The Body & Movement

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?Maggie Downie2020-06-19T14:16:27-04:00

Beautiful Walks

Another perk of the pandemic is that I’ve found new and beautiful places to walk locally. It’s amazing how many places are available to us that we usually don’t take advantage of in the hustle and bustle of daily life. The Governor recently mentioned that everyone in Connecticut lives 15 minutes from a state park. That’s pretty spectacular. We sure do have a beautiful state filled with beautiful walks.

Here are some of the locations I would recommend for beautiful walks. Please feel free to add to them in the comments.

List of Beautiful Walks

My New FAVORITE: Dividend Park, Rocky Hill

This place has a little bit of everything: scenic views, unique landscapes, and history. You’ll find a waterfall, a couple nice ponds, some historic ruins, and in the center of it all are these random sand dunes. Most of the trail is pretty easy, to get to the sand dunes is a bit up, but you can also skip that part. There are also a number of trees beavers have felled and that is just cool to see.

My Old Favorite: Old Wethersfield, Wethersfield

I’ll never tire of walking around my neighborhood. I know I […]

Beautiful WalksMaggie Downie2020-06-08T18:06:59-04:00

Activities for Kids

Maggies nephew out for a stroll

We’ve all been cooped up in our houses for months. Maybe the kids are going stir crazy. Maybe you are going a little stir crazy. So what are some fun activities for kids that will help them burn off all that energy?

The possibilities for moves with kids are endless. But one trick is to try and find moves that kids think are fun and make movement playful. Movement should be a little playful, but it’s an aspect of movement we sometimes lose when we grow up. You may find that coming up with fun moves with your kids may help rekindle a little joy of moving for you too.

Activities for Kids

Start there: what type of movement did you enjoy when you were a kid? Did you play tag? Maybe you liked walking. Did you just move around and be silly? Maybe just tell your kids you’ll mimic any moves they do and then try to follow them (good luck)! Did you and your siblings have wheel barrow races or piggy back races?

Keep it Simple

Also, remember you can be simple. You don’t have to come up […]

Activities for KidsMaggie Downie2020-05-28T13:08:09-04:00

Better Balance Exercises

What a piece of work is Maggie. Can you see where I’m unbalanced?

Research shows that balance training improves balance and strength. It is definitely worth incorporating balance exercises into your regular workout routine.

Better Balance Study:

A study tested a specific routine and found participants had improved balance and strength when performing a 50-minutes workout that included a warm-up, 13 exercises stations (each repeated twice for 1 minute), and a cool down. The study did not fully explain each exercise, but I tried to piece it together as best I could.

I suspect there are a lot of moves you could do to improve balance, but what I like about this particular study is the variety it included. It challenged people to walk in different ways, balance on one foot, and balance on one foot while moving the rest of your body. Additionally, they incorporated some eye exercises. That was interesting because vision plays a big role in balance, but I also don’t think we often think of exercising our eyeballs. It feels pretty good.

If you’d like to try it I put together my best attempt at what I think their workout might […]

Better Balance ExercisesMaggie Downie2020-04-06T17:42:33-04:00

Pelvic Floor & Breathing

One role of the pelvic floor or Kegel muscles is to aid in respiration. When we cough or sneeze and a little urine leaks out, we know that those muscles are misfiring, or maybe not firing at all. It’s super common, but not something we need to accept as normal.

But what do you do about it? Let’s start simply.

First Move: Feel the Pelvic Floor

Lie on your back with your knees bent feet on the floor (or legs propped up on something that leaves you knees and hips at 90-degrees). Pick a position that is comfortable for you. Now just breathe and notice what you feel. When you do breathe are you aware of your pelvic floor doing anything?

That’s it. That’s where we start. The first thing we need to consider is simply what we feel in our body. Try not to feel frustrated with yourself if you don’t feel anything or don’t know what you feel. If you can feel that the pelvic floor is getting involved you are a step ahead. If you don’t it is truly okay. Consider doing this exercise daily…with no criticism of what you feel. Just […]

Pelvic Floor & BreathingMaggie Downie2020-02-26T15:07:16-05:00