Month: April 2025

fitness · Sat with Nat

Why is Nat so into her hobbies these days?

natalieh (she/her)2 Comments

Oh this is a midlife crisis!

I get it now. That intense maelstrom of emotions that come for me at 3 am. This week I realized it’s stereotypical mid-life crisis energy and I am really in it.

Shifts in parenting

My mid-twenties kids are out in the world making big choices. I remind myself I did that at their age too. I was married at 22, a parent at 25. It turned out ok but WOW it looks very different from my fifty year old perspective.

There is no shortcut around lived experience and I’m working on having a healthy detachment while figuring out what support looks like for them.

Ah yes, capitalism

My paid work is the experience of many people who are employed at mid-life. Restructuring at my company is shifting roles, responsibilities and networks. It’s uncomfortable. I don’t have a sense of normalcy.

I thought my career was on one trajectory but that has faltered. I’m disappointed and quite sad about it.

There’s no peace at home

We are renovating our kitchen. Week 4 of no sink, stove or dishwasher has definitely taken the gilde off the lilly.

A tiny kitchen with some cupboards in place. A variety of walls with paint and crack fill.

I am in a privileged spot where a mortgage and renovations are financially feasible. Our contractors are wonderful humans who really care about us and giving us an exceptional experience.

But.

Good.

Green.

Earth.

It is more disruptive and expensive than I could have imagined. It might be mostly done in 2 more weeks.

That’s a lot

So.

Ya.

No.

I’m not sleeping.

My wakefulness at 3 am from hot flashes and bathroom break turns to questions both practical and existential.

What sized drawers should that pantry have?

Has my kid who fell off a cliff in BC actually ok?

Why do I feel invisible at work?

Good thing he’s here

The anchor, and wonderful gift in my life, is my partner of 30 years. Michel and I are good and it makes things feel achievable.

We are in step on nutrition, sleep and prioritizing our health. Our family histories are full of cardiovascular risks and we are doing what we can to stack the deck in our favour.

Move it, move it

My silly little goal of cycling to work has really helped me adopt a better mindset on the road.

I’m choosing to share quippy videos with friends on my cycling commute. My watch is posting all activities on Strava.

I think it surprises people how active I am. I like to think I’m a small part in them thinking they can add more activity to their lives too. Positive peer pressure for the win!

My mileage from walking and cycling since January 1 is approaching 800 km. That is triple my usual mileage for this time of year.

A screenshot of my cumulative mileage. On Thursday at 9 am I hit 743 km. Yay!

Crafting

I knit so much last weekend I gave myself tennis elbow. I’m working on this beautiful shawl. I got the pattern and supplies on my trip to Iceland last year. The designer, gk dottir, is a wonderful human. The short rows and colour changes mean it is just challenging enough to get into flow.

A wedge of knitting showing glittering copper, sparkling champagne and sparkling black lines segments filled in with white, orange and grey strokes. The pattern is called Dragonfly and is inspired by zoomed in imaging of dragonfly wings.

I’m taking beading classes through my local rec program. It’s an Indigenous lead class with Indigenous and settler students. I love it so much. I come home from the weekly class and I spend HOURS beading. I get into flow and my worries fall away.

What’s a mid-life crisis without more tattoos?

Oh ya. I’m hitting all the stereotypes. I’m getting line work on a full sleeve next week.

fitness

Decisions that have helped us grow,  #GroupPost, #DailyWritingPrompt

Sam B

Describe a decision you made in the past that helped you learn or grow.

Cate

In 2008, I decided on an impulse to go to Uganda for the first time to connect more closely with a grassroots project I’d been peripherally supporting for a couple of years.  The 52 kids in the project became so real to me in that one week visit that I ended up becoming the project director and running it since then. I had no idea how to create and run a non-profit, raise funds, mobilize a volunteer community, co-create long-term learning and development, build deep reflexivity about being a white person in an African context, understand cross-cultural dynamics, adapt and respond to an endless array of complicated needs, and experience myself as capable of a whole new kind of unconditional love.  That decision reshaped me as adventurous, persistent, curious and committed to equity and social justice in whole new ways.  I would not be who I am today in any way — work, life, values, understanding of the world — if I hadn’t made that choice 17 years ago.

Uganda sunset

Diane

When I turned 40, I bought a comfortable dress in a fabric covered with pink flowers. I decided I was done with trying to fit in in order to succeed in a patriarchal and stuffy workplace: no more boxy navy suits! I would still do my best and try to be successful, but I would do it on my own terms. That included being a role model and mentor to younger female colleagues, and having a little fun. I didn’t make it as high up the corporate ladder as I might have liked, but I received numerous departmental and one government-wide award for my management skills, especially in a crisis.

