Month: October 2019

fitness

Am I leaking? How do “they” KNOW?

fieldpoppy9 Comments

It all started when I posted a not-so-humble brag that I had deadlifted 170lbs.

Well, back up. Maybe it started when I ordered the Fancy Bra for Curvy Women that facebook and other social media bots kept throwing at me. It came with a bonus pair of underwear, which somehow led me to their “leakproof panties.” Spoiler: that stash of one bra and two bikini panties arrived in a seriously overpackaged box, provoking a full wave of climate change anxiety, and the bra didn’t suitably contain my boob flesh . Also, I may still be menstruating at the age of 54, but I don’t really need to start experimenting with new period products, do I? It’s this kind of reckless impulse purchasing which also led me to purchase a cross-body bag in the middle of the night because I saw Meghan Markle carrying it on her South African tour when I couldn’t sleep. But I digress. (And it’s a great bag).

So there I was, lying in bed, body still tired from my 170lb deadlifts the night before (did I mention the deadlifts?), scrolling through FB and innocently clicking on a link to a Guardian article for today’s dose of gloom and doom. And there it was.

Peri fit. The perfect toy for middle aged ladies: a vibratory thing you put in your vagina and squeeze, to strengthen your pelvic floor, tracking your progress by how quickly you manage to race a little car around the track on the phone app. (I think you can also squeeze to lift a little butterfly too).

If this whole scenario doesn’t say Peak 2019, I don’t know what does. (Well, maybe if it came with avocado toast. I heard a guy in a coffee queue the other day talking about his avocado delivery service where you get three at a time, in different stages of ripeness, one for today, one for tomorrow, and one for the next day. But I digress again).

avocado-toastActually, now is probably a good time to show you the avocado toast I ate as a snack before I deadlifted 170lbs.  Super yummy.  I love my neighbourhood.

Okay, so leaking.  So after I got the ad for the app for leaking middle aged ladies, I posted something on FB about being Indignant that The Algorithms didn’t recognize my superlative fitness, instead categorizing me as a sagging bladdered aging woman.

And oh, the response!

Turns out, the 170lb deadlift may have TRIGGERED the ad.  Many people showed up to let me know that heavy lifting can *cause* incontinence in women.   (And another friend, a pilates and alexandra technique teacher, messaged me to let me know my form was off in the lift and I was tucking my tailbone too much.  But again, I digress).

Women who lift showed up to share their links and stories about peeing during workouts, and their workarounds.  (I didn’t actually ask for that, but okay!)  Sam noted that she had written about this a few years ago, 

So okay.  Was that imperfectly formed but still impressive 170lb dead lift a bad thing to do for my bladder?

Well, it depends.  Apparently, lifting weights CAN strengthen pelvic floor muscles.  And it looks a lot more impressive to post on instagram than chasing a butterfly around a screen with my vagina.  

But — it can also strain them. (The long list of things to avoid there is, like, everything I do, three times a week). 

The bottom line seems to be — yes, stress incontinence and pelvic floor prolapse (urrg) can indeed be caused by weightlifting (for women AND men).  

Pelvic floor strengthening exercises — either good old fashioned accessory-free kegels, or tech-assisted routines like the racecar app thingy and these cute little vaginal weights — are all good things to add to your roster.

So I literally had no idea about any of this when I picked up that 170lbs.  I guess I should be grateful to the AI ad trolls and my super smart friends for making that link for me.  Thanks Kindly Bot Overlords!  (And thank god I have those leak-holding underwear now!)

So here is my friendly PSA to the world, from one of those links:  If you leak urine while exercising, consult your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Leaking urine is common, with one in three women experiencing UI at some point in her life, but it’s not normal.

Meanwhile, I wrote to the maker of the butterfly thingy and asked for a trial version to test it.  For you all.  The things I do for this blog.  

Stay tuned for an upcoming post on  vaginal atrophy!

cycling · menstruation

Of Period Puns and Bicycling Groups (Guest Post)

alisonreiheld3 Comments

My husband and youngest son have been bicycling together for awhile now, long distances and fast, with other groups and just with each other. If you’ve been following my posts here at FIAFI, you know I sometimes cycle as well, recreational-only and mostly with Son 2 though sometimes en famille with friends. Well, this past Monday night, I took a non-family bike ride. Honestly, my first in… probably decades. I’ve met some of my husband’s cycling friends, which includes a lot of great women, and they and my husband have been talking up a regular St. Louis bike ride for women and nonbinary folks called… wait for it… The Monthly Cycle.

The first Monday of every month, The Monthly Cycle meets outside a gelateria on South Grand in St. Louis. Bert and Son 2 dropped me off around 6:30 and then carried on to their own bikes event nearby (a fast hard ride of folks who take it seriously). Women of all shapes and sizes trickled in, forming a magnificent clot on the sidewalk until the ride began at 7 pm. The total eventual headcount according to one of the organizers? 53. Several of them, some of whom I knew and some of whom I didn’t, helped me get properly kitted out with a forward beam-light and some medical tape to help fasten my helmet, which had an unfortunate buckle failure. A few were in costume for the October Halloween theme–rides are not usually themed–and ready to make 3 stops for ghost stories at allegedly haunted venues. Unaccustomed to city riding on trafficked streets, and new to riding in large groups, I took no pictures while moving. Thanks to the ghost story stops, though, I was able to snap a few shots that reflect what went on.

