Fitness – Best Health

Why Everyone’s Playing Pickleball Right Now

Grace Toby — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 11:00:16 +0000

Leonardo DiCaprio is obsessed with it. LeBron James bought a team. Grand Slam tennis champ Serena Williams said she could make it her second career. And, recently, my friends and I also picked up this buzzy racquet sport.Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in North America, boasting nearly 5 million players on this continent with millions more worldwide. From 2020 to 2022, the number of participants in Canada tripled, with about one million picklers playing monthly. Although older adults were the early adopters, today the largest increase is among millennials, with female participants outnumbering men in most age groups.The sport is an amalgam of badminton, table tennis and tennis. Just swap a tennis racquet for a smaller, solid-faced paddle and the fuzzy ball for a plastic Wiffle ball, set the net eight inches lower, shrink the court down to about a quarter of its size and youve got the makings of a pickleball game. The condensed playing field makes it less taxing on the body and allows for more ralliesand chit-chat. For first-timers, these differences make the sport more welcoming and easier to pick up.Pickleball might seem like it arrived to enthusiastic fanfare overnight. However, its inception can be traced back to the summer of 1965, when three American dads concocted the game while trying to entertain their bored kids. More recently, it surged in popularity during the pandemic lockdown, when many people were looking for new outdoor activities to help them safely stay fit. Pickleball has now made the leap from backyard pastime to primetime, with televised matches and celebrity tournaments.Drummond Munro, a lifelong racquet-sports enthusiast, was introduced to pickleball in South Carolina six years ago. This past summer, he co-founded Fairgrounds Public Racket Club, a public pickleball court in Toronto, and has plans to roll out more locations across Canada. Munros goal is to introduce the sport more widely and democratize the culture around sports clubs. Were building a new type of social club that removes that elitist, exclusive nature often associated with traditional clubs, says Munro. While many sports clubs have invitation-only admittance and high initiation fees, plus yearly dues and minimum spends, Fairgrounds is accessible to all agesanyone can book a court time onlineand inexpensive ($10 per visit, with free admission on Tuesdays).Catherine Parenteau, 27, is a Montreal native and the number two-ranked international pro pickleball player. She picked up the sport seven years ago after being sidelined from competing in tennis once her full scholarship at Michigan State University ended. Since she began touring as a pro pickleball player, shes witnessed the sport explode worldwide. Its much easier than other [racquet] sports to get a rally going because the ball doesnt bounce as much. This allows you to control your shots more and keep the ball going, says Parenteau. She also likes that the sport is inclusive and crosses all generations and abilities. I can hit balls with my grandmother and have great rallies. You can play with someone of any age and level.The initial draw for my own group of friends was the social aspect that allowed us to participate in an event together. That we could learn a new sport while engaging in an athletic activity outdoors was simply a bonus. Pickleball strikes the perfect balance of fun and fitness. Plus, its beginner-friendly, which makes it easy for newcomers to join our pick-up matches. Our rotating roster of friends and family balloons every weekit even brought out our Gen Z offspring. By 2030, pickleball is projected to have 40 million people playing worldwide, and our kids and parents will likely be included among those fans.

The health benefits of pickleball

Here are all the ways this racquet sport is a smash hit for your body and mind.Heart HealthPickleball combines short bursts of intensity with periods of recovery, which is a great way to condition the heart and strengthen your cardiovascular system, says registered physiotherapist Meg MacPherson.Muscle Control and StrengthOur bodies are designed to moveand to move in various directions. These sudden multidirectional movements improve muscle control. Over the course of a match, youll engage nearly every muscle from the upper body to your legs and core, says MacPherson.Cardio BoostYou can expect a heart-pumping workout during an hour-long match. According to researchers at the University of Manitoba, people playing singles or doubles can clock heart rates that indicate moderate to vigorous activity. Apple recently added pickleball to its roster of trackable workouts; on average, you can burn 400 to 700 calories per hour.AgilityWith its sudden movements and lower downtime, pickleball encourages agility and a higher control of your actions, says MacPherson. That allows you to react swiftly and effectively to your environment.Social ConnectionMacPherson notes that participating in a sport that allows you to engage with others can release endorphins (those feel-good brain chemicals that also work as a natural painkiller).CoordinationRacquet sports famously improve hand-eye coordination, a skill essential for initiating and reacting to action.

Up Your Game

Three expert tips from Catherine Parenteau:

Always try to return the ball deep (meaning close to the opponents baseline) so you have time to set up your next shot.
Ensure the balls contact point is in front of your body for maximum control of your shot.
Dont be afraid of the kitchena zone that extends seven feet from the net on both sides. While you cant enter the kitchen if the ball hasnt already bounced, you can still reach in to hit it as long as you keep your feet behind the kitchen line.

Next: This Yogi Will Make You Want to Take Up Surfing

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The Unique Way This Female Fitness Instructor Uses Movement and Compassion to Support Women

Alison Tedford Seaweed — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:00:12 +0000

Caroline MacGillivray believes in the healing power of movementfrom the way she moves her body as an instructor for pole dance, barre, and aerial hammock stretch classes, to the movement she started when she founded Beauty Night Society. Its a Vancouver-based organization that empowers women and children living in poverty and staying in shelters and recovery centres with care, compassion and free wellness and aesthetician services. And its the work thats closest to MacGillivrays community building heart.Now 51, MacGillivray wasnt always athleticshe says she was a shy, geeky kid with poor hand-eye coordination who was picked last in gym class. But she studied ballet, and at age 12 she began helping with beginner skating lessons in exchange for free classes. She loved the freedom she felt on the ice, and she finds a similar sense of whirling, spinning weightlessness and suspension along with feel-good endorphins and a confidence boostin pole dance and aerial fitness.She first discovered pole dance when she was researching a dating column she wrote for a now-defunct community newspaper. At the end of class, she crawled up to the pole and demonstrated what she learned and was soon invited back as an instructor. MacGillivray is someone who exudes love and care for others, even though her own health has been up and down lately: A year ago, she was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and had to take a temporary step back from her busy teaching schedule and from her in-person beauty events to protect her compromised immune system. (She still worked behind the scenes, running the organization and doing outreach.)One pandemic silver lining has been virtual classes: MacGillivray leads qi gong, meditation and self-massage workshops from her Cambie Village apartment, setting up her laptop and yoga mat next to her fireplace. Her hairless Sphynx cat, Ripley, often wanders into the Zoom frame. She finds inspiration through a fellow CML patient she met who had recovered enough to plan a multi-day hiking trip along the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island. The idea that, one day, she too could be strong enough for a hiking adventure has given MacGillivray hope.In the meantime, she takes care of herself with rest and guided meditation, especially when shes doing lots of teaching. Heres what a day in her life looks like.7:30AM MacGillivray still teaches an average of 15 to 17 fitness classes a week, though her CML diagnosis has forced her to take it easy when she needs to. Im blessed that, with medication, its a manageable condition. There are side effects, but Im stronger than I think, she says. And I need to celebrate life, because Im alive.11:30AM MacGillivray works primarily out of the Mt. Pleasant location of Tantra Fitness. She says that the balance work, spine decompression, mobility and restorative poses of aerial hammock stretch are a great counterpoint to pole dancing, which is more active.1:45PM MacGillivray is rarely without a book in her hand, and devours 10 to 15 books a week, so shes a frequent visitor to her public library and many of the Little Free Library drop-off and pickup locations in Vancouver. She only keeps the books that are dearest to her (like her copy of Judy Blumes Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret).4:00PM MacGillivray spends about 25 hours a week teaching classes and holding private sessions with her fitness clients, but anywhere from 25 to 40 hours weekly on her Beauty Night Society work. As executive director, she manages orientations, recruiting, volunteer coordination, grant writing and paperwork.5:45PM Set-up for Beauty Night begins, with clients arriving just 15 minutes later. Were a well-oiled machine by now, MacGillivray says. Before the pandemic, the organization was serving as many as 300 women a week, but numbers (and shelter capacity limits) have reduced a bit since then.6:00PM MacGillivray is half Chinese Canadian, and Cantonese was her first language (her great-great grandparents came to Vancouver during the railway-building era). She practices qi gong, a branch of traditional Chinese medicine that combines massage, acupuncture and at-home exercises, and has recruited qi gong students to volunteer at her events.6:30PM MacGillivray originally got the idea for Beauty Night as a volunteer at a Downtown Eastside drop-in centre for sex workers. She remembers a client in distress who wasnt able to lift her arms to do her hair or makeup after showering, so MacGillivray helped the woman feel better about how she looked.7:15PM Words of encouragement are displayed on sticky notes during a February Beauty Night event at a Union Gospel Mission shelter on East Cordova Street. In addition to beauty treatments, MacGillivrays organization offers wellness programming and life-skills training sessions.7:30PM Volunteers like Samantha Tong (pictured above) are at the heart of Beauty Night, but during the pandemic many volunteers moved away from the Vancouver area. MacGillivray says the organization is slowly rebuilding, and theyre looking for hairdressers, fundraisers, grant writers and marketing specialists.8:10PM The team packs up their supplies at the end of the night. I think one of the biggest pieces has always been about the community building, MacGillivray says. She dreams of someday spreading the magic of Beauty Night beyond Vancouver. My next chapter is to look at sustainability. How do we move forward and heal more people?Next: This Yogi Will Make You Want to Take Up Surfing

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How to Unfreeze Painful Frozen Shoulder

Rebecca Gao — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:00:04 +0000

Adhesive capsulitis, better known as frozen shoulder, is an uncomfortable condition characterized by pain in the shoulder joints and restricted range of motion. I like to describe it as bubble gum in your shoulder, and youre trying to move but it takes so much effort to move past a certain point, says Surabhi Veitch, a Toronto-based physiotherapist and owner of the Passionate Physio. This condition makes everyday tasks like scratching your back or grabbing something off an overhead shelf feel impossible.Like the name implies, frozen shoulder comes with an unbearable stuck sensation. The bones, ligaments and tendons that make up the shoulder joint are encased in connective tissuefrozen shoulder occurs when the connective tissue thickens and tightens around the joint, restricting movement. Often, people develop frozen shoulder because theyre not moving the joint frequently, such as when theyre in recovery from a surgery or injury, though a sedentary lifestyle can also cause the painful condition. People aged 40 to 60, and particularly post-menopausal women (thanks to a change in hormone levels), are the most likely to develop frozen shoulder.Treatment for frozen shoulder typically focuses on pain management, and doctors will often suggest anti-inflammatory medications like aspirin or ibuprofen. In addition, easing frozen shoulder pain requires stretching out the connective tissue and restoring the joints range of motion. Getting into the habit of stretching can also fight off other aches and pains and help improve flexibility. According to Veitch, a stretching routine in the middle of your workday, especially if youre sitting at a desk, can help maintain good range of motion and prevent injury.One of the best exercises to integrate into your daily routine is called the lying pendulum. With frozen shoulder, your muscles will be stiff. This stretch can help you regain movement in the shoulder, says Ivana Sy, a Vancouver-based kinesiologist. Sy says to start by lying face down on a bed or coach. Then, drape one arm over the edge and let it dangle. Then, slowly move the affected arm side to side and forward and backward and around in circles. Repeat three times daily. Do the exercise for 30 seconds and, over time, increase the duration up to five minutes as you progress. According to Sy, the pendulum can really help improve range of motion and reduce aches and pains.Veitch suggests using a wall to help stretch your shoulders. Start by facing a wall with your toes as close as possible to the baseboard. Then, place your hands at eye level and slowly creep them up the wall to create a stretch in your shoulder blades. Try to reach as high as you can!Regaining or maintaining the ability to reach behind you is also important. As we age and lose mobility, Veitch notes that reaching back often becomes a challenge, even without a condition like frozen shoulder. Many people are struggling to put on their bras, and they flip it around to do their bra up in the front, says Veitch. But if we avoid the movement, it becomes more difficult. Practise reaching behind your back by grabbing one end of a scarf (or any length of fabric) with one hand. Holding the scarf on one end, reach over your shoulder, as if to scratch the back of your neck, to dangle the scarf down your back. With your other hand, reach back as if you were going to grab something from your back pocket. Instead, grab onto the opposite end of the scarf. With your top hand, pull the scarf to gently slide your bottom hand up. Switch hands and repeat.With true frozen shoulder, it can take a long time, even with treatment, to feel better, says Veitch. But the goal with stretches is to maintain mobility so your entire life is easier.(Related:4 Stretches to Improve Range of Motion as You Age)

Try these frozen shoulder exercises:

The pendulum

Lying face down on a bed or couch, let one arm hang off the edge and move it back and forth and side to side to increase range of motion. Repeat on the other side.

Wall slides

Facing a wall with your feet as close to the baseboard as possible, place your hands on the wall at eye level and slowly inch your fingers up. Try to reach as high as you can!

Reach around

Grab a scarf end with one hand and reach up and over your shoulder, with it dangling down behind you. With the other hand, reach back and grab the bottom of the scarf. With the hand on top, slowly pull on the scarf to get your bottom arm to move up. Switch hands and repeat.Next: Your Phone Might Be Hurting Your Hand

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Pilates Isn’t Only Good for Your Physical Health—But Your Cognitive Health, Too

Martha Beach — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 12:00:39 +0000

Whether its a vigorous hike or vinyasa yoga, movement of all sorts can improve our cardio and help our joints, organs, skin and muscles. Most importantly, exercise can help us with daily movement. I always advocate for mobility first, says Jennifer Winter, owner and creator of Have a Nice Day Pilates, a studio in downtown Toronto. I like exercises and movements that promote overall mobility, so you can do things like carry your groceries. We often need a bigger range of motion than we think we do.A few years ago, Winter was feeling restless at her desk-bound admin job, so mid-pandemic, she pivoted. Leaning on her professional dance background and more than a decade of Pilates experience, she opened Have a Nice Day Pilates in January 2021, which offers both in-studio classes and on-demand online sessions. She hasnt looked back.With the cold weather firmly in place across the country, Winter says focusing on movement is that much more important: We need to move to help keep our blood flowing! Beyond day-to-day mobility, Pilates can keep us limber as we age. Studies show that it helps ease postmenopausal lumbar tightness, improves lower back pain and can be a good option to manage osteoporosis and knee osteoarthritis. The benefits extend beyond our bodies: Physical activity helps keep our mental health in tip-top shape and improves cognitive function.In particular, cross-lateral movements (common in Pilates) may be useful in strengthening the mind-body connection. These include asymmetrical motions (where one side is doing something different than the other) and actions that cross our midline (an invisible divider that splits our body into right and left halves).This type of movement switches on our brain, says Winter. It helps us focus our awareness of our body in space, also called proprioception, which is a brain function. These movements usually require more mindfulnesswhich, over time, has multiple effects on our brain, like increased attention, more efficient sensory processing and more adaptive decision-making. [Cross-lateral movements] force us to slow down and zoom in on a muscle group or an area thats in motion. It takes a lot of awareness to understand whats going on and perform the exercise properly.One of Winters go-to moves to train the brain is called bird dog. Its performed on your hands and knees and involves extending and drawing in opposite arms and legsall while balancing. It engages deep core muscles, and it works the stability in your hips and shoulder and builds strength in the wrists and forearms.Winter also likes an exercise called dead bug that uses similar muscle groups, but requires even more mental focus. In its simplest form, you lie on your back with your arms and legs sticking up toward the ceilinglike a dead bugand coordinate extending out your opposite arm and leg (as in, extend your left arm and right leg, then do the same on the other side). Winter makes sure to offer this in her morning classes: Its like a little espresso shot. Theres so much thats going on there, even though it sounds simple.”Another go-to for Winter is a gentle bicycling motion with your legs while on your back. It has room to layer movements [in the sequence] as you go, so you can start easy and work your way up, she says. First, use your abdominals and hip flexors to extend and draw in opposite legs in an asymmetrical movement. Next, to add a layer of physical difficulty, engage the upper abs to lift your head and shoulders. Lastly, you can rotate your upper body and touch opposite elbow to knee. This switches on the internal obliques and adds mental difficulty with a cross-midline action.Often, the hardest moves are the ones we need to pay very close attention to. That is the beauty of Pilates, says Winter. You need to complete full-range movements to get the benefits, which requires all that much more mental focus.”Here are some other physical benefits from lateral movements, common in pilates:Side bend: Reach up and over to one side with both arms, creating compression on the same side. Repeat on the other side. You might use this folding motion to bend and pick up something, or reach for toilet paper, Winter says. Plus, compressing one side means lengthening the opposite side. Lateral lengthening opens up space to breathe deeply.Seated twist: Like a side bend, a spinal rotation creates mobility by gently compressing one side of your trunk and lengthening the opposite. In a seated position, gently twist to one side. A seated spine twist strengthens the abdominal wall, obliques, shoulder stabilizers and hip stabilizers, Winter says. Take two deep breaths, then return to centre. Repeat on the other side.Side planks: You cant haul a load of laundry up the stairs without a bit of muscle. Lie on your side, then prop yourself up on your elbow. Raise your hips up toward the ceiling, and lengthen and strengthen through your legs. Create one long line from your heels to your head and keep your chest open. To make this easier, bend your knees before you lift your hips so youre in a half side plank.Next: The Benefits of Having an At-Home Pilates Machine

