Feminist reflections on fitness, sport, and health
Sarah and I got home from the bike rally Sunday night and have both had a very busy work week. So you’ll never guess what we’re doing Saturday? Another charity bike ride!
The timing isn’t great but it’s an important cause and one that matters to my family. It’s Pedaling for Parkinson’s in Prince Edward County.
“Welcome to the Pedaling for Parkinson’s Prince Edward County
The 2022 ride will take place on August 19th & 20th, 2022. The Pedaling for Parkinson’s (P4P) Prince Edward County ride is intended to be an inclusive, family-friendly event. The North Marysburgh Town Hall, located at 2699 County Road 8 in Waupoos, will be the start/finish area for both routes, which include a 40km and 75km option.
Early check-in will take place at Barley Days Brewery (13730 Loyalist Pkwy) from 5:00-6:30 pm. This is an opportunity for you to drop off your donations, pick up your rider bib, tech t-shirt ($250+ in fundraising), and jersey ($1,000+ in fundraising), and grab a printed copy of the route map.
The P4P social gathering will take place at Barley Days Brewery immediately following early check-in. Enjoy some complimentary snacks, grab a refreshment(alcoholic beverages for purchase), and meet your fellow riders. We’ll have an informal ceremony, and lots of time to play lawn games! “
You can sponsor me here and Sarah here. We’re hoping Jeff decides to ride with us as well. You could also join us! Prince Edward County is lovely bike riding country.
Occasional guest blogger and family member Susan has written about the ride too but this year she’s not riding due to a recent injury. We’re riding and raising funds on her behalf and have named our tiny team Susan’s Spinners.
We’re riding the 75 km route below.
A bunch of the FIFI bloggers are in 222 workouts in 2022 FB groups. I’ve been doing this for several years now, and I’ve really enjoyed the support, workout ideas and role modeling my fellow members provide. Each year I’ve squeaked out my final workouts during Christmas vacation. Hey, just in time delivery is still delivery, right?
I tell you, this year–2022– has been a tough one. For a number of reasons (some serious, others minor but persistent), it’s been hard to move consistently and very much. Summer is always a time of increased active fun for me, and I’ve enjoyed kayaking, cycling, swimming, dog walking, and yoga. It’s still August, so the party’s not over yet. I’m also on sabbatical this fall (YAY!), so I’ll be traveling and doing more activities (mainly cycling and kayaking, but I’m flexible) through the rest of the year.
Right. Even though as of today, I’m at 113 workouts (of 222), it’s possible to make it across that finish line, even if I have to enlist my family to do a micro-triathlon with me on December 31…
But should I push through? If so, why?
A week or so ago, I wrote a blog post about the idea of “pointless goals”, and applying them to fitness goals and physical practice. There’s nothing magical about 10,000 steps, running 26.2 miles or cycling 100 miles or swimming or meditating 365 days in a row, bench pressing your body weight (or twice that, or more), or any other physical activity goal we set. But, as one of the bloggers pointed out (thanks, Mina!), these goals may provide structure for helping us attain or maintain practices for our well-being. That makes a lot of sense to me.
I meditate every day and use the Ten Percent Happier App for guided meditations *and* to keep track of my current streak. When I miss a day (which happens occasionally), it resets me to day one. But then I get a little electronic phone confetti with days three, five, ten, and so on. So I get rewards for starting over even after I’ve lost my streak. I love the phone confetti.
The fact that I am now 109 workouts (whatever that means to me) short of my 222 for the year is helping me focus on scheduling and squeezing in some extra walks (with dogs or humans), yoga mat time, bike rides, swims, etc. The 222 goal is not *why* I do them, but 222 being in the mix adds a little push. For me. YMMV.
So, will I or won’t I (finish up my 222 workout goals in 2022)? I think I will. It means I’ve got to get a wiggle on, but I’m feeling like some wiggling is what I want to do. Because, when it comes down to it…
How about you, dear readers? Are you in the throes of some process which may or may not be approaching one of your fitness or practice goals? Did you see the movie Madagascar? I’d like to know…
When it comes to exercise and writing and, well, everything else, I am trying not to let thinking get in the way of doing but it is a real struggle.
I know that everyone struggles with this from time to time but for those of us with ADHD it is very much a default mode in our brains.