Top left to bottom right: a woman dressed as a clown with white facepaint, red facepaint, red curly wig, and red balloons on her bike looks up something on her phone while the group listens to a ghost story at one of the stops; the fountain at old Lemp Mansion, its multiple levels dripping onto one another with water frozen in the shot like icicles; the group lined up listening to one of the ride leaders read a ghost story about a Bed and Breakfast near Lafayette Square; the white block of the old Lemp Mansion with the pride flag from the group’s sweep-rider (who makes sure no one is left behind) in the edge of the frame; the group listens to a paranormal enthusiast talk about the ghosts at Lemp Mansion, with images on a tablet he brought along.

Not depicted but awesome:

  • the cyclists with wifi enabled speakers blasting out playlists with varying tastes; one person had a playlist of Halloween-themed music from both radio and musicals including Monster Mash and Thriller and songs from Rocky Horror Picture Show, while another was playing Rihana and Brittney Spears and Spanish-language tunes
  • occasional warbling singing-along to the tunes, while riding; hilarious when going over bumpy roads
  • the kids and families and other friendly residents hanging out on their porches in the dark who gave friendly shouts and waved at us as we passed through neighborhoods inhabited by a wide range of people (this ride made no attempt to stick to the middle class white notion of “safe neighborhoods” that so dominates cycling culture in many places)
  • the guy who, as we passed through a commercial district, stepped out onto the street to give every passing cyclist a high 5
  • the many folks who asked “what is this? it looks awesome!”–men but also women in cars and walking and riding their own bikes who we passed along the way–to hear a friendly shout of “It’s the monthly cycle! Women and nonbinary only!” with an added shout of “look us up!” for the folks who were presenting as women or nonbinary
  • the riders who held the intersections as we came through to prevent cars from riding into us as much as possible, and the uncountable “thank you”s that riders shouted to drivers who waited, whether patiently or impatiently, for the whole crew to pass
  • riders shouting “hole!” as they passed a big one in the road to alert those behind them, “car up!” if a car was coming toward the group to encourage everyone to get into just one lane, “car back” if a car was behind the group, and calling out turns or “slowing” so that folks in the back knew what was happening
  • the shared drinks and snacks at the Tower Pub where the ride typically winds up
Left to right/top left to bottom: The author in the background, in mottled white and gray tights, and black shirt with reflective striping, smiling; the author’s front wheel, decked out in spokelights courtesy of her spouse; the author’s selfie with cyclists in the background

All told, it was a little under 10 miles, total, with some hills. Enough to work a little but totally doable by someone who doesn’t bike much. It started around 7pm and I was all done and heading home a little after 10, needing only to bike a few blocks down the street from the Tower Pub to the place my husband and Son 2 had ended up for the ritual post-ride drinks and snacks at their own habitual endspot.

I am planning on hitting the Monthly Cycle up at the beginning of November with at least one friend who saw my social media post about it and was instantly all-in. I don’t know if I will stick with it through winter, given the cost of winter gear and the hazards of riding slippery roads. But the ride itself was a delight from start to finish and the folks could not have been more welcoming.

Is there a Monthly Cycle or something similar near you? A no-men cycling event or other sports community? One that isn’t anti-men, but is about a space for the kinds of relations that people who aren’t men can have with each other when men aren’t part of the group and are, at most, passed by just for a little while? What do you think the value of such groups is?

Downward dog and supported handstand pose with two people. Yoga poses I simply can’t do, and what I do instead
fitness · yoga

Yoga poses I simply can’t do, and what I do instead

catherine w7 Comments

Fellow blogger Christine started a Yoga is For September challenge (and created a FB group for it, as one does). I was psyched for the social support around everyday yoga. I found that morning yoga just didn’t happen very often– I’m not a morning person at all. Yoga before bed did work, even if it was the 7-minute yoga with Adriene bedtime video. I admit I often turned the video on my phone and did my own before-bed yoga while she happily did her thing.

We are keeping the everyday yoga love alive– in real life and on FB, with a new name: Octyogafest. This month Christine and I are sharing in the care and feeding of the group. I decided to add in another challenge element this month, courtesy of Bad Yogi. She is doing a 100 poses in 100 days yoga challenge, and I decided to sign up.

October 1 rolled around, and what should the first day bring but bow pose! Here it is.

Bad yogi doing bow pose. Her hands are holding her ankles behind her, with legs bent up and chest high.
Bad yogi doing bow pose.

Sigh. I can’t do this pose. At all. I’ve never been able to do this pose. I can’treach my legs with my hands. I think this is a combo of tight quads and super-tight shoulders, which is what my body is like. Yes, I’ve tried it with a yoga strap, looped around one foot or two feet. I then just feel trussed up and awkward. Sigh.

I looked around online to see what other options there are. Of course I found some. This article approaches bow pose backwards, with grabbing the ankles as the last step rather than the first. I tried it, and found I could get a nice chest opening stretch and also quad stretch without worrying about either straps or trying to grab my ankles. Whew.

