health

Fluidity

Last week I went to NYC to visit my sister and try some new types of exercises classes. The first class I tried was Fluidity, which had been recommended to me by Susan (one of our instructors at Personal Euphoria).

The exercises are done on a bar and reminded me of dance and Pilates combined, but they are designed to work every muscle in your body to the point of fatigue–an incredible sensation if you like that kind of pain, which I do (sometimes). Certainly that is not a sensation everyone wants to feel and you don’t need to feel agony in order to get a good workout.

No pain, no gain is not actually true. And one thing I have learned in my practice of Pilates is that when you come to understand and feel subtleties in the body (small muscles groups for example) and you work the muscles with awareness, they fatigue much quicker. In fluidity, I felt like I had to stop feeling my body so much, stop being fully aware or I never would have gotten through the class. Six years ago I would have loved it, but I wasn’t as aware of […]

FluidityMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:05:16-04:00

February Factoid: Fibula

Did you know??

Your fibula (the bone next to your shin bone) only bears 10% of the body’s weight. This makes sense because it is the thinnest bone in proportion to its length.

February Factoid: FibulaMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:35:27-04:00

Feldenkrais

The instructors as Personal Euphoria all enjoy movement and finding new ways to learn about our bodies. Last week we got together to try the Feldenkrais Method of Movement. Margo Henneback came to instruct us.

We had a wonderful time. Feldenkrais, from my understanding, is about body awareness and learning how it feels to move your body in different ways. We spent the majority of the workshop moving our pelvis in different directions (up and down, left and right, and circling).

The more I learn about the body, the more I come to find that there is no wrong or right way to move the body. It can and desires to move in all different ways. Trying different modalities helps you to discover ways your body likes to move. It is important to maintain mobility in whatever method your find that your body enjoys.

FeldenkraisMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:57-04:00

New Exercise

We usually have more time on the weekends so it’s a good time to try something new. This weekend, try a new type of exercise. Let us know how it goes.

Here are some classes you may not have tried:

1) Yoga
2) Kick Boxing
3) Swing Dancing
4) Indoor Rock Climbing
5) Tai Chi
6) Swimming
7) Pole Dancing
8) Fluidity

Let the word “exercise” be very broad and pick an activity you think will be fun and get you moving.

New ExerciseMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:35:28-04:00

Best Dessert in Town

Oh My GOD! You may not expect to find a link to a dessert place on a fitness blog, but if you are going to eat dessert you want it to be good. Plus, Vida Doce Pastry Shop in Newington, which I tried last weekend is a small business. As a small business owner I like to support small places, especially when they are good. No, not good, fantabulous–that’s not a word, but that’s the best way to describe Vida Doce.

I couldn’t decide what to get, but went with a brownie and hot chocolate. I couldn’t finish. It was delicious and very rich.

It would be a great place to spend an afternoon with some friends and share a couple desserts. I went with two people. We each ordered something different and none of us could eat it all. The portions are good and the prices really reasonable.

Best Dessert in TownMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:35:28-04:00