exercise

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

To Squat Or Not to Squat

This is probably not a question you give a lot of thought to on a regular basis. Most people with knee problems steer away from the squat, and it’s certainly good to be cautious. But if you don’t have knee problems, the squat can be a really important exercise. The squat is basically the muscles we use to stand up and sit down. Most of us stand and sit at work, when we eat, when we go to the bathroom, and when we get in the car. It’s a pretty important exercise for daily use.
As people age it’s one of the more important exercises they can probably do to keep themselves independent.

Recently I read two articles that argued for the importance of a really deep squat. One where you start standing and lower your glutes until they almost touch the floor between your heals. This isn’t for everyone and some people need to build up to this, but the articles made an interesting case

They claimed that we are very sensitive about knees in […]

To Squat Or Not to SquatMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:37-04:00

Pelvic Floor–And So to Up

When I trained with Pilates Elder Ron Fletcher he repeatedly quoted one of his mentors who, when encouraging someone to engage their pelvic floor, would say: “And So to Up.”

In pilates when we refer to the pelvic floor we are referring to what most people know as kegels. And when engaged, the direction that your kegels should go is up. Picture your pelvic floor muscles like a sheet lying on the floor. When you engage them they should lift up as if you lifted that sheet off the floor from the center. And so to up.

It’s important to work the pelvic floor because we often take those muscles for granted, but they are the muscles that in enable us to control our bowels and our bladder. And when you consider that they are the muscles at the very bottom of your pelvis, you realize that the weight of everything inside of our trunks ultimately presses down on these muscles.

Both men and women have kegel/pelvic floor muscles. It’s not just one muscle we […]

Pelvic Floor–And So to UpMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:40-04:00

Exercise & Sleep

For two days after I ran the half marathon, I slept so soundly for a good eight hours. The great sleep I got makes running another half marathon very tempting. But 30-minutes of any aerobic exercise should do the trick. Whenever I am extremely physical, I tend to get great sleep.

And there is research to prove it. According to a study in the journal of Sleep Medicine 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise will help improve sleep by enabling you to fall asleep faster and stay in a deep sleep longer. One of the reasons they think this happens is that exercise raises the temperature of the body. It can stay raised for four hours, but when it cools off the temperature is usually lower than prior to exercising, which may help in falling asleep.

The benefits of better sleep are huge. The longer you are in a deep sleep the more growth hormones you produce, which helps you to rebuild and heal your body. But for me, I just love the feeling of waking up and feeling refreshed.

Personal Euphoria

Exercise & SleepMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:02:40-04:00