This got me to thinking: there are a few yoga poses that my body just flat-out won’t do. Not now, not in the past, and certainly at no time in the future. I’m not even talking about extremely advanced poses, like these:

Advanced yoga poses

Of course some bodies are made so that these are easier to do, and other bodies have been able and interested in developing practices so to be able to do these. You go, such people!

But in the course of ordinary yoga classes, poses or stretches come up that we may find are totally impossible for us, while seeing other folks doing them easily. And vice versa. It’s one of the many things I like about yoga: I can find out more about my body– its strengths and vulnerabilities– on the mat in a room with other people. So here are a few other poses that I find my body just doesn’t do.

My hips are not flexible enough to do this pose– it’s called shoelace pose, and can be done seated or reclined.

  • Seated shoelace pose-- one leg is crossed over the other, with both feet out to the side.
    Seated shoelace pose.
  • reclined shoelace-- lying on the back with one leg crossed over the other, holding each ankle.
    Reclined shoelace pose.

But not by me. My hips are just too tight to even get close. Luckily, there are alternatives, like this one, called half-shoelace:

A woman sitting with right leg out front, left leg crossed and bent over right.
A woman sitting with right leg out front, left leg crossed and bent over right.

If that doesn’t work, I can just sit with legs crossed. Whew.

Then there’s Virasana, or Hero pose.

A woman sitting with her knees bent and legs tucked in at her sides.
A woman sitting with her knees bent and legs tucked in at her sides.

This is impossible for me to do– my quads and feet and ankles are not flexible enough to do this without pain. However, this is a yoga pose that lots of instructors turn to for seated meditation, so I’m often faced with having to do something else. Luckily there are loads of variations, some of which work for me. Here are some below:

  • Woman sitting with block between her legs and bolster sideways over the block.
    Woman sitting with block between her legs and bolster sideways over the block.
  • Woman sitting with block between her legs and rolled-up blanket under her ankles.
    Woman sitting with block between her legs and rolled-up blanket under her ankles.

I use two blocks, along with sometimes a rolled up blanket to ease stress on my feet and ankles. More height helps my quads, and as I do it more often, I can occasionally use one block for a little while. Whew.

Then there are the poses requiring shoulder flexibility, like these two:

  • Cow face pose rear view, with hands clasped behind the back.
  • Wide legged forward bend with arms clasped and stretched over the head.
    Wide legged forward bend with arms clasped and stretched over the head.

My shoulders have always been super tight, ever since I was a child. So there is no way I’ll ever come close to the pose on the right. The pose on the left I can do a bit with the help of a strap. Like so:

A woman bending her right arm behind her back, holding a towel; the left arm bends below and behind, clutching the bottom of the towel.
A woman bending her right arm behind her back, holding a towel; the left arm bends below and behind, clutching the bottom of the towel.

As a develop my yoga practice, I am more aware of what my body likes to do, what it doesn’t like to do, and what it absolutely refuses to do. Good yoga instructors offer lots of modifications, substitute poses, and gentle reminders that paying attention to how our bodies feel should always determine what we do that day.

Back to my shoulders: Yeah, I’ll do some modifications in yoga class, and I do work on strengthening (in plank, downward dog, other poses). I really like eagle pose as a shoulder stretch. Also thread the needle. And then there’s this face-down pose that stretches the shoulders– it’s shown done with one arm, but you can combine it with both arms– kind of a shoulder shoelace.

I tend to work on poses that improve my quad flexibility (and strength). This helps me in other activities (like cycling). I also do foot and ankle exercises almost every day to maintain and improve flexibility, which reduces pain in my everyday life.

Sort of a shoulder shoelace pose. Lie face down and thread one arm underneath and through. bend other arm and lie with head resting on it.
Sort of a shoulder shoelace pose.
Thread the needle pose. from hands and knees, bend over, laying one arm on the mat, threading it to the other side. Use your other arm for support or move it behind your back.
Thread the needle pose.
Seated eagle pose-- arms are crossed in front of your chest, intertwined with palms together.
Seated eagle pose.

Yoga, for me, isn’t about my ambitions to maximize my flexibility, strength, balance, serenity, or supply of cool leggings. It calms me, challenges me, gives me a wake up call about my vulnerabilities, and offers ways through or around or with those vulnerabilities. Yes, there are loads of poses I can’t do. And there are loads of poses I do instead. Thanks, yoga.

What about you, yoga-practicing readers? What regular non-advanced poses does your body balk at? What do you do about it? I’d love to hear from you.

p.s. If all yoga poses are easy for you, try the Destroyer of the Universe pose. No I didn’t make it up. If you try it, also let us know. But be careful– you don’t want to accidentally hurt yourself or annihilate all sentient beings.

p.p.s. If you and a friend want to try some partner poses, some of which look impossible, others of which look fun, check them out here.

Guest Post

In Admiration of Badass Women (Guest post)

Sam B1 Comment

by Nicole Plotkin

I was watching a show on Netflix, called Unbelievable.  While I was crushing on Toni Collette, I said to my husband, “in case you didn’t know, I love her, she’s badass”.  He looked at me and said, no she’s not.  I said yes, she is.  I realized he thought I meant badass, as in mean, or tough.  Maybe I mean a little tough, but not a hard ass.  That’s different.  I think the term badass has come to mean different things, particularly for women. 

