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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.
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Most Beautiful Place on Earth

“Namibia,” the flight attendant said when I asked her where the most beautiful place she’d ever been was.  It took us years to get there after her suggestion, but we finally made it last month.  There is a lot of pressure on a country when someone tells you it’s the most beautiful place they’ve ever been. I kept trying to remind myself to curb my expectations.  How else would Namibia have a fighting chance?

Matt and I spent hours of our trip (there were many lengthy car rides) discussing what makes a place beautiful and how we rank or rate beauty.  Architecture can be beautiful.  A landscape can be stunning.  A sunrise or rainbow with no specific place can catch your eye.  Does a beach or a mountain provide more beauty? I love the mountains.  Others prefer the beach.  How does your mood in any given moment impact how you perceive a place?  Can a spectacular place override any mood?

Namibia is striking.  I found myself gobsmacked more than once and audibly and unintentionally would utter, “wow” in the awe of the landscape before me.  One sunset we rode ATVs across the desert […]

Most Beautiful Place on Earth2023-07-18T17:20:44-04:00

Where is My Body in Space? Aerial Circus Class

Taking an aerial class has been on my bucket list for a while. This involves two silks hanging from a tall ceiling that you use like Cirque du Soleil would (please don’t think for a second I think I’m ready to join Cirque du Soleil). They refer to it as ‘circus.’

Most of the Personal Euphoria team wasn’t available to attend, but Jeannine and I thought we’d go anyway.  After a dynamic warm-up, they got us in the silks.  Honestly, I was surprised at how much we could both do.  I was a little worried this might wind up like the pole dancing class we once took as a team.  None of us could even begin to do the moves.  But here, Jeannine and I could actually (with assistance) get into the positions they prepared for us.  A big part of that was that they selected moves that were manageable but still made us feel like we were doing something cool—flipping upside down, arching into a backbend like a crescent moon hovered in the air.

I’ve never been able to climb a rope—not in […]

Where is My Body in Space? Aerial Circus Class2023-06-29T23:32:12-04:00

Keep Kids Moving This Summer!

Your kids are home from school.  You’ve played all the board games you can.  And, maybe it’s even a rainy week.  What can you do to burn off a little of that excess energy building up in both you and the kids?  KEEP MOVING, of course.

You probably have items in your home that can help create a playful, imaginative workout.  Here are some ways to help kids stay active with household items:

 

Painters Tape

Put a strip on the floor—young enough kids can use it as a balance beam.  They won’t be balancing, but they can try to walk along it and stay on the line.  You can make it straight or zig zag it.

If you have a hallway, use painters tape to turn the floor into a hopscotch.  Swap a bean bag for the rock you’d use outside and now your child can hop their way down the hall.

Or, in the hallway, put tape at different intervals and different angles to create a “Mission Impossible Laser” hallway.  Your child has to try to get from one end to the other without touching the tape.  This one is easy to make easier […]

Keep Kids Moving This Summer!2023-06-21T17:05:02-04:00

Make Time to Move

As spring rolls in, I wish everyone would commit to moving more, but it can be a challenge. One of the most common reasons I hear people don’t move more is because they don’t have time. So here are a few tips to help you fit movement into your daily routine.

Of course, you’ve probably heard the advice to park far away at any store and take the stairs vs the escalator/elevator. If you aren’t already doing that, do that for sure, but here’s more:

Wake Up: Wiggle & Wave

Get up and sway. Wave your arms overhead. Sway and wiggle your body. Movement doesn’t have to be regimented, you can move in a freestyle pattern. But basically warm up for the day.

Teeth Brushing: Toe Lifts

Before you cram your feet into shoes for the day, lift your toes up and down. It’s a really good exercise for arch support and almost impossible to do wrong. Plus, if you do wear shoes, you’ll want to make time to move those tootsies.

Pump Gas: Pump Your Heels (or think Gas = Gastroc (that’s your calf muscles’ real name))

While you’re standing at the […]

Make Time to Move2023-05-17T12:11:57-04:00

Senior Summer Challenge –Year 2

Attention Class of 2023!

Personal Euphoria is excited to announce our KEEP Moving Challenge:

One student from the graduating class of 2023 will be awarded a $500 scholarship.

To participate you must:

    • Create a Free Account at Personal Euphoria
    • Take On-Demand Fitness Classes for FREE between June 1st – August 31st, 2023
    • Use code CLASSOF23CHALLENGE23 to take classes for FREE (for 2023 high school graduates only)

The scholarship will be awarded to the participant:

    • Who took the most classes from the Personal Euphoria on-demand channel between June 1st – August 31st, 2023.
    • The award is conditional on the full-time enrollment of the winner in an accredited U.S. college or university.

    Rules & Stipulations:

    • Participant must have graduated from private or public high school in the U.S. in 2023.
    • Participant must register for classes at the Personal Euphoria site and use code CLASSOF23CHALLENGE23 to take fitness classes.
    • Participant must complete each workout video for it to count.
    • More than two workouts per day will not be counted.
    • The free […]
Senior Summer Challenge –Year 22023-05-15T15:00:25-04:00
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