There is a certain irony to having started this post just as the hospital physiotherapist arrived to take me for a walk around the ward. Where did my glute muscles go and why did they take my endurance with them?
I managed 140 metres, which was double my previous step count. Then I needed a nap.
When I’m not napping, I’m cleaning out my in-box and that’s how I rediscovered this January post by Nat. The softness of being okay with where I am, and working only to what feels comfortable really spoke to me.
It made me think of another thing that isn’t quite in season but is always relevant: One Foot in Front of the Other from the 1970 classic Christmas Show “Santa Claus is Coming to Town. You can follow this link to a YouTube version here: https://share.google/niRH0a8naZuA2zaRN
Diane in a purple jacket and carrying a blue and white umbrella out on one of her two daily walks. In the background, you can see trees beginning to bud, a sure sign of spring and better things ahead.
As of today, my walking distance has increased to 22 minutes, which works out to more than 2 km. One foot in front of the other.
Image description: looking down bare legs towards feet wearing running shoes and socks, standing on a textured concrete sidewalk. Photo by Tracy
I’ve always been drawn to the idea of cultivating beginners’ mind about things that we think we know. It’s a way of going back to that excited learning mindset where we are open-minded, enthusiastic, and teachable.
And so it was with that attitude that I’ve been approaching my spring effort to get back to a regular running routine with the Couch to 5K program. As I wrote at the beginning of the month, it’s a nine week program designed for people new to running.
I’m not new to running, having taken it up as part of Sam and my “Fittest by 50” challenge way back in 2012. But I hit a wall after my last major event, the Around the Bay 30K back in 2019. I injured my Achilles and since then I have never quite hit my stride again. I’ve tried different things, most notably the Nike Learn to Run program a couple of years back. But I couldn’t quite let go of how things “used to be” and the idea that they “should” quickly be that way again.
Not this time. This time I am forcing myself to follow the program as written, not adding more running intervals or skipping weeks that feel too easy. I fell a little bit behind, with some of the weeks being spread out beyond 7 days. So I’m only starting week 4 instead of being at the end of it. Still, I have stuck to the assignment as written. And it’s been easy to get myself out the door because the workouts are so reasonable. (Apparently that changes a bit in week 5)
My beginners’ mind approach has been really good for me because it means I haven’t been too concerned with pace or how far I get or anything that I used to track. I’m not saying I’ll never go back to caring about those things, but it’s liberating to be out there without any concern for speed or distance.
I’m also not comparing myself to anyone else when I’m out there. We all have different goals and right now mine is simply to get back to a three times a week running routine, following the Couch to 5K schedule. That’s it.
Though it’s still early days, I feel confident about recommending this approach to anyone who is new to running or trying to work their way back. It’s a great way to be present for the arrival of spring, which is coming in short bursts this year, with some cold reminders that, at least in my part of the world, we’re not really in the clear until late May. Whatever, a regular running commitment has put me in touch with the vagaries of Canadian spring weather in a direct and enjoyable way.
If you’ve had experience with C25K I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Do I owe you a thinky post about World Creativity Day? Yes, yes, I do. Alas, last week was made of chaos, headaches, and migraines and it did not get done. I have safely emerged from that maelstrom but I am writing this on Monday and my solo storytelling show is tonight and my focus keeps wandering from my thinky post. Since I would prefer that my brain stay in one piece, I am writing about something else today and I will get back to the creativity one soon.
On Sunday evening, I made a list of things I wanted to have done by the end of this week. There were a few work tasks, a couple of household things, and, oddly enough, one rather vague item – become stronger.
I don’t even really know where that last one came from but I found myself intrigued.
I mean, becoming stronger is an ongoing goal for me so this isn’t completely new but something felt different about having it on my list in that format.
Become stronger.
Become stronger.
When I phrase it like that it’s not a list of exercises or a bunch of tasks or a potential goal, it’s an open loop.
And my brain, the same one that fights with me about exercising or completing tasks*, is ALWAYS intrigued by an open loop and it starts in with the questions…
What does ‘become stronger’ mean?
How can I become stronger in a week?
What would that involve?
How will I know if I become stronger?
Why do I even want to become stronger?
Who do I want to consult on this?**
When can I get started?
See how quickly my brain dug in on this? It is totally invested in solving the mystery of how to become stronger this week.
And I’m going to let it figure it out as we go.
