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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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Finding Neutral

When talking about fitness and posture, you’ll often hear people refer to a neutral spine, but finding neutral can be harder than it seems for a natural position our body is supposedly supposed to have.  Most often in fitness when instructors say neutral they are referring to the low back and pelvis, but all our joints have a neutral position.  Experimenting with where your neutral is in the low back and pelvis is usually the easiest place to start.  So let’s experiment with finding neutral in different positions.

Neutral Lying Down

The easiest way to find neutral is to lie down on the floor with knees bent, feet on the floor.  This is the easiest position to find neutral because you can actually feel the floor (or not feel it).  When you press the lower back toward the floor, known as imprinting, you can usually feel the floor touching your lower back.  Conversely, or neutral you should have a slight arch in the lower back.  There should be some space between your spine and the floor.  There doesn’t have to be a lot of space and everyone’s neutral can be different.  Generally, the rule is that you should be able to […]

Finding Neutral2018-02-14T16:23:08-05:00

Plank Story: Elementary school games

This lovely lady helps make life extra fun.

This is an oldie, but a goodie from over a decade ago.  My friends were turning twenty-five.  It may be laughable now, but we were struggling with aging and growing up.  I’m actually more comfortable with getting older now than I was then.  Since today is Julie’s, my best friend from elementary school, birthday, it seemed only fitting to pull this from the archive.  Happy Birthday, Julie.  And to every twenty-five-year-old: it’s going to be okay.

Elementary School Games

Upon turning twenty-five, in Peter Pan fashion, Julie planned a birthday party for herself filled with elementary school games like bombardment, kick ball, and spud.

On average, I’d guess the attendees at the party were between twenty-five and thirty-five.  The point is, we would be categorized a young, at least according to my grandma.

After five hours of playing games designed for children, I injured my hip (which would result in a visit to a physical therapist), Julie’s right ear became permanently attached to her right shoulder due to a kink in her neck (that required massage and physical therapy to undo), and Matt hurt his […]

Plank Story: Elementary school games2018-02-14T16:25:17-05:00

Get the most out of your ab workouts

Most people I’ve met want fabulous abs.  Others are looking for ways to strengthen and support their back knowing that abs play a roll.  Whichever desire motivates us (and sometimes it’s both), we often make time for ab exercises.  That’s great, but if you’re going spend time doing ab workouts, let’s make sure you are working them the best you can without hurting other parts of your body.  Here are some ways to get the most out of your ab workouts.

 

  • Knees over Hips

It’s really easy for the knees to creep in, but keeping them over your hips will create a lot more ab work.

There are lots of exercises for the abs where the legs are in the bent in the air.  Often on these exercises the knees start to creep in over the stomach instead of staying over the hips.  If that happens because you are taking pressure off the back, that’s a form of modifying, but know that you want to build up to being able to support your legs in tabletop position (with the knees and hips at 90-degrees).  It’s not worth straining […]

Get the most out of your ab workouts2018-02-14T16:33:04-05:00

Plank Story: Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro

We are currently standing on Mt. Kili with the peak behind us. That’s how big the mountain is.

Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro was a spectacularly grand adventure and simultaneously self-inflicted torture.  On the first night I accidentally peed in my sleeping bag and broke my headlamp.  The sleeping bag and headlamp were both much needed tools on the mountain.

That’s me and Matt sitting on the right in the orange jacket. Photo from ready_freddy_123 on Instagram

Day Three

On Day three I wrote in my journal: When you look back on this trip as a positive experience, remember it is not.  You are miserable.  This is terrible.  You did this to yourself.  Vacation normally flies by but if you want vacation to pass slowly hike Mt. Kilimanjaro.

That was a breaking point for me.  I’d been up the first two nights shivering.  Lack of sleep and freezing nighttime temperatures forced me to figure out how I needed to get by on the mountain.  That night I put on nearly all my clothes and threw some heat warmers into my sleeping bag and finally slept.  […]

Plank Story: Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro2018-02-14T16:29:26-05:00

Tips for Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro

When I was planning my trip to Mt. Kilimanjaro, I wish I could have found a list of tips for hiking Mt Kilimanjaro to help me prepare.  What’s out there is every tour organizations plug for why they are the best at getting people to the top, but not really helpful info from someone who had done it.  For the 35,000 people who hike the mountain each year, this lack of information is a gaping hole in the internet where you can usually find answers to everything.  Everyone has a different experience, and you may discover you have different needs than I did.  But after hiking, these are the things I wish I could have known earlier.  Each of these helped make my hike better and easier.  There is no particular order here.  I’d want them all.

Tips for Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro

  • Balaclava: Bring a balaclava for the journey. A thin one like they wear in the television show Survivor works best.  This becomes a very versatile tool.  You can cover your face to protect from dust and sun.  You can cover your nose to help warm the cold air a little […]
Tips for Hiking Mt Kilimanjaro2018-02-14T16:29:00-05:00
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