Pink flowers

Elan

The decision I made was *about* decision-making: namely accepting that I can’t have everything in this life (at least not at the same time). I can’t both have kids and not have kids. I can either build a life at home or really dig into travelling abroad. I can choose to get really good at one thing, or spend my time trying lots of different things. Giving up the expectation that I could always “have my cake and eat it too” allowed me to manage my anxiety about making tough choices and regretting paths not chosen. For me, this TED talk is a great watch for support of this thinking:

Sam

The biggest life changing decision I’ve made is a decision I made together with Jeff, to invite my parents to move to London so my mother could take care of the kids while we worked. That was 27 years ago. I still think all the time that this was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.  My mother and I have been sharing a house ever since. I think having an expanded sense of family has been good for us. Now the youngest has one foot out the door , the middle child is back home for college, and my mother is still helping and we’re helping her too. The initial decision was a bit of a leap but extended,  multigenerational family living was the right choice for us. 

Me and my mum

Nicole

When I had been at a law firm I was working at for 15 years, where I was making really good money, doing the same job I had been doing for a long time, but growing stagnant, I left without knowing what I would do next. I have learned so much over the years, even though I took a huge step backwards, in salary, but, I have grown so much from that decision. It hasn’t always been easy or a linear path and I would probably be making a lot more even now (almost 15 years later) but it definitely helped me learn the value of pivoting/taking risks/not accepting growing stagnant.

Dream

Tracy

My 2018 decision to get a divorce gave me breathing room to reflect on what really matters to me, regroup, and step into a life that feels truer to who I am. Not to say that I was completely inauthentic in my first marriage, but I made some compromises I wouldn’t make today. It is a definite sign of growth and clarity that (1) I wouldn’t make them today and (2) my current relationship doesn’t require, for its survival, that I make concessions of that kind.

Knitting

How about you? Any of you made a decision you that’s helped you learn or grow? Answer in the comments below.

fitness

Perfecting Pirouettes (or Learning to do the Same Old Thing at Last, Maybe)

Diane Harper1 Comment

Every once in a while you come across a tip or coaching suggestion that makes a lightbulb go off.

Happy lightbulb cartoon from https://www.freepik.com

It’s why taking classes with different instructors can be so helpful. The good coaches all say basically the same thing, because the mechanics of our bodies don’t change much – leaving aside accommodations due, for example, to injury. However, they say the same thing in different ways.

My dance teachers have all talked about being nice and vertical, using my head to spot when spinning, engaging my core, and not flinging my arms around in a vain attempt to spin faster. More than 20 years of lessons; at least 10 different teachers, all of them very good at what they do. And yet I still struggle with pirouettes.

Doing a good pirouette is a trick I don’t really need in my skill set to enjoy dancing, but it is probably the equivalent of being able to lift a certain weight, or run a particular distance or do so in a goal time. It doesn’t matter that the teachers all say pirouettes are a life-long challenge for everyone: I want to be able to do them consistently.

My lightbulb moments over the past few weeks have come from short videos by a few on-line dance teachers.

  1. Engage my lats (my newly-discovered muscles following months of physiotherapy to address shoulder issues, but also the muscles that teachers have talked about for years as part of my smooth strong back)
  2. Hold my turning arm in front of my body, not behind it (aka don’t fling my arms around in a vain attempt to spin faster)
  3. Think “up up up” (I have written about this before)
  4. Pausing for a moment before landing (one teacher has his kids snap their fingers to get them to hold that beautiful moment of completed spin an instant longer)
  5. Once shoulders are wide and the lats engaged, squeeze the front of your chest in and up (what my very first teacher called my elevator muscles – close the door and send it to the top floor).

None of this is new to me, exactly. What is new is my enthusiasm for trying to do five pirouettes on each side every day, to consolidate the muscle memory I am trying to develop thanks to this new way of understanding what my teachers have been asking me to do for literally decades.

I told my current teacher about this goal and her response was YES! Because consistent practice is what will make your work better. Add that to my list of things I knew but needed to hear in a different way.

