Author: Diane Harper

Diane Harper is a retired former public servant who lives and swims (and bikes) in Ottawa. In her hobby life, she is Siglinde Harfnerstochter, a 6th C Merovingian housewife from the city of Metz. Her primary interests are cooking, textile arts and bonecarving. Siglinde lives in the canton of Caldrithig, Barony of Skraeling Althing, Kingdom of Ealdormere.
fitness · health

Recovery is Weird

Diane Harper1 Comment

After several months of frustrating exhaustion following valve repair surgery in April, my sleep is getting better. I am waking up to body battery scores that are much closer to normal. Body battery is what Garmin uses to calculate energy levels. It is calculated by analyzing heart rate, heart rate variability and movement data. It is measured out of 100, with 75+ being well rested and prepared for significant exertion. 50-75 indicates plenty of energy for daily routine. 25-50 means you need to pace yourself or do light activity. 0-25 means your body is depleted.

For a couple of months, I lived in the depleted zone, rarely waking up to a score as high as 30, and dropping every day to 5 (the lowest it tracks). Suddenly this week I started getting scores above 50. On Monday, it was 85 out of 100! By far the best ever. I am even getting some periods identified as “rest” while just sitting and resting. And yet, I am feeling sleepy and wanting lots of naps, and the body battery drops quite quickly during the day.

The other weird thing is that my rate of intensive exercise is still showing ridiculously high. I am normally pretty active, so a goal of 400 intensity minutes a week is perfectly reasonable. It will probably be a bit on the low side once I’m back to weekly swimming, ballet and jazz classes in the fall.

However, last week I did nothing but a couple of short swims, a pilates class, walked to the grocery store twice, and rode my bicycle for 10 minutes. There is no way that should have logged as 900 intensity minutes. That is still an improvement over the previous few months, where I usually logged well over 1000 minutes, and sometimes over 1600. Heck, I hit 161 minutes the week I was in surgery and intensive care!

I was beginning to think my watch was seriously borked, but it turns out that I was the one not working properly. Here’s to a continued increase in rest, and reduced exercise intensity. How often do you hear that on a fitness blog?

Cheers! Various fruity drinks come together as people clink glasses together.
accessibility · swimming

Sometimes Good Things Grow

Diane Harper1 Comment

Way back in 2013, I did my first Bring on the Bay (BOTB) swim, a 3 km swim in the Ottawa River to raise funds for Easter Seals.

In 2016 BOTB started to offer a swim angel program. It’s the largest program of its kind in Canada, and it’s an important contribution to making the event more accessible. I think is that’s very appropriate for an event raising funds for people with disabilities.

Coincidentally, 2016 was the year I had bunion surgery. I was very nervous about swimming that distance as I hadn’t done much training and was afraid I would get a massive foot cramp. My friend Nadine was friends with the guy who had dreamed it up after supporting one of his friends to do the swim the previous year. She offered to be my angel. She swam beside me and it gave me the confidence to keep going (but was prepared to get me help should I need it).

I couldn’t find a picture of us from BOTB that year, but here we are swimming at Meech Lake on a foggy day.

Fast forward a few more years and I was bored of swimming for myself, but thought it would be fun to pay it forward by being an angel. My swim team mate Sarah was interested in doing the race but was nervous because she had no open water experience. I volunteered to be her angel. She did great!

Sarah and I after our swim

The next year, Sarah convinced her mom to try. Irene did the 1.5 km route all in breaststroke. She now comes to Ottawa from Hamilton every year to do the swim.

Irene and I before starting our swim

Last year, I was paired with Penny, who it turns out I knew slightly as she often swam at the pool where I lifeguard. We did the 1.5 km race last year and this year she did the 3 km. Now 83, she was the oldest female swimmer (and may have been the oldest overall) this year.

Penny and I after our swim last year. Ignore that random hand on my shoulder; it is not AI. I cropped the photo.

This year, I was paired with Lisa. She had recently had surgery and was anxious. I was technically still recovering from my surgery but knew I could do the distance. We were well matched and took care of each other.

Lisa and I in the line waiting our turn to get into the water. There were 995 swimmers this year.

Nadine has moved away, but her influence is still felt in the Ottawa swimming community. She introduced me and several other friends to being swim angels. This year there were four of us out of 38 angels who met through her.

And the word has spread within my master’s swim club; four of us were angels, including Sarah, plus our former coach. Not bad for a tiny 35 member club.

Thanks Nadine – you really started something.

fitness

My FIFA Protest Has Turned into Something Pretty Great

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When the Men’s World Cup started, I had complicated feelings. I fell in love with soccer while living in Brazil. I was there for the 1992 event, which Brazil won. Brazilians go all out in their love of the game. We had to shut down my workplace every time the home team played because even public transit was pulled off the roads, leaving employees with no way to get home.

