Hey Team,

Years ago, during a time when my work was particularly tangly, I had a few sessions with a coach who was helping me prioritize and organize my tasks for a variety of projects. During one of our sessions, we worked together to establish a task list for the next week and we planned to meet on the Friday to assess how things had gone.

Alas, I ended up with a terrible cold and spend most of the following week in bed. When Friday came, I considered cancelling the session because I (foolishly) was embarrassed by how little I had gotten done but I went ahead with the meeting and immediately confessed that I hadn’t done much on my list because I had been sick.

I was expecting her to respond like so many teachers, professors, and bosses had in the past, with a kind of ‘forgiveness’ tinged with the implication that I had actually been slacking off, that I hadn’t really been that sick. Instead though, she responded with the kindest and most sensible question possible:

“Christine, since you were too sick to do the items on your list, why didn’t you change your list?”

This was a revelation.

I didn’t have to feel bad about not being able to work because I was sick. I didn’t have to carry the thought that I *should* (you know I hate that word) work despite being too sick to sit up.

The list could change!

I could rest.

After all, this was *my* list.

It didn’t exist independently, I wasn’t subject to its demands.

My list was supposed to support *me*, it wasn’t supposed to cause me trouble.

My plans were not the boss of me!

Needless to say, I have reminded myself of that fact over and over again in the years since.

One of those times was last week.

After a couple of really busy weeks organizing and running an arts festival, last week was supposed to revolve around two things 1) ordinary, routine tasks that had fallen by the wayside in the festival madness 2) adding some new aspects to my exercise plans for October.

Instead, I woke up on Tuesday to find that my back was protesting. I was in a lot of discomfort and everything I did was at least twice as hard as it usually was and nothing I did seemed to help. Things would get better for a little while and then the muscles would get cranky again.

Luckily, this time my brain required no coaxing to change my list – I just started jettisoning things that could wait and I was very strategic about what tasks I would choose to grit my teeth and push through on.

And since I couldn’t take up my initial plans for additional exercise, I decided to respond to what my body needed in the moment and did extra stretches/resting poses. I would have also been comfortable with dropping the plans entirely for a few days but the pre-existing plan helped me to do more of something that would be good for me overall.

I could have viewed last week in terms of failure – I did not do what I set out to do.

Instead, I chose to see it as a success – I was very successful at reorganizing my plans (and my to do list) so I could get the rest I needed.

Being easy on myself, reorganizing my lists, and changing my plans from vigorous exercises to restful ones made a huge difference in my week, my health, and my peace of mine.

So, Team, I’m wondering if you can do the same for yourself today (or this week, or whenever.)

Can you remind yourself that your lists, your plans, your exercise schedules, are all there to serve *you*, not the other way around?

Can you find ways to get what you need at the moment – whether that is more movement, more rest, more focused time, or more time for your mind to wander?

Yeah, I know that this is all hard to do amidst the pressures of our own expectations (not to mention the societal pressures we live with) but it’s worth a try.

Here’s your gold star for your efforts to remember that you are in charge of your plans, they are not the boss of you.

I wish you ease. 💚

I attended a small yoga class on Sunday. It was the first in-person yoga practice, I’ve attended, in years.

I’ve written, previously, about how I enjoy yoga, but it’s not my favourite form of movement. I am committed to a regular routine of running, strength and HIIT workouts. I pepper my routine with yoga.

I went through a phase several years ago when I practiced yoga more frequently. During that time, I met one of my favourite yoga teachers, Lisa. She used to be an instructor at a studio I went to that combined yoga and kettlebell. She became my favourite yoga teacher – in person. She is highly knowledgeable, makes her classes interesting and I just dig her energy. When the world changed and we were locked down, I continued to enjoy her Zoom offerings. I have also enjoyed Yoga with Adrienne, especially her 30 day practice at the beginning of each year. I don’t mean this as a slight but Adrienne’s classes feel more like “stretching for various purposes” than traditional yoga. That can have it’s benefits for when I need “yoga for a tight low back” or “runner’s yoga”.

Even though I’ve gone back to regular gym classes, in person, since 2022 or so, I have continued to limit yoga to the virtual kind. Financially, it doesn’t make sense for me to join a yoga studio, on a regular basis, when I am already paying for a more, all-purpose, gym membership (with no yoga offerings). I may buy passes, here and there, to try a pilates class or yoga class, but I can’t commit to too many regular memberships.

Also, let’s face it, virtual yoga, is convenient. You don’t have to go anywhere, on a specific schedule. You simply unroll your mat and voila! You can pick virtual practices that suit your interest that day and many of those practices are short. Often, I will pick a video that’s 20 minutes and which addresses a specific issue I want to address that day. I used virtual yoga practices when I was having balance issues, this past spring. I was grateful to learn yoga-based grounding exercises when going anywhere was a bit treacherous (on wobbly feet, or more accurately, a wobbly head)

Well, despite the convenience, I siezed the opportunity to break schedule (from “Sunday is Run Day”) and attend Lisa’s yoga class on Sunday. Lisa borrows space from a karate studio about a 45 min walk from me. The scheduled class was quite a bit later than my usual Sunday run time but that gave me the chance to sleep in a bit and try a new-ish bakery in the area along the way and enjoy the sunny autumn morning.

I ran a charity 10km race the day before AND this morning person who typically falls asleep by 9:30/10 pm, went out on a Saturday for a friend’s birthday and didn’t get home until close to 11pm. My body appreciated the later start (11 am – I’m usually out running by 7 am).

