Distract them with flowers? Photo by Maria Orlova on Pexels.com
Thesecond most read post was a very old one, from way back in 2013, by Tracy Isaacs, The Shape of an Athlete.
The third most read post this month was by our frequent guest, that west coast runner and fit feminist, Alison Conway. Her post is The Unbearable Lightness of Brie Larson.
Sam blogged about recovery shoes in September 2022. This month that post was our fourth most read.
The fifth most read post was actually written very recently! Peaceful Playgrounds by Stephanie Morris was written and published in April 2024.
Peaceful Playgrounds
Our sixth most read post was Cate’s older post about menstruation and about whether continuing menstruating into one’s fifties was a good or bad thing.
I have reached the end of Phase II of my experiment and I am declaring it a success.
No. I didn’t manage to do a warm up before each walk.
And I didn’t manage to organize my days to make it easier to do a warm up.
Instead, I have successfully discovered that I don’t want to keep trying to make this work.
Yes, success on your own terms really does have a lot going for it.
ANYWAY!
Just like my efforts from the week before, last week’s attempts at trying to warm up before I walked the dog meant that I ended up delaying my walk and stressing the dog out.
This photo is not from this week but I thought it made a funny juxtaposition to me mentioning her being stressed out. Image description: a photo of Khalee, a light brown, medium-sized dog, lying on her belly by our patio doors. She is pointing her snout toward the camera and her tail is toward the door, she looks pretty chilled out.
As a bonus, I also ended up feeling annoyed about the whole thing.
And while it may come as a shock to hear this, annoyed is NOT the feeling I am going for when it comes to taking a walk.
When I had this idea two weeks ago, I was trying to make sure that I got ‘more’ out of my walk. It’s my most consistent form of exercise and I wanted to increase my efforts cardio-wise so I could ensure that I was challenging myself – especially on days when I didn’t have time for other exercises.
It definitely seemed like a good idea and when my first week didn’t work out because of general life chaos (and a few sick days), I reframed the experiment and tried to focus on picking a specific time for my walks so I could include time for my warm-up.
But when that didn’t work out either, I gave it a bit more thought and I realized that trying to intensify things was taking the fun out of my walk.
My walk is usually a relatively relaxing part of my day. I’m not always super keen on having to go out in bad weather and sometimes it’s a challenge to jam it into my day, but once I am actually out there, I never regret it.
I listen to a book or to a podcast or just to the sounds around me and I stroll along with Khalee, taking things in. I usually feel the tension drop out of my shoulders as I amuse myself by watching herself sniffing her way along.
Occasionally it’s a bit dull and it’s usually not much of a physical challenge but maybe that’s asking too much of my daily stroll.
Maybe instead of trying to make my walk more intense I could just decide to enjoy the experience of being outside with Khalee, observing the way things change from day to day and week to week and catching up on podcasts and books.
Last year, I discovered that a single flower grows behind this fence and I was delighted to discover this week that it is a perennial! Image description: a sunny spot behind a fence and between some trees where the ground is crowded with winter-browned grass and a single set of green shoots are growing upwards.
So, it took me two weeks to determine this but it turns out that my experiment wasn’t ‘Does a 5 minute warm-up help me have a more exercise-y walk?’ and it wasn’t ‘How can I make it easier to do a warm-up before I walk?’ it was ‘Will the effort of trying to do a 5 minute warm-up before my walk add something positive to my day?’
And the answer to that is a resounding NO.
Sure, you could look at this revised-revised experiment and say that I didn’t try hard enough or that I didn’t give it enough time or that I didn’t organize it well but all of those conclusions ignore the key finding from this single participant study:
I don’t *actually* want to work on adding a 5 minute warm-up.
What I wanted was to have my walk serve more than one purpose – a walk AND a specific type of exercise.
BUT since trying to add intensity was decreasing enjoyment, I feel totally comfortable in ditching my warm-up plan.
So, instead, I’m going to follow my usual non-plan impulse-related approach for my walks and I will get more cardio in other ways.
I’ll work on being more consistent with my other forms of exercise.
And if consistency gets too hard then I’m just going to keep starting over – I’ve got lots of practice at that.
This dance video made me smile. Thanks Midori! And enjoy!