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This Yogi Will Make You Want to Take Up Surfing

Rebecca Gao — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 12:00:43 +0000

Rachel Barrett, a Halifax-based yoga teacher, starts each morning by dancing with her two-year-old daughter, Lola, in their kitchen. The dancing is a ritual that Barrett began years ago on one February morning, when she and a friend noticed they both felt colder, darker and more sombre during this time of the year. We wondered, why dont we make February a little something different? Show up for ourselves and do things that invigorate us, she says. Even if its just taking a minute in the morning. Barrett committed to a daily mini dance party, something purely delightful that allowed her to draw back into joy. The ritual felt especially vital when Barrett was pregnant and postpartum. Now, she calls dreary February FABuary, and posts daily videos of her dancing on Instagram (@luminousandwild), hoping to inject some silliness into her followers lives over the course of the month.Dancing isnt the only thing that gets Barrett movingaside from yoga, which shes been practicing since 2008, shes an avid surfer. Its terrific exercise, but it also gives her a sense of peace. After experiencing a loss in her family, Barrett started visiting the water often. It became a place of healing, she says. A place where I could be with my grief, and be with the hope and optimism…and challenge myself and show up for myself. Since she started surfing six years ago, she and her partner (also a surfer) have tried to make it out onto the water every day. Living right on the Atlantic coast makes it possible, but so does prioritizing movement. Heres how she does it.7:15am The soundtrack for Barrett and Lolas kitchen-floor dance party usually includes Paul Simons Graceland, which is a long-time family fave: Even Barretts 95-year-old grandma stands up and grooves whenever a song from the album comes on. Starting the morning with dance sets the tone for the day, says Barrett, and allows her to move through whatever Im feeling, whatever heaviness, and embrace things as they are.7:30am Barrett likes to cap off her morning routine by reading with Lolaa ritual that is super important to her after so much wild activity. Life with a toddler can be pretty fast. Im quite chaotic at times, so its nice to find those little moments where we can sit together, she says. Lolas current favourite book is Peppa Pigs Happy Diwali!8:30am For the last couple of years, Barrett and her partner werent sending Lola to daycareCOVID-related concerns and a lengthy waitlist meant that Barrett stayed at home with her. Now, Lola is in daycare from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., giving Barrett more balance in her life and the opportunity to take time for herself.10:00am Daycare drop-off is pretty hard, says Barrett. Often, she says, its emotional, especially on days when Lola would rather stay home. Seeing Lola distraught makes her feel a bit heavy, she says. On days like that, she recentres by playing a couple of songs on the guitar and adding wood to the fire.12:00pm Barrett teaches yoga virtually every day at noon, and she appreciates how online classes make it more accessible for people. Making [yoga] something that you could do at home…I think its important, she says. Barrett practices in the sunroom, where she can enjoy natural light during the day and see the moon and stars at night.2:00pm After teaching, Barrett will walk 10 minutes to the beachshe tries to get out for a surf whenever there are waves or her schedule allows. She and her partner work together to ensure they both have time out on the water, and they will often take Lola with them. I can feel glimpses of the old me, but Im also here with my daughter, she says.2:30pm While Barrett didnt start surfing until adulthood, shes always been drawn to the water, and as a kid, she was fascinated by scuba diving. Growing up as a woman of colour on the East Coast in New Brunswick, I never saw any representation, she says. There arent many women of colour in cold-water [sports].4:00pm Showing surfing to her daughter is Barretts favourite part of the hobby. I hope she loves the water. I didnt have a connection with the ocean until my early 20s, so I would love to foster that in her from a young age, to find that sense of comfort and confidence in the water, she says.Next: Im a 40-Something-Year-Old Skateboarder (and TikTok Sensation)

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How to Get Started with Cross-Country Skiing

Lisa Kadane — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 12:00:55 +0000

Communities across the country have Nordic clubs where you can sign up for a lesson and rent equipment to try the sport. Additionally, many downhill resortssuch as SilverStar in B.C., Mont-Tremblant in Quebec and Ski Wentworth in Nova Scotiahave embraced a range of cold-weather pursuits, including snowshoeing, fat-tire snow biking and Nordic skiing. These spots often maintain cross-country trails, offer lessons and rent out Nordic gear.Lessons can be extremely helpful, suggests Kelowna, B.C.-based Nordic coach Jenna Sim. They provide a platform to give you the confidence for going out on your own.Plan a half-day lesson or a short ski for your first outing so you dont overdo it, says Sim. The rental shop pros will be able to help you size your gear, and your instructor can show you how to put on and take off the boots and skis.

Know the terms

Classic vs. skate: What style of Nordic skiing is right for you?At cross-country ski clubs, youll see trails with a set of tracks (two parallel grooves, hip-width apart) on each side, plus a wide area in the middle that looks like groomed corduroy. The tracks are for the classic style of Nordic skiing, while the part in the middle is for skate skiing. So, whats the difference?Classic skiing follows the basic human movement of walking or jogging, where each ski is in its own track and you stride or glide along, one ski at a time, while poling forward with the opposite arm. Many skiers new to the sport opt for this style as its more low-key and easy to learn.Skate skiing involves shifting your weight from one leg to the other in a side-to-side motion, like you do when youre ice skating (or on a flat cat-track, when alpine skiing). It requires more energy to get going, but skiers can achieve an almost effortless momentum, and its a great workout.Each discipline requires its own specific skis, boots and poles, so its a good idea to decide on a style before you invest in gear. However, most Nordic clubs offer both kinds of skiingclassic skiers and skate skiers share the same trailswith a groomed trail in the middle, and tracks for classic on each side.So then whats telemark skiing?Telemark is a niche style of downhill skiing that combines Nordic and alpine, and its not for beginners! The skis have edges like downhill skis, but use toe-only bindings like with Nordic skis. This results in turns that look like lunges, where the rear foot keeps balance while the front foot carves the turn.

How to Warm Up and Cool Down

Before you venture out, a little stretching will go a long way. All levels of skiers can benefit from a strength and mobility program, which can be added on to your existing home or gym exercise routine, says Ross McKinnon, a physiotherapist with Kelowna Manual Therapy Centre.With Nordic skiing, your legs and hips extend through a larger range of motion than when youre walking, explains McKinnon. Everyday exercises that are good for cross-country ski training include lunges, single squats, balancing on one leg and calf exercises such as heel drops on the stairs (with the knees straight and bent). Since hip and leg flexibility is important, McKinnon also recommends half-kneeling hip flexor stretches and sitting groin stretches before and after skiing.Hold your stretches for 30 seconds and repeat three times. Exercises such as squats and lunges can be done until you start experiencing a slight fatigue in your musclesusually after three sets of about 10 to 12 repetitions.When you hit the trails, start with easier routes and plan to ski the same length of time as you would hike or walk.Take care during the first few sessions, McKinnon adds. As with any new activity, there can be some normal post-exercise soreness. An aprs-ski hot tub soak can also work wonders.(Related: How to Warm Up Properly Before a Winter Workout and What to Do After)Here are a few places to give it a try, across Canada:

Where to Ski

British Columbia

Sovereign LakeAdjacent to SilverStar Mountain Resort near Vernon, the 50 kilometres of Nordic trails here combine with the downhill resorts 55-kilometre trail system to create the largest regularly groomed network of cross-country ski trails in Canada. sovereignlake.comSki CallaghanDog-friendly trails make the Callaghan Valley a great choice for families. Find this Nordic-focused resort just south of Whistler. callaghancountry.com

Alberta

Canmore Nordic CentreMore than 65 kilometres of trails combined with on-site rentals and lessons (available through Trail Sports) make this a good choice for trying out Nordic skiing. The centre is located in the Bow Valley, west of Calgary. albertaparks.ca

Manitoba

Windsor Park Nordic CentreGroomed daily and perfect for beginners, the short easy loops at this Winnipeg facility are a great place to learn. Equipment rentals are on a first-come, first-served basis. windsorparknordic.ca

Ontario

Highlands NordicLocated north of Toronto near Wasaga Beach, this Niagara escarpment spot rents out classic and skate skis to use on its 30 kilometres of groomed trails. highlandsnordic.ca

Quebec

Mont-Sainte-AnneLess than an hour from Quebec City, the network of Nordic trails at this ski resort wind through the scenic Laurentian forest. The trails include five heated cabins where skiers can stop for a rest. mont-sainte-anne.com

Newfoundland

Clarenville Nordic Ski ClubThe 40 kilometres of trails at this club, located east of the Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve, have plenty of cozy warm-up huts along the way. clarenvillenordicskiclub.comNext: The Many Health Benefits of Nordic Skiing

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The Many Health Benefits of Nordic Skiing

Lisa Kadane — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 12:00:05 +0000

Ive loved the steep, powdery pitches of downhill skiing for years. But some time before I turned 50, my body started to rebel against the high-impact jostling of black-diamond runs (sore knees, sore hips, a back that kept going out).So, last winter, my husband and I did what I had once seen as unthinkable: We invested in cross-country gear and ended up spending twice as many days gliding zen-like through the forest than we did chasing fresh tracks at an alpine resort.At first we poked fun at our newfound Nordic pastimethe fitted, streamlined clothes, the slow pace, the awkwardness of toe-only bindings and the ridiculous downhill snow-plow stance (courtesy of those wildly untethered heels) that made us teeter precariously between staying upright and face-planting on the hard-packed corduroy. But something happened after those first few forays onto winding trails that were gloriously free of other people: We fell in love with the sport.Being out in nature under a cobalt sky gives us a mental lift during the shortest days of the year, and thats in addition to the mood boost we get from all that exercise. We dont have to drive as far from our Kelowna, B.C. home to get to the trails, either, and Nordic doesnt cost as much as its alpine counterpart.As it turns out, we arent the only ones going all in for downhill skiings slower, flatter cousin. Mike Edwards, a manager at West Kelowna skiing club Telemark Nordic, says he noticed a 50-percent bump in membership over the first year of the pandemic, and a nearly 25-percent increase during the second year. It was hard to get our hands on skis, boots and poles last season, too: a perfect storm of supply chain issues meets increased demand.For many, COVID winters and lockdown gym closures supplied the push they needed to try Nordic skiing. Then, the sports many perks won plenty of people over permanently.Lisa Monforton, a self-described cross-country ski dabbler, has grown a lot more serious about the sport over the last few years. She initially took a lesson with a girlfriend, and then started going out regularly to ski in Fish Creek Provincial Park near her home in Calgary.During the pandemic I just looked for new things to do in my life, whether it was weaving or baking or learning a new skill, explains Monforton, who is 61. And more of my friends are cross-country skiing. She loves that its an aerobic, full-body exercise. Its easier on her joints, tooparticularly a problem knee. Cross-country skiing doesnt bother it at all, she says.Its a similar story for Angela Sayers, who broke her patella in April 2020. Her physiotherapist forbade her from hitting the downhill slopes, but gave her the green light for Nordic skiing the following winter. Now, due to the financial and social advantages, Sayers says she doesnt think shell go back.What I like about Nordic versus downhill is its not this big investment of time and money. Its free, says the Calgarian, who just turned 50. Its so accessible, its so easy. You can take an hour, go skiing and be home, instead of driving all the way to the mountains.Last winter she met a friend every Friday morning to catch up and ski either at the one-kilometre Nordic loop in Calgarys East Village, located downtown, or at a local city golf course with track-set trails (thats where a grooming machine makes two parallel grooves in the snow for skiers to glide along).Its a good winter alternative to the walk, Sayers says, adding that she and her friend would sometimes bring a Thermos and turn the outing into a tailgate partythe Nordic version of aprs ski.Its also a sport you can do at any age. Jenna Sim, a cross-country ski coach at Telemark Nordic, loves that she sees everyone from four-year-old girls to 85-year-old women out on the trails. Part of its appeal for the very youngand for the aging and elderlyis that its a relatively safe, low-risk activity.A lot of times people are nervous about winter sports because they dont want to fall and get hurt, explains Sim, who coaches kids ages 11 to 14. Nordic skiing is great because of the low-impact nature and the speed that youre going. People feel like they can be in more control because theyre not going as fast, so the risk doesnt feel as high-consequence. I fell plenty last winter as a newbie, and I am pleased to report that my knees, hips and lower back have weathered these stumbles just fine.When Nordic skiers do experience sprains or breaks, theyre usually caused by a fall, says Ross McKinnon, a Kelowna-based physiotherapist who regularly treats sports injuries. Unlike with high-speed alpine crashes, tumbles from Nordic skiing are usually from losing balance on a gentle downhill grade or while going around a corner, or from catching an edge while stepping into or out of tracks.McKinnon notes that he typically treats far more injuries from downhill skiing and snowboarding than from Nordic. Cross-country skiing is one of the safest winter sports out there, he says.As my technique improves, Im sure Ill master the proper way to stop rather than simplyahemsitting down on intermediate runs.Im also hoping the sports amazing health benefits will transform me into a super-fit 50-something. After all, Nordic skiing really is the perfect winter workout, and thats not just my bias speaking. Experts confirm it: Cross-country burns a ton of calories, uses your leg, arm and core muscles and provides that mental health boost so many of us need this time of year.Nordic skiing can be one of the most intense, demanding activities you can do, says John Holash, a professor of health and human performance in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary. Youre using the muscles of your upper back, your triceps, your shoulders, your deltoids. You have to stabilize with all your core muscles. And then, in addition to that, youre using all of your hip flexors and lower legs.Whats more, some of the people with the highest reported cardiovascular fitness are cross-country skiers, says Holash.A few years ago, doctors in Canada began prescribing time in nature to help patients manage anxiety and improve their physical and mental health. Ive certainly found this to be effective, and I plan to keep prescribing myself a weekly cross-country ski excursion as a winter survival strategy for many years to come. Here are some of the other health benefits:

Calories Burned

A 2016 study published in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that Nordic skiing burns more calories in one hour than downhill skiing does in 2.5 hours. Its a continuous activity, explains Holash. When youre cross-country skiing, youre not taking a break while you sit on a chair and go back up the mountain. And the exercise tends to be more of a moderate to heavy intensity.