Our busy minds can cough up all kinds of reasons why now is not the right time to do the thing we have planned and those reasons are VERY convincing.
If I am trying to get something done, I have to work hard to recognize/remember that there won’t actually be a time when I will be more motivated/find it easier/magically have more skills or time. And there probably won’t be an ideally logical time to do it. And I probably don’t need more information before getting started. And if my challenges right now are internal, they will probably be there later, too.
So, it’s not just about me deciding to when to do something and then jumping up to do it when that time comes – it’s also about fending off all kinds of reasonable-sounding objections, over and over.
On Friday past, at the end of a very frustrating week of trying to make my brain go (some weeks are far worse than others), I started reading Your Brain Is Not Broken by Tamara Rosier and I immediately thought ‘Oh, once I am finished this, I’ll be able to make a good plan to get things done.’
That thought was followed by, ‘You have thought this before.’
In fact, that train of thought is of the most stereotypical ADHD things I could have done at that moment. But instead of being hard on myself about a recurring thought pattern, I decided that recognizing the pattern was an important step. And the fact that I could 1) create a space between the first thought and the second and 2) decide not to judge myself for it means that my meds are working well AND the efforts I have put in to help myself deal with my ADHD are paying off.
So, after that victory, I decided that I would keep reading the book (it is SO HELPFUL) and I would take immediate action on something.
I was feeling a bit bleh after a week of ADHD battles* so I chose to get my body moving instead of trying to push my brain around.
First, I just put on some music and flailed around a bit – some dancing, some bodyweight exercises, bits and pieces of TKD patterns. My brain protested that it was probably a waste of time to do so much movement without a plan because it wouldn’t add up to anything and I would have moved around for nothing (See what I have to put up with? I know it is nonsense but my brain persists.) but I kept doing it anything.
Then, I felt the need for something a bit slower and more focused so I searched YouTube for ADHD yoga and found this video from Yoga with Zelinda.
The video moved more slowly than the usual Yoga videos I practice with but I really liked her instructions and her choice of movements. If you had asked me beforehand, I would have said that a slower practice would be annoying for my brain but that wasn’t the case at all.
I enjoyed the practice and I felt really good afterwards.
And now, I am on a mission to experiment with ADHD-specific exercises.
I know that martial arts are good for ADHD – TKD can keep my brain and my body busy at once – but I am intrigued to figure out if it is easier for me to convince myself to exercise with videos designed for brains like mine.
If you have ADHD, do you do ADHD-specific exercise videos? Which ones?
If you don’t have ADHD, do you do videos specifically designed for how your brain or body works? Which ones? How did you find them?
*I usually describe it as feeling like my brain is a drawer that is off its runner. It still works ok but even simple actions are waaaaaaay harder than they have to be.
I always feel an urge to get to where I’m going. Even when I’m not in a rush. There are times when I am walking my dogs that I do need to rush. If I’m walking them before work and didn’t give myself enough time to saunter. If I took them out for a quick walk between meetings. What about the times when I really have no reason to rush, but I am still in “get this walk done mode”?
Part of the reason I have become a speedy dog walker is that my dogs can be reactive on leash. I have a 10 year old shih-tzu named Barley and an 11 year old mini schnauzer named Miggy (short for Miigwetch). They are both good dogs, and have had training, but for various reasons can bark incessantly at other dogs. One of the ways I’ve managed it, is by keeping my distance from other dogs while walking them. Hence, I’m always on the lookout for potential triggers. Off leashers. Big, fluffy dogs (they seem to hate big, fluffy dogs). Being on constant lookout, isn’t helpful for the dogs either, because they can probably sense my anxiety. I have learned enough about dog behaviour to know this is only going to make them more reactive.
We have a new dog walker who walks Miggy and Barley once a week. She oozes calm. She doesn’t have to fake it. I can see how calm they are with her. They aren’t perfect but they definitely have a different vibe with her. Since witnessing this sense of Zen, I have been trying to mimic that calmness when I am walking them.
When I was walking them on Saturday, it was a beautiful, breezy, sunny, perfect August day. I had no where to rush.