I find myself increasingly admiring (my version of) “badass” women these days.  I don’t care for a person that is “mean, violent or aggressive”.  But the trusty internet provides other definitions of “badass”:

From an article in Psychology Today from 2010:

“A real badass is driven by values such as responsibility, justice, honor, courage, compassion, humility, integrity, and selflessness”.

“A badass is someone who does the dirty jobs, the jobs that other people don’t want to do…. A badass does what needs to be done, no matter how difficult it is, without complaint or need for fanfare. A badass doesn’t take the path of least resistance.”

Also, from the same article, and with which I completely disagree “Yes, girls can be badasses too (I use the word girls deliberately because I don’t think women want to be this sort of badass). A badass girl these days is beautiful (or thinks she is), has big breasts (likely augmented), is tanned (even in winter), wears stilettos (hurt me!), and is the grown-up version of the mean girls from high school”. Talk about a male fantasy version of a badass female!

The Urban Dictionary says:

“A badass stays true to themselves, always. This means being themselves for themselves, and not being fake to impress others. 4. A badass does not give up. Badasses will always push themselves for the better, no matter how hard it gets.”  This is much closer to what I mean.”

Perhaps it’s because I often feel a bit stifled by my fears (repeating past mistakes/inadequacy in intellectual pursuits, heights, speed) that I admire people who seem to have it together).  Even if it’s a smidgen of my day, I try to exhibit these traits where I can.  What are these traits that I admire these days in women and consider badass?

  • Seeming unafraid when
    asking for what they need, particularly at the office.  When I see a woman who just exudes
    confidence, stating what they need, even when they are asking for something
    others might find unconventional, I am cheering inside.  This type of woman often has a way of
    carrying herself that says, don’t look at my physical presence, listen to what
    I am saying.
  • Also, a woman who shows
    her vulnerability – but still insists on respect her strengths.  Being honest and sharing vulnerability is a
    great way to inspire others.
  • Identifying an issue
    that needs to be dealt with and handling it. It might mean uncomfortable phone
    calls, or lending your scarcely available time, but it needs to be done. So,
    they do it.
  • Celebrating their
    differences.  The woman with the
    extremely wiry hair, who makes it even kinkier. The one with the curvaceous
    hips who accentuates them.  The middle
    age woman who is unafraid of the creases appearing around her eyes and mouth.
  • They say things out loud
    that flout boring clichés.  They hear
    someone say men grow more handsome with age, but not women.  They call bullshit. Tactfully, perhaps. But
    there’s no need to agree. They say that perhaps our ideas of what is handsome
    or beautiful is the problem, not an ageing woman.
  • They do it anyway.  They are told they should do things that are
    appropriate for their age – pull back, do less, wear more, tone it down – and
    they ignore them and do what they like. And then bench a PR at the gym.
  • They cheer each other on
    – whether at the gym, or the office, or at school.  They root for each other.  And not just their cliques.
  • They experience a
    setback, maybe with respect to fitness, and figure a way to work around it. Even
    if this means small, incremental gains. 
    They are patient towards their goal.
  • They show their true
    emotions. They know that being kind and authentic doesn’t mean being phony or
    smiling all the time. And if they are angry, they admit it – tactfully.
  • A woman who insists on
    the time she needs to do the things that make her thrive – exercise, time with
    her friends, to get enough sleep – so she can be extra badass for her loved
    ones.
  • She doesn’t feel the
    need to debate or argue if she doesn’t agree with someone.  She may state what she believes, but she
    doesn’t need to convince someone else that they are wrong. She is content to
    know her own values.
  • She challenges herself
    outside of her comfort zone – in a way that suits her – in the gym, that can
    mean doing 5 extra burpees on a day she wanted to stay in bed, or deadlifting
    135 lbs on the day she thought she’d have to cut back because her back was
    tweaking.  Maybe it means running 17.5 km
    on the day her training schedule suggested she do 16 km.
  • She is kind to people –
    but will also not be taken advantage of or made to feel less than by anyone.
  • She is constantly
    looking for ways to improve herself in her career and feel useful, whatever
    that may be.

Do you like the term “badass”?  What does it mean to you?

Nicole Plotkin: law clerk, loves to exercise, eat good food, snuggle with her dogs, and her wonderful husband. 

fall · family · fitness · habits · Martha's Musings · motivation

Keeping fitness a priority when winter hibernation calls

marthafitat551 Comment

by MarthaFitat55

It’s turning into a lovely fall here in the far east of Canada. The cold crisp air is a nice complement against the crunchy leaves and the gorgeous fall colours. When the sun shines, brisk walks are great, but already I can feel the desire to burrow, to get cozy under the quilt, and to ponder the virtue of hot tea or hot chocolate on swiftly darkening afternoons.

A line of leaves changing from green to red. Photo by Chris Lawton on Unsplash

It’s the time of year that I find the most challenging in maintaining my fitness routine. This fall seems exceptional — my local pool has been closed since the end of August and won’t reopen until November; my work schedule is a little wonkier than usual; and I am managing some home repairs that will be most appreciated when we are in the deep of winter.

