59-04:00

Body Shaming

Me, Hiding My Fat

My gastroenterologist prescribed me a dietician for guidance doing the Low FODMAP’s diet to help with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth). Normally, I would handle a diet plan myself, but I wanted to do it right, and every website seemed to differ on what low FODMAP’s meant. Also, I did not expect to wind up dealing with body shaming.

I made an appointment with a local dietician. It went terribly. Somewhat foolishly I made a follow-up appointment because I thought anyone could have a rough day. I didn’t want to judge someone based on one meeting. These are moments I look back on and get frustrated with myself. As I near forty, it’s time to learn that my time is valuable and I can usually trust my first impression. The woman was not having a difficult day; she is just not the right person to guide me in any direction.

Where Things Went Wrong

After listening to her story of Lyme disease and SIBO and how she saved herself, she put me on a scale and gave me the fat pinch test. I have not had a fat pinch test […]

Body ShamingMaggie Downie2019-07-10T17:01:21-04:00

Workout Outside

When you workout in nature you are more likely to enjoy it, feel less pain, and move longer. “Green space” or the great outdoors motivates us to move. “Blue space”—somewhere near water—increases the gains even more. Step outside to exercise, and you just may find yourself skipping for joy! When you workout outside, it doesn’t feel like a workout at all. Well…

Here are a few places I love to move outside. Please share your favorites in the comments!

Old Wethersfield, CT

This combines green space (with exceptionally large 300-year-old trees lining the streets) and the blue space (with the Wethersfield Cove). In addition you get to feel like you have stepped back in time surrounded by historic homes. Walk Main Street, the Broad Street Green, Hartford Avenue, and Garden Street. As an added bonus, it’s all flat.

Airline Trail

This was a new discovering for me, but it is great for walking, running, or biking. There are multiple points of access throughout the state of Connecticut. I started in Colchester, CT, and the walk was absolutely lovely.

Devil’s Hopyard

Start by a waterfall and then take a short (maybe 45 minute), easy trail to an […]

Workout OutsideMaggie Downie2019-05-24T16:13:22-04:00

Lunge Form: How to do a lunge properly

Often people are afraid to do lunges or squats. They think those moves hurt their knees—either their experience is that it hurts the knees when they do them or they have been told those moves are bad for knees. The only problem with that is that in order to move throughout our day we need to be able to do a lunge and a squat. It’s not the lunge that is the problem. It is the lunge form.

Lunges enable us to get up and down off the floor. Squats get us on the toilet. A cross between a lunge and a squat enables us to get into the car. These are movements our body is doing whether we fear them or not. How do we resolve the question of whether or not we should be doing lunges? The answer: Learn how to do a lunge properly without hurting the knee.

Proper Lunge Form Tips

The video below will demonstrate and talk you though how to do a lunge safely, but before you start, here are some key factors to consider:

What […]

Lunge Form: How to do a lunge properlyMaggie Downie2019-05-10T14:13:27-04:00