Still another set of instructions for pirouettes from Ballet 101: the art of pirouettes
Join the Fit is a Feminist Issue team on the Spinning Wheels Relay Ride
cycling · fitness

Join the Fit is a Feminist Issue team on the Spinning Wheels Relay Ride

Sam B

“Spinning Wheels is pleased to announce our collaboration with Parkinson Canada. This year, we are the Pedaling for Parkinson’s Spinning Wheels Tour. We will continue to raise funds from across the country and leave it in the communities we pass through to help support programs for people living with Parkinson’s and their families. We will ride all ten provinces and visit three coasts, as we continue to meet people and raise awareness of Parkinson’s, the benefits of exercise in alleviating symptoms and help build community. You are not alone. The Pedaling for Parkinson’s Spinning Wheels Tour will begin August 2, 2025 in BC and NFLD and finish September 13, 2025 in Toronto.”

You can join our team here. We are doing option A. We’re the Fit is a Feminist Issue Bloggers and Friends team.

You can join us for one or both of the London to Guelph days.  Ride as little or as much as your schedule,  inclination,  and fitness allows.

There’s also a grand finale ride,  Hamilton to Toronto on the 13th.

You can read about the reason we’re riding here,  in support of Susan Fullerton,  an occasional blogger and a close friend and family member of mine. See Overcoming Fear: My Journey Biking for Parkinson’s Awareness.

Again,  you can do a little of the ride,  or all 3 days.  Up to you. And don’t be stressed by the fundraising.  We’ve set $1000  as the team goal and I’ve been raising that myself these past few years.  Also,  we’re already 1/10th of the way there.

Susan

I support Sam’s comments about riding all or part of the three days (Sept 11-13), as well as her comments about fundraising.

This year, I am on the steering committee of the Spinning Wheels Tour and was one of the people that advocated for a ride from London to Guelph.

London was my home for over 10 years.  The Universities of Guelph and Waterloo are doing amazing research into Parkinson’s disease, and in particular, the impact of exercise on the disease.  Therefore it is important to have the tour visit these three cities.

While we want to raise money for sure, the tour is also about  reaching,  meeting and encouraging people with Parkinson’s to exercise, in community. 

PD remains incurable.  However there is a growing body of research which proves that exercise, and biking in particular, can improve one’s quality of life by making a tangible difference in one’s symptoms.  Members of the tour team can attest to their personal experience with improving their PD symptoms through exercise.

It is also clear that stress and anxiety can exacerbate the physical symptoms. Too often we hear about people hiding their PD, sometimes for years.  This can quickly become a vicious cycle with the person’s stress over hiding their symptoms actually making these symptoms worse.  We want people with PD to know they are not alone.

I will be biking in Ontario Sept 11-13.  Please join the FiaFI team and come out and ride.  Your participation will help bring awareness and show support for people like me, living with PD.

Spinning Wheels Tour
What Counts as Winning
fitness · fun · goals · soccer

What Counts as Winning

elan.paulson

A few years ago, a group of 40+ women organized a “chill” low/no-contact indoor rec soccer league. The idea was to avoid the intensity, aggression, and injury risk that can make adult rec sports feel more stressful than friendly. Stories like those on this Reddit thread confirm that too much competitiveness can make rec soccer less fun.

Our soccer building keeps league-wide policies: in this new league we couldn’t self-officiate or prevent too-skilled teams from registering. Most players still wanted to play on their own teams and keep score. So, how do you ensure a new league will be fun and friendly when many elements stay the same?

We have tried a few things: captains keep a group chat, and referees are asked to be aware of rough play. This year, each team nominated a “player of the game” from the opposing team—a small gesture to recognize effort and positivity, not just goals. Since its inception, I’ve enjoyed playing in this league and am grateful to those who have supported it so far!

Still, as play has improved over the past few years, I’ve noticed a shift in the intensity level of some games. It has made me wonder: how can we maintain the spirit of “chill”?

Here are some on-field ideas teams could adopt or maintain:

  • Drop back for any line or goal kick.
  • Stop play as soon as the keeper has the ball or is on the ground.
  • Discourage any arguing with referees calls. All concerns about calls go through captains.
  • Take a very short rest/water break within each half, even with subs (Ayso, 2024).
  • Rotate players across positions.
  • Teams who notice a skill gap, or when there is a goal difference of >4, pass a set number of times before shooting (Rabinoviz, 2015) or only make ground shots.

And some off-field ideas:

  • Each new season captains create a play agreement they share with their teams.
  • Keep communication flowing between refs, captains, and players throughout the season.
  • Encourage post-game socializing between teams.
  • Skip playoffs (especially shootouts) and just extend the season.
  • Check in with players occasionally for feedback.
  • Individuals can reflect after each game, or the season: Did I have fun? Did the other team help me to have fun? Did I help the other team to have fun? (Thanks to Sara for this idea.)

