colorful paint set with brush on numbered canvas Sam moves a post to the trash after learning that the expert quoted was an AI generated hoax
blog · blogging · fitness

Sam moves a post to the trash after learning that the expert quoted was an AI generated hoax

Sam BLeave a comment

We get a lot of email here at Fit is a Feminist Issue mostly from people who are offering advertising or to write sponsored posts that contain product links. If I reply, I say no, but mostly I ignore these offers.

Today I got a different sort of email telling me that one of experts quoted in one of our posts, a Dr. Eleni Nicolaou of Davincified, is actually not a person but an AI generated persona, a hoax.

A news outlet called Press Gazette reported that Dr Eleni Nicolaon was found to be an AI generated persona, tricking various publications into being featured as an expert. The persona was featured in dozens of articles and media outlets and Press Gazette’s exposé also explains how fabricated experts are used to secure links to commercial websites, in case you were wondering why anyone would bother to do this. I wondered.

See Prominent art therapist quoted by Vice, Forbes and others is AI-generated.

“Dr Nicolaou, who purports to be an expert in residence for paint-by-numbers kit selling website Davincified, claims to be an art therapist from Cyprus – but there is no sign of her practice online.

Instead, in her various online profiles on Facebook and Linkedin, everything links back to her profile on Davincified. ‘Dr Nicolaou’ did not respond to requests to verify her identity by email or sent via social media.

She has opined on everything from low-effort self-care (on Forbes) to how to retire (Parade) to ‘crying therapy’ (Glamour) and which colour to paint your wall to calm your dog (Vice).”

I was quoting Dr. Eleni Nicolaon on the Sweish tradition of “Fredagsmys” or “cozy Fridays.”

Here’s my two cents on the cozy Friday tradition, from the now deleted blog post: “While I am a big believer (for me, I know it’s not best for everyone) in working when I’m working and taking weekends off, and I like the idea of rituals to mark transitions, this sounds too cozy for me. What am I doing this Friday? Going into the big city for dinner with friends and a concert. Saturday I’ll ride my bike and go to a play. Sunday might be anti-gravity restorative yoga. There will definitely be dog walks. Barring an emergency on campus, there’ll be no work work, though there will be some cleaning and housework. Maybe what this tells me is that I don’t need help shifting into weekend mode. Weekend mode comes pretty naturally. I think if I could pick one summer Friday ritual it might be an after work bike ride and a backyard BBQ with friends after. How about you? What do you think of the cozy Friday idea?“

The article I quoted was Feeling Burned Out by Friday? Why “Fredagsmys” Is the Cozy Swedish Ritual Everyone’s Embracing on the Real Simple website.

I’ve taken my Cozy Friday piece down but the Real Simple article which lists Eleni Nicolaon as “PhD, art therapist and creative wellness coach at Davincified” is still standing.

So we’re doing our best to keep comercial ad-directed content off the blog-there are no sponsored blog posts here–I’ve learned that we’ll need to be more careful quoting from other websites. As far as we can tell Dr. Eleni Nicolaon isn’t real. But the people behind her trying to make money from traffic directed to the Davincified website certianly are.

Apologies.


person holding whiteboard Small, Weird, and Good: A #ThreeGoodThings Round-Up for World Gratitude Day
fitness

Small, Weird, and Good: A #ThreeGoodThings Round-Up for World Gratitude Day

Sam BLeave a comment

World Gratitude Day is September 21st, and so instead of a month in review, here’s a different kind of round-up: a look back at what this blog has had to say about gratitude and #threegoodthings.

Where the #ThreeGoodThings habit started. Sam’s version of the daily practice goes back to a rough November, when she wrote about making a conscious effort to acknowledge gratitude, sharing personal examples alongside research on what noticing good things actually does for mental and physical health. A few weeks later, Catherine turned the same impulse into a group project, inviting the blog’s contributors to rewrite a Julie Andrews classic verse by verse in these are a few of our favorite things — proof that gratitude doesn’t have to be solemn or serious.

