Feminist reflections on fitness, sport, and health
This Easter weekend I kept my #30daysofbiking streak alive with J at the farm in Prince Edward County.
J is Sarah’s 12 year old nephew and he’s our frequent weekend fitness and board game companion on family weekends at the farm.
Yes, it was wet and muddy but the fat bike tires are good for that. It turns out that 12 year olds put up with riding uphill in order to zoom downhill. Confession: I love that too.
Join me in the 30 days of biking challenge.
I started off April’s #30DaysOfBiking with some bike commuting between my house and my office. It’s a tiny commute but I got out there.
Here’s what that looks like:
I finished up the first week with some indoor Zwifting. I did the Expand workout.
“What’s your limit? It’s time to expand it. The Expand workout runs you through a series of high-power surges that increase in length. This targets your ability to surge over and over and hold those efforts longer.”
Here’s what the looked like for me:
How about you? How did your first few days of April riding go?
How did your national walking day go?
Thanks to my knees, walking and I have a complicated relationship.
See some of my past posts on this theme.
But these days–thanks to knee replacement surgery on both knees–I’m back to walking again, and I have a new problem and need your advice!
Last week I was in Toronto for the awarding of the Middlebrook Young Curator Prize and I had to walk from the east side of downtown to Queen West. It was raining, but I actually don’t mind walking in the rain. I considered the streetcar, but walking was actually about the same amount of time. I was dressed for the event and wearing nice shoes. My knees didn’t hurt, so I just kept walking, 6 km in total that evening. But by the time I got home, my feet were killing me.
Right after knee surgery, I wore running shoes everywhere, usually my Hokas. See Recovery shoes? Really? But that choice was about my knees, not my feet.
For years, knees have been my limiting factor when it comes to walking. It’s been 10 years or longer since I’ve had sore feet. I haven’t been able to walk far enough to get sore feet. I guess those days are over.
Woo hoo, I can get sore feet again?
Okay, so here’s the advice part, Fit Feminist friends: What do you wear for long walking days? I could just go back to wearing my Hokas all the time. Maybe that’s okay. Or have you found a walking shoe that’s actually somewhat fashionable?
I have Fluevog flats for events like conovocation–I’ve sold all my Fluevog heels–but I want something for walking. Suggestions welcome!
Nat’s reflection on 7 years of CPAP (Nat)
If you’ve ever held back from swimming because of how you look in a swimsuit you should know… (Diane)
Collegiate swim tests on the decline: a good thing or bad thing? It’s complicated (Catherine)
Whining Wednesday: why is it so hard to take–really take– a sick day? (Catherine)
Nat’s brain lies to her (Nat)
I am Officially a Senior Lifeguard (Diane)
The Ankle Bone’s Connected to the Knee Bone, and the Knee Bone’s Connected to the Hip Bone… (Diane)
Medical Decisions Still are Sometimes More Art Than Science (Diane)
I am a person who is good at getting things done.
I do my physio.
Being a person who is good at getting things done is part of my identity.
And yet lately, I’ve been struggling. Not with everything. In the world of fitness, I’m struggling with one very specific, very small thing: doing my daily mobility routine. The routine includes exercises to improve my hiatal hernia, hip mobility movements, and some stretching to maintain the range of motion I worked so hard to get after knee replacement surgery.
I’ve got three different 10-minute routines–one done lying on my yoga mat or in bed, one to be done with a chair, either seated or standing holding the chair for support, and a flow version for when I’m feeling extra good.
My plan is always to do them in the morning. In theory, I’ve got time between when I take mediation and when I can eat breakfast. There’s supposed to be a full hour there! And yet…sometimes between Wordle, and drafting my #ThreeGoodThings and “Hey, Google please play the CBC news” and similarly “Hey, Googling” the weather in Guelph today and showering and putting on coffee and thinking about breakfast and lunch…well, you get the idea.
I’ve written about my 5 to 9 routine here before and admitted that really for me, given my work schedule, it’s more like 5-7 am and I listed some options for what I might do in that time. The options were write, walk Cheddar, ride my bike, or my physio/mobility routine. And yet I’ve mostly managed to do none of those things in the 5 to 7 am time slot! It’s all Wordle, scrolling and going back to sleep. To be fair, that’s also when I share our blog posts to social media, which WordPress won’t do automatically anymore.
