plank story – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Plank Form

I always tell people to KEEP MOVING but one of the best exercises you can do involves no movement at all. I’m talking about planking. Planking may seem like a fad when world leaders are doing it (remember Canada’s Prime Minster Trudeau planking on a desk?) and the world record for longest plank is over 9.5 hours. But the research on the benefits of planking is so significant that the US army swapped out sit ups for planks this year!

Benefits of Plank

What they found is young recruits flinging themselves up and down to crank out as many sits ups as possible were injuring their backs, using other muscles besides their abdominals, and basically by-passing the ab muscles. (I should note: sit ups don’t have to be a bad exercise when performed with proper form, but at superspeed it’s hard to do them properly.)

In plank, no other muscle is going to pick up the slack. Your abs are going to do the work, or they are not. According to research, planks activate more ab muscles and engage them more intensely than sit ups. So, you build strength, definition, and endurance. […]

Plank FormMaggie Downie2022-05-21T23:04:36-04:00

Conquering Fear in Mongolia

Golden Eagle in Mongolia

A documentary called the Eagle Huntress inspired me to go to Mongolia. It’s a film about a young girl who wants to be the first eagle hunter in Mongolia in a world where that role is passed from father to son. It’s a beautiful movie. I highly recommend it.

Opportunity in Mongolia

Along our travels, unexpectedly, at a tourist destination there was an opportunity to hold a golden eagle. Matt jumped at the chance. I wanted to hold the massive bird, but was desperately afraid. The wingspan of these giant birds is wider than I am tall. As we walked around the site, I kept thinking, “if I leave this country without holding an eagle when I have the chance, I will be so mad at myself. I have to do it.” I told Matt. He’d help me get the job done. Accountability and support from those we care about can help us do many things we are unsure we can manage.

Overcoming Fear in Mongolia

My fear was that the bird would peck out my eyes or tear off my ear, so I wanted those areas protected. I put […]

Conquering Fear in MongoliaMaggie Downie2019-10-11T16:08:31-04:00

Plank Story: Strut Zone

This spring I’ve had a weird obsession with the turkeys living in my backyard. About a year ago, I watched a male turkey strut his stuff in the field behind our house. With his chest puffed out, his tail feathers enshrining him, and shimmering iridescently in the sun, he paced back and forth while two female turkeys pretending not to notice. I watch this sad state of affairs far too long and then just felt bad for the guy. Clearly, these coy ladies who would glance his way and then turn away were not interested.

About six weeks later a female turkey trotted through my yard followed by a flock of chicks. His display had actually worked. Since that time we have had 11 turkeys living in our yard. They sleep about 40-feet up in the trees behind my neighbor’s house. They lay claim to the yard throughout the day perched on the fence between our yard and my other neighbor’s. In winter they leave tracks in the snow. And, earlier this year one female turkey chased me out of my own backyard—a display of both her character and mine that I […]

Plank Story: Strut ZoneMaggie Downie2019-05-10T14:33:59-04:00

Mystic Lantern Light Tours

The Mystic Lantern Light Tours

When I was in high school and college I used to perform in the Mystic Lantern Light Tours. They are what they sound like: tours, led by lantern light. Walking along the dirt streets at the seaport is like stepping back in time. A period-dressed guide takes a group of people from historic home-to-home-to-ship-to-pub throughout the seaport and in each location a scene is acted out by a group of actors. It’s a walk through a restored village of sea captains and merchants before women wore pants and planes flew overhead.

One year when I was a tour guide, Matt, my boyfriend, came on my tour. A few scenes into the tour, I escorted my group into the pharmacy. In the scene, as we entered, one of the actors was supposed to point out that I was standing under the mistletoe. My character was meant to blush and move away, never insinuating to desire a kiss as a good colonial lady. But the night Matt attended, he improvised […]

Mystic Lantern Light ToursMaggie Downie2018-11-21T11:14:46-05:00

Plank Story: Milk a cow

It was suggested to me that this is the best angle to photograph milking a cow.

Finally!!! I milked a cow. For years I’ve wanted to milk a cow, which is a challenging task to complete in Connecticut. If a farm sells their milk, they are not allowed to let uncertified hands touch their cow’s udders. Unless you have a friend with a cow, it’s unlikely you’ll be milking a cow in this state.

That is until Matt discovered Local Farm in Cornwall, Connecticut. Debra Tyler, the owner for Local Farm sets up a great day for groups. You milk a cow and within an hour you have made butter, cheese and have prepared yogurt and sour cream that will be ready the next day. Within two hours, you have made ice cream. You enjoy all the food with the others at the workshop pot luck style. It’s a wonderful way to spend three hours.

In Awe

I was amazed all day. I had no idea how much food a single milking produced. It’s truly unbelievable how much food one cow creates. Using only our small sample of people as a gauge, I […]

Plank Story: Milk a cowMaggie Downie2018-11-27T07:39:02-05:00

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