Maggie Downie, Author at Personal Euphoria: Pilates & Fitness Classes in CT

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.

Morning Person

I pretty much still look exactly this good when I wake up in the morning.

I miss being a morning person. Until turning thirty, I’d bound out of bed singing, “Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh, what a beautiful day!” It would be animated—arms reaching up and everything. That’s no exaggeration. I’ve done that. When I wasn’t singing, I’d wake up talking. Matt, my boyfriend, used to call me Chatty Cathy. When a crack of light creeped through the curtain, I’d just start: “I like the color purple. Do you like the color purple? What do you want to do today? Did you see…?” I’d open the curtains with a spunk and vivacity only exhibited in musical theater. As I write that down, I realize Matt really should have left me by now. He likes to sleep in and he moans every time actors break into song.

Sadly, I’m not the morning person I used to be, and it’s made me realize that the non-morning people in my life—Matt, my mom, and my best friend since childhood, Julie—must all really love me. They are not naturally morning people. And now, if I […]

Morning PersonMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:35:44-05:00

22 Push-up Challenge

The 22 push-up challenge has been encouraging people to do 22 push-ups a day for a month to raise awareness about veteran suicides. My brother-in-law sent me the challenge months ago. I didn’t do it because I wasn’t feeling well. Turns out I had Lyme disease. But I did finally get around to creating a list of over 22 ways you can do a push up so that anyone doing the challenge can add some variety. Remember, never pick a version if it hurts in a bad way or seems to aggravate your body. Here goes:

The Basics

On your toes:
On your knees:
In tabletop

Gentler Versions for Individuals who need to go lighter on the wrists and shoulders

Wall
Wall Toss
Flex Band Lying on Back

Playing with Speed

You can slow down on the way […]

22 Push-up ChallengeMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:34:37-05:00

To My Dad on Father’s Day

The cradle my dad built us.

To My Dad:

My parents separated when I was two years old. My dad got me every other weekend and for Tuesday night dinners. We still get together for Tuesday night dinner. And, according to my mom, he never missed a weekend. My dad always seemed to want time with me and want me to be a part of his life and his interests.

He took me to baseball games and taught me to drop a ball down into the dugout with a soda bottle so that I could collect signatures. He took me sailing. He thinks I hated it because as a child I was scared of everything—the dark, gremlins, the alligator under my bed, leaving my mother, and sailing—but my memories from the boat involve loving being with my dad. Note: I loved it except for the toilet or when the boat was heeling over. That part I really didn’t like. Okay, I actually hated the sailing part. He’s right there. I just liked the time with him. But I think now I’d really enjoy it. My dad thinks I didn’t like sailing because I […]

To My Dad on Father’s DayMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:36:08-05:00

Pee Like A Guy

I also got a fancy case to conceal it when it’s not being used.

In prep for hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, it was suggested to me that I get a device that enables women to pee while standing without taking their pants off. It enables women to pee like a guy. In truth, I’ve always been sort of interested in one of these contraptions, so it didn’t take much convincing.

A friend suggested the p-style. And she said, “Practice.” It arrived earlier this week. The p-style looks sort of like a pink taco with one side sealed. You place it where it needs to go, and viola, you can urinate like a guy. Except I couldn’t figure out how not to pee all over my feet. I couldn’t create enough force to get away from my feet.

I mentioned the problem to my dad at dinner. He tells me, “Maggie. Wide stance. Pelvis forward.” So I tried and it worked. I’m not sure if guys know this little trick intuitively. It also amuses me that my dad just taught his 36-year-old daughter how to pee like a guy. A conversation I suspect he […]

Pee Like A GuyMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:37:22-05:00

Lyme Disease in Connecticut

Getting preachy about how to treat disease isn’t my thing, so I’m just going to share my story. When it comes to what is happening in your body, you need to make the best decision for yourself. It can be hard in a world with so much information and so few answers. Everyone has their own opinion. I’m one of the many cases of Lyme Disease in Connecticut this year already, and I think it easily could have gone undiagnosed. That concerns me for others who may have Lyme disease, too.

I work with a naturopath and a medical doctor. Years ago I thought naturopaths were a little whacky. I went to one out of desperation because I was really sick and no one could figure out what was wrong with me. My naturopath figured out I was hypothyroid and had Hashimotos. These are not that hard to diagnose. My PCP at the time denied it (she’s no longer my PCP). An endocrinologist confirmed the situation and wanted to put me on levothyroxine. I was hesitant to take medication and read going gluten-free could help. I went gluten-free and my Hashimoto’s antibodies dropped (a good thing) and my thyroid numbers went […]

Lyme Disease in ConnecticutMaggie Downie2018-02-14T16:38:25-05:00

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