Feminist reflections on fitness, sport, and health
Author: Sam B
Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.
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.
🌸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.
Who blogged? Sam, Christine, Catherine, Diane and Natalie
How many times did we blog? 7. It was a light blogging week. We posted just once a day. That’s rare around here.
And what did we blog about, anyway?
As an experiment I asked the AI assistant Claude to summarize our blog’s themes for the week. Here’s what Claude has to say, “It’s a week that holds both the celebratory (Paralympians, art, spring) and the frustrating (sick day guilt, swimsuit anxiety, sleep struggles) — which feels very true to the blog’s general sensibility. No easy wellness wins, but a lot of honest reckoning with what it actually means to live in a body.”
Here on the blog we often jokingly say, “move it, move it, ” echoing those famous fitness ambassadors, the lemurs in the Madagascar movie.
But maybe we ought also to say, “make it, make it.”
The arts are emerging as a fifth, evidence-based pillar of health—alongside diet, sleep, exercise, and nature.
My role as an arts dean rarely overlaps with my role here on the blog, and yet last night’s panel discussion on why the arts matter got me thinking about the connections. The panel featured new faculty members in the arts at the U of Guelph, including Rebecca Barnstaple who works in our new Bachelor of Creative Arts, Health, and Wellness. Her main work is in dance and neuroscience, but on the panel she was talking more generally about the ways in which the arts impact health.
In my life, I’m mostly a passive consumer of the arts. This weekend I went to Tafelmusik’s Celebration of Bach on Friday night, and on Saturday we went to see a student production of Into the Woods. I really enjoyed both, but I suspect that attending plays and concerts doesn’t have the same health impact as making art. I don’t sing in a choir or practise dance. YetI love that when I was searching for past posts on the subject, I found that many other bloggers deliberately make room for making art in their lives. Check out all the posts by Christine and Nat on the subject. Cate and the other Samantha chime in too.
How about you? What do you do that fits into this fifth pillar of health?
Past blog posts on art and well-being:
Crafts and Making Things
1. Handicraft, repetitive stress injuries and keeping nimble fingers— Natalie Hebert, January 30, 2016 A post on how knitting, crocheting, sewing, and needlepoint can actually prevent repetitive stress injuries by cross-training muscles and connective tissues, alongside reflections on yarn crafts as anxiety relief — “I joke that knitting and crocheting helps me turn my ball of anxiety into lovely items” — and on how making things connects the author to women in her life.
2. Big arms and making bread— October 1, 2016 Another post by Nat and this one touches on the emotional and sensory satisfactions of bread-making — the pride of a finished loaf, the smell, the physical feel — framing it as a pleasurable activity that “adds punctuation to the day.”
Music
3. The effect of music on Christine’s brain: A (very) small sample experiment — Christine Hennebury, May 17, 2022 Christine, who has ADHD, experiments with cello music as a tool for focus and calm, reporting that it produces the same “sensory-soothing” effect as a weighted shoulder wrap or lying in a hammock. She describes playing it while meditating, drawing, colouring, or reading and feeling herself sinking deeper into those relaxing activities.
Dance and Movement as Creative Practice
4. Dancing in the kitchen with Christine— Christine Hennebury, December 17, 2024 Christine writes about the joy of kitchen dancing as a form of movement and creative self-expression — informal, accessible, and mood-lifting.
5. Better when I’m dancing— Cate, September 13, 2019 Cate reflects on spontaneously dancing around her barbell during rest periods at the gym, finding that playful, musical movement during workouts lifts her mood and changes how she experiences exercise.
Storytelling as Creative Health Practice
6. Christine’s April Plans— Christine Hennebury, April 1, 2025 Christine opens with a school storytelling tour, observing that storytelling is great for her mental health — especially combined with breaking routine and spending time with a friend — and that the creative work also boosts her physical wellbeing by making movement feel more natural.
