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.

What is Pilates? What is my core?

You’ve probably heard of your core. It’s a common buzz word. In Pilates, our “core” refers to more than just our abdominal muscles. The Pilates “core” includes the abdominals, glutes (butt muscles), back muscles and muscles of the shoulder girdle. Basically, Pilates instructors are trying to train you to have a strong, solid, yet pliable (when it needs to be) trunk.

But it’s deeper than that. The goal of Pilates movement should be to help you understand how your body works to help you move from the right place and use the small stabilizing muscles we all take for granted. If we push from large, superficial muscles, we may feel strong, but we don’t have real strength. Knowing Pilates can help you improve any type of movement, exercise, or sport you like to enjoy. It can even make daily life better. The concepts teach you how to use your body more effectively and efficiently no matter what you are doing.

As an added bonus, if you ever get hurt doing something you love, it’s those small muscles that will help you get better. Those small muscles keep you balanced when you walk and do the simple daily tasks […]

What is Pilates? What is my core?Maggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:51-04:00

Why I Move

My Grandma at 88 on a Stability Ball.

There are lots of reasons I move. It makes me feel better physically, mentally and emotionally, and there are a lot of physical activities I think are fun that I want the freedom to do. I’m also really antsy, and I use movement to burn off extra, jittery energy.

But if I’m going to overanalyze it and step back into the reaches of my brain for why I move and believe it’s so important to creating a better life, I have to, at least in part, attribute it to my Grandparents. My Grandpa Downie was antsy too. I never saw him sit without a foot tapping, and he was really active until he hit about 80. But it was more my Grandma. When I was born she’d been wheelchair bound and bedridden for thirty years.

Why I MoveMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:51-04:00

Body Image of Young Girls

A few weeks ago I was swimming at the gym and a young girl (I’m guessing 8-years-old) stopped me and said, “If you want I can teach you how to swim so that you’ll actually lose weight.” After my initial embarrassment (because everyone in the pool heard), I laughed it off. I assumed that she thought I looked so awkward swimming that I was getting nothing out of it. And, I may be reading too much into it, but I think there is a valid discussion point here.

(Picture to left: Me, today with the body of someone an 8-year-old thinks should lose weight.)

I posted the comment on Facebook and told my classes about it. People had differing views but many were really upset. And it got me thinking about young girls and body image.

First of all, there is the good point that I wasn’t swimming to lose weight. I was training for a triathlon. And I swim because it’s good for my joints and keeps me running. Lots of people swim because they enjoy it. Losing weight is certainly not the […]

Body Image of Young GirlsMaggie Downie2017-10-25T15:49:51-04:00

Triathlon Training Part IV: I Have Exercise ADHD

The third time I hop in the pool to train for my triathlon, I’m not fast. I’m not sure I’ll ever be fast. I was back up to 25-minutes again, but I definitely didn’t push myself as hard. Not because I couldn’t, but because I kept getting distracted. I’m the same way when I walk. I fall into a leisurely pace. I actually have to think, walk faster, walk faster, in order to walk faster or I naturally slow down. I’m not sure if speed walkers need a constant reminder to keep going. It’s the same thing with swimming for me. The second my mind wonders, my speed disappears. But my mind wanders a lot—from what I’m going to do in a class, to how cool Mark Twain is, to what I’ll eat later.

I think my exercise ADHD will hold me back from ever winning a race. And I’m totally okay with that.

Instead of speed, I worked on not touching the sides so that I don’t get that brief second of having a security blanket. I think I’ll be okay in the open water, even though everyone tells me that is what I should be nervous about. It’s […]

Triathlon Training Part IV: I Have Exercise ADHDMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:34:24-04:00

Triathlon Trainin Part III

I have to admit, there was a piece of me that was happy I’d done something I’d never done before—swimming till my heart felt like it would burst. It made me feel good to know I’d done it, but I was still dreading more.

So begrudgingly I forced myself back into the pool—for the workout and the commitment, not because I wanted to. A friend on Facebook told me that if I could get in the pool one or two more times before the race I’d see a huge difference. I didn’t believe him a lick.

I shoved my earplugs in, swam and swam, and looked at the clock. Better time. I did it in 21-minutes and it felt awful but not excruciating like the last time. I only had a couple of moments where I felt like I would drown in four feet of water. And I didn’t have to stop and do the backstroke for a lap. (Note: by the way…the back stroke […]

Triathlon Trainin Part IIIMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:34:24-04:00

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