By the time of the Qatar event four years ago, I was pretty much over FIFA’s management of the tournament but I had grown to love the women’s game, which I discovered via the Olympics.

This year’s Cup was shaping up very badly, at least in the USA, what with the treatment of that Somali referee and the entire Iranian team, and I just couldn’t bring myself to give the organizers even a penny of advertising dollars by watching games.

So when I saw repeated slights* to the women in reporting on the men’s game, I bought a ticket to an Ottawa Rapids game. The Ottawa Rapid is part of the Northern Super League of Canadian women’s soccer.

What started out as a bit of a protest instantly became my new favourite summer sports thing to watch. The game was fast and skilled and it was fun to see so many past and future Olympians and Women’s World Cup players up close. I’m not quite ready to commit to season’s tickets because scheduling in the summer is complicated, but I have gone to a second game and have plans to take a friend for a third.

I have previously written about the joys of watching the PWHL, and Sam has written about the queer joy of the WNBA. I’m happy to have another professional league to support.

I have a lot to learn – names of players and teams (I was even confused about what team was playing at my second game – turns out it was Calgary). And how can they run around in the heat, especially with all that long hair touching their backs? I was uncomfortably hot just watching!

Ottawa (in black) makes a corner kick against Calgary (in red) near the Calgary goal. You can just see the ball highlighted against the dark staircase beside the first section of the stands in the background.

*Slights included:

  • claims that the USA could win their first World Cup (the women have won four);
  • Canadian men had scored the first ever Canadian World Cup goal and gotten past the group stage (Canadian women did both, years ago, and this image never gets old);
Janine Beckie, Canadian gold medallist in soccer at the 2020 Olympics, reacts to one of the other panelists saying that Alfonso Davies’ goal against Croatia at the 2022 Men’s World Cup (the first by a Canadian man) was the best moment in Canadian soccer history. This is supposed to be where I describe what’s happening in the image, but I have no words for the expression on her face.
  • Lionel Messi had scored the most World Cup goals (that was Marta, though he since tied her record), and been in the most World Cups at six (that’s actually Formiga, who played in seven, though Marta has also been in six, and is likely to play in next year’s Cup so may also be able to recoup that scoring record);
  • and overlooking Christine Sinclair when talking about greatest players (she scored more international goals than any person and and was at the game when it happened);
  • and all the men getting angry when any of this gets pointed out (patriarchy should not be the default, my dudes).
fitness

Volunteering As Fitness

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FIFI bloggers often write about their adventures fundraising for various causes: Sam’s pedaling for Parkinson’s springs immediately to mind, but she has a whole list of upcoming rides. I often swim at Bring on the Bay, sometimes raising funds for Easter Seals and sometimes supporting other swimmers. As a swim angel, I can’t fundraise directly, but you can support anyone from my club here.

Sometimes, just doing things to make the planet better are also fitness activities. Martha tried plogging. I am still intrigued by the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage.

Last week I spent a whole day being active while volunteering. It’s one of the nicer things about being retired.

First up, I spent two hours picking mulberries with Hidden Harvest, an organization that harvests unwanted fruit and gets it to various agencies addressing food insecurity in Ottawa. It wasn’t super strenuous, but there was plenty of reaching and bending.

My next stop was a three hour shift with the National Capital Commission’s archaeology program. As part of its commitment to reconciliation, the NCC tests every site that might have been used by Indigenous communities before any construction or other work is done. In this case, we dug test pits in a field that is to be reforested.

Each pit is about 18 by 18 inches, and we dug down until we hit undisturbed soil – sometimes two feet or more deep. Every shovelful of dirt then had to be screened for artefacts. I think we managed four holes in three hours. We didn’t find anything of significance, so it looks like the reforestation project will go ahead.

Top: Laila, the archaeology summer student, takes photos and measurements of our work. The dirt we have sifted sits below the sieve on a blue tarp in the foreground, waiting to be returned to the hole once she is done. Bottom: some of the mulberries from our harvest.
family · fitness

A Tale of Two Parents-to be (Toxic Masculinity in Sport)

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This week two birth stories made the news in my corner of the sports world. The reaction to them shows we still have a long way to go in gender equality.

Jérémy Doku, a member of the Belgian soccer team playing in the men’s World Cup, returned to Belgium from the USA on Sunday to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. It meant he missed the game against Iran that day. Many commenters were not kind, to put it mildly. One French commentator even called it “disgusting”.