Bone Density

Nordic skiing is easier on the joints than running, and it maintains bone density. With cross-country-skiing, you dont really have that heel-strike impact like you do with running, says McKinnon. Youre weight-bearing, youre sliding back and forth, so its lower impact that way. But its also the pull of the muscles on your bones that helps keep them strong.Maintaining bone density and muscle mass is especially important for women as they age. After menopause, our bone density can decrease, and cross-country skiing is a great weight-bearing activity while also being low impact, says Sim.

Balance and Flexibility

Nordic skiing is great for balance and agility as you age. It keeps you on your toes, literally. Outside in a natural environment, youre constantly being exposed to balance issues, says Holash, noting that the terrain alternates between slick and slushy, steep and flat, or there might be pinecones or debris to avoid on the tracks. Cross-country skiing also works the flexibility of our body because it goes through a very large range of motion. Its an activity that promotes flexibility.

Cold-Weather Endorphins

Many people feel cheerful when they exercise outside in winter, and science can explain why: Being cold during exercise might actually make us happier by stimulating our sympathetic nervous system, which then releases more endorphins. You go into a cold environment, youll get an adrenalin rush, says Holash.

Anxiety Management

Whats more, the goal-oriented, horizontal eye-scanning movement that accompanies outdoor sports has been shown to reduce activity in the amygdala, which is the brains fear centre, says Holash. The motor planning you do outdoors is far more complex than when youre zoning out on a treadmill or spin bike. Almost all of your senses are being pushed to a 10, whether its visual, auditory, sensation, balance, smell. The brain is getting a massive amount of input that it has to coordinate, he explains. Simply getting yourself moving outside, with purpose, can help manage feelings of stress and anxiety.Next: How to Get Started with Cross-Country Skiing

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How 60-Second Fitness and Wellness Activities Can Boost Your Health

Dominique Lamberton — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 12:00:03 +0000

Two years ago, while I was working late at my desk in a downtown Toronto office tower, I came across an article that continues to haunt me: Meet Emma, a creepy life-sized doll who represents office workers of the future, read the headline; below it, an image of a woman with a hunched back, swollen ankles, sallow skin and bloodshot eyes stared back at me. Commissioned by an office furniture company, Emma was created based on data about physical ailments from 3,000 European employeesa life size warning of what largely sedentary staffers might look like in 20 years if nothing changes. I shut my laptop and headed for the subway station: The rest of my work could wait until tomorrow.I didnt have the healthiest workday habits before the pandemicI tended to be overcaffeinated and under-watered, spent 10 to 11 hours at my desk instead of the requisite eight, had an inconsistent exercise routine and a variable sleep schedule, with many a late night spent staring at a screen. But since transitioning to a WFH lifestyle 20 months ago, somehow, its gotten even worse. At least in the Before Times, when I commuted to and from my office, walked around it to fill up my water bottle and attend meetings, and left my desk periodically for coffee breaks and lunches, I easily clocked 10,000 steps a daya number thats become a benchmark on wearable fitness devices and tracking apps. Neighbouring colleagues provided frequent social intervals, and intermittently during the workday, Id peer out the large windows to watch the hum of the city go by. Now, in my two-bedroom apartment, Im lucky if I reach 5,000 stepsthats usually from a walk or two around the block if Im diligent enough to take them. My husband, knowing that Im still spooked by Emma, regularly warns me, as Im curled over my laptop for eight hours (or often longer): Youre going to turn into the office worker of the future.Im someone, it seems, who needs the structure of office life to build in bouts of movement and revitalizing breaks that are important for everything from reducing harmful sedentary time to staving off burnout. But, because Im not heading back to the office anytime soon, I need to make some changes. Turns out, big ones arent required.

The Health Benefits of Small Lifestyle Changes

The benefits of micro health habits, anything from engaging in 60 seconds of exercise to taking a few minutes to unplug for your mental health, are gaining traction across health disciplines. Science is proving what feels like common sense: adding in healthy habits where you can, even if miniscule, is better than nothing. Trying to overhaul your life all in one fell swoop is incredibly hard [and] inconsistent with the realities of life, says Dr. Lesley Lutes, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia Okanagan whose areas of research include lifestyle behavioral changes and mental health and well-being. Instead, says Lutes, its about our ability to sustain small, meaningful changes.One small change could be adding what researchers call exercise snacks into your day. The term was coined by researcher Monique Francois in a 2014 study to describe one-minute bouts of intense exercise. But Martin Gibala, a professor of kinesiology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., and bestselling author of The One-Minute Workout: Science Shows a Way to Get Fit Thats Smarter, Faster, Shorter, says the concept of exercise snacks is simply interval training repackaged and rebranded. That approach to working out first gained public attention in the 1950s, when the Canadian military invented a fitness regimen for sedentary air force pilots called 5BX. The plan, which stands for five basic exercises, eventually spread beyond the military and over 20 million pamphlets were distributed to Canadian households. Its this idea of getting fit on your own without the need for specialized equipment, in a relatively time-efficient manner, says Gibala. In our current pandemic circumstances, he says, this type of fitness has resonated once again: The notion of exercise snacks is quite suited for the timesits reminded people of the power of bodyweight-style exercise, of simple things like stair climbing. We don’t need to be fancy to keep fit.In a joint study between McMaster and UBC Okanagan published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism in 2018, Gibala and his fellow researchers looked at sedentary young adults who vigorously climbed three flights of stairs, three times a week for six weeksand they saw a measurable improvement in their fitness. But, before adding three snacks a week, consider where youre at: If you’re completely sedentary and out of shape, anything is better than nothing, says Gibala. Maybe a single 20-second exercise snack, once a day, a couple of times a week, is going to be beneficial.

Adding Micro Health Habits to Your Every Day

To set myself up for success, Gibala suggests scheduling the snacks in my calendar. So, I add three into my 9 to 5: at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. When the alert goes off for my first-ever exercise snack, I decide to travel across the room via walking lunges, for a total of 50 seconds. Surprisingly, I am breathless by the end and my legs feel fatiguedbut the best part is, Im not sweaty. And, instead of filling up my coffee cup again, as Im wont to do mid-morning, I go for a glass of water before returning to my laptop. Snack one, consumedand Im already looking forward to the next one.

The Benefits of Microbreaks

While scheduling can be an effective way to work in exercise snacks, the opposite is true for microbreaks, those short, informal respites of self-chosen activities taken voluntarily between your work tasks. Research shows that they result in less stress and fatigue, and increased engagement, happiness and productivity. Sooyeol Kim, an assistant professor at National University Singapore, has been studying the impacts of microbreaks for a decade. He describes them as five- to seven-minute periods away from your work doing anything from getting a snack or coffee to chatting with a colleague, reading an article or watching a video. With three published studies and two more ongoing, hes found that employees who take frequent microbreaks to relaxby doing such things as stretching, daydreaming or meditatingexperience the most benefits. When you interact with others for microbreak purposes, you spend some psychological energy; and when you read something, its cognitively demanding. But with relaxation, you can be temporarily away from work-related tasks and resource expenditure, says Kim.For me, the biggest challenge is ensuring my breaks stay micro. While Kim says that picking up your phone to check your Instagram feed can qualify as a microbreak, its important to keep it purposeful and brief, rather than a mindless scrolling session (guilty!) that will wind up depleting more energy and resources. When we see positive or exciting news from our social media, like a close friend got a job or he or she is getting married, that can have a refreshing effect, he says. I feel microbreaks are going to take a little more work for me to enact with the right balance of both freedom and discipline, but Kim has a suggestion on where to start: when writing a demanding article, for example, if youre stuck on a sentence, gaze out the window or watch a YouTube clip for five minutes. Youll return to the work refreshed, and maybe youll have generated a new idea.

How to Get Started

While these bite-sized habits are designed for easy implementation, ultimately, theyre about finding what works for you. There is no one-size-fits-all plan, says Lutes. She also stresses that changes dont need to be permanent: maybe youll stick with the exercise snacks for a few weeks, she tells me, and then find theyre not for you, and instead youll start taking five minutes to do some yoga poses or stand during meetings. The most powerful thing you can do for your health is to start focusing on being less sedentary, Lutes says. A step is a step is a step, and it all adds up to improve your mental health and physical health.

Looking for inspiration on how to get started? Try these:

Standing sessionsEven if youre not getting up for a walk or exercise snack, standing is better than sitting. Your Apple Watch or Fitbit will tell you to stand regularly, or there are apps that will do so, like Stand Up! The Work Break Timer. Better yet, upgrade to a height-adjustable standing desk.Regular sipsNo need to chug: research shows that drinking water slowly and steadily throughout the day, and consuming it with meals, is key for optimal hydrationcritical for everything from organ functionality to helping improve sleep quality and mood. Try a reminder and tracking app like WaterMinder, or a smart water bottle such as HidrateSpark, which lights up when its time for a sip.Sunshine stopsMake one (or more!) of your microbreaks a five-minute walk around the block, and not only will you get some steps in and clear your head, but youll also top up your vitamin D supply (your body needs the nutrient to maintain healthy bones, plus its shown to support muscle function and brain cell activity). A vitamin D and UV tracker app like QSun can help ensure youre safely exposing yourself while soaking up the sunshine vitamin.Beauty bitesKeep a face mist at hand la Tata Harper, the green beauty guru whos known to snack on products from her eponymous brand throughout the day, like hydrating floral essence and anti-aging lip treatment. Think of it as a micro midday spa escape.Language tidbitsLearn words and pick up conversational phrases in everything from French to High Valyrian using a language app like Duolingo for just a few minutes a day. Among many other benefits, research has found that learning a new language in adulthood stimulates neuroplasticity, increasing grey matter in the brain.Gratitude interludesPositive psychology research shows that being grateful is linked to greater happiness. Try the Five Minute Journal to get started, which provides daily prompts for snack-sized reflections.Now that you know how small lifestyle changes can boost your heath, learn why you should reframe your goals

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6 Great Spin Bikes that Cost Less Than a Peloton

Caitlin Kenny — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 14:00:54 +0000

If you plan to use the Peloton app check out the Schwinn IC4 or Bowflex C6

If you really love Pelotons classes and instructors but cant swallow the bikes price tag, the Schwinn IC4 or Bowflex C6 are solid alternatives (they share a parent company and are the same bike, mechanically speaking). You can pop your own tablet in the holder to run Peloton classes and use the bikes Bluetooth to display your real-time cadence in the app itself instead of checking the built-in LCD display.Like the Peloton, the IC4 and C6 have 100 levels of magnetic resistance for a smooth ride (though, a 35 per cent resistance on either wont be exactly the same as Pelotons 35, but you could always stick on a conversion chart). Youll be able to keep up during weight tracks with the included pair of three-pound dumbbells, and dual-sided pedals mean you can clip in SPD shoes or use regular runners in the toe cages.Schwinn IC4 Indoor Cycling Bike, $1,400, walmart.caBowflex C6 Bike, $900, bowflex.ca

If you want all the quality without the frills Echelon Connect

Echelon makes a range of high-end bikes, but the company also sells this Walmart-exclusive model that offers a sturdy frame and smooth ride at a more affordable price by skipping out on a few features.With no display screen, you save by using your own device to tune into the Echelon Fit Apps classes, which are free for your first 30 days then about $40 per month. Another compromise: The Connect only comes with toe cages, so you cant clip in with actual spin shoes unless you buy and install SPD pedals separatelysomething most avid cyclists swear by for a safe and efficient workout. All that said, the bikes magnetic resistance and quiet transmission deliver a high-quality ride, as long as you can sort out a setup that works for you.Echelon Connect Sport Indoor Bike, $700, walmart.ca(Related: This Is the Best Fitness App for You)

If you miss your local studio Podium by Spinco x Echelon

This brand-new bike doesnt start shipping until spring 2021 (the exact date is still TBD), but for fans of the cross-Canada Spinco studios, its worth the wait to take at-home classes with their favourite instructors. All content will be filmed at the Toronto flagship and offered in conjunction with Echelons library for $53 per month.The bike itself boasts a 21.5-inch HD screen that rotates 180 degrees to make it easy to follow along to the included off-bike classes such as strength-training and yoga. Its 32-level magnetic resistance, smooth belt-drive transmission and multi-plane adjustable seat and handlebars bring back that familiar studio-like feel.Podium by Spinco x Echelon, $2000, spincopodium.com(Related: Is Indoor Rowing the New Spinning Craze?)

If you dont mind a few tradeoffs DMASUN

Our most affordable full-sized pick is a top seller on Amazon with over 2,000 five-star reviews. Like the pricier models on our list, it boasts a steel frame, heavy flywheel and belt-drive transmission system, which is known to be smoother and quieter than chain transmission. But the savings means only a simple LCD display (it displays just one metric at a time, so you have to toggle through manually) and cage-only pedals (you can buy your own SPDs though).The main difference, though, is that DMASUN uses friction-based resistance rather than magnetic. Whereas magnetic is silent, this bikes friction system makes a very slight whirring sound as you spin, and the pads that are used to add tension may need to be replaced down the (virtual) road.DMASUN Indoor Exercise Bike, $470, amazon.ca(Related: 7 Best Cardio Workouts You Can Do at Home)

If youre in a small space XTERRA

Low on space? You can still get a good sweat in with this popular folding option. It takes only a few seconds to wheel it away into a closet, yet still feels sturdy enough when youre in workout mode.This upright bike requires a different posture than your typical lean-forward spin bike, and it only has eight levels of magnetic resistance (that said, for the price, magnetic resistance is a huge bonus, so you can silently cycle your way through conference calls). While the XTERRA wont get mistaken for a Peloton dupe, it does offer an easy way to get your heartrate up wherever you can squeeze it in.XTERRA Folding Adjustable Magnetic Upright Bike, $238, amazon.caNext: The Benefits of Biking, For Your Body and Mind

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Kickboxing Is the Fun, Full-Body Workout You Never Knew You’d Love

Rebecca Gao — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 12:00:03 +0000

Throwing a punch at a friend might not be seem like a great way to bond, but for the boxers at SHEspars, its totally normaland encouraged.Kickboxing can be an empowering way to develop self-defence skills, and a good way to build trust and make new friends, says Damali Fraiser. Shes the executive director of SHEspars, a group that organizes muay Thai sparring events around southern Ontario, based on the idea that women and non-binary folks deserve a space and the time to practice the sport safely. Theres no politics or gym drama. Its like meeting a friend that you feel like youve known for a long time, she says.Muay Thai is a form of kickboxing, which is like boxing except that it also incorporates arms and legs (unlike regular boxing, which is upper body only). The rise of cardio-style kickboxing classes (you know, the ones that have you shadowboxing while you hop from foot to foot, leaving you breathless and sweaty) have turned what was originally a martial art into a popular form of aerobic exercise. But kickboxing can do so much more than just boost your cardio: A study published in 2014 in the journal Muscles, Ligaments and Tendons found that kickboxing also improves speed, agility, flexibility, upper body strength and aerobic power, making it a great high-intensity, full-body workout.A lot of different aspects of your physiology are involved, says Hyedie Hashimoto, a PC kru (which means teacher) atLotus Fitness Muay Thai in Toronto.Fraiser says that the main complaint she hears from her fellow female boxers is that theres often a lack of other women at mainstream gyms or sparring events. SHEspars draws in women from a wide range of backgrounds and agesFraiser, who is turning 43 this year, notes that girls as young as seven come to spar and exercise with women in their 40s, 50s and 60s.SHEspars also enables women who are past their competitive days to continue practicing. Jennifer Boffo, the founder of SHEspars, was a muay Thai fighter for years before an injury forced her to stop.Theres no age limit on who can do muay Thai, confirms Hashimoto. She explains that motion is lotion, so no matter your age, if you can start moving and stay active, it will probably prevent you from getting stiff and immobile.As a petite woman, Hashimoto was told that she couldnt spar because everyone else was much bigger than her. My first coach told me that my short stature was ruining the sparring techniques of the taller guys, she recalls. But Ive made lifelong friends and really strong bonds within the muay Thai community with the women at SHEspars.SHEspars events are not competitions, explains Fraiser. (There are no scores kept during sparring and no one wins or losesits just about practicing the moves.) Their events are about finding community within a safe space, so they always start with friendly introductions. Its not a real fight, but its still a vulnerable place to be in, and you want to know that the people youre putting yourself into that position with actually care about you, she says.Fraiser sees it as a sports and gender equity issueallowing women athletes to escape what can be a toxic gym culture, and to feel both empowered and supported. Were trying to give folks in different areas the opportunity to bring all their women together to spar and get to know each other, she says.

