Month: January 2020

Words and Challenges for the New Year
aging · fitness · habits · holidays · motivation · new year's resolutions · season transitions

Words and Challenges for the New Year

Mina3 Comments

Four days in, I’m still adjusting to this fresh start of a decade. We’re living in the 20’s now. A decade that makes me think my word for the year should be … ROAR.

My cousin introduced me to this word of the year practice about 10 years ago. Our guest blogger, Anne Simpson, wrote about her Word of the Year a few days ago. The idea is to distill your hopes, dreams, ambitions and challenges for the coming year into a word. What’s the one word you choose today to describe the year you are aiming for? A word that aspires to something greater, but doesn’t set you up for disappointment. A personal word that captures both who you are already (and you are just dandy the way you are!) and how you can refine that existing excellence. A word that will inspire you for the 364 days to come.

Vortex of black letters on white background
Nathaniel Shuman on Unsplash

Last year, I had some pretty definitive plans for 2019 related to one of my plays and my book that was publishing in July. I wanted to remind myself not to get too caught up in expectations. I also challenged myself to meditate every day. My word was PRESENCE. In 2018, I was immersed in book writing and my personal challenge was to not shop for clothes or shoes for the whole year. My word was ATTENTION. 

A quick note about these challenges I mention. I’m not one for resolutions. Or maybe I just don’t like the word, in the context of the New Year. There’s something about resolutions that always feels like someone/something is chastising me to do better. And I was never very good at sticking to resolutions. But I have developed a habit of setting myself a challenge for the year. And, weirdly, I generally manage to stick to my challenges. Could just be that the word is more motivating. My challenges are usually ways of being that I want to try on for size, with no commitment to extend after the year is over. You can bet I’ve shopped for some new clothes since 2018 finished.

This year feels largely unknown and fluid. Scary. I have some specific events I’m looking forward to–talks I’m giving in Princeton at The Present Day Club and San Francisco at The Battery; another reading of my play at Missouri State University; plus a new workshop series I’m planning with a friend of mine. I don’t know what any of these will lead to. I don’t know what my big project for the year will be. A new book? Another play? Rolling out the workshops? Plus, there’s my challenge for the year—no buying anything (except books/tv/film) on amazon. I may also go back to an alternate month no-shopping practice, because the prospect is peaceful to contemplate.

All in all, I feel open. Excited. Super daunted. And sometimes a little frustrated, because shouldn’t a woman in her 50’s be looking forward to a steadier, more settled year? That’s my voice of insecurity having her say. But she does not get to decide my word! So, given all that, what is my word?

I like ROAR , but that’s not it.

Here’s my always evolving list of possible words: illuminate … grow … strong … steady … being …  belonging … becoming … run … light … recharge … strong … vitality … engaged … present … discerning … happy … incandescent … yes … flow … curiosity … change … renewal … reliability … radiance … spontaneity … pleasure … simplicity

I like the potential these words embrace. This is a year about expanding and making space. I want to get to the end of 2020 and feel like I’ve tapped into new personal resources.

In that spirit, this year, I choose BECOMING.

What’s your word or challenge?

fitness

Riding in Thailand: serene and inviting

fieldpoppy1 Comment

Yesterday, I wrote about the first part of my cycling holiday in Southeast Asia, a beautiful, complex, hot and intense week in Cambodia.  This is about part two of that trip, after we crossed the border into Thailand.

Our last day in Cambodia, we rode 30 km to the Thai border, the first 20 hilly and strong, the last 10 threaded through dodgy border traffic, especially trucks. At the border, we were handed off to a completely new set of guides and crew, our luggage walked across the border on a hand cart, like passengers on some secret railroad, where mystery lay beyond.

After some border nonsense (my fault — I had failed to realize I was supposed to make a second copy of my visa for leaving Cambodia), we followed our new guide across the border. Immediately everything was different. The roads were slick and paved, commercial brands lined the roads, and a shiny, organized and super professional guide replaced our opinionated, chaotic Cambodian head guide.

