About Maggie Downie

Thank you for giving your time to stop and read my blog. I hope it encourages you to keep moving. Move and the body will be happier. And when you're moving you can hike, run, swim in Jell-O, race over non-Newtonian fluids, travel the world or build igloos--if that's your thing. If not, you can watch me do it. This is just a spot to try and feel good about life.

Indoor Workouts

It’s winter. That can mean chilly weather, icy sidewalks, and messy precipitation. But that doesn’t have to derail your workout.

There are great moves you can do with items in your own home that will add some variety to your regular workout routine. Variety is essential for a healthy body. So if you are missing outdoor workout routines, know that staying in can help make you even stronger when you head back outside in spring.

Plus a little variety is fun.

Here are some tips for your at-home workout:

Use a full laundry detergent bottle as a kettle bell
Use cans or water bottles as weights
Lately, you can find all sorts of wall workouts online—some of them put your feet on the wall so make sure you pick a place in the house you are okay with that.
Chairs are very versatile. They can help modify a workout or make it harder
Stairs are great for climbing or working on general leg strength.

Here is a sample Chair and Stair workout.

So what fun workouts can you create? There is no limit. Get creative. Play with the items in your house and the structure of your house. Let us know what you come […]

Indoor WorkoutsMaggie Downie2024-01-26T12:04:37-05:00

Help!!! I’m Losing Muscle!!!

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle tone that happens as we age. It can be seen in lack of strength, balance, and speed—though there are currently no definitive measures for practitioners to look at when diagnosing sarcopenia. That might be changing as sarcopenia became an official disease in 2016. It’s considered a treatable disease.

New research indicates it also might not be inevitable. Humans may not just lose 3-8% of our muscle mass each decade starting in our thirties (that’s the actual data). It could be that each decade we move less and therefore lose muscle. That makes the answer simple: move more and keep your muscles. It also implies you aren’t fighting an uphill battle. So how do we keep as much of our muscle tone as possible?

Keep Moving and use the acronym MOVE:

Movement Awareness:

Notice anything you’ve lost. Is it harder to balance? Can you no longer get up and down off the floor. When you pick something up do you no longer squat and instead hinge from the back? Is it hard to lift a heavy pot suddenly?

Objective:

Set an objective. What do you need to train to help rebuild what you’ve lost? Who can help and is there anything […]

Help!!! I’m Losing Muscle!!!Maggie Downie2024-01-26T12:07:20-05:00

Mindful Eating February

We pick February for our Mindful Eating Challenge because it’s the shortest month of the year. We are not ashamed to admit it. Dry January. Veganuary (being vegan for the month of January). They got it all wrong with a month with 31 days when they could pick a month with 29.

Food challenges are hard. At Personal Euphoria, we are all about fitness, not typically food. But what we put in our bodies matters. It impacts how we feel. It is helpful to take a window of time and try to consider food. Food fuels us and when we exercise how we refuel matters. Sometimes, once I get started, I actually continue for more than 29 days.

Here’s the challenge if you choose to accept it:

You pick any food-related challenge you want—big or small. I usually give up sugar. I still eat fruit and a piece of toast if it has sugar. But I cut out all desserts and snacks with processed sugar. Sometimes I make an exception with honey. I am a beekeeper, after all.

You don’t have to give up sugar. Here are examples of ways others have participated before:

Give […]

Mindful Eating FebruaryMaggie Downie2024-01-19T12:48:34-05:00

Pressure to be Present

Pause for a moment. Allow yourself time to take a deep breath. Look around. Soak in the sensations of the moment. Notice thoughts and worries racing through your head.

It appears more and more common knowledge that being present is vital to our mental health and well-being. The trouble with us humans is that we have all these pesky “unwanted” thoughts. While being present is beneficial, it bothers me to think of thoughts as unwanted. Those thoughts we try to push away to be ever-present are, in part, what makes us who we are. Those worries and concerns for our lives are perhaps proof of our sanity.

At 97 my grandma has developed dementia enough that she can’t live on her own. She has good days and bad. The decline is not linear. I am not attempting to put a positive spin on dementia, but I am trying to see the positives in a sad and trying situation. My Grandma still remembers us. That may not last forever. Her dementia hasn’t made her agitated. It’s estimated that 90% of dementia patients experience aggression, agitation, and depression. She shows minimal signs of irritability. In her confusion, she looks more childlike.

Pressure to be PresentMaggie Downie2024-01-11T12:54:07-05:00

Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin Patch – Winners

2023

1st Place
Kelley Rodino
The Haunted House

The Trevor Project is a national organization that provides crisis and support services to LGBTQ youth.

Kelley submitted her pumpkin from Pennsylvania.

2nd Place
Bethany Apgar
The Spikey Head, which is her robotics team logo—those are flames rising up overhead.

Blazing Spirits Robotics Team a local team in Windsor, CT incorporated under Team Paragon Robotics.

Bethany is 13 and a member of the robotics team.

3rd Place
Christine Connolly
Wolf

Connecticut Foodshare – Their mission is to deliver an informed and equitable response to hunger by mobilizing community partners, volunteers, and supporters.

Christine’s wolf is actually her German Shepard howling at the moon.

2021

1. Breast Friends Fund – 100% of funds raised goes directly to Metastatic Breast Cancer Research for Dr. Eric Winer & his research team.

2. Safe Futures – Safe Futures saves lives, restores hope and changes the future for those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking in southeastern Connecticut.

3. […]

Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin Patch – WinnersMaggie Downie2023-11-16T13:56:26-05:00

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