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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Shed Light on COVID Positives

Each New Year Matt and I take a long walk where we review the prior year and pin expectations, hopes, and dreams on the coming one.  What struck me as I ended 2020 feeling exhausted and a bit deflated was how much joy filled our year was we started reminiscing.  That joy lingered well into the COVID months. It was good to shed light on the COVID positives.

Canada Shed Light

We opened the year on an adventure in Canada to freeze our hair.  The weather worked against us. Canada had a random warm spell bringing the temps hovering around freezing, but not the negative temps required to freeze our hair until we looked like abominable snow people. Instead the weather provided one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.  The Aurora Borealis danced green and slightly purple in the sky.  I was in awe and wonder of the world—a state I often find myself.

Birthday in COVID

My birthday came first in my family in COVID-land.  Since Broadway was shuttered and I couldn’t see Hamilton my family acted out a duel in my front yard.  I was grateful for every Broadway show I’d […]

Shed Light on COVID Positives2021-01-11T13:25:13-05:00

Relieve Stress with these 3 Tips

Sometimes when we have been stressed for a prolonged period of time it can start to feel normal and we forget that we have tools to relieve stress that are available anytime we need them.  The best part is those tools to relieve stress can be free. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but they can be helpful if we can tap into them.

  • Breathing to Relieve Stress

Diaphragmatic breathing (a big, deep belly breath) is known to lower blood pressure and heart rate, ultimately relieving stress.  But many of us don’t naturally take a deep breath.  Take a moment to try to focus on breathing into your belly and letting it expand versus breathing into your chest and letting your shoulders rise.  Try placing one hand on your stomach and another other on your chest.  When you inhale you are looking to feel your stomach rise before your chest.

Or count your breath pattern.  You can also pick a variety of rhythms, but one that has been researched is to inhale for a count of five and exhale for a count of five.  Play with that pattern until you feel yourself start to relax.

  • Mediation Calms the Mind & Can Relieve Stress

Meditation […]

Relieve Stress with these 3 Tips2021-01-11T14:59:00-05:00

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 Exercise2020-09-18T15:13:33-04:00

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
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