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.

True-Explosive Plyometrics

Nowadays we’ll call anything that involves jumping plyometrics. It’s become the term for jumping exercises, but simply jumping isn’t exactly what plyometrics were meant to be. Plyometrics were specific types of exercises that involved a fall, which created a shock, which lead to a quick recoil (eccentric contraction of the muscles), and an almost immediate rebound (concentric contraction of the muscles) or jump. The quicker the jump the better. It is the quick turn around from eccentric contraction to concentric contraction that makes something a True or Explosive Plyometric.

Your average jumping drills everyone is doing now can provide a good workout. Most people don’t really need to practice True Plyometrics, but if you are an athlete or are working with an athlete, an avid runner, hiker or basketball player or someone who is very fit and looking to improve their speed and strength it is important to know the difference. True Plyometric drills is what will achieve enhanced speed and strength for an individual more than just jumping exercises.

Plyometrics can be […]

True-Explosive PlyometricsMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:28-04:00

Gluten-Free Update: Second Blood Work Readings

Time flies. As I’m writing this I’ve been gluten-free for over six months. It certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world. I much rather be gluten-free than dairy free. But, as you may recall, if you’ve been reading, I’ve been gluten-free with the hope that it will minimize the effects of an autoimmune disease called Hashimotos that attacks the thyroid causing hypothyroidism. Hopefully, by minimizing the Hashimotos, I can reduce the attack on my thyroid.

After two months gluten free my two Hashimoto’s antibodies had a significant drop of about 20-percent. Three months later I got my blood drawn again. This time the results were less stellar. One antibody was down another 5-percent and the other was up about 5-percent. Both were still lower than my original test that determined I had Hashimotos. Both are still out of the normal range, although I’m not sure they will go back to the normal range. The gluten-free goal is to […]

Gluten-Free Update: Second Blood Work ReadingsMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:28-04:00

Giving Up Dairy

So I have a tough decision to make. I’ve been gluten free since February and now my doctor would like me to go dairy free. My heart almost sank when she said it, but I tested positive for a gluten and dairy intolerance. I’m into health and wellness, but I’m not well-versed on the intolerance vs. the allergy issue when it comes to food. Still, since I’ve been gluten free my blood work has gotten better each quarter.

That makes me feel like the answer should be obvious. Something in my body is saying dairy doesn’t agree with it so I should just give it up. I’m still allowed goat’s milk, goat’s cheese and buffalo mozzarella. This change would be good for my body. On some level it should be a no brainer; so why is the decision so hard?

Food is such a part of our social world.

Giving Up DairyMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:28-04:00

Mark Twain 70th Birthday Speech

Note: I often tell my classes about a great quote from Mark Twain about how he smoked so many cigars and didn’t exercise, and while that was a good option for him it would kill another man. This is the full speech from where I got that quote as published on the PBS website.

Mark Twain, 1905.




	Clemens outside Stormfield, 1909 Courtesy The Mark Twain House, Hartford

Well, if I made that joke, it is the best one I ever made, and it is in the prettiest language, too. I never can get quite to that height. But I appreciate that joke, and […]

Mark Twain 70th Birthday SpeechMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:28-04:00

As Easy As Riding a Bike

The group of friends I run with decided we should do more cross training (we should). It was decided we would add bike riding to our routine. I’m not a fan of bikes ever since I was twelve and I rode into a fence and flipped over on my bike. It doesn’t help that I grew up on a busy road. To keep me safe my parents painted a white line at the end of the driveway that I was not allowed to ride passed. That meant my biking basically consisted of riding around in circles in the driveway, which made biking dull and made me afraid of riding on the road with traffic. So I pretty much haven’t touched a bike in over seventeen years. I don’t even own one.

For this adventure I borrowed an old bike from my parents. The rear tire needs to be inflated before every ride. There are gears which I’ve […]

As Easy As Riding a BikeMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:29-04:00

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