pilates

Fitness Trends in 2025

This year the fitness world is seeing a lovely blend of holistic approaches to movement. Functional fitness, hybrid exercises, and recovery are all part of the trend. What do those types of movements entail?

Functional Fitness:
These are moves that prepare you for the activities you’ll face in daily life without making you so sore you can’t move the next day. While they can be more isolated, like push-ups or bicep curls, they usually involve the whole body. They don’t always look like a movement you’ll see in daily activity. For example, steps ups alone mimic going upstairs. That is a functional movement. Adding an overhead press adds arm work, increases the cardio challenge, and works more core so it creates a greater functional challenge.

Examples:
Walking Lunges
Push Ups
Squat with Bicep Curls
Step Up with Opposite Arm Overhead Press

Hybrid Moves:
It’s very clear the body needs variety. Doing the same repetitive motions all the time is not functional and can lead to wear and tear. That means throughout the week you want to change up your workout. Try strength one day and stretching the next. Make sure to get in some cardio (both intense, like interval, and […]

Fitness Trends in 2025Maggie Downie2025-01-22T16:54:17-05:00

Exercise Tips for Better Sleep!

Sleep is vital to a healthy life. But it can evade us. Hundreds of research studies clearly show exercise can help us sleep. We all know that somewhat intuitively. We see kids playing physically and comment: “They’ll sleep well tonight.”

But research is not definitive for what provides optimal sleep. When should we exercise, how intensely, and what type of movement is best are all up in the air. The research is unclear, in part, because the answer seems to vary based on age, sex, chronic illness, and possibly fitness level.

Not having a definitive answer can feel overwhelming. But it can also be empowering. It means that you have room to experiment and see what works for you.

For years the mainstream advise was to do moderate cardio exercise in the morning because if you worked out late in the day, it would keep you up. Recent studies have contradicted that. Later workouts help some people sleep better. Workouts do raise our body temperature, cortisol levels, and heart rate. None of those help us sleep so you do need 1-2 hours after a workout to wind […]

Exercise Tips for Better Sleep!Maggie Downie2024-05-30T11:48:49-04:00

You Have to See

Sometimes when I’m teaching I’ll cue people to look at a certain place. I may say “You should be looking at your knees, not your toes” or “Look over your shoulder.”

While watching some videos on the concepts of Pilates (as one does), an instructor used a similar cue (that’s not atypical). But she added: “It’s not enough to look. You have to see.”

I loved the concept.

It’s not enough to look. You have to see.

The concept instills the idea of intention and being present. And it doesn’t have to be limited to Pilates. Think of all the times we drive somewhere on autopilot. We’re looking, but probably not seeing. In the Pilates realm seeing vs looking can spark our attention and help us reconnect with the moves.

In playing with the concept in my own practice of Pilates focusing on what I actually see as I move helps me stay in tune with my body. It makes sense. Balance is easier with the eyes open. Vision helps us sense ourselves in space. It’s basically doubling up the senses and utilizing more of the tools in our body.

So whether you do Pilates or another […]

You Have to SeeMaggie Downie2024-03-31T12:49:28-04:00

Do You Really Need to Exercise?

Please don’t get me wrong. This is not an article about how you shouldn’t exercise.

It has an important role in our health and wellness, but exercise is not the only way to move and stay healthy. What’s really key is physical activity.

All exercise is physical activity but not all physical activity is exercise. Exercise is the traditional, scheduled, planned, intentional movement you think of when you consider running, weight lifting, and of course your favorite Pilates class (join me through Glastonbury Parks Rec Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8:30 to get your virtual fill of that). Physical activity is any movement that activates the muscles and expends energy. That’s pretty much every movement.

Many large, multi year studies show that the more physically active someone is the less likely they are to die of all causes, including cancer and diabetes. In addition the more physical activity we are the happier we are and the less likely we are to develop Alzheimer’s. And it’s a sliding scale. Add a little bit of physical activity and you’ll live longer and grow happier. Adding more only increases the benefit. That’s where exercise can […]

Do You Really Need to Exercise?Maggie Downie2022-05-03T17:01:20-04:00

Why the 100?!?!

Why do we do the 100 in Pilates? It’s a fair question. In fact, it’s always fair to ask, “why do I have to do this exercise.” I tell my clients that if I don’t have the answer for them they don’t have to do it. It’s important for all of us to know and understand why we do any move in a class. Understanding helps us get more out of it. So why the 100? Here’s why:

Abdominal Endurance:

The 100 is hard to do well (like most Pilates exercises). One hundred seconds is a LONG time to have your head up off the ground. Really, it’s a big ask. Keeping the head in the air and the legs lifted means your abs are working doubly hard throughout the whole exercise.

Breathing While Doing the 100:

You may find you hold your breath while doing the 100. It’s common to hold our breath on any movement, especially challenging moves, but while all Pilates exercises work to sync breath and movement, the 100 breaks the breath down pretty simply. You inhale for 5, exhale for 5 while not doing too much else. Sure, you’re working […]

Why the 100?!?!Maggie Downie2021-04-22T16:55:15-04:00