Dance-inspired Workout
“Looking for a fun workout where you get to groove to upbeat music? Try this Dance-inspired Workout and follow along with Sherri, Tristan and Christine from YMCA Canada as they lead you through rhythmic movements and choreographed dance moves. It’s the perfect way to celebrate International Dance Day on April 29!”
“Initiated in 1982 by UNESCO, International Dance Day is marked annually on April 29 with events across Canada and around the world. The date commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), regarded as the founder of modern ballet.”
😔 In the sad news department, I’m losing Estee the amazing physiotherapist who has been with me through my knee replacement saga. She’s moving to Toronto and has a new job. Need a great physiotherapist? Go work with Estee. She’s going to be working at the Push Pounds Clinic at their East York location on the Danforth.
✈️ Traveling is a thing again. This month I went to Germany for work, spending a work week at our partner university in Bremen.
Sam in a red raincoat on a street in Bremen, Germany
📚 I listened to a lot of audiobooks and got some regular reading in. Loved Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting.
🥇I’m at 142 workouts in the counting of workouts, in the 224 workouts in 2024 group. That’s high, I know, but I still have physio a few times each week, personal training a few times each week, and then there’s cycling and dog walks. It all adds up.
Cheddar!
🐶 Finally, I’m making my way through my 24 Things in 2024 list 10, 16, 17, 21.
I suggest the following plan. Your partner registers for the Paris to Ancaster race, the breve version, so really St George to Ancaster. And then on the day of the race, they misplace their Garmin. Lend them yours so that they can load the route and follow it.
Go sit in a coffee shop while they race. Drink flat whites and eat almond croissants.
Cheer them on at the end of the race. Stop Garmin at the finish and upload ride.
Voila!
Sarah’s muddy bike after P2ASam at the race finish
Last Friday was the end of my last full week of classes for the academic year. I still have one more class, one more faculty meeting, two exams and a pile of grading to do. But the end is in sight, and summer is just around the corner.
In the meantime, spring has busted out all over Eastern Massachusetts. Is it me, or do the flowering trees and bright blossoms look so much more blooming wonderful than usual? Maybe it’s because I/we can use a mood lift from nature. In either case, it’s gorgeous out there.
A field of daffodils near Dartmouth, MA, visited by me earlier this week. Yes, it was this beautiful.
Speaking of gorgeous: Friday was also Crystal Singing Bowl Restorative Yoga day at Artemis, my local yoga studio. Yoga teacher and Singing Bowl musician Sheryl brought her bowls and led us through a series of restorative poses, playing them during the poses. Here’s a sound bath excerpt.
I love love love interesting sounds in yoga classes. And there are so many ways that teachers and musicians collaborate to provide a multi-sensory experience. I’ve had yoga classes with cello, acoustic bass, bass guitar, drum, bells, bowls (metal and crystal), and gong(s). Yes, I highly recommend going to a gong yoga session sometime. It feels like a freight train is rumbling close by, close enough to feel the vibrations.
Describing the experience of Friday’s sound bath would be difficult, mainly because I became so mellow and relaxed by the end that I was loathe to get up off my mat and leave the studio. But apparently singing bowls are also good for increasing energy; so says teacher Sheryl. Here’s her instagram post for a midday energy boost.
Not only an excellent FIFI blog publisher, editor, and author, Sam is also a great support for us bloggers. More than once she has mentioned the topic of period underwear as “blogfodder” (which should be a real word if it is not already).
Each time, I have thought oh no no, I am too shy to write about my experience with period underwear. Too shy in mid-life…when in my 20s at coffee houses I was enthusiastically delivering poems like “Down There” by Chicana poet Sandra Cisneros.
But lately I decided to ensure this topic never landed on my life regrets list, so here we are.
“Most common regrets of life” image includes a list of common regrets, such as not following my passion or too much time worrying. I’ve added below the list in different blue font “Not discussing period underwear.”
I first bought period underwear on a whim through Amazon about 5 years ago. Looking at user reviews first, I had noticed that the most common complaints about certain types were lack of fit, propensity for leaks, and a noticeable “diaper sound.” Period underwear varies in style (briefs, bikini, etc.) and flow support (light, heavy, etc.). I went middle of the road: a mid-priced 3-pack of high cuts for mid-level flow…in colours I didn’t hate.
And since that time I have come to love them. Just. Love. Them.