This transition was one of the most puzzling parts of the trip — it was one trip, with the same company. But not only did we switch over completely at the border, the guides hadn’t communicated — our itinerary and the Cambodian guide had told us we were riding 75 km that day. Thai Guide thought we had already ridden 75 km before the border and tossed us into the van for nearly 3 hours.  (It’s not unusual for cycling tour itineraries to differ immensely from what actually unfolds on the day, but it was very odd that guides from the same company leading the same trip treated the border like a sound barrier).

Our first major adventure in Thailand — after the long van ride, not so fun in tight sweaty bike gear — was a delicious lunch in an eco village, a boat ride and some Cultural Activities (which, puzzlingly, involved releasing farmed crabs into a mangrove forest).  We then rode a short, civilized 15 km tour around the local area, showing us typical Thai houses, dogs sleeping on the roads, temples, a reservoir, fields.

Our Cambodian guide’s style wasn’t very inclusive — typically, he would tear ahead with the German teenagers, dismissing the steady but slower group of women at the back.  Even when he was supposed to be the one sweeping, he would find a reason to leave us behind. New Thai Guide, we would learn, was more like a mama duck, keeping us in an even line behind him.  When the German boys started pushing him by pedalling faster behind him, when I told him he’d sped up to 27 km/hour from 22, he quickly slowed down.  It all felt so… calm.  Still work — there were hills, and it was hot — but so peaceful.

The two full days we spent riding in Thailand were holiday riding — significant distances of 60 km each day, but on forgiving surfaces, and at a pace that didn’t make us feel anxious about keeping up or being left behind.  Every break was at a temple, every meal as good as you imagine Thai food to be.  The second and last days, we ended at sandy beaches where we could plunge into the sea.

We did cultural activities — another boat ride, learning to make a hat in a muslim village, learning to make Thai rice cakes.  We looked at fish drying in the sun, and at shrines beside the road.  We ate vast amounts of prawns and seafood.  And then finally, we were dropped off in Bangkok to make our way to our next place.

Ten days on a bike in SE Asia is an odyssey.  We started with the Killing Fields, blazing heat and almost unridable roads.  There were waterfalls, and campylobacter, and chilling homophobia and racism, and children riding bicycles back to school after lunch, drinking lime drinks out of plastic bags.  There were hungry and skittish dogs and cats, and dips in the sea, and chilli prawns and cheap beer.  It was good and I had the complete break from my overheated work life I needed.

I was really grateful to experience both countries, both very different, by bike — and I think it will be my last organized bike trip for a while.  I’m going to write about why tomorrow.

Fieldpoppy is Cate Creede, who lives in Toronto and has now had the privilege of visiting 65 countries.

 

 

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What’s one thing you’re going to try in 2020?

Sam B1 Comment

It’s the new year and we’re doing some reflecting here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. This is the third in a series of three group posts.

Nicole: I really want to be more diligent with preparing my meals, especiallly lunches for work. I’m decent with dinner, but I get into a bad habit for long periods of time, of buying my lunch (and coffee, and often breakfast) at work. I think eating home cooked meals more often contributes to overall health and the health of my wallet – the key being I make sure we use leftovers, because we are really bad at that! Also, I think I really need to focus more on stretching, mobility, as I am noticing my joints stiffening up more than usual lately (and they were never limber). Read more articles through. Try not to multitask too much -especially at work – focus on more tasks that require more concentration. Get out of my comfort zone a bit at the gym – maybe work on my handstand, get better at step ups and pistol squats and get faster on rowing machine.

I am, somewhat skeptically, signed up to participate in my office’s “Whole Life Challenge”, which starts January 18th. I figured it might help me stay on track with things like drinking enough water, and preparing more of my meals. But I’m not looking forward to the “community sharing” and point aspect (points for what you should do, not for what you shouldn’t, but still).

Tracy: I’m going to try adding the gym back into the equation when I get back from my three months in Mexico. It’s been a long time since I belonged to a gym (other than a trial membership I had for two weeks back in June) but I think I’d like to give it another go instead of personal training.