Why bother, and does it work? Cate took the research question seriously in her post is there a relationship between gratitude and health?, digging into the evidence that a regular practice does something measurable, partly through motivation and partly through the social connection it builds. Elan comes at gratitude sideways, through appreciation for other people and other things: Elan’s in praise of rec sports volunteers is a thank-you to the unpaid labour that makes community sport possible, and her later post on grace and gratitude in mindful eating reworks the old habit of saying grace before a meal into something more reflective and less doctrinal.

#ThreeGoodThings, the practice itself. By 2022, Sam had folded the daily habit into her recovery from knee replacement surgery in three good things: the fit feminist edition, using it to notice weekly milestones instead of daily ones and to push back against the seasonal slump. The following November brought happy Planksgiving, which links gratitude season to the blog’s long-running plank challenge and confirms the #ThreeGoodThings habit was, by then, just part of how Sam moves through the fall. A year after that, she made the case for spreading it further in share your #3GoodThings: join the movement, noting that the habit had stuck for years and had already caught on with friends and fellow bloggers.

Bringing it up to now. Last summer, gratitude got tested rather than celebrated: gremlins? Sam’s weekend with six weirdly small, bad things catalogues a run of minor technical disasters and still lands on “there were also lots of good things too” — a good demonstration that the practice can hold both at once. Then, on the day itself last year, Sam marked Happy World Gratitude Day with a version of the daily list — a song that gets stuck in her head every September 21st, a bike ride with friends, a walk through Rockwood Conservation with her daughter and the dog. And Sam’s three good things, the coccoon edition finds three good things in a restorative yoga pose, a hard trip to Montreal, and a Duolingo streak — which is to say, in the small stuff, same as always.

The practice, explained. Most recently, Elan turned interviewer for positive is practice: Sam’s 3 good things, asking Sam directly why she’s kept posting daily good things for six years running. Sam traces it back to that same 2020 November post, describes how it went from a seasonal habit to a year-round one, and Elan connects it to a Hidden Brain episode on negativity bias and “gain-framing” — the idea that we’re wired to dwell on what went wrong and have to work at noticing what went right. Sam is candid about the limits of the practice, too: she also posts bad news and rejections, worries about seeming like it’s “all good things all the time,” and admits she’s skipped days when things were too bleak. But mostly, the good things are just simple and still real: light on the water on a canoe trip, a hummingbird, loons, hot tea and cookies. As she puts it, “the world is a beautiful place.”

So: Happy World Gratitude Day. What are your three good things today?

This round-up was assembled by Claude with prompts from Sam and edited by Sam. If you spot any errors, let us know.

fitness · running · training

Tracy’s 5K, a year in the making

Tracy I3 Comments
Image description: cap, sunglasses, and a race bib for the Constantine Yorkville Run that says “TRACY 793” on it.

A year ago I was walking to the Y on a Sunday morning and found I couldn’t cross Bay street because 1000 runners had just started the Constantine Yorkville 5K. No one could cross until the starting crowd passed by and thinned out. By the time I found a spot to cross the street some blocks down the way, I had resolved to prepare myself to run that very race a year hence.

Which brings me to yesterday—Sunday, September 20, 2026. Race day.

I woke up excited. It’s been years since I’ve done any sort of event and it felt good to be back at it. If motivated me to train with purpose and consistency for the past few months. As a result, I felt ready. I had also let go of any particular expectations. My plan was to do 10-1 intervals and if I felt good enough, skip the walks. If I felt I needed them, do them. With that and my recent training times, I figured I would probably cross the finish line between 35-40 minutes after I started. 37:00 seemed realistic. The weather was also perfect, with no rain, no hot sun, and an air temperature of about 14 degrees C. Ideal for running.

When I got to the starting area and found the green corral I was assigned to based on my estimated finishing time, I remembered why events are fun. The buzz at the beginning is really energizing. It’s been a long time since I did an event by myself. In recent years I’d always signed up Anita and/or some further subset of our London RunFam group (Julie, Ed, Pat and Kevin). But regardless, there is camaraderie at the starting line. This event has about 1000 participants, so the air is electric. I also had Diane cheering me on just past the start and again just before I crossed the finish line.

