I’m training for a spartan race in July. It’s a bigger one than I’ve done in the past - 15 kms instead of 5. The race takes the participants up and down Calabogie Peaks, winding through 25 strategically placed obstacles along the way. I will have to scale walls, crawl through mud, carry sandbags, throw spears, and climb ropes in my quest for the finish line. This race will mark my return back into the…
That Day in June, we had a conversation in the van. “I think we should probably throw in the towel,” Husband Jamie said, “it’s been a long while and nothing’s happened. And I’m turning 40 soon. I don’t think I want to start a whole fertility process.” “It’s been almost five years,” I agreed, nodding, “and I don’t want to start a fertility process, either.” We weren’t officially “trying”. We hadn’t wanted to put a…
Q: How do you feel about massaging women? A: Most of my clients are women. I feel that I’m able to give a good, therapeutic, intuitive massage. I’m not judgmental of women’s bodies; I treat all of my clients with the respect they deserve. Q: And how about massaging men? A: In my experience, men who ask for a male therapist usually want deeper tissue massage, which is great for me because that’s what I…
Husband Jamie and I took the kids wilderness camping at Algonquin Park a few weekends ago; it was their first time, and they loved it. When camping, one has a singular purpose: to survive. There’s no luxury to camping in the wilderness, save for a decadent square of dark chocolate at the end of the evening, or a luxuriously dry pair of socks when your body is damp to the bone. We pushed on, canoed…
Got my red belt in karate this weekend. My first coloured belt; I’m no longer the lowest on the totem pole! My gi has pizzazz now: and I’m proud fit to burst. So often, in the dojo and out in the world, I see people brushing off their achievements. “Yeah, I just ran a 10k, but it’s not like it’s a marathon or anything.” “I did just work for 5 years to lose that weight, but…
In April I had the opportunity to speak at a Women's Business Network breakfast, and I spoke about a topic that I deem extremely important. Read on to find out how to start listening to the language of your body. Your body is great. I’ve said this before in another blog post, and I mean it. Listening to the language your body speaks enables you to give it what it needs. When you respect your…
I’m watching Jessica Kanstrup run a bootcamp class. At first glance, the 26 year-old is an intimidating figure, even at 5’4”; she paces slowly back and forth across the studio stage in her black tights and red GoodLife Fitness shirt, stopwatch in hand, brow knitted, watching her crew of ladies sweat it out in their circuit. It’s clear from the stern expression on her face that no one is going to slack off under her…
I love treating runners. I love, love, love it. Not because I’m a runner myself, and not just because runners tend to be concerned for their own health and well-being (although I do love that about them). Runners are a cohort of people that have an energy all unto themselves, and I love being a part of their journey. I’ve been a runner now for 13 years. Prior to 2002, I was an outright non-runner;…
I’m on a mission to “create space” in my head. That was part of my homework when I had my nutritional consult with Karen, and I’ve been searching for it ever since. Meditation is the obvious choice for opening the mind, but meditation, it should be said, is like stabbing myself in the eye with a fork is not really my thing. I can’t picture myself sitting cross-legged doing nothing but contemplating for any length…
I’m standing naked in front of my full-length mirror. This is my exercise in exiting my comfort zone today, and boy, is it ever working. Having grown up in a rather liberated household, I’ve always been comfortable disrobing in front of others in a change-room, or around family. Disrobing in front of myself for the purpose of affirmation, however, seems terrifying by comparison. During yoga training this weekend, we spoke a lot about our comfort…