What are the health benefits of kickboxing?

Core strengthening

Throwing punches and kicks strengthens your core muscles. When you twist for a punch to add power to it, youre engaging your core.

Improved flexibility

Many of the movements associated with muay Thai are like dynamic stretches, says Hashimoto. The more you do them, the more flexible you become.

Cardio workout

All of that moving around while youre sparring gets your heart rate up and pumping.

Confidence boost

Sparring allows boxers to finally apply the training and skills they learned from practising on pads and pillows. Its the culmination of a lot of hard work. Being able to even get one shot on your opponent is a huge confidence boost, Hashimoto says.

Mental clarity

Sparring can sometimes lead to a meditative state, says Hashimoto. Some seasoned pros focus so intently on the fight that their minds are totally empty during the spar. The undivided attention on one sustained activityits not unlike running a marathoncan help people clear their mind and find relief from daily stressors. Next: The Life-Boosting Powers of Cold Water Swimming

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The Life-Boosting Powers of Cold Water Swimming

Anicka Quin — Fri, 09 Dec 2022 12:00:13 +0000

For the last two years, Gillian Goerzen has been heading down to the beach a few days a week, right around dawnno matter the weather. The swimming spot she likes is only a short drive from her home in Nanaimo, B.C., but two years of swims hasnt make the initial shock of the cold water any easier. In her bathing suit, shell ease her way in up to her waist, pause to rally some inner strength, then keep on walking, gasping as the water reaches her chest. Its tough, but from that point, Goerzen says, it only gets better. Now Im so convinced of the benefits that it just doesnt stop me, even if the weather is crappy, she says. Ive even dipped in the snow.

Goerzens practice is known as cold-water dippingor plunging, or even wild swimming. Shes part of a trend, partially pandemic-driven, of people who are intentionally submerging themselves in cold water during the fall and winter months. And the benefits she mentioned? Its those reported positive effectsimproved mental health, a metabolism boost, a reduction in menopause symptoms, deeper sleepthat keep enthusiasts hooked.

The roots of cold-water swimming go back as far as 400 BCE, when Hippocrates prescribed it as a therapy for fatigue. In more recent times, Dutch motivational speaker and extreme athlete Wim Hofknown for teaching breathing techniques that he says can boost immunityhas gained a cult-like following for his advice on braving the cold. Gwyneth Paltrow even dedicated an episode to Hof and his work on her Netflix series The Goop Lab.

Swimmers bundle up after a frosty dip at Jack Darling Memorial Park in Mississauga, Ont.
Ikea bags double as gear totes and changing mats to keep feet off the cold sand.

But long before its pandemic-era popularity, winter swimming has been a national pastime in Nordic countries like Finland, where cold-water swimming clubsessentially changing rooms with saunas by an ocean dockcan have waitlists of 300 people. In fact, according to a recent survey, nearly 700,000 of Finlands 5.5 million residents regularly winter swim. Katja Pantzar, a Finnish Canadian writer living in Helsinki, discovered winter swimming herself eight years ago while writing a book about the trend. Since then, shes written a couple of books featuring the practiceincluding the recently published Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life.

Sisu, Pantzar says, is the Finnish term for a unique type of inner strength that helps you face lifes challenges. They can be big-picture issues like war, or an Olympic victory, or it can also be the daily things, like I need to have that difficult conversation with my boss, or my spouse, she explains. You tap into sisu, and the grit or the fortitude is the courage. Practicing small stressorslike cold-water swimmingcan help you build up that sisu, so you can deal with the bigger ones.

Its a sentiment that Vernon, B.C.-based counsellor Anna Cahill supports through her work using trauma-informed approaches. Ever since she first saw the benefits of cold-water swimming herself, the practice has been a tool she recommends to her clients, while also sharing the risks of the practice and urging her clients to check with a doctor before going for a dip. Cahill tried it a few years ago after reading about Irish author Ruth Fitzmaurices ritual of jumping into the sea every day, which she described as a reset button. If you need to make some changesto start a creative practice, change your relationship, change your worktheres nothing that will give you the confidence to do it like jumping into a cold body of water, says Cahill, 56. I promise: Theres just something about the process that allows you to confront your fears.

Gillian Goerzen, a body-positive fitness coach (centre, in grey toque), chats with other
swimmers before a plunge at Barnet Marine Park in Burnaby, B.C. The type of people who are attracted
to cold-water dipping are genuine and kind-hearted, she says.

Theres evidence that the practice can also counter depression and anxiety, even for swimmers who only dip once or twice a week. Rob Whitley, an associate professor in the department of psychiatry at McGill University, studies how people recover from mental illness. Part of my job is to elicit from them what really helped them in their recovery, be it medication or formal therapies, he says. And Ive heard from many, many people in my studies that going swimming in lakes and rivers and oceans was really helpful.

The benefits of an icy dip can range from the simple to the complex, he says. When people go cold-water swimming, theyre typically outdoors, in nature; theyre exposed to sunlight, theyre in what we call blue space, he says. And often they do it with other people, which is a social activity, and we know [thats] good for mental health.

Goerzen agrees that the social aspect is a huge part of what makes the experience positive for her. Its not just the cold water, though thats part of it, says the 44-year-old, who works as a body-positive health coach. Im in nature, Im spending time with other really cool peopleand my experience has been that the type of people who are attracted to cold-water dipping are very genuine, kind-hearted people. (Swimming with others has another positive side effect: safety. First-time swimmers should always head out with a buddy, to ensure they dont experience any unexpected side effects alone in the water.)

Combine that social interaction with cold water, Whitley says, and things start to get interesting. When the body is exposed to cold temperatures quickly, it tries to compensate for the shock. Your blood circulates more quickly and in an improved manner, he says. It distributes nutrients a lot better to deep tissues, and on a parallel level, it removes toxins. Swimmers often feel an urge to urinate after theyre in the watera sign that the body has worked to naturally eliminate waste products in the body.

Bebhinn Pidgeon (seen here with her rescue dog, Maya) runs a cold-water swim group out of Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver. You take in the water, you
take in the mountains, and focus on your breath, she says. I just get really present, and the anxieties of the day, and the week, just start to dissipate.

Cold temperatures also trigger the production of proteins, he notes, and proteins are typically positive for the body. They have a purpose: to remove toxins, distribute nutrients, to stimulate the immune system. A recent study out of Cambridge University found that regular cold-water swimmers had a cold-shock protein in their blood known as RBM3, which is believed to help slow the onset of dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases by protecting against brain-cell loss.

Cold immersion also releases a cascade of hormones that can have a lasting positive effect. In Pantzars first book on the subject, The Finnish Way, she chatted with professor Hannu Rintamki of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health about the physiological effects of swimming in the winter months. A dip of about 30 seconds to one minute in water thats on average about 4 degrees Celsius causes whats known as a hormone storm, as many of the so-called happy hormones are pushed into action, Rintamki told her. By happy hormones, hes referring to endorphins, the bodys natural pain killers; serotonin, widely thought to maintain mood balance; dopamine, theneurotransmitter that helps control the brains pleasure centres and also regulates movement and emotional response; and oxytocin, aka the love hormone.

There arent yet definitive studies on the effects of cold-water dips (Whitley points out that there isnt a cold-water swimming industry to fund them as heartily as, say, studies on pharmaceuticals), but for women, anecdotal evidence suggests that menopausal side effects like hot flashes, anxiety and sleeplessness can subside with regular cold-water dipping.

At Jack Darling Memorial Park, Delphine Adenot Owusu leads her friend Carol Cofre into
Lake Ontario for her first-ever dip. First-time swimmers (and even regulars) should always swim
with a buddyand wearing a hat helps preserve body heat as you enter the water.

Goerzen says her own hot flashes decreased once she started a regular dipping practice. And she has used her cold plunges as an opportunity to confront another side effect of perimenopause: weight gain. Id gone into early perimenopause and my body changed quite a bit, very quickly, she says. I knew there was some internalized fatphobia still living there, and so one of the ways I decided to explore it was to see myself on video. She recorded herself going in and out of the water as a way to get more comfortable with her appearance, but she also saw a connection with the cold-water-swimming goal of overcoming discomfort. It isnt about taking the struggle away, its about learning how to struggle, she says. I can be uncomfortable, and I can be okay.

And while Goerzens cold ocean dips have boosted her mood and reduced her anxiety, theyve also transformed her outlook once shes out of the water. Our brains are wired for negativity biaswere wired to look for all the things we suck at, all the ways were doing wrong, she says. But this practice of going for a dip in the oceanits a heavy dose of evidence that I can do difficult things. That I can set my mind to something and do it.

Next: The Health Benefits of Open-Water Swimming

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You’re Going to Need to Work on Your Balance

Martha Beach — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 12:00:28 +0000

At first glance, you might not see the point of practicing balance. For other types of exercise, the benefits are more obvious: We know that lifting weights is great for bone density, yoga increases mindfulness and aerobic exercises are ideal for heart health. Functionally, we use strength to lift and carry groceries or little children, mindfulness reduces stress and aerobic exercise helps us catch the bus on those mornings when we wake up just a tad too late. But its not often (outside of, say, yoga class) that we need to balance on one foot. Sure, maybe to put on a sockbut we could just sit down to do that, right?

In reality, balance affects so much of our daily movement. Balance is needed to complete functional tasks and activities of everyday living, like walking, cleaning, reachingall the things that give you independence, says Alice Li, a physiotherapist at Yellow Gazebo, a wellness clinic in Toronto. At its most basic definition, balance means moving or remaining still without losing control or falling. Its all about maintaining control of our body, Li says. From simply going outside for a walk to doing something more complex like running a race, balance is important for a full spectrum of activities.

Three major systems in our body work together to create balance. The visual system allows us to see if we are tilting. The vestibular system, which is housed in the inner ear, sends our brain information about the motion of our head in relation to our surroundings. Proprioception is our awareness of where our body is in space, for example, during movement and actions. All of those components work together to keep us upright, says Li.

Maybe youve noticed that, while you used to glide down the stairs with ease, lately you have to hold the handrail or check your footing. Like many areas in the body, our ability to maintain balance weakens over time, explains Li. This is why older adults are particularly susceptible to falls. Practicing balance is key if you want to avoid slips and trips that could lead to serious injury. Such injuries, particularly those in the lower body (like a twisted ankle) can also further affect your balance, so its important to do rehab that incorporates balance exercises after an injury.

Using a tool like a Bosu ball (a balance ball that is flat on one side) is a great way to hone your balance skills. It provides you with an unstable surface to stand on, which forces you to find and maintain your centre of gravity while performing different exercises. It also helps you train your body (through the vestibular system and proprioception) to keep itself upright even in unsteady circumstances. For safety, Li suggests clearing a wide floor area and keeping a wall or sturdy piece of furniture nearbyjust in case of tumbles. And dont forget to always use your Bosu ball with the flat side down on the ground and the rounded side facing up.

If youre new to using a Bosu ball, a good place to start is to simply stand on it. Stand with two feet on the rounded side, keeping a soft bend in the knees. Increase the difficulty by shifting your weight onto your toes and heels and side to side. [It seems] super easy, but the unsteady nature of the ball creates a great challenge, Li says. From there, you can up the ante by standing on one foot, then the other, or by shifting your weight farther back on your heels or forward onto your toes.

Another balance-perfecting exercise you can try is to maintain your stance while a partner pushes you (lightly!). This will help you practice your reactionary balance. You need reactionary balance when, for example, you encounter a sheet of ice, explains Li. You could also do this while tossing a ball with your kids, playing fetch with your dog or simply bouncing a ball off a wallanything that has you reacting and staying upright while standing on the uneven surface.

If youre a balance pro, try doing lunges. Start by standing facing the Bosu ball. Then, take one foot forward, planting it on the centre of the rounded part. Move into a lunging position (bending both knees toward a 90-degree angle), then push off with your front leg and return backward to a standing position. Carefully step forward onto the ball as you go straight into your lunge and thenthis is the hardest partstep back with control. Do this on each side a few times, maintaining control and fluid motion throughout. Be very cautious of that front knee, since there are many moving components to this exercise and the Bosu ball is unstable, says Li.

Not sure how steady you are? A very simple way to test your balance is to simply stand on one foot. Li recommends clearing the area around you and standing close to a wall or a sturdy piece of furniture you can grab onto in case you do go off kilter. Then, lift one foot off the ground and aim to stand in that position for at least 30 seconds without falling, repositioning or flailing your limbs about. If you cant last for 30 seconds or the action is not controlled, you likely need to focus on practicing balance. If you can make it 30 seconds with control, its safe to say your balance is in good shape. Sometimes, we can balance on one side but not the other (due to various factors that include muscular imbalances and injury), so that will tell you which side you need to focus on.

If you already have a regular exercise routine, thats a great start. Its true that general exercise increases balance. A 2019 review of the impacts of physical activity on balance and fall prevention in seniors published in the journal Medicine described one study that followed two groupsone that did 32 weeks of resistance training and another that did 32 weeks of aerobics. At the end of the study, the groups experienced an increase in the ability to balance on one foot by 25 and 31 percent, respectively.

Good balance can help with confidence overall, and then youre more likely to participate in activities and be more active, says Li. Its a great cycle.

Next: How to Stretch Your Hips After Sitting for a While

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7 Fitness-Friendly Adventures in British Columbia

Erin Phelan, readersdigest.ca — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 20:25:17 +0000

1. “Do” the Seawall

Whether you run, bike, blade, or walk it, a trip to British Columbia would not be complete without a turn on the Seawall along Vancouver’s waterfront. The entire routefrom Burrard Inlet to Kitsilano Beach Parkis 22-kilometres, but a great route takes you around Stanley Park and clocks a respectable 8.8-km! The outside track, closest to the water, is for inline skaters and cyclists; the inner track is for runners and walkers. Once you’ve pumped the park, explore the 1000 acres of woods, gardens, flowers and trails and beaches that make up Stanley Park.(Related: The Benefits of Biking, For Your Body and Mind)

2. Grind Up Grouse

Work those legs up Grouse Grind, the trail that is often called “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster.” This 2.8-km hike up to the face of Grouse Mountain will challenge novice and expert hikers with its rugged terrain and steep climb. Novice hikers should budget two hours to make it up the top, but competitors in the Grouse Mountain Seek the Peak have done it in 25 minutes! Once you’ve reached the peak take an eco-walk and learn about flora and fauna, and meet Grinder and Coola, the friendly resident grizzly bears!(Related: 6 Hiking Tips to Make Your Next Adventure That Much Easier)

3. Cycle Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Across Canada, abandoned railway tracks offer great cycling opportunities, and the renowned Kettle Valley Rail Trail in the Thompson Okanagan region of B.C shouldn’t be missed. The trail covers 455-km of easy to moderate terrain between the cities of Grand Forks and Brodie, B.C., with diverse landscapesfrom beautiful mountain forests to Canada’s only pocket desert. The trail’s most notable section is Myra Canyon, which features 18 trestles and two tunnels.(Related: The Awesome Health Benefits of Awe Walking)

4. Surf Tofino

Tofino, B.C., on Vancouver Island has some of the best surfing in North America. Explore 35-km of easy-access beaches for year-round surfing (though in wintertime, temperatures require a wetsuit). Beaches have sandy-bottoms and its safe waters also make Tofino a great place to learn to surf. Expert surfers will find more challenging remote reef breaks scattered along the coast, and Chesterman Beach provides good waves in summer and big winter swells.

