Getting healthy and fit in real time, in real life…

I’ve been in Vancouver for a little over four months now, and I’ve noticed some significant differences in fitness culture between provinces. In Ontario, You are considered ‘fit’ and active if you have a gym membership and go fairly regularly. Unless you’re an avid athlete, most Ontarian’s physical activity is conducted within gym facilities.  I hypothesize that this is largely due to the variable climate in Ontario and that for consistency sake, the gym is fairly climate controlled.  In Ontario, exercise is often seen as a chore, as something people dread and therefore find it difficult to include in their daily routine.

In British Columbia, activity is a way of life.  I’ve only been here for a few months, so this may not be fact, but purely observational.  The average B.C. resident is considerably more active than the average Ontarian. So first of all, give yourselve’s a pat on the back! Even though some of you feel you’re struggling with daily exercise, you are still MUCH more fit and healthy than Ontario!

B.C. residents incorporate fun physical activities into their lives, so it doesn’t feel like a chore.  Many of my colleagues are on recreational sports teams, rock climb on weekends, bike to work and do yoga on lunch breaks.  If you asked any of them if they dreaded these activities on a daily basis, the answer would be ‘no.’  They’ve found an activity they enjoy that allows them to be active, so these activities turn into more of a hobby than a chore. And this is my new challenge. To incorporate fun activities into my routine so I don’t ever dread exercise again.

So here is my plan to accomplish this:

1. Join a recreational sport league.

2.  Exercise with friends, to keep me motivated.

3. Try new activities that bring me out of my comfort zone.

Yesterday, I tried ziplining in Whistler. This is not something I could have ever seen myself doing, and truth be told, I was terrified.  But I did it. And now I feel like it takes a lot more to scare me off.  Hopefully I’ll be able to post some ziplining pictures for you tomorrow, but as of today, I’m enjoying my last day of vacation by walking to Granville Island and swimming at the beach.

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From last week’s blog I had made mention of returning to visit an old friend in the gym. When sitting down this week to do the same, it occurred to me to visit an older friend on two wheels first.

A glimpse into cycling in Vancouver in the 80’s if you will.

At the time, I was living in Kitsilano. For $20.00, I rediscovered the joy of cycling; not the high–end, super fast mountain bike experience but the second-hand, 10-speed, comfortable pace experience.

My route was as follows: Mount bike at Blenheim and Cornwall St. Cycle down Cornwall towards Kit’s Beach. At Kit’s Beach, dismount bike and walk through the beach and park area to the other side. Remount bike and continue to foot of Burrard St. bridge (west side) Dismount bike and walk over the bridge. Remount at Pacific Ave. and cycle along English Bay until you have to dismount and walk the remainder of the way to the Beach St. entrance to Stanley Park. Remount and take bike path to Georgia St. bike entrance.

While on Stanley Park internal bike path, dismount when travelling through pedestrian areas or as directed by signs. Pretend how you would feel if you were a pedestrian and someone came out of the trees towards you as if they were cycling the Mission Speedway.

At the Georgia St. Stanley Park entrance, cycle Stanley Park, counter clockwise on bike path. Cycle at a comfortable pace with no racing or endangering pedestrians, skate boarders, seniors, lost squirrels, neurotic crows and roller blade enthusiasts. Cycle around the park to Second Beach and English Bay again. Retrace your route and dismounts along English Bay, over Burrard St. bridge, through Kit’s Beach and back to Blenheim and Cornwall. 

With stopping my bike at 3^rd beach to read my book for ½ hour, the entire trip took 3 ½ to 4 hours. Marvelous.

Throughout my trips, I never experienced any problems from pedestrians, motorists or other cyclists.

While I do not live in Vancouver anymore, there is no reason that I cannot apply the same regimen in my current neighborhood of Surrey. If I have time constraints of an hour or so, shorten the route. For me, the point is to be in motion, to be moving my legs for a long period of time as apposed to an intense (or racing form) type of cycling. I was benefitting from the duration of the exercise experience as compared to the intensity.

Next week – now to visit an old friend at the gym.

  
Have a week of good health,
 
Rick

My name is Stephanie Thomson, and I’ll be replacing Shierley for the next two weeks. Consider me a guest blogger.

So I guess I should start by telling everyone a little about myself and my goals etc. I am just about to turn 28 and like everyone that hits this age knows your metabolism just doesn’t pull its own weight anymore. I can honestly say that I’ve been blessed with great genes, but they definitely need help these days.

I was always an athletic kid, so I’m trying to get back into that mode as an adult. Let’s just say it’s not working that well. I played beer league softball all summer but the emphasis was more on the beer than the softball.

This fall I have already signed up for volleyball and…. Wait for it…. Dodgeball!! I realize neither of those sports give you endurance, but they’ll get me moving at least and out of the house, away from the TV (oh how I love TV).

 My long term goal for the year is to run a half marathon with my friend next year. Right now I can run about 5km without dying, but that’s about it. I’ve set the bar high and told everyone I know (and now many I don’t) so that I will be shamed into accomplishing it.

I wish I could say that I love working out and running, but the truth is I hate it. I always feel great after, but getting me into the gym is hard work, just ask my boyfriend!

 Anywho, I hope that everyone has a great week. Be like me and fight through the laziness and get out there and get active. I have a goal to go to the gym 4 times next week, so I’ll report back on my success (or failure) next Friday.

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