Martha: My new thing is aiming for 30 minutes of activity every day. I did a workplace challenge in November that was more fun than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the focus on activity every day and think this might be a useful way to explore other things like skipping and cycling again.

Bettina: I’d like to try a sprint triathlon. The main reason for not making it a longer one: I don’t like swimming in open water that isn’t the sea or a lake at least the size of the Lake of Constance. Small lakes and rivers creep me out. Both the sea and a very large lake are far away from me. With sprint triathlons, a lot of the time the swim is in a pool.

Cate: Our reader ainsobriety wrote a great post about choosing one word for the year and attaching change to that. Her word last year was bloom. I think my word for this year is presence.

Marjorie: I’d like to gussy up the nerve to test my 1-rep maxes on the barbell lifts. I’m not afraid of failing a lift–I do that fairly often as the programmed reps are sometimes more than I can do in the moment–I’m afraid of hurting myself trying to push through to finish a rep. I don’t want the effort to keep me out of the gym or to limit my abilities for a while afterwards. On the other hand, my trainer is often suggesting that the limits I currently have are “in my head,” and I’d like to try pushing against those limits to test to what extent that may be true.

Christine:  I’m going to try working with a trainer again. I have worked with a trainer on and off in the past but now I have a better understanding of what I need from them so I think it will be even more useful this time.

Sam: New for me in 2020 and more than a little bit terrifying is teaching indoor cycling. I start in January sitting in in the classes of other instructors and then teaching bits and pieces of their classes for the semester. At the end I teach an entire class and get graded on my planning and execution of that class. I’d also like to set some strength goals and train for them. I’ve been strength training for years but I’ve never had specific targets in mind.

Catherine: I’ve talked about and actually done some strength and weight training in 2019. it started with physical therapy, which I found fun and empowering. My progress was rapid, and my physical therapist recommended weight training. I did a couple of training sessions, but my trainer and I had trouble with scheduling, so it went by the wayside. I purchased a online 12-week strength training program and got started, but quickly lost momentum at the end of the year. My goal for 2020 is to focus on strength training and weight training, to get myself enrolled in a regular regimen (whether by a class or trainer sessions). I want to be stronger and also more agile. This is becoming my co-top priority (alongside cycling).

Mina: The new thing I’d like to try this winter is biathlon—the cross country ski mixed with marksmanship sport. I keep promising myself I’ll take a clinic and then never get around to it. But I sat beside a woman biathlete at the hair salon when I was getting my hair colored, and she inspired me anew. So I’m hoping to finally try it in 2020!

Do you have a new thing for 2020? Share it with us in the comments. Thanks!

2020 and stars. Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash /
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Riding in Cambodia

fieldpoppy5 Comments

boat .jpg

It’s one of my favourite photos of me ever.  I’m sitting in the prow of a little wooden boat on a still river, sunset behind me, looking completely peaceful.  Our ride that day was hot and hard — hilly red-dirt roads with deep holes and dust, sun blasting down, giggles and loud greetings from children.  Wheels caught in sand.  Now showered and surrounded by jungle sounds and the whirr of the boat motor.  The picture of serenity, someone posted when I put it on IG.

hut

And it was.  And — it came after a day with one of the most unsettling homophobic comments I’ve ever experienced.  And I could feel a rumble in my guts that later turned into an all night bathroom odyssey, and a Christmas day spent sleeping in a wooden hut in an eco-village, surrounded by an overly complicated mosquito net.

That is cycle-touring in SE Asia in a nutshell, to me:  moments of bliss, hard, hot riding, immersion in the humid, all encompassing landscape of a land built on jungle, the putt of motorbikes behind you, pathways that are an imitation of roads, the warmth of mostly welcoming people, casual racism and homophobia, a constant game of roulette with your gut flora, always hot blasting sun.