5. Salute the Sun

Vancouver is a great place to explore yoga, and nothing connects you with your Zen and your environment quite like yoga outdoors. Canada Place hosts free outdoor yoga classes in the summertime.You can also buy a Passport to Pranaa yoga pass that allows the user to take classes (indoor and outdoor) at more than 40 yoga studios throughout the Greater Vancouver Area. Om!(Related: 12 Rules You Should Memorize Before Taking a Yoga Class)

6. Kayak the Lakes

Dip your paddle into breathtaking scenery along the 48-kilometre Sayward Forest Canoe Route on Vancouver Island. A number of portage trails link a series of 12 lakes, with many accessible points for dropping in. The Great Campbell River Fire in 1938 destroyed much of Sayward Forest, but a year later a massive endeavor saw almost 800,000 Douglas-fir trees planted in one month, which are now in full view from the lakes. Although there are four sets of small rapids to be aware of, the waters are generally calm and it is recommended you traverse the route in a counter-clockwise direction.

7. Tee Off in Thompson Okanagan

You might struggle to keep your eye on the ball while golfing in British Columbia’s Thompson Okanagan regionstunning vistas, panoramic mountain views, and backdrops of orchards, vineyards and deserts could distract from your game. Renowned golf architects have designed many courses, and Kelowna’s Gallagher’s Canyon is rated as one of the best golf courses in the country, providing the quintessential Okanagan golf experience with incredible scenery along its 6,802 yards.Next: OsoyoosA Beautiful BC Hotspot with Breathtaking Wineries

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How to Stretch Your Hips After Sitting for a While

Rebecca Gao — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 15:01:20 +0000

Your hip flexors are the all-important muscles in front of your hips, around your groin. Theyre part of your pelvis and they are essential for movement, helping you pick up your legs so you can move forward. Your hip flexors are also integral to posture and core stability. The main hip flexors, the iliopsoas muscles, connect to the lumbar spine, travel through the pelvis and attach to the inside of your femur, near the hip joint. This makes your iliopsoas the only muscles that connect the upper and lower halves of your body.Our hip flexors do a lot for us, so if we dont stretch them and build their strength, the muscles get fatigued, tighten up and weaken over time. When we sit for too long (say, in front of a computer), the muscles become shortened, which can lead to tightness and pain in the groin and lower back areas. In fact, even if youre outrageously active, you might still experience tightness in the hips: Repetitive motion (like cycling or running) can also cause hip tightness.Weak glute muscles, caused by a lack of movement, may also be a culprit. When your glute muscles are weak, your hip flexors take over and absorb the load, says Surabhi Veitch, a Toronto-based physiotherapist. Some of the contributing factors for tightness in the front of the hip is weakness in the back of it, in the glutes.Luckily, there are easy-to-do hip flexor stretches that can help relieve hip tightness, whether its from sitting or exercising. A simple, familiar one that you probably already know is a lunge. This can be a low lunge [with hands] on the floor, with a pillow or pad under your knee for support, says Veitch. Or, make it into a more upright lunge by resting your hands on a chair or bench if you cant reach the floor while lunging. The goal with a lunge, she says, is to rest in that position, and not struggle to hold yourself up.Knee hugs are another simple hip stretch, and, as a bonus, you can do this one in bed after a long day or when you first wake up. For people who are really flexible, they might not feel much, explains Veitch. But if you have a lot of muscle tightness, just hugging one knee to your chest will cause you to feel tightness in the other, outstretched hip and get that nice stretch. Veitch notes that knee hugs are especially good for elderly people or people with mobility difficulties, as it doesnt involve getting down to the floor and getting back up.But once you are down on the groundor in bedtry a lying quad stretch. While this move stretches out your quads and legs, it also opens up the front of your hips. You can do it in a standing position but doing it on your side takes some of the gravitational load off, says Veitch. Lying on your side will help you relax your muscles (instead of tensing them to try to maintain balance on one foot), allowing you to fully focus on the hips and quads. These [lying down] stretches are a great way to loosen up in the morning, she says. Youre already in bed, so why not do a couple hip stretches?Aside from stretching, taking breaks from sitting is really important, says Veitch. Try getting up every hour or 30 minutes, whenever your body starts to feel stiff and gives you that sign to move, she explains. Getting up changes the position of the muscles, and walking promotes an extended or stretch position, which allows the hip flexors to be stretched through their full range of motion. So even if you dont have time to work through an entire stretching or exercise routine, getting some movement in, even if its just a walk around the house, can help loosen up your flexors and cut down on pain.

Ready to get started? Try these hip flexor stretches:

Lunge

With one knee on the ground, get into a lunge position. Then squeeze your bum and push your hips forward to get a nice stretch in the front of one hip. Switch sides. Create more sensation by raising the arm on the side of your lowered knee.

Knee hugs

Lying down, raise one knee to your chest and stretch the other leg out. Hug your knee to your chest and feel the stretch on the extended hip. Keep your extended leg glued to the floor/bed. If it lifts, lessen the hug on the bent knee. Switch sides. If youre on a bed, you can leverage gravity for a deeper stretch: Dangle your straight leg over the bed and let the weight of it pull your hip out.

Lying quad stretch

Lie down on your side. Then, reach your top leg back, grab onto your ankle and pull it toward your bum (imagine youre doing a quad stretch, but horizontal). Switch sides.Next: 3 Moves to Stretch and Strengthen Your Glutes After Sitting All Day

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Can a Smart Rope Help You Get a Good Workout?

Danielle Groen — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 11:00:29 +0000

The Rookie is a Bluetooth-and-sensor-equipped skipping rope with a sleek app and, it turns out, a sense of humourbecause when I first logged in, I discovered my daily goal had been pre-set to an eye-popping 2,000 jumps. That simply wasnt going to happen. I dialled the daily goal down to 200, reconsidered, then took it to 100. I shouldve kept dialling.To be fair, a lot of the blame is mine. Skipping isas should by now be abundantly clearan enormously tough workout that makes a whole bunch of cardiovascular demands on your body. It also requires the sort of coordination that took me a while to remember from my 20th-century grade-school days. But some of the fault lies with the Rookies rope, which is made of a thin, polypropylene plastic. Its good for speed but bad for tangles, leaving parts of the rope coiled back on itself and leaving me feeling like I was constantly tussling with an unruly headphone cord. At least it didnt hurt much when the rope inevitably slammed into my legs.The lightweight plastic handles are easy to gripmine came in a very cheerful coraland the length of the 300-cm rope is a snap to adjust. The apps interface is super intuitive, but its metrics are about what youd expect: number of jumps, time spent jumping, calories burned, percentage completed of your daily goal. While there are a couple interval programs designed around experience level, theyre pretty straightforward: jump 30 times, rest for 30 seconds, repeat twice, or jump 300 times (ha!), rest for 60 seconds, repeat thrice. Its not especially difficult to track these metrics yourself, which is ultimately the hitch with any smart skipping rope. You can count just as well as it can.I might feel more charitable if I were inclined to, say, compete with friends on Rookies app or chart my progress on its global leaderboard. But I just want to skip in peace (and maybe fudge my totals when Im done). A dumb ol jump rope is perfectly up to that particular taskRookie Smart Skipping Rope, $55, chapters.indigo.caNext: You May Want to Start Skipping Rope Again

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Here’s Why You May Want to Start Skipping Rope Again

Danielle Groen — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 11:00:27 +0000

Forget walking and chewing gum at the same time: At one point, ages ago, many of us could actually skip rope while we sang. In fact, somewhere, jammed into a closet or the corner of a basement, theres probably a dusty old jump rope that would just love if you gave it another look. You might be surprised at how hard a workout youll getand how quickly the words to Miss Mary Mack come flooding back (back, back).

Bit of skipping rope = big rewards

Like any exercise that involves short, quick, explosive movement, skipping is a plyometric workout, which offers plenty of high-intensity bang for its buck. Yes, that means more speed and power: A 2021 meta-analysis found that endurance runners improved their physical fitness and athletic performance after introducing jump training into their routines. But plyometric exercise also has a lot to offer anyone whose marathon days might be behind them. One 2018 Sports Medicine review determined that plyometric activity improved postural stability in older adults, leading to a reduced risk of falling. A 2020 European study found that plyometric exercise helped older men better climb stairs, especially when stacked against walking or resistance training. And a Cincinnati meta-analysis of female athletes connected plyometric exercise with a reduced risk for ligament injury, because of its ability to improve coordination.And you dont need to do a ton of it: An oft-cited study in Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport revealed that skipping for 10 minutes a day over six weeks can provide the same benefits as half an hour of daily jogging. But, because skipping isnt nearly as easy as nine-year-olds make it seem, work up to those 10 minutes. You are definitely getting your heart rate upthe most I can last without stopping is somewhere between three to four minutes, says Scott Lear, who holds the Pfizer/Heart and Stroke Foundation chair in cardiovascular prevention research at Vancouvers St. Pauls Hospital (and is an avid skipper himself). But thats how you get a similar workout to a moderate-intensity activity in less time.(Related: 6 Great Spin Bikes that Cost Less Than a Peloton)

Heart health benefits of skipping

Your calves, quads, hamstrings, biceps, shoulders, arms, coretheyre all pressed into service here. But skipping is also one of the most effective cardio workouts around. Skipping makes your cardiovascular system more efficient at delivering and extracting oxygen from your blood, Lear says. So the heart doesnt have to pump as much at a certain work level, and it can better manage the sort of stress that precipitates a heart attack. A 12-week 2018 European study found that skipping positively affected several risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, including blood pressure, inflammation and vascular function.

Bone heatlh benefits of skipping

Two million Canadians are affected by osteoporosismore than 80 percent of them women. We know that regular exercise is good for bone health for young girls all the way through older women, but it turns out that skipping rope is really good for our bone health. By putting bones under the repeated stress of jumping, you encourage them to build back stronger. Thats why (American) study after (Chinese) study after (Australian) study has found that skipping rope increases bone mineral density in both pre- and post-menopausal women, even those with low bone mass.Plus, skipping rope is just generally good for whats known as our physical literacy: moving with confidence and competence. A lot of the time, we talk about physical literacy in children, improving balance and coordination, Lear says. But thats also important as we get older, because its not only age that reduces those things, its usually that we start doing less. As we do less, our bodies adapt to doing less; theyre efficient machines that way. Skipping helps ensure our bodies stay healthy, no matter our ageso hop to it.

Check Your Technique

Kaitlyn Simpson, performing circus artist and coach at the Jumpsations jump-rope club in Hamilton, Ont., shares three tips for improving your jump rope technique.1. For novices, keeping your toes and your heels together as you jumpand landing with a bent kneewill make sure your joints and ligaments dont end up where they shouldnt. Hips face forward, right under your shoulders, and hands are as close to those hips as possible, with elbows tucked back.2. Beginners tend to think they need to turn the rope with their whole arms, but after you get those initial revolutions going, the work is all in the wrists. Shortening your rope a little will encourage you to keep your arms closer to your body, so the rotation can come from your wrists instead.3. If youre working on your coordination, go ahead and jump a little higher: Itll give you more time to get the rope under you before you land. But once you figure out your rhythm, you shouldnt need to get more than an inch or two off the ground.Next: Can the Rookie Smart Rope Help You Get a Good Workout?

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Stretch Your Chest With This Seriously Underrated Piece of Equipment

Rebecca Gao — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 11:00:42 +0000

Resistance bands are a seriously underrated piece of equipment: Theyre affordable, weigh next to nothing and are easy to tote around. Plus, you can use them on virtually every part of your body, so these stretchy bands are a must-have for any home gym, especially if youre working with a tiny space.Resistance bands are also great for proprioception, or our bodys awareness of where we are in space, says Toronto-based physiotherapist Surabhi Veitch. If someone is really struggling to connect with their core or feel their butt during a workout, we can use resistance bands to promote the feeling of that muscle being used so that the person can start connecting with that area of the body.Like with dumbbells and other weights, integrating resistance bands into your exercise routine can lend more, well, resistance to your strength training, tearing your muscles more and making them stronger. When you do strength exercises, youre creating microtears in your muscles. When this happens, your body sends more blood and nutrients to the area and this helps repair and strengthen your muscles. However, because resistance bands maintain constant tension on your muscles as you move through an exercise, they actually create more muscle growth. Basically, dumbbells and free weights generate resistance with gravity, so theyre most effective when you do downward motions (think bicep curls). Meanwhile, resistance bands rely on their own elasticity to create resistance, so theyre effective on multiple planes of movement.A common place to use your resistance bands is in training your chest muscles (a.k.a. your pectoral muscles or pecs). Your pecs help with any pressing movements, like pushing open doors or pushing yourself up off the floor. Plus, your chest muscles stabilize your shoulders and shoulder blades, which protects you against injuries and aids in maintaining a healthy posture. When your pecs are healthy and strong, it helps you stay upright and not hunch forward.Typically, if youre working on the chest, you want to focus on pushing, says Ivana Sy, a registered kinesiologist. A chest press is one of the simplest chest strengthening workouts you can do with a band. In this case, all you need is a chair (or something to tie your band to) and your trusty band. Another pec workout to try with a resistance band is a pec fly . On top of being a great chest strengthening move, pec flies open up your chest muscles, which can help reduce back pain and increase range of motion. To strengthen your shoulders along with your pecs, Veitch suggests a move called Free the Bird.These exercises are beginner-friendly, you can use any resistance band to do them. If you want to level up, Sy recommends just using a heavier band, meaning a band that provides more resistance. Its the equivalent of picking up a heavier dumbbell.But user beware: There are some things to watch out for when working with resistance bands. First, if you have a latex allergy, opt for ones made from rubber or cloth. Veitch also recommends wearing something that covers your arms when using resistance bands, which will protect your arm hair from being tugged on by the band, especially if your band isnt covered with fabric. To that end, tie your hair back so it doesnt get in the way or stuck to the band, which can really hurt. If you have grip issues or a hand injury, opt for a band with handles, says Veitch. And if you have higher blood pressure, Veitch suggests working out one side at a time: That can prevent a big increase in blood pressure during exercise. Finally, bands can snap while youre using them, so be mindful of overstretching to avoid a painful elastic band slap, especially with pets or kids nearby. While it should burn a little when you work them, improving your chest strength should never feel painful.

Try these chest stretches

Chest press

Start seated in a sturdy chair with your resistance band looped around the chairs back. Grab both sides of your band with your hands and, starting with your arms bent and hands at shoulder height, slowly push forward by straightening your arms. Imagine youre pushing open a really heavy door. Slowly return your arms to the starting position and repeat.

Pec fly

Holding the band in front of you, with your hands facing each other and arms straight, slowly pull your hands apart. Try to get your arms in a T position. Once youve gone as far as you comfortably can, slowly return to the starting position and repeat.

