It’s the season of giving thanks and doing planks.
That’s not just true for our American bloggers and readers. It’s true north of the border as well. Many of us here at Fit is a Feminist Issue up our gratitude game in November even if Thanksgiving was, for us, weeks in the past.
This year we’ve also been focusing on planks as a number of the Fit is a Feminist Issue bloggers, Tracy, Cate, and Nicole have been doing a Planksgiving challenge for November.
This one is from Women’s Running but there are lots of them about.
Planksgiving schedule
As I watch the group get to the end of the month and manage their longest planks, I have lots of admiration for their motivation.
I was also reminded of an older post about how long planks should be, for maximum fitness benefit.
The answer varies, of course. There are a lot of reasonable views. But everyone agrees, not four hours and twenty minutes!
This year I didn’t start a November gratitude practice, mostly because I’m still enjoying my daily #ThreeGoodThings post. I also opted out of the group plank challenge. I’ve had the flu and now covid and I’m sticking mostly to my knee physio through this tough health season.
But I did reopen the plank challenge app on my phone and start back at Day 1.
My goal had been to do it all as part of my regular riding for transportation around town. One of my favourites was a 10 km trip to drop of my FIT test at the lab. Consider this a PSA to keep up to date on all your cancer screening tests.
Some of the people in the Facebook Group for challengers thought was a little crazy. Not me. I have written before about becoming a winter cyclist.
It turns out I love winter cycling even more than I love summer cycling. No heat. No bugs. No huge distances to feel like a badass (my 2.5 km commute to work achieves that nicely on a cold or snowy day).
Me in the bike parking garage after commuting to work. I’m wearing a warm hooded blue coat underneath a highly reflective and wind-resistant silver jacket, a neck/head warmer thingy, my blue bicycle ear warmers and my blue and white helmet. My glasses are slightly fogged and I have a little smile.
Good luck getting your distances on the trainer Sam. I’ll keep going so you’ll have company in spirit, even if I can’t actually lend you any of my kms.
But both of us are behind on fundraising. Sam already posted her link. Here’s mine. Please consider helping us both achieve our fundraising targets.
I’m so impressed. It’s been fun following Cheryl’s triathlon adventures.
And there’s Alison who just ran the NYC Marathon. See New York, New York! Go Alison!
And then there’s me, feeling proud of doing my physio everyday and being able to walk 5 km again. Or take a Zumba class. It’s quite the range of accomplishments we’re celebrating.
That’s okay and it’s actually one of things I love most about our blog community. There’s an incredible range of physical activity both in terms of activities and amounts, and in speed, strength, and mobility.
These days I’m showing up to physio pretty much each week with a cry of “Watch me! Look what I can do now.”
I’m surprised and happy that I am still making big gains more than a year after the first knee surgery.
How about you? What are you up to? What’s your fitness focus these days? Chime in in the comments below!
Photos from Scopio, what comes up when you search for “women’s sports.”
As we move into the last weeks of the year, I’m starting to see posts about ‘finishing 2023 strong!’
And if that feels right for you, by all means have at it.
As for me, though, I’m finishing 2023 soft.
Notice my choice of words there.
I’m not finishing weak, I’m finishing soft.
This is has been an extremely hard year and every time I think I’ve turned a corner another physical, emotional, mental, or situational challenge appears.
Facing each challenge (Not alone! I have had lots of help and support.) has required a lot of strength, focus and energy and at this point, I’m tired.
I haven’t been able to rest properly (despite my best efforts) and I don’t have the capacity to push myself to finish 2023 with a burst of extra effort.
Instead, I’m going to finish the year with extra rest, extra relaxation, and extra breathing room.
Did I put away my plants and patio stuff before the first snowfall? I did not. I am not stressed by these things, please don’t let them bother you. Instead, please join me in noticing how peaceful this soft snow looks with the patio lights shining through it. Image description: a photo taken from my patio door at dusk. There is soft fluffy snow on a tree, my patio rails, and all of the plants and stuff on my patio. My strings of patio lights are shining through and on the snow creating a soft glow.
A few years back, a friend of mine was dealing with intense anxiety (and being hard on themselves about it), so I was trying to help them be kinder to themselves by using an analogy that went a bit like this:
‘Ok, imagine your anxiety is in a measuring cup. Under normal circumstances, you are heading into your day with about 1/4 cup of anxiety. Right now, for various reasons, you are starting the day with 3/4 of a cup.
So, when you encounter challenges in your day, even if they are “only” 1/16 cup challenges, it doesn’t take very many of them before things get overwhelming and everything starts spilling out of the top.