Usually, I walk the dogs on a loop, through our local park, making detours as necessary for other dogs who may be triggers, then, to a loop through neighbourhood sidewalks. I feel I have to keep a steady pace to keep them focussed enough not to react. I’m usually hustling. This particular day, I thought, “just walk slowly and smell the roses” (or beautiful gardens they keep in the park). I let Miggy enjoy more of his back rolls than usual. I figured we could spend more time, walking slowly in the park, and not worry about making the rest of the loop.
Miggy (grey and white mini schnauzer) rolling on his back on the grass. It’s always one of his favourite things to do.
It occurred to me that it could be useful to apply this sense of ease and calm, where possible, in other areas of life. I don’t always have to be in a hurry. I don’t have to walk “like I’m in the army”, as a stranger said to me once, everywhere I go. Lately, I feel an urge for more ease and calm. I’ll see how it goes and if I can successfully slow down in some places, and if as a result, I feel the benefits during those times when I can’t slow down.
The first two days of the Friends for Life Bike Rally this year (see here and here) were ridden during heat alerts. Increasingly I’m worried about spending time on the bike in July and August in Ontario. It’s hot. It’s often the kind of hot that prompts the weather alert to remind you to “avoid outdoor exercise.”
I trained on one of those days in the month leading up to the rally and discovered heat cramps.
There are also scary thunderstorms. See Dodging thunderstorms: It’s getting harder and Sam’s stormy scary bike ride
I know it’s a small thing in the scheme of changing climate and ecological disaster. I know lives and entire ecosystems are at stake and it’s trivial to complain that global warming might be making my favorite athletic activity a lot less fun.
Still, it’s a loss. And it’s a reminder of the changes ahead of us.
Did you watch the Tour de France in the heat waves this summer?
See As Europe’s heat wave melts roads, Tour de France races into an uncertain future and Tour de France: future heatwaves may make it untenable to hold the race in July.
The bike rally needs to be at the end of summer so people have time to train and get ready but I do wonder about the sustainability of July/August cycling events whether it’s the Tour or the Bike Rally.
How is the changing climate affecting your summer activities?
I shared the info Bixi shared with me after biking around the city recently and complained about the calorie counting.
Why on earth do they share calorie information?
Friends chimed in and we had an interesting conversation. Why do I care about calorie info? Can’t I just ignore it? What’s my objection?
Nicole wondered if it motivates some people to bike maybe it’s not such a bad thing, as long as they don’t obsess about it. While they are thinking about calories, they are still getting the bigger benefit of movement, after all.
I’m still not a fan. Why? I think this covers the main points.
First, I hate calorie counts because they’re part of the association of exercise with weight loss which I really hate. I’ve had a go at this topic many times here on the blog but probably the best version is here.
Second, there’s no way it’s accurate. Thanks Miles for that point.
Third, some people find it triggering. If there are people that the calorie info attracts, there will also be people with a history of disordered eating who avoid Bixi for its calorie counting talk. Thanks Audra for this reminder.
Also, it might just completely miss the mark. As my friend Daniel, the only Montrealer in on the conversation pointed out, people use Bixi because it’s convenient.
“For the most part, Bixi has just become a vital part of Montreal’s public transport infrastructure. There are tons of trips for which Bixi just is the most efficient choice…I think a lot of people have adopted them just to have that extra degree of flex in their public transport palette.”
I think it might be cool to share info on the effect of your bike ride on your carbon footprint. How much less carbon did you use biking instead of driving? Yes, it’s not always doing to be accurate but likely not less so than calorie counts. It might not be motivational for everyone but at least it won’t put anyone off.
So my vote is ditch the calorie count, Bixi.
What do you think of calorie counts?
The first day was tough. We rode in a heat alert from Toronto to Port Hope. So many traffic lights. So much near heat exhaustion. So few women’s showers. I was never so happy to eat vegetarian lasagna at the day’s end and despite all the things that we were really tough I went to sleep with sore cheeks from smiling. It was so great to see everyone again.
Day Two is the longest day. It was also a very hot day. But we made it. Sarah described it as using every trick in the “avoid heat exhaustion” book. We kept drinking. We took all the breaks. We paced ourselves. And we rolled into Adolphustown not feeling too bad. It was also the day we first wore our team jerseys. Thanks Rally’s Angels captains Michael and Vanessa.
Day 3 is red dress day and a slow roll into Kingston. Time for a real bed, dinner out with the team, drag show in the park, and laundry!