The goal isn’t to restrict play—it’s to shape it in a way that reflects our shared values: community, fun, safety, and mutual respect.

Around the same time I was reflecting on all this, I read Sam and her colleague’s article, “The Virtue of Aggression in Sport” (2025). I’ll admit, the title gave me pause—given that I was sharing an update about a league trying to minimize aggression! But the authors draw a thoughtful distinction between unacceptable violence and “controlled physicality” (para. 1). I’ve heard a few league players express similar views: physical intensity can be part of what makes soccer feel satisfying. It doesn’t have to mean harm.

The article makes the case that some aggression is appropriate, even desirable, insofar as “those who are highly motivated to win will pursue their goals vigorously” (para. 3). And I don’t disagree—it’s important to clarify what kinds of aggression are acceptable and unacceptable in competitive sports.

Sam’s article makes valid philosophical arguments, but I think our chill league strives to align with its broader point about defining what kinds of physicality we allow. We can pursue the goal of “chill” by creating a space where fun, fitness, and community are the measures of success. Ideally, “winning” isn’t about the scoreboard—it’s about how we feel during and after the game: connected, respected, and glad we showed up.

After playing in our last regular game of this season, I realized one more thing: I care less about physicality and more about avoiding situations where negativity and aggression/competitiveness feed each other. For me, it is essential to maintain positive feelings of goodwill and care for everyone on the field.

So, as the league evolves, I hope we keep deciding together what kind of experience we want to have, then actively working towards shaping that experience. I plan to keep pursuing (vigorously) the goal of keeping a positive vibe on the field: that’s a win for me.

Rec sports players: how do you keep things positive and fun, even with varying levels of skill, intensity, and physicality?

celebration · fitness · fun · self care · swimming · vacation

Not-very-wordy Wednesday: manatees are here to save your day

catherine w

When things are looking dire, one thing we can do is strive to find solace in what’s in front of us. What was in front of me today was a big collection of manatee stickers, given to me by my friend Gal after our legendary (in our minds, at least) trip to go swim with the manatees in Crystal River, Florida. In case you missed it, here are some posts I wrote about them:

Six things I’ve learned about manatees

Catherine’s manatee-intensive vacation: the director’s cut

It was so awesome that Gal and I are planning a return trip next December or January, with various others.

But in the meantime, we have to find things to do while we are waiting. One of them for me has been to put my manatee stickers to good use.

A creatively-colored orange-pink-and-yellow-patterned manatee on my red water bottle.
A creatively-colored orange-pink-and-yellow-patterned manatee on my red water bottle.

I’ve also selected these stickers for application to my laptop; they depict manatees engaged in activities that make us all happy– playing music, drinking boba tea (or your beverage of choice), and looking fabulous.

Manatees playing bassoon, drinking boba tea, and rocking a boa and great glasses.
Manatees playing bassoon, drinking boba tea, and rocking a boa and great glasses.

Of course, manatees also model how we sometimes need alone time, and sometimes can use a friend.

Two manatees enjoying the prospect of tasty greens, and one just enjoying their own company.
Two manatees enjoying the prospect of tasty greens, and one just enjoying their own company.

My favorite I saved for last: on my pill box is a manatee doing one of my favorite things: riding a bike. Say no more.

A happy manatee riding their bike.
A happy manatee riding their bike.

Manatees got us, in good times and in bad. I’ll leave you with this proof: a manatee who’s got the whole world in its flippers.

It’s got the whole world… in its hands/flippers.

Have a lovely afternoon, dear readers.

celebration · soccer

Happy Northern Super League Launch Day!

Diane Harper

Canada’s new pro women’s soccer league, makes its debut tonight with Calgary Wild FC taking on Vancouver Rise FC.

This six team league is the brainchild of former professional and Olympic soccer player Diana Matheson. Canadian soccer superstar Christine Sinclair is also a supporter.

Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC, Ottawa Rapid FC, and AFC Toronto at the other four teams. After two seasons, the plan is expand further across Canada.

I hope the new league is met with the same level of joyous fan support as the PWHL. Women’s sports are having a moment and there are millions of soccer-playing Canadian girls who now have a chance to see their hero’s play regularly, not just at the World Cup and Olympics.

LET’ GO!!!

