Tag: group post

Fit is a Feminist bloggers: our favourite non-alcoholic drinks
fun · habits

Fit is a Feminist bloggers: our favourite non-alcoholic drinks

natalieh (she/her)Leave a comment

I love a good group post. Last month I did a three part series called “Thirsty Thursday”. It got a lot of traction, especially from friends and colleagues, people want to talk about other options than drinking alcohol while out on the town or celebrating at home. Here’s our favourites.

Catherine

Honestly, right now I’m treating myself to the occasional fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice. Several evenings this week I poured myself a small glass half-full of OJ, and drank it with great pleasure. The tart citrus, the texture of pulp, even the bright orangey-yellow color are sensory delights during the dark cold winter. It’s intense, so it’s perfect for sipping. I am squeezing grapefruits myself for the next round of after-dinner citrus concoctions. Yes, you add grenadine for color/flavor-sweetness, and/or seltzer or tonic for fizz, but at the moment I’m into the pure power of citrus.

Sam

I’m a big fan of Geez Louise. The company is Canadian and women-owned. The drink is
prebiotic sparkling water with 5g of plant-based fiber, zero sugar, and no sweeteners. I like Melon Mint best,
Lemon Lavender second best, and
Grapefruit Basil third.

There’s a lot I can’t drink now, coffee after noon, very carbonated beverages any time. Luckily I’m happy with plain water most of the time. Also, mint tea. But the Jeez Louises taste good and don’t upset my stomach so they’re a win.

A picture of four cans of Geez Louise Melon Mint.

Elan

I haven’t tried this yet but the Juicer at Pearl Morrisette, One of only a few two Michelin star restaurants in Ontario, creates a tisane with herbs infused in water, then mixes with a fresh pressed juice. The result is depth and complexity without too much sweetness. Try infusions with basil, nettle, sea buckthorn, oregano, or lavender!

Martha

The Carbon Bar has a great mocktail menu. My favourite mocktail is any variation of a Moscow mule. I love the zip the non alcoholic ginger beer gives to fruit syrups!

It’s in Toronto. It’s also quiet, conducive to conversation and the meal we had there a few years ago was lovely.

Diane

I love my sparkling water with a splash of flavouring. I use a SodaStream because it creates less waste, and preferred flavours are lemon or some sort of shrub (an old syrup recipe that I make using fruit, vinegar and sugar). You can find the recipe here:https://siglindesarts.wordpress.com/2024/01/01/rhubarb-shrub/

A funnel shaped crystal glass containing a drink the colour of ginger Allie on a white lace tablecloth.

Tracy

Day to day I like flavoured sparkling water. But my favourite two mocktails are both at Planta: the cucumber mule and the cosmic colada. So good.

Nicole

I have had some good shrubs and similar in restaurants, but really, I’m happy with good coffee – or – a Diet Coke!

Cate

I like RISE hibiscus kombucha for a sparkling middle of the day treat.

Nat

There are so many great mocktails. My favourites are Edna’s mojito. It’s crisp and served over a glass full of ice so the tall can goes far.

Clever G&T is available at grocery stores in Ontario and is a modest price point.

Chill Street Gin Fizz from Nova Scotia is tangy and blueberry flavored.

As a side note, I loved reading everyone’s go to drinks. I remember the first fresh squeezed orange juice I ever had. It was in Florida and it tasted like sunshine.

Often I’m looking for complexity or intensity of flavour, a different kind of stimulation than water, tea or coffee.

I hope you found inspiration to try something new!

fitness

What’s one way to make today better than yesterday? #GroupBlogPost #June #DailyWriting

Sam B

Diane

I am making today a “five things” day. I spent all day yesterday feeling overwhelmed by financial paperwork so today I am doing five things. I have already had my appointment for getting hot water on demand, watered outdoor plants, and done some cleaning. Now I’m back at the paperwork. Thing five needs to be laundry. After that, the day will be mine to do as I wish because I will know I have done five things.