Over the past five years, I’ve been privileged to do significant trips in Vietnam, Laos, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. I’ve borrowed local bikes to ride around the plains of Bagan in Myanmar at sunrise and sunset, the grey chill of Beijing, a night tour of Bangkok.  On this trip, we rode across the southern part of Cambodia and through eastern Thailand.  I’ve seen a lot of Asia — especially Southeast Asia — by bike, and it’s the most miraculous way to experience a country — the rhythms of the traffic, what the roosters sound like, how children react when you learn the local greeting, what the cats and dogs look like (mostly skittish and hungry), what burning rubbish smells like, what foods are in the roadside stalls, whether it’s mangoes or turmeric or rubber growing in the fields.  You see how people make their small livings, selling pieces of one pig with a scale by the side of the road, carrying a dozen bags of goldfish on a frame on a bicycle or motorbike.

It’s sublime, and it’s work — I found the physical effort of Cambodia difficult on this trip, more than I expected.  I don’t like off-road riding very much, and about 70% of the Cambodian part of this trip qualified as off-road, even when we were technically on a road.  I don’t like having to look at the road constantly instead of what’s around me, and I find it exhausting to get covered in red dirt under a blazing sun, to carry a mild buzz of anxiety about whether the water is clean enough, the fruit is peeled, the yummy local snacks contaminated.

The other tiring thing for me is being with a group.  I relax most by following my own rhythm, even when I’m doing something physically arduous.  Left to my own devices, on a trip like this, I would leave at 700 am when it was still coolish and ride the whole day’s ride before lunch, then chill in the afternoon.  That’s how I ride when I’m on my own.  IMG_2495In Cambodia, we left at 830 most mornings, and stopped for Cultural Activities and lunch a lot of days, meaning we were riding on the hot rutted hills many afternoons.  The day after my Tummy Lurgy, I cut my ride short at about 40 kms, feeling lightheaded on the hills, choosing the air conditioned van and an early arrival at lunch, where I bought a local cat a fish.

I travel in a group in Asia because I couldn’t possibly navigate the route on my own.  I have ridden alone in Europe and Australia, but SE Asia is too hardcore for me — every time I encounter a person riding alone in Asia (invariably a man), they look feral and wild-eyed, over-baked and, usually, riding longer than planned.  (“I started in Bangkok and just kept going.  It’s been… I dunno, three months?”).  To see Asia by bike, I need the organization and container of a group.

The group dynamic can be challenging — my need to enjoy my time on my own and go to bed early can be interpreted by others as a rejection of their company.  On this trip, though, I had a new and unsettling dynamic that made the Cambodian part of the trip even more difficult to navigate.  Our local guide was an exuberant, self-styled comedian — introduced himself as Handsome Man, while saying many times that he was single because his skin was too dark.  He told a lot of long stories that ended with penis jokes.  He rode the pace that suited the teenaged sons of the German family, and left me and the three Irish women toiling to catch up continually on the offroads, and when I asked him to slow down, he just laughed.

There is a lot of casual racism and homophobia in Cambodia, with guides feeling free to comment “I don’t like Muslims” and to routinely insult each other with the term Ladyboy, with mocking effeminate gestures.  In the van one day, our Handsome Man guide somehow got onto the topic of homosexuals, mocking his “Ladyboy” nephew.  One of the Irish women said “you can’t punish people for how they were born.”  “Homosexuals should just die,” said the guide.  Giggling.

We started our trip with a visit to the Killing Fields, one of the most profound testimonials to what happens when one group starts to Other another.  And here I was, sitting in a van 40 years later, being laughingly told that another group should just die.

My sister and I were having a text conversation the other day about how so many Gen Z-ers don’t have gender or sexual orientation labels.  I was reminded, again — after my decade of annual trips to Uganda — that our privilege around gender and sexuality in the west is profound, and sharply demarcated.