Day Four involves one of my favorite sections of road, the Thousand Islands Parkway. No cars, just smooth sailing to lunch. We had a great new lunch spot this year at The Barn. Thanks guys for hosting us!
Day Five another fave section, the Long Sault Parkway and this year the nicely paved path through Upper Canada Village. We also opted to wear our team jerseys again since we began the day serving breakfast at 530 am.
Day Six is the ride into Montreal but first we ride through lots of small towns along the way. This year was the smoothest ride into the city ever. Single file, no passing, no stopping and starting and a police escort once we got downtown. Thanks Rally organizers for that. It’s a moving moment seeing all of the riders on the path into the city and I liked being able to soak it in without worrying about crashing into the bike in front of me.
What to do after the bike rally? Ride Bixis around Montreal of course. We also visited with family. Hi Victoria! And basked in the warm waters at Bota Bota.
I’m also so thankful to all of the friends, family, bloggers, readers, colleagues etc who donated. It’s your gift that makes this ride meaningful.
Thanks Susan, Udo, Byron, Nancy, Kira, Jenny, Madeline, Tracey, Tracy, Ed, Emmylou, Martha, Catherine, Todd, Yoni, Anita, Jane, Cate, Sergio, Gwen, M.E., Leela.
You can still donate here.
This week I’ve had a big treat: my 19-year-old niece Gracie is visiting me. This is also the first time she’s visited me on her own; usually the whole family (sister, niece and two nephews) come together. We have a regular slate of favorite activities: dim sum lunch, Halibut Point State Park, Mount Auburn Cemetery (the bird watching there is great), Walden Pond. Often, we visit a museum or two: the Peabody Essex in Salem is one of their favorites. I love it when they visit– the feeling of being ensconced in family, the silliness and chaos of moving from place to place in a five-person group, the enjoyment of showing them familiar places and exploring new ones together.
This time, it’s been just Gracie and me. We’ve slowed down a bit and experienced our fun in different ways. Gracie helped me with dog sitting, and we cooked together. We went to Walden and to the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. We also did some meditation.
One morning, we did a Ten Percent Happier app meditation with my favorite teacher Jeff Warren. This one is called Practicing Joy. He guided us through an exercise of thinking about moments when we noticed someone else seeming happy or joyful. It could be very simple, like kids playing and laughing. Or noticing someone reading a book in a park and smiling.
At the end of the meditation, I was left with the feeling that the world was full of joyful moments. It certainly doesn’t seem that way when we look at the big picture, but there is respite to be found by focusing in on small bits of life experience. Here are some moments of joy from this week with Gracie:
She leaves today. I’ll miss her. And, I’ll try to remember and look for my own moments of joy, in walking, cycling, doing dishes, yoga, swimming, playing.
Readers, do you remember a moment of joy from this week? They’re not profound, just a momentary influx of good feeling from something in your world. If you have one to share, please do. If you don’t remember one, do some noticing this week. I think you’ll see them.
So the bike rally is over and all we’re left with is a giant pile of dirty laundry… so much laundry.
We’re still waking at 6 am hungry but there’s no breakfast waiting for us.
Also, our bikes are on trucks heading home to Toronto.
Yes, we have lots of wonderful memories. See here’s me bike dancing waiting for the final stretch into Montreal.
But the day after the rally isn’t easy. But it’s especially not easy if like me you can’t walk very far at all. Yes, I can ride my bike from Toronto to Montreal but my knee is in such tough shape that I struggle to walk.
I had a miserable walk to breakfast with Sarah when Sarah spotted the Bixi bike stand. Yes, our bikes might be on trucks but we could still ride!
Breakfast was delicious and after we biked over to Bota Bota, the spa on a boat and soaked in tubs of various temperatures.
I love riding the Bixis. Mina is the Bixi Queen of Montreal but I feel like honorary visiting royalty. No helmet, regular clothes, no clip in shoes, a bike that weighs at least twice as much as my road bike, and it’s a totally different cycling experience than the rally. Not zoom, zoom more cruise, cruise.
They’re fun. But for me they’re also very much necessary. Another reminder that safe cycling is a disability rights issue. I really struggle with walking any distance these days but I love cruising around the city on the Bixis.