After all, I know that I can’t get a lot stronger in one week but that’s where the vagueness of ‘become stronger’ works out well. I don’t have to get a lot stronger, I just have to move the needle.
And, in fact, when I got up Monday morning my brain was already reminding me that we had to work towards getting stronger today.
So things are off to an interesting start!
This is what I got when I searched for ‘vague’ in the image library. I guess it’s accurate? The connection is value at least. Image description: a black and white photo of a dark-coloured horse (I think) on light-coloured ground that could be a field or snow or a beach. The horse is in the distance in the centre so it is very small relative to the size of the image overall. It is maybe 1/8 of the height of the image and 1/12 or the width.
Well, I won’t be able to get a lot stronger in one week but I will be able to
*Yes, I do often refer to my brain as separate from me, apparently it’s an ADHD thing.
**In this case the ‘who’ will be a combo of fitness people on YouTube and Instagram but I really wanted to get a who question in there so I phrased it as who instead of saying ‘What videos will I watch?’
I’ve really enjoyed taking classes this year–both adult learn to swim, and CanSkate’s learn to skate for adults were highlights of my week. I started with swimming, on Monday evenings, and when that ended, signed up for skating, Tuesdays at 7 pm. Sarah joined me for the skating but not the swimming.
There’s something about learning a new skill and getting better at a thing that puts a smile on my face. Both classes were challenging in a really good way. See my post on expandibg one’s horizons and learning new things.
I like that I had to focus really hard on learning and practising something new. The workout aspect of both activities kind of snuck in. I was too busy concentrating to think about how hard I was working. But in both cases I was definitely working hard. There were a lot of new muscles put to good use in skating.
Yes, with age you can keep doing the same thing and lament slowing down, or you can have fun taking up something new. I’ve opted for the latter!
But lessons are over for the year. Now what? I’m worried about losing the skills I’ve just acquired. Also, summer is all about biking, paddling, camping, and sailing. There’s not much time for weeknight activities. Don’t even talk to me about weekends!
What about lunch hour?
Brown bag lunch and coffee
Hmmm. The university has a rink that’s open during the summer, and I had hopes that they had some open rec skating. I don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made this year. Ditto the pool and swimming.
But bad news, nowhere in Guelph has summer rec skating, it turns out. Not even the university and we have ice through the summer. BAH! If you have any suggestions, let me know.
The good news is that pool is open for lane swimming. For staff, it’s $25 a month for pool and rec facilities access, and $40 a month for all that plus the fitness studios, weight room, and classes. I think this might be the summer of lunch hour swimming and workdays with wet hair.
A 2025 study on fat oxidation rates and exercise timing is getting more press on social media this week. Because why not… 🙂 Here’s the deal:
In a study of (yes, you guessed it) male college students, researchers found that 60 minutes of morning exercise before breakfast, after fasting all night, resulted in 20% higher fat oxidation rates than an hour of the same exercise after eating dinner.
Uh, yay?
Actually, I think the more appropriate reaction here is: meh.
It bears repeating: meh.
Why am I not excited about this? I mean, it’s SCIENCE.
Yes, that’s so. It’s real science done by real scientists, on real experimental young male subjects. And, this is a real result. But, it doesn’t mean that we should all switch to exercising before breakfast. Why not? Here are some concerns of mine, plus some by the commenters:
The purpose of exercise is not necessarily to lose fat– we exercise for a host of reasons, and possible fat reduction is only one of them.
Fat oxidation does equal fat loss. In order to lose fat, there has to be a calorie deficit in addition to fat oxidation.
Some commenters argued that the results are largely due to the fact that the subjects had fasted before exercise; there’s no indication in the study that the time of day mattered (other than it’s easier to fast while sleeping– I don’t actually need a scientific study to assert this with confidence).
The metabolic effects on a busload of twenty-something males are not necessarily applicable to the larger population. And in particular, we know that metabolic effects of exercise vary by gender, so this result may not apply in the same way to everyone.
However, my main point is: newsy stories about studies that suggest “you oughta exercise like THIS rather than like THAT” ignore the value of just getting out there– to your neighborhood, living room, gym, yoga studio, pond, wherever you like to be while moving. Feel free to move wherever and whenever suits you.
And while we’re at it, moving before breakfast is something I plan on doing only if a bear is chasing me. Or if one of my friends (Samantha and Janet, I’m looking at y’all) manages to talk me into a very early-morning adventure. But even then, I’ll need snacks.