As my strategy, I decided to fall in behind the 35 minute pacer, knowing that 7:00 per kilometer would be a bit beyond my 5K pace but not by too much. I decided if I could keep him in sight for the first half that would help me stay on pace my slightly slower overall goal.

I felt good enough after the first 10 minute interval to skip the walk. I decided at that time that I would take a one-minute walk at the halfway point instead, then run the rest of the way. After that walk, the 35 minute pacer was no longer in clear sight. That was okay with me because I was in a rhythm that felt good. I kept remembering the constant advice from Nike Run Club Coach Bennett to enjoy yourself on the run. And I was truly enjoying myself. I was even smiling.

My watch was still set to 10-1s, but I didn’t feel the need for any other walks after my minute at the halfway mark. My mind tried to tell me I did need it. But with less than 2K to go I told myself to keep running, even if I needed to roll back the pace a bit.

Finally, I cruised around the last corner and could see the finish line up ahead about 500m. I kept my pace steady and then chose a spot up ahead where I would pick up the pace for a strong finish. As i approached that spot I could see Diane up ahead cheering me towards the finish line. I felt strong and pleased with my run.

Official chip time: 36:40, which is 20 seconds less than my estimated 37:00.

And I raised over $500 for my chosen charity, Sea Paws Rescue. thank you to everyone who donated for helping support this amazing organization.

All in all a great 5K that made me feel good and wanting to get faster. Having a goal race motivated me to get back to regular running, with weekly speed work, a tempo run each week, and a longer run every Sunday. I like that routine and plan to add swimming in the upcoming months. I’m also going to seek out another 5K. Next goal: 35:00 minutes!

Image description: Head shot of a grey-haired woman (Tracy) smiling, wearing a ball cap, sunglasses, and a tank, holding up a finishers’ medal that says Constantine Yorkville 2026.
a goose with beak open. Silly Sunday: sage advice from animals
fitness · mindfulness

Silly Sunday: sage advice from animals

catherine wLeave a comment

I’m a sucker for animal memes. I mean, aren’t we all? This week I happened on a FB page (this one) with familiar-yet-new-feeling animal advice for getting through life, or the next meeting, or the next minute. I think we can all use this from time to time. So herewith life coaching from domestic animals.

First, let’s hear from the sheep on getting through difficult days.

You don't need to feel inspired; rather just let yourself get through things without throwing yourself into the hedge.
You don’t need to feel inspired; rather just let yourself get through things without throwing yourself into the hedge.
Let stubbornness help; spite can carry you surprisingly far at times.
Let stubbornness help; spite can carry you surprisingly far at times.

The cow is here to remind you that you don’t have to do everything now, or all the time.

Some things can wait; the field will still be here tomorrow.
Some things can wait; the field will still be here tomorrow.
Also, you needn't keep chewing on (or ruminating, if you will) on the same thought. The cow knows from this.
Also, you needn’t keep chewing on (or ruminating, if you will) on the same thought. The cow knows from this.

And finally, the goose has things to say to all of us.

Carry on, and honk aggressively if it helps.
Carry on, and honk aggressively if it helps.

Happy Sunday to all of you!

Nat’s 2 year Strava streak
fitness · Sat with Nat · trackers

Nat’s 2 year Strava streak

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

My watch beeped with a ba-bing! My walk with Lucy had just posted to Strava and the notification read “You reached a 2 year streak!”

A screenshot of my Strava feed showing my morning walk with Lucy on Sep 7

I guess that means two years of having a smart watch. My love of my watch’s data gathering and analytics ebbs and flows.

I value the heart rate monitoring. I’m annoyed by the calculated secondary measures as well as the word soup “analysis” both Strava and Apple Health provide.

