Call Today! 860-748-7574|maggie@personaleuphoria.com
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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.
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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!2021-08-23T16:07:42-04:00

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 Heat2021-08-23T15:59:34-04:00

Swimming is more than just a great way to beat the heat. Swimming is a great form of exercise that hits so many health and wellness bases:

Cardio

Swimming is cardiovascular exercises. It gets your heart pumping.

Respiratory

Swimming enhances our lung capacity. In research comparing amateur but regular swimmers with amateur but regular runners, the swimmers had better lung capacity on all counts. Running is certainly good for lung capacity, but researchers think perhaps the pressure and resistance of the of the water helps build lung capacity even more in swimmers.

Resistance Training

The water itself creates resistance and not just for the muscles around our lungs and ribs, but every part of the body, so it helps build muscle tone and increase overall strength.

Full Body Workout

Pick pretty much any swim stroke and you are going to get a full body workout. Your core, glutes (part of your core), arms, and legs all get involved in the workout.

Calorie Burn

If you are into the workout to burn calories, there isn’t much you can do that burns more than swimming (maybe running). Of course, your intensity and choice of stroke matter.

Low Impact

The ability to be buoyant in the […]

2021-06-28T21:51:33-04:00

Adult Swim Lessons

I had to take adult swim lessons because my swim lessons were a total failure the first time. When I was a little girl, my parents signed me up for swimming lessons. They were a nightmare. I was most afraid of jumping off the edge of the deep end or even worse the diving board a mere foot higher. The instructors claimed they would catch me, but they lied. When I came back up for air alive, I had to swim to the edge of the pool like my life depended on it. This may have been a useful learning tactic for some kids, but it wasn’t helpful to me. Luckily, the water provided chronic ear infections so I had to miss more lessons than I attended.

For a time my mom would bring me to watch the lessons and see what I could learn from the bleachers of the pool. Not much. After years of lessons, I never actually learned to swim. I could doggie paddle, but much beyond that was beyond me.

Mini-Tri

When I signed up for a mini triathlon I knew I’d be doing the breast stroke with my head […]

Adult Swim Lessons2021-08-23T16:03:33-04:00

Feel Sluggish, Hot, & Tired?

Movement can be fun, playful, & silly

Feeling sluggish, hot, & tired?  Let’s blame it on the previous year we all survived living with and in COVID-19.  And now, as we step out of the tunnel into the light, let’s find tools to help ourselves.  Here are some tips from Maggie at Personal Euphoria:

Have you been feeling sluggish?

You aren’t alone. It’s guesstimated that we put on 2lbs a month (on average) this year. I know I put on 8 and my doctor told me that was less than half what she’d seen this year. It can feel disheartening and putting on weight that quickly can slow you down. But you can make a change at any time. You can say, “Enough is enough. I’m getting back on track.” And this time of year is the easiest and best time of year to do so.

Get outside. Take walks. Exercise doesn’t have to be grueling. If you feel like you’ve fallen behind where you were a year ago, give yourself time to get back to where you want to be. These changes didn’t happen overnight (though it may have felt that way a […]

Feel Sluggish, Hot, & Tired?2021-06-07T16:24:09-04:00
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