We have had some spectacular rain over the past week in London, Ontario.
I got to give my new rain boots a good test. I bought the boots and this is not a paid post.
A black rubber ankle boot with a neoprene upper and leather pull tabs.
In the spring I had bought Michel clogs from kamik. They are a Canadian footwear company. He is really happy with the insole structure, fit and how grippy the soles are so I decided to give the company a try.
I have beefy calves so I prefer an ankle boot. I especially like that the insole and tread are well structured.
There’s a small wedge on the back of the heel that you put your other foot on for a hands free take off. Perfect!
The boots have an anime look, which I also love.
I’m a proponent of the adage “there’s no bad weather, there’s just bad gear.” We are expecting a very wet fall and early winter because of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that brings warm, moist air over the continent. I also have movement goals I am looking to meet.
My kids got me an MEC raincoat many years ago for Christmas and it is still going strong. This is partly because I only wear it when it’s really coming down.
A black and white photo of a rainy day with a person holding an umbrella
It might be growing up in the woods, my time in the military or that I’m eccentric but I’d rather get a bit damp from a light rain than sweat in my raincoat. I often joke that “I won’t melt” but also “there’s infinite dry clothes at home.”
Despite some quite rainy days this week, Michel, Lucy and I got our two walks in each day. Sometimes we lucked out and were walking between showers but there were also a few downpours.
Our neighbourhood crossing guard always remarks that we are out every day, no matter what. It feels good to be equipped to keep the promise to myself of walking every day.
My red and white dog, Lucy, sitting on grass in dappled shade. She’s a real handful!
On October 7, I made a plan for 10 activities for the 10th month and even though October included a storytelling festival, a week of rain, a week of being sick, and quite a bit of volunteer work, I still managed to do 8 out of 10 activities.
Here’s what got done:
Flail along with a Zumba dance video – Rating: BIG FUN.
Do a yoga video that is longer than 30 minutes – Rating: Hard to stick with it.
Do a meditation session that is longer than 10 minutes – Rating: No problem!
Do a strength training session with exercise bands – Rating: Enjoyable! I’m going to stick with it.
Write in my journal while on the floor – Rating: My body liked it.
Spend at least 20 minutes stretching – Rating: Loved it! I’ve made it a regular practice.
Try a kickboxing video – Rating: Pretty fun. I’ll do more.
Plant bulbs for next spring – Rating: Satisfying! I didn’t plan all of the bulbs but I did some and I’m happy about it.
I enjoyed all of these activities and I was really glad I chose them.
I was also really glad that I had the slight pressure of having publicly committed to them. Without that commitment, I might have let a few of them slide and that would have been a shame.
I really feel that pushing myself a little bit to get these things done added to my fun this month.
I actually did many of the exercise-related ones more than once and I have gotten back into leaving my yoga mat unfurled on the living room floor so I can stretch whenever I watch TV – a beneficial habit, for sure.
As for the ones I didn’t get done?
I’m happy to report that I don’t feel badly about those at all.
I may not have been able to…
Meet someone for a walk instead of for tea
Walk to a meeting
But that was because of circumstances, weather, and timing, it had nothing to do with my interest, willingness, or motivation. None of my meetings happened to be within walking distance and I ended up having to cancel my plans to meet for a walk instead of for tea because I was sick.
So with a satisfying success rate for 10 things for the 10th month, I’m now considering 11 things for the 11th month (a.k.a. My BIRTHDAY MONTH!)
There are some repeats in here but I’m cool with that.
Journal while sitting on the floor once a week
Practice those three tricky TKD patterns for at least 30 minutes (total)
Try a calisthenics video
Continue the stretch band strength training program from October
Ok, so they aren’t all that spooky but I thought you might like to try one (or more!) of these themed workouts that I found recently.
You’re going to workout anyway so you might as well maximize your fun, right?
Speaking of maximizing my fun, here’s a drawing of a skeleton on a skateboard that was part of a drawing challenge I’m doing this month.
In this still image from Kate Carmela’s YouTube short she has her arms outstretched and her feet apart while standing on a blue mat. There are some pumpkins, a lantern, and a replica of the ‘Audrey’ plant from Little Shop of Horrors in the background. The instructor is wearing all black, and has black hair that is partially pinned up in buns on the back of her head and she is smiling. Her shirt says ‘If you’ve got it, haunt it’ and her pants are deliberately ripped and shredded from just above her knee down to her ankle. In the upper left is text reading ’60s Dracula Step Out.’
In the still image from “get spooked with this Halloween dance workout“ from Kate Carmella the instructor is standing in the centre wearing black workout clothes and pretending to be scared. The background is purple with orange highlights down at the bottom. There are a variety of plants within the orange highlights kind of casting shadows on the back wall, there are bats and clouds up at the top and there’s an image of a ghostly sort of mask in the upper right hand corner.