As I’m shifting the balance of my time away from paid work to other activities I have been knitting and listening to podcasts. I need to watch my hands but I also need something to help keep my focus. The current shawl I’m working on is straight knitting. I mean, I’m queer but it is simple garter stitch with some counting. This is not complex enough to require full attention but fine enough work I can’t look away from my hands. This isn’t making it any clearer for you, is it? Oh well! Moving on!
So I’m sitting and knitting while burning through podcasts. I adore “And the rest is science”, “Smartless” and anything by the Welcome to Nightvale crew. Lately though, I’ve been craving handicraft podcasts, especially about clothing design and sewing. Clothing design was a passion of mine in my youth, I had wanted to be a designer. My bedroom wall was covered with reams of clothing designs, comic book characters and story ideas. I had a large spool of newsprint and I would unfurl arms length, beige paper and fill it with words and drawings.
Ten years later, when my kids were born, my mom helped me make piles of clothes for them, Michel and myself. My mother-in-law would gift me fabric and I would make curtains, bedsheet sets, quilts, diapers…EVERYTHING. We would sew around the kitchen table with highchairs, meals, and dogs underfoot. It was productive and fun in a chaotic and cozy kind of way.
Math is the theft of joy and one day I calculated out the cost of making Michel his dress shirts. Even with the cheapest broadcloth the material costs were about $35 a shirt because patterns, buttons, thread and interfacing all added up. This was not accounting for my time and it was taking me about a week to make a shirt. To pay me even a modest hourly rate meant these were $300 shirts and I was desperately short on time. I eventually set aside sewing as a way to make ends meet. I loved it but the time, space and money weren’t in my favour.
There was another reason though. After being pregnant I could not get a reliable fit for myself. I had a plus size dress form, I bought patterns with stretch but things did not fit right. The disappointing results sapped all joy from this hobby. I blamed my lack of skill and my unruly figure.
Fifteen years later I do want to pick it back up. I love the tactile experience of sewing and the clothes are of a quality that far exceeds any “ready to wear” garments available to me.
Where was I? Right, I’m sitting, knitting and listening to a Threads podcast from 2024 about a new sewing pattern company, Style Falcon. It’s a 30 minute listen. I like using the podcast as a fancy timer to stay focused on knitting but also a nudge to take breaks. Remember, this is a sidequest, a mindtoy and then MY MIND IS BLOWN. The conversation drifted to how most women’s clothes are designed around an hour glass shape of an 18 year old woman. Some companies have been using the same silhouette since the 1940s. Yes, the bodies of World War Two teenagers are what the pants on the rack are designed to fit.
If you have ever sewn a garment you are familiar with first creating a fitting muslin to then find out how you have to modify the pattern to fit. Common adjustments are about where your bust sits and how long your inseam/pant leg is.
At the heart of making cloths is fooling a two dimensional fabric into covering our dynamic three dimensional bodies. This is advanced planes mapping algebra, the OG 3D printing. Here small differences matter.
So as the conversation goes along they speak about mature bodies, from post-pregnancy to post-menopausal, you know, things that happen to us that change our bodies after the age of 18. And then they mention how skin gathers at the top of the knee in middle age and senior folks. I remembered getting these super cute pants that fit my waist, thighs and butt but were surprisingly tight just above my knee. I blamed myself for “letting myself go” but OF COURSE MY BODY IS NOT THE PROBLEM. This is “a thing” as we mature, just like more skin and muscle on our backs, forward rolling shoulders, thicker waists and bulkier upper arms. There are examples of exceptional women aging, like Helen Mirren or Jane Fonda, who defy the trends. The vast majority of us have different proportions in our fifties, sixties and seventies than we did when we were 18.
I’m so thankful for the excellent Threads podcast and the beautiful designs available at Style Falcon. Clothing fit is a feminist issue as it is deeply tied to ageist, racist, sexist and ableist ideals.
To catch excellent patterns and discussions look for the Sew Over 50 hashtag on your social media of choice.
From the Style Falcon website a preview of tops, bottoms and dresses that look stylish and comfortable.
I went back to Sam’s Thursday post in the third week of April 2015 (11 years ago): The rules of cycling rewritten. It was composed of three linked posts and Phil Gaimon’s 3-minute video, New Rules of Cycling.
Sam’s two linked posts describe observations about some negative aspects of cycling she was seeing at the time, focusing on machismo and fussiness.