Free the Bird

Start by stepping on one end of your band with one foot to anchor it to the floor. Then, grab the other side of the band with your opposite hand (e.g. if youre stepping on it with your right foot, use your left hand). Starting about waist-high, slowly raise your hand up and out diagonally, as if releasing a bird into the sky.Next: 3 Moves to Stretch and Strengthen Your Glutes After Sitting All Day

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“I’m a 40-Something-Year-Old Skateboarder (and TikTok Sensation)”

As told to Danielle Groen — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 11:00:00 +0000

In early 2021, under the name Aunty Skates, Oorbee Roy began posting her skateboarding videos to TikTok: dropping into seven-foot bowls; working on her ollies; helping her preteen daughter through a tricky move. Here, she tells us about taking up the sport in her 40s.In February 2021, we were in yet another Covid lockdown and everyone was so depressedit felt like a glitch in the matrix. The typical Toronto conversation tends to be: How are you? Good. You? Yeah. But people werent hiding it anymore. They were being really honest about how they were struggling, myself included. I wanted to spread some joy and positivity around, so I thought, Im going to start a TikTok account about my journey as an adult skateboarder.When I first met my husband in 2004, he had sprained his ankle skateboarding. After he got better, I used to watch him with envy at the skate parkit looked so coolbut I just figured, good for him; its too late for me. Then I had babies, and then they got a little older and started skateboarding, too. I didnt want to be the mom who stood around watching my whole family have fun. I said to them: I dont care if Im not any good. I dont care if I fall and people laugh at me. Im going to go out there and skate because its so much better than being on the sidelines.

@auntyskates #question from @auntyskates facing fears is tough business! #AdultSwim #AdultSkateTok #BeginnerSkaterGirl #FacingFears as – char

In 2018, at 43, I took a lesson after my daughters lesson. Getting on a skateboard as a grown adult is not easy; I fell a lot. But there was this adrenaline rush, and it felt liberating. I was hooked. When youre a beginner, you can get kind of nervous going to a skate park, but I thought, if I could drop into this bowl and do a run and get out again, Ill feel good about my skateboarding. Thats what I wanted to do, and so I skated as much as possibleas much as my body would allow.Its not all progress. Sometimes, its okay to plateau. It took me two years to figure out that plateauing usually means my body just needs a rest. My kids can skate for eight hours a day at summer camp, eat dinner, and then skate at night, and Im not physically able to do that. So we take a lot of Epsom-salt baths in our house. Weve got a therapy gun, a foam roller, Advil. Do my kids need any of that? No, they dont: Theyre made of rubber. But Im not trying to get into the Olympics, and if I do this right, I can skate for another 25 years.I want to show people, through my videos, through the skateboarding clinics that I put on in Toronto, that its never too late to skate. You get to forget about your problems. You get to focus on something that makes you feel good. Adults forget how to play. We tell our kids to get off the phones and go play outsidethen we shut the door and get on our phones. But we all deserve to play.Next: Youre Stuck in a Rut (Thanks COVID)Heres What to Do

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4 Hip Flexor Stretches That Relieve Pain and Tightness

Laura Williams Bustos — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:00:28 +0000

If your day can pretty much be summed up as time shuffled between long hours spent sitting at your desk at work, sitting in your car, and sitting in your house, there’s a good chance your hip flexors have become short and tight. Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone. You, and millions (if not billions) of people around the globe deal with this natural side-effect of modern life.

The trick is to catch itand fix itbefore you develop irritation, pain, or injuries related to changes in the range of motion at your hips. You can do this by incorporating hip flexor stretches into your daily routine.

The hip flexors keep you moving

Hip flexorsthe muscles that run along the front of your hips, connecting your pelvis to your thighsare responsible for hip flexion. So, whenever your hip is moving into (or remains stationary in) a flexed position, your hip flexors are doing their jobs. “The hip flexors are a major mover of the legs, so if you’re moving, you’re using your hip flexors,” says Marian Barnick, a registered kinesiologist and movement expert practicing in Toronto. “The problem stems from overuse of the hip flexors.”

Just sitting all day can lead to overuse

While you may think of “overuse” as doing too much strenuous activity (which it certainly can be) in the case of the hip flexors, “overuse” can simply mean remaining in a seated, hip-flexed position for an excessive period of time. This type of overuse can lead to misalignments and muscle imbalances between the hip flexors, glutes, quads, and hamstrings, all of which can pull on the pelvis and low back, leading to pain and injuries. “When the hip flexor muscles are tight they cause increased tension on the low back,” Barnick says. “The psoas muscle, part of the hip flexors, attaches to the vertebrae in the low back. Constant tightness of the psoas pulls on the low back causing poor body alignment and long-term pain and change in function.”

While there can be many causes of low back pain, it’s important to understand that tight hip flexors could be part of the problem. That’s why it’s incredibly important to counteract any prolonged, flexed-hip position with hip extension. Luckily, it’s easy to incorporate hip flexor stretches into your day-to-day life.

Stretches for your hip flexors

Hip flexor stretches can be performed standing, kneeling, or even lying down on an elevated surface (like a bed), so you can add a stretch no matter where you are or what you’re doing.

Kneeling hip flexor stretch

Kneel on a mat as though you were about to propose to someoneyour left knee aligned under your hip, your right foot planted in front of you so your right knee and hip are bent at 90-degree angles. Check your postureyour core should be engaged, and your ears should be “stacked” over your shoulders, hips, and left knee.

This upright position is critical, as you need to keep the hip flexor you’re stretching (in this case, the left one) fully extended before moving it into a slight hyperextension to help counteract the more common hip flexion. From this position, take a breath in, and as you exhale, press your hips forward while keeping your torso tall. Your left hip will move into a slight hyperextension.

When you feel a stretch through the front of your left hip, stop and hold the position for 30 seconds. Release, then repeat two more times before switching sides.

Standing hip flexor stretch

The standing hip flexor stretch is almost identical to the kneeling version, but you’re performing the stretch from a standing position. Stand tall, your feet hip-distance apart, with perfect posture. Engage your core and “stack” your ears above your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. From this position, take a step forward with your right foot so you have a slight bend in both knees, and both feet are fully planted on the floor.

Your torso should remain straight and tall, aligned evenly between both feet. From here, tuck your tailbone under and press your hips forward, keeping your left heel down.

When you feel a stretch through the front of your left hip, hold the position for 30 seconds.

Release, step back to the starting position, and repeat to the opposite side.

Complete three total sets per side.

Supine hip flexor stretch

The supine hip flexor stretch is a good one to perform at the gym on a bench, before you get out of bed in the morning, or even while relaxing on the couch. Lie flat on your back on an elevated surface, positioning yourself so your right shoulder and hip are close to the right edge of the bed or bench. Bend your left knee and place your left foot flat on the bed or bench. Extend your right leg with your right foot and knee off the right side, touching your foot to the ground.

This alone may offer a nice stretch through the front of your right hip. If you can’t do more, stay here, remaining in the stretched position, relaxing your right leg for 30 seconds. If you can comfortably stretch further, use your arms to draw your left knee to your chest as you relax your right hip flexor, allowing it to slowly and steadily enjoy a deeper hyperextension.

When you feel a good stretch, hold the position for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds in your stretched position, return to the starting position, then repeat two more times before switching sides.

Hip flexor step up

The hip flexor step up is very similar to the standing hip flexor stretch, but may be easier for those with very tight hips. Stand facing a bench, sturdy chair, or high step with perfect posture. Engage your core and make sure your ears are “stacked” above your shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles.

Step up onto the bench with your right foot, planting it squarely on the surface so your entire foot is supported. Keeping your left heel down, press your hips forward until you feel a stretch through the front of your left hip.

Hold for 30 seconds before releasing and repeating the exercise to the opposite side.

Complete a total of three rounds per side.

Next: 9 Benefits of Stretching That Will Convince You to Do It Daily

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The Health Benefits of Open-Water Swimming

Danielle Groen — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 13:00:56 +0000

At exactly 11:07 p.m. on September 8, 1954, a 16-year-old named Marilyn Bell took off from a log retaining wall in Youngstown, New York, and started swimming home to Toronto. The water was a chilly 21C. The waves were 15 feet high. Eels bit her stomach and legs in the darkness; she fought them off with her fists. By dawn, she had covered more than 20 kilometres. By 5 p.m., she had about six to go. Pink flares cracked over the Canadian National Exhibition to guide her in, but the current kept pushing her west. Finally, a full 21 hours and 64 kilometres after leaving New York, Bell touched the concrete breakwater just off Toronto and entered the history books, becoming the first person to swim across Lake Ontario.It was a big moment for Canada and the tenacity of teenage girls. It was also a big moment for swimming in Lake Ontario, which lost a whole lot of its lustre by the time I was Bells age, not quite half a century later. Although Toronto has done heroic work since the 1970s to stop sewage overflow from reaching the water, and although our beaches are among the worlds cleanest, locals have held onto a nagging suspicion that something filthy lurks in the lake. Its why, as an adult, despite living a quick walk from the shoreline, I stick to the same outdoor city pools I grew up swimming in. My favourite remains the Sunnyside/Gus Ryder pool, a round-edged giant named afterwho else?Marilyn Bells male coach. (Okay, in fairness, he also taught thousands of kids to swim.)So it was going to take a dramatic turn of events to get me anywhere near the open watersome combination of, oh, a global pandemic that suddenly made people and change rooms scary, plus a stay-at-home order that put nicer lakes out of reach, plus the northern hemispheres hottest summer on record, plus a devastating lack of AC in my house. At a spot near Ontario Place on an impossibly humid afternoon, coaxed in by the reassuring presence of couples and children, I couldnt resist any longer: I waded in to my ankles, then my knees, then my hips. The water was cool and eel-free. I dropped my shoulders under the waves (face: still off limits) and started paddling. I was swimming in the lake.Its probably the only time that Itruly incapable of improving on a half-assed breaststrokehave ever had anything in common with elite swimmers. With indoor pools closed by COVID-19, they were forced to do their training in lakes. After our move to open water, we saw a lot of creativity, says Bette El-Hawary, the executive director of Swim Nova Scotia. Some coaches climbed into kayaks or onto paddleboards; the athletes would swim to them and back. Other teams bought rope from Canadian Tire and pool noodles from the dollar store, El-Hawary says, to set up the lanes and make their own 50-metre pool.(Related: 6 Reasons Swimming is So Good for You)The swimmers liked the novelty of open-water training, but it was an adjustment for them too: Certain lakes had more aquatic life than others, the water might get choppy and visibility could be an issue. Theres always some fear of the unknown, El-Hawary says. The training demanded more of the athletes, as well; out in the lake, theres nothing to rest on. But thats the challenge of swimming, says Liz Johnson, lead physiologist with the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific. Its really unique in the fact that theres no coasting.Even in a lake hovering around 20C, swimmers working against the drag of the water are going to generate a lot of heat. Our resting core temperature is 37C, and Ive measured swimmers getting above 39.5C, which is really warm, given the amount of heat lost to the open water, Johnson says. What she hasnt measured, though, is a racing heart. Thats because hearts work differently in the water: Since were exercising in a more or less horizontal position, our hearts arent fighting against gravity to pump blood back to them. Your heart rate when swimming is generally 10 to 15 beats lower per minute than when youre doing something of similar intensity on land, like running or cycling, Johnson says.(Related: 11 Ways Youve Been Swimming All Wrong)So open-water swimming might not feel like your typical workout, and open-water swimmers might not look like your typical athletes, either. Its one of the few sports where body fat actually offers a competitive advantage, helping with buoyancy and performance. (If you float easily, you dont have to work as hard to keep afloat.) Female marathon swimmers have comparatively more body fat than male marathon swimmers doroughly 31 percent to 19, according to a 2014 Swiss studyand the longer the race, the more we excel. Lynne Cox set both the womens and mens world records for swimming the English Channeltwice. In fact, in ultra-distance swims, even the average woman is faster than the average man. As Cox writes in her memoir, Thank God (or Ben & Jerrys) for my body fat.Our bodies are built to do well in the water. But the more I return to the lake, the better my mind does too. Its the rare place where I can forget about the pandemic: I dont need to remember a mask or anxiously calculate my distance from the nearest passing person, because there is no one around me. I can focus on the cold water lapping across my warm back as I dog-paddle forward or the extra kick in my legs that lets me travel a little further out. Everything else gets quiet.El-Hawary has spent more summers than she can count swimming in Halifaxs lakes, but whenever she drops her towel at the boat launch and makes her way in, she finds the water different. One day, Im swimming against a headwind. The next day, Ive got a tailwind. The next, theres early-morning fog, she says. I never have a plan, because the elements change all the time. Its another reason open-water swimming is the perfect way to stay cool in a pandemic summer. When each day remains stubbornly indistinguishable from the one before it, the lake still holds the promise of surprise.Next: The Benefits of Biking, For Your Body and Mind

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How Grip Strength Connects to Overall Fitness

Rebecca Philps — Tue, 24 May 2022 16:23:06 +0000

Not long ago, a small corner of TikTok rallied around the One Trip Challenge, where competitors carried as many overstuffed grocery bags as possible from one point to another. It didnt exactly break the internet; it was a fun marketing stunt by a Greek yogurt brand hoping to draw a connection between their protein-packed product and feats of superhuman strength. But it was completely relatable: Who hasnt stared into the trunk of a car at a heap of groceries and thought, Yeah, I can totally get this inside in one load?Whether you actually can do it is determined by your grip strengththe same force that lets you hang on when your dog suddenly takes off after a squirrel, or climb up or down a ladder, or pull an outward-opening door on a windy day. Stirring a pot of risotto, opening a jar of pickles, hoisting up a toddler or tearing up an old bank statement: Whenever you do any of these things, you are engaging grip strength.

What is grip strength?

In the simplest terms, grip strength covers your ability to close your hand, says Mia Nikolajev, a strength and conditioning coach and trained firefighter. But more than that, it indicates your ability to generate strength at the end of your limb, and its basically an indicator for muscular strength and tone. Grip strength is shorthand for your overall fitness, and its why your doctor may also be interested in measuring it at your next physical exam: Multiple studies show that those with a stronger handgrip are also at lower risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and strokes.One of the most convincing studies followed half a million participants over three and a half years to see if there was a correlation between grip strength, mortality and disease. Participants ranged in age from 40 to 69, and encompassed a range of ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, pre-existing conditions and lifestyle behaviours, like physical activity and dieta pretty decent sampling of the general population. For both men and women, researchers found that a lower grip strength was associated with a higher risk of mortality in general, and a higher rate in particular of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease, all respiratory disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, all cancer, and colorectal, lung and breast cancer. Whew.We also know that muscular strength and endurance are pre-indicators of the potential for bone density loss, and specifically osteoporosis in women, who tend to be more prone to these conditions, says Nikolajev. If you tend to be stronger or have more muscle mass, muscle density and a habit of training or fitness, youre less likely to incur non-hereditary disorders or illness.

How do you measure it?

Grip strength is typically tested in a clinic using a hand dynamometer where you sit with your feet flat on the floor, arms held at right angles with the elbows tucked beside the body. Then, grasp the handle of the instrument, squeeze it for all youre worth and hold for five seconds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, men aged 20-30 typically have the greatest strength, while women over 75 have the weakest. According to a study in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, the mean grip strength ranged from 49.7 kg for the dominant hand of men 25 to 29 years of age to 18.7 kg for the non-dominant hand of women 75 to 79 years of age.Naturally, aging causes a decline in both muscle mass and function, and as it goes, so does grip strength. But there are a number of easy, at-home ways to build and maintain it, so you can button your pants well into your 90s (because, yup, pants-buttoning requires grip strength too).