I said “mostly” because the week gets a great kick off with all my Monday morning energy going into the Herd’s Morning Morning Coffee Crew ride. And Tuesdays and Thursdays we’re at the gym at 7. The mobility routine has to happen first, before these things. And it’s just 10 minutes.
I could do it while the coffee drips! Actually, that’s not a bad idea. I might try it.
Do you have a small thing you struggle to do? What techniques have worked for you to just get it done? I’m listening….
Whatever the weather outside, it’s definitely spring here in Ontario. And for those of us with summer fitness ambitions, it’s time to ramp up our outdoor activity levels. April 1st is kind of the outdoor hiking/biking/running/paddling January 1st, if you know what I mean. There’s no more winter-weather excuses. It’s time to get out there and do your thing.
(Yes, I know Spring Equinox was March 20th, but for me, it’s really April 1st that feels like the first day of spring.)
I’m looking at the calendar and counting down the days until #30DaysOfBiking begins. (I’ve also got my trainer at the ready in case of snow, freezing rain or other forms of wintry mix get in the way of my outdoor riding plans.) See April’s Gonna Be Pure Joy, Baby
I’m also thinking of trying something new for April 1st, adding a second low-stakes fitness intention. I’m calling it the New Path Protocol.
As a cyclist, I am a total creature of habit. I have my “standard” 20km loop I can sneak in before work, my fave weekend 50 km route, my everday “quick” commute, and my scenic “take the long way” route to campus. I worry that I’ve lived here in Guelph for 8 years and there is still a lot of the city and surrounding area I don’t know.
The New Path Protocol is simple: Commit to taking a different route on my bike at least once a week. Choosing a path just to explore on my daily commute is an act of curiosity. Taking a new path might mean finding beautiful gardens on a side street I usually skip, or on the weekend, on my longer rides, it might mean discovering exactly which gravel trail is currently an unridable swamp. I’m in! Either way, it’s about exploration, not about speed or distance. At the start of the cycling season, I think it will feel good to have some low stakes goals. After all, I’m not a cycling beast anymore!
What about you? Are you a creature of habit who takes the same loop every time, or are you ready to join me in getting a little bit lost this April?
April starts on Wednesday, which means one thing in cycling circles: it’s time for #30DaysOfBiking.
The premise is simple and it’s a challenge that makes me smile — ride your bike every day in April, any distance, any destination, and share your adventures online. #30daysofbiking There’s no minimum. Around the block counts. So does a 100km ride. If you miss a day, just pick up where you left off — this is supposed to be joyful, not punishing. My plan is to ride on my trainer for 20 min on the days when I don’t commute by bike. 30daysofbiking
We’ve written about this challenge before — our post from 2022 is below — and the spirit of it holds up perfectly. If you’re just getting back on the bike after winter, this is a lovely low-pressure way to make it a habit. If you’ve been riding all along, it’s a good excuse to bring friends along.
And as they say on the 30daysofbiking website, “April 1–30, 2026 — April’s gonna be pure joy, baby.”
This year’s challenge runs April 1–30, 2026. Make your pledge at 30daysofbiking.com and tag your rides #30daysofbiking.
Who’s in?
(I am!)
It’s the last few days of March, which means southern Ontario is doing its thing: one day it’s practically summer, the next there’s freezing rain and you’re back in your winter coat wondering what you were thinking. We’ve been here before. Every year.
I wasn’t sure what to wear yesterday when I was heading into Toronto for the awarding of the Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators. (Congrats Casper Sutton-Fosman!) Thursday’s high was 13, and it was very rainy. But the overnight low was -11 with possible snow. I ended up opting for my raincoat and having Sarah bring along my wool winter coat, hat, boots, scarf and mitts in the car. It’s a lot!
This post from 2022 captures that particular late-March feeling perfectly. I’m hoping to ride my road bike this weekend and take the snow tires off my commuting bike, that is if it doesn’t snow again.
We don’t have a regular blogger posting today so it felt worth bringing this older post back this week, when we’re all hovering between winter and spring, waiting for the season to make up its mind.
