Author: Jewel of Toronto

fitness

Beautiful views are always worth the hike (Guest post)

Jewel of Toronto

I took my second annual solo vacation to Medellin, Colombia this summer. Although I travel solo for work all the time, I am relatively new to solo vacations. I had passed through Colombia on my way back from hiking in Patagonia a couple of years ago and fell in love with the country; I had heard that Medellin was not only beautiful, but also safe for solo travel.

However, Colombia, and especially the city of Medellin, is still very much living down their infamy of drug-trade violence, kidnapping and poverty. Indeed, everyone from family, friends and colleagues asked why I was going and if I would be safe. Not only was I very safe, I am here to tell you that Medellin has done a lot to increase social welfare by not only investing in education and culture but also transforming public spaces in innovative and creative ways. It’s worth the visit just to learn about that.

But on to the Feminist Fitness!

I took a day tour to the charming village of Guatape in the lake district south of Medellin. We stopped along the way at another tourist attraction, La Piedra del Penol. I wasn’t particularly interested in this attraction, though I had read that the views from the top were quite spectacular.

La Piedra; a daunting 740 steps in the 30C heat (plus humidity).

I didn’t intend to do the climb; the views from the parking lot were quite beautiful so I slowly ambled my way through the tourist trap restaurants, games and attractions. Full disclosure; I have a vestibular disorder which affects my proprioception and I find stairs particularly challenging, and going down is more difficult than up. However, I’m always up for a challenge and by the time I got to the ticket booth, I saw that I still had an hour before I had to return to the bus. I figured I’d give it a go and, if I didn’t make it to the top due to my disorder, fatigue or time, I would simply turn around and come back down.

This was all I needed to psychologically gear me up for the challenge. Once my mental toughness was online, I just marched up those stairs. Okay, truth be told, I took two breaks, but I made it to the top in about 25 minutes, and it was worth it. Breathtaking 360 views unlike anything I’ve ever seen; hazy emerald lakes into the distance with stunning mountains on the horizon. Totally gorgeous.

Getting down was… a bit scary but unlike other climbs I’ve made (Blarney Castle, Hang Mau in Vietnam), there was a hand rail available most of the time! Getting down was fast and safe, to my relief.

I’m super happy I did it! It was great to use the strong self-talk I have in the gym in a new context. The experience also inspired me to recommit to doing all of the things until I literally can’t anymore. It’s so important for me to challenge myself because I find I am consistently stronger than I think, both mentally and physically. This made La Piedra a true life-affirming experience.

I don’t do selfies well (yet).

Jewel of Toronto is a feminist, fitness enthusiast, MBA living and thriving in Toronto. Her likes include pets, pizza and cool leggings.

fitness · Guest Post

On Age Appropriate Activities (Guest Post)

Jewel of Toronto12 Comments

Recently I found myself sweating it out in the gym and thinking to myself “Is HIIT an age-appropriate activity for someone like me (in their mid-forties)?” then I put down the 30lb sandbag and came to my senses; I was actually in the middle of a HIIT workout, and I was killing it.

Let me rewind a little bit. I love lifting weights, I’m not necessarily very strong and I don’t always lift consistently, but its an activity I always come back to when I’m in a fitness slump and it always makes me feel great, both mentally and physically. So naturally I’ve been cross-fit curious and HIIT curious for a number of years. But also scared that just one workout will leave me lying prone and sucking wind.

So when my 30-something neighbour invited me to try F45, a new functional-training HIIT gym that opened around the corner, I decided to finally do it. I’d go slow, I’d lift light and if I hated it I would simply never go back. With a one week free trial there was literally nothing to lose, expect perhaps “face” in front of my younger, fitter, neighbour.

And that’s how I found myself lifting heavier, going harder, and feeling amazing, yet questioning whether I belonged in a studio filled with younger, some much younger, people.

Its something I do now that I’m not as slim or as young as I used to be; whenever I walk into a new gym/restaurant/concert/etc., I check out the crowd; are there many women? What’s the median age? Is the crowd diverse ethnically and in body-shape and size? Are there other grey-hairs in here? Do I fit in? Is it okay for me to be here?

My F45 studio is full of pretty young and pretty fit people and it gets points for diversity of all kinds (thank you Toronto). However, I am definitely among the older folks in class and I’m positive I’m the only woman rocking a head of grey hair. So maybe I’m not exactly the target audience for F45, however, the idea that I shouldn’t be there while I was actually doing the workout seems ludicrous in retrospect but I had a genuine moment of doubt that I can’t shake off.

It’s clear to me now that this self-questioning is a symptom of the whole cultural idea that women have an expiry date and therefore when we reach a certain age or milestone (motherhood, menopause) that it’s no longer okay for us to [fill in the blank]. Wondering if I belonged in a HIIT class was like scolding another woman for wearing a mini skirt after age 40; unfair, arbitrary and sexist.

I choose to do F45 in middle age. I choose to enjoy it, and I choose to not care whether I’m the oldest person in class. If I can do it and I love it, I belong. There’s no age limit on feeling good in your own skin.

Jewel of Toronto is a feminist, fitness enthusiast, MBA living and thriving in Toronto. Her likes include pets, pizza and cool leggings.