How to improve grip strength

Nikolajev tells her clients to put a couple of milk cartons, or free weights, in a tote bag and just hold it for 20 to 30 seconds, then build duration from there. You could go for a walk around your home, or even just march in place. Youre trying to create instability and force your hand to do a little bit more work.You can also try the finger pinch hold, which is as simple as holding a sheet of paper between your thumb and each of your fingers for 30 seconds each. Tell me your hand isnt gonna feel that work out! she says.Nikolajev adds, One of my favourite exerciseswhich is also just good for overall back health and taking stress off your hips after sitting all dayis a free hang. You need an overhanging bar or frame that can support your bodyweight; look for one at a local park. Then, Nikolajev explains, Just wrap your fingers around [the bar] and hold on. Start at 10 or 20 or 30 seconds. If you are comfortable with that, go for a maximum hold, just to see where you wind up. Then cut that [time] in half and repeat.Keep in mind that for your grip to be strong, youve got to be able to extend the muscles on the other side of your hand, which will also determine how well youll be able to hold onto something. To do this, Nikolajev suggests putting your hands in a bucket of rice and drawing shapes with your fingers. Youre making outward circles, inward circles, closing your hands, opening your hands, digging them deep into the bucket. Its a trick long used by boxers and martial artists to increase their grip and forearm strength, as well as wrist flexibility and power. Plus, it feels cool, and you can do it in front of Netflix.In fitness, we tend to focus so much on the big moves: the squats, lunges, flexion, the push and pull, says Nikolajev. We very much miss the fact that without strong feet and handsespecially handsmost of those things are impossible to do. And if hauling all your groceries in a single trip doesnt feel like something to strive for, buttoning your own darn pants in your golden years very much should be.Next: 3 Hand Pressure Points to Try Today

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The Body-Boosting Benefits of a Foam Roller

Vinh Pham — Wed, 11 May 2022 11:00:23 +0000

If youve been in a gym, a dance studio, or a yoga class, youve undoubtedly seen people working their muscles over these narrow cylinders. Since their introduction as a self-massage device in the 1980s, foam rollers have become a popular fitness and recovery tool.You might wonder, What does that cylinder do, anyway? Foam rolling is a self-treatment tool that compresses tissues, mimicking certain benefits of a physical therapy session with someone like me. It employs a persons body weight to release painful knots in muscle tissue (aka trigger points), improve muscular performance and flexibility, extend ranges of motion, warm up muscles before a workout, and kick-start the recovery process after a workout ends. You dont need to be in pain to benefit from foam rolling, either. This is for futureproofing as much as it is for treatment.I recommend between thirty seconds and two minutes per roll. It often helps to do a second set as well.

How to Roll Your Calves

The calves run along the back side of the lower legs. To roll these muscles, your body should form the letter L when viewed from the side: torso upright (dont slouch) and supported by extended arms and palms on the floor, hands directly under your shoulders. Extend your legs in front of you, with one or both calves elevated and resting on the roller directly below your knees. Your toes should point up.Begin rolling back and forth from the top of your calves to the midpoint. Your body will tell you when you hit a problem spot; when it does, sink into it and linger there until the pain or tightness dissipates a bit. Then keep rolling. Next, move the starting position to halfway up the calf or calves, and begin rolling from there to the lowest part, near the ankle. To change the emphasis slightly, point your toes inward or outward.Variation: To make the sensation more intense, cross one ankle over the one on the roller. The added pressure allows you to dig deeper into the tissues.

How to Roll Your Shin Muscles

An essential muscle on the front side of the lower leg is the tibialis anterior, which runs along the shinbone. You may not have heard of this muscle, but youve probably heard of shin splints, a dull, nagging ache along the inner shin that tends to afflict runners. The tibialis anterior is the muscle thats hurting with shin splints. Although shin splints are seldom severe, they can lead to more serious conditions like stress fractures without proper treatment. Its your bodys way of telling you youre doing too much, too soon.The function of the tibialis anterior is dorsiflexion, the act of using your ankle to raise your foot toward your leg. To roll this muscle, assume the standard starting position of a push-up: Hands directly below your shoulders; palms on the ground for support; legs trailing behind you.The toes of one foot should be touching the ground for stability, but the opposite leg should be elevated on a roller, with the point of contact being the top of the shin. Begin rolling back and forth at a measured pace, looking for tight spots and trigger points you can sink into and release. Turning your foot in either direction changes the emphasis and will bring more muscle and less shin bone into contact with the surface of the roller. You can probably roll the entire anterior tibialis without resetting your position, although if you cant cover the whole muscle, hit the upper half first, followed by the lower half.

How to Roll Your Adductors

The adductors are the five small muscles that combine to form the inner thigh musculature. Their primary function is bringing the thighs together. (Another set of small muscles, the abductors, move the thighs apart.) The adductors originate at the pelvic bone and connect to the thighbone, slightly above the knee.Sit too much, and these muscles inevitably will tighten, risking groin pain and a reduction in mobility. Rolling can help remedy these adverse outcomes.Adductors can be a little tricky to access because of their awkward location. In my experience, adductors might be the single most difficult muscles to roll. But if you position your body correctly, you can roll these tricky muscles.To perform the move, position the roller perpendicular to your body, and then move toward one end of the roller so that one inner thigh is touching it and the other leg lies beyond it. Your elbows and forearms should be flat on the ground; the knee of the leg on the roller should be slightly bent, while the free leg should be pretty straight.Starting with the roller positioned directly above your knee, gently rock back and forth in the direction of your pubic bone. The roller should travel only 6 to 8 inches. Next, position it above the uppermost point of the previous roll, and rock back and forth from there. It may take a third repositioning to reach to where the adductor meets the pubic bone. From there, gently rock back and forth over the upper inner thigh, up to where it meets the groin.When you feel a pressure point or any sort of pain throughout the stretch, hold that position until the tension releases, even if it feels uncomfortable. However stop if you feel numbness and tingling.Whatever you do to the adductors on one side of the leg, perform the same action to the other side as well for the sake of balance.Variation: To increase the bite on the adductor, use a higher-density roller, once with less give. To make it even more challenging, roll your adductors over a lacrosse ball or softball.

How to Roll Your Quadriceps

Next, I want you to roll your quadriceps, the large muscles covering the front of your thighs. Begin in a plank position, with your elbows and forearms on the mat or floor. Your legs should extend behind you, one or both of them elevated on the roller, with the point of contact directly above the knee. (You can roll both legs at once or do them individually; its up to you. One leg at a time allows for more focus on any trigger points that might reveal themselves.)Begin rolling your thigh back and forth at a measured pace. It doesnt have to be straight back and forth, either. Tilting your torso to one side or the other changes the emphasis, as does pointing your toes in either direction. Feel for tender spots and areas of tension; once you find them, spend extra time working on those areas. Sometimes Ill hold my position on a trigger point for thirty to sixty seconds. Get to the top of the quadriceps, too, and then back down to right above the knee.

How to Roll Your Hamstrings

Do you constantly feel like you have tight hamstrings, and no matter how much you stretch, it never feels quite right? Foam rolling might help.The most common knee injury strikes the ACL. If you want to protect your knees from this devastating injury, focus a lot of attention on your hamstrings, the large muscles on the back of the upper legs.Having strong hamstrings improves your knee stability, protecting against excessive shearing and twisting. Unfortunately, the hamstrings are highly prone to tightening up, especially after long stretches spent sitting. Hamstring tightness limits the muscles activation.To roll your hamstrings, sit on the floor or a mat with your arms straight, supporting you. The roller should be under your legs, right above the knee. Your legs should extend straight in front of you. Roll halfway up the hamstrings and then back down to the starting position. As with the quadriceps roll, turning your toes inward or outward will shift the emphasis a bit, which I recommend doing. Again, youre hunting for trigger points. When you find them, focus on that area until any pain or tightness dissipates.Once youre done rolling the bottom half of the hamstrings, reset your position so that the starting point is the endpoint from last time, halfway up the back of the upper leg. From there, roll up to the bottom of the glutes and then back down to the midpoint, continuing this back-and-forth motion.

How to Roll Your Glute Muscles

The gluteus medius lies in the outer buttocks region and plays a crucial role in pelvic stability and functional movement, particularly when standing on one leg. When the gluteus medius is too tight or weak, it can cause problems throughout the body, including knee pain. Foam rolling this muscle can release trigger points, allowing for more hip flexibility and mobility and a greater range of motion.Roll these muscles one side at a time. You want to angle your body to let the roller dig deep into the gluteal muscles, and you wont be able to do that if the glutes on both sides are resting on the roller simultaneously. For the sake of this description, lets hit the gluteus maximus (largest glute muscle) on the right side first. Sit on the roller, supporting yourself with your right arm extended behind you and that palm flat on the floor. The point of contact for the roller should be your right glute. Now cross your right leg over your left knee. Using your arms, you want to slightly push yourself forward, specifically rolling over your glute. You should note that the movement is quite small. If you need to maintain your balance, make sure to use your left foot for support.As you roll, listen to your body; if you feel tightness or pain, linger on the spot for a while, holding it, gently rocking back and forth.Variation: To make this technique even more intense, use a lacrosse ball instead of a roller. The ball is harder and can dig deep into a given spot.

How to Roll Your Stomach

Everyone understands that they need to stretch their back, but rarely do people stretch their stomach area. Thats an oversight. Your stomach tissue often gets tight and compressed over time due to long periods of sitting or endless sets of crunches. The foam rolling goal is to open up the region, mobilize the spine, and release any trigger points or other tension. Not only will opening up your stomach tissue help you feel more relaxed overall, but it also might relieve some of your chronic neck and shoulder stiffness that you feel from working at the office all day.Begin in a plank position with your elbows and knees supporting your body, and the roller positioned under your stomach as the point of contact. Slowly begin rolling up and down your stomach, directly below your rib cage to directly above your belt line. Go easy at first, especially if youve never rolled your stomach before. Its a sensitive area. If you find a tender spot, gently sink into it until the pain and tightness ease.After finishing, stand up straight and take several deep breaths. You may find your breathing to be less restricted.Excerpted from Sit Up Straight: Future Proof Your Body Against Chronic Pain with 12 Simple Movements. Copyright 2022, by Vinh Pham with Jeff OConnell. Published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.Next: WTF Is WFH Doing to My Back?

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How the Barre Fitness Method Gained Popularity—And Why Its Loved for Its Sexual Health Benefits

Danielle Friedman — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:19:45 +0000