Doku’s wife gave birth on Monday and both she and the baby are reportedly doing well. Doku is scheduled to be back with the team in time for Friday’s game

Meanwhile, Blayne Turnbull, captain of the PWHL Toronto Sceptres, announced she is expecting a baby in December. Reaction from fans has ranged from “amazing” to “I wonder how maternity leave works in the PWHL?”

Blayre Turnbull and her husband with a stuffed bunny sit in a grassy area with trees in the background. Her husband is wearing a cap that says “Dad” and she is holding a picture of an ultrasound. Image is taken from her Instagram page.

For the record, the PWHL Collective Bargaining agreement says that “the League must continue a Benefits Eligible Player’s base Salary and all other benefits in the event of pregnancy until the earlier of such time as the Player is cleared to return to play by both the Player’s medical doctor and a Team physician or the end of the League Season in which pregnancy-related disability commences.” I’m not thrilled with calling it a disability, but otherwise it’s not a bad deal.

Maybe part of the reaction reflects a slightly older tradition in Canada where women athletes face less discrimination if they choose to have families while competing. Since 2024, athletes funded by Sport Canada no longer have to use their precious injury card for pregnancy. Previously, it would have left them extremely vulnerable should they have an actual injury.

Sure, it’s elite athletes and their reality is different. But it is still very sad to see how toxic masculinity can be cruel to an expectant dad.

fitness · food

Sardinemaxxing – New trend or Just Another Gimmick?

Diane Harper2 Comments

Move over cottage cheese! Apparently sardinemaxxing is now a thing. Maxxing seems to be a thing more generally. I wrote about nonnamaxxing , but there is also looksmaxxing, proteinmaxxing and mommaxxing, and probably more. Sam even sent me a poster of Guelphmaxxing from the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences at University of Guelph. Canada’s intermittent cottage cheese shortages are attributed to the proteinmaxxing trend.

Now sardines are all the rage on places like TikTok and Instagram, and a friend tells me that there are shortages in Portugal (possibly because the trendiest sardine brands are from Spain and Portugal). At least sardines are a good source of protein and fatty acids, and are relatively inexpensive.

This was a silly trend I could happily jump on as I learned about sardinemaxxing the same week as a friend posted her weekly crazy recipe (usually something vintage with terrible food photography). It was Sardine Stuffed Lemons.

The recipe comes from New Creative Cookery with Davis Gelatine (an Australian company), published in 1985.

I love experimenting with ridiculous vintage recipes and I like sardines and horseradish. I skipped the gelatine and cream, choosing to use mayonnaise instead.

Homemade sardinemaxxing attempt. Sardines with horseradish, lemon juice and mayonnaise in two half lemons, with some fennel leaves to decorate and lemon wedges on lettuce leaves at the side.

As I was finishing up, I realized I had eaten the last of my bread at lunch. Undeterred, I dumped the contents of half a lemon into a bowl full of greens. It was actually quite tasty and I would eat it again. It did remind me of the green salads topped with cottage cheese or tuna or chicken salad that were popular in the 60s and 70s.

I’m going to call my effort a gimmick because it was more effort than it was worth. But simplified a bit? That’s a trend I could get behind.

fitness

Listening to my Body

Diane Harper1 Comment

Since my surgery almost two months ago, I have struggled with the fitness regime assigned by the Heart Institute. It’s boring!

I didn’t mind when I had to do short walks and that took all my energy. But once I hit two half-hour walks a day, I lost all enthusiasm. After all, that was a 15 minute walk from my house, then 15 minutes to get home, twice a day. I have lived in my house for more than 35 years and know every nearby garden and most of the dogs. I need variety!

On top of that, the rest I was supposed to get wasn’t very restful, which just made me crankier.

So I did what every bad patient does and started making up my own exercise routines. First it was short bike rides, then an hour-long jazz class (so tired after but also so energized by seeing friends!). I added in swimming as soon as my incisions were closed. Most recently, I have returned to ballet class.

Me in my green bathing cap and goggles after my first swim. I was much happier than my goggle eyes make me look.

I have an appointment with the hospital physiotherapist to talk about my cardiac rehab program in a couple of weeks. She has already been warned that I would be pushing the limits of the normal recommendations, and said it would probably be okay as long as I listened to my body.

So I’m listening: early to bed, sleeping up to 10 hours a night, napping when I need to, lots of protein, fruits and vegetables.

Hopefully I’m doing well enough on the cardio goals that I won’t get lectures and I’ll end up with an approved exercise regime built around the things I enjoy.

If you have ever done rehab following illness or surgery, did you follow instructions exactly, or were you tempted to do more or less? How did that work out for you? Let me know in the comments.

eating · fitness

No Meat May

Diane Harper1 Comment

I know May is over but I thought it was worth talking about this anyway.

