exercise

High Intensity

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If in addition to your Pilates routine you do cardiovascular or aerobic workouts–like running, using an elliptical, etc. your might be interested in a January article published by The International Journal of Obesity.

They determined that high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) may offer more cardiovascular and weight loss benefits than working for a prolonged period at a steady pace. Intervals have been found to be a very effective way to work out, but this study tested very short intervals (8 seconds of high intensity followed by 12 seconds of rest repeated for 20-minutes).

I tried it on the elliptical at the gym. You can’t focus on anything else because every 8 to 12 seconds you need to change what you are doing, but it didn’t feel as exhausting as longer interval training I have done. Since I find ellipticals boring, I convince myself to workout on them by allowing myself to read–an activity I love, but don’t always have time for. Interval training is not conducive to that. However, it was nice to do intervals and feel less tired while potentially getting more benefit.

This doesn’t mean […]

High IntensityMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00

Labor Day Weekend Hiking

I like to spend my Labor Day weekends in New Hampshire hiking. Usually this means a trip up Mount Washington, but this year I decided that as much as I love Mt. Washington, I really don’t want a parking lot at the top of the Mountain when I finish.

If the weather is good and all goes well, today I’ll be finishing up some new and different hikes in New Hampshire to tell you about later in this blog.

The past couple years my brother, Will, has joined me up Mt. Washington. He’s off to college this year and can’t come, but I’ll be thinking about him during the hike.

I find hiking not only to be a good workout, but to be a fun excursion into nature. In New Hampshire you can see fabulous views (when the weather is clear). The air is cool and clean. In some stretches you can find yourself (and your fellow hikers) all alone in the wilderness. There is so much space this can even […]

Labor Day Weekend HikingMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00

Another Pilates Video–Head Wrestling

I love that they spent time doing this. Check out Joe Pilates’ (he is the shorter guy) shoes–not too shabby. This video shows head wrestling, arm wrestling, and pole wrestling–three past times I was not familiar with.

Another Pilates Video–Head WrestlingMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:35-04:00

Facial Exercises

As if we don’t have enough to exercise, now we can exercise our face. I found this amusing.

Facial ExercisesMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:49-04:00

Pilates Video

Check out this video on YouTube of Joseph Pilates doing some of the original exercises. You’ve got the love the saw! But watching him do the roll over and roll up is pretty amazing. Her really does have control and grace. From this link on YouTube you’ll be able to find other videos of Joesph doing the exercises.

Pilates VideoMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:36-04:00