pilates

Is Exercise Killing Me?

Last week I was frustrated by an article headline I saw somewhere on the Internet. It read “Is Exercise Killing You?” The topic of this new study on exercise was also discussed (thankfully very responsibly) on The View.

So, is exercise killing you? The article I actually found on the topic published in the New York Times was called: “For Some, Exercise May Increase Heart Risk.” A much less fear mongering header which always makes me happy.

The answer is a resounding NO. Exercise is not killing people. The study currently getting a lot of attention found that for 90% of the population exercise has benefits for the heart, lungs and body. But it turns out that for 10% of the population exercise may increase blood pressure and cholesterol. There was no shown increased risk of heart attack of this small group of the population.

I hope the article doesn’t give people an excuse not to exercise. “What if I’m one of the ten percent?” The best thing to do is to get a baseline from your doctor before starting an exercise program. And check in a few months later to compare. Exercise […]

Is Exercise Killing Me?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:54-04:00

Foam Roller

I’ll admit not everyone loves the foam roller as much as I do. It’s a great way to get a good work out and challenge your balance and stabilizer muscles, but more than that it can massage you and your achy fascia! But that is the part not everyone is a fan of sadly. One most people have never heard of fascia and then when they actually get down on to roller to massage the fascia, tendons, and muscles they don’t always love the way it feels.

It can feel a bit intense. Some people describe foam rolling like the feeling you have when you press on a bruise. Why would you want to do that? Because it’s good for you and it won’t leave a bruise. I think it hurts in a good way. But […]

Foam RollerMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:38-04:00

The Pilates Basic Principles in Life

If you have ever taken a pilates class you have probably heard talk of the basic principles. Even if an instructor hasn’t called them that, they have probably told you to “engage your core,” “pull your belly button to your spine,” “engage your kegels,” “relax your shoulders,” “tilt your chin up or down,” or “knit your ribs.” There are thousands of ways to get people thinking about the basic principles of pilates, but the question really is do you consider them outside of pilates class?

Here are a few ways to start incorporating the basic principles into your day:

1) Engage your lower abdominals and kegel muscles at every red light, stop sign, when you touch a door knob, or while you are waiting for your Keurig Coffee.

2) When you are tense or cold, notice if your shoulders are shrugging up to your ears and try to relax them.

3) When sitting for long periods of time (in the car or at the office) do some pelvic tilts—rock your pelvis back and forth just a little to lengthen the low back and then return to a neutral spine.

4) Check in with your breath […]

The Pilates Basic Principles in LifeMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:39-04:00

The Psoas

There are so many people who have written about this muscle better than I can, so think of this post as trying to entice you to read more…

The “p” is silent and you pronounce this very fascinating muscle so-as. So, as in, so what? Well here is what makes the psoas so interesting and why you should know about it.

A few months ago I went to a workshop lead by Liz Koch who has devoted her life to the psoas muscle. One of her most interesting descriptions of the psoas was that it is the filet mignon muscle. She said that chefs will tell you it looks and tastes different and that is has a different color than any other muscle in the body. She claims that in most people’s body, the psoas looks less like filet mignon and more like beef jerky.

I don’t know whether or not that is true, but the visual is pretty poignant. If you went to a nice restaurant and ordered filet mignon and got beef jerky, you’d be […]

The PsoasMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:55-04:00

It’s All Connected: The Hip/Ankle Connection

Last week I was taking a private pilates class. I was complaining about how my ankle has been supinating (rolling outward). It wasn’t painful, but I know it’s not ideal and I wanted to work on it. I was doing basic footwork exercises on the reformer and when I had someone to look at me tell me exactly when my ankle was in the right place I could feel not only the work in my ankle, but I felt a change in my body all the way up to my hip flexors.

It was one of those moments that make me so proud I’m a pilates instructor, and I immediately wanted to make all my clients feel what I had just felt in my body. The footwork, which seems like a really simple exercise was suddenly a huge challenge because of what was going on in my body. All I was doing was lying down and bending and straightening my legs, but suddenly my whole entire body was working to help my ankle stay where it was supposed […]

It’s All Connected: The Hip/Ankle ConnectionMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:41-04:00