Why do this challenge? It can be a fun way to increase your use of meat alternatives. If done right, vegetarian or vegan eating can help you increase your intake of fibre and essential nutrients, and help reduce the production of greenhouse gases.

I am not a vegetarian, let alone a vegan, but I am increasingly a less-meat person. I have often been inspired to eat meat-free dishes because I have found a a few great vegan websites to help me use vegetables from my CSA basket. But this year, I owe particular thanks to my friend Sandra.

Sandra loves to cook. It’s one of the shared interests that brought us together as friends. She did No Meat May and posted about it almost every day. Sometimes I was inspired to try her recipes. Sometimes I shared vegetarian recipes I thought she might enjoy. Sometimes, there was no recipe. Just vibes. (Sandra’s description of one of her soups)

I have focused on home cooking because that’s important activity to me. However, Sandra has a full-time job, volunteers with a cat rescue, and has a social life. She sometimes buys take-out and uses frozen or pre-made dishes/ingredients. Those meals also looked great. There are many reasons to do that, from time constraints to disability or simply dislike of cooking.

We’re now solidly into June and I’m still happily eating mostly beans and cheese for my protein (but I have two tofu recipes planned for later in the week). Thanks for the inspiration Sandra!

A selection of Sandra’s no-meat May meals: soups, salads, vegetarian Sloppy Joes, and Welsh rarebit.
fitness

Lessons from Dad

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It has been just over a year since Dad died, and and now I’m the one dealing with multiple health diagnoses. The heart is on the mend, following surgery for a condition that I had no idea about until my doctor caught it while checking for bronchitis. I’m on a waitlist to see someone about the concerning lumps on my thyroid, discovered when I went for a pre-operative CT scan. I’m finally getting around to being tested for sleep apnea after the nurses in hospital asked whether I had it.

In all three cases, there were signs I should have been paying attention to, but ignored. Dad ignored or downplayed his symptoms until nothing could be done. I’m trying really hard (now) to break that pattern of behaviour.

I think of these things as mostly being lessons from Dad, but some come from Mom too. Was it a generational thing? Or just my family dynamics? Thankfully it doesn’t seem to have been passed on to my kids so hopefully they have learned the lessons already.

  • Listen to your body;
  • Consider that what you are telling yourself is normal for your body may actually just mean you are stubborn;
  • Admit when things hurt or feel wrong;
  • Ask for help;
  • If you can’t ask, at least accept help when it’s offered;
  • Read up on what is considered “normal” so at least you have some sort of baseline for assessing whether you should be worried, or feel free to carry on with whatever gives you joy.
A smiling woman wearing dark clothes rides a blue bicycle with an orange basket on the front. She has both her feet off the pedals, stretched forward. Having done this just last week, I am pretty sure she is saying “wheeeee!”
athletes

Go Sports Ball!

Diane Harper1 Comment

I’m writing this on my way to the Ottawa-Montreal hockey game. It has been an exciting season and series, and I can only hope that there will be one final game after tonight.

The Ottawa Charge celebrates a win at centre ice. Note the painted logo. It’s a big deal – really!

I didn’t expect to become such a big fan. I had watched Hockey Night in Canada as a kid because that was the only option in my two-channel, one TV household. A girls team was formed when I was in high school, but I wasn’t allowed to join. Later, I became a hockey mom for my son’s sake; but that wasn’t about the brilliant hockey – sorry kiddo!

As a feminist and a Canadian, I celebrated the achievements of Canadian women at the Olympics and other international tournaments. I was proud to see the achievements of some of those stars after their playing days ended.

I should have cheered even more for the dedication of those women who played for years with minimal sponsorship and no salaries, and only the occasional tournament to hone their skills.

But suddenly, women’s professional sports are having a moment.

The atmosphere at games over the three years of the PWHL’s existence has been phenomenal. It’s almost as much fun to watch the excitement of young girls dreaming of playing professionally as it is to watch the pros themselves. Attendance is skyrocketing (I expect a new playoff attendance record will have been set by the time you read this).

When the season ends, there will be options for the first time in my life: I can go to professional soccer games here in Ottawa, or follow the new basketball team in Toronto. New mixed team configurations in both traditional and para-sports are drawing my attention to things like curling, speed skating and athletics too.

Of course the women earn a pittance compared to their male counterparts, but there have been some modest moves towards parity in certain sports, and there is definitely a sense that the PWHL Players Association will be negotiating aggressively for more lucrative contracts now that they are a proven commodity.

Maybe that’s part of the reason so many of us older women are such fervent fans. We fought so hard for equality in our careers that we want to do what we can to help advance the careers of others.

I know for a fact that many of us are there celebrating a future our fourteen-year-old selves couldn’t have imagined.