I have never thought about it as a toolkit, but as we head into the shorter, darker, colder months in the Northern Hemisphere, I’m thinking about ways in which I can try to build protection from the seasonal blahs.
Since I’m not handy, maybe I should think about it less as a toolkit, and more as ingredients for a nourishing soup.
Here are some thoughts:
Continue lifting heavy (occasionally, using that time to picture conquering demons).
Run when I can (when the sidewalk is not icy) and work on leaving worries on the pavement.
Limit time on soul suckers such as online debates about topics such as “going grey or dyed hair”, “Pilates or strength training”, “HRT/MHT – yay or nay”. I find that the more people are certain of their stance on these pressing issues, the more it seems best to ignore their opinions. Especially if their opinions are screamed in ALL CAPS on Threads or similar. It is a truth as old as time that you should do what work for you and not care about what others are doing.
Remember that what people are screaming about at each other, online, does not match how they would talk to each other in person. Look for open and calm conversations, in real life.
Look for ways to help people in real life, whether in my local community or in the bigger world.
Re-learn some hobbies (crochet? drawing? mah-jong?)
I am actually in the middle of two other posts for our blog here but I am not going to have either of them ready in time to post for tomorrow (I’m typing this on Monday night).
One of those posts has been in progress for a while but the other one was a fun idea that I came up with late on Monday afternoon and I won’t have time to finish it this evening. I was busy being low-key annoyed with myself for my semi-regular habit of coming up with fun ideas when it is pretty much too late to pull them off when I realized that I have often thought of event-themed posts for Fit is a Feminist Issue on the day of the actual event and it is probably too late for our readers to give them a try.
And THAT made me realize that Tuesday the 27th would actually be a useful time to post Halloween-themed workouts because we would all have time to actually try some.
So, here we are!
I’ll post my too-late-to-pull-off-today idea a little later in the week and, in the meantime, I’m actually doing a Halloween-themed post in plenty of time.
I’m calling that a victory!
Now, these workouts vary in length but please remember that you can do just part of the video if you are pressed for time or energy or you could do the shorter ones more than once, I guess. 🙂
Have fun!
A Spooky Halloween Workout from Kate Carmela. Image description: still image shows the instructor standing with her arms extended out to the sides. She is wearing all black and her shirt says ‘if you got it, haunt it’ with three ghosts in between the two phrases. In the background, there is a replica of the Seymour plant from Little Shop of Horrors.
This video from Yoga with Adriene is called Yoga for Inner Space travel. Image description: the still image shows Adriene wearing an alien costume – a pair of antennae and shiny green bodysuit that extends to her wrists and ankle. She is standing with her legs apart and her hands on her hips and the background is of thousands of stars in Outer space so it kind of looks like she’s floating in the stars. The word ‘inner’ is in capital letters on the left side of the image and the word ‘space’ is in capital letters on the right side of the image with Adriene in the middle..
This video from ZT’s Fitness Studio is called Chair Halloween Edition/ Chair Dance/Chair Fitness/Chair Zumba. Image Description: the steel image shows about a dozen adults exercising in their chairs in a fitness studio that has been decorated for Halloween with various wall, hanging purple decorations, and witches’-brooms hanging on the back wall. The instructor is wearing a purple and black witches, hat and purple and black striped leggings with yellow and black socks. Everyone in the class has their right arm raised in the air and they are lifting their right knee upwards..
This video from yoga with Kate Amber is called Spooky Halloween Yoga for a Scary Stretch. The still image shows the instructor wearing a skeleton costume (on her body) mid-yoga pose. She is crouched near the floor with her right arm and leg extended to the right, her left knee is bent with her foot flat on the floor and her left hand is rest on the floor near her left foot. There are pumpkins on the floor near her.
This video is called Fun Halloween Fitness Challenge: Just 7 Minutes from Lucy Wyndham-Read. The still image shows the instructor standing side-on with her left side facing us and she has her face toward the camera. She’s wearing a black outfit (long sleeved shirt and capris) with white sneakers and wearing cat ears. She is holding the a broom aloft but we can only see a straw handle. The rest of the image is a digital background of storm clouds, black birds, bare tree limbs, and a wooden boardwalk. Text reading 7 Minute Fun Halloween Workout is in the centre of the image.