It was nice to see Lisa in person at the beginning of class. There were only four of us in class and it was a lovely space for our group in the karate studio. The five of us joked about the guilty pleasure of watching reality tv to escape from day-to-day stresses. Lisa expertly guided us through yogic breathing and intentional movement. The whole class flowed seamlessly through well planned asanas that focussed on our hips. Lisa gently nudged us with useful adjustments. That doesn’t happen in virtual classes. When the class was over, we expressed our gratitude to each other for sharing our time and that we each enjoy the rest of the day. That doesn’t happen in virtual classes, either, not the two-way exchange.

There is a lot to be said about the power of connection. There are ways to be connected, both, virtually and in-person. I am a big supporter of hybrid work arrangements because there are benefits to both. I feel the same way about exercise. There are benefits to the convenience and solititude of solo workouts, in one’s own space.

However, I would argue that yoga is most beneficial when the whole experience – being in a room together, working through breathing and movement – warming up to cooling down, greeting each other and wishing each other well, at the end, provides a form of connection that is not possible virtually.

It makes me wonder what other forms of connection could beneft from more in-person interaction – perhaps conversations about big issues that need patience, intellectual exchange and compromise? I digressed there, of course. My apologies.

Have you enjoyed a yoga practice, in person, recently? Do you prefer it to virtual yoga?

Wow. It’s been a busy week here at the blog.

Cheryl reported about her IRONMAN World Championship Race in Nice.

Tracy told her story of the Howling Ghost 8 km fall trail run in Aylmer.

I reported in about Bike the Night in Guelph.

Mina wrote about renewal and running and Martha is looking for ways to deal with all of the stress in her life.

Have a great weekend!

I’ve had a lot of stress this year. More than I care to handle, to be honest, so I’ve been taking steps to manage it, so I can reduce the negative effects it can have on my health.

There’s lots written about stress. It can cause anxiety and/or depression, raise your blood pressure, affect your sleep, and alter your eating habits and physical activity.

One of my daily newsletters shared an article from NPR on how to manage stress from a skills development point of view. I’ve always been interested in the concept of resilience, where people can manage the impact and recover from stressful events.

Turns out you can learn and apply simple skills to manage stress. One researcher, in particular, has been focusing on eight key skills we can learn to change our relationship with stress and minimize its negative effects on our health.

According to Judith Moskowitz, these skills are focused on cultivating positive emotions which help us deal better with daily stress: “Even when they’re going through hardship, people still want to talk about positive things, like seeing a lovely sunset or sharing a meal with a friend. And the people who notice more of these bright spots tend to cope better.”

This doesn’t mean you get to be all Pollyanna about life instead of Debbie Downer. It means you can create a toolbox that will help you smooth out the little annoyances that get in the way of moving forward effectively.

1. Positive events

It’s easy to wallow in the negative. Look for the good things. It could be a perfect fluffy cloud, the best cup of tea, or the first red leaf of fall. Take time to notice, to observe, to feel the small pleasures.

2. Savoring

Make the moment last. Remember that nice meal, the great chat with a friend, or the birthday party you went to last month. Re-experience positive feelings through photos, mementoes or memories, or amplify them by journaling for later enjoyment.

3. Gratitude

Several of my friends post three good things as a quick gratitude note. Feeling grateful not only gives you a good boost, it could extend your life. Ask yourself: what brought joy to your day? It doesn’t have to be big; I was really happy I got to sleep in two days in a row last weekend.

4. Daily mindfulness

Between work and family, personal relationships and our community commitments, we are always thinking, planning, worrying, and anticipating. Taking ten minutes in the morning, afternoon and evening to practice daily mindfulness gives us a chance to calm the buzz our busy thoughts impose on our brains. Many people find a series of calming breaths to be helpful as a way to slow things down and remove the pressure of rushing.

5. Positive reappraisal

Reframing something unfortunate or unexpected as an opportunity or a positive outcome helps you switch to a more positive mindset. Ask yourself: is there a silver lining here? During the pandemic, we all learned to pivot, and that’s a really useful skill when life gets in the way of our plans.

6. Self-compassion

One of my favourite viral videos is a little girl snowboarding. As she negotiates some curves and bumps, she tells herself she might fall, or she might not, and that’s okay. We can often be our own worst enemies; negative self-talk is a big part of that. Be kind to yourself. Remember those good things we talked about earlier? Now is the time to take those out and be reminded of the good things you bring to life.

7. Personal strengths

Another way to avoid the trap of negative self-talk is to highlight your strengths. Ask yourself what are you good at? Think about a time your good listening skills paid off or when your attention to detail avoided a bigger problem from developing. Remembering achievements both big and small is a good way to bring positivity to your daily life.

8. Attainable goals

When I was a kid, the phrase, “don’t bite off more than you can chew,” puzzled me. As a grown up, I know it means recognizing your strengths, managing your limits and setting reasonable goals. Smaller steps lead to big gains; steady progress maintains momentum.

How about you? What skills do you have now and what skills would you like to practice for the future? Let us know in the comments!

MarthaFitat55 lives, works and trains on the East Coast of Canada.

I’m teaching a class in Philosophy of Food and this week we talked about Michael Pollan and food and some feminist responses to his work.

Here’s Michael Pollan:

The students really liked Can’t Stomach It: How Michael Pollan et al. Made Me Want to Eat Cheetos by julie guthman. We spent a lot of time talking about obesity, fatphobia, and the imperative to be thin. More positively we talked about ways of thinking about Pollan’s “eat mostly plants” message in a less individualistic way. 

I’ve also been rereading and writing about Kate Manne’s book, Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia. It has been shortlisted for the National Book Award. Yay Kate!

All of that made me think about my old post. It’s one of my oldest on the blog. It discusses the connection between fatness and fitness. It also critiques the stupidity of using BMI as a measure of anything significant.

Here it is:

Fit, Fat, and What’s Wrong with BMI