In last week's blog I wrote about your plan for springtime physical activity and how what you choose to do will help support your summertime pursuits. If you missed it, you can read more here.​

This week I want to provide a more direct example with you and share some specific exercises to support your movement.

Let's go!

Walking.

It is an essential movement to our day to day life.

Once warmer weather arrives (whatever that means to you), there is an inclination to get out and walk in our neighbourhoods, community parks and anywhere there is fresh air (read: NATURE).

With an uptick in walking, have you considered trying something new?

You may ask, "Lisa, how can I make my walking new?"

Insert - poles.

And not just any poles. Nordic walking poles.

Nordic walking, as the name reveals, is a form of walking that started in Nordic or Scandinavian countries, more precisely from Finland. It was a form of exercise to support wintertime physical activity pursuit of cross-country skiing.

See the trend here.

Springtime activities supporting summertime activities. Summertime activities supporting wintertime activities.

It is all intertwined!

And today I would like to share with you three supportive movements for Nordic walking.

Not sure you want to try Nordic walking? Not sure how to do it?

I'm your gal. I've been pole walking since 2007.

Yep.

I'm the one you may have seen walking with poles in the streets of Edmonton and wondered, "where are her skis?!"

And for you this Spring, how about trying some Nordic walking as a way to get stronger for your Summer walks and hikes in nature?

Not sure?

Well, consider this.

I am wanting to know if YOU would like to have a workshop or a series of sessions where I can teach YOU how to walk with Nordic walking poles.

I've got the poles, you've got the legs and so it would all work just perfectly!

Can you please complete this survey to let me know what would suit you best?
​​

​As always, I am here to support you on your physical activity journey. Will Nordic walking be a part of your journey?

Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa

📣 Shout out to my gardeners! This April I have a workshop for you! Join me at Yoga Within Edmonton for Gardening Ready Yoga. April 22 will be here in no time so grab your spot today!

What are your plans for this Spring?

It is the first day of Spring tomorrow and the world is about to come alive.

Will you?

Imagine all the things you want to do this summer.


Go ahead and pause. Look away from your screen for a moment. I'll wait.


For those fun, exciting adventures to occur, will you be physically ready?

Gosh, it would feel sad to not be able to do what you want to.

Spring is you preseason! It is time to set up your strategy.

Now is the time.

The time to get your preseason training.

Not to get that summer bod.

Nope.

You are on the wrong email list if you are all about the summer bod.

Instead, you want to move with ease.

Move with strength, endurance and dare I say, pain free, this summer.

Now is the time to make a plan and start building in the movement you need for all your anticipated summer adventures.

Case in point.

One of my clients works at a golf course over the sunny Canadian months. She knows the walking, twisting and bending it requires to pick up golf balls from the green.

We devised a plan to get her walking daily for a minimum of 20 minutes. We also planned to have her practice a standing yoga and stretching routine to help mimic some of the movement patterns she needs to do in her job.

She is in her preseason of training.

Why?

She wants to avoid hurting after each shift.

She wants to have the mobility to bend with ease.

She may even get a game of golf in herself and she wants to walk all 18 holes.

Insight to Action:

What do you need to do now to get ready for your physical pursuits this summer?

Is it mobility?

Is it building new brain-body pathways to change undesirable movement patterns?

Is it stability?

Is it for the endurance to go for a full day of activities outdoors?

Is it strength?

It is possible to get started now and reap the rewards this summer!

I applied the same preseason framework recently in this article for Farm Forum. Farmers' preseason starts earlier than the urban folks and the same principles apply. Start now and reap the benefits for your future self.

Got some good ideas?

Go ahead and jump on to my Facebook page and post your preseason movement plans. I'd love to hear what you are up to!

Stuck on what to do? Consider spending time with me devising a customized plan just for you!​

Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa

📣 Shout out to my gardeners! This April I have a workshop for you! Join me at Yoga Within Edmonton for Gardening Ready Yoga. April 22 will be here in no time so grab your spot today!

Thank you, Albert Einstein, for the brilliant self-reflection.

Yes to curiosity!

In this week's newsletter, I want you to put on your thinking cap. Get curious with me.

Don't worry.

I'm not going to send you a test to complete.

Simply, challenge your mind a bit to learn more about yourself.

The more you know about your body, the more you can apply your knowledge to how you move your body.

Win-win!

I have a series of five questions below. Read the question and stop to think. Don’t just ask Siri or google right away. Can you come up with the answer?

Maybe jot your answers down on a piece of paper.

Once you have gone through each question, jump onto my website to find the answers! I also share more details there as it applies to physical activity and movement.

Drum roll please.

Here are the questions!

• What is the function of the skeleton?​

​Support (think the clothes hanger for the muscles), protection, body movement (muscles move joints which are two bones coming together), hemopoiesis (production of blood cells and platelets), mineral storage

• How many vertebra are there?

Thirty-three. Cervical (7), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacral (5 fused), coccyx (4 fused).

A handy way to remember is…

- You have breakfast at 7 am
- You have lunch at 12 pm
- You have dinner at 5 pm
- You go to bed at 9 pm (5+4)

• What organ, that is use frequently in physical activity, do the ribs protect?

Lungs

On average you take 12-16 breaths per minute. When you exercise, it can go up to as high as 40-60 breaths per minute. Wow!

• What bone is your funny bone? Don’t hit it!

​Humerus. It is the long bone of upper arm. It is both part of the shoulder joint and the elbow joint. Who knew?!

• How many bones are in the body?

Two hundred and seventy at birth and 206 by adulthood.

Why so many at birth? You don't lose bones as you age. 

You actually have bones that fuse together with age. Remember the soft spots on babies' heads.  These soft spots are spaces between the bones of the skull where bone formation isn't complete. As they come together, they form one bone.

Want to learn more about your body and how it moves? I'd love to help you gain knowledge and skill in my one-on-one sessions. So much fun. The more you know, the more you know!

Stay well and happy moving,
Lisa