shoes – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

The High Heel Workout

When we wear high heels regularly it makes permanent changes to our muscles and tendons. The calf muscle and Achilles tendon get shorter. Tight, short muscles and tendons can impact the rest of our body in negative ways, so it’s important to incorporate a few moves if you love your high heels and want to keep them in your wardrobe rotation.

Think STAND (Stretch, Tone, Ankle, Nourish, Doggie)

1.Calf Stretch:

You can do the calf stretch in so many ways. You can face a wall and step one foot back pushing down into your back heel. You can stretch your calves using a BOSU or a flex band. You can use a set of stairs and let your heel hang off the bottom. You can also use a half-foam roller and place the ball of your foot on the top. Heels stay on the floor. As you gain flexibility you can creep the foot that isn’t on the foam roller forward.

2.Tone Shins

We don’t think about our shins much when we exercise (unless, of course, they hurt), but keeping the shins strong can help combat the tightening of the claves.

Lean against a wall. Walk your feet about 1 foot forward and then try to […]

The High Heel WorkoutMaggie Downie2024-04-23T17:13:43-04:00

Could My Bed Cause Back Pain?

A made bed in our house is a very rare occurrence.

No matter how old you are, when your back hurts you feel ninety. Joe Pilates said, “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old. If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.” I don’t normally suffer from back pain, but a few years ago, I had an ache in my low back that wouldn’t go away. Nothing calmed it. This was especially frustrating since I teach Pilates and I pride myself on knowing what is going on in my own body. I understand a lot about what causes pain and how movement can help unravel it. I stretched, massaged it, and did exercises. They were the right things to do, but nothing helped for a prolonged period. Nothing stopped the chronic pain.

I’d been dealing with the problem for a couple months when I went to visit my best friend Julie in Chicago. Before my arrival, she mentioned taking a bike ride or doing a program that was like P90x. I told her that was […]

Could My Bed Cause Back Pain?Maggie Downie2018-02-14T16:52:02-05:00

Two-Minute Meditation

Recently in my struggle to meditate, a client suggested that I try linking meditation with something I do every day like putting my shoes. That seemed like a brilliant idea, but the problem sort of was I don’t really want to meditate. I’m not motivated to do it. Her suggestion was that I try for five minutes. I suggested two minutes.

Honestly, I don’t think I really thought I would do it, but I surprised myself. Two days later I put on one shoe, remembered this should be a reminder to meditate, and so with one shoe on I sat down and began to breath and repeat two words over and over. When I opened my eyes, I had barely lasted two minutes. But I’d done it.

Five minutes later I tried again, frustrated that two minutes could seem so long. This time I focused more on breathing and lasted two-minutes, fifteen seconds. Hey it’s a start, right?

Although, I have to admit, the next day I forgot to do it entirely.

Personal Euphoria

Two-Minute MeditationMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:39-04:00