Maeve McEwen on Living and Moving with Intention

Maeve McEwen is a certified personal trainer, Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and Lead Trainer and Director of Programming at P.volve. Her passion for anatomy led her to pursue a degree in Dance and Movement Science at the University of Michigan and certifications including: NASM Personal Training + Corrective Exercise Specialist, Core Exercise Solutions Pre and Post Natal Corrective Exercise Specialist, Gray Institute 3D Maps + CFS, Pilates Mat and more. Maeve helps her clients find optimal function and balance within their own bio individual bodies through a focus on breathwork, mindset tools, and mobility, stability, and strength training.

As a recent IIN Grad, Maeve shares her perspective on health coaching in the fitness space, the importance of moving and living with intention, how she applies her IIN Education throughout her teaching and program development at P.volve and five wellness tips that she applies each day.

Congratulations on almost graduating from the IIN Health Coaching Course. Can you share more about why you signed up for IIN? What were you hoping to achieve?

In 2017, I started experiencing health challenges that affected my daily life: I frequently broke out in hives and rashes, I had severe joint and muscle pain, constant fatigue, then I stopped getting my period. I saw multiple doctors to try to figure out why this was happening, and I continually got the same responses: “take an antihistamine” and “go on the pill.” I had been a serious dancer my entire life, so the mentality of pushing through pain was unfortunately ingrained in me. Then I discovered P.volve.

The P.volve Method completely transformed how I approach movement. I slowed down my workouts, I shifted my focus from overworking and overexercising to correcting my muscular imbalances through my workouts. Quickly, my daily joint and muscle pain started to subside, and I felt energetic and alive again! I signed up for IIN because I knew there was still more to my self-healing journey, and I knew so many others who were suffering like me! I wanted to find the root cause of my menstrual irregularities, my skin flare ups, and help guide others to heal themselves by themselves. I am currently enrolled in the Hormone Health course to further my education and tool set to both work with clients and better understand my own body’s needs as well.

Your mantra is "move with intention" — how have your learnings from IIN related to this mantra? So much of what we do, consume, and think requires intention. How does this fall into play with your everyday life and practice?

My learnings at IIN have further connected me with the value of my life energy and how I relate that to my intentions. I used to just run on empty all the time and lived in a sympathetic (fight or flight) state! Rather than just working out every day to “get a sweat in” or “burn calories,” I now focus on intentional exercises. I program my classes progressively with a focus on mobility, stability, and strength training, so the body feels safe and prepared for not just the workout, but for everyday life.

I also work with the natural ebb and flow of my hormones through cycle syncing – I specifically structure my workouts and meals around what is happening hormonally. This helps optimize my energy, gain results, and keep my hormones in check! Outside of my workouts, I am now also more intentional when deciding what I eat, read, follow on social media, who I spend time with, and so much more.

These lessons from IIN have also provided me with tools to help create more intentional programming for our P.volve clients! We have women’s health-focused series and educational talks on demand - check out “Phase & Function” for cycle syncing, our pre- and post-natal videos, and “Moving through Menopause” to learn more!

What are some of the significant changes you noticed in your overall health and wellness throughout your studies at IIN? How have you applied your learnings to your everyday life?

There are so many changes I have noticed in the past few years! I have not broken out in hives or rashes, I got my period back naturally, I don’t have intense cravings, I don’t have daily pain, and I am full of energy! My IIN learnings have guided me to find the root cause of those symptoms through self-coaching – I continually practice a beginner's mind and never stop exploring what works for my body.

How do you hope to incorporate your IIN Health Coach learnings to your P.volve classes and with clients?

I hope to continue to incorporate my IIN learnings to my P.volve classes and with clients by providing them with tools that help them understand how their own primary and secondary food and hormones influence their overall health and wellness goals in addition to their workouts.

What are your best tips to...

Beat fatigue: First listen to your body! What is it truly asking from you? Instead of reaching for the caffeine, try getting up and stretching or going for a short walk. Movement increases circulation and endorphins which can give you an instant energy boost!

Get restful sleep: Maintain a consistent bedtime schedule. Begin each morning with nature and sunlight and focus on shutting down electronics earlier. When I begin to worry about not doing everything on my “to-do” list, I remind myself “if it was meant to be done today, then it would have been!”

Feel satisfied with each meal: Eat quality protein, fiber, and healthy fats with every meal to help stabilize your blood sugar.

Start and end each day: Start every day with movement - it can be as little as a three-minute stretch or an hour-long P.volve class. End each day with breathing techniques to stimulate your parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.

Make time for you: Try menstrual cycle syncing - I prioritize “me time” when I am in the end of my luteal phase and menstrual phase knowing my hormones and energy are naturally low.

Interested in learning more about P.volve? IIN students can get $100 off P.volve's annual membership and essential equipment. Use code IIN at checkout.