Art and Body Image
7. My Body is not the Unfortunate Container for my Personality — and Other Lessons I Learned Art Modeling — Guest post by Samantha Walsh, January 30, 2015 A guest post exploring art modelling as a practice that challenged and transformed the author’s relationship with her body, connecting art, embodiment, and health.
“Rather than filling Friday night with errands or social plans, fredagsmys makes rest the focus. “Fredagsmys, literally ‘cozy Friday,’ is a Swedish tradition of staying in after work on Friday to spend time with friends and family, playing board games, watching TV, and having snacks,” says Eugene Grudnikoff, MD, staff psychiatrist at Radial. “Swedish tacos, blankets, and lit candles create a relaxed atmosphere to end the workweek and mindfully shift into the weekend.”
This weekly ritual in Sweden is especially common during the winter, when people are more inclined to intentionally slow down and stay indoors at the end of the workweek. “You let the lights down, wear comfortable clothes, eat some easy and comforting food, like snacks or take-out,” says Eleni Nicolaou, PhD, art therapist and creative wellness coach at Davincified. According to her, the ritual works because it creates a clear transition from work mode to resting mode that reinforces a sense of predictability and psychological safety.”
My two cents: While I am a big believer (for me, I know it’s not best for everyone) in working when I’m working and taking weekends off, and I like the idea of rituals to mark transitions, this sounds too cozy for me. What am I doing this Friday? Going into the big city for dinner with friends and a concert. Saturday I’ll ride my bike and go to a play. Sunday might be anti-gravity restorative yoga. There will definitely be dog walks. Barring an emergency on campus, there’ll be no work work, though there will be some cleaning and housework. Maybe what this tells me is that I don’t need help shifting into weekend mode. Weekend mode comes pretty naturally. I think if I could pick one summer Friday ritual it might be an after work bike ride and a backyard BBQ with friends after. How about you? What do you think of the cozy Friday idea?
Nap Day is celebrated on the Monday after the move to Daylight Saving Time. That’s today. Yawn!
Founded to encourage rest and combat lost sleep, this unofficial holiday promotes taking a 20-30 minute “power nap” to boost alertness, improve mood, and enhance productivity. You can read more about Nap Day here.
The Joy of Napping (March 10, 2023) — Guest poster Amy Smith on her love of napping and the question of who gets to nap in public.
Happy Nap Day! (March 11, 2024) — Sam’s roundup post for National Napping Day, linking to past nap posts and mentioning her Philosophy office nap setup (yoga mat, pillow, alpaca blanket).
This past week Sarah and I flew to Calgary. We then spent five days touring around the Rockies. We also visited the youngest of the adult kids. They are working at a ski resort out there.
Sarah did some skiing, but mostly we did a lot of walking. We had some beautiful hikes in the snow.
Here’s what that looks like on my Google Fit report.
But it looks much better in pictures.
Here we are walking on one of the trails at the Nordic Centre at Panorama Ski Resort, where Miles is working.
Here we are walking with a friend’s adult kid who is living outside Canmore. We had a great dog hike with her and with Sneetches, a retired sled dog.
And here’s Cheddar and me on our first day back. It was our first double-digit hike–sunny, windy, wet, and so much melting ice and snow. I’m excited about after-work dog walks now that the evening light is back, thanks to the time change.
Initially, I chose Stretch. I thought about Reach. You can spot a trend here. They all have in common a theme of growth, meeting new people, trying new things, learning new skills, and pushing out of my comfort zone.
That went so well that I’ve signed up for skating lessons. Sarah and I both think we need them after a wonderful weekend at Arrowhead, Sam’s winter weekend triathlon, where the cross-country skiing and the snowshoeing went very smoothly, but the skating not so much. It turns out, that for us at least, skating isn’t like riding a bike. And even riding a bike might not be like that for you.
Starting Tuesday evenings in April, we’re signed up for Skate Canada learn-to-skate here in Guelph at the rink near Exhibition Park.
