tips – Page 11 – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Stand & Sit for the Pelvic Floor

There are lots of people, especially women (and women who have had babies), who struggle to engage their pelvic floor. It can be hard to find and it’s not a muscle we’re taught about in school like our abs or biceps.

The muscles that make up your kegel (or pelvic floor) muscles connect to the base of your pelvis. They tie the tailbone, the public bone, the sits bones (those protruding bumps your feel in your buttocks when you sit down) together.

This is one of the best exercises I have found to start to feel and be able to understand where the pelvic floor is located. And it’s really easy to try.

Exercise:

Sit in a chair with your feet hip distance apart.
Stand up slowly.
Sit down slowly.
Repeat.

As you stand up, especially at the last moment when you are finally fully erect, notice how your sits bones come closer together. As you sit and your buttocks moves closer to the chair notice how they spread. It’s not a huge range of motion. If you can’t feel the difference in your body start by touching your sits bones with your hands and […]

Stand & Sit for the Pelvic FloorMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:58-04:00

June 30th–Midway through 2009

Believe it or not on June 30th we were half way through 2009. It’s hard to believe how time does fly. But halfway through the year is an ideal time to stop and take stock of how the year is going and if we are reaching all our goals for this year.

Take some time today to recall those New Year Resolutions you made six months ago. Don’t nag yourself if you’ve fallen behind, just get back on track this week. The 4th of July picnics have come and gone and the summer is in full swing. You can get outside and get active. If you planned on getting in better shape or eating better this year, now is the time to make sure you’re moving forward to achieve your goals. It is never too late to get started.

June 30th–Midway through 2009Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:51-04:00

A Healthy Fourth: Part 2

Okay, so tomorrow you wont be eating anything your Great Grandma wouldn’t eat; now, how will you remain active?

Assuming fireworks will be part of your day, park far away. Enjoy a long walk to the show. You’ll have a long walk back, but you won’t have to sit in traffic. I’ll take a long walk back to the car over a traffic jam any day. You’ve just fit in some exercise, saved the environment some exhaust fumes, spent your time wisely, and celebrated the fourth. It’s a win win.

A Healthy Fourth: Part 2Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:51-04:00

A Healthy Fourth: Part 1

We always try to help you stay healthy around picnic events that inspire people to gorge themselves on goodies. It can be hard to pass on a beloved Aunt’s famous brownies (or in my case cheese dip).

My mom has started making these wonderful treats called Oreo Cookie Balls. Whenever they wind up at a picnic, everyone wants the recipe. We have renamed them “Crack Balls” because they are so good, you can’t stop yourself from just popping them in your mouth–oh yes, they are conveniently bite-sized. In addition to being delicious they are, no doubt, terrible for you.

The three main ingredients are Oreo cookies, cream cheese, and vanilla almond bark. What the later ingredient is, I don’t know, but I do know it’s hard to find and that white chocolate is not a very good substitute. So, how does getting your mouth watering for Oreo Cookie Crack Balls, help you stay on track this fourth of July?

You’re not going to eat them or anything that falls into the same category. You may have heard a new trend about not eating anything your great-grandma wouldn’t recognize. […]

A Healthy Fourth: Part 1Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:51-04:00

Quotes VII

“The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.” –Abraham Lincoln

Quotes VIIMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:51-04:00