The Body & Movement

Working Out in the Morning is Making Me Fat!

I’m a morning person. Most of my life I would get up early before work to exercise. And it wasn’t a chore. That was my time. I enjoyed it. But as I’ve gotten older my sleep has also become more important to me. So I have a new rule. I won’t get up to exercise if it means I’m setting the alarm before 5:30am. I’ll make an occasional exception.

That means I’m not getting in as many or as long workouts as I used to in the morning. And it’s taken some adjusting. I prefer exercising in the morning. I’ve had to learn to try to fit in exercise in the afternoon. But here’s the thing, I wasn’t feeling good. The workout felt fine (once I get moving I always feel better), but by the middle of the day I was drained.

A friend of mine said, “I think working out in the morning is making me fat.” It may sound laughable, but I related. I was so tired from getting up so early to work out that by midday I found myself snacking on anything I could to stay awake. The snacking was defeating the workout. I have a hard enough […]

Working Out in the Morning is Making Me Fat!Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:50-04:00

Fun with FitBit

I got my FitBit on.

I’ve had a FitBit for years. When I first got it, it inspired me to move more, I think. (Maybe there is a previous blog that would reveal the answer.) I haven’t worn it for years, but then my little sister got me back into it by inspiring me with competition. She must know me.

You can now download and app and invite friends to compete in challenges to move more. This is sort of my dream in life. The competition aspect changes the way I operate. I’ve thrown in an extra walk around the block. I’ve even caught myself pacing while chatting to get extra steps.

Most importantly, I’ve learned I’m not as active as I think. I consider myself pretty active. I teach Pilates, after all. I’m up and down off the mat, pulling and adjusting springs. I feel like in my classes I’m always moving. But after teaching three back-to-back classes Ill only earn 600-800 steps. That’s not great. And it’s brought my attention to how much I sit. Since half my job involves running the business, I’m at the computer […]

Fun with FitBitMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:32-04:00

On Death & Mourning: A Little Comfort

Not our typical blog, but if it helps you feel better, it helps you move better.

I went to a funeral the other day. The role of the priest, minister or rabbi is always a tough one when someone dies. They have to console the inconsolable. The priest at this funeral wasn’t great. He kept insisting that the dead person was just sleeping, and that it would be accurate to tell kids the dead are merely sleeping. As a child that would have terrified me. I’d never go to bed again.

But then he said something that filled me with happiness. Ultimately, his words were not overly profound, but I’d never had someone put death quite this way. Full disclosure: I’m not religious or spiritual—a fact people are often surprised to learn. I don’t have that gene. But like Mark Twain, I appreciate people who do. There are moments I wish I could believe in something to experience a glimpse of comfort when tormented by grief, but more often than not I’m happy believing in the fallibility of science.

I’ve heard many people say we should be comforted to know that when we die we will be reunited with the person whose life […]

On Death & Mourning: A Little ComfortMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:32-04:00

18 Things Only Pilates Lovers Will Understand

Love to Move: Pilates Teaser

You’ve got your belly button pulled to your spine. And if you didn’t when you first read this you do now.
You know your butt is part of your core because you never get through a workout without feeling it.
When you hear someone say “100” even if it’s not pertaining to Pilates you want to run and hide. Since there is no escaping, you just pray your instructor counts fast.
Relax your shoulders…nuff said. You know you could do this more all the time.
That occasional foot cramp that comes out of nowhere. Ouch! Getting Longer!
You could always be reaching something longer.
The Full Roll Up is the bane of your existence.
You know how hard it is to breathe and move at the same time. In fact, you’re holding your breath right now.
Neutral vs Imprint. You know the difference, but at first you weren’t sure and just knew it had something to do with a teacup balancing on your pelvis. Why a teacup?
You’ve come to terms with the fact that none of the names for […]

18 Things Only Pilates Lovers Will UnderstandMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:32-04:00

Know Your Pain: Good vs Bad Pain

I often tell my classes that it’s okay to work through good pain (my muscle feels tired and sore doing these squats), but no one should work through bad pain (my join hurts or my tendon feels like there is glass in it when I do that exercise).

The problem is, sometimes the difference between good pain and bad pain is slight or hard to determine. If you are someone who lives with pain, movement might hurt in what seems like a bad way every time you move, but you’ve got to move. If you are an athlete or avid runner, you might push through acceptable pain so often then when you feel actual bad pain you push through it to the point of injury.

So how do you know the difference?

In my role as a Pilates Instructor, I always want people to leave feeling better than when they walked in the studio. I never want people to leave in pain, feeling like they hurt something. That is not the goal of movement. But research has shown that in almost all cases it’s better to move through pain. If you have a surgery, […]

Know Your Pain: Good vs Bad PainMaggie Downie2017-10-25T16:00:36-04:00