This video from DanceFitWithNic is called Halloween Dance Workout for Beginners/Fun & Low Impact. The still image is mostly in red and black with some text in white. The instructor is pictured on the right wearing a red jacket with black trim and she has her hands raised towards the camera like extended claws. Her black hair is pulled loosely back from her face, she has dark circles of makeup around her eyes and dark lines on her cheekbones and her mouth is open so we can see her top teeth – she looks like she is growling at the viewer. Text on the screen reads “Halloween Edition 15 Minute Dance Workout. Home Workout. No Equipment – Full Body.” The words “Min” and “No Equipment” are in red and the rest is in white. There’s a red frame around “15 Min” and around “Home Workout. No Equipment – Full Body.”
I was at a party the other day and a friend started to talk about the great October lock in he’s doing. Then at dinner a few days later another friend mentioned that they were starting the 75 Hard for a second time. It’s not a fitness challenge per se, rather a mental toughness challenge.
I do like that this friend has modified it in various ways. Like no daily photo and if they miss a day they don’t think they need to start over.
Here’s the usual rules:
Daily Rules
• Two Workouts: Complete two 45-minute workouts per day, with at least one session performed strictly outdoors. • Strict Diet: Follow a designated nutrition plan of your choice with zero cheat meals and zero alcohol. • Water Intake: Drink one gallon (about 3.8 liters) of water daily. • Reading: Read 10 pages of a physical, non-fiction or self-improvement book each day. • Progress Photo: Take a daily full-body progress picture.
But there’s also the 75 Soft which we’ve blogged about here.
Here’s the rules for that:
Core Rules of the 75 Soft Challenge
• Daily Movement: Complete one 45-minute workout per day, with built-in active recovery or rest days allowed. • Hydration: Drink about 3 liters of water daily. • Nutrition: Eat well, incorporate more nutrient-dense whole foods, and reserve alcohol for social occasions. • Mindset & Learning: Read 10 pages of any book each day. • No Restart Penalty: Unlike 75 Hard, missing a target doesn’t force you back to Day 1; you simply reset and keep going with self-compassion.
Me, I’m just trying to eat well, get enough sleep, lift weights and ride my bike, as well as doing some mobility exercises.
Here’s last year’s post about the challenge and October lock in.
What is the “great lock in” fitness trend and OMG is October now the new January? – FIT IS A FEMINIST ISSUE
Last week, the New York Times, the paper of record, known for taking on the hard-hitting issues of our day, put a crack team of reporters to work on a riveting investigative story:
The return of the women-only gym. As more women lift, some are seeking out weight rooms of their own.
Honestly, I’m not sure women-only gyms ever went away. I used to go to a women-only gym in Boston called Healthworks, which has been in business since 1977. I started going there as a grad student on a very-cheapo membership. Since then, I bounced around various gyms and now spend my money for a monthly membership to my yoga studio, Artemis in Watertown.
But while I wasn’t paying much attention, the NY Times tells us the following happened to women’s gyms.
But by the 2010s, the 20th century model faltered, thanks in part to a younger generation who associated it with their moms or grandmothers. For many millennial gym-goers, boutique studios that attracted mostly women, like barre and Pilates studios, largely took the place of the women-only gym, said Shay Kostabi, co-founder of Fitcarma, an exercise industry consulting firm.
And yet, several members of the new women-only gyms said the difference between working out among mostly women and all women felt significant.
But recently, some women opened women-only gyms, complete with Barbie pink decor, and (in one case) pack-and-plays near the weight benches (not sure if baby is optional or included in gym experience).
A very pink montage of gym photos from the NY TImes,
Sadly, my expectations for searing revelations in this allegedly-news article were disappointed. The article ended with this cogent comment: “I think there’s a recognition that everyone that walks into that gym, they’re walking in with their stuff.”
Uh, okay. Agreed.
But lest you think that’s the whole story, fear not: the good folks in the NYT comments section picked up on the controversy bubbling just beneath the surface. Yes, I’m talking about PINK vs. NOT-PINK. I thought Team NOT-PINK would completely dominate. Here is a sample of some of their responses:
for heaven’s sake, why do they have to be PINK?! I’m soooo sick of all-things-female having to be pink. It’s infantilizing. Knock if off, corporate America.
I don’t need to work out in the Barbie mansion.