When I play this game with myself, I often end up doing far more than five things because the mere effort of tracking (and setting a limit for success) makes me feel like I’m on a roll and can keep going. But if I don’t, I have the satisfaction of having achieved what I set out to do.

close up photography of bicycle chain
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels.com

Sam

I’m going to focus on drinking enough water and on eating healthily on campus.  It’s a bit of a struggle in the summer since once the students leave,  so do lots of the food options on campus. Mostly it means grocery shopping and bringing food into my office.  That’s the plan anyway.

How is this better than yesterday? The problem is that weekends are also a challenge in the food front.  Too much socializing and eating away from home.  Also,  summer is a challenge.  I don’t feel like eating during the day when it’s hot and I can’t eat at night because of acid reflux issues. Welcome to 60, said my doctor.

Catherine

Wake up, meditate, have coffee and breakfast, and spend some time outside in the sunshine before it’s time to get on a plane again. This works even on days I don’t have to get on a plane. So I’ll go with that!

Christine

Yesterday was a pretty good day overall but I’m going to take today up a notch by spending a lot of time writing and drawing.

Elan

Yesterday my day was full of great exercise (batting cages, biking, swimming, stretching), food, crafts, and loved ones. I read a book; I watched a show. I cuddled with my cat. The weather was warm, and I got to control how I spent my own time. Does my today have to be better than my yesterday?

fitness

What’s going well in your life? #GroupBlogPost #June

Sam B

Diane

I stretched myself to do a new thing and it didn’t suck. Photo was taken by my friend Henry Troup.

Sam

For me it’s walking.  Wow.  After two knee replacements it feels so good to be able to walk pretty much as far as I want.  I’m walking lots in Toronto and walking lots with Cheddar.  It makes me so very happy.

Walking with Cheddar

Elan

Work life balance. It has not always been this way, and I am equally lucky to have both right now.

Catherine

I’m really enjoying focusing on my home environment right now. I am clearing out old books and clothes, ushering in a new mattress, organizing my craft stuff, and plotting new paint colors for my dining room. I’m looking at some soft yellows and gray-blues at the moment.

A yellow and blue dining room, but not my pick of shades. by Hakam Magdea-Fardana for Unsplash.
A yellow and blue dining room, but not my pick of shades. by Hakam Magdea-Fardana for Unsplash.
fitness

What’s a way we can show kindess to ourselves and to others? #June #GroupBlogPost

Sam B1 Comment

Elan

Say to yourself or to others, “It is good to see you. I am really glad you showed up today.”

Nicole

I remind myself I don’t own the sidewalk. I am constantly annoyed by others. I remind myself of this so I don’t complain out loud.

Sidewalk

Martha

I give people the benefit of the doubt when things have gone pear-shaped. No one needs to know my story nor do I need to know others to show people, including myself some grace.

Sam

Like Martha, I try to assume that we’re all doing our best and have good motives.

Cate

Diane

Just be kind? I try to see other points of view and not say anything if I can’t say something nice. When I succeed, I feel like I have been kind to myself.

Christine

I think one of the most important ways I show kindness to others is by asking what they need in the moment instead of just working from assumptions.

I show kindness to myself by adding extra time to my plans so I reduce the stress that is baked into my ADHD.

