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.

Myers Briggs I’m No Martin Luther King

Guess I can enjoy an 8 hour hike in the woods alone because I’m an introvert.

My best friend from childhood came for a sleep over (is that still the term once you are an adult?) and suggested I take a quick, online Myers Briggs test. The Myers Briggs test is a personality test that is supposed to tell you how you perceive the world and what motivates your decision making. Offices sometimes use them to help people work together and understand coworkers’ motivations. I presumed it would be somewhat relevant, but in the way a daily horoscope could work for almost anyone on any given day. While fun I would not put a lot of stock in horoscopes.

But who cares if it is accurate or not? It’s fun to answer questionnaires like we used to do in magazines as teenagers in her basement bedroom that was decorated with Absolute Vodka advertisements. Now sitting in my living room, snuggled in warm blankets I took the 15-minute quiz. Some questions were easy to answers, others were more challenging. Do you think organization or flexibility is more important? What are they looking for? […]

Myers Briggs I’m No Martin Luther KingMaggie Downie2019-01-16T15:18:22-05:00

Moves for a Desk Jobs

Sitting isn’t always bad!

A study estimates that people spend in average 18 years of their life sitting. We definitely need to get up and move more, but if we have a desk job that isn’t always an easy option. But there are ways we can fit movement in at our desk. Recently, at a speaking engagement geared toward individuals who primarily work at a desk, I was asked two questions:

1) What is a great way to stretch your chest while at your desk?

Spinal Rotation is a fan favorite. It is rare to find a person who doesn’t like this rotational exercise. While normally done on the floor, you can alter it to be done from your chair. That means you can fit it in during a quick break. You can also stand up and try it too! Explore movement that feels good to you.

2) What can you […]

Moves for a Desk JobsMaggie Downie2018-11-07T11:06:12-05:00

Chakra Dance

Our team at Personal Euphoria gets together quarterly to do an activity. Most recently we tried Chakra Dancing with Anne Stamatakis from Circle of Life Holistic Health. I’m familiar with Chakras in that I would have told you they are different colored balls of energy relating to different parts of the body. So, I guess, on second thought, I would say I’m not at all familiar with Chakras, which is part of what intrigued me.

I’ve known Anne for years. She has taken our group classes and private lessons and for years I’ve been meaning to try one of her classes. Lack of time made me hesitate. But, if I’m being honest, I presumed Chakra Dance was a little out of my comfort zone.

Clearly, I know myself well. This turned out to be way out of my comfort zone. Anne is a fantastic guide on the journey, but how uncomfortable I felt made me additionally uncomfortable. I could not believe how hard it was for me to let go. Letting go required work, which seems like a contradiction. I often found myself […]

Chakra DanceMaggie Downie2018-12-14T09:45:11-05:00

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

Practice Makes Perfect…or does it?

Every Christmas I make our neighbors suffer while listening to me carol. Good thing I have friends who can carry a tune and nice neighbors!

The saying “practice makes perfect” is an expression that dates back to the 1550’s when the phrase was actually “use makes perfect.” John Adams may have been the first to express the idea in the United States.

While we have been using the term for nearly 500 years, it couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve heard “perfect practice makes perfect,” which gets a little closer to reality, but would be impossible. Then I saw “practice makes progress” on a meme recently. How brilliant. Now that’s an accurate expression.

We never reach perfection. It’s an unattainable goal. I see it in Pilates all the time. In fact, it is my inability to perfect my Pilates skills in this ever changing world and my constantly changing body that, in part, keeps me interested in the style of movement. I prefer the idea of constantly progressing. Not only does the concept take some pressure off, but the idea reflects that […]

Practice Makes Perfect…or does it?Maggie Downie2018-05-04T10:23:02-04:00

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