Women only, yes. Pink equipment? Absolutely not.
I don’t want to work out in a gym designed for a newborn baby girl.
I despise pink! I have this beef with athletic apparel and shoe manufacturers, too: Not every woman wants to wear pale shades and pastels, people!
Yes to everything, except pink.
Fine concept. Did it really have to be pink?
only gym I go to isn’t pink or purple. Just soothing greys.
That Pepto Bismal pink which signifies “women” is ugh. I am all for women gyms, but surely it can be women-centered without being pinkified.
Why does Barbie pink have to be the default color?
However, there was non-trivial pushback from Team PINK. And honestly, a few of the comments were somewhat persuasive:
I would love to work out in the Barbie mansion!
I think pink works because men typically hate it. So it serves to repel men who otherwise might try to join.
I like pink.
Did you know in the Victorian era, that pink was considered masculine for boys and blue was considered feminine for girls?
What’s wrong with pink? It’s literally just a color.
I would love a pink gym.
What’s wrong with pink, anyway? These gyms look so much better than the scuffed white walls and fluorescent lights seen at most other gyms.
So readers, where do you stand on the PINK vs. NOT-PINK debate for women-only gyms? I thought I knew, but I must admit that perhaps women’s gyms do contain multitudes (of shades).
One of the (perhaps few) advantages of the calendar sliding into late fall and winter is the opening of night garden walking season. What do I mean here?
For some years now, I’ve been enjoying the evening lights and programming that local gardens (and even one cemetery!) orchestrate to attract visitors and offer alternative experiences for the months that the plants are on vacation.
Now it seems like this is going on everywhere. Zoos, botanical gardens, historic estates, outdoor shopping areas (and at least one cemetery near my house) are lighting up the darkness and luring us out of the warmth of our homes to venture out into the fall and winter nights. I wonder if the stringed lights companies are experiencing a surge in profits because of the trend.
Honestly, I think this is a good trend.
It provides an excuse to go out and move around in a well-maintained space.
It’s an opportunity for group friend outings and enjoying conversation while strolling and seeing pretty light exhibits.
It offers evening novelty in a space that we might know well in the daytime (this is one of my favorite features of night garden walking).
Like night bike riding, I find night garden walking to pack an extra little thrill– I’m out and about at an unusual time. Because it’s dark, the environment looks different, which makes the experience of moving through it feel new in a way. Yes, it’s a low-key thrill, but a thrill nonetheless.
Here’s a post I wrote about the Garden in the Woods Night of Illumination a couple of years ago. The pictures are fun, and maybe they will inspire you to head out to find of light-strewn bushes in your area of the woods.
Look how happy this person is while they touch their toes!
Comparison as the thief of joy
I know it’s not helpful to compare 52 year old me to younger versions. I do it anyway. I know. I know. I KNOW!
I used to effortlessly touch my toes and wonder what, exactly, was this supposed to be stretching?
I’d sit in Butterfly pose with my feet together, tucked in towards my groin with my thighs flat on the floor. It looked neat but I didn’t feel stretching.
I’m totally jealous of the peaceful look while her elbows are on the floor!
Avoiding being mediocre
Before warming up I gently start a forward bend and my hands make it midway down my shin. Huh. It is uncomfortable. I feel all the muscles and tendons from the base of my skull to the bottoms of my feet resisting.
The tissues protest, sending jolts of discomfort. They eventually let go in fits and starts. It doesn’t feel better when they do, just different. I now understand why touching your toes is a stretch and it’s an effort.
Aversion to discomfort
I’m in a seated forward bend and I’m certain from the outside I don’t look like I’m forward at all.
My hamstrings and calves are rock hard, resisting. I breathe. I get my yoga strap and loop it around my feet. The gentle pressure does help me inch downward. I remember laying my forearms on the floor next to my calves. It seems unlikely I’ll do that.
Abstaining from stretching
Together this has made stretching and yoga something I no longer do regularly. I keep setting little challenges for myself to include stretching in my daily routines and promptly abandoning those plans.
I do feel better afterwards. I really do.
Negative feedback loop
I find stretching uncomfortable, so I do it less. This makes stretching harder, I no longer enjoy it. You get the point.