Some things don’t change. This is one of them.
So as most of you know, many of us here on the blog are members of a group that tracks workouts. The goal is to aim for 226 workouts in 2026.
I’m seeing my sights a bit higher, partly to encourage more dog walking these days. I don’t count all dog walks. The trips around the block don’t get tracked. But for both his health and mind, I’m aiming for more 20 min + walks that are long enough to activate my Garmin tracker as an activity.
I’m aiming for 400 workouts in 2026.
There are 283 days left in 2026. And I’m at workout number 104.
In addition to the Facebook groups, I’m keeping my own log here.
But the reason I’m posting is to celebrate my 100th workout of the year. Of course it was a walk with Cheddar.
It’s spring! Or Fool’s Spring. Or possibly Second Winter, depending on where you live and what the forecast says today. I saw a meme the other day that made me laugh declaring this “wrong coat” season because whatever coat you choose, it’s inevitably wrong. I think I have some coats that are only good for two or three days a year. Blink and you miss them.
I spent my childhood in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and while mostly I’m happy here in Ontario, there are two things I do miss—oceans and spring/fall. Here in Ontario, it seems to go from winter to summer, from freezing to 20 degrees, in a week. The next thing you know, after months of it being too cold, it’s that it’s too hot.
So I try to enjoy the heck out of spring while it’s, all too briefly, here.
So in the spirit of spring I’m choosing optimism — and I’m rounding up some of our posts from the archive to celebrate the season of longer days, outdoor rides, and cautious joy.
Some Past Spring Posts from Fit Is a Feminist Issue
🌸Signs of Spring (Christine, March 2026) — Christine reflects on how March finally lifts the brain fog of February, and finds her favourite sign of spring: noticing it’s become easier to get up and move.
🌸Bring on the Sun! It’s Spring! (Sam, March 2021) — Sam celebrates the return of longer days and the warmth of the sun, and shares her outdoor plans for the season, from cycling trips to sailing.
🌸Checking in for April: It’s Spring! Really Spring! (Sam, April 2022) — Sam’s April check-in, buzzing about finally riding outside again and training for the Friends for Life Bike Rally.
🌸Can Good Christians Be Cyclists? (Sam, March 2016) — A fun look at the age-old spring dilemma: Sunday morning church or Sunday morning bike ride?
🌸Spring!!! (Guest Post) (Jeanne-Marie, May 2014) — The moment the first patch of grass appears, Jeanne-Marie wants to play every sport — but reflects honestly on the frustrations of gender dynamics in co-ed pick-up soccer.
🌸Welcome to Fool’s Spring! (March 2022) — A love letter to that deceptive warm spell in southern Ontario that hints at spring while snow still lurks. Includes the itch to get back on the bike and outside again after a long pandemic winter.
🌸First Time Riding the Millennium Trail (Sam, March 2021) — Sam and Sarah celebrate the first real day of spring with a gravel ride in Prince Edward County — sunshine, mud, smiles, and a very happy dog.\
🌸Sam and Sarah Are Springing Into Cycling Fitness (April 2018) — Spring riding is complicated — the hills seem steeper, the winds stronger, and the gear never quite where you left it — but the excitement of getting back outside makes it all worthwhile.
🌸#30DaysOfBiking: Kicking Spring Riding Off in Style (March 2016) — Sam takes the pledge to ride every day in April, any distance, any destination. A fun low-barrier challenge to kickstart the outdoor season.
🌸I’m a Fairweather Cyclist and I’m Okay with That (Tracy, April 2014) — A warm, honest post about skipping rainy commutes without guilt — and why being selective about conditions doesn’t make you any less of a cyclist.
🌸I Had a Plan — Where Did It Go? (May 2022) — A relatable reflection on losing momentum and having to rebuild it from scratch, starting with one small thing: a daily dog walk.
🌸The Two-Minute Rule: Start Really, Really Small (Tracy, January 2023) — A gentle push to experiment with starting small, especially for anyone with a history of jumping in with both feet and then hitting a wall before the month is out. Applies just as well to spring restarts as to January resolutions.
Hello spring and bye bye snow. I’ll miss the bright snowy days of winter. But not the ice. The ice can just be gone please.