This guide is from a traumatized culture, and clearly has a lot of unresolved issues with his own place in the world.  He confessed to me later — on that same serene boat ride — that he had converted to Mormonism, in a country where almost no one is a Christian, and his family were ashamed of this.  He carries a lot of shame, and American churches have a lot to answer for in developing countries.  (See also, the homophobic laws in Uganda).  But here I was, in a van controlled by a man who wants to be loved, who didn’t realize he was suggesting blotting out my existence.

I told him he was saying some very offensive things and he didn’t get to decide who gets human rights or not.  He laughed uncomfortably.  I put my headphones on and returned to my audiobook about Trevor Noah’s childhood in South Africa.  Watching the palms and fields go past, feeling the complexity of humans in their yearning and shame and brutality and love.

roads helmet

 

Fieldpoppy is Cate Creede, who lives in Toronto and has had the unbelievable privilege of riding a bike in at least 19 countries.  

 

 

Crossfit · fitness · Guest Post · habits

Falling flat on day two of the New Year (Guest Post)

Sam B12 Comments


by Laura MacDonald

I love New Years.  In the dying days of December I love how anything seems possible.  A few days ago I asked my Facebook friends this year, what are you planning for in 2020?  I have lots of new ideas that I way toying with for 2020 (start a home yoga practice! learn to run!) but those were more fun ideas to think about than plans that I would likely follow through on. My true goal for 2020 was to return to consistency with my CrossFit workouts.  I have belonged to a CrossFit gym for seven years. It is a welcoming community of mixed ability athletes with wonderful coaches and outstanding programming. I love it. But it’s hard. I need to repeat that. I love it. But it’s hard. It can be very easy for me to decide to “unclick” myself from a class I registered for because I feel like I’m too tired, too drained from work to do a hard workout.  I struggle to see myself as an athlete and I can pretty easily get a case of the “I don’t wanna’s”’ when it comes to CrossFit. As a result, my attendance at the gym this fall has not been very consistent. But here we come with a new year, a new resolution and a renewed commitment to the CrossFit community that I love.

The gym was closed yesterday so today’s 7:00am class was my first class of my new habit.  Remember, I love a resolution! I packed my bag and laid out my clothing the night before. I got up before my alarm.  I drove to the gym in the dark. I briefing had two thoughts as I drove: 1) please God do not let this be a partner workout 2) please God do not let this be a long workout.  But I wasn’t really worried. Our workouts are usually short and partner workouts are unusual. 

Of course when I arrived at the gym, the workout was on the whiteboard.  It was long. Really long. It was also a partner workout. A hard one. 

I was unhappy but got ready for class nonetheless.  And then I read the skill portion of the workout – dodge ball.  Every third day of the week at my gym, the barbell lift portion of the class is replaced by a skill or occasionally a game.  I probably don’t need to tell you that I hate dodge ball, that I have some pretty terrible elementary school traumatic memories of dodge ball.  And do you know what friends? That was it. I picked up my gym bag, I put on my jacket and I left the gym. And I cried in my car for the whole drive home.

Seven years at this gym and I have never bailed on a workout.   And today I did.

Where does that leave me on day two of 2020?  Well, I’m booked to go back to the gym tomorrow and again on Saturday.  I’m booked to go to yoga this evening and on Sunday. After I finish this blog post I’m going to go for a walk with my dog in the sunshine.

Today I fell flat.  There really isn’t anything else to do but pick myself back up and try again. 

See you out there pals.  

2020 is still new.

Happy New Year! Text surrounded by leaves. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash .

Laura is a secondary school teacher in Hamilton Ontario.  She’s CrossFit athlete, regular walker, new yogi and occasional cyclist.  In 2019 she learned that she loved to count (steps and kilometres and workouts completed) and is currently counting her way to 300 workouts in 2020. 

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What’s one thing you learned, either about yourself or about fitness or feminism or all three together, in 2019?

Sam B1 Comment

It’s the new year and we’re doing some reflecting here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. This is the second in a series of three group posts. What’s one thing you learned, either about yourself or about fitness or feminism or all three together, in 2019?

