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.

The No Pain, No Gain Fallacy

We’ve all heard the phrase, No Pain, No Gain in relation to exercises. It’s a popular expression but it is not true. Actually, it’s potentially harmful.

When we think No Pain, No Gain in terms of exercise we tend to think that either our workout should be grueling, or we should be sore the day or two afterward. If we aren’t then we presume we haven’t done enough. The problem is working out and pushing through pain increases our risk of injury. Once we are injured our whole workout plan can be derailed. Plus the Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) we feel 24-48 hours after a workout isn’t practical or functional. We are more likely to get injured then because we have to alter the way we naturally move to work around how sore we are.

While you can choose to only do an upper body workout every other day, you can’t not use half your body for a whole day. We need our arms to pick up our children, reach for something off the top shelf, and open the refrigerator. We need our legs to go upstairs, get in and out of […]

The No Pain, No Gain FallacyMaggie Downie2021-10-15T16:20:14-04:00

Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin Patch

Personal Euphoria is hosting the third Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin Patch

Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin Patch was designed to highlight our local creativity, bring joy to our community, and raise money for a local charity. Personal Euphoria began sponsoring this event when, in the midst of COVID, we all needed a little glimmer of joy. Due to its popularity, we are continuing the event.

This year will have 3 winners.

All are welcome to participate by dropping off a carved pumpkin at 400 Hartford Ave, Wethersfield, CT on Saturday or Sunday, October 21 or 22, 2023. Please submit name/email/phone number/picture of your pumpkin to [email protected] to officially register your pumpkin. Please write your name on the back of your pumpkin with a sharpie. Place your pumpkin as close to the garage as possible. Note: any carvings deemed offensive will not be displayed.

Others can join the fun by voting throughout the week. Simply click this link to vote. One vote per person. Votes will be collected through Halloween night at 10 pm and then tallied. Personal Euphoria […]

Carving for a Cause Charity Pumpkin PatchMaggie Downie2023-10-01T09:28:51-04:00

Family Fitness – Fun for the Whole Family!

This is a great time of year to start a family fitness routine because with kids heading back to school we all tend to get back into a schedule after summer vacation. If you are looking for a family fitness routine your whole family will enjoy consider keeping it simple, incorporating variety, and looking for fun ways to move.

Simple

Probably the most basic way to incorporate movement with the whole family is to plan a walk after dinner. You could do this three, five, or seven nights a week if you are feeling ambitious. It would help instill great habits.

In case you’re not sure you could convince your whole family to walk every day, here are some other ideas. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are plenty more and you can come up with anything and try new things daily or weekly, depending on how often you want to move with your family.

Play a Game

You could always use the technology kids love and play a game. The Nintendo Switch has boxing, bowling, and dance games you can play that will keep you moving. Or go old school and pull out a game like twister.

Bike Ride

You can take a […]

Family Fitness – Fun for the Whole Family!Maggie Downie2021-09-14T23:03:26-04:00

Motivation to Move!

Do you get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day? Most adults don’t. Thirty minutes is important because it’s the minimum amount of exercise our bodies require to be healthy. Still ¾’s of adults aren’t getting that. So how do we find our motivation to move?

What Doesn’t Work?

First, we need to realize what doesn’t seem to work for us. We seem to think we SHOULD (always a tough word) be motivated to move because we know it’s good for our health. We think we SHOULD be motivated to lose weight. Research indicates those are both useful tools for helping start a workout, but not stick with it.

What Does Give us Motivation to Move?

There are multiple motivational tools that do provide motivation to move. Next time you want to stick to a workout plan, consider whether it meets the following:

Visible

To make a workout visible consider using social media as a tool. Post about your new workout goals. Write what you did each day. Ask friends to encourage and boost you up on days you don’t feel like moving. Or partner with co-workers and have different departments compete for the most steps. […]

Motivation to Move!Maggie Downie2021-08-23T16:07:42-04:00

Workout in the Heat

Plank You!

We have been having such a hot, muggy, moist summer. But this is also one of the best times to workout outdoors. We have long days, and the sun feels good for the soul. We can still workout when it’s toasty, but it just takes a little more planning and forethought to be safe working out in the heat. Here are some tips for a safe workout in the heat:

Timing in the Heat

When the humidity tops 70% (we’ve been seeing much higher this season) and the temps above 90, you’re best bet is to exercise first thing in the morning. Next best choice would be later in the evening (but that can interfere with your sleep schedule and it doesn’t always cool down enough). Either way definitely stay away from exercise during the peak heat of the day (from 11am-4pm).

Location

Consider a different location. Think of a place that is shade covered. You’ll keep cooler in the shade than if the sun it beating down on you. The Airline Trail in Connecticut is a great place for this. Large swaths of it is shade covered. Plus, it’s really pretty.

You can […]

Workout in the HeatMaggie Downie2021-08-23T15:59:34-04:00

Previous 101112 Next