The Body & Movement

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

Teddy Roosevelt exercises and so should you

Teddy Roosevelt also was a boxer.

I’m a sucker for a good historical documentary and Ken Burns. The Roosevelt Documentary on PBS is both all rolled up in one. And, I’m watching like it’s a thriller. I can’t wait to see more.

I’m a day or two behind in my viewing, but the first night we learned that Teddy Roosevelt had terrible asthma and his father recommended he get control of his body through regular movement, exercise and what appeared to be gymnastics. We also discover that Teddy suffered from depression and unnamed demons that kept him on the move in an attempt to keep them at bay.

Clearly there were some physiological issues going on that might warrant therapy today, but movement is really helpful for depression. Exercise directly impacts what happens in your brain. It’s not just about effecting mood either. Exercise makes you smarter. The American College of Sports Medicine published a study that showed students who ran remembered a string of numbers more accurately and faster than student who weight lifted or sat quietly. It is aerobic exercise that seems […]

Teddy Roosevelt exercises and so should youMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:50-04:00

Conquering Fear with Breathing and Rock Climbing

I afraid of heights. I’ll go into one of those buildings like the Willis Tower in Chicago, where you can step out onto a glass floor and look down at the city below, and I’ll have to sit down and inch my butt onto the glass without looking down for a quick photo-op. I’ll try not to think about it as I’m waiting in line and then when it’s my turn and I go to step on the glass, I physically can’t move my body. I’m actually crippled by fear. This has happened to me at the beach too with waves that wouldn’t phase a child

I’m a scaredy cat. I try to convince myself that it my fear is totally normal. My brain is actually smarter than people willing to walk onto suspended glass platforms or jump from cliffs into pools of water. My brain recognizes how badly that could all end. But the truth is I want to do some things I’m afraid of. And I don’t want to be afraid.

Sometimes my fear of heights holds me back. I get scared on certain hikes. I am terrified to the point of tears of zip lines. And it’s gotten worse […]

Conquering Fear with Breathing and Rock ClimbingMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:33-04:00

What is Pilates? What is my core?

You’ve probably heard of your core. It’s a common buzz word. In Pilates, our “core” refers to more than just our abdominal muscles. The Pilates “core” includes the abdominals, glutes (butt muscles), back muscles and muscles of the shoulder girdle. Basically, Pilates instructors are trying to train you to have a strong, solid, yet pliable (when it needs to be) trunk.

But it’s deeper than that. The goal of Pilates movement should be to help you understand how your body works to help you move from the right place and use the small stabilizing muscles we all take for granted. If we push from large, superficial muscles, we may feel strong, but we don’t have real strength. Knowing Pilates can help you improve any type of movement, exercise, or sport you like to enjoy. It can even make daily life better. The concepts teach you how to use your body more effectively and efficiently no matter what you are doing.

As an added bonus, if you ever get hurt doing something you love, it’s those small muscles that will help you get better. Those small muscles keep you balanced when you walk and do the simple daily tasks […]

What is Pilates? What is my core?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:51-04:00