Final Word On the Maggie Downie Challenge

So it’s been a full year since I started my challenge to get in the best shape of my life.    And I have to admit I don’t feel like I was successful.  Technically I only completed three out of four original challenges and I didn’t really change the way I eat, which I think will be key in my ultimate goal of getting into the best shape of my life.  (I may not have been successful, but I’m not giving up.)
If you asked me in the fall if I had succeeded my answer would have been yes.  I felt strong, my body felt good.  I was five pounds lighter than I am now.  I wasn’t eating great, but I was willing to excuse it because I was exercising so much, doing a lot of cross training and felt good about my health.
Final Word On the Maggie Downie Challenge2017-09-12T19:31:33-04:00

Grateful on Thanksgiving and Every Day

I may have dreamt it, but I’m pretty sure last year my Dad asked us all to say what we were grateful for before we dug into Thanksgiving dinner. And I’ll admit, while it feels a little cheesy, it is a nice concept, and I liked it. So here are just a couple of the things that I am so lucky to have in my life in 2011:

· Matt
· My family
· My clients (who make me laugh and ensure that my job so much fun)
· The people I work with
· Classes that I look forward to going to teach
· The Old Wethersfield Boot Campers who have become my running buddies
· Bees that are alive (so far)
· Neighbors who have been really friendly and helpful since we moved in, especially during Irene and Alfred
· Sunny days
· Kurt Vonnegut who is a genius and I’d never read him until this year
· Having the means and health to be able to travel and go on adventures

I’m […]

Grateful on Thanksgiving and Every Day2017-10-25T14:26:04-04:00

Pilates Instructor’s Journey: Maggie

My first experience with pilates was my first year out of college. I’d always had mild low back pain that would occasionally nag me. So I downloaded some DVD’s and tried it. I enjoyed the exercises and really felt the strength I was getting. I fell in and out of doing it. Working full time put a damper on my exercise routine and I was letting fitness fall to the wayside.

I started feeling stressed because I need exercise to calm me down, so Matt took a risk and bought me a membership to a gym—this could have been taken the wrong way, but I loved it. It’s funny how unexpected choices can change your life. I started attending a pilates class at the gym and a year later they asked me to teach it.

I loved getting to teach again—since that was my original career path, and I had somewhat strayed from it. I loved pilates so much that I got certified. From then on the ball was in motion and I was hooked. I […]

Pilates Instructor’s Journey: Maggie2017-09-12T19:31:55-04:00

Best Friend

Julie is my best friend. We have known each other since kindergarten. Nearly two years ago she moved to Chicago. While it’s great to have an excuse to go to the Windy City and have someone local show me around, I miss her tremendously.

So when I woke up the Saturday before my birthday and discovered her in my house (she had flown in and Matt had picked her up at the airport while I was sleeping), I was most surprised. It was the best birthday present ever—even better than swimming in Jell-O.

It meant so much to have her here that weekend. Thank you Julie and Matt for knowing me better than I know myself, and recognizing how important it would be for me to have my best friend around on my 30th. It really will always be hard to top that gift. I hope you both realize that.

Good friends (whether they be friends you met in school, later in life, or family members you connect with in a special […]
Best Friend2017-09-12T19:31:56-04:00

Snow Day Food

I usually grocery shop on Tuesdays. So last week when Matt and I made a list on Monday night, knowing that an impending storm was coming, he suggested I get some good snow-day food. “Good idea,” I said, “except I’m now on a healthy lifestyle.” I didn’t want to add a bunch of junk food to the list. And I’m pretty sure that is what good snow-day food is.

I added cider to the list for Matt and whole milk to the list for me so that I could make some good hot chocolate. I never drink whole milk except with hot chocolate, which I make from Dutch cocoa and sugar.

But then when I got the grocery store I kept seeing foods—dark chocolate covered marshmallows, cakes and pastries, cheesy quiches, scones, and breads—that would make good snow-day treats. Matt and I had already agreed that lunch would be grilled cheese with tomato and tomato soup. So there I was in the middle of the grocery store wanting all these good foods and being frustrated by my […]

Snow Day Food2017-09-12T19:32:01-04:00
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