pilates

Reminder: Basic Principles of Pilates

One piece of knowledge that Pilates provides that many forms of exercise do not is the concept of the basic principles. You can consider them no matter what you are doing in life. Whether you are exercising, working, driving, cooking, or whatever situation you might find yourself in, you can always turn to the five basic principles to think about your body and help you focus.

In case you’ve forgotten what they are, here’s a friendly reminder:

1) Shoulder Stability
2) Pelvic Placement
3) Neck Alignment
4) Rib Cage
5) Breath

Reminder: Basic Principles of PilatesMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:27-04:00

Pilates Reminder

Remember, Pilates is designed to help you prepare your body for the movement it faces in life on a daily basis. Try to consider your body and how it moves today.

Pilates ReminderMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:57-04:00

Unstable Surfaces

Doing your ab work on an unstable surface like a stability ball or Bosu enhances the workout by engaging the abdomen muscles more. It’s has been tested in two different studies that prove it works.

Unstable SurfacesMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:28-04:00

Move & Hold Still

It is one of the many challenges in Pilates: to move and hold still at the same time. Yet that is one of the aspects of Pilates that makes it so unique and provides you with so much control.

Think about moving and holding still the next time you do the following exercises:

The 100: You move your arms, but try not to move the rest of you body, espeically the rest of the upper body.

Leg Circles: You move your leg in the hip socket, but try not to let the opposite side of you pelvis lift.

Spinal Rotation: You twist at the spine without letting your hips move with you.

Can you think of another exercise in Pilates that requires you to move and hold still at the same time?

Move & Hold StillMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:09:05-04:00

Challenge #14

This week only eat foods your Grandma would recognize. This will probably be easier if you don’t eat anything that comes out of a box, since packaged foods can contain a lot of ingredients Grandma probably never heard about before.

Years ago, my father took this picture of my Great Grandma with one of her yummy apples pies.

Challenge #14Maggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:28-04:00