To keep myself on track, I have booked out my training time in my calendar. I know it might get moved around, but at least this way I won’t book something else by accident. When I see the weekly schedule, I know I have made fitness a priority.

I have started slotting out time for other things as well. I’ve always enjoyed doing handwork (although I am an atrocious knitter) and this summer, while on a car trip, I crocheted a whole dish cloth. I signed up for a quilt course in September and to keep on top of the project, I slotted out a chunk of time during the week and on the weekend.

A friend of mine told me years ago she found chunking up projects to be really helpful. Breaking things down into smaller bits makes large things seem achievable. As my schedule grew more challenging, I found chunking my time into slots reserved for fun things not only got me through various projects but also offered a welcome distraction.

I got my Fitbit involved as well. I have a timer set off to go at ten to the hour. This alarm reminds me to get up and move, because all too often I am likely to stay in my chair writing one more paragraph so I can call it done. I’ve already incorporated little tricks like parking at the far end of the lot, going up the stairs whenever I can, or timing myself to see how fast I can get up the hill.

When I was younger, I looked at scheduling as something rather regimented and limiting. Now that I am older, and have way more on my plate, I find scheduling is really helpful on several fronts: fitness, food/grocery planning , family fun, and me time. Balance is what I am aiming for here; not perfection.

Image shows a calendar opened to September. Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Scheduling helps with consistency and for me, if I want to keep on track with my fitness goals, creating routines is what works for me. I know there will be days when the snooze button calls and the duvet wraps itself even closer around me. I also know by choosing optimal times for training and building in the time for the things that matter, I will be able to keep getting my fitness on.

How about you? What tips or tricks have worked for you to keep your momentum going when fall moves in?

MarthaFitat55 is a writer who likes to get her fit on through powerlifting and swimming.

cycling · Fear · sailing

Sam thinks about doing scary things

Sam B1 Comment

Is there a thing you do that you always find scary but you do it anyway?

I’ve thought about that a lot over the years of this blog and I confess it’s mostly been in the context of trying to problem solve for Tracy and road biking way back when. She loves triathlon so much, I thought. Surely there ought to have been a way to get over the fear of road cycling? In the end there wasn’t, she gave it up. And that was the right choice for Tracy.

Since then I’ve often thought about fear and the role it plays in our lives, in particular in the role it plays in what physical activities we do. Downhill skiing anyone? Fat biking on ridge trails? Camping in areas of high bear activity? Paddling in wind and waves?

Back to cycling, for a minute: While I’m road cycling I don’t find cycling scary. I can zoom down big hills, ride fast in a group, and ride in city traffic without fear. The only cycling related fear I have is sometimes after a ride. Sometimes I play over the ride in my head and think about the ways things might have gone differently. Sometimes I get scared then but the activity itself is done. And next ride, I’m happy and relaxed and ready to ride again.

Here’s a thing that I find scary when I do it: small boat sailing, like Snipe racing.

There I’ve said it. I haven’t talked about this before. But here’s the thing. Although it’s present every time I get in a small sailboat it goes away after the first race or the first half hour or so that I’m out. I’m puzzled by it. I know it will go away. I no longer want to go in and get off the boat when it happens. I can’t figure out what it’s about. I get shaky. It’s very much a physical sensation. I kind of freeze in place and I feel like everything could go wrong.

What exactly am I worried about? You name it really. Capsizing, hurting my knee, hitting other boats. And these are all things that could actually happen. It wouldn’t be the end of the world. I know that but still, I’m nervous and shaky.

It goes away when I start to focus on the tasks at hand: making sure the sail is trimmed properly, making sure I’m in a good position on the boat, making sure that we have all of our lines untangled and running freely, making sure we’re in a good position comparatively speaking.

It’s different than the fear that led Tracy to stop cycling in three ways: I love sailing and in particular, sailboat racing. It goes away each time and I know that. The worst case scenario I imagine is not that bad in the scheme of things.

I keep waiting for it to go away. Instead, it persisted all summer and yet I kept sailing.

I’m curious to see if next summer feels different.

Small sailboats racing. Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash
fitness · racing · sailing

Is dinghy racing exercise? (with update!)

Sam B3 Comments

Is sailing a dinghy a workout?

What is a dinghy anyway? Let’s start with basics, “a small boat for recreation or racing, especially an open boat with a mast and sails.” My family has two different sorts, a Laser (raced singlehandedly) and a Snipe (a double handed boat.) Sarah and I have been racing the Snipe.

My participation in the 219 in 2019 group was the impetus to think about the question of “does dinghy racing count as exercise?”

I knew it was tiring. And racing sure felt like a workout so I listed it as a workout. A few hours went by and someone asked why it counted. Wren’t you just sitting on a boat letting the wind take you where you want to go? Maybe on a big boat, I thought. Maybe if you’re not racing. I got bit defensive. I did what defensive academics do. I went and looked things up.

I found this: How sailing can be a workout.

