Hello Reader, Have you ever learned a new word or idea, and then suddenly started seeing it everywhere? That happened to me this week. I was listening to The Curiosity Shop podcast when Adam Grant introduced a phrase I'd never heard before: a just manageable difficulty. I couldn't stop thinking about it. He described it as a challenge that's right at the edge of our capability—enough to stretch us, but not so much that it overwhelms or overloads us. As soon as I heard it, I started seeing...
9 days ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, Last week, I asked you to consider a question: How much is enough today? A member of our email community replied to say that she agreed wholeheartedly with the message—and that it was a unique way of thinking