A screenshot of my September Strava calendar showing 104 weeks of tracking and 1,225 activities

I do appreciate the effortless logging of steps, breathing rates, hours of sleep – as well as the swimming, cycling and strength training tracking.

Since all of that requires no additional effort from me, I have reliable data and am able to analyze my own trends, thank you very much.

Ignore the sleep analysis

Aside from telling me how long I slept, and even that is suspect, I want to find a way to turn off the sleep narrative.

I know what time I went to bed, that I fell asleep quickly, or not, if I was awake for long periods and when I got up.

I absolutely despise the chastising about what time I went to bed. Worse, the tone about my “awake time”, as though it is something I can directly control is annoying.

A graph of my sleep score on a given night. The text reads “Your recent score was a 77 due to the number of times you woke up.”

I wake up at night, every night. Hot flashes, sleep apnea and toilet breaks. It’s my normal. I’m looking for variations from that norm, not a measure against a made up goal of not waking up.

There are reports of people going to their doctor with their smart watch sleep analysis because they think something is wrong.

There is no magic REM, deep sleep or core number to hit. Plus these are calculated and derived from other metrics. Having been to a couple of sleep clinics, I can tell you that the number of sensors required to truly analyze your sleep cycles is staggering.

Aggregate numbers are impressive!

1,225 activities in 2 years means I’m recording, on average, one or two activities a day. This is the active lifestyle I’m looking for.

While I strive for 2 to 3 activities a day, there are some with none and that is ok. My goal is over my lifetime, not 1 day or even a week.

In early June I drove down to New Brunswick and back. A solid 5 days of not doing much other than driving or resting and I’m ok with that.

Celebrate!

So here’s to 2 years of reliable metrics. Yay!!! It’s important to take a moment when you accomplish something.

This or that in white letters on an orange background. Easy or intense? Short or long? Distance or time? Science says… lots of things
fitness · Science

Easy or intense? Short or long? Distance or time? Science says… lots of things

catherine w1 Comment

Every day we are bombarded with new advice on how to dial in our exercise regimen for optimal efficiency. This advice include things like exercise snacks, short duration workouts, combining strength with cardio, not worrying about cardio but making sure to get the strength workouts in, and for the love of all that’s holy, don’t forget to balance on one foot 4–5 times a week!

Yes, there’s new-new research coming out, but honestly, I think we don’t know exactly what sorts of movements are best for us, other than the fact that movement itself is good.

So, in honor of throwback science, here’s a post I wrote two years ago, comparing measured steps counts vs. measured-time workouts. Check it out, and then do whatever works for you.

-catherine

Steps or time: Science says either. I thought so.

fitness

Heart Health Five Months After Surgery

Diane HarperLeave a comment

Sam’s post about her new knee’s fourth anniversary reminded me I have a small anniversary of my own. In a few days, I’ll be celebrating five months since my heart valve repair.

Sam’s posts about the importance of pre-hab and rehab helped me be as fit as possible before surgery, though they didn’t fully prepare me for the frustration of not healing as quickly as I wanted.

My cardiologist tells me I’m doing just fine and need to be patient with myself. Yeah right. Like that’s going to happen…

I still get out of breath when walking, but it may be because I’m going faster because now I’m passing people on the sidewalk. I am back to work, having passed all my fitness tests (I even knocked a second off my sprint time).

Diane, wet from the pool and suffering from goggle eyes, but with a happy grin on her face.

As promised, I have started doing exercise snacks at work. Those little swims between times of active lifeguarding are turning out to be rather addictive. I’m also back to weekly swim practice with my club, as well as ballet, Pilates and jazz classes.

Sleep remains a challenge. It is finally starting to be restful but now that I’m back to all my activities, I need to work on getting to bed early so I can sleep longer. I no longer have the luxury of sleeping late or having an afternoon nap.

An alarm clock showing it’s almost 7:00 in the foreground, with an out-of-focus woman sleeping in the background. If this were actually me, I would be late for work.