Nicole: One thing I learned about myself is I can write for a blog. One that I’ve admired for many years, where other smart, insightful women write. Too incestuous for an insight on a group blog post?

Kim: I learned the importance of prioritizing mental wellness. My big fitness “splurge” of this year has been EMDR therapy with someone recommended by Susan Beth Tarshis. I’ve done psychotherapy for almost 20 years, but for the most part it’s been regular “talk therapy” in the Jungian model. I’ve now realized that knowing a lot about myself emotionally (and the history of my emotions) is not the same as processing and living that knowledge in healthy ways. After too long feeling sad and lost, and a few episodes of unexplained rage, I decided to try a more active psychotherapeutic process. It has helped enormously.

Tracy: In 2019 I learned to let go of FOMO as a motivator for anything. This was huge for me. Related, I learned that I can’t do everything. My life is packed with all sorts of awesomeness, but it all sort of closed in on me. I took some time to streamline and make space for things I really value, including down time and solitude. On a more fitness-related note, the 219 in 2019 challenge group got me moving daily in some way I otherwise wouldn’t have. It was a great motivator and it’s helped me establish a habit that has added a lot of joy to my life this year. I plan to carry that into 2020.

Catherine: This is hard to say, but where else but here? This year I’ve acknowledged to myself and to others that my life-long feelings of shame about my body are an overwhelming burden that I need to unload. There’s no reason to carry around body-shame– it serves no positive purpose, it creates a negative model out there that harms others, and it is corrosive to my self esteem. How do I start to release myself of this burden? I’ve bought some jeans that fit and look cute. I continue to do yoga almost every day. I do activities with friends. I am looking info buying an e-bike so I can ride with speedier friends. I’m cooking more, making yummy and happy food for myself and others. It’s a daily mundane process. But so is everything. And that’s okay.

Martha: What I learned in 2019 was I had to make my training time a big rock in terms of my personal priorities. I had a very busy year where my work schedule unlike other years was not often my own. I also learned that occasional interruptions at the gym weren’t as dreadful in terms of impact as I imagined. I was able to scale up reasonably quickly and I didn’t lose form.

Sam: I’ve learned (or relearned, or realized) that I need a fitness community. The move from London to Guelph was exciting in terms of work but I really miss my connection to the cycling community, the Aikido community, my CrossFit friends, my soccer buddies, and Y people., etc etc. I had years of community and connection in London that helped sustain my fitness habits. I don’t have that in Guelph and I need it. Building that is going to be a goal for me in 2020.

Bettina: I learned that, even though I ended up not doing it, that I am theoretically capable of running a half marathon 😉 Planning to make it a reality in 2020!

Cate: The biggest thing I discovered in 2019 was that I could deadlift 175 lbs. that was a revelation, that I could learn a whole new kind of strength. But I also named a kind of grit that was new to me on our difficult ride in NFLD, and conversely, learned to be more comfortable with saying “nope I am not going to ride that part of the ride.” More clarity.

Marjorie: I learned that finding a supportive community, online and in person, is helping me push myself to new levels. I know people say this sort of thing all the time, “find a support system, surround yourself with people with similar goals and values,” but it’s easier said than done.

I have felt like a unicorn, or maybe the Loch Ness monster, alone as a woman pursuing strength in a gym that didn’t welcome me, for much of the last 5 years. Where were the people who valued strength in women? Where was the encouragement to push harder, try more, BE more?

And in this year, I began writing for the blog, I found a community of supportive people who thought what I was doing was worth doing. I moved gyms and found a space that so far seems to be safer and more inclusive. And I found a trainer who appreciates my drive and determination and pushes me to see what I can do next. And I’ve grown more in strength in the last handful of months than I had in the year previous. It’s really cool!

How about you? What’s one lesson that 2019 taught you?

Two sets of shoes and the words PASSION LED US HERE. Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash .
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Looking into the future and Sam’s new year plans

Sam B1 Comment

It’s winter and my short term goal is to make it through and have some fun. That means fat biking, Zwifting at the Bike Shed, and learning to teach indoor cycling. Making it through our winter will also involve some time somewhere warm where I can ride my bike. In that spirit I’ve committed to the #31DaysofWinterBiking January Challenge.

