Health
6 Ways to Support Your Brain Function This Fall
As fall approaches, our thoughts naturally turn to education and learning as many of those around us return to school. In fact, many of us who have been out of school for years still mark the beginning of a new year in the fall.
Outdoor Workout Equipment
Sitting between the Fernie Aquatic Centre, Splash Park and Dirt Bike Park, lies five new pieces of equipment. This is an awesome addition to our community but so far, I have yet to see anyone but kids playing with it.
School Snacks
Growing up, I remember the smell of peanut butter and jam sandwiches when I opened up my paper bag. Most, if not all schools nowadays are a nut-free zone. This makes the PB & J sambo a dying breed, and I’m perfectly ok with that!
Being Brave and Rescuing Heroes
Braving Fernie's Wild Trails
Run On Sentences
I enjoy writing and running. Whether writing for the Fix, or my poetry blog, or another project, I enjoy writing. Sometimes I run to train for an event, and other times I run just because I feel like it. The two activities seem more different than they are alike. However, as I accumulate more experience with both hobbies, I see more similarities.
Let it Rest
As a culture, we have gotten so good at promoting pushing your body to its limits, becoming stronger, faster, and more productive than thought possible. While exercise clearly has numerous health benefits and is an essential component of any healthy lifestyle, this super-athleticism comes at the expense of the equally important rest and sleep components. All of the cells in our body need rest to recover, heal, regenerate, or even just to do their job. In fact, our ability to push ourselves to our limits, relies largely on the quality of our sleep.
Nova Scotia: Part II
If the start of my eastern odyssey was about adventures (see Part I – July Fix) and the middle of my trip was about exhilaration (see January’s column), then the end of the holiday was very much about relaxation.
Running: Training For the Mind
Sit down, breathe deep, lace my runners and set out for a little “me” time. As my body begins to warm up through a brisk walk I make my way past the houses, cars and people in my neighborhood.
Summer Sports Recovery
The hot summer sun is here and August is a great month to get outside and get sweaty. I recently just took up mountain biking and I’m in love. Life is about balance, so I am still continuing to trail run and sneak in some yoga too. When I get back home from a good sweaty workout in the sun, all I crave is something cool and refreshing… and I don’t mean a cold beer. Recovery is just as important as the workout itself. To make sure I re-fuel my body properly it is essential I have these key recovery nutrients within 30 minutes after working out:
Five Exercises to Improve Trail Running
Rebalancing your muscles is not only good for preventing injury but can make your joints stronger and improve your sport. The following exercises are specific to trail running, where problems arise in the ankles from rough terrain, as well as IT bands, knees and lower backs from the repetitive motion of a long run. I usually recommend incorporating these exercises into a strength training program or after a run as part of the cool down. Remember that none of these exercises should ever hurt.
Counselling in Health Care
I was recently at an international midwifery conference in Prague, where almost 4000 midwives from all over the world joined to discuss many issues related to women’s health worldwide.
Fernie Shape
Today, my physical activity included walking my Labrador Retriever about five blocks. I have had a lot of those days over the last month or so.
Exercises to Prevent Neck and Low Back Pain
With bike season comes the influx of bike related injuries. Very commonly, neck and lower back pain arises from the position of biking – bent forwards at the waist and looking up with your hands on the handlebars. This position tightens your hip flexors, rounds your shoulders and scrunches the back of your neck leading to postural changes that can impact your spine and cause pain. By training the opposite muscles you are using when biking, you can correct these imbalances, which in turn will improve your biking and decrease discomforts.
Nova Scotia, Part 1
On a damp and drizzly Canada Day afternoon last year, I wandered into a shore-side visitor centre in the tiny coastal town of Pictou, Nova Scotia.
It’s Not Just a Ride
The combination of yoga and sport is endless. Yoga for golfers, yoga for runners, yoga for cyclists, yoga for... it’s endless! Some may view this as an exploitation of the history and sacredness of yoga. Others see the lines of yoga and life activities as not parallel or perpendicular but rather as one intricate matrix. Take for example this month’s Fix theme of biking. The experience of being on the bike is so much more than just a ride. It is a pastime that has the potential to expand and create both social change and personal growth. It can transmute for many into a way of being.