Hopefully this will be my last health update for a while. The cardiac rehab folks told me I don’t need to do rehab with them because I’m already doing plenty. My cardiologist wants to see me in about six months, but anticipates releasing me back to my family doctor for regular care after that.

Maybe I can knock a few more seconds off my sprint time by then. That’s the goal, anyway.

bicycles with roses in baskets How are you celebrating World Car Free Day?
cycling · fitness

How are you celebrating World Car Free Day?

Sam BLeave a comment
Graphic promoting World Car Free Day, featuring colorful illustrations of people riding bicycles, with details about the event date and time.

On September 22, Car Free Day encourages motorists around the world to give up their vehicles for a day. Car Free Day aims to see what life would be like without cars on the road.

Part of this day will be easy for me.

On October 22nd I’m taking part in the Parkinson’s Ride from London to Stratford, Ontario. You can join our team or sponsor us here.

Logo for the Spinning Wheels Tour, featuring bicycles and a maple leaf, with the text 'Pedaling for Parkinson's', alongside the name 'Samantha Brennan' and team name 'Fit is a Feminist Bloggers and Friends'.

But the bit I can’t do is the car-free part, which is kind of the whole point. Because we need to get back to London to get our car and then drive home to Guelph.

But you? Are you in Toronto? You should go to the bike ride and picnic advertised above!

“We are partnering with Chosen Chain and the Bicycle Mayor of Toronto. They will be guiding us along a 15 km route through the heart of the city to discover some amazing car-free spaces which are connected to bike lanes and transit. Thanks to our sponsor Leone Murray LLP, food and refreshments will be provided.”

Spots are limited: participants must register on Eventbrite to secure a spot.

What: 3rd Annual World Car Free Day bike ride and picnic.

It’s organized by Femmes & Friends.

“Femmes & Friends is a collective of women who enjoy riding bikes and want to share that joy with others. Our events aim to create a welcoming environment for women of all ages, abilities, identities, incomes and mobilities to gather for fun bike rides without fear of judgment or competition. Allies are welcome.”

Logo for Femmes & Friends featuring bicycle illustrations, surrounded by decorative flowers, promoting inclusive bike rides for women.
A soccer ball on the ground, in between a women's feet. By Md Mahdi for Unsplash. Sydney Sweeney ad sells sex, sells out women in sports, and sells the public a bill of goods
fitness · normative bodies · sexism · stereotypes

Sydney Sweeney ad sells sex, sells out women in sports, and sells the public a bill of goods

catherine w1 Comment

Maybe you’ve heard (or more likely seen) actor Sydney Sweeney featured in a new one-minute ad for Novig, a sports betting app. She’s not wearing jeans this time (read here for a peek at the 2025 American Eagle ad and the controversy surrounding it), but appears (in the company of sports equipment) in her birthday suit. That is, butt naked.

Let me state for the record that we here at Fit is a Feminist Issue are nothing if not body positive. We’ve written about boudoir photography, being naked in locker rooms and other fitness spaces, the experience of women with larger bodies wearing tiny bathing suits (TLDR: it can be freeing and fun), to name a few.

What makes me grit my teeth about this ad (I’m not linking to it, but you will not be able to enter the Internet without tripping over a story about it) is three things:

Thing one: It’s using sex to sell, or rather a particularly narrow notion of sexiness in women to gin up business for a sports betting app.

Yes, sex has been selling all kinds of things effectively since time immemorial. And sexy images are fun, sometimes provocative, and yes, actually sexy. Also, sexy images get used to sell many decidedly non-sexy things. This 1929 ad was considered sexually provocative, using a woman to sell shampoo:

This ad said loveliness would ensue after application of shampoo. Wow.
This ad said loveliness would ensue after application of shampoo. Wow.

Of course, the ad folks have come a long way, baby, since then, using very particular images that promote particular body types, exploiting racialized notions of beauty or sexiness for the purpose of commerce. Doing so sends all sorts of negative messaging about who is sexy or attractive and why. Honestly, it’s unimaginative and kind of mean, and ultimately not very interesting or creative.