I’m also continuing personal training and strength training. It’s winter and so that means hot yoga a couple of times a week too. If I can’t make it to hot yoga I’ll join in with Adriene’s 30 days of yoga.

Medium term, I’m thinking about summer cycling, sailing, and canoe tripping. So far I haven’t made many plans but I need to if things are going to happen.

My slightly longer term goal is to get into shape for total knee replacement surgery next year. What’s that look like? Knee physio, knee friendly leg strengthening, and weight loss. I’ll count all the exercising in the 220 in 2020 group. See Alice’s post about that group here.

I’m starting to think about distance goals for riding in 2020. This year Strava tells me I rode 2321 kms in 2019. That’s much less than in years past but it also doesn’t count my commuting. 5000 km seems too ambitious. Maybe 4000? I’m mulling.

My big stretch distant goal is to pounce on the post surgery knee physio and get back to some distance hiking and walking. And dancing! Must not forget dancing!

Eventually I’ll need to have both knees done so this will all require patience and lots of hard work. I’m up for it. “Focus” is my word for the year and that’s why.

commute · cycling · fitness · snow · winter

Sam’s January challenge

Sam B2 Comments

When I saw this in my Twitter feed, I smiled: “Anyone else interested in the #31daysofwinterbiking challenge, starting 1/1/2020? It’s a judgment-free, no-shame way to be active in January, inside or out.”

Here’s how it all got started.

I figure I can do it. Certainly I bike commute to work. If I’m stuck I may count riding in Zwift.

Zwift!

And it will help that we’ve got a week of riding in Florida planned at the end of January.

#biking #winterbike #biketowork #BikeEveryDay #winterbiketowork

Sarah and Sam on a fat bike lesson

Joining in? Use the #31daysofwinterbiking

See you out there!

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What’s one fitness experience that stands out for you, good or bad, from 2019?

Sam B

It’s the new year and we’re doing some reflecting here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. I asked the team to share one fitness experience that stood out for them in 2019, good or bad, but significant in some way. This is the first in a series of three group posts.

Bettina:  It’s not really one single experience, but getting into cycling has been huge for me this year. I really, really love it. If you’re really looking for just one experience, I would make it a swim session from about a month ago. It was my longest session in a long time and it felt AMAZING. I just felt strong and fast and like I could go on forever.

Natalie: Managing my plantar fasciitis effectively with stretching and good foot support was a highlight this year for sure. I averaged more steps than last year and was pain free. I’ve learned to recognize the early warning signs that my feet need more attention.

Gaining the insight on what my body needs to support being more active feels great. It is a benefit of being a bit older & having an informed network of peers who are great at sharing information without judgement.

Mina: Gosh. Hard to choose. So many highs and lows. In February, I was in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, a city I hardly knew, for rehearsals for my play, which the theatre department was doing. The whole experience felt so new and strange (first production of a play I’d written). I needed my runs to stay grounded and calm. After some exploring, I discovered a route out to some cornfields. I felt so strong and independent running in the cold, past snow dusted fields at rest for the winter. I felt simultaneously alone and a stranger, but also like I belonged. The landscape was similar to where my grandparents were apple farmers in Southern Ontario. So, I had this feeling of coming home. I like running with such strong emotions blowing through. Feels cleansing.

Marjorie: I started working with a trainer on the barbell lifts less than 4 months after my hysterectomy! I am surprised and delighted at my relatively easy and quick recovery, and as a result, my mostly seamless return to the gym. I was so afraid it would be like other surgeries I’ve had with a year or more of feeling out of sorts. Instead, as far as I can tell, the activities I introduced seemed to actually reduce my pain and help me get back into full strength more quickly. 7 months post-op, I am now completely (hysterectomy-related) pain-free and enjoying pushing my limits in new ways!

