exercise

Hula Hooping for Fitness

My favorite booth at the Women’s Expo last week was without a doubt the Fitness Hooping booth. When I first saw someone walking by with a giant, colorful hula hoop, I had to know where it came from. I’ve heard about a new trend in using hula hoops for exercise. If something is fun, safe and gets the body moving I’m in full support.

So it was hula hoops that drew me away from the multi-colored mats we’d laid out in our booth so that people could try Pilates exercises. I passed Trader Joe’s and snatched some humus and carrots. Then on the opposite side of the expo center, I found them. There were young children rocking their hips to keep the hoops up. Luckily, I wasn’t the only adult who wanted to try. Another women was waiting patiently for the kids to finish up so that we could try our hands at being children again.

It was fun. I couldn’t help but smile. I could have stayed in what felt like the kids corner all day. I’ve never taken an actual hula hoop class (yet), but the link above will take you to the woman from […]

Hula Hooping for FitnessMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:30-04:00

Walking Helps

Feel angry, agitated, or just want to snack on something you think you might regret later? Go for a walk. Try it before you knock it. It can really help make you feel better. The walk doesn’t have to be long. You just need enough time to get out and away from whatever is frustrating you. Don’t feel like you have the time for a walk? Everything you need to do will probably get done better if you allow yourself the time.

Walking HelpsMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:41-04:00

Atop Mt. Lafayette

It was my first overnight hiking trip–the highest I’ve ever camped (around 4,000 feet above sea level). Each day began like a Comedy of Errors.

Day One: Up before sunrise, thankful for full moon to help me see, broke camp in the dark (and what I thought was cold), filled the Honda Fit with rucksacks and other gear, started to drive to trail head, realized I hadn’t closed the hatchback, heard a thud, stopped car, got out, reloaded the car with all the gear that fell out of the open hatchback. Felt confident that hike would go well.

Day Two: Up before sunrise (in hope of seeing sunrise), thankful for full moon, wandered into woods to get food suspended in trees in an attempt to outwit bears, was warned by other campers to watch out for their clothesline so as not to be decapitated, so worried about clothesline I walked into a sharp shard of […]

Atop Mt. LafayetteMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00

High Intensity

Thinkstock Single Image Set
If in addition to your Pilates routine you do cardiovascular or aerobic workouts–like running, using an elliptical, etc. your might be interested in a January article published by The International Journal of Obesity.

They determined that high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) may offer more cardiovascular and weight loss benefits than working for a prolonged period at a steady pace. Intervals have been found to be a very effective way to work out, but this study tested very short intervals (8 seconds of high intensity followed by 12 seconds of rest repeated for 20-minutes).

I tried it on the elliptical at the gym. You can’t focus on anything else because every 8 to 12 seconds you need to change what you are doing, but it didn’t feel as exhausting as longer interval training I have done. Since I find ellipticals boring, I convince myself to workout on them by allowing myself to read–an activity I love, but don’t always have time for. Interval training is not conducive to that. However, it was nice to do intervals and feel less tired while potentially getting more benefit.

This doesn’t mean […]

High IntensityMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00

Labor Day Weekend Hiking

I like to spend my Labor Day weekends in New Hampshire hiking. Usually this means a trip up Mount Washington, but this year I decided that as much as I love Mt. Washington, I really don’t want a parking lot at the top of the Mountain when I finish.

If the weather is good and all goes well, today I’ll be finishing up some new and different hikes in New Hampshire to tell you about later in this blog.

The past couple years my brother, Will, has joined me up Mt. Washington. He’s off to college this year and can’t come, but I’ll be thinking about him during the hike.

I find hiking not only to be a good workout, but to be a fun excursion into nature. In New Hampshire you can see fabulous views (when the weather is clear). The air is cool and clean. In some stretches you can find yourself (and your fellow hikers) all alone in the wilderness. There is so much space this can even […]

Labor Day Weekend HikingMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:31-04:00