Lydia Bach didnt initially aspire to fuel a fitness phenomenon. She started her career working as a tax lobbyist for the nonpartisan Taxpayers Federation of Illinois near her hometown of Decatur. But in the early 1960s, she became disillusioned with the government and felt she could do more good traveling the world. Lydia traveled to Syria to do humanitarian work. She traveled to Afghanistan. She taught English in Ethiopia and did aid work in Spain. Eventually, in the late sixties, she followed friends to London.Lydia arrived as Lotte Berks fame was peaking. She was never a dancer, but she was athletic growing up, spending her days on the playground jungle gyms and later, in college, joining her boyfriends on ski trips and tennis courts. Shed always liked challenging herself physically. So when her friend Britt Ekland the Bond girl told her about an exercise class that offered women a truly challenging workout, she had to check it out. I was really physically strong, she told me in an interview. Id traveled the world by land. So I was shocked when I couldnt do any of the moves.Lotte hit it off with Lydia right away. Lydia was striking long and lean with waist-length blond hair and big blue eyes and charismatic. Both women were direct, adventurous, sensual, and independent. And after a few classes, Lydia was hooked. She loved the way the workout energized her, the way it pushed her physically. It changed my body, she told me. She became a regular.One day, seeing her passion for the classes, a friend suggested that she take the workout to New York. Lydia had been to New York only once, and she hated it. But she loved a challenge. She ran the idea by Lotte, who handed over the U.S. and Canadian rights to her technique for several thousand pounds in cash, a percentage of Lydias future earnings, and the promise of seeing her name go international. Later, according to Esther, Lotte regretted that she parted with these rights so willingly, and without the guidance of a lawyer: When book offers and other business opportunities came her way, she was forced to turn them down, since she no longer owned what she had created. In the early seventies, New York City was descending into a long period of decay. The Upper East Side, though, remained more or less pristine. The neighborhood had long held a reputation as the most elegant in the city, with its regal brownstones, world-famous museums, and visible wealth. It was home to exactly the kind of woman who might have the time and money to pay someone to help her shape her body.In April 1971, Lydia opened the Lotte Berk Method studio in a townhouse on 67th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. The studio spanned several floors, and instead of green carpet, Lydia went for pink. The larger space and the bathrooms location inside the studio made it an instant upgrade from the original. Lydia was renting, and for a while, she was also sleeping on the studio floor. In the dozen years since Lotte had first started teaching, a handful of other small fitness studios had sprung up in New York and Los Angeles, giving Lydia some competition. Disciples of German strong man Joseph Pilates the inventor of the eponymous strength and flexibility workouttaught lessons in studios and homes around Manhattan, from an outpost in Henri Bendels department store to instructors apartments. The New York Times would showcase Lydias studio alongside two others, one offering stretching and strengthening from a dance teacher and another acrobatics. But Lydia had a secret weapon. With Lottes blessing, she sent out hand-calligraphed invitations to her mentors New York-based client list wealthy ladies who had taken classes at Lottes studio while passing through London encouraging them to visit her Upper East Side studio. Like its London predecessor, the studio was soon filled with recognizable faces, from Ali MacGraw and Candice Bergen to Princess Lee Radziwill. Later, Lydia told The New York Observer, she taught three generations of Kennedys in one class.In the beginning, the studio remained an exclusively female space. I felt that women should be able to go someplace and not have to care what they looked like, to be comfortable, Lydia told me. And I thought, Fuck you, men, youve got all your clubs around New York City. Now weve got ours. But her attitude softened over the decades. She hired a male instructor and began to teach a handful of male students including the writer Tom Wolfe.Toms wife, Sheila, was a client and believer in the workout, and she thought its exercises might help her husband. After years of sitting at desks and writing, the Bonfire of the Vanities author was so stiff he could barely reach past his knees. Tom became a client, and six months later, he was able to do a backbend and a split. Tom and Sheilas daughter, the journalist Alexandra Wolfe Schiff, remembers accompanying both her parents to class as a teenager. Everybody went there, she told me.In the beginning, Lydia carried on Lottes legacy of incorporating sexual frankness into the workout. In that same New York Times article about the studio, Lydia described the method as a combination of modern ballet, yoga, orthopedic exercise and sex. In her 1973 exercise book Awake! Aware! Alive!, which features photos of Lydia wearing a sheer leotard, she devotes the entire last chapter to sex. All of the exercises in this book are important for sex, Lydia advises. (The books editor at Random House was the legendary Nan Talese, who was also a client at Lydias studio. Talese told me coyly, The men in the office used to come and look at the pictures that were spread out on my sofa.) The 1970s American press loved this angle. In a feature that excerpted the book, Cosmopolitan gushed in the title, Exercise Your Way to a Better Sex Life! But over time, as American culture shifted, so did the Lotte Berk Method. From the mid- 1970s into the 1980s, the idea that women enjoyed sex became less revelatory. Women developed more physical confidence, and Lydia tweaked the method to be more physically rigorous. I loved the challenge of making it harder, faster, and better, she told me. She hired a growing roster of instructors, mostly former dancers, to teach at the studio and do the same.By the early 1990s, few of the Lotte Berk Methods American devotees knew anything about its origins. In a 1994 article for Harpers Bazaar, journalist Annemarie Iverson wrote of her classmates at the Upper East Side studio: Most had never met Lotte Berk. Some had no idea that she was a real person who lived in London. One client tells her, Lotte is the woman with long blond hair. To which Iverson explains, It was a common mistake: She confused Lotte with Lydia Bach. (The fact that they have the same initials only added to the confusion.) Another client corrects: No, no, no. There is no single Lotte. Was she wrong? Lotte did contain multitudes. And before long, the studios teaching her method or variations thereof would multiply exponentially. Most would drop references to the workouts creator altogether, partly due to licensing agreements and partly to an evolving clientele, opting instead to align themselves with her exercises signature piece of equipment: the ballet barre. In the decades that followed, Lydia and her disciples would train nearly all of the women (and one man) whod go on to open todays biggest barre franchises, from Core Fusion and Physique 57 to Pure Barre and The Bar Method.On a steamy Tuesday morning in late July 2019, I traveled an hour and a half west of London to the idyllic country town of Hungerford, Berkshire. Lottes daughter, Esther Fairfax, lives in a modest home just a short walk from the towns main street, a windy road of shops, pubs, and inns. Esther, then a radiant eighty-five years old, was teaching a 9:30 a.m. class in her home studioa sun-drenched living room off her kitchen, decorated with abstract oil paintings, light beige carpet, and a white ballet barre around the perimeter. Todays class, like every class, would be filled with her regulars. One of these regulars, Jennie, had been showing up for forty-seven years.Dressed in a black leotard, sheer black tights, and a fitted floral shirt, Esther greeted me with a warm smile. She still wears her white hair in a sleek Sassoon-esque bob. She had recently been ill and was relieved to be teaching again after a short hiatus. Ive really missed this, she told me. I would be joining her class that morning. I was intrigued to see how contemporary barre had evolved from the original workoutwhether, like a game of physical telephone, the technique had been morphed beyond recognition.Her home was filled with mementos of her life and fitness careerphotographs, books, a copy of Lydia Bachs Awake! Aware! Alive! Soon students began showing up, a small group of mostly blond British women in their sixties and older, dressed in tank tops and leggings. (Take away their British accents and they could have been my moms Dance It Off friends at her suburban Atlanta cardio dance studio.) All right, lets go! Esther announced. We made our way into the living room studio and found ourplaces at the barre, and she switched on a bossa nova CD. Esther began the class with a gentle warm-up not unlike warmups at contemporary barre studios in New York. But as class got going, it was clear that this would not be the serious, intensely choreographed workout I was used to, where the goal of each set of moves, instructors explain, is to work your muscles until they literally quiver. Everyone moved at their own pace and to a slightly different beat. No headset microphone was necessary; we could hear Esther fine without one. And as the class progressed, her students chimed in to remind everyone what exercise came next: Oh, this ones Saras favorite. Bugger, I hate this one. Time for fold-ups. I recognized most of the moves, though they did feel something like second cousins to the ones Id become familiar with in contemporary barre classes. And I was lost in an unfamiliar terminology.Fold-ups or fold yourself in half were tiny crunches. When Esther told us to make happy feet, I asked, You mean, flex? and she quickly tsk-tsked me: That sounds too much like the gym. Later, we were instructed to get into what Pure Barre instructors call the pretzel and Esther calls the tramp a difficult floor position in which one leg is bent in front and the other in back and the hips and butt are rotated forward and lifted. I was the only one in the room who struggled with this one.About halfway through class, a few students called for Esther to get out the whip, and she revealed a well-worn brown leather weapon. She teasingly tapped me with it during fold-ups, correcting my form with her free hand. Shortly after, during a period of class in which everyone got very quiet, we sat in a circle with our legs crossed and Esther instructed us to lift, two, three, four, five, and release, two, three, four, five. It took me a moment to realize we were doing Kegels. At some point the music switched from Latin to French. When we moved on to legwork, Esther told me, You know, you could be good if you kept coming back.Class ended and the women walked back into the kitchen, chatty and energized. I was proud I had kept up with them, though my legs felt a little wobbly. (The relaxed vibe was deceivingI would be sore everywhere for the next two days.) Everyone changed into street clothes around the kitchen table, paid Esther in cash, and said their goodbyes. When the last student left, Esther turned to me. These women have been with me for a long time, she said. This is my life.Today, stand-alone barre studios number more than 850 in this country, and thats not counting the one-off classes being taught at gyms like Equinox and other multipurpose studios or the many virtual offerings that emerged during the coronavirus pandemic. Pure Barres client base alone is more than half a million strong. While many women still seek out the workout to lift, tone, burn their way to a ballerina body, many stick with it because, as I discovered, it can make you feel good: The first time I returned to barre after giving birth to my son, I left the studio feeling hopeful, proud of myself, and lighter on my feet than I had in months. And when I asked barre-devotee friends and acquaintances why they enjoy the workout, several said it made them feel energized or motivated. Some pointed to its meditative qualitiesthe workout is so challenging, it requires complete focus, which can be head-clearing. I forget about whats going on outside the room, my friend Melanie, a forty-year oldhuman resources director in Connecticut, told me. Barre is also gentler on the body than workouts that involve a lot of bouncing or pounding. Journalist Samantha Matt wrote in Womens Health that barre totally changed [her] life by helping her manage her fibromyalgia, a condition that causes full-body pain, stiffness, and fatigue. When I first felt my muscles tighten after taking a few classes, I immediately became addicted to the burn.And its widely recommended for pregnant women. It turns out Lottes obsession with the so-called inner core the ab muscles and pelvic floor led to exercises that can help with labor, delivery, and postpartum recovery. My college classmate Sarah, a lawyer living outside Chicago, took barre classes until the day before she gave birth to each of her three children, and shes convinced the workout helped her deliveries go smoothly, telling me: My ability to push was amazingly impacted.And then there are the workouts sexual health benefits. With the Swinging Sixties spirit long extinguished Lotte Berks prostitute and sex moves were long ago renamed the workouts teeny-tiny resistance movements, performed at a ballet barre, can even make classes feel prim. Instructors rarely draw attention to the fact that the workout can, as many instructors privately admit, bring very real improvements to womens sex lives. Its kind of like this weird elephant in the room, a barre-going friend in her late twenties who lives in San Francisco told me. No one talks about it. But after youve done barre for like four days in a row, youre not going to lie there like a dead fish during sex. You feel like a strong woman whos like, rawwwr, you know?But even without barre being an explicit sex-enhancing workout, women can still reap its benefits from pelvic floor strength to increased stamina. I think if we were all pelvic thrusting, holding on to the barre, and the instructor was like, This will be so great when youre having sex later! everyone would immediately get uncomfortable, my San Francisco friend told me. When Lotte Berk first introduced women to her workout in the sixties, the classs sexual openness felt thrilling and empowering,because it was taboo. Now, more than fifty years after the sexual revolution, turning a rigorous strength-training workout into something overtly sexual feels gratuitous. I want that hour to myself for my peace and my well-being and my mental health, Burr Leonard, the creator of The Bar Method, told me, echoing the feelings of other women I spoke with. I think thats what it does most powerfully.Excerpted from Lets Get Physical, by Danielle Friedman. Copyright 2022, Danielle Friedman. Published by G.P. Putnams Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.Next: The Benefits of a Ballet-Inspired Workout

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3 Moves to Stretch and Strengthen Your Glutes After Sitting All Day

Rebecca Gao — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 21:08:54 +0000

If you have a desk job, chances are youre sitting down for most of the day. When you get up for a second (or third) cup of coffee, you might find that your tush is a little sorethats because when we sit, our glutes shut down.Your glutes are made up of three different muscles (the maximus, the medius and the minimus) and together they are the largest muscle group in your body. The glutes are importantthey help with balance and mobility, walking upstairs and uphill, carrying and lifting and keeping us upright. Theyre important to keep strong, especially as we age, especially as we try to prevent falls and stay as active as we can, says Surabhi Veitch, a Toronto-based virtual physiotherapist and owner of the Passionate Physio.With many of us working from home and living more sedentary lifestyles thanks to the pandemic, we arent using our glutes as often as we should. If you were an office worker before COVID, its likely that your day consisted of a lot more built-in movement: you mightve walked to and from work; maybe you climbed the stairs in your apartment building whenever you went out; you most definitely stood around more, waiting for buses or coffees or your table at a restaurant. That loss of daily movement has really contributed to deconditioning and the glutes have atrophied, says Veitch. When we start losing muscle mass like that, especially as we age, its really challenging to get that muscle back. We have to be really intentional about strengthening those muscles.Luckily, many of the things we do every day work our glutes. If you want to strengthen them, start by repeating, and adding difficulty to, some of the movements you do daily. Veitch suggests squats, which we do without thinking whenever we stand up from a seated position. Try adding in extra squats by doing 10 or 15 every time you sit down for a mealsit down onto your chair, stand back up and repeat. Just go down to chair height, Veitch says. To add difficulty, you can go lower, like onto a stool or an ottoman, or try without a chair. Ideally, you would want to be able to get all the way down to the floor. One of the things Veitch works on with her elderly clients is getting down to the floor and then back up.(Related:4 Stretches to Improve Range of Motion as You Age)Another daily action you can leverage for glute strength is step-ups, and all you need is a set of stairs. While the gluteus maximus helps with moving forward and climbing upwards, the gluteus medius and minimus help with hip stability and balance. To work those particular muscles, go up the stairs sideways. Strengthening gluteus medius and minimus prevents strain on the knee and lower back, and keeps our hips more level, Veitch says.Dead lifts, which are commonly done at the gym with dumbbells, are another functional workout you can add to your daily routine. Like squats and step-ups, youre likely doing dead lifts all the time without even noticing. When you drop something in the kitchen, youre most likely going to dead lift to pick it up, says Veitch. The problem is that most people just stand with their legs straight and bend from their back. When you get into the habit of bending from the back while picking things up, youre not training the glute muscles you need to lift with and you may be more likely to strain (or worse, injure) your lower back.Aside from strengthening your glutes, stretching them after a day of sitting is hugely important. Tight glutes can lead to discomfort throughout your body, including lower back pain, pelvic pain and a feeling of tightness in the hips and hamstrings. Plus, releasing glute tightness may help with flexibility and range of motion, and reduce your risk of injury. Sometimes, when your muscles are tight, other muscles may compensate, says Ivana Sy, a kinesiologist and physiotherapy student. This can lead to muscle imbalances or compensation patterns, like lifting with the lower back instead of with the core or glutes, which can lead to injuries. To stretch one area of your glutes, Sy recommends doing a simple seated piriformis stretch, which is often also called a seated figure-four stretch. Or try rolling out the glutes with a foam roller or lacrosse ball to get all the muscles in one session.If we start to integrate these movement patternsthese exercisesinto our day, were getting more movement in without even having to set aside time, Veitch says. So even if youre tied to your desk or home, repeating motions you already do or working in more opportunities for movement, like taking a few laps up and down the stairs while going down to the kitchen for a snack, can have an outsized impact on your glute strength and flexibility. Ultimately, having buns of steel leads to better balance, mobility and overall physical health.

Try these glute exercises

Step-ups

This move is exactly as it sounds! Find a set of stairs anywhere and ascend. To level up, go two (or three!) steps at a time. To add some variety (and to work your sideglutes), walk upstairs sideways. You can also do step-ups on a curb or with a stepstool.

Dead Lifts

Start with your knees slightly bent. Hinge at your hips and send them straight back as you bend over, keeping your back longyou should feel tension in your hamstrings and the back of your thighs. Stand back up and repeat. You can do this with a set of dumbbells, a jug of laundry detergent or bag or rice.

Figure Four

Start in an upright seated position at the edge of a chair with feet planted on the ground. Lift one ankle and rest it on your other leg, just above the knee, to create a 4 shape with your legs. Keep the lifted ankle flexed (toes pulling toward the shin). To create a stretch, gently press down on the lifted knee. Switch sides.Next: How to Unfreeze Painful Frozen Shoulder

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I Need You to Know: You Don’t Have to Work Out to Be Active

Aggie Weighill, as told to Ishani Nath — Thu, 24 Mar 2022 14:00:48 +0000

I grew up very, very active.Anything that my school offered, I played: volleyball, basketball, soccer, I threw discus, and shotput. I was on the curling team. When I wasnt doing team sports, I was outdoors with my family. I participated in Junior Forest Wardens and in the summers, I would head up to Lasqueti Island to visit my grandparents. They lived on the ocean, so we were always in the water, swimming, and picking clams on the beach.But when I graduated high school, I went from being super into sports and active, to being completely cut off from organized recreation. I was taking a semester off, so I didnt have the same access to team sports and with all my friends away at university, I didnt have anyone to explore the outdoors with either. That was when my mental health began to tank.My experience is not unique. According to research from Canadian Women and Sport, up to 62 percent of girls 13-18 are not participating in any kind of sport at all and that number drops in adulthood. This could be because of low confidence, perceived lack of skill, or not feeling welcome. There are a whole group of young women who, for whatever reason, are not into sportsand our physical education programs dont provide enough options. It can also be difficult, as I experienced, to continue with the activities were taught after high school. So, we see this massive drop-off where only 18 percent of women between the ages of 16 and 63 stay involved in sports.When I ultimately did go to university, I studied recreation and I realized our physical education is all about sports or developing related skills. Physical activity tends to be about a goal. Its about burning calories or achieving a certain heart rate. But I want people to know that physical activity doesnt have to be organized, and it definitely doesnt have to be sports.When I think about physical activity, I think of a wide variety of ways to move your body. Taking a dog for a walk or strolling on the beach and picking up shells are just as much physical activity as training for a marathon. When the augmented reality video game Pokmon Go came out in 2016, it motivated individuals who might never have thought of themselves as athletic to spend time running around outside. Theres even some research that recognizes the benefits of daily tasks like washing windows or vacuuming. Im not someone who enjoys vacuuming, but the point is that we need to broaden our approach to fitness and wellness.Activities taught in traditional physical education, such as team-based sports or working out at the gym, were the sectors that were hardest hit and shut down the longest in the pandemic. So that caused potential mental and physical health challenges for people who relied on those facilities as their primary means of physical activity.During the pandemic, we also saw an explosion in outdoor recreation. Canadians spent time walking, hiking, and camping, in part because public health officials encouraged meeting outdoors to limit the spread of COVID-19. Simultaneously, there was an increase in search and rescue calls because not everyone has the skill set for outdoor leisure activities. It raises the question: While we are taught to play basketball and soccer, why is the same focus not applied to outdoor skills as part of physical recreation? The pandemic highlighted the need for options and education programs that look beyond sports and facility-based activities.For the past year, Ive been doing research on leisure activities in the Yukon in partnership with the World Leisure Centre of Excellence (WLCE) at Vancouver Island University and the Recreation and Parks Association of the Yukon (RPAY). I noticed that many survey participants who identified themselves as being moderate to very active didnt do traditional sports. Instead, one of the top summer activities was berry pickinga form of exercise that would have never been on a traditional physical activity scale. RPAY also has an incredible initiative where they lend out winter equipment, like kicksleds, to help locals try new activities.These preliminary results made me reflect on my own life and what being physically active really means. We have a sense of: Oh I know I should be going to the gym, but I just cant fit it in. I dont have time, or I dont have the energy after a full workday or taking care of the kids. Theres also a performative aspect to how we work out, where we feel like we have to perform physical activity in a certain way, like going for a walk in leggings instead of jeans. But we could reframe physical activity to say, Hey, I chased my 3-year-old around all day. I dont need to go for a run, I already did that. In addition to adult soccer and hockey leagues, we also need to have walking clubs and leisure activities. There are so many innovative ways that we can keep people moving without loading on expectations.Now, I know theres going to be people who will say that leisure activities dont carry the same physical benefits as traditional exercise. My response to that while it may not get your heart rate to a particular level, these activities offer significant benefits, like time in nature and reducing stress. The debate around sports and access to fitness facilities is also a privileged debate. If youre worried about where your food or rent is coming from, youre not worrying about how much time youve logged at a gym.By reframing our idea of physical activity, we can recognize that if youre on your feet all day, walking to the bus or chasing your kid around the living room, that is still movementand ultimately, movementnot calories or heart rateis the goal.Aggie Weighill is a Recreation and Tourism professor at Vancouver Island University (VIU).Next: I Need You to KnowFitness Is Not One Size Fits All

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