Be kind
fitness

What are our priorities this month? #GroupBlogPost

Sam B
Pexels pic, WordPress stock photos

Cate

1. Finish the first draft of my novel.

2. Reignite some sort of regular movement routine, which has been derailed by foot issues and novel writing.

3. Breathe

Catherine

1. Set up my back porch for herb growing, coffee drinking, reading among the trees.

2. Write about fat phobia and GLP-1 drugs for a conference in Oregon.

3. Walk in gardens and museums in Portland, OR and Tacoma, WA after the conference.

Nicole

1. Find fun.

2. Find joy.

3. Find levity. (I am not depressed, just, in need, of these things.)

brown joy candle holder
Joy. Photo by David Orsborne on Pexels.com

Diane

1. Stretch! I want to start a routine of more regular stretching to regain flexibility in my hips and shoulders.

2. Get my nice but very heavy Dutch-style bike fitted out as an e-bike.

3. Go on a little vacation. I haven’t been away except for family or history club things in a decade.

Martha

1. Finish my taxes due June 15!

2. Finish three reports.

3. Plant up my greenhouse.

Sam

1. Hang out outside my house in our comfy new outside furniture drinking mocktails, reading fiction, chatting with the neighbours, and entertaining friends.

2. Take the Snipe out at least once on Guelph Lake with Sarah or Jeff.

3. Extend my distance on the bike. I want to do two moderate-distance rides (30-40 km) during the week and gradually build to longer distances on the weekend.

Snipes on Guelph Lake at dusk

fitness

The FIFI bloggers and our treasured belongings, #DailyWritingPrompt

Sam B

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

Elan

I have a few boxes now of small tokens my cherished people have given to me over the years. Anyone else might see junk, but to me they are precious. As someone with a distracted mind and a poor memory, I take great pleasure of the vivid memories they evoke of my family and friends, past and present. You don’t know it, but you may be in my token box!

Cate

For years, I kept the running shoes I ran my first 10K in, because they represented a shift from being a person who didn’t really move my body to one who gloried in it. But after carting them on many moves, I finally took a photo of them and let them go. I have been doing that with many of my previously “cherished” possessions (e.g., books, art), as well as a lot of less-cherished ones. Cleaning out my mother’s home after her death really made me a proponent of the whole “swedish death cleaning” approach to my personal space — my mother was very tidy and organized but she had *everything*, including her paystubs from the 1960s. My natural instinct is to keep things, especially things that have connections to the people I love — but sorting through a lifetime of things one by one made me realize how few things I really need. And then I accidentally donated or threw away some of the few things I *did* want to keep (including jewellery that belonged to my mother and grandmother) — and dealing with the grief and guilt of losing those things created openings to let go of almost anything that I’m not actively using. Bikes, though, I have a hard time letting go of,lol.

All of this said, I have a shocking propensity to lose things I AM using, like the GLASSES RIGHT OFF MY FACE. I wish I could have more of those things more readily to hand and fewer of the books I randomly bought on a whim that I will never ever read.

Diane

Family photos, maybe. I have lots of stuff, including treasures picked up while traveling. But if I had to abandon it all, my priorities would be the cat cages to get cats into, and a photo album or two if there was time. Nothing else really matters.

Sam

Bikes (obviously), photos that aren’t digitized, some jewelry, some mementos from special people, my first day of school report card!

black and white photos of toddlers
Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

Martha

have my mom’s wedding and anniversary rings, my father’s silver ring, and my own wedding anniversary rings. I would grab those instantly. Since my great-grandmother’s bracelet is there too, I’d grab that also. The jewellery reminds me of promises made and kept, of my ancestors near and far, and my cultural traditions in the new and old worlds. I have some books that mean a lot but I am slowly culling others. I have a few mementos — my wedding dress, my mother’s wedding dress, my christening dress that Nick used, and a hot pink velvet pantsuit my MIL gave me years ago that is ornately trimmed with gold. I have a lot of sentimental paper — a few favorite books, some letters, a few cards. I have collections that I will give up eventually but I will likely hang onto my ceramic collections by Spanish and English china makers. As I have packed up two parental homes, I am conscious of what I own and what I will choose to keep. This year will be a great opportunity to review, to curate, and to release. I know they are just things but I like reminders of the beauty, grace, love and joy I have been given and created. They are both anchors to my history and wings to my future.

