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Grip Strength

Multiple research shows a correlation between overall health markers and grip strength. There seems to be a particular correlation with cardiovascular health (based on a study of 140,000 people over 4 years). Some researchers think testing grip strength might be a cheap, easy way to assess general heart health.

This matters because grip strength often starts to diminish between the age of 50-55 (I don’t know about you, but that sounds young to me). And Millennials have lost grip strength compared to their adult counterparts from the 1980s. This loss is more pronounced in men than women, but both have lost their grip. (Note: the research on this did not indicate they are concerned this is causing heart issues in adults today, more just that as a population we do less manual labor.)

The real issue is that grip strength has such practical applications in life, so if and when you lose it, you notice it daily. If your grip strength is still good you might take for granted using a fork, pumping gas, vacuuming, lifting a water jug, or opening a jar of pickles, but all these tasks require grip strength.

Grip strength is interconnected with wrist health and forearm strength. So […]

Grip StrengthMaggie Downie2023-09-28T12:46:41-04:00

Beautiful Walks

Another perk of the pandemic is that I’ve found new and beautiful places to walk locally. It’s amazing how many places are available to us that we usually don’t take advantage of in the hustle and bustle of daily life. The Governor recently mentioned that everyone in Connecticut lives 15 minutes from a state park. That’s pretty spectacular. We sure do have a beautiful state filled with beautiful walks.

Here are some of the locations I would recommend for beautiful walks. Please feel free to add to them in the comments.

List of Beautiful Walks

My New FAVORITE: Dividend Park, Rocky Hill

This place has a little bit of everything: scenic views, unique landscapes, and history. You’ll find a waterfall, a couple nice ponds, some historic ruins, and in the center of it all are these random sand dunes. Most of the trail is pretty easy, to get to the sand dunes is a bit up, but you can also skip that part. There are also a number of trees beavers have felled and that is just cool to see.

My Old Favorite: Old Wethersfield, Wethersfield

I’ll never tire of walking around my neighborhood. I know I […]

Beautiful WalksMaggie Downie2020-06-08T18:06:59-04:00

Activities for Kids

Maggies nephew out for a stroll

We’ve all been cooped up in our houses for months. Maybe the kids are going stir crazy. Maybe you are going a little stir crazy. So what are some fun activities for kids that will help them burn off all that energy?

The possibilities for moves with kids are endless. But one trick is to try and find moves that kids think are fun and make movement playful. Movement should be a little playful, but it’s an aspect of movement we sometimes lose when we grow up. You may find that coming up with fun moves with your kids may help rekindle a little joy of moving for you too.

Activities for Kids

Start there: what type of movement did you enjoy when you were a kid? Did you play tag? Maybe you liked walking. Did you just move around and be silly? Maybe just tell your kids you’ll mimic any moves they do and then try to follow them (good luck)! Did you and your siblings have wheel barrow races or piggy back races?

Keep it Simple

Also, remember you can be simple. You don’t have to come up […]

Activities for KidsMaggie Downie2020-05-28T13:08:09-04:00

Pain in the Buttocks

Sciatica can be a pain in the buttocks —literally and figuratively. The sciatic nerve runs out multiple vertebra in the lower back and down both sides of your legs passing through the glutes (butt muscles). The compression and inflammation of the nerve at the spine can cause the pain in the glute and down the entire leg. In addition sometimes one of the muscles in your butt called the pyriformis can be adding to the pain. If you do the four stretch and you feel relief, you might have pyriformis syndrome.

How to do the Four Stretch:

Note: You can do both sides, but the side with the pain should get relief when crossed over.

Sit down on a firm chair.

Cross the leg with pain over the leg without so that the ankle rests just above the opposite knee

Sit up Tall.

Stay for 3-5 deep breaths.

Relax and Repeat Up to 5 times.

OPTIONAL: Hinge (do not round) forward slightly for […]

Pain in the ButtocksMaggie Downie2019-07-17T12:26:58-04:00

8 Mindful Eating Tips

It is our annual Mindful Eating Challenge. We do this in February for two reasons. Honestly, the shortest month of the year is appealing if you are going to do a food challenge. But also, many of us tend to set healthy goals in January. Many of us have lost track of those goals by February. This is a second reset—a reminder.

I know one of my goals for January was to stop distracted eating—not scrolling through social media, watching TV, or working through meals. It lasted one and a half weeks.

No Pressure

This month is not about pressure. You may or may not do your goal perfectly. The point is to pick something you’d like to change/think about/learn about the food you consume and how it fuels you and makes you feel.

In the past, I always gave up sugar for the month of February. Almost no one wanted to do that with me. So a couple years ago at the advise of Stephanie Tishler from Tishler Coaching Services we changed this to the Mindful Eating Challenge. It’s now much more popular.

Some Suggestions

You can pick anything you want to focus on. Here […]

8 Mindful Eating TipsMaggie Downie2019-01-30T10:38:55-05:00