And since your brain and body are so revved up, you can’t empty that cup, all you can do is get down to 3/4 of a cup again.
This is not your fault, you aren’t weak, and you aren’t doing things wrong. Instead of focusing on this as your fault, let’s focus on things we can do to calm your brain and body and give you a little more room in that cup.’
Don’t worry, my friend was also seeing a professional counsellor so they had more comprehensive advice than that but they did find the cup analogy helpful.
And I am finding my past self’s advice helpful right now, too.
With everything that has been going on, I’m not at my usual capacity and there’s very little space in my cup.
Every time I have gotten my level to drop a little, something has come along and started filling it again.
So, for the last 40 or so days of the year, I am going to create space in my metaphorical cup.
I’m not dropping stuff I have committed to but I’m not taking on anything else.
I’m prioritizing rest, fun, relaxation, soothing activities, comforting company, and anything that feels like softness.*
I am taking good care of myself and letting my brain and body reset.
Want to join me?
*By the way, writing ‘Making Space’ posts definitely feels like softness to me so you’ll see those return in December.
Finally, finally, I’m better, but now there’s just ten days left in the month, and I’m committed to riding 150 km in November to help cancer research.
Yikes.
That’s 15 km a day. That’s not a big deal when I’m riding on the bike rally outside but it feels like a big deal with my very busy job and the bike trainer. Wish me luck.
I started today with the Herd’s Monday Morning Coffee Crew ride.
If you’re in Canada and want to support my participation in this charity fundraiser, please click here.
Thanks everyone!
Coffee, in a white cup, on a wooden table. Photo by Ozgu Ozden on Unsplash.
This morning, two stories about women’s athletics got my feminist fires burning.
The first was a piece on CBC Sunday Magazine, an interview with the Olympic and world champion runner at 800 m, Caster Semenya. She has a new memoir out, entitled “The Race to Be Myself”. I won’t go into her story; it can be looked up. It’s the larger issue of how Black women are disproportionately targeted for “high” testosterone (T) levels, and being accused of not being female. As someone who knows something about reproductive hormones, I ask: how is the range of “acceptable” T levels in women determined? What is the reference standard? Was it determined in primarily white female athletes (who, by the way, have higher T levels than the general population)? And this targeting happens not only at the level of the IOC, but among white female athletes. In Caster’s words, “It shows that the leadership in world athletics have done well to separate women from women….to make sure that we, as women, hate one another”. And that’s the patriarchy operating. Caster has done so much to smash the patriarchy by simply embracing who she is and finding inner peace by running like the wind. To watch her run is to witness raw power and speed. It’s beautiful.
The second was a Facebook comment from a friend of mine in response to a man who was denigrating the new Women’s Professional Hockey League. So my comment back to her was as follows; “There are men out there who are simply unable to appreciate and take joy in women’s athleticism. Strong, powerful, loud women who take up space are a threat to them and this is how they react. So you continue to be strong, powerful, and loud and smash that damn patriarchy”.
Let’s be kind to all the women athletes. Let’s recognize their humanity. Let’s celebrate all of the diversity in our strong, powerful, beautiful bodies, and lift each other up.
So I’ve been sick with this monster truck cold virus for a month now. After several doctor’s visits, a chest X-ray, two types of antibiotics (doc thinking it could be bacterial), and endless cough drops, I’m finally on the upswing. I got a steroid inhaler, which has helped with my biggest problem: breathing. Yeah, that can be an annoying problem– not being able to breath without constriction and coughing. That was the situation (which Samantha has been going through, too). But, using the inhaler (which, due to US pharmacy staffing and drug supply problems, I only got on Thursday– Argh!) is making breathing and moving around while breathing much easier. Yay!
But then I found something that was perfect for what ailed me: a Pranayama yoga class at my favorite local yoga studio, Artemis, and taught by my favorite local yoga teacher, Liz P. Pranayama yoga involves a number of different breathing techniques, but it much more than that. Here’s what Yoga Journal says about it:
In Sanskrit as well as yoga tradition, prana means “life force,” and describes the energy that sustains the life of the body… The word pranayama is a combination of prana and ayama, which translates as “to extend, expand or draw out.” Some also say that the word is the combination of prana and yama, or “control.” With either translation, you arrive at the same concept: pranayama is a practice that involves the management or control of the breath. As implied by the literal translation of pranayama, yogis believe that this practice not only rejuvenates the body but actually extends life itself.
In our Friday evening restorative yoga class, Liz led us through several breathing practices, all done in quiet and restful but intentional poses, mostly reclined on the mat. One type of breathing we did was called ujjayi breath, or ocean breath. Again, here’s Yoga journal with some info:
An easy way to get the feel of Ujjayi is to imagine fogging up a mirror. Exhale with an open mouth, feeling the breath moving across your throat and hearing that “ocean” sound. Once you are accustomed to the feeling in your throat, practice inhaling and exhaling with a closed mouth.
