move – Page 6 – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Chill Out for Better Results…It’s Not All or Nothing

The barefoot running movement got a pretty bad reputation because anecdotally lots of people got hurt barefoot running. If I got seriously injured doing something I attempted to do for my health, I’d stop too. If I loved running before I altered the way I did it and hated it now, I go back to my old ways. It makes sense.

One of my friends tore both his Achilles tendons running with minimalist shoes. But what he did and what many barefoot runners did was push too much too fast. The barefoot running movement and the makers of minimalist shoes all said if you want to make this change you have to start slow—really slow. Go too fast and you’ll get hurt. Taking on more than we are ready for is a major reason people new to exercise stop moving. They work too hard in a hope to get quick results, get hurt and don’t want to continue. Some people associate exercise with pain and getting hurt. That’s always been their experience. Moving doesn’t have to hurt, and should NEVER hurt in a “bad” way. The concept of no pain no gain has been disproved, but it is a really hard […]

Chill Out for Better Results…It’s Not All or NothingMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:49-04:00

89-Year-Old Grandma Crawls Inside Igloo

My Grandma turned 89 in February. A couple months ago we went shopping for a new pair of slippers. She balanced on one foot while untying her shoe, slid her foot out of her shoe and into the slipper. She may have held my hand through the process, but her balance was impeccable. And this is a woman who had polio as a child. Her legs are two different lengths. There was a point in her life when all her leg muscles had atrophied after spending months strapped to a wooden board, immobilized.

Ruth at 89 outside the Igloo

Still, it came as no surprise when she announced that for her 89^th birthday she wanted to see the igloo we had built, and she even wanted to go inside. You had to crawl to get in. My mom suggested we could lay down a tarp and pull her in if Ruth inside the igloo!

she couldn’t get in on her own. I’m not sure when something turns from fun game with Grandma to elder […]

89-Year-Old Grandma Crawls Inside IglooMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:59:36-04:00

Does Movement Feel Good?

When was the last time you went to a fitness class and it felt good? Hopefully, the answer is, “Yesterday, I love the way my (insert class name here) feels every week.” I hope you thought that. I’m with you. I love to move. Throw me in almost any type of class and I’m going to enjoy it. I’m happy in motion, probably to a fault. But even when it feels good to move, it’s not always fun.

There is a free, silliness to movement that we tend not to hold onto as we age. It’s been drilled out of us. I watch my friend’s kids giggling over summersaults. They will spin in circles until they collapse in a heap. I’m not advocating circle spinning. The thought of doing that now makes me nauseous. The last time a rolled down a hill (about a decade ago) I learned that it is more torture than fun in my body. Things change. But kids get so much joy out of motion, and half the moves are concocted, on a whim and beyond goofy looking. They don’t care.

I saw the video of this little girl, who was clearly enjoying herself dancing to a different beat […]

Does Movement Feel Good?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:42-04:00

Six Reasons to Slow Down Your Workout

We tend to think bigger is better. We have to work harder and faster or we aren’t getting a good enough workout. Sometimes we even use this as an excuse not to exercise. But research is showing we can chill out. You don’t have to go hard or go home. You can just move. Here are some research points in favor of a gentler workout:

Run Slow (10-min mile)

Running ten-minute miles and under 15-miles a week is more beneficial to your heart health than running faster for longer, which actually diminishes the gain for your heart. So slow down and enjoy the run. And stop calling yourself a jogger at a 10-minute mile. It’s not 1970. You’re out there running with everyone else. You’re a runner.

Pilates Good For Your Mind

A small study showed that 10-weeks of Pilates increases memory, cognitive function and neural network activity. You won’t be surprised if you’ve done Pilates. It’s basically the exercise for multi-taskers. There’s a lot going on at the same time.

Aerobic Exercises Creates New Neurons

That’s right. Exercise is one of the few things, if not the only thing, in life that creates and builds new neurons in the brain. This should be reason enough […]

Six Reasons to Slow Down Your WorkoutMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:49-04:00

Fun with FitBit

I got my FitBit on.

I’ve had a FitBit for years. When I first got it, it inspired me to move more, I think. (Maybe there is a previous blog that would reveal the answer.) I haven’t worn it for years, but then my little sister got me back into it by inspiring me with competition. She must know me.

You can now download and app and invite friends to compete in challenges to move more. This is sort of my dream in life. The competition aspect changes the way I operate. I’ve thrown in an extra walk around the block. I’ve even caught myself pacing while chatting to get extra steps.

Most importantly, I’ve learned I’m not as active as I think. I consider myself pretty active. I teach Pilates, after all. I’m up and down off the mat, pulling and adjusting springs. I feel like in my classes I’m always moving. But after teaching three back-to-back classes Ill only earn 600-800 steps. That’s not great. And it’s brought my attention to how much I sit. Since half my job involves running the business, I’m at the computer […]

Fun with FitBitMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:26:32-04:00