Suzy McElrath is a busy woman. She’s a graduate student at the University of Minnesota; an avid runner, skier, and Pilates champ; a budding cartographer; and even student editor for a recent book. In her time at Six Degrees, Suzy has learned more about inhabiting her body and combining what sometimes feel like contradictions—the relaxation and invigoration that, ideally, fuel all of her endeavors.
How did you first hear about the studio? What classes did you start taking, and what’s your favorite now?
I really did just Google it! I wanted to find a Pilates studio that could accommodate my not-so-huge budget (I am a grad student, after all), and Six Degrees was way ahead of their competitors in the area. I started out taking the Intro to Reformer classes and Barre. I’d taken Pilates with a fantastic instructor when I lived in Vermont, but I needed a refresher, and Cady Eddy helped me learn a lot about proper alignment in my practice. Now Cady’s all-level reformer classes are my favorite. Somehow they’re both relaxing and invigorating, and they’re exactly what I need at this point in my practice.
Cady helped me figure out that my chronic knee pain is actually due to a muscle around my knees that fires at the wrong time, combined with a bending-rather-than-extending motion that was causing pain. She’s helped me find modifications to strengthen and retrain that muscle, and it’s translating into a “new run” for me.
When you work out, what are your goals? How does fitness become part of a holistic “well” life for you?
My fitness goals have varied widely over the years. Right now, I’m working on finding strength and inner calm. My workouts—running, Pilates, and yoga, these days—all focus on centering and calming my mind. Pilates is particularly great for this because, with so many things to focus on at once, I need all my brainpower. My mind can’t wander, and it the improvements in my abs are a nice bonus!
This week, just this week, what’s your favorite psych-up song?
Imagine Dragons and Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy’s mash-up of “Radioactive” and “M.A.A.D. City.”
What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Navigating and really living an independent life studying abroad, getting through everyday life and classes in a country that primarily speaks what is, for me, a second language. I proved something to myself.
What’s your proudest fitness accomplishment?
Completing a marathon under my goal time!
If you could take up any sport, what would it be?
Rowing crew or sea kayaking. I’ve always been in love with the water, and I can’t think of anything better than looking up at the sky while gliding across the waves.