The fit has been fine. No leaks or smells. I can wear them day and night, at home or travelling. I can wear them for any of my fitness activities (except watersports, of course). I can wear a pair for 12 hours with no fear of toxic shock syndrome. I don’t have to run around stashing extra disposable products in purses or pockets, discovering them months later in unraveled pieces.
For two decades I had felt guilty about the amount of disposable product waste I was generating. I always feared the potential oopses with menstrual cups, so never tried. I took “depo provera” shots for a few years to stifle flow, but it never fully worked.
Now I’ve traded garbage waste for extra water usage (hand wash is apparently the best way to clean period underwear), but I feel fine about it. (Occasionally when I am feeling lazy I will throw in the machine.) I often wash them while I am taking a shower, as everything is already getting wet and soaped up anyway.
I started with three pairs, as per the backpacker’s rule: wear a pair, dry a pair, and have a back up. Then, out of curiosity about other brands, about a year ago I bought another 3-pack. I haven’t calculated the cost difference of not buying disposables, but I’m certain I’ve saved money.
They’ve work great for me, having simplified my menstruation life. I wish someone had handed me a pair in my late teens. Like Nicole, who describes her own menopause journey, I will not be sad to see my period end: it will be a time to celebrate my health and other things. But I am happy that the last part of my journey will not have included disposable products.
If you’ve read this far, perhaps you’re still curious: but what about the diaper sound? When new, the absorbent lining sounds to me like the noise track pants make when the legs swish together. Or maybe a crinkly cat toy? I don’t hear it at all once they are on, and anyway my comfort is not worth avoiding the occasional quiet swish. Instead, I like to think of my underwear as occasionally whispering to me, “We got you.”
I was going to write about things that bug me. You know, the targeted “reels” on social media that you are meant to relate to but that bug the hell out of you. For example, the skinny blond with 2” fake, glittery, nails showing you how to make a hamburger “bun” with cottage cheese? Or, how to make sure every bite of food you put in your mouth contains as much protein as possible. I understand the need to get “enough” protein, but I think social media influencers have jumped the shark on that one. What am I saying online that makes AI think this is what will inspire me?!
I have decided not to focus on the things that bug me though. It can be cathartic to vent about trivial things. Yes, I know the aforementioned pet peeves are trivial as all hell.
Even the things I’m about to talk about, that buoy me – keep me afloat on days where I’m feeling sad, prickly, annoyed, tired – are trivial in the grand scheme of things.
But in my small world, I am often looking for the small things that sustain and delight me.
When my daily workout practice comes up, people at work or those close to me say, “it’s so great that you continue to do those things”. As if I am achieving something major. I get what they are saying, for many, it’s challenging to maintain a regular exercise routine. There are all kinds of reasons, sometimes beyond an individual’s control. But, I cannot relate, in the sense that, assuming I am not sick or injured, I cannot imagine not scheduling a workout in my day (usually morning) because it sustains me. It keeps me afloat. Mentally and as I get older, more than likely, physically, so that I am not too stiff. I know this sounds like a humble brag, but it’s not meant to. I’m just describing what works for me. What works for me doesn’t work for everyone.
Even though I love working out I do not start out every session full of pep or full of positivity. No, I have just scheduled in my day and I show up.
On occasion, when I show up, I feel extra irritable or tired that morning, but inevitably, I feel better by the end of the workout.
There are moments that come up while working out, that buoy me.
This past weekend, the theme of the conditioning workout was “power moves”. One of the stations involved standing in between two large kettlebells, which had bands tied to them, putting the bands around your shoulders and jumping up and down in a controlled fashion. Many of the class gaped when the coach was describing the room. Perhaps, we were picturing catapulting too far up and slamming down. I was a bit apprehensive about it. But, when it was my turn I went for it, cautiously, and it was not scary at all. Dare I say easy (don’t tell Bethany because she might make it harder). Also, it was FUN. So much so that it was my favourite station that day. That kind of unexpected fun, when you tried something, you weren’t sure about, and it was FUN – that’s a small thing that provides me with small amounts of joy.
Nicole, a middle aged white woman with a highlighted blond mass of curly hair tied up in a ponytail, on top of her head, wearing a mint green tank top and reddish purple high waisted leggings, tethered by two thin red exercise bands to two large black kettlebells – arms are mid flight.
