The Body & Movement

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of year. I love to eat. I really enjoy my family. And everyone gathers without the crazy rush of Christmas time. Turkey day kicks off the holiday season. And though that season can be crazy I really do enjoy it.

This is a very reflective time of year, which can bring out a lot of emotions. It’s always a good time to stop and take stock. I feel very lucky. I love my job and the work I do. But that is entirely because […]

ThankfulMaggie Downie2017-12-29T19:52:43-05:00

Costochondritis Causes & Possible Solutions

Here I am gently using a belt to tie an icepack around my ribs so that I can go about my day while icing.

One of my most popular blogs is my story of getting costochondritis. I get question from all over the world about whether I know experts in the field or what I did to heal my costochondritis. As a lover of movement I’m ashamed to say I don’t have a definitive answer for either. I don’t know costochondiritis experts around the world to refer people to. And I can make some guesses about what helped me, but I can’t say for sure. I don’t have a ‘do these ten things in this order and your problem will be solved.’ The solution for […]

Costochondritis Causes & Possible SolutionsMaggie Downie2019-01-22T12:45:04-05:00

Plank Story: The Critters at My Door

Matt was traveling for work. I was home alone after dark sitting in the living room when I heard a noise. A noise I can’t quite describe, but it is the sound of horror films—a metallic scratching and thudding. My heart jumped to my throat because I knew I was going to die. This was definitely the sound from the movies right before someone gets it, and I was hearing it in real life. Who would do this to torture me? Had I locked all the doors? I was pretty sure I had.

I followed the noise, not knowing whether that was the right move. I tiptoed through the house in a terror trance. The noise pulled me through the kitchen […]

Plank Story: The Critters at My DoorMaggie Downie2018-01-13T15:48:05-05:00

Foot Pain Probably Plantar Fasciitis

Love Your Feet!

If you have foot pain in the sole of your foot it’s a likely culprit is plantar fasciitis. Most people have never heard of fascia, but most have heard of plantar fasciitis—a painful inflammation of the fascia in your foot. Fascia is connective tissue that runs through your whole body. At the sole of your foot it is a fibrous material that connects to your Achilles’ tendon. And when it hurts it hurts. Most people find it especially hurts first thing in the morning. And that is because fascia responds to movement and hydration. After sleeping, we haven’t drinking in eight hours and we’ve barely moved. The fascia stiffens.

Here are some tips to help your fascia feel better. Some of these are beneficial for the fascia throughout your body. All are specific to the fascia in your foot causing pain:

Drink Water
Ice—you can toss and ice pack under your foot whenever you are sitting down or freeze a water bottle and roll it back and forth under your foot.
At night use this time as a little R&R and rub some lotion […]

Foot Pain Probably Plantar FasciitisMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:18:08-05:00

Pilates: Beginner vs. Intermediate

Maggie doing Spread Eagle on the Cadillac with Fuzzy Straps…Intermediate

Most of Personal Euphoria’s group classes are mixed level, but a couple of our towns offer intermediate classes. People regularly ask me what the differences between beginner and intermediate classes are. So here are some basic guidelines I like to follow:

Pilates Basic Principles

You know and are familiar with all the basic principles. It doesn’t mean you absolutely have to have perfected each principle, but you know it when you hear it and while you may require a reminder, you can make the adjustment needed if cued to. The general basic principles are: breathing, imprint vs. neutral, shoulder stability, neck placement during exercises, and knitting the ribs. Again, this doesn’t mean that you never need to be reminded to relax your shoulders, but when you hear that reminder you are able to. It doesn’t mean that you never feel an exercise in your neck, but when you do, you have ways to move your body to release that tension or you know to lower the head.

Control Imprint vs Neutral

This is […]

Pilates: Beginner vs. IntermediateMaggie Downie2018-02-14T15:28:07-05:00