Some problems and maybe some solutions – FIT IS A FEMINIST ISSUE

It’s been a rough summer so far. My big vacation and conference travel plans fell apart due to a host of family issues, big and little. Work hasn’t been that easy either.

I thought then maybe staying close to home, I’d have time to bike more, but a) the weather has been a disaster, and b) increasingly, there’s no one to bike with.

Sarah and I were going to ride today but the air quality is the worst in the world, and outdoor exercise is not recommended!

Oh, and it’s too hot indoors to ride on the trainer at home for very long, though I am doing it because I care about my Zwift streak. Which is ridiculous, but here we are. I’ll blog about that later.

On the friend front, some of my riding friends have moved away, others have stopped riding, and Sarah is usually too busy at work. I’m not fast enough to ride with any of the local cycling clubs. Unlike Nat, I don’t like riding alone, and it all feels pretty impossible. Without any big cycling holidays or goals, it’s hard to make myself get out there. Bah! Bah!

So I thought maybe, just maybe, I could spend more time at the gym. It’s air-conditioned. But personal training is over for us for the summer, and again, when it’s just me going alone, and I’ve got a busy work schedule and demanding home life, I have a hard time getting to the gym, even though I know it helps me cope with all the work and home things.

There’s always an end-of-day aquafit, right? I love that Movati has aquafit classes scheduled at 430, 530 and 630. There’s aqua Zumba (no one can see you getting the moves all mixed up), aqua yoga, aqua intensity…so many options. But no. Actually, zero options. The pool at Movati is being repaired and is closed for the month. Update: Now closed with no end date as they’re having difficulties repairing the pool lining.

And if that weren’t enough to make me want to scream and stomp, my anti-gravity fitness instructor is away for the month.

Well, at least I’m walking the dog, right? NO. It’s been too hot for Cheddar to go much more than around the block.

On the upside, Susan and I did get to the Elora quarry. Sarah and I did get to the Puslinch Tract Conservation area with Cheddar. And I did ride the Tour de Guelph with fellow dean Graham Holloway and College of Arts staff member Abby Scott. All great, but not enough.

Plans?

Well, it’s the middle of July, and it’s tempting to start thinking now about next summer’s plans. I’m definitely going back to some serious cycling vacations. You know the kind where you ride every day from place to place, not the kind where you travel and just bring the bikes along.

But I also know it’s too easy to bail on this summer’s fitness ambitions. I still want to put some serious cycling miles in the bank. I am reminding myself though that the move of cycling to an autumn activity might be a good fit with what’s happening climate-wise. See It Feels Strange and Awful, But It’s Where We Are.

We’re back at personal training on August 18. Between now and then, we’re going canoe camping and hanging at the farm with bikes and a swimming pool. So it’s not like there’s no movement in my life. I am still enjoying the morning movements.

Deep breaths.

Deep breaths.

Just breathe.

And move!

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Published by Sam B

Philosopher, feminist, parent, and cyclist! Co-founder of Fit Is a Feminist Issue, co-author of Fit at Mid-Life: A Feminist Fitness Journey, published by Greystone Books.
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