challenge

Cold Shower in Review

Okay—so maybe I’m not so good at sticking to my own challenges. There were a few days where I just totally skipped on the cold shower.

That being said, there is something I like about the frigid water after I’ve gone for a run. I think it helps cool me off. If you’ve ever seen me after running, my face is bright red and hot. It will stay that way and you can even sometimes see the red drain from my face over the next hour. The cold shower helps speed that process up.

Every day that I took a cold shower I liked the way it felt on my face. I recommend hitting your face with cold water near the end of your shower. I still don’t like the way it feels on the front of my body. It makes me think of everything I’ve learned about the body—how the front line is the protector—we […]

Cold Shower in ReviewMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:32-04:00

Cold Shower: Day Two

I am a morning person. I am perky and chatty and happy in the morning. But when my alarm went of this morning, I whined, “I don’t wanna.” There was a chill in the air. I was warm in bed and I didn’t want to get up and get into a cold shower. It seemed like torture. Why was I doing this to myself?

I still couldn’t set the dial all the way to cold (or even as far as I’d gotten it the day before), so I started in the middle again and worked back to colder and colder water, not even getting as far as the day before. I didn’t wash my hair. I was in and out in three minutes […]

Cold Shower: Day TwoMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:33-04:00

Final Word On the Maggie Downie Challenge

So it’s been a full year since I started my challenge to get in the best shape of my life. And I have to admit I don’t feel like I was successful. Technically I only completed three out of four original challenges and I didn’t really change the way I eat, which I think will be key in my ultimate goal of getting into the best shape of my life. (I may not have been successful, but I’m not giving up.)

If you asked me in the fall if I had succeeded my answer would have been yes. I felt strong, my body felt good. I was five pounds lighter than I am now. I wasn’t eating great, but I was willing to excuse it because I was exercising so much, doing a lot of cross training and felt good about my health.

Final Word On the Maggie Downie ChallengeMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:33-04:00

The Final Challenge: Letting Go

Okay—I don’t have one. I think I’m going to have to let it go. At this point I literally have one month to come up with something.

The best laid plans, I guess. What do they say? Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans?

On the one hand, it seems ridiculous that I couldn’t come up with four challenges throughout the year. And it’s not that I didn’t. I ran the Ragnar, two half-marathons, hiked the Grand Canyon. There are four right there, but I wanted them spaced out seasonally and I didn’t want them all to involve running.

Still, I learned a few things. Having physical challenges that have activities with set dates really helps keep me stay motivated to stick to a workout routine. Having other people working to the same goal really helps me too. But I also learned that after three seasons of having a challenge planned, my body and mind were both tired and in need of a break.

So for next year, I’m already planning on doing a different Ragnar race and another half marathon. We’ll see what other challenge come about as […]

The Final Challenge: Letting GoMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:36-04:00

Possible Final Challenge

Okay, so last week I had no idea what I was going to do for my final challenge and now the possibilities seem endless. A friend of mine is doing an indoor triathlon and while I didn’t have any interest in swimming or biking this is a very “easy triathlon” in that you can swim the breast stroke and the bike is stationary. It is the only type of triathlon I think I’ll ever do. It will be a challenge for me in that I’ll be doing some activities that aren’t up my alley. Then there is the American Lung Association Climb for Air Charity Event in Hartford. You climb 21 flights of stairs. Although technically this is March 31^st (after my birthday so it wouldn’t be part of my 30^th year). And there is still the chance it might snow and I could do something that involved cross country skiing.

Which do you think would be the biggest challenge?

Possible Final ChallengeMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:35-04:00