The Body & Movement

The Psoas

There are so many people who have written about this muscle better than I can, so think of this post as trying to entice you to read more…

The “p” is silent and you pronounce this very fascinating muscle so-as. So, as in, so what? Well here is what makes the psoas so interesting and why you should know about it.

A few months ago I went to a workshop lead by Liz Koch who has devoted her life to the psoas muscle. One of her most interesting descriptions of the psoas was that it is the filet mignon muscle. She said that chefs will tell you it looks and tastes different and that is has a different color than any other muscle in the body. She claims that in most people’s body, the psoas looks less like filet mignon and more like beef jerky.

I don’t know whether or not that is true, but the visual is pretty poignant. If you went to a nice restaurant and ordered filet mignon and got beef jerky, you’d be […]

The PsoasMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:55-04:00

Workout Schedule

If you’re finding it tough to fit in your workouts, maybe you should consider creating a schedule. You can do this for each week, so you know what’s coming. Sometimes planning for a month is a lot to take in. One week at a time is something we can all commit to. Think of making time to work out as important as a meeting you have planned. If you only have twenty minutes one day that is okay. Use that time to walk or do a few stretches.

Here are a few tips to help you stick to your schedule:

• Pick a type of movement you like, even if you wouldn’t normally think of it as exercise.
• Have variety in your workout.
• Schedule it at time that will work for you. If you aren’t an early riser maybe it’s better for you to plan workouts at the end of your day.
• Ask a friend to join you for two or three of your workouts. Working out with groups helps the time go […]

Workout ScheduleMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:55-04:00

Kids & Movement

Joe Pilates drew a lot of his ideas about movement and exercise by watching animals and infants move. In knowing that, I often watch my friends’ kids to see how they move. What do they do when they are first learning to crawl? How do they hold their head up? Why do they walk on their toes when they first learn to walk? How does their spine move? These are all things I look for to see what kids do naturally.

Kids also have a freedom to movement that I think we lose as we age. It’s mostly societal. An adult can’t get away with throwing their arms up in the air, spinning in circles or just jumping up and down on the middle of a sidewalk the way a kid can. Kids have more freedom to be silly.

And so when we had friends staying with us a few weekends ago and their 3-year old daughter started moving around in ways that made me chuckle (okay, I was laughing hard), I tried to catch it on camera. This was especially something I wanted to catch after I asked her what she was doing and she responded, […]

Kids & MovementMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:42-04:00

Pilates is Easy

Think Pilates is easy? You probably aren’t doing it right. Every time I take a pilates class I’m surprised at how difficult it is, and I like a tough, challenging workout. There are exercises that I didn’t find difficult at first, but once I understood them better (from years of practice) I found them to be my most challenging. Many of the beginner exercises are actually the most difficult. And when I’m not doing an advanced exercise as well as I should, it’s usually going back to one of the beginner exercises that will make me realize how I should be moving my body in order to do the more challenging exercise properly.

Even an exercise like ab prep–it seems easy, but it’s not at all. You are basically lifting your head and shoulders off the floor. Many people mistake it for an abdominal crunch, but the exercise is so much more, and once you discover all the intricacies, you can find what may seem like the simplest exercise extremely rewarding.

It may not happen right […]

Pilates is EasyMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:55-04:00

Are You Good At Pilates?

A couple times in classes last week people mentioned how well I do pilates. It is and isn’t true. Sure, I’m good at pilates and can do advanced exercises. I’d be somewhat delusional if I said otherwise, but let’s be realistic too, I chose this for my career. I hope I’m reasonably good at it.

(In this picture it looks like I could lift up from my bottom ribs some more, and I probably should knit my ribs because I’m popping my chest out too far.)

Now, here is something else to think about: Just like everyone else, I do the exercises in my own body. I often go to class and see some of my students, especially the ones who have been doing the exercises for years perform certain exercises better than I do. Sometimes our bodies are just made for a certain exercise. Take teaser for example. That is supposed to be one of the hardest exercises […]

Are You Good At Pilates?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:55-04:00