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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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WOOP

Ever heard the term (acronym, really) WOOP?  Neither had I.  It’s a goal setting/ habit changing tool supported by 20-years of scientific research.  I learned about the technique from the free happiness class Yale offers online.

What is WOOP?

Gabrielle Oettingen, an NYC psychology professor, has written the book and done the research on WOOPing.  WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan.  You focus and visualize on a goal or change you’d like to make for five minutes a day.  To me it feels like a cross between mediation and self-hypnosis.  It goes like this.  You spend five, undistracted minutes, truly visualizing the following:

W: Your wish.  Something you want to change or achieve.  Big or small.  Long term or short term.

O: The outcome of achieving your wish.  What will happen if you get it?  What will your life look like?

O: What obstacles will get in your way?  Envision what road blocks you’ll come across and what might stop you from getting where you want to go.

P: Make a plan using if-then statements.  If (this obstacle arises) then (I’ll combat it with this action).

What You Really Want

You are supposed to be honest with yourself and determine if you really want the […]

WOOP2020-09-18T12:32:36-04:00

Neutral Pelvis (and other joints)

When we hear the word neutral we typically think of a neutral pelvis.  We don’t always consider that every one of our joints has a neutral position.  That includes every vertebra in the spine through the neck, the shoulders, the knees, the elbows, the wrists, and the ankles.  All joints have a neutral.

Spending time neutral reduces wear and tear on the tendons and ligaments that connect all your joints.

Neutral

Yes people stand the way I am on the right.

Luckily the body is incredibly versatile.  You don’t have to exist in neutral all the time.  The body is capable and, in fact, made to come out of neutral at different times for different activities and needs.  That being said there is benefit to understanding when your joints are in neutral and enabling them some time to exist there.  Due to tightness in our body, sometimes some of our joints rarely get to be neutral—a  problem that can wreak havoc over time.

Neutral Knees

Consider your knees.  If you are someone who tends to lock your knees when standing, your knees are regularly not in neutral.  That locked position is going to put more pressure […]

Neutral Pelvis (and other joints)2020-08-06T12:33:06-04:00

Should i exhale on exertion?

You hear so often that you should exhale on exertion when lifting or exercising, but is it true?  Ultimately, the answer is yes, but it may depend on what your goal is in a particular movement.  And other breath patterns can be helpful, too.

Holding your Breath is the Worst

When exercising you definitely don’t want to hold your breath.  Easier said than done, I know, but breathing really makes a difference.  When you hold your breath, you reduce the amount of oxygen that flows to your muscles.  Your muscles need oxygen for strength or endurance movements.  Also, holding your breath while exercising can increase blood pressure, sometimes to dangerous levels, and it can lead to light headedness.

In addition after holding your breath, when it is finally time to breathe, it’s more vital that you expel carbon dioxide than that you take in oxygen.  That means you will blow out before you inhale, which just delays your ability to get oxygen to the muscles even further.

Holding your breath can easily become the Valsalva Maneuver.  You may never have heard of that, but you’ve probably done it.  If you’ve ever held your nose while […]

Should i exhale on exertion?2020-07-23T16:21:11-04:00

IMSAFE

IMSAFE is a mnemonic device for pilots to check in with their own well being before they fly.  It stands for Illness, Medication, Stress, Alcohol, Fatigue, and Emotion.  As passengers when we fly, most of us are aware there is a flight check to determine whether the plane is safe.  I’d never realized there is a protocol (at least for private pilots) to check in with themselves.

IMSAFE Meaning

The breakdown might seem obvious, but illness looks to see if you feel sick, medication ensures you have taken any prescription meds you need and that you haven’t taken any pills you shouldn’t before flying, stress asks pilots to assess whether they are overwhelmed by life let alone flying, alcohol is a reminder to make sure you’ve had none in at least 8 hours, fatigue makes you review your sleep, and emotion requires the pilot to once again (like stress) check in with her mental state.  (In the navy E stands for Eat—whether or not you’ve eaten recently).

Food matters.  Amelia Earhart mentioned a pilot needed to be fed enough to “prevent fatigue but not enough to induce drowsiness”—a difficult balance to achieve because you […]

IMSAFE2020-07-23T16:00:36-04:00

Feeling on edge?

Have you been feeling on edge since mid-March?  Hmmm, I wonder why?  Perhaps you are human.  We’ve been dealing with a lot in the world lately between COVID, loss of work, black lives matter, and a general sense that we don’t know what the future holds or how to bring about changes we may desire.  And, we’ve been going through a lot of it in some degree of isolation—never a good thing for humans.  We are social animals.  Even if you are one of those people that say you prefer cats and dogs to your fellow humans, you need people and support.

Does Rest Still Work?

I’m a big believer in a rest day from exercise, but I’ve found that it hasn’t been an option.  Prior to COVID I could take a rest day.  If I took three or four in a row, I’d start to get antsy. (Matt might use the word grumpy.)  But now, if I don’t exercise one day, by midafternoon I’m not in a good place.  Movement is such a useful tool for me.  It makes me feel better.  It helps my sanity.  Moving boost my spirits.  But perhaps […]

Feeling on edge?2020-06-19T14:16:27-04:00
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