Thing two: this ridiculous ad is selling out women in sports by presenting a set of caricatured images (of Sweeney e.g. posing naked with footballs against her breast, or perching atop a basketball goal), ignoring the rich, beautiful and magnificent array of women who actually participate in sports at all levels. And the women athletes are responding in force. Here’s Gracie Kramer, a former gymnast, from this New York Times article:

On Friday, Gracie Kramer, a former gymnast, posted a video montage on social media with the caption: “idk what Sydney Sweeney was doing, but this is what a woman in sports looks like.” It inspired waves of others in a range of sports to do the same.

“I’ve been over-sexualized my whole career, I’ve dealt with men only focusing on how I look and not what I’m capable of,” Kramer, the former gymnast, said in an interview, referring to comments some had made about the size of her legs or arms. “Women put in hours and years to build something that they’re proud of, and when you’re reduced to the way that you look, it’s dehumanizing.”

Her response video, which was viewed millions of times, became a kind of rallying cry for other female athletes to post videos of themselves too, skiing, running, playing basketball, water polo and more. On Monday, the British sprinter Amy Hunt, after finishing a 200-meter final, addressed Sweeney on the BBC, adding that “this is what women in sport look like.”

Yes, companies get to decide how to design ads for their products, and they make choices within legal boundaries. And in a society where there are outlets for voices to be heard, women in sports are raising those voices, expressing their displeasure and offering good reasons why they’re so displeased.

Thing three: let’s take a moment to turn to what the Sweeney ad is selling: sports betting using a phone app. I’m not going to mince words here: sports betting apps promote gambling addiction and result in disastrous economic effects for lots of people. Here’s an article from Johns Hopkins school of public health about the public health risks posed by sports betting apps.

“We’re referring to it as the largest and fastest explosion of gambling the country has ever seen,” says Cait Huble, MA, MBA, director of public affairs for the National Council on Problem Gambling
. “We’re a decade behind other addictions in terms of public understanding, which is going to lead to a lot of real-world harm.”

I’m going to say it: shame on you, Sydney Sweeney, for associating yourself with a sports betting app. I think you should explore nicer options for your career. Shame on you, Novig (sports betting app company), for creating this publicity-grabbing ad to raise your market share at the expense of vulnerable consumers. Shame on you, Novig, for existing at all– in my view, your founders ought to rethink their business plan and maybe sell shoes instead of facilitating widespread addiction. And thank you, women athletes and sports writers and commentators, for staying out there, doing your work and play, and reminding us that sports are fun and open to all of us.

A selfie of a woman in a dobok after a martial arts class Christine was right about TKD muscle memory
fitness · martial arts · mobility · training

Christine was right about TKD muscle memory

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

…and the other good stuff about heading back to class.

Thursday night was just as good as I hoped it would be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the familiar routine of walking into class, talking to my friends, and doing our warm-up.

My body and brain were utterly soothed by the rhythm of the beginning of our class.

You know how it is – you can be a bit addled or off-kilter and then start some familiar routine and the momentum of that routine (making tea, preparing a meal, working with a partner in a project, following your morning plan) carries you forward and you soon realize that you have left that weird feeling behind.

And when we started our patterns, my relaxed state allowed me to access my muscle memory with ease.

I still made mistakes, of course, but my errors felt a bit funny instead of frustrating.

I swear I made up several new movements – perhaps I should consult with the technical committee? Ha!

And along with my amusement at my mistakes, I was thrilled to discover that my summer exercise plan was making a real difference for my mobility, my strength, and my flexibility.

I already felt encouraged by my fitness progress but seeing how my exercise efforts were positively impacting my ability and capacity at TKD made me even more determined to continue with the Hybrid Calisthenics program.

I’m travelling at the moment (I taught a storytelling workshop in Nova Scotia last night!) so I am missing our second class of the year but I am definitely looking forward to class on Thursday night.

Next step: set some personal goals for TKD for this year.

Kiya!