The still image for this Halloween/Samhain yoga class for all levels by Nourished Natasha is divided in two parts. The right hand side has an orange background and black sections with the title of the video in white. The left-hand side shows the instructor back on in a black halter top and dark red leggings. She’s leaning to the right with her right hand on a block and her left hand in the air doing what seems to be an adaptation of triangle pose (there are several poses that look similar to this that I get mixed up.) in the background or a variety of esoteric Halloween props that reference tarot, fortunetelling and palmistry.
The still image for this Fun and Easy Beginner Level Chair Exercise video from OT Sara for Seniors features the instructor sitting on a chair in front of a fireplace in the daytime with some plants in the background on either side, a black cat decoration on the floor on her right and a stack of pumpkins decoration on the floor on her left. She is wearing cat ears and a top that seems to be leopard printed and black pants. She’s wearing a headset microphone and she has both of her arms up on the right hand side and I think she’s doing some sort of like cat paw motion with them.
This image from Phoenix Physical Therapy’s Instagram shows a list of activities to do in a circuit. The background is black. There are two green zombie arms reaching into the middle of the image, there were cobwebs in the upper corners and text at the top says Halloween Survival Workout. the list of activities are as follows: Zombies run! 30 seconds fast feet, flying bats – better duck 15 squats, hold very still – 30 second plank, zombies again- 30 seconds fast feet, jump over the graves -10 tuck jumps, stay low to the ground – 10 push-ups, try to sneak by – 10 walking lunges. Oh no here it goes again repeat three times.
Getting all my lights ready–my bike lights for my commute, my light alarm clock that gradually brightens the room while it’s still dark outside, and my anti-SAD lamp that I turn on over breakfast or in my office if I forget.
What I’m thinking about:
There are two very different approaches to the dark days of late autumn. The first is maximizing light exposure and time outside. That’s the way I tend to go. The second is embracing the dark and leaning into fall. Think cozy, think indoors, think comfort food, and soft blankets. Mostly that’s not my speed but this year I might give it a go some of the time.
There are two problems with fall riding. The first is the early dark. Mostly that’s a weekday problem but just a few weeks ago Sarah and I had to sprint back to the car after my birthday bike ride. The second is how busy the fall is for anyone who works at a university.
The answer? Little bike rides
This weekend Sarah and I rode 15 km with our friend Rob just north of London, and then on Sunday we rode another 25 km west of Guelph.
I have to get over the idea that it’s not worth changing into bike clothes and getting out my road bike for anything less than 50 km.
The colours were lovely. It’s still warm outside. And we had fun flying down the road, racing to stop signs, and swooping up and down rolling hills. One road in Guelph was both newly resurfaced (” refurbished” said the sign) and closed to all but local traffic. Zoom! Zoom!
Soon it will be dark and cold and wet and we’ll be Zwifting the nights away, but for now we’re going to keep riding outside, even if they’re just little bike rides.
Hi readers– it’s now November, with built-in darkness, leaf lossage, and weather that’s heading chillier and windier. October was a very busy month for me, with a bunch of work and other writing deadlines, as well as some fun outings with friends. As a result, I missed out on implementing October theory.
As far as I can tell, it’s one of the latest TikTok-dreamed-up fads. This one involves not waiting until almost January to focus on completely revamping your life through resolutions, vision boards, grandiose plans, and perhaps even new gym memberships that can be abandoned even before the new year comes around.
Seriously, what “October theory” (I am wondering, does the “theory” part refers to) seems to amount to is some TikTok users panicking about either a) lack of new content to send out to their followers, or b) that fact that it’s fall and they haven’t cleaned out their closets or been to the gym since March. So, they declare October to be the new New Year, complete with reflection, resolution-making and embarkation on life-changing journeys.
“People are like…if I want to make changes in my life and improve myself before the New Year and before January, this is the time,” Chloe Van Berkel, a New York-based college student with over 72,000 followers on TikTok, in a video on the first of the month. It has acquired over 133 thousand likes and over 500 comments.
Here is “October theory” explained in more detail.
But what’s wrong with waiting until January for reassessment and purchasing gym memberships? Minor celebrity Ryan Seacrest’s online show panelists have an answer.
“They claim that it is an optimal month for a glow-up or a major transformation.” And, to counter the dread of the sunlight hours getting shorter and cold weather coming, taking back some control before January 1st by trying something new may feel empowering. As Seacrest put it, “Starting in January is sad.”
Starting in January is sad? Hmphf. I beg to differ. First, fall is very busy for most of us, what with all the decorating and cooking and turkey-trot 5Ks that we may or may not enter. Who has time for reflection and reassessment of our souls’ desires and needs? Which leads to second, January is a pretty slow month. Apart from searching out linen sales and continuing to vacuum up pine needles from the living room rug, there’s less to do. Perfect time for making life-changing lists. And third, January is, after all, the first month of the calendar year, which ought to give it increased consideration.
Seriously, folks: October theory notwithstanding, I think it’s good to take some time to pause and reflect on our life habits. We may want to make some changes, and giving ourselves some space to think about what to change and what to change into makes sense. And whenever you find time for that process is a good time.
