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.

Bucket Seats: the bane of my existence

I hate bucket seats. I find it particularly irksome that a bucket-seat office chair would claim to be ergonomic because it goes against everything I’ve read or learned that would be beneficial for back health. So if your office chair or your car seat it a bucket seat (and it probably is) listen up. There is no way to sit in that seat that is beneficial for your butt, back or hip flexors.

If when you sit in a chair your knees are higher than your hips, you can give yourself all the back support you want, but it won’t cut it. Bucket seats have a carved out butt groove (the technical term) that force your hips to sit lower than your knees.

Check out that yellow line going from my hip socket to my knee. Which end looks higher to you?

Ergonomically for the health of your hips and spine, when you sit for an extended period you want your hips higher than your knees. Just imagine sitting on the […]

Bucket Seats: the bane of my existenceMaggie Downie2019-07-17T17:31:53-04:00

My Favorite Ted Talks

If you’ve taken my Pilates classes for a while, you may already know that I have a mild obsession with a good Ted Talk. I discovered them in 2009 as you’ll see by my very first Ted Talk. So these are some of my favorite that I’ve found the most interesting or informative. If they seem interesting to you, check them out:

This is how I got introduced to Ted Talks. Not for everyone, since it does show the somewhat fascinating process of artificially inseminating a pig. You have to stop and wonder in this video about the fine line between bestiality and jobs we get paid to do for the sake of science or food supply.

Then there is Slime Mold, perhaps my most favorite Ted Talk of all time:

Brene Brown’s talks about vulnerability are pretty good…there are two. This was the first I ever saw:

Malcom Gladwell is always good when you want something to think about. And I love this one about whether choices make us happier:

Body Langauge…of course I’m going to like this one:

All of Dan Gilbert’s talks are good. But this one makes you question where happiness comes from:

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My Favorite Ted TalksMaggie Downie2018-02-14T15:46:33-05:00

What Am I Doing With My Abs in Pilates?

You may have heard a Pilates instructor say “Scoop the Abs” or “Draw the Belly Button to the Spine” or “Zip the Jeans” or “Engage the abs.” There are multiple ways to say it, but only one way to do it. It’s subtle and can be a challenge to figure out how to do properly. And, as if Pilates wasn’t complicated enough we have this thing called imprint vs. neutral, which is totally different.

If you aren’t sure what imprint and neutral are, check out this video to see the difference, but this blog is really about the fact that imprint and scooping the abs are two different things because people often think they are the same. And that misconception could make your back rather unhappy over time.

When you do pelvic tilts or rock from imprint to neutral your pelvis should move. When you zip the jeans, the pelvis shouldn’t move. Sometimes you Zip and Tuck, but you don’t always have to. It’s important to know that you can engage the abdominals without being imprinted. And that you don’t want to strive to be imprinted all day.

This video has some ways to practice the difference between engaging the abs and rocking […]

What Am I Doing With My Abs in Pilates?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T14:17:26-04:00

I Tried A Chiropractor…And I Liked It

I went to the chiropractor for the first time. I’ve debated about going for years and since people always ask my opinion on chiropractors I thought it was something I should try. Although, I wouldn’t have tried it unmotivated. Really, though, the tale is rather uneventful.

I went to Gina Carucci in Rocky Hill because she came recommended from multiple people, both clients and colleagues. What finally pushed me there was some remnants of chostocondritus (see earlier blog…I pretty much whined about it all winter). While I’d made huge progress with time, ice, anti-inflammitories, Pilates and massage, there was still a general mild ache that wouldn’t go away. It was an ache I could have lived my whole life with but didn’t want to.

I went. She made some adjustments and I found instant relief. Now I will say, one thing that actually encouraged me to try chiropractic was a great sports medicine doctor (Dr. Czarnecki in Glastonbury). He had done what I imagine is something like an adjustment to me before and I’ve also had instant relief. Full disclosure: I love being poked, prodded, pulled and moved around.

I’m not sure it’s so instant for everyone. I think I was […]

I Tried A Chiropractor…And I Liked ItMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:49-04:00

The Float

I’ve wanted to try a submersion tank for years, but I only just discovered there are some in Connecticut. A few weeks ago Matt and I were given a gift certificate to try Surrender to the Float in Guilford. I didn’t really know what to expect, but basically you strip (don’t worry you have your own private room), shower and then get into an oversized tub with four walls from the floor to the ceiling. Once in, you close the tank door and turn off the gentle lighting if you want.

You are suspended in very salty water set at body temperature in pitch black, and they suggest it feels like floating in space. You get an hour in the tank. It is meant to be relaxing and meditative. It was. I fell asleep. They claim you can’t drown in the salt, and I didn’t so anecdotally I support their theory.

Floating was definitely an interesting experience, but having been to the Dead Sea earlier this year, I was kind of disappointed. I’m a sinker. It’s hard for me to float, and when I sauntered into the Dead Sea I felt like a wine cork in water, more buoyant that I could […]

The FloatMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:11-04:00

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