plank – Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

Enjoy Exercise

When was the last time you enjoyed exercise? If we change the word exercise to movement, when was the last time you enjoyed moving? It’s time to enjoy exercise again!

Enjoy Exercise Like A Child

Not long ago I was teaching my 2 and 2.5-year-old nephews to plank (as you do). One of them was really taken with it. He’d hold the plank for about two seconds and then pop up out of it (as you do when you’re two), look at me and say, “AGAIN!,” with earnest excitement. Then he’d shout an eager, “YES!” as he set his hands up on the ground to come back into plank. This cycle was repeated multiple times. I was overjoyed to see someone so unabashedly enjoy exercise.

What Moves Do You Love?

I love to move. That doesn’t mean that I never have to coax myself into it. There are times when getting started is hard for me. But overall I love the way moving feels. I look forward to taking a Pilates class, walking with Matt when he gets home from work, and running with my friends. I like the way it feels when a tough […]

Enjoy ExerciseMaggie Downie2020-09-18T15:13:33-04:00

Conquering Fear in Mongolia

Golden Eagle in Mongolia

A documentary called the Eagle Huntress inspired me to go to Mongolia. It’s a film about a young girl who wants to be the first eagle hunter in Mongolia in a world where that role is passed from father to son. It’s a beautiful movie. I highly recommend it.

Opportunity in Mongolia

Along our travels, unexpectedly, at a tourist destination there was an opportunity to hold a golden eagle. Matt jumped at the chance. I wanted to hold the massive bird, but was desperately afraid. The wingspan of these giant birds is wider than I am tall. As we walked around the site, I kept thinking, “if I leave this country without holding an eagle when I have the chance, I will be so mad at myself. I have to do it.” I told Matt. He’d help me get the job done. Accountability and support from those we care about can help us do many things we are unsure we can manage.

Overcoming Fear in Mongolia

My fear was that the bird would peck out my eyes or tear off my ear, so I wanted those areas protected. I put […]

Conquering Fear in MongoliaMaggie Downie2019-10-11T16:08:31-04:00

Travel Sites & Places to Visit

Movement is what enables us to do all the things we enjoy in life. Eating is movement. Breathing is movement. Talking is movement. For me, one of my favorite ways to move it to travel the globe. Here is a sampling of some of the travel sites that still make me smile when they cross my mind:

Favorite Trips:

Salt Flats in Bolivia:

Stand in the center of the salt flats and all you see is white to the horizon line. You can play games with perspective in pictures. I’d love to return in rainy season when the white salt with a layer of water reflects that sky and people upon it.

Hot Springs in Pamukale, Turkey:

As you approach the hot springs it looks like people are soaking in snowcapped inlets on a mountainside. The reality is more like hard baking soda surrounding warm blue baths. It’s quite unique. In Yellowstone there is a smaller version of something similar […]

Travel Sites & Places to VisitMaggie Downie2019-05-10T14:11:11-04:00

Mystic Lantern Light Tours

The Mystic Lantern Light Tours

When I was in high school and college I used to perform in the Mystic Lantern Light Tours. They are what they sound like: tours, led by lantern light. Walking along the dirt streets at the seaport is like stepping back in time. A period-dressed guide takes a group of people from historic home-to-home-to-ship-to-pub throughout the seaport and in each location a scene is acted out by a group of actors. It’s a walk through a restored village of sea captains and merchants before women wore pants and planes flew overhead.

One year when I was a tour guide, Matt, my boyfriend, came on my tour. A few scenes into the tour, I escorted my group into the pharmacy. In the scene, as we entered, one of the actors was supposed to point out that I was standing under the mistletoe. My character was meant to blush and move away, never insinuating to desire a kiss as a good colonial lady. But the night Matt attended, he improvised […]

Mystic Lantern Light ToursMaggie Downie2018-11-21T11:14:46-05:00

Plank Story: Milk a cow

It was suggested to me that this is the best angle to photograph milking a cow.

Finally!!! I milked a cow. For years I’ve wanted to milk a cow, which is a challenging task to complete in Connecticut. If a farm sells their milk, they are not allowed to let uncertified hands touch their cow’s udders. Unless you have a friend with a cow, it’s unlikely you’ll be milking a cow in this state.

That is until Matt discovered Local Farm in Cornwall, Connecticut. Debra Tyler, the owner for Local Farm sets up a great day for groups. You milk a cow and within an hour you have made butter, cheese and have prepared yogurt and sour cream that will be ready the next day. Within two hours, you have made ice cream. You enjoy all the food with the others at the workshop pot luck style. It’s a wonderful way to spend three hours.

In Awe

I was amazed all day. I had no idea how much food a single milking produced. It’s truly unbelievable how much food one cow creates. Using only our small sample of people as a gauge, I […]

Plank Story: Milk a cowMaggie Downie2018-11-27T07:39:02-05:00