Walking has helped me become more fit, productive and happy, and I’ve met some great people along the way
For a dedicated athlete, or even an active 20-something, taking a minimum of 10,000 steps a day for more than two and a half years might seem like a a walk in the park. For someone like me, three decades older, with ancient injuries and a lot more wear and tear on the body, walking…
Does your basement or garage storage area contain (even overflow) with unused exercise equipment? Put it to use
Have you given up exercise habits formed when you were raising your kids, replacing them with gym visits and more walking? Do you even think of how you exercised in your working, middle age? Does your basement or garage storage area contain (even overflow) with unused exercise equipment? Do your cross-country skis vie for space…
Usain Bolt became the fastest human being ever by eating – wait for it – Chicken McNuggets, not following the latest health care fad
Kicking off her wonderful book from earlier this year, Christie Aschwanden asks a seven-word question that might help us recover some sanity for our hyper-affluent, marketing-mad society. “Do any of these products actually work?” Aschwanden asks in the introduction of Good to Go: What the Athlete in All of Us Can Learn From the Strange…
Skip the cleanses, alkaline diets and IV vitamin therapy; there's no evidence they work and plenty of evidence they can be harmful
If you follow health tips in some media, you’d think the nutritional sciences are a mess: Is butter good for you or bad? Should I eat breakfast or skip it? Should I eat like a caveman? Or should I eat more like a bird? Alternative facts are not a new concept in the field of nutritional…
If you're on a long flight – say anything longer than three hours – stretching, or at least moving around is almost essential. When the flight attendants say it's safe to move around the cabin, take advantage of the advice by getting up and walking the aisle from time to time. Just sitting still for…
Well-being educator Deena Cottingham talks about how stress is at the root of chronic conditions and what to do about it
Deena Cottingham is a well-being educator and coach. Tell me about what you do? Cottingham: I empower people who are seeking a fuller sense of well-being and fulfilment in their lives. There are many facets that need acknowledging in order to unblock the flow of that natural way of being. Blocks may show up as…
It’s sad when adults choose to be inactive. It’s even sadder when we don’t provide our children the opportunity to establish physically-active lifestyles
Our children have never been more sedentary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016, only 21.6 per cent of children and adolescents in the United States aged six to 19 met the recommended 60 or more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity at least five times a week. It’s a safe bet that…
Travel can wear you out even if it's not an active vacation, so shape up for travel, and happy travels
One thing you might not think about is that you should shape up for travel if you want to really enjoy your trip and stay healthy. Your doctor probably tells you all the time that you should exercise more, but some people find it hard to stay motivated to exercise just because they should. Decide…
Go early, be prepared for any eventuality, plan well, concentrate on strong paddle strokes and keep your destination dead off your bow
It’s the classic ocean kayaker’s dilemma: should I wait or go now? You’re all loaded up. It’s probably early in the morning and you don’t want to delay others as your trip unfolds before you. Some or all of your trip-mates may have taken kayak water rescue courses and have at least some confidence in…
Climbing Fisher requires no mountaineering equipment, no technical skills. But the steady steepness makes for a long, hard day
Once in a blue moon something improbable occurs. A goal beyond expectations and beyond the capacity of aging knees is accomplished. The view of Fisher Peak from our Kimberley, B.C., condo is mesmerizing. For years I’ve gazed across the Rocky Mountain Trench at that daunting, taunting pinnacle. Fisher dominates the skyline in this range of…
Injury research through analytics should be priority one, since baseball owners spent $745,769,319 on injured list players in 2018 alone
Baseball has an injury problem. It’s a big one. And an expensive one. As but one recent example – albeit an extreme one – the New York Yankees had 13 players on the injured list by the end of April, just one month into the 2019 season! Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises are filled with…
Hifa Maleki of Orangetheory Fitness talks about why gyms make sense for many people
Hifa Maleki is vice-president of franchise development and operations at OTF (Orangetheory Fitness) Canada Inc. What is Orangetheory Fitness and what makes it different from other fitness centres in Canada? Maleki: Orangetheory Fitness is a group workout broken into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. Backed by the science of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or…
Authors describe an evolving economy that includes people working into their 80s, based on a life expectancy of 100 years
Living to 100 years old used to be an amazing and rare accomplishment. Three-digit birthdays were worthy of a letter from Queen Elizabeth. But today’s children five years old or younger have a 50 per cent chance of making it to 100. This amazing fact is pointed out in a book by Lynda Gratton and…
Jasper's spectacular ski resort may offer slopes less travelled but it certainly deserves wider attention
Cue the theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Duct tape a sombrero onto your helmet. Find a half-burned cigarillo (good luck!) to chomp on. The bad boys have arrived at Marmot Basin, Alberta’s quieter, family-friendly Rocky Mountain ski resort in Jasper National Park. These new rascals are Tres Hombres – a series…
Workers are putting finishing touches on some parts of the long-awaited facility
Kenneth Brown of The Clarion The Kindersley Aquatic Centre is getting closer to opening its doors to the public, perhaps as soon as March 2. Construction of the facility began in the middle part of 2017, so the project has been ongoing for roughly 18 months. At the end of 2017, the hopes of town…