move – Page 3 – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Fascia & Chronic Low Back Pain

Supporting the legs will often make it easier to do a pelvic tilt from the abs.

If you are prone to low back pain, you might want to consider fascia as the culprit, especially if an X-ray and MRI reveal that nothing is wrong.

Fascia is the connective tissue that runs along and encapsulates everything in our body. Research has shown that people with chronic low back pain have lumbar fascia that is about 25% thicker than people without pain.

What should you do if the lumbar (low back) fascia might be causing your pain?

1) Massage

Find a qualified good massage therapist. An effective massage does not have to feel like torture. You don’t have to opt for a sport massage, unless that’s up you alley.

2) Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate

Like most of our body our fascia needs […]

Fascia & Chronic Low Back PainMaggie Downie2018-04-27T06:57:45-04:00

Giving Thanks

I’m also super grateful for the team at PE, but that’s a whole other blog.

We’ve reached that time of year for giving thanks. I love it. Stopping to appreciate all that is good in your life is a worthwhile practice.

As a company Personal Euphoria has a lot to be thankful for. Primarily everyone who attends our group classes, does our online classes, or takes our private lessons. And anyone reading this.

Group Classes

When I teach a group class, I love when people talk to each other before the classes start. I like the social aspect of people coming together to move. I like when you laugh at movement because it’s hard or silly (an exercise like the seal fills both categories). When, as a group, you move your neck so it’s in line with your spine or connect the ribs, I’m thrilled. Watching people “get it” really makes me happy. And, I do Pilates, too, so I know how hard it can be to “get it.” When you show up even though your back is cranky and then leave feeling better, I feel honored. It’s not that I […]

Giving ThanksMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:03:15-05:00

Get Moving

This time of year we often see lots of family and friends for various gatherings, often for prolonged periods of sitting and eating. While that is fun, sometimes we can miss out on our regular exercise routine because we are preparing, shopping, or prepping for meals. It means this is often the season of a lot more calories in and a lot less calories out. So how do you get your family moving?

There are fun ways to incorporate movement that can include the whole family and might actually get you all laughing together. Remember, movement shouldn’t be a chore or a bore. It can and should be fun.

Eleven Tips for Getting your Family Moving around the Holidays

Walk Between Dinner and Dessert

As an added bonus, taking a walk often gets you out of dish duty.

Play Charades or Another Physical Game

If your family needs a real challenge, show up this year with Twister.

Stretch Between Courses

Think of this like the seven inning stretch. Get up and get moving. Pick gentle stretches that feel good. Some shoulder shrugs or a group hip flexor stretch.

Dance While Washing Dishes

Put on some fun music and dance while you clean up. I think […]

Get MovingMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:07:47-05:00

Move More

Just me trying to get my feet behind my head and stay relaxed at the same time.

I love to move. I’m always looking for ways to move more throughout the day. This month on a whim I’ve been doing an Instagram challenge to try a different, assigned yoga pose every day. Some of the moves feel great. Other days I look at the way I’m supposed to contort myself and I just laugh. I haven’t been able to get my feet behind my head since I was six months old.

Most days I play with movement. I have some monkey bars and I experiment with what I can do with them. I try to feel what my clients say they feel on certain exercises. While taking a walk, I check to see if my butt is involved in each step. When I breathe, I experiment with where I can send my breath. When watching television, I roll around on Yoga Tune Up balls. Movement is a game for me. Discovering what, where and when can I fit movement into my day makes me happy. I enjoy the challenge.

To some degree this […]

Move MoreMaggie Downie2018-05-04T09:57:18-04:00

Menstrual cramps or gas

This is my mom. The woman who created the chicken walk.

If you ever asked me if I knew the difference between menstrual cramps or gas, I would have definitively said, “Yes.” With that opening line, you probably realize that this blog may come with a little TMI. I’m going to talk about my bowels more than you may care to know about. I’ll try to make the process at least mildly entertaining. But if you don’t have any menstrual or bowel trouble you’ve been trying to sort out, you can feel free to skip this one. However, if you have ever confused menstrual cramps for gas, keep reading.

Menstrual Cramps or Gas

I’m familiar with gas pain. As a kid if you had gas pain in our house my mom would make you get up and move. She called it the chicken walk. You would make big, exaggerated movements and get your knees up really high, practically pulling one knee up toward one shoulder and then repeating on the other side as you strutted around the room. If you weren’t doubled over in pain from gas cramps it would have been […]

Menstrual cramps or gasMaggie Downie2019-07-31T20:45:46-04:00