“Sailing is a sport that will work many aspects of physical fitness:

  • Core and muscle strength: Pulling on lines, hiking your boat, and maneuvering the rudder will all help develop core strength and general muscle strength. If you want a few sailing specific exercises, try partial crunches, squats, and single arm rows.
  • Aerobic fitness: If you’re on a relatively small sailboat, you will constantly be on the move doing things like adjusting the sails and moving from port to starboard. Do additional aerobic activity (cycling, hiking, dancing) to build up more stamina for when you next leave the dock.
  • Balance and agility: Manoeuvering around the boat and its tight quarters and finding your sea legs will all help improve your balance. Get a head start by trying activities like Tai Chi or balance exercises, to help prevent “spontaneous” swims!”

For me the there are three physically tough things:

As with rowing, it’s a workout in itself getting the boat in and out of the water. The Snipe weights 381 lbs. Yes, it goes into the water on a small trailer but you still have to lift the front end and pull. It takes two of us working hard. We struggle to get the boat into the water and a few hours later, tired from sailing, we really struggle to get it out the water. “Out” is also uphill! That’s the first hard thing.

The second hard thing is me-specific. With my bad knee I can struggle with balance and agility and finding a good spot to be on the boat where I can reach and see the things I need to reach and see. You also need to be able to change positions quickly and gracefully. It’s not easy and I’m constantly working on it.

The third thing is hard for everyone. It’s hiking. There are hiking straps on the boat. You use your weight to keep the boat as flat as possible. It’s like one continuous crunch. What is hiking exactly? Our friends at Wikipedi say, “In sailing, hiking (stacking or stacking out in New Zealand; leaning out or sitting out in United Kingdom) is the action of moving the crew’s body weight as far to windward (upwind) as possible, in order to decrease the extent the boat heels (leans away from the wind). “

(UPDATE) Sarah, late to the blog party, chimes in: ” I think an important distinction to make is between “going for a sail” and racing a dinghy, which are as different as “going for a stroll” and race walking. In the latter, one’s body is actively engaged in going as fast as possible. Even if winds are too light to hike hard, sailors have active cores and legs as they balance the boat for optimum speed. In Sam’s case this can look like an extended deep squat while twisting her upper body to look around. In my case, with the main sheet in one hand and the tiller in the other, all of my movements must be “hands-free”. By the end of a race I am breathing hard and smiling. Dinghy sailing may not always be the most intense workout, but it’s definitely a fun one! “

Here is Sarah Douglas hiking. Douglas aims to represent Canada in the 2020 Games. The Torontonian is the 2019 Pan Am Games champion. Also a University of Guelph grad! (That’s where I’m a Dean.)

I’ve often wondered about the comparison between rowing and dinghy racing. I know rowing is physically more demanding. There’s mental effort but it’s in things like maintaining a rhythm, following orders, withstanding pain! Sailing is less physically demanding but more varied and much more about strategy and timing. You interact with other boats tactically in a way you don’t when rowing.

Here’s one comparison: Dingy sailing versus rowing

And here’s our racecourse from a recent race. It’s from Sarah’s Garmin.

commute · cycling

Adventures on a folding bike!

Kim Solga4 Comments

Last month, I wrote about why I ride, the social justice edition. I focused on the ways in which riding brings me closer to the earth, to other humans, and to our shared entanglements on the road (and elsewhere). The bike, I argued, is a way for us to stay grounded in our commonalities, to recognize our different needs together, and to become more aware of the needs of our shared home, the earth.

For me, part of that last item has to do with changing the way I commute to work. My campus office is about 125km from my front door, and in order to manage that distance I used to drive to and from twice a week. (I’m fortunate to be able to work about 60% of the time at home.) I quickly discovered that driving was more arduous than I’d imagined (focusing on the road for 1.5 hours, at 120kph, is stressful: who knew?). So about a year ago I decided to start riding the train.

That worked fine, until the weather made it less than pleasant to walk the 5 or so kilometres from the station to my office along the riverside path. (One terrible winter day I discovered that the path was covered in about 4 feet of snow, uncleared, but having descended into the valley I had no choice but to do the portage. That was my workout for the day!) I began using the bus to get to and from the station/my office, but when I wanted to add in a visit to Paul, my and Tracy’s personal trainer, or my elderly parents in the west end of town, things got tricky. I discovered the buses don’t sync up well, and outer-ring-to-outer-ring locales aren’t served by direct routes very often, if at all. Cabs were an option, but seemed pricey as a regular choice.

So this past summer I decided that the best way to ensure I could continue commuting by train, and indeed commute much more by train (last winter it was about 40% train, 60% car, mostly because sometimes the ease of the latter got the better of me), was to buy a folding bike. One August morning I found a sale on my preferred model at Cate’s local bike shop, so I got the commuter service into the city and made the leap.

Here’s the result: Titania, my Tern Link D8:

(Images of a folding bicycle, open, blue and black in colour; in one, Kim stands proudly in the shop with her green helmet on, holding the handlebars. In another, the bike is on a train platform with a green and white GO train in the background. I want to pause here to recognize my privilege in affording this new piece of gear, which came in at around $1000CDN. I saved for it using my monthly commuter budget.) 

