health

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

Shampoo Update

Well as some of you know I stopped using shampoo in October 2008–that’s almost a year now, but this is my first summer without the soapy suds. One of the many changes I appreciated with ceasing shampoo use was that I didn’t seem to need conditioner anymore. That all changed with days at the beach and humid weather curling my hair into knots at my scalp. I don’t need to use conditioner every day, but I have needed to use it, on average, about once a week.

It’s no big deal, but I thought it was important to mention since I seem to have become an advocate of less shampoo. Occasionally conditioner is a side effect of a New England summer.

Shampoo UpdateMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:43-04:00

Meditation: Part Two

Okay, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t very good at following my first weekly challenge. I didn’t sit and meditate for ten minutes a day, but I did think about it, which is a step closer than I was the week before, and I started reading The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh, which actually kind of makes me want to meditate. Can reading a book on mediation for ten minutes a day count as meditation?

I’m very open to what I will accept as mediation and always have been, but I also recognize that I am not very good at sitting still and being quite. (Note the photography above of Maggie not being still with her sister.) My boyfriend nicknamed me Chatty Cathy long ago.

The way peace and calm are described in the book seems to strike a cord with me. He talks about thinking of yourself like a pebble sinking through the silky waters of a pond until you gently hit the soft sediment below where nothing is pushing or pulling you. I […]

Meditation: Part TwoMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:32:36-04:00

Meditation: Part One

I have to admit, I’ve never been very good at meditating. I seem to fall asleep, get bored, or get antsy. I don’t have the willpower of my older sister who attended a Sit for 10 days, where she literally sat still all day, everyday.

Yet, there is an aspect of mediation that is appealing to me. I like imagining the calm, the stillness of mind. I’ve started reading The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh. It was recommended to me by someone at the gym.

I’m really enjoying it and I find that it relates to Pilates, and in that aspect, I can relate. One of the chapters is on mindfulness. When you are breathing, you are supposed to notice you are breathing. When you are brushing your teeth, you are supposed to focus on brushing your teeth; when you are washing dishes, you are supposed to be washing dishes. Your mind shouldn’t be elsewhere (a virtual impossibility if you ask me, but a grand idea).

But the truth is, that is what Pilates is all about. Pilates is supposed to make you […]

Meditation: Part OneMaggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:50-04:00

June 30th–Midway through 2009

Believe it or not on June 30th we were half way through 2009. It’s hard to believe how time does fly. But halfway through the year is an ideal time to stop and take stock of how the year is going and if we are reaching all our goals for this year.

Take some time today to recall those New Year Resolutions you made six months ago. Don’t nag yourself if you’ve fallen behind, just get back on track this week. The 4th of July picnics have come and gone and the summer is in full swing. You can get outside and get active. If you planned on getting in better shape or eating better this year, now is the time to make sure you’re moving forward to achieve your goals. It is never too late to get started.

June 30th–Midway through 2009Maggie Downie2014-08-04T18:06:51-04:00