The Body & Movement

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 ExerciseMaggie Downie2020-09-18T15:13:33-04:00

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)Maggie Downie2020-08-06T12:33:06-04:00

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 […]

IMSAFEMaggie Downie2020-07-23T16:00:36-04:00

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?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