Maggie Downie, Author at Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

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.

Exercise After COVID

Note: this post was written April 2022 (info is changing quickly in COVID).

According to a health data scientist at the Indiana University School of Medicine, struggling to return to exercise is one of the biggest complaints of individuals with long covid along with brain fog and fatigue.

Exercising When Sick

As a general rule any time we exercise we need to listen to our body. This is even more true as you return to exercise after a bout of COVID. It’s important to listen to your body because no rule is steadfast or one size fits all. I have friends that, prior to COVID, swore that when they were sick exercise helped them get over illness. I’ve never found that to be true in my body. When I’m sick I need rest or I get worse—even for a minor head cold. So you need to know your body and what you need.

COVID aside, the general rule for exercising when sick has been if you feel illness in your head region, do what you can do. If you feel it in your chest take a break from exercise. Again, […]

Exercise After COVIDMaggie Downie2022-04-19T01:04:09-04:00

Mindful Eating Tips

Every February (the shortest month of the year) we run a Mindful Eating Challenge. We already made it through this year (phew)! The purpose is to pick any food related goal/challenge that you feel would benefit you. I always try to give up processed sugar. Others try to incorporate more vegetables or reduce alcohol. Some people try to reduce snacking or only have dessert twice a week. The options are broad. But they are all linked to mindfulness.

What does mindful eating mean?

Trying to eat mindfully simply means that we try to notice anything we can about the food we eat. Maybe that involves being present during the act of eating. Or maybe it involves noticing our process with food—how we plan our meals or how often we think about food during the day. But mindfulness isn’t only about being present and noticing. It’s about accepting and not judging what we notice. Sometimes that can be the tough part. We can be so discouraging to ourselves when we feel we failed. When practicing mindfulness the fact that you even noticed shows you didn’t feel.

Mindfulness is the first step in figuring out […]

Mindful Eating TipsMaggie Downie2022-04-01T21:43:03-04:00

Spring Movement

Habits can be hard to form. Falling out of habits can be pretty easy. The many changes from COVID may have pulled you out of your normal routine two years ago and perhaps you haven’t figured out a new schedule or format you enjoy. The seasons can also unravel the best laid plans. A cold and icy winter might keep you from exercising. But the seasons can also be a time to reboot, especially as the sun pokes out more in spring and the weather gets warmer.

If you’re ready and raring to get into a new fitness routine this spring, here are some tips that can help:

Schedule

Actually put exercise on your calendar. Prioritize it and make sure you have time for it. Include a Monday workout because it sets you up for success for the whole week. If you skip Monday, you might convince yourself it’s okay to skip Tuesday and then the next day. So start your week with a workout.

Think of it like a doctor’s appointment. You’d never put that on your calendar and then blow it off. It’s a needed appointment for your health.

Outside

Spring MovementMaggie Downie2022-03-28T23:01:19-04:00

Heat up in Winter

If you find yourself feeling cold on these frigid winter days we’ve been having, you have two tools at your disposal all the time that can help you warm up: movement and specific breathing patterns.

Our muscles are efficient little furnaces They are great at heating us up. In fact, when we engage our muscles around 80% of the energy created becomes heat. Only about 20% goes into the muscle movement. To heat up quickly you’ll want to do a few full body moves that use big muscles. For example squats brining your arms over head, jumping jacks, or large marches in place while pumping the arms. Use your whole body, but definitely involve the legs and glutes because they have some of our biggest muscles. You can even simply tense your muscles. Try that with me now. Tense you arms, legs, glutes, abs. I feel that heat right away, do you?

Now, the key to remember when you want to move to heat yourself up is not to do so much. You don’t want to do squats or jumping jacks until you start sweating because then you’ll just get cold again. Try 5- 15 reps of any exercise. If […]

Heat up in WinterMaggie Downie2022-02-16T16:39:49-05:00

Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day brings thoughts of hearts, dinner out, roses, chocolates, and love. Or, it tends to make us grumble about Hallmark Holidays. I often fall into the latter category. To this day my favorite Valentine’s Day involved a viewing of Fatal Attraction.

We often associate the day with lovers or friends. But do you ever stop and think about your love for yourself and your body? Think of the majority of thoughts you have about your body. Are they positive or negative? Do you think more about how your body looks or what your body can do?

Here are a couple of exercises to help give your body a little TLC on this day of LOVE:

Treat Yourself

Pick an activity that feels like a real treat. Maybe that’s getting a massage or going for reflexology.Perhaps all you need is a moment alone for a hot bath and a cup of tea. Maybe a glass of wine and a good book or movie is your thing. Put some time on the calendar for you.

Sweet Nothings

When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought about your body, reverse your thinking. […]

Valentine’s DayMaggie Downie2022-02-11T22:41:58-05:00

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