Skutz Falls, Horseshoe Bend, December 14, 2019

 This section of the Cowichan Valley Trail and The Great Trail is a go-to for me and Ann.  It's a good distance with interesting terrain and it's along the river. This was my first trip out there and I fell in love.

Holt Creek, December 7, 2019

 Ann and I had been swimming regularly and really enjoying it.  Then I had to have some periodontal work done and swimming was off the list for a month.  So I suggested to Ann that we could do a few hikes.  A year later, it is our passion to be out in the woods and finding new and beautiful locations.

Located in Glenora in the Cowichan Valley, the Holt Creek Loop is a favourite.  This was my first time on this path with my wonderful hiking buddy, Ann.  5.6km

This bridge washed out over the winter. This photo is the only time we were able to cross it.

A favourite landmark, the tree roots.  

Rowing St. Petersburg 2019

In 2019, I had a long summer in front of me and no real plans, so I made a snap decision to sign up for a rowing tour to St. Petersburg, Russia.  Arranging passports and travel was a whirlwind - I was sure my visa wouldn't get to me in time. Everything worked out just fine, and I took off for Amsterdam at the beginning of August.  After three days solo in Amsterdam, I met up with my crew in Russia. Each day we rowed on a different section of the canals of St. Petersburg and the Neva River.  Our final day was spent in the country on the Volkov River - a real contrast to the big city.

Long days of rowing 20+km a day and then site seeing by foot in the afternoon led to really great nights of sleep and wonderful memories.  My new friends from Britain, Australia, Sweden, and Russia jumped into coastal quads and rowed through what may be the most scenic city I've been to.  Amazing.

I highly recommend Rowing the World.  Ruth is a fantastic organizer and offers well-researched trips with expert guides.

On the Fontanka with St. Isaac's cupola in the background.

On the Volkov.

Just Fit Enough

I raced in a regatta yesterday.  I struggled in making the decision whether to race or not.  You see, I'm quite used to racing in peak condition.  And I'm not right now.  I haven't trained nearly enough to win a race.  But, in the end, I love racing so much that I decided I would.

And I'm glad I did.

It turns out that I'm "just fit enough".  Just fit enough for 4 minutes - give or take a few seconds - of gut wrenching, lung bursting, heart galloping exertion.  Just fit enough to maintain a decent stroke rate.  Just fit enough to even have a kick at the finish.  Just fit enough to help both boats to a third place finish.

Then I got home and Adam Kreek, 2008 Canadian Olympic gold medal rower, was on my Facebook feed.  Watch and enjoy.

And stay fit enough!

Sitting is Bad For You

I came across this TED lesson while I was sitting at my computer this morning.  I posted it and got out of my chair.

Stay on your feet.  Move.  Your body wants to!  Needs to!

Life is NOT a Battle

People are taking up the fitness craze in droves.  But, as it turns out, the mentality of working out to exhaustion every day is super UNhealthy.  To live with the military attitude that life is a battle is not good for your body or your mental well being.  It's all about balance.

So next time you get off your chair, be kind to yourself.  A gentle walk will take you further into a healthy old age than an overkill workout will.

Read here about the militarization of exercise!  Yikes!!!  Bad trend, I say.

Keep Your Eyes on the Prize

Social science has been exploring how our perception and vision affects our approach to exercise.  The results of their experiments are fascinating!  There are a few things that predict how we "see" exercise as easy or hard.  One is our own fitness.  Fit people tend to "see" exercise as easier.  Another is motivation.  People who are highly motivated "see" exercise as easier.  But the most fascinating part is what they found about how people "see" the world around them and the effect on how they "see" exercise.  As it turns out, people who are focussed and not attending to everything in their line of vision "see" exercise as easier.  That's great news!  It suggests there may be ways for us to adjust our perception of exercise and "see" how easy it is to stay fit and finish strong.

Kale Loses Its Crown

Kale has been dubbed the superfood of the year in 2014.  People are eating it up like crazy.  And it's great for you!  But, as it turns out, it only ranks 15th on the list of good-for-you foods in terms of nutrient density.

Salad is a good bet any day - especially if you include the "top ten" in your salad mix.

Read about it here.

Never Leave the Playground

Stephen Jepson is 77 years old and plays all day as if he were 7.  He supports play and movement at all ages to improve your life.  He wants all of us to have better balance - to avoid falls.  And he believes his approach builds brain cells and memory.  He is a marvelous inventor of toys and activities and an inspiration for us all.

Stay active.  Never leave the playground.

Watch the Growing Bolder video here.

Stephen's Never Leave the Playground website is here.

Hole in One at 103

Gus Andreone recently became the oldest PGA member to score a hole in one.  It's only been 75 years since he last scored one!

Gus golfs three times a week at a par 90.  His personal formula for longevity is not complex. “It’s all about just being yourself, keeping your old regular pace,” he says. ”You just have habits you do every day. You don’t live outside of what you do every day.”

“I take a spoon of honey every morning in my coffee. Every morning,” says Andreone. “Before I get out of bed, I do a certain set of exercises that help my knees, back and hips. It works for me.”

Gus is more evidence that we just have to KEEP MOVING!

Read about Gus' hole in one here!

How to Live to be 100

As it turns out, our bodies have a capacity of about 90 years.  But our average life expectancy is 78.  Dan Buettner explored "blue zones" - places with a high rate of longevity - to try to figure out how to live long.  Here's what he found:

Move naturally.  Don't exercise.  MOVE.  Build systems into your life that make you move.  Walk.  Garden.  Take the stairs.  Just move.