Now, folding bikes aren’t cheap. Sam has the amazing Brompton, the Cadillac (or maybe the Lexus? The Mercedes?) of folding bikes. Her job is full to the brim of travel, and her knee issues mean a very easy to fold and unfold, quite light and very versatile bike are required for her to do her job effectively. For me, the Tern was the budget option: it suits my needs well because it has a rolling adapter that I purchased as part of the sale, and I can pull it from my car to the train and back like luggage. (This is also great for airports, I’ll add.) It’s on balance larger and heavier than the Brompton, but the trade-off is that it has exceptionally solid, almost regular-size bike features, and I notice literally no difference between it and my upright Dutch commuter bike. (In fact, I think the Tern is faster and more stable on hills.)

(The above is a video showing three characters from the BBC satire, W1A, “arriving in tandem” at work on their Bromptons. It’s a spoof on the poshness of the bikes, their status symbol value. The narrator voice is David Tennant. The deep voice is Hugh Skinner, who plays an intern who has somehow got himself a Brompton anyway; the higher voice is Jason Watkins as Simon, humble-bragging about his new carbon-fibre Brompton. If you don’t know the series check it out!) 

I’ve now been commuting with Titania for a month. How’s it gone? Fairly well overall, though there has been a learning curve. Here are my top three take-away lessons thus far.

  1. Just because it’s a folding bike doesn’t mean it’s utterly simple and totally intuitive, with instant swanning through subway stations and the like. On my first trip into Toronto at rush hour (when regular bikes aren’t allowed on the commuter train), I discovered just how heavy it is to run with a folding bicycle. I had forgotten to set up the roller option, and I was late to the train. I dashed, Titania at my left, bobbing about and staining my calf with chain grease. I shouted desperately at the platform staff: “please don’t leave without me!!!” In the end they shut the doors as I arrived, and then took pity and re-opened them for me. I spent the whole ride into town sweaty, headachy, and sore. Lesson learned: always have the bike set up on the easiest-to-maneouvre setting for your next outing. Keep it in the front hall for ease, too.
  2. Unfolding a folding bike may be simple, but it’s not necessarily THAT simple. I’d practiced in the shop, of course, and at home once or twice. But then two weeks elapsed before I used it for work. When I arrived at my station, disembarked and began to unfold it, I realized I’d forgotten some basics. I managed to turn the handlebars to the wrong way, and rode about 100m with them backwards before realizing. Luckily, I did not fall over! Lesson learned: practice folding and unfolding it at home a few different times over several days, because when you’re in public, it’s embarrassing and potentially dangerous to screw up the basics.
  3. All kinds of weather happen when you are commuting by bike; you will discover this when you least expect it! It was a crazy hot morning last Tuesday, the last day of full-on summer in Southern Ontario. 30+C (about 90F), and HUMID AS HICKETTY HECK. I put on a light summer dress and packed my workout gear in my backpack for later. THEN, around 3pm, the sky darkened. And it opened up. By the time I had to ride to yoga, it was raining gently, but there was flash flooding all along the bike path I use to get from campus to downtown. I had a few episodes of “wheee!” through puddles, channeling my inner Sam, but when I arrived at yoga my arse was soaked, and the underside of Titania was lined with grit. It took about an hour the next day to clean her fully, and worst of all, I spent most of yoga rather uncomfortable. Lesson learned: buy the fenders straight away, and check the forecast! Also: use the nifty rain pouch that comes with the bike’s fanny pack; it will keep your phone completely dry.

Readers: do any of you have folding bike war stories? Or bike-commute war stories? Please share!

It's not me, it's you So I’m wearing the wrong bra size? It’s not me, it’s you
bras · fitness

So I’m wearing the wrong bra size? It’s not me, it’s you

catherine w10 Comments

How many times have we seen articles about how 70% of women are wearing THE WRONG BRA? Answer: A LOT. If you haven’t, you can start here and here and here and here. One brand decided to up the percentage for maximum stern effect:

Bra, with obligatory stern comment about how 85% of women wear the wrong bra size. Argh.
Bra, with obligatory stern comment about how 85% of women wear the wrong bra size. Argh.

How can this be? Let’s break this down.

  • Women want bras that feel supportive and comfortable and look the way they want them to.
  • Women spend time and money and effort shopping for bras, which come in a variety of non-standard sizes, shapes, materials and structures.
  • But 70–80-85% of them get it wrong. They’re walking around in the wrong bra size.

Yeah, that’s about it. We’re wrong. Our bras are wrong. Our bra sizes are wrong.

  • Caption saying 80% of women don't understand the importance of wearing the right size bra.
    80% of us don’t even UNDERSTAND bras.

Maybe wearing the wrong size bra is even bad for our health:

Please don't worry. The people who wrote the article saying that there are dangerous health effects of wearing the wrong bra totally made this up.
Please don’t worry. The people who wrote this article totally made it up. I’m not linking to it, as it’s irresponsible and wrong. More than 80% wrong, even.

So where did this myth about women not understanding/appreciating/accessing the correct bra come from?

This New York Times article hunted down the source:

One man, the plastic surgeon Edward Pechter, gets credit for it.

Dr. Pechter first published the statistic in small 1998 study, writing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that 70 percent of women or more were wearing the incorrect bra size. The article outlined a new method for measuring breasts, with which he hoped to standardize sizing for augmentation and reduction surgeries.

But Dr. Pechter didn’t reach his estimate through surveying a large and diverse sample. Instead he used anecdotal evidence from publications like Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal and the Playtex Fit Guide. (He also studied only women who reported wearing cup sizes AA through DDD. Today you can find bras in sizes up to an O cup.)