When there is a task that you may not think is something you wish to do, but it’s in your wheelhouse of things you are willing to try, those moments of enjoyment are a type of freedom. Freedom from your overactive mind. Freedom from big and small problems in the world. It’s fantastic.
Other things I can think of that provided sustaining energy this past week were:
newly blossoming magnolia trees in the neighbourhood
visiting family and seeing more extended family than usual. Especially the young adults among us
discussions with people I report to at work who show they “see me and it’s working” (it’s a fairly new job and so nice compared to some previous experiences)
I decided to make coconut macaroons the other day and it starts with whipping egg whites. I am the obnoxious person who puts the freshly whipped egg whites in my “stories”. Why? Because just the act of making them and the sight of those glossy whipped egg whites make me happy. It is a bit crazy. Maybe a bit “basic” but it does.
Magnolia blossoms Photo by Lena Khrupina on Pexels.com
A bowl of freshly whipped egg whites with the large beater immersed in the fluffy cloud.
Dear Readers – what little things are providing you with some needed pep these days?
Nicole P is looking forward to some warming, sunny, soul-sustaining days.
The Swim Ontario Masters Championships were held this past weekend (Apr 19th-21st). I didn’t participate in this meet, but have been happily reading reports from members of my team as well as from others. And the overwhelming consensus was that the highlight of the meet was 100-year-old Kalis Rasmussen swimming in the 100-104 age group and setting world records in the 100 m IM (!), and the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke.
The 100 IM (Individual Medley) consists of 25 m of all four strokes, in the order of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle. That means this 100-year-old woman swam 25 m of butterfly. Let me state that again: this 100-year-old woman swam 25 m of butterfly! OMG. I once swam 25 fly and it was exhausting!
She also swam the 50 breast, but did NOT set a world record. You’d think just showing up and completing the event would be enough. But this age group is COMPETITIVE. That’s right….there’s ANOTHER 100-year-old woman, Betty Brussel from BC, who owns the record for the 50 breast. Those two should have a match race!
My teammates said that all 500 swimmers at the meet were on their feet and cheering for Kalis, and some were in tears, as she completed her events. And that’s not surprising. It’s always the oldies, 80 and above, who get the loudest cheers at Masters meets. We love them for showing up, and for showing us what is possible.
I remember attending a Nationals meet in Winnipeg in 2009. The star of that meet was 101-year-old Jaring Timmerman. They held an exhibition relay with the Canadian men’s Olympic team, and he swam the anchor leg, with the entire arena on its feet! He didn’t stop there….Masters Swimming had to create a new age group, 105-109, for him as he continued to compete!
This rare group of athletes are re-defining what it means to be a life-long swimmer. They really ARE swimming (and training!) into deep old age.
“Just last week, World Rugby announced plans to introduce smaller balls into the women’s game as part of a trial to enhance the sport. The idea is to make the ball easier to hold and reduce knock-ons, as well as explore the potential benefits that a smaller ball can make to the kicking game.” See Rugby Dump here.
The argument in favour of the smaller ball is that current ball was designed around the size of male players.
Should the standard size of a rugby ball be lowered for the women’s game? We took to the streets of Dublin to find out what YOU think 🤔 Could a smaller ball size help or hinder the women’s game? We’ve seen it in other sports like basketball, camogie and gaelic football – should it be changed for rugby too? And is this something we could see put in place for the next Guinness Women’s Six Nations tournament? 🏉 Let us know in the comments below! #GuinnessWomensSixNations#WomensSixNations
There’s more coverage of the controversy here in World Rugby.
“World Rugby is considering the use of a smaller ball in the women’s game and is collecting data on the size 4.5 ball which is about 3 per cent smaller and lighter than a size 5 ball. Lindsay Starling, science and medical manager at World Rugby, said: “The women’s playing community is quite divided. There’s a big proportion of individuals in this community that think and feel that retaining the use of the same equipment in the men’s game is important.”
Gender isn’t a great proxy for size. There are lots of small men out there and some of them play rugby. There are lots of large women and some of them play rugby.
Adding unnecessary gender differences in sports–women play three sets of tennis versus men’s five, or women, or in track cycling where the men’s individual pursuit is a 4 km race and women only race 3 km–is rarely justified.
As I said, it’s not my sport (though I was it had been). But I have a hard time imagining it’s ball size that’s discouraging girls and women from playing rugby.
What do you think?Let us know in the comments below.