Have the right outlook.  Take time to downshift.  Have a purpose.  I like the Okinawan concept of "ikigai" - the reason you wake up in the morning.

Eat wisely.  Don't diet.  People in blue zones drink a bit of wine every day.  They eat a mainly plant based diet - some meat, but not much.  And they limit their portions.

Connect.  Social connections are likely the most important aspect of longevity.  People need to belong.  Family is important, but, more than that, so is your "tribe" - the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis.

Watch the video.  It's interesting!

Dealing with a Tight Psoas

I have heavy calcification in one of my heels.  It's there because I have always had foot issues, not the least of which is a Haglund's Deformity.  Stiff feet, years of soccer, and that little bit of extra bone means that my achilles is now pretty thickened, stiff and sore much of the time.  So I went to a physiatrist to get it sorted out.  I'm way too young to stop moving!  She prescribed custom orthotics to limit the movement in the foot and the amount of friction from the Haglund's Deformity on the achilles tendon.

The orthotics feel GREAT on my feet, but they've created a new issue.  As my body adjusts to the support on my feet, my psoas muscle is tight, tight, tight.  So I thought this article was quite timely.

Releasing Tension in the Psoas

Guinness Book of Records at 91

Margaret Hagerty is amazing.  She's 91 and has run 81 marathons - the most recent is the NYC Marathon.  Margaret holds the Guinness Book Record for being the oldest person to run a marathon on 7 continents.  Amazing!  But what makes this an even better story is that she didn't start running until she was in her sixties.  She went to a stop smoking clinic at 64 and has not looked back.

Read about her here.

Detox? Don't Waste Your Money!

Everywhere I look I see boxes that can "detox" me.  Many of my friends spend days and weeks on "detox" diets.  Everyone is trying to be healthier.

But, as it turns out, our bodies are tuned perfectly to detoxify themselves.  If they weren't, we'd be dead.

I loved this article in The Guardian about how we're being fooled by marketers to spend our money when what we should really be doing is eating well and exercising.

Have a read!

You can’t detox your body. It’s a myth. So how do you get healthy?

Running Makes You a Better Walker

I like walking.  It's easy on my feet and gets me outdoors.  Check backward on this blog and you'll see lots of support for walking as a way of life.  Or at least as an essential component of it.

But runners are better walkers.  Turns out that walking into old age isn't so great at holding off your ability to move with ease and agility.  Running is.

This is a great article that outlines the research that was done into both running and walking in your mid 60''s and beyond.  Runners have a similar "fitness" to sedentary college students!

Looks like I need to pick up my pace.

Read:  Run to Stay Young

Weight Lifting for Swimmers

Weight lifting is great for everyone as we get older, and here's a great article about how weight lifting improves swimming.

The author outlines her 5X5 method and offers a few suggested workouts.  Swimming alone is fine, but with weights?  Even better.  Be strong and swim faster!

Read about weight lifting for swimming.

New Gym for me

My favourite gym, Living Strong, closed down last August.  I'm glad the weather has been fantastic, because I've been able to extend my outdoor fitness activities - rowing and hiking.  But the weather is getting cold so it's time to get back to the gym.

This winter I've decided to work with a new personal trainer.  I've known Sue Spencer of Gulf Islands Athletic Training for a long time.  She coached and trained my daughter as a soccer player.  What I like about Sue is that she is my age and still playing soccer.  She's active and athletic.  We share many of the same ideas and attitudes toward being an athlete.  And she's competitive.  

My goals are simple:

1.  To rekindle my motivation to work hard.

2.  To get stronger (see my previous post about weight training and aging)

3.  To be in top cardiovascular shape by spring break.

4.  To make a difference in the boats I race in next July.

So far we're learning routines and creating muscle memory for the dynamic warmup Sue supports.  I've been twice and I really like it.  This morning a woman came in who is much older than I and she whipped through the dynamic warm up as if she was 20 years old.  There's hope...  :)

Here's to a great winter of training!

Rambling Fisherman has a new owner

The Dwayne Mustard Fishing Experience has purchased The Rambling Fisherman - a year round guided fishing operation.

The Rambling Fisherman has a long history of guiding great fishing on Vancouver Island.  Ian, the founder of the company, has headed to Alberta for a career change and he chose Dwayne to take over the company.  He'll be great!  He's a fantastic salmon guide and has fished the rivers of Vancouver Island for years.  And he's fun to spend time with.

Check out The Rambling Fisherman's blog/website and Facebook Page.  It's exciting to see where Dwayne takes this already great company!

Book a guided drift on Vancouver Island.  Fishing is a great outdoor activity.

New Favorite Store!

I went to Cabela's on Sunday.  I needed some chest waders so I can go steelhead fishing this winter.  Oh, my.  I was overwhelmed.

The stores are HUGE.  The exterior is beautiful.  This interior is beautiful.  And the stores are filled with large taxidermy displays between the gear and clothing.  And they make fudge on the premises so the place smells incredible.

I highly recommend a visit if you're looking for any outdoor gear.  Amazing.

Fighting the Effects of Aging

It turns out that athletes over 50 can help themselves overcome the effect of age on their athletic performance.  Weight lifting does it.  And I don't mean body weights or high reps - I mean heavy, muscle-building weights.

Weight Lifting Improves Athletic Performance in Master Athletes