We did several restorative poses using ujjayi breath. One series we did involved lying against a bolster on our side, top arm over our head to rest on a block, feeling the breath on the upper side of our bodies. Then we switched to face down, the other side, and finally face up, lying on a long bolster with the head at the edge. I got the feeling of opening up my chest in ways I hadn’t experienced in over a month. That expansiveness of breath was wonderful.
We also did what’s called alternate-nostril breathing, or Nadi Shodhana Pranayama. This involves using your ring finger and thumb to open and close one nostril so to breathe in and out through one nostril, then the other. This is not an exercise that appeals to everyone, but I love it. Within the specific structure of the exercise, I feel the flow of breath in and out, from left to right, and back again. Here’s some info about how to do it, if you’re interested.
And then there’s the bumblebee breath, or Brahmari Pranayama. It’s the same sort of breath you use to chant Om, but you do it with your mouth closed and your fingers in your ears. No, I’m not kidding. You close your ears a bit to enhance the sound, which is like a low rumbly hum. It’s great to be in a class full of people, all humming internally.
At the beginning and end of class, we chanted Om three times. This is one of my favorite things in yoga class. It’s like singing and breathing and praying and releasing, all at the same time, with others all around you. Just the physical feeling is enough to try it, if you’re ever in a yoga class that does this.
After a month of tightness and sickness and overall yuckiness, Pranayama was a real breath of fresh air. I’m feeling much better. Check out a class yourself if you get the opportunity.
But I think almost all of the scarves from this Montreal workshop are very lovely
A cute velvet Levi’s back pack
Pink Pre-lit Christmas Treefor our Front Window
I like a real tree for the living room but a front window tree would also look pretty nice.
Plum and Posey Necklaces
“Plum and Posey creates meaningful and timeless jewelry in Amherst Nova Scotia, crafted from casts of antique wax seals. Each design is lovingly chosen from a treasured collection of many rare and beautiful seals, collected from around the world by designer Adrinna Hardy.”
Gyms are busiest in January. 34% busier on average. November and December are two of the *least* busy months.
Building momentum during the “holiday season” and beating the “resolution rush” of January will give you a month plus head start, time to build routine, and reduce ant…
January is far too full of “new year, new you.” It’s chock to the rafters with dreary diet resolutions and it’s already not a great month to begin with. Lots of people have been throwing around other suggested starting dates for new fitness goals and plans. December has often resonated with me. I have a bit more free time and the gym is basically empty.
Here on the blog we’ve tried making the case for a few different starting months.
So is December the best month for new fitness plans?
Earlier this year I started a new hobby: ringing in a handbell choir. (See what is a bell choir.) It’s not a physical activity per se, but we see health holistically around here and I’ll bring it back to the fitness stuff.
My previous experience with playing music is next to nil. My only musical training was when I was nine: less than two years of organ lessons and I faked sick for the final recital. I even missed mandatory band class later in my youth because we moved school systems.
So, without the ability to read music it’s no exaggeration that I’m a weak ringer. My mistakes are also easy to notice when I play with folks who have been ringing in church choirs for years. I am also the youngest person with the exception of the conductor, who motivates to keep ringing.
How? She is encouraging, and when she is not actively encouraging she still withholds any negativity. She maintains a neutral positive face, the kind you’re supposed to have when you interview someone for a job. Sometimes she asks only some of us to replay certain sections, and she slows us down, but she never draws attention to me when I make mistakes and I never catch disappointed looks.
I know it’s not always easy for more seasoned folks—especially in groups—to exercise patience around novices. On Monday nights at my curling club I see Scott McDonald giving “Learn to Curl” lessons, and I think: how does this high-ranking curler train these totally new curlers and not get frustrated? Perhaps good trainers are experts, but not all experts are good trainers.
Also, perhaps in times of declining numbers in bell choirs and curling clubs, some folks know they must check their impatience because of what will happen if they don’t. When errors are frequent and progress is slow, novices like me can get discouraged and feel like quitting, even in a supportive learning environment.
So here’s my point: My bell choir experience has reminded me that encouragement and praise are important, even when (especially when?) novices make mistakes. If you are good at something, you may notice mistakes that others make, but it may not help to point them out, even in the spirit of helpfulness. Newbies are probably trying even harder than you are to be patient with themselves. Instead, kind words (even if they seem unearned) might help folks stay in activities that need numbers—so you can keep doing them too.