But it is true that good-fitting and comfortable and supportive bras are hard to find. Ask many women (me, for example) and they will tell you about spending loads of money on expensive bras that were uncomfortable, unsupportive and just not wearable. The NY Times article identifies several problems:

  • There aren’t any industry size standards for bras
  • Women’s breast sizes fluctuate over time and cyclically, during pregnancy, etc.
  • Women whose breast sizes are outside the standard cookie-cutter sizes have more trouble because of variations in bra design
  • Maintaining a steady supply of well-fitting bras requires advanced tape measure proficiency and twice-annually reassessment, followed by more bra shopping

Women do have more buying options now. We are being deluged with ads from newer bra companies on social media. But once again, women are being told they have to shoulder the burden of more labor just to be able to go out the door in decent chest shape and comfort and appearance. More shopping. More returning. More trying on. More outlay of money. More attention and fuss to manage a part of us that is not weird or troublesome or surprising to anyone– it’s just our breasts.

Okay. I’ll check out loads of bra types, research and calculate my sister sizes and carry a tape measure in my bag, always at the ready should my breast sizes change suddenly.

But stop telling me it’s my fault. It’s not me, it’s you, bra industry.

Readers, any good bra/bad bra stories you want to share with us? We’d love to hear from you.

fitness · motivation

Sam hates “no excuses!” talk and finds pleasure in movement far more motivational

Sam B1 Comment

‘No More Excuses!’ Not To Exercise, Says The National Institute On Aging. That’s a link I shared on our Facebook recently along with the confession that of all the motivational fitness talk I find “no excuses!” possibly the most annoying.

This is the kind of thing I’m talking about.

Motivational “no excuses!” posters

Our followers were equally annoyed. Here’s some of their responses:

” I hate it! It’s privileged and doesn’t take into account the mental and emotional and environmental factors that go into why people don’t exercise.”

” These four “excuses” wildly underestimate the complex reasons people may not choose to exercise. It also assumes people don’t know these simplistic solutions. Oh duh-didn’t think of exercising in the morning, oh wait, I have to work and prepare various other vulnerable people who are dependent on me for their day too…oops.”

” It’s a deliberately myopic view of everyone who isn’t you and the 4 people you work out with. It’s also condescending as fuck, assuming the only reason people aren’t exercising is because they are lazy shits and that the speaker of this platitude knows better how to manage someone’s life than the person living that life. “

“Man this article is privileged as heck. Most seniors in my family are on fixed income that barely covers living expenses. They don’t really have the money to sign up for a class or go golfing. “

Others thought that some of the tips were good but that we ought to frame them more positively.

” More positive message like “breaking down barriers to a healthier and happier life” would be so much more effective. “

A personal trainer who follows the page chimed in and said she teaches her clients that the barriers are real. “No excuses!” talk doesn’t make them go away. Instead they sit down and look at the person’s barriers to having time/resources for fitness and brainstorm solutions.

When you plow past the simplistic advice–“Too strapped for time? Try exercising first thing in the morning” there’s actually advice in this article that matches well with a common theme here on the blog–Find a thing you enjoy! When people ask if one exercise is better than another, it often just comes down to which you enjoy. That’s the exercise you’ll do.

“Love music? Take dancing lessons, sign up for an aerobics or dance class, or walk briskly or jog and listen to your favorite tunes

Enjoy the outdoors? Play catch with your grandchildren or fetch with your dog, go hiking or rock climbing (but be safe while you do it), or go canoeing.

Like being with others? Join a soccer or basketball league, make friends in an exercise class, or organize a walking group with friends or coworkers.

Want to be on your own? Swim laps, spend an hour at the driving range, bike around your neighborhood, or use an exercise video at home.

Feel the need to multitask? Lift weights while you watch TV, do balance exercises while waiting in line, walk on a treadmill while you listen to an audio book.”

This intrinsic “feels good” motivation isn’t just kinder and gentler than “NO EXCUSES!” it’s also more likely to work. We blogged about that awhile ago.

“It turns out that those who think of exercise in terms of immediate benefits, how it makes us feel, do much better in terms of motivation that works, than those who think of exercise in terms of health and fitness goals. My students all agreed that exercise feels great. They thought if there was a recreational drug that gave you that feeling with no ill health effects they’d be tempted to take it.  Thinking about the feeling is a very effective motivator.

See Rethinking Exercise as a Source of Immediate Rewards in the New York Times.

“Dr. Segar, a psychologist who specializes in helping people adopt and maintain regular exercise habits, is the author of “No Sweat: How the Simple Science of Motivation Can Bring You a Lifetime of Fitness.” Her research has shown that even people who say they hate to exercise or have repeatedly fallen off the exercise wagon can learn to enjoy it and stick with it.

Though it seems counterintuitive, studies have shownthat people whose goals are weight loss and better health tend to spend the least amount of time exercising. That is true even for older adults, a study of 335 men and women ages 60 to 95 showed.

Rather, immediate rewards that enhance daily life — more energy, a better mood, less stress and more opportunity to connect with friends and family — offer far more motivation, Dr. Segar and others have found.”