Tie it to something I always do
Walking Michel and Lucy is something I do at least twice a day. So I’m going to add a small stretch after the walk and see if I can regain some range of motion as well as my joy of being bendy.
In Tuesday’s post, Samatha, noted morning person, discussed this study that found connections between both sleep duration and timing of sleep to quality and duraction of exercise the following day. This article from Real Simple summarizes their results like so:
New research shows that earlier bedtimes are linked to higher levels of physical activity—independent of how long you sleep.
Quality sleep supports muscle recovery, hormone balance, and energy levels, all of which are essential for getting the most out of your workouts.
Starting your day with water, natural light, and a balanced meal—and limiting caffeine before bed—can help maximize your energy and performance.
I think we can all agree that being well-rested helps us get motivated for physical activity and supports both its quality and the pleasure we get from it.
And this is good news for people who are habituated to an early-to-bed, early-to-rise regimen.
But what about us 24-hour-party-people? Those who tip toe back home in the light of day, and then spend other people’s productive hours slumbering?
Tiptoeing back from the club…Slumbering in daylight. decadent.
There is nothing in these pictures to suggest people who would welcome a text or– gasp!– a phone call from their morning yoga class accountability buddy. And as one of said people, I concur. No, just no to the 6 or 7 or 8am nudges to get out the door for that run, walk, ride or swim.
Honestly, on the rare occasions that I’m up at the crack of dawn and moving about in the outside world with friends, doing something gloriously physical (and Samantha has instigated some of them, as has my lark friend Janet), I’ve had a great time.
But does this mean I will or can manage to make it a habit on my own? No. Believe me, I’ve tried. It just doesn’t happen. My night owl identity is just too deeply set into me. So I grudgingly meet people for 10am rides, 11am yoga classes, and happily go on afternoon swims. But I really like evening yoga classes and evening walks on the beach (and evening swims, too, under the stars).
Morning friends, you just don’t know what you’re missing…So let me show you– an evening solo swim in Arizona under an inky sky, in a pool with blue lights (that my iphone thought looked better in purple).
Friends, have any of you enjoyed the pleasure of a late night swim? Is it maybe time for another one soon? I thought so.
Some readers may recall that I recently turned 65 and wrote about the principles and lessons learned over the years with which I guide my life. One of things I decided to do in this year of 65 was to identify and embrace fears that may have limited some of my choices over the years.
I am both claustrophobic (having a fear of small spaces) and acrophobic (having a fear of heights). While I am afraid of other things — butterflies on great numbers, pressure cookers, spiders and large noisy dogs — I’ve learned to manage these fears within reason, largely by avoiding activities that may lead to one or the other. I have explored this topic elsewhere on the blog: here in dealing with fear in the gym and there about the pandemic, anxiety and mental wellness.
A couple of weeks ago, while visiting Ontario for a concert, we visited a rustic spa hotel in the middle of the Halibuton forest. As part of the holiday package, we went on a canopy tour. I had imagined this might be like other tours, where there were stable walkways circling ornamental gardens.
Dear readers, I had imagined incorrectly.
Martha smiles widely while hanging onto her carabiner with a firm grip.
The canopy walk offered by the Haliburton Forest Reserve in Ontario has 26 suspension bridges covering .6km of the 100,000 acre reserve. The terrain varies in height from 10 metres to over 20. Oh, and did I mention that we paddled to and from the the site in a traditional voyageur canoe and hiked to our ground school where we practiced clipping and unclipping our carabiners after we donned our harnesses and ropes?
Our lovely guide gave us tips on managing the bounce of the bridges made of planks about a foot wide (go by twos) and on handling possible vertigo (“look up or to the left or right, not down”).
Unlike a disastrous visit to Sagrada Familia, where I backed out of climbing down one of the newly opened corkscrew towers, or a more dignified exit from a Disney ride, where I noped right out to the scaredy-cat bench to the amusement of my child, I decided I was going to channel my inner Sarah Polley and “run towards the danger.” Polley, in her book of the same title, learns to move forward in her recovery from a severe concussion by doing the things she fears will trigger painful reactions. As my husband put it in his account of our adventure, “The advice she was given: you can live in fear of being hurt again, or you can choose to live life fully and run towards your fear.”
One of the things that helped was the fact that there was no scaredy-cat bench in the middle of the forest. There are only two directions, and that’s up and forward.
