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Gratitude

Every year I like to pause for a moment and reflect on what I’m thankful for. This year I have so much to smile about and appreciate. I’m filled with gratitude.

Family

My family is always there for me and we have fun together. Family always make this list, but this year we gained two new nephews. They are already adored! When I’m stressed, I ask my sister and sister-in-law to text me a picture of one of those treasures, and it brings a smile to my face. Matt is a wonderful travel partner who is always up for an adventure. He always makes the grateful list, too. The team at Personal Euphoria provides great classes to our all our clients. We have a wonderful group of instructors, but we have a few behind the scenes people that do billing, organize all our mailings, and help me understand social media. Each person plays a role in us bringing the best to our classes.

Clients

Our clients show up week after week. They pick us to trust with their bodies. I’m ever grateful for that, because I know how important a healthy, functional body is to […]

GratitudeMaggie Downie2018-11-06T12:23:35-05:00

Plank Story: Electric Scooters

I prefer activities like Pilates, hiking, walking, and running—moves that keep both my feet on the ground. Still, when we were recently in Indianapolis, I was intrigued by the electric scooters escorting people all over the city.

Matt downloaded the scooter app, and we tried to get our first scooter. It beeped and lit up like it was on, but we couldn’t get it to go so we tried another one. It said the battery was dead. A third attempt failed just like the first and we found another with a dead battery. Frustrated, we realized perhaps part of the problem was us and not the scooters. We googled how to operate the scooter. For those that were working, you can’t just get on and press “Go.” You have to get them started under your own power and then press, “Go.”

Our next challenge would be trying to use one app to ride. Matt had downloaded the app. I had not. So he’d start a scooter up for me. I’d get going and then he’d start one for himself and mine would stop. It appears you can’t use one app to ride two […]

Plank Story: Electric ScootersMaggie Downie2018-10-08T18:22:32-04:00

Talk to your doctor about getting an MRI

I’m not a doctor. I don’t even play one on TV. Ultimately, the main messaging of this blog is that if you have certain types of pain, you should talk to your doctor about getting an MRI sooner rather than later.

Anecdotally, I find that the clients I work with get so much helpful information from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). Information that seems to help the course of action at physical therapy, or improve accuracy of cortisone shots, or the realization that the injury likely requires surgery or sometimes a simple procedure to resolve a problem.

Yet for some reason, also anecdotally, I find that my clients will be in pain for months and see multiple doctors before getting an MRI. According to the FDA, adverse side effects are rare, so I wondered why more people aren’t getting them. If MRI’s seem to provide so much useful info, what’s the delay in prescribing them?

MRI’s are expensive procedures. On average an MRI costs $2,611. The machines themselves can cost over $3-million, not including what it costs to outfit the room to be able to host an MRI machine. That is a […]

Talk to your doctor about getting an MRIMaggie Downie2018-10-08T17:58:22-04:00

Golf Lesson

Jeannine, Barb, Jess and I get a golf lesson.

Golf is a good walk spoiled. –Mark Twain

Apparently Mark Twain never had a golf lesson, because it has become clear to me that knowing how to golf makes all the difference. This summer the PE staff took a lesson with Mike Vitale at Stanley Golf Course in New Britain.

As a Pilates instructor it should come as no surprise to me that learning how to do something makes it easier and more fun. I had been to a range before and repeatedly pegged the ball into the ground, and much like Twain drew the conclusion that I didn’t really like golf.

It wasn’t the lesson I doubted as much as myself. I presumed I was a little hopeless—a former field hockey player in a decade when they eliminated air balls now attempting to swing a long stick to put a ball in the air instead of send it rolling along the ground.

Golf LessonMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:39:59-05:00

Components of a Paleo Post-Workout Meal

The following post is a guest blog from my cousin, Laura Scaviola. Hope you enjoy the great tips, fabulous photos, and yummy recipes all thanks to Laura and her blog Mangia Paleo.

You know that feeling after you eat a giant bowl of pasta or a few slices of cheesy pizza? It makes you want to go lay down after eating, right? Well the paleo diet doesn’t allow that feeling. The diet suggests eating food (read: nutrition!) that our body truly needs to function. Look at it this way – eating should be to fuel your body. Your post-workout meal should be a response to the workout you just did. The paleo food pyramid is much different than the staple USDA food pyramid. The paleo food pyramid puts lean meat on the bottom, veggies after that, and fruit/fat in the smaller areas. It’s something helpful to keep in mind when thinking about portions.

Generally a balanced plate is important. A proper rule of thumb for a balanced paleo plate is this:

1. Lean protein

2. Starchy Veggies

3. Nutrient-dense greens

In that order.

PROTEIN, IT’S NICE TO MEAT YOU

Components of a Paleo Post-Workout MealMaggie Downie2017-09-12T19:31:12-04:00