Northern Super League players unveil their team jerseys (photo courtesy of NSL)
Sam’s new favorite fitness class, or 6 things Sam loves about anti-gravity restorative fitness
fitness · fitness classes · yoga

Sam’s new favorite fitness class, or 6 things Sam loves about anti-gravity restorative fitness

Sam B

💙 Every class the teacher reminds us,  because there might be new people in the class,  that the silk hammocks can hold up to 1000 lbs.  As a person with a larger body, I find that very reassuring. 😊

💚 The class is very easy on your knees and other joints because the hammock bears your body weight. “While it may seem gimmicky to some, AntiGravity Yoga provides a therapeutic and effective way for the hips and spine to stretch that isn’t achievable in a regular yoga practice. The premise of the AntiGravity technique is that the spine is “compressed” when doing everyday activities, and the hammocks cause zero compression in the joints, allowing the spine to move freely. ” (from We tried it: AntiGravity restorative yoga, Canadian Living)

💜 It’s both serious and playful. This particular instructor takes safety seriously and stresses that everyone’s finds their own pace. “In this class we strive for progress, not perfection.” But she also shows the class how to get into the hammock belly down, push off, and breaststroke to the front of the room. Fun.

❤️The hammocks are very pretty. There’s something aesthetically pleasing when the light streams in through the studio windows and catches the parachute-like silk fabric of the hammocks.

💛 Yes, you’re floating in a hammock, suspended from the ceiling, but you are only a couple of inches off the ground. It feels both like you’re flying and that you can reach a foot down and touch the floor.

🧡 My favourite position is Cocoon pose, or cocoon savasana at the end of class. Because of course it is. Zzzzz.

YMMV. Catherine tried a class a few years ago and didn’t like the cocoon feeling or the swaying.

You can also see a class on Instagram here.

fitness

Happy Second Birthday to Sam’s Right Knee!

Sam B
My right knee right after surgery

Two years ago I had total knee replacement surgery on my right knee.  Half a year earlier I had my left knee, the worse one,  replaced.

Surgery was painful and difficult but it was also life changing. Post surgery and many,  many months of physio later,  I can walk many kilometers and even climb up hills.

You can about my knees’ recent accomplishments here and here.

Lots of people ask me if the surgery and all the physio was worth it. My answer,  yes!

Happy birthday!
Go Team 2025: Take Care of Today’s You
ADHD · advice · fitness · habits · health · mindfulness · motivation · self care

Go Team 2025: Take Care of Today’s You

Christine Hennebury1 Comment

Hey Team,

While trying to strike a balance between overplanning and just kind of winging-it, my ADHD-brain often forgets that there are many options in between those two extremes.

I can have a tentative plan. I can have a list (or jar) of ideas to pick from. I can have a flowchart of if-thens. I can follow a plan and then adjust the pieces that aren’t working for me.

I can…probably think of eight million different ways of approaching the things I want to do.

However, all of the options between those extremes really come down to one thing: It’s always a good idea to be responsive to (and take care of) Today’s Me.

The me who makes plans often imagines perfect conditions for today’s me.

She forgets that I might be busy or sick or uncomfortable or upset or helping someone else or just plain unable to do the things she set out for me to do.

Changing my plans in response to Today’s Me’s needs is not slacking off, it’s not giving up, it’s not getting sidetracked.

Actually, since all of my fitness/well-being goals are really about taking good care of myself long-term, changing my plans in response to Today’s Me’s needs is actually getting me closer to those goals instead of further away.*

Giving myself room to change, adapt, or adjust Past Me’s plans is a vital part of learning to take good care of all versions of myself – past, present, and future.

And the same goes for you, Team.

The steps that lead you toward your goals will not look the same every day. Sometimes you will have the capacity to take bigger steps, sometimes your steps will be smaller, and sometimes you will need to rest. And, of course, the information you gather over time will occasionally lead to you taking a whole different path or choosing a whole different goal.

It only makes sense for you to respond to Today’s You’s needs so you can continue to support all of the versions of you going forward.

Being kind to yourself like this is really a life-long practice, hey? (Yeah, I know. I had kind of hoped I could just learn it once and then keep going, too.)

Here is your gold star for your efforts today whether you are able to respond to Today’s You or whether you are still figuring out what that might look like.

I wish you ease either way.

A small painting of a smiley-faced gold star with black pinstripes in the background.
Image description: A small painting of a smiley-faced gold star with black pinstripes in the background is propped against a green background on my white desk.

*As someone with ADHD, I need to take a close look at whatever Today’s Me wants because I know that the me-of-this-moment may not be great at prioritizing or at thinking long-term. So responding constructively to Today’s Me’s needs might look a little different for me but it’s still important to do it. (I know just how stubborn Tomorrow’s Me will be if I am unkind to Today’s Me!)