Christine: Training for my 3rd degree black belt test in February! I worked consistently with the most advanced students in my class and it was a terrific experience. Not only did they help me to improve but I became more confident in the things that I already knew.

Sam: For me, the trip to Newfoundland with Sarah, Cate, Susan, and David was both a high and a low. I loved the harsh landscape and the beauty of Newfoundland’s cold, wet northwest coast. I loved riding my bike along the coast from port to port. There were days of tough riding sure and I shivered more than one expects to in Canada in June, but still no part of the riding, not even cold, wet days, not even breaking my bike, was a low. The low was when the whole group went off hiking and I couldn’t go because of my severely damaged arthritic knee. When I met with the knee surgeon later that summer, it was that day–the day of no hiking–that I kept in mind. I’m excited to have a full functioning knee.

Tracy: My most salient fitness experience this year was grappling with not being able to run due to an achilles injury. At first it was super depressing. Then I started to accept it and decided to go to yoga every day. Once I did that it took my mind off of not being able to run and let me channel my energy into other things I could do that were more adaptable to my injury. Doing hot yoga daily for a couple of months has been a really great way to round out 2019. And I’m about to ease back into running. Wish me luck!

Catherine: 2019 has been a year with ups and lots of downs physically. I was in physical therapy for an ankle injury, still on meds for a blood clot in my thigh, and then dealing with pancreatitis. All those problems resolved, and I was able be pretty active over the summer with cycling, hiking and some swimming. However, my constant friend throughout all of the year has been yoga. I do some almost every day. It helps me feel happier, more pain and creak-free, and supports everything else I do. And there’s no judgment– I do what I do, and leave the rest behind. Yoga has become the foundation of my day and the foundation of all of my activity. And that will continue to be true in 2020.

Do you have one fitness experience, good or bad or just significant for you in some way, that stands out from 2019? Tell us your story!

2019 in bright lights. Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash .
blog · blogging · fitness

Our Top Ten Posts of 2019, #ICYMI

Sam B

Our most read post of 2019, #1, was Cate’s 2018 post on being 53 1/2 and still menstruating. That post, on what may seem like an oddball topic for a fitness blog, hit a nerve. From the many comments and reposts we learned that Cate is certainly not alone. It’s on our top ten list pretty much every month. (5415)

Our second most read post is a much older one. It’s from 2013 when I blogged about sports reporting, upskirts, and the objectification of women athletes. That post also has enduring popularity thanks, in part, to search engines and the existence of “upskirts” and “crotch shots” in the title. (4593)

One of our newest bloggers wrote the third most read post of the year. Marjorie wrote Doin’ My Part to Keep the Gym a Safe Space for Men  back in March 2019 before she’d even joined the regular team of bloggers here at Fit is a Feminist Issue. (3277)

In May, in light of the ongoing Caster Semenya controversy, Martha blogged about sex tests. That was our fourth most read post of the year. (2382)

In 2014 I blogged about CrossFit and women’s bodies. People read that post a lot, and to be honest, I suppose it’s got some appeal because of the images. It’s often on our top ten list and this year it’s number five. (2169)

Who would think vibrators would make for good prizes in women’s sports? Someone did and Catherine blogged about it in May of 2019. That post was our sixth most read post of 2019. (1831)

Eyelash extensions made Tracy feel ridiculous when she tried them and blogged about it 2017. That post was our seventh most read post. Considering eyelash extensions? Go read her post first. (1737)

In 2013 I was feeling exercised about finding clothes to fit athletic women’s bodies. That post was our eighth most popular post. The issue still bugs me. I’m still struggling to find clothes. I might blog about it again. (1565)

Also, in 2013 Tracy wrote that “you’ve lost weight, you look great” isn’t a compliment. That post was our ninth most read post of 2019. (1534)

Another 2013 post was our tenth most read post of the year. That’s Tracy’s blog post on why fitness models aren’t necessarily models of health. These old posts are definite blog classics. (1403)

Sparklers! Photo by Chinh Le Duc on Unsplash