I found through the Wayback Machine the youth sport UK’s 27 rules for young cyclists, which emphasize respect, consctientiousness, and reality checks during training and races. The rules advise young cyclists to reject egotism and meanspiritesness and embrace competition while still seeing the bigger picture.
Finally, conplete with a makeshift outdoor office, a Cookie Monster mug, and his bike behind him, Gaimon shares general etiquette cycling rules that reject elitism and encourage safety and inclusion. And waving, as Sam notes in her OP.
If I had to boil it all down, the “new” cycling rules in 2015 were to Be Kind To Others and Be Kind To Yourself.
I think Sam’s post from eleven years ago is evergreen, not throwback. As a curious but hesitant road and gravel cyclist, I might not have even joined the sport of cycling a few years ago if I’d have known how gate-keepy it could be. I’m grateful for these posts because the culture of any sport is learned behaviour. As a novice, I only benefit from more seasoned riders who model and encourage unlearning the “old” rules that would have excluded me. Marc and Fred at the LCC lead in this way.
Longtime FIFI cyclists: have the “new rules” from over a decade ago become just “the rules” today? What’s changed, and what’s still the same in your cycling world?
By the time you read this, I will be in recovery following my heart valve replacement.
I’m grateful I was able to go into surgery relatively fit. It will help my recovery.
I’m even more grateful that we finally had some good weather and I was able to go for a bike ride on Friday.
And I’m especially grateful to this amazing group of women, my swim club lane-mates. I couldn’t ask for better pals and can’t wait to be back in the water with them.
Five women grouped together in a swimming pool, hamming it up for the camera.
Hi readers– remember Sunday, when I wrote about my love and extreme sappiness about the Boston Marathon? Well, I’m not alone in having strong feelings for all things having to do with this event. Witness the hullabaloo around the following signs put up recently in Boston by running shoe companies. Here’s one advertisement ill-advisedly run by a company that rhymes with “Mikey”:
Red sign saying “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated,” Really, Nike? For shame.
Bostonians and visitors alike were feeling serious consternation and not keeping quiet about it. Yes, the Boston marathon requires pretty ambitious qualifying times (e.g. 3 hours for men ages 35-39 and 3:30 for same-aged women). But lots of people who enter are raising money for charities, so their finishing times are much longer.
Also, those who are not runners and who complete the race in wheelchairs or in cooperation with others on dual teams were also mentioned in comments. Don’t they count, Nike?
After realizing their bonehead mistake, Nike made this tepid statement of non-apology:
“We want more people to feel welcome in running – no matter their pace, experience, or the distance. During race week in Boston, we put up a series of signs to encourage runners. One of them missed the mark.”
Ya think?
Then their corporate sign-makers got to work and put up this more contrite version:
The new Nike sign, saying”Boston will always remind you, movement is what matters.” hmph.
Other shoe companies were not unaware of Nike’s gaffe. A company whose name rhymes with “basics” put this sign up in short order:
Purple-bluish sign saying “Runner, Walkers. All welcome. Move your body, move your mind.”
And that’s not all. The shoe company Altra put out an ad that led with “Run. Walk. Crawl,” and captioned a social post, “Go where you’re celebrated. Not where you’re tolerated.” Yes, I know that this is corporate piling-on for the purpose of rearranging market shares. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it, right?
Congratulations to all those who entered the Boston Marathon and who completed it, regardless of mode. And speaking of signs, if any of these corporate folks need some tips, asking the people at the Wellesley scream tunnel for advice. Here are a few of my favorites. Enjoy…
Signs saying “blink twice if you need Dunkin'”, among other things.
Today, as you may have guessed, is World Creativity & Innovation Day and I have a kind of thinky post underway for later today but for starters, I have a few questions for you.
My answers will be in my later post along with ideas and resources about the intersection between fitness and creativity.
1) What kind of creative practices do you use in your day to day life? (Creative problem solving counts!)
2) Have you used creative scheduling approaches to make it easier to fit fitness activities, movement, or wellness activities in your life?
3) Do you stick to the same fitness routine or do you get creative with your movements, exercises, and activities?
4) Have you ever used exercise to boost your creativity?
5) Have you ever found a creative solution to a fitness-related problem? (like figuring out a way to accomplish a difficult exercise or finding a way to a piece of equipment in a useful but unexpected way)
No pressure, of course, but it would be cool if you could put your answers to at least one of these questions in the comments.
I’ll see you later with my thinky post.
PS – Did you notice that I creatively repurposed one of my December number images for today’s image? 😉