Christine

I am one of those people who surrounds themselves with items that represent people and memories that I hold dear but to name a few:

My wedding ring that belonged to my Grandmother Hennebury, my Dad’s wallet (that my cousin helped me make from a Tandy leather kit over 40 years ago), artwork from my sisters (both feature stars, of course), a tea cup from my Nan Reid, a quilt from my Mom, a comic that my kids drew for me many years ago, books and tarot cards from my husband, and…you get the idea!

My workspace is filled with all kinds of things that spark stories and ideas and that bring my very closest people to mind.

orange star bokeh light
Photo by Daniel Reche on Pexels.com

Tracy

I’m not sure about what I “hold most dear,” but one thing I can’t part with is a gorgeous china tea set that was my maternal grandmother’s. I never met her and no one ever used the tea service. It came with us when we moved from South Africa. Still no one used it. Now I use it and I cherish it, even though I am scared to break it and it’s totally impractical because the cups are so tiny. I’d rather break it under frequent use than have it sit untouched for another few decades.

fitness · holiday fitness

Embrace the December Dance: A FIFI Bloggers Guide to Festive Fitness

Sam B1 Comment

Hey, it’s another Saturday group blog post here at Fit is a Feminist Issue.

I asked the group,

“What’s your fitness focus for the holiday season?

I’m curious about our different approaches to movement as things get busy. What are you going to let go? What are you going to hang on to?”

Holiday dance

Here’s our replies:

CHRISTINE

In keeping with Making Space and Finishing Soft, I’m doing more yoga and a lot of stretching.

I’m actually doing yoga at the beginning and the end of the day and some yoga nidra before bed.

That sounds like I am adding a lot to my day but as usual with things like yoga, it often makes my day feel more spacious instead of less so.

The real trick for me, like for many people, is convincing myself to get on the mat in the first place so I picked times when it would fit into the rhythm of my day.

Here’s my inspirational/aspirational photo of Khalee resting.

ELAN

Every year I get more grumpy about this holiday: it starts too early, it costs too much, and its expectations and traditions set people up for stress and sadness. So to combat my grumpiness I signed up for a HoHoHoliday 5K run, with fundraising proceeds going to the Make a Wish Foundation. I’ve asked everyone to donate any present money they would spend on me. I’ve never in my life run a 5K race (much less in a Santa suit), so for the first time ever I’m getting out every few days to run. It’s been a new experience for me that I’ve enjoyed, and I’ll see if I maybe want to keep up the running after my race. I’m dressing up as the Grinch and sending personalized thank you photos to everyone who donates…so far I am over $1200, which is amazing. 💜

TRACY

I started a ten week weight training program today called EPIC by Caroline Girvan and that’s my focus, with walking, to carry me through the holidays and into 2024. The workouts are all on YouTube and explained in a guide on her website.

https://www.carolinegirvan.com/epic-i/
EPIC 1

DIANE

Christmas will be small this year as kids are spending time with the families of their partners and I have offered to be the designated person in the office between Christmas and the new year. I have a lifeguarding course starting in early January and I need to improve my sprint speeds if in order to pass. As a result, my fitness focus will be riding my bike to work and the pool, and swimming as often as possible.

Birds over the water

CATE

I’m going to Costa Rica so I hope to move a lot every day! Yoga in the morning! Hiking in the rainforest! Horses! Walking on the beach!

Brightly coloured parrot. Costa Rica. Photo by Zdeněk Macháček on Unsplash.

SAM

I love December challenges but this year I seem just be doing the usual things. I’m going to physio and personal training, riding my bike in Zwift, walking Cheddar, and trying some new things at the gym, Anti-Gravity Yoga, Hot Yin Yoga, and Zumba. But I still keep feeling the lure of December fitness challenges. Some year I want to do the Festive 500, bike 500 between Dec 24th and Dec 31st, but not this year. We have visitors here for those dates and it would be awfully antisocial. Two years ago I was wondering which holiday fitness challenge to choose. For years I did a US Thanksgiving to Christmas Day running streak. Earlier in the blog’s history I was tempted by treating the week after Christmas as a personal fitness bootcamp and I might get back to that. It’s usually a quiet week and I’m off work. I’ll report back on that last week of the year!

