Health
Children in the Yoga Studio
As I sat in the back of the studio readying for the teacher to guide a yoga class, a woman and her young daughter softly rolled their mats out in front of me. My task was to take notes of the instructor’s words, poses and movements and use them as a training tool for when I taught my own classes. For the next hour my page remained blank and to this day I can’t recall anything she taught. It wasn’t that the level of instruction was weak or uninteresting but rather something more meaningful gathered my attention.
Resolution
2014. Hard to believe.
Another new year! With another New Year’s comes another batch of New Year’s resolutions. Resolutions can be tough to keep. Common advice to improve the chance of achieving goals includes: sharing your goals with others, putting your goals in written form, and making your goals specific and realistic. On that note, I would like to share my 2014 resolutions with you, in written format. Instead of doing one big resolution, I am committing to twelve smaller ones (one for each month).
January
Finding New Lands
Last July, I drove off the MV Highlanders and into another world. It was 6:45am and the sun had just begun to warm the cliffs around Channel-Port aux Basques, the exotic sounding south-western terminus of Newfoundland. While this island, part of Canada’s most easterly province of Newfoundland and Labrador is not actually another world, it does have its own time zone and an ethereal beauty that will steal a little piece of your heart.
Collaboration in Medicine
As someone who is licensed to practice two regulated professions, I have the opportunity to navigate through a life in medicine with a unique perspective.
Beginnings
In the fall of 2004 I packed my van and drove across Alberta and BC to take a yoga teachers training course in Victoria on Vancouver Island. I was not flexible! I had a reputation for being loud, I loved meat and had just come off a summer of being one of six women fighting fires with over 100 men. Nervous was an understatement. My three biggest fears were that the course would be all women, they would be vegans, and maybe a few would hit on me... all my fears came true.
New Year Leg Challenge
After such great feedback from June’s Ab Challenge, I decided to create a Leg Challenge for you to begin the New Year with. Even if you are skiing every day, this quick routine will help to keep you balanced and prevent injuries.
Make sure your knees are over your toes during all exercises and you never experience any sharp or shooting pain. Exercises should be performed at a slow, controlled pain free pace!
Vitamin K and the Newborn
Vitamin K is an essential nutrient for all of us as it has many roles in the human body, primarily in enabling us to clot blood properly.
Reflecting on the Christ in Christmas
Growing up, family members outnumbered seat belts. Sundays, all eight of us would pile into the car and drive into town to The Cathedral. Religion (Christianity) is an important part of who I am today. Growing up as a Christian, Christmas was a big holiday (holy day).
Après-Ski Stretch
Current research shows that stretching post activity is more beneficial than pre activity (dynamic warm up is recommended before exercise). Here are some easy-to-do stretches to help you unwind from your day of skiing and be ready to go for your next day. All you need is something approximately waist height (table, counter, back of truck, back of couch etc). Hold each stretch for ten slow breaths and gently ease into your stretch. Remember that stretching should never hurt!
1. Quads. Place your toe up on ledge behind you and gently lean back.
Maintaining the Ability to Remember
Our lives truly are the sum of our memories, so as we collectively age, it becomes more and more imperative to retain the memories we already have (as well as the memories that we're holding onto for our ancestors) and continue to effectively make new memories of our day to day lives. The ability to generate memories peaks when we're quite young, and so as we navigate our way through adulthood, we have to work harder and harder to remember things that occur around us, particularly as we are inundated with distractions such as noise, pollution, our other thoughts, and our electronic devices.
Be Ours to Hold it High
The roots of Remembrance Day go back to 1919, almost 100 years ago. Each November, countless Canadians don plastic poppies and remember. We stop for two minutes, and we remember. What do I remember? The only wars during my lifetime affected me only indirectly. They didn’t change the essence of my life. Still, I remember and I reflect.
Five Exercises to Get You Ski Season Ready
With the November nip in the air should come the motivation to get ready for a strong year on the ski hill. For optimal ski shape results, perform these five exercises three times each, three days weekly:
1. Bottom ¼ squat x 1 minute. Get yourself into a low pain-free squat (ideally quads are parallel to the ground) and go slightly up and then back down. Pulse back and forth in your ski or snowboard stance, with your kneecaps lined up over your second toe through the motion.
Fatherhood and Fart Noises
This Thanksgiving, my son Jack turns six months. Crazy. I love fatherhood. I’ve been lucky. I have a supportive partner and our son is pretty easy-going. Our friends and family have showered us with gifts and time and tips and free babysitting. We have a lot going for us, and parenting is still overwhelming. My respect for single parents has increased; I do not know how they do it. Fernie’s baby boom shows no sign of slowing down. Here are some things I’m learning from being a new Dad.
Five Ways to Make Your Thanksgiving Healthier
Most Canadians traditionally get together on Thanksgiving for a huge meal and drinks, often ending with a full stomach and waking up the next day feeling a bit unhealthy. Good news –Thanksgiving does NOT have to sabotage your fitness and weight goals. Here are five ideas to help you give thanks to good health this year:
Ten Tips for a Successful Year of High School
This year, I will be both a teacher (at Fernie Secondary School) and a student (in Cranbrook taking weekend classes). I started teaching about a decade ago, so including my years as a student, I have over 25 years of experience in schools. Here are my ten tips for a successful year of high school.
Remember, it is your education