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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Walking Outside

Walking outside is so good for us it seems too good to be true. It turns out walking isn’t just incredibly beneficial for our health, we were made to walk. Walking improves every single system in our body. Name a system of the body or a body part and walking improves how it works.

Systems of the Body

Consider your heart. It’s a lot of work for your heart to pump blood all the way down to your feet and back. When we walk our muscles act as a pump and help move fluid through the body. This helps our circulatory system and other systems like our lymph system (which basically pumps waste among other jobs).

When we walk every part of the body has to work less hard to do it’s job. This reduces our rick of cardiovascular disease of all kinds, reduces stress, reduces our chance of developing type 2 Diabetes or becoming obese, and reduces erectile dysfunction (since that ties in with heart health). On the flip side walking boosts brain health, immunity, and mood. That’s just the tip of the iceberg. But if that’s not enough to convince you to […]

Walking Outside2021-06-07T16:27:12-04:00

Exercise for the Vaccine

Eccentric Contraction –Muscle getting longer

Staying active is one of the best things you can do for your immune system. That doesn’t mean that you never need a break. Sleep and rest play a role in keeping us healthy too. Once you are run down, rest can be vital. But generally speaking exercise boosts the immune system. After taking a walk you have more immune cells flowing through your body checking to ensure all is well and keeping bad bugs at bay.
This is not new information. We’ve known for years that people who stay active are less likely to develop head colds and come down with other viruses less frequently. For our health, we need to KEEP MOVING.

But how does this tie in with the vaccine? Small studies on the flu vaccine indicated that pairing movement with a vaccination seems to boost the immune response (meaning you might get more out of the actual vaccine). Currently, the types of COVID vaccines available are different than the flu vaccine. That means it’s possible movement only works with the flu vaccine and not others, but what do you have to lose? The moves […]

Exercise for the Vaccine2021-04-28T16:38:19-04:00

Why the 100?!?!

Why do we do the 100 in Pilates? It’s a fair question. In fact, it’s always fair to ask, “why do I have to do this exercise.” I tell my clients that if I don’t have the answer for them they don’t have to do it. It’s important for all of us to know and understand why we do any move in a class. Understanding helps us get more out of it. So why the 100? Here’s why:

Abdominal Endurance:

The 100 is hard to do well (like most Pilates exercises). One hundred seconds is a LONG time to have your head up off the ground. Really, it’s a big ask. Keeping the head in the air and the legs lifted means your abs are working doubly hard throughout the whole exercise.

Breathing While Doing the 100:

You may find you hold your breath while doing the 100. It’s common to hold our breath on any movement, especially challenging moves, but while all Pilates exercises work to sync breath and movement, the 100 breaks the breath down pretty simply. You inhale for 5, exhale for 5 while not doing too much else. Sure, you’re working […]

Why the 100?!?!2021-04-22T16:55:15-04:00

Instructor Highlight: Allison

Years ago we asked all our instructors to answer a few questions so YOU could get to know them a little bit better.  We decided to follow up with some of the instructors you’ve been enjoying through our virtual season during this pandemic.

Here’s Allison.  You’ll find her teaching Barre and Tighten & Tone classes with Personal Euphoria.  She will move you and groove you!

When you aren’t teaching classes, what are your favorite ways to move?

When I’m not teaching, I love to take walks around a nearby lake or try out new stretches or class ideas to keep moving at home!

What songs motivate you the most?

I’ve been a singer for most of my life and love all kinds of music. For working out, I’m most motivated by 80s hits like “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” or modern pop songs like “Look at Her Now” (Selena Gomez).

What is your favorite food?

My favorite foods are pizza, sweet potatoes, and anything chocolate!

What time do you normally crawl out of bed?

I currently wake up around 8am some mornings and let myself sleep a little later on other days; it depends on what my body needs and […]

Instructor Highlight: Allison2021-02-01T12:30:55-05:00

This is 40

this is 40

The reality that I’m approaching middle age has been slowly settling in all year. There is a level of disbelief. Not because I still feel 12, 20, or 33, but because I cannot believe how quickly time is passing. And it’s only going faster.

This is 40: No Mid-life Crisis Here

I can enter 40 without a full-blown mid-life crisis because I like where I am and what I’ve done, but there is so much more I want to do. It feels like 40 is that alarm that wakes you from a deep sleep blaring: “YOU ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME LEFT.” If I can’t see the entire world in one lifetime or learn about every topic that interests me, what should I prioritize? So, while I’m not having a midlife crisis, I am having a moment.

As a child I recall listening to adults reminisce. While laughing together over a memory, they would say something like, “I forgot all about that,” as a story trickled back into their mind. I was baffled. They weren’t telling stories about doing laundry. They were talking about events that seemed memorable to me. How […]

This is 402021-03-19T15:13:20-04:00
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