My 5 Healthiest Habits Since Turning 40
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My two best years were 24 and 40. And 40 was by far the best. Forty is where it all begins. And I am way healthier now than I was when I was 24. Your life is about to blossom.
“Livin’ good in the neighborhood!” All About Well Ray: Saturday, June 23
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Del Ray is a one-stop shop for living a healthy and fulfilled life, hence the creation Alexandria’s only free wellness festival, Well Ray — livin’ good in the neighborhood!
Read MoreThe Glutes Will Save Your Life
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People go crazy over the glutes because of how they make our butts look (enter Sir Mix-A-Lot), but I go crazy over the glutes because I’m convinced they will save our lives.
Read MoreIt’s Our 10 Years, 10 Giveaways Celebration!
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As we continue to celebrate 10 years of Community in Alexandria we want to start giving back to YOU! Over the past 10 days we had a 10 percent off sale (are you getting the theme here?) but now we want to start giving prizes away.
Read MorePersevering Through Infertility and Depression: Persephone Maglaya’s Fitness Story
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If you are like I was, you think that getting pregnant is a breeze. You got off birth control and bada-bing-bada-boom you are preggo. When a few months pass and reality sets in that perhaps there is more to this than expected, you feel like you are the only one sans-child while everyone around you is looking at their partner and getting pregnant. I was young, healthy, and fit, so surely this shouldn’t be an issue, right?
Read MoreWhat’s the Right Kind of Pilates for Me?!
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Attending a studio for the first time can be intimidating: “Everyone will be looking at me.” “I don’t know what I am doing!” “I don’t have the latest active wear.” And, “I’m not as in shape as everyone else.”
Read MoreThis Is Why Your Back Hurts
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That notion of lengthening your spine, known clinically as “axial elongation,” relieves pressure from the discs in your back that tend to bear all the weight and pressure. As you know, the intervertebral discs are the connective tissue in your spine that help build, support, and absorb shock. When we lengthen our spines, the everyday forces are more evenly distributed, therefore, our backs are better protected from injury and wear and tear.
Read More3 Steps for a Reasonable New Year’s Reset
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Are New Year’s resolutions on the “out” list? It seems the extreme efforts and deprivations burn out quickly and are soon replaced by old habits. Maybe that’s the problem. We are too restrictive with trendy and complicated diets, expensive juice cleanses, and overly exhaustive exercise plans. Going to the extreme is not sustainable.
Read MoreThis Is Why Your Wrist Hurts
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Do your wrists hurt during a plank? When planking, you’ve either done this in your exercise class or you’ve seen people doing it: grabbing at their wrists in pain and/or modifying the move onto their forearms or fists. You’ve even seen people wearing wrist splints. There is a reason behind wrist pain when doing this popular exercise. But the good news is, it doesn’t have to hurt!
Read MoreThe Missing Link in Fitness
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Do we really know what makes a workout worthwhile? What method will give us the biggest bang for our buck and in the least amount of time? As an instructor, I am ultra-selective on how I condition this body. I want to amplify my results in as little time possible while simultaneously learning something new.
Read MoreThis Is Why Your Shoulder Hurts
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Although shoulder pain has many causes and can present many ways, a common cause in many “unexplained” cases in women is tight pec muscles. Women tend to have tight pecs for many reasons but all stem from poor posture. When the pecs are tight (both pectoralis major and minor for our anatomy buffs) the shoulder blade (scapula) is pulled out of alignment.
Read MoreFive Workout Do’s & Don’ts
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Learn the proper technique and form for executing these common fitness moves.
Read MoreNew Client: Don’t Fear the Studio! Five Myths Debunked
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Tips for customers who are new to studio fitness classes.
Read MoreA Postpartum Depression Journey
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depression comes in all sizes. What I went through is so small in comparison to what some people have to deal with, but no matter the size, you can’t go through it alone.
Read MoreAsk Megan: Back Pain
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I don’t know many people who have NOT experienced back pain in their lives. Travel can certainly make back problems worse and even contribute to new symptoms due to stress, dehydration and the hours of sitting. The long periods of sitting put excess stress on the structures in the back of the spine.
Read MoreWant a Better Workout? Rest, Don’t Cheat
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I have one rule in my classes (besides having fun) and it may surprise you. My regulars in class answer in unison when I ask “What’s my one rule?”…“REST!” Yes, I said it…rest. No, I don’t mean after class, that’s a given, I mean during class.
Read MoreBottoms Up! Six Moves to Lift your Bum.
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Together these muscles, known as the “glutes,” are the strongest muscle group in the body. However, most traditional exercises designed to strengthen the glutes do not work them to their full potential.
Read MoreThe Difference Between Pilates and Yoga
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Pilates and yoga are both therapeutic forms of exercise. At Mind the Mat we use the word "therapeutic" to describe forms of movement that are intentionally designed for safety and to achieve a specific purpose.
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