Surprisingly, I had fun and it was exhilarating. My heart beat faster and it was not only due to the amazing views. Yes, there were times when I asked myself why I thought this was a good idea, why the planks creaked more ominously when I stepped on them compared to others, or how it was possible the ground was so far away, but for the most part, it was a unique opportunity to walk in a forest and see things from a bird’s-eye view. We were also blessed with good weather and a small group. The deep forest quiet was soothing and energizing. Even the paddle back along the lake was peaceful.
Martha, a white woman wearing a black jacket and a harness, smiles as she approaches the eight-foot ladder for the final descent.
I don’t know if I would do it again (but I am also not saying no), but I learned that facing your fears, especially in conditions where you have a measure of control, gives you confidence you might not feel otherwise. I’m looking forward to exploring more of what embracing fear means for me and how I can manage it before it can manage me.
MarthaFitat55 lives and works in Newfoundland and Labrador. She occasionally makes great leaps of faith. She intends to make more of them.
On Sunday, World Menopause Day, my swim coach and friend Marianne joined me for a swim. She was also raising funds for the cause.
We had a great time!
A group of cold water dippers was also there for the same cause, so we had a nice chat before heading into the 11C water for a 12 minute, 400 metre swim.
Diane in a blue cap, and Marianne in a pink one, are all smiles after their swim at Britannia Beach in Ottawa. Ignore the time and pace info. The gps works well when the phone is a tow float, but it gets very confused about speed and swim times.
Coincidentally, it was also Person’s Day in Canada. That’s the day we remember the women who fought and won the right to be considered persons and therefore eligible to be elected to Parliament.
I joked with a friend that there is nothing like the rage of menopausal women to make change. She replied that was a detail her history teacher had left out when teaching about The Famous Five. That’s when I remembered I had never learned about them at all in history class.
It’s not just women’s health issues that need more attention and study…
It’s been a lot of years since I did anything approximating a “fun run.” I think of that as a run you get into character for, like the time I wore a witch costume for a Halloween 10K. That was back in 2014! Here’s me.
Image description: Tracy smiling, in witch costume including hat, race bib, in an autumn scene.
I can’t remember if I actually had fun, but regardless, I’m doing a seasonal fun run again and I plan to enjoy the experience.
This time it’s the Christmas-themed Holly Jolly Fun Run in Toronto on November 22. It’s the day of the Santa Claus parade. The run follows the same 5K route as the parade, leaving about 45 minutes before the parade itself. If you ever been to a Santa Claus parade you’ll know that means a built in crowd of spectators! Not to mention the 2500 runners.
I feel energized just thinking about it!
The race description calls on everyone to “dress silly.” I’m not a big costume person but I do have green and red striped knee socks and a green and red striped hat (sort of elf like I guess). If the weather is cool enough, which is not a bad bet for November 22, I’ll wear a red fleecy top I bought for winter running ages ago. Every time I dress for winter running it loses out to its competitor tops, so I’ve rarely worn it.
It’s a popular event that (according to the website) usually sells out. With your entrance fee, you get a custom winter hat and a finisher medal. The parade usually attracts about 500,000 spectators, so the organizers promise the most “spirited” run you’ll ever experience.
It’s the first time I’ll have done an event that doesn’t start and end in the same place. They have a bag check system using trucks that leave the start line for the finish line at 11:25 a.m.
My last 5K in September yielded results that made me happy and also made me want to do better. So my training goal for the Holly Jolly is to shave 40 seconds off of that result, for a clean 35:00 5K, run continuously rather than with a walk break. We’ll see. You get a timing chip, so I will have an accurate race result when it’s over.
I’m mostly process-oriented in my training, keeping to my three quality runs a week — speed work, tempo, and a longer run. I’d like to include the swimming cross-training, but I’ve had some problems with my ears that make me fearful of the pool right now. I’m experimenting with different ear plugs but I had one unsuccessful attempt that left me nervous.
Regardless, the running is going well and I’m feeling excited to do the fun run.
Here’s the route. Even the map looks fun:
If you’re interested, registration is through Race Roster and it’s $72.38 (non-refundable). The run starts at 11:45 a.m. sharp on Sunday, November 22. Race-kit pick-up on the Friday and Saturday (no same-day race-kit pick-up).