Yes, in some ways January makes sense. It’ is, after all, 1/1. But January has become burdened with the pressure of being the Imma-change-my-life-now month. Both Samantha and I have written about this:
Honestly, it doesn’t have to be February, either. Any month, any day, any time, is a potential good time for self-reflection and consideration of change.
But not October, please! I’m way too busy.
How about you, dear readers? Did anyone catch October theory fever? Did you ever hear about it? I’d love to hear from you.
Okay, these workouts aren’t spooky at all but since I’m a fan of Halloween, of costumes, and of anything that really leans into a theme, I thought it would be fun to share a few Halloween-inspired workouts.
If you want to celebrate Halloween in a fitness-y sort of way, these YouTube videos and Instagram posts will let you mix some extra fun into your workout.
You could even try working out in costume – but maybe hold off on the facepaint until it’s time to trick or treat, I don’t know if sweaty makeup would be very much fun.
Anyway, here are some ideas for you to try:
This 30 minute video features Ella, the host of Ella’s Wheelchair Workouts, and she’s wearing a witch hat, a cape, and she has a spider drawn on her face. Ella uses a wheelchair and her videos are filmed in her living room.
This Halloween Chair Workout from Chair One Fitness features three people in costume (two in witches hats, fitness clothes, and stripey socks and one in a red wig and fitness clothes) sitting in chairs for their workout.
This Halloween Hits Dance Workout video from MadFit has the instructor in slightly spooky workout clothes – black shorts and a black top with a skeletal rib cage printed on it.
Adriene from Yoga with Adriene posted this ‘Yoga for Lizards’ video earlier this week and seeing her in her lizard costume cracked me up. She also has a Halloween Yoga playlist that’s an interesting way to explore a Halloween theme.
This post from Anderson Town Leisure Centre provides a list of HIIT exercises related to the letters in the word Halloween for us to try for one minute each with one minute rest between rounds. H- High Knees, A- Alternating Lunges, L – Lateral Jumps, L- Leg Raises, O- Overhead Press, W – Wall Sit, E – Elbow Plank, E- Explosive Burpees, N – Narrow Push-ups.
This post from Get Fit with Jess has a Halloween-themed circuit to repeat three times. 1 minute walking lunges, 30 sec tricep dips, 1 minute squats, 30 sec pushups, 1 minute jumping jacks, 30 sec bicycle crunch, 1 minute elbow plank, 30 sec mountain climbers.
This post from Impulse Rehab Wellness has a funny reason for us to do each exercise in their “Halloween Survival Workout – Zombies! Run! – 30 seconds fast feet, Flying bats, better duck! – 15 squats, Hold very still – 30 second plank, Zombies again! – 30 seconds fast feet, Jump over the graves – 10 tuck jumps, Stay low to the ground – 10 push-ups, Try to sneak by – 20 lunges. Oh no here it goes again! – Repeat three times.
I get that you might not want a silly theme for every workout (but I think *I* kinda do) but it could be a good way to shake things up and add a little extra enjoyment to your fitness plans this week.
If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you already know that I’ve been in the throes of botanical garden fever all year long. And a couple of weeks ago I wrote about night garden walking, lured by the promise of artful lights strewn on and around the flora. Well, the season of night lights in gardens is officially under way. My friend Janet and I recently went to Illumination Night at Garden in the Woods, an event exclusively for members. Spoiler alert: it was big fun.
The main path through the area– a cross between garden and woods, hence the name– was lit up with luminaries/luminaria(s) with real flickering votive candles inside. We were first greeted by a welcome-barn and then a lights arbor, showing us to the path.
As we entered the area, a swirl of lights greeted us.An arbor of colored lights to walk through– then we’re on the path.
Once on the path, there were the luminaries to guide us the whole way through.
It was very dark, but the luminaries guided us.The luminaries were all different patterns. Here’s one with stars.
There were loads of people there, and tons of kids delightedly running around. I heartily approved; having permission to roam around in nature after dark is a delight. And we were rewarded with a variety of cool lights– some dotting the landscape, and others grouped for maximum coolness.
A grouping of leaf-covered paper edifices, lit from within. Hundreds of colored lights in glass jars dotted a hillside.This line of white lights looked a bit like single track mountain bike trail.
And of course, because it was close to Halloween, there had to be some more ominous lights: the eyes watching us.
A pair of lighted eyes– out there in the dark, watching.
Once we got through the route, the lights were on again. We were greeted with a brightly-lit area with food vendors, picnic tables and a fire pit to hang out around.
People hung out and chatted and ate beneath strung colored paper lanterns.A few lucky folks snagged chairs at the fire area.
Of course, what outing would be complete with the obligatory selfies? I say selfies because we took two: one light and one dark. You can determine for yourself which one is better.
Janet and me. light version.Me and Janet, with glow stick accessories.
When I googled “lights at botanical gardens” I got a ton of information about the shows being put on all over the place. I already have my tickets for the Solstice walk at Mount Auburn Cemetery in mid-December, but I will be looking for more opportunities to get outside at night, strolling and chatting and oohing and aahing over lights at night.
Dear readers, have you been to any garden light events at night? Any plans to do so? I’d love to hear about it.
