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.

Foam Roller

I’ll admit not everyone loves the foam roller as much as I do. It’s a great way to get a good work out and challenge your balance and stabilizer muscles, but more than that it can massage you and your achy fascia! But that is the part not everyone is a fan of sadly. One most people have never heard of fascia and then when they actually get down on to roller to massage the fascia, tendons, and muscles they don’t always love the way it feels.

It can feel a bit intense. Some people describe foam rolling like the feeling you have when you press on a bruise. Why would you want to do that? Because it’s good for you and it won’t leave a bruise. I think it hurts in a good way. But […]

Foam RollerMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:38-04:00

Possible Final Challenge

Okay, so last week I had no idea what I was going to do for my final challenge and now the possibilities seem endless. A friend of mine is doing an indoor triathlon and while I didn’t have any interest in swimming or biking this is a very “easy triathlon” in that you can swim the breast stroke and the bike is stationary. It is the only type of triathlon I think I’ll ever do. It will be a challenge for me in that I’ll be doing some activities that aren’t up my alley. Then there is the American Lung Association Climb for Air Charity Event in Hartford. You climb 21 flights of stairs. Although technically this is March 31^st (after my birthday so it wouldn’t be part of my 30^th year). And there is still the chance it might snow and I could do something that involved cross country skiing.

Which do you think would be the biggest challenge?

Possible Final ChallengeMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:35-04:00

Final Challenge Dilemma

So my final challenge was supposed to involve cross country skiing. I was hoping to get some practice in before finding a race to participate in, but unlike last year at this time we have no snow. And this weekend a 10-mile cross country tour I was going to take got cancelled in Vermont because of lack of snow. In February I’m going to New Hampshire for a Chocolate Festival where you ski from inn to inn to pick up chocolate, but I’m not sure that is going to count as a challenge. (Although, I could consider the chocolate as energy to get me through the next leg of the trek like goo on a marathon.) So I’m still searching for one final challenge that I need to complete and prepare for before March 27th.

While I’m at the chocolate festival some of my running buddies […]

Final Challenge DilemmaMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:38-04:00

Wiggle Those Toes: A Good Foot Fetish

I’m sure I’ve said it on this blog before, but my main interests when it comes to the body lately are feet and fascia. Perhaps strange fetishes, but it’s not my fault; they are fascinating. I’ve been working on some great feet exercises and the nice thing is I see improvement. And working on them brings all this sensation (although not always pleasant sensation) to my feet.

I’ve been working on lifting all ten toes and then tapping just the big toe up and down. Then tapping just the pinkie up and down (much harder for me). Then I tap the big one then the pinkie and go back and forth between each.

It reminds me of when I was younger and I wanted to be able to do something with my body and I would practice until I could perfect it. When […]

Wiggle Those Toes: A Good Foot FetishMaggie Downie2018-02-14T15:58:28-05:00

The Pilates Basic Principles in Life

If you have ever taken a pilates class you have probably heard talk of the basic principles. Even if an instructor hasn’t called them that, they have probably told you to “engage your core,” “pull your belly button to your spine,” “engage your kegels,” “relax your shoulders,” “tilt your chin up or down,” or “knit your ribs.” There are thousands of ways to get people thinking about the basic principles of pilates, but the question really is do you consider them outside of pilates class?

Here are a few ways to start incorporating the basic principles into your day:

1) Engage your lower abdominals and kegel muscles at every red light, stop sign, when you touch a door knob, or while you are waiting for your Keurig Coffee.

2) When you are tense or cold, notice if your shoulders are shrugging up to your ears and try to relax them.

3) When sitting for long periods of time (in the car or at the office) do some pelvic tilts—rock your pelvis back and forth just a little to lengthen the low back and then return to a neutral spine.

4) Check in with your breath […]

The Pilates Basic Principles in LifeMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:39-04:00

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