The Body & Movement

Travel Workout: Moving in Small Spaces

Plank in Bryce Canyon

Traveling is one of my favorite ways to spend time. But with the adventure of seeing the world comes a lot of small, confining spaces that force you into a seated position for hours on end. When you need to fly, drive, hop on a train, or find yourselves in a dirigible, how can you keep moving in tiny spaces?

Tips for Moving in Small Spaces

· Stop Caring:

I think a key factor in moving is not to worry about what other people think. When you travel whether you pull over at a gas station, find a corner of a busy airport, or head to the back of the plane to stretch, people are going to see you doing something most people don’t do. I always tell myself that I’m going to feel better than all the folks just sitting there. That’s how I get over it.

· […]

Travel Workout: Moving in Small SpacesMaggie Downie2019-04-25T17:45:26-04:00

Bunion Pain Relief

Ouch! Looking for some bunion pain relief? A bunion is a deformation of the big toe joint. If you’ve got one, you’ll notice a boney protrusion at the base of your big to and your big toe will point in squishing all your littler toes. Genetics and footwear can lead to or worsen bunions, which are more common in women.

Aside: If you develop a bunion at your pinkie toe, it’s called a bunionette, which sounds SOOO much cuter than a bunion.

Finding Relief

Ditch the Heels Ladies (and men):

Nearly every pair of shoes you purchase (unless they are minimalist shoes) has a slight or drastic heel lift. The higher the heel lift, the more pressure on that bunion. So stick to shoes with a lower heel. Often men’s shoes have a slight heal lift too.

Traction

I have a bunion, and I find relief when I gently pull on my big toe trying to create a little space between the toe and foot. It […]

Bunion Pain ReliefMaggie Downie2019-03-15T17:29:21-04:00

Pain in the Bottom of My Foot

You have a band of fascia that might be causing pain in the bottom of your foot. It’s known as your plantar fascia (usually it is the only type of fascia that anyone has heard about). When it is inflamed and you experience pain that is known as plantar fasciitis (PLANTAR FASCIITIS ). The good news is, at least in my experience, this is not a permanent state of pain.

Though you might have to do some maintenance to keep the pain away, most people with PLANTAR FASCIITIS are able to return to a normal life without pain at every step.

So What Can You Do?

The key to relieving plantar fascia pain is to stretch all the related muscles. This includes both calf muscles and the hamstrings. That’s right, tight hamstrings are strongly linked to plantar fasciitis.
Also, you can do self message on the foot or roll the foot on a soft ball. You don’t have to combat pain with agony, so if a tennis ball hurts, there is no need to use an object that firm.

Stretch What?

There are three muscles to focus on stretching when you have PLANTAR FASCIITIS .

Stretch the Calf

When […]

Pain in the Bottom of My FootMaggie Downie2019-03-15T13:25:03-04:00

Healthy Eating

Because I’m in fitness, people often assume I eat healthful and know something about nutrition. This reminds me of when I was good at field hockey in high school. People assumed I was generally good at sports. I wasn’t. I’m interested in food and nutrition, but not the way I care about fascia and movement. However, since my book Keep Moving: Take Steps to Relieve Pain & Improve Your Life came out, during interviews I’ve been questioned about nutrition a surprising amount. I don’t think of myself as an expert in that department, and don’t feel a need to be, however, it made me think I should have some of the basics down. I figured I should review the basics on healthy eating.

Getting Educated

Two books piqued my interest: The Science of Skinny: Start Understanding Your Body’s Chemistry and Stop Dieting Forever by Dee McCaffrey (an organic chemist and nutritionist) and Why You Eat What You Eat by Rachel Herz (a neuroscientist).

The first was a little older. It came out in 2012, so it has been sitting in my upcoming reading pile for seven years. But she wrote in […]

Healthy EatingMaggie Downie2019-02-13T18:30:04-05:00

How Much Sugar A Day?

Sugar is actually good for us. Sugar fuels our brain and provides quick energy. At least that is the case with sugar before it is fully processed and transformed into the white substance we normally see. Sugar cane contains minerals and vitamins (like calcium, phosphorus, chromium, magnesium, cobalt, copper, zinc, and manganese). All those nutrients and the fiber in the sugar cane help us digest the sugar. When we consume sugar without the other nutrients (as is the case in white sugar) the body can be forced to leach calcium from bones and other tissues to help process the sugar. So how much sugar should we get a day?

Two hundred years ago it is estimated that Americans ate about 10 pounds of refined sugar per year. Today that poundage is estimated to be 156 pounds per person per year. This does not include sugars from whole fruits or dairy products. Just added sugar (white sugar, sugar cane, honey, maple syrup, agave, etc).

The American Heart Association recommends 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for […]

How Much Sugar A Day?Maggie Downie2019-02-13T17:46:20-05:00