NICOLE

I am very boring in the sense that my workout rarely changes. I plan to do the same, same, with momentary, trivial, anxiety, such as, “if I go to my usual class on Saturday, how do I do some prep before so that I can proceed with my annual cookie baking day, afterwards, efficiently.

CATHERINE

I’m driving south for the holidays with family, and I’ve found that no matter how stressed or busy or chaotic my schedule is, I’ve always made time to explore both new and familiar parks and nature preserves on foot, preferably with family and dogs. So that’s my plan. There are some nice riverfront trails to walk and maybe even a beach or two to stroll along.

Rivet
fitness · movies · swimming

Saturday Night with Nyad

Sam B1 Comment

It’s Saturday night in the big city, and what are three slightly sick, still recovering from the lurgy, fit feminists to do?

Why, how about watch NYAD, and write a short and snappy group review it for the blog?

Sam

What I loved

The soundtrack is great. And given that these are the songs Diana Nyad sang to herself while swimming for hours and hours, they had better be good. 

I totally got caught up in the drama,  the “will she make it?” of it all even though I knew the answer.  Given how boring hours and hours of swimming can be,  I think they did a pretty good job making that gripping.

What I didn’t like so much

Diana Nyad herself is extremely annoying and there’s just no getting around that. 

Swim training is only so exciting to watch.

Overall 

I’m turning 60 this year and while I’m tempted by the idea of various athletic challenges,  Nyad has persuaded me that long distance ocean swimming won’t be it.  Lol. 

I learned a lot.  I’ve never thought about seasickness while swimming and I thought box jellyfish were purely an Australian problem. 

Sarah

What I loved

The film seemed to be reasonably faithful to Nyad’s life, personality and experience. While the dialogue was a little wooden at times I felt the actors did a good job portraying complex real-life characters. 

The film started a little slowly but overall I felt the directors did a good job maintaining interest and pacing despite the marathon, repetitive nature of the subject matter. Their experience in documentary filmmaking shone through in their effective use of archival footage and they managed to keep us on the edge of our seats even though we know how everything turns out in the end.

I enjoyed learning more about Nyad’s years-long journey to her record-setting swim, and the team that surrounded and supported her. 

What I didn’t like so much

There were definitely a few scenes and bits of dialogue that came off a little stilted, and it sometimes felt like they weren’t sure if the film was a documentary, a relationship drama, or an adventure movie. I was charmed but unmoved by the animated hallucination sequences.

While I understand why they kept the on-water team to a single boat for dramatic effect, it was weird not to represent the larger team and flotilla of boats that followed Nyad from Cuba to Florida.

The film sometimes loses its way when trying to capture Nyad’s abrasive personality and single-minded focus on her goal. The result appeared to imply a certain level of neurodivergence, or at least obsession with her “destiny”, underlies Nyad’s efforts, rather than highlighting her as a driven athlete who focused on achieving and stay in peak condition for weeks at a time waiting for the right conditions required for a successful swim, and the cost to both herself and the team around her.

Overall

Overall this was an entertaining and inspiring movie, warts and all. Definitely worth checking out, albeit with a content warning for the vivid and repeated portrayals of several traumatic events in Nyad’s history.

Catherine

What I loved

There was a total transformation into characters by some well-known actors. I loved that it was done by, uh, just acting– not prosthetics, heavy makeup, or body padding.Their skill was sufficient. I no longer saw Jodie Foster or Annette Bening or Rhys Ifans; I saw these personages, all caught up in this quixotic enterprise spearheaded by Diana Nyad.I believed it and was also caught up in the drama, despite the fact that I already knew how it ended. 

The filmmakers and writers were very creative and clever, which they had to be in order to make several attempts at a 100-mile swim (spoiler: she swam 110 miles) seem compelling. They used special effects to play out several colorful hallucination experiences Diana had during long hours in deep water. I enjoyed the ways they depicted them and how Bening as Nyad reacted to her watery delusions. 

What I didn’t like so much

Even though I really enjoyed the characters as built by the actors, sometimes it seemed like they were trying to act like old people– crotchety, stubborn, single-mindedly irrational. However, those moments were fleeting.  

Overall 

I came away from this film about Nyad’s stupendous athletic achievement feeling impressed by her focus and ability to tolerate pain in order to reach this goal. But I also feel like the completion of this goal doesn’t at all relate to more ordinary physical goals or programs we non-professionals take on, fail at, complete, or make progress toward. It took hundreds of thousands of dollars, a team of many dedicated people, and a lot of time– resources that almost none of us have. 

I don’t see her as an athletic role model; I see her as an extraordinary and unusual athlete with a very special set of skills and unusual personality. That said, this film is really worth seeing. I got to see inside the mindset and pressures of one world-class athlete who did at 64 what no one had done. 

Did you watch it? What did you think?

cycling · Guest Post · holiday fitness · holidays

Seventeen years of friends with bikes, now with added barges!

Sam B

A guest post by Susan F and her friends!

Susan F

This post is a reflection on a recent bike and barge trip I took with 4 women friends from Bruges to Amsterdam.  

In thinking about this post, I re-visited a post I wrote for FIFI in Oct 2014 about my feelings of inadequacy, particularly around my lack of fitness, on a bike trip to Utah. To provide context for those of you who didn’t read, or don’t remember, my earlier post 😊, I am a member of a biking group that started 17 years ago when a small group of women who worked together began taking bike trips together! In 2010, I was asked to join them on a trip to the Loire Valley, and since then we have had the privilege to bike through places near and far, such as Quebec, Italy, Portugal, and Denmark.  

Most of these trips were self–guided, meaning we were responsible for getting ourselves around – there was no team leader navigating and no sag wagon available to provide a break from riding. This year though we opted to try something new – biking 300 km over 6 days while travelling on a canal barge.  

I suspect the motivation was partly our aging bodies but primarily due to concern about my limitations. Although I am the youngest at 58, I have Parkinson’s disease, degenerative disc disease and other assorted ailments.  Furthermore, I broke my tibia in a 2020 bike accident. These factors contributed to limit my outdoor bike riding. Although I did some training on the gym bike, the sad truth is that at the time of the trip, I had only ridden my bike 5 times outside in the past 2 years.  

I could comment on several aspects of the trip such as how it made me grind my teeth listening to  the “sweep” (another passenger) voluntarily mansplain how to purchase an e-bike to one of my friends.  However, I am going to limit myself to observations about two disparate subjects – the power and importance of true friendship and the way the trip helped me begin to accept my new body shape. 

One of my favorite sayings is “Surround yourself with champions”.  I am very lucky as each one of my fellow biker chicks is a true champion.  The following are just some of the ways: 

One was insistent from day 1 that I was going, even if I ended up sitting on the boat the entire time. She even offered to sit and people-watch, if need be, when we were off the boat, despite the fact that she had not been to Amsterdam or Bruges before. 

When we met as a virtual group to discuss our pre/post time in Amsterdam and Bruges, the group could not have been more accepting of my need to eat and take medicine at specified times, or accommodating, planning around my down time when my meds start to wear off.    

For several weeks prior to departure, we checked in regularly regarding our exercise regime to encourage one another in preparation for our travels.  

While on the trip, my big heavy bike fell over on me three times – my friends took my bruising in stride and on one occasion one of my friends prevented a well-meaning stranger from physically grabbing me in his efforts to help.  

I chose not to bike on two days and felt that the team completely supported my decision.  

Perhaps most importantly, my friends navigated the difficult road of looking out for me with exemplary care and compassion, recognizing my need for autonomy but readily providing assistance when requested.   

I  have always struggled with body image issues but never more than in the past 18 months or so. This is because I am shrinking while essentially maintaining the same weight.  I have lost 7 cm and feel like I am all boobs and big belly these days.  I truly hated my body before I left on this trip, but I’m happy to say I’m back on the road to acceptance. 

Why? The first step was a vow I made on the eve of departure; I promised not to complain about how I looked or be grumpy about having my picture taken. I did this because I didn’t want to ruin my friends’ trip by whining. I even made one of my friends promise to give me the stink-eye if I broke this vow. 

The next step was being physically able to participate in the trip. I was able to walk in Amsterdam/Bruges without much difficulty, but the true triumph was biking 200 km over 4 days. I had forgotten how much I enjoy biking as a way of sightseeing. It made me realize that I cannot hate a body that is healthy enough to allow me to experience this. 

Lastly it seemed full circle to re-read my 2014 post. I said then that life has a way of throwing us curveballs. The curveballs, although different, keep coming. I need to remember to embrace every opportunity while I can. Life is too short to live any other way.  

Susan F

Susan M

Fortunate. I feel so, very, very fortunate. To have friends who share my love of cycling, and of learning through travel; to be able, at the age of 60+, to physically do all the things I want to do; and to have the financial wherewithal to get up and go when the opportunity presents itself. Our group may move differently now than we did 15 years ago but we are still moving, and moving makes life better, in the short term and the long term. Not only do I feel fortunate, I am grateful to my friends for moving with me!

Friends on bikes, without the bikes

Vicky R

“What to do, What to see, What to remember…’ This was the inscription on the notepad at our hotel in Amsterdam.

What to say about a group of 55+ women who have been cycling together for over 15 years in Europe and North America?

We have had some awesome adventures, eaten some amazing food and we continue to laugh out loud together! And yes…we also cycle in between the food, drinks and shopping. None of us can be considered an ‘athlete’ in any way, shape or form – but we make it work.  Our most recent cycling trip was a Bike/Barge adventure from Bruges to Amsterdam. It was easily the least stressful of the many trips we have taken – long flat pathways along canals and quiet rivers, courteous car drivers who, at times, would stop to let all 19 of us cross the road, quirky mini ferry rides – some just passenger and bikes, lots of cheese, chocolate and beer. The luxury of staying on a barge without unpacking, having all your meals provided and a well informed guide to take us through the lovely villages and towns was an unexpected pleasure. In fact, it was relaxing and a wonderful way to reconnect with our little group of friends in a post Covid world. These trips have been an excellent break from our busy careers and lives and truly are therapy for all of us!

The bike and boat barge
fitness · season transitions

Falling into Fitness: How is your life shaping up with cooler days and darker nights? (Group blog post)

Sam B

Here’s the question: For those of us in the northern hemisphere, how does the move to fall affect your fitness routines? Do you do different things as the seasons change? What do you like and dislike about the move from summer to autumn?

Regular Bloggers

Cate

🍂 I am glad the Tour de Watopia is starting again to give me some motivation to get onto my zwift bike when it’s dark at 6. I also really love the weather but have a harder time getting out during the day when the daylight hours are underway because I’m so work-busy. Also, I had sort of let go of my plan I had last winter to make sure I was outside for at least 23 minutes a day in daylight, because I’ve been outside so much – I have to get back into that intentional plan so I don’t fall into a SAD place.

Mina

🍂 Normally, I love fall. Leaves changing and a reprieve from the heat. I’m having some challenges around reclaiming my zest, but I’m thinking the cooler weather might perk me up, as I continue, as usual, with my same activities–running, pilates and peloton are my main three, plus biking around town (which is better when it’s not as hot!), plus long walks and hiking and yoga (from time to time). It’s true, as others say, that the dark mornings can be demotivating and I’m trying to be gentle on myself about that.

Nicole

🍂 When I was running this past weekend I was conscious of how absolutely gorgeous out it was. Early fall can be really perfect running weather. I appreciate it.

I am not a fan of the shorter days, especially walking to the gym in the dark in the morning again. I am 100% a summer person but my exercise routine doesn’t really change a lot season to season because I am so routine oriented. Starting to run, years ago, in the fall and into the winter helped me appreciate and make the best of the changing seasons. The best piece of advice I have is, even if it seems like the weather isn’t the greatest, if you can find a way to do an activity in it (properly dressed), the season will be more enjoyable.

Elan

🍂 Aside from Halloween time, fall is my least favourite season. Less sun, less heat, less light. I struggle more to get myself outside, to leave the house, sometimes even to get out of bed. I find it harder to get motivated to be active on my own, so group and team activities help to boost my accountability (and spirits).

Tracy

🍂 I love the fall for outdoor activities more than any other season. I also regard September as a “fresh page” of sorts — the academic in me will forever think of September as the beginning of the year. Couple that with my birthday month, and it always feels like a bit of a kickstart. The kick has been a bit slow to start this Fall, but I expect to continue trying to get my running routine back in play (especially now that I have new orthotics that are supposed to help with the ongoing achilles injury). I’m continuing with yoga–at home and at the hot studio. I’m adding a more regular commitment to resistance training 3x a week. And I’m walking to and from work a few times a week when it’s not raining. So maybe the only thing that is really changing is my level of motivation — it feels high right now.

Sam

🍂 I have a love/hate relationship with the fall when it comes to exercise. I love the temperatures for bike riding. I love the fall leaves. And I’m usually in pretty good shape for long rides when fall rolls around. But because of the lack of light I end up being a bit of a weekend warrior about it. If it rains on the weekend, I’m in trouble. I also fall for hikes but again, that’s a weekend thing. Also, like Tracy I feel the excitement of a new school year but especially because I’m a dean, it’s extra busy and I work into the evenings most nights. A lot of it is fun, social, back to school stuff but it’s not exercise.

A misty path with bright orange leaves. Photo by Unsplash.
Community members (I put the same question to friends and to followers of the Fit is a Feminist Issue Facebook page)

🍂 One of my favorite parts is that I don’t have to plan so hard before I go out for a long walk or bike ride. In summer, I need sunscreen (put it on before I go, bring it to reapply a few hours later), water (the initial supply and to plan for resupply en route), sometimes mosquito repellent, shade along the route if possible, salty snacks to replenish electrolytes, hat with bill or brim, etc. But in Fall… in Fall I can travel light. I can walk out the door with my helmet, gloves, bike and a single bottle of water. I can head into the woods with just one bottle of water or maybe even none. The air cools me rather than heating me. The humidity drops, as well. I eat fewer bugs and get fewer bugs stuck in my hair or to my sweaty body. I can just simply more easily… go. –Alison Reiheld

🍂 The best part of summer exercise is outdoor swimming. We only get two months to do it, and I am lucky to work just a 5 min walk from the municipal pool at Gibbons Park. My (only slightly disgusting) swim bag lives in my office and my swimsuit and towel decorate my wall all summer! I do drop the resistance training over the summer, even though the squat rack is all set up in my basement and I can use it whenever I want, but I can’t bear the thought of exercising in my scary basement when I could be outside in the sun. Outdoor swimming is glorious (really the only adjective to describe it) but I miss my team’s camaraderie. Come fall, it all moves indoors, and it’s back to my regular routine of swim practice with the team on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, weights on Mondays and Wednesdays and perhaps a spin ride here and there. Now I get to swim with the team, and it’s great to see my friends again and swim with them. And it is nice to get back to lifting weights and feeling strong that way. I’m just starting my fall routine now, and so far so good! –Savita Dhanvantari

🍂 All the ski areas start trying to get me excited. I’m not ready yet. I want more time on my sailboat, more time hiking, and then, maybe late October – November, I’ll be ready for snow.–Sara Wabi Gould