health

Do I Deserve Praise?

My month of no dessert really wasn’t that hard. I didn’t lose any weight so I’m not sure how it benefitted me except to say that I did it and used my will power. The problem is I’m always better at saying no to a particular food if I’ve banned it. I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. My great-grandma used to be really good about restricting herself to two cookies a day. This is a gene that didn’t get passed down to me. I’m more apt to eat no cookies or a bag of cookies. This is why I try not to keep this kind of food in the house. And why I feel insanely lucky that I like to exercise.

On the couple of days when I passed on a dessert that seemed really good—like my Grandma’s birthday death by chocolate, or the butterscotch pudding in Seattle, or the coconut cream pie by Tom Douglas that people online seem to rave about, I posted my on Facebook a picture of what I didn’t eat. I […]

Do I Deserve Praise?Maggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:57-04:00

I’m READY TO EAT DESSERT!

Yippee!!! I can eat dessert again if I want. My self-imposed month of no dessert is over. Now the question is: will I eat dessert right away? What I craved most of all was chocolate covered marshmallows. I’ve never even had chocolate covered marshmallows, but I think I’m on a mission to find some.

Here is a sampling of the many desserts I went without:

Death By Chocolate made by my mom for my grandma’s 85th birthday. I was bummed not to partake and felt a little guilty!

Chocolate peanut butter cake with a peanut butter truffle and banana ice cream.

Tom Douglas’ Coconut Cream Pie

Cream filled puff pastries smothered […]

I’m READY TO EAT DESSERT!Maggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:57-04:00

Valentine’s Day Gift for YOU!

Give yourself a V-Day gift this year. Choose one way you are going to be healthier. It’s the best way to love yourself, and, ultimately, the best way to love someone else. I’m on a mission this year to get in the best shape of my life. I’m not sure how well it’s going, but here are some tips for all of us:

Trade sugary beverages for water or unsweetened herbal tea
Limit processed foods
Try to get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day
Start a calorie journal
Sign up for a race or walk to motivate you to get in better shape
Join a fitness class with friends
Give up dessert for the rest of the month

Valentine’s Day Gift for YOU!Maggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:58-04:00

No Dessert, But…Peanut Butter

Well, my healthy lifestyle isn’t going as well as to be expected. I haven’t eaten dessert yet, but I seem to be hungry for just about everything else, especially peanut butter. I think I’ve eaten a jar in two weeks. That’s 3,200 calories–about 230 calories per day. I guess that’s not as bad as it seems, although that’s pretty much one pound. If I cut out peanut butter and didn’t replace it with anything I would be a pound lighter right now.

I did a search online to see what a peanut butter craving could mean, and the internet proved to be completely useless. Apparently, I could have anything from a Vitamin A deficiency to a mold allergy, which seems really far-fetched. I could even crave peanut butter because I’m allergic to it. It turns out that eating too much of something can make you addicted and you can have feelings of withdrawal without it.

This why I can never go on websites like WebMD. I think it’s more likely, that the most common Google response is […]

No Dessert, But…Peanut ButterMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:58-04:00

Jack Lalanne’s Inspiration

Jack Lalanne was an inspirational person. He reminded me of Joesph Pilates in his intense passion for fitness and trying to help and inspire others to a healthier lifestyle. I really hope that when I’m in my eighties and nineties, I’m as active and healthy as they both were.

I imagine that is something we all hope for, but health in our senior years has to start now. It seems so worth it. I think everyone who chooses a career in fitness on some level really wants to inspire others to be healthy too. But everyone is inspired in different ways.

I’m inspired by being able to be active, hiking a mountain like Mt. Washington, being involved in team sports, feeling good, looking good, being outdoors, competition, having fun while working out, and the calm I find exercise provides me. I’m inspired by watching someone really passionate like the video of Lalanne in the above link or reading Joe Pilates. The picture above even inspires me, but probably only becaue I know who Jack Lalanne […]

Jack Lalanne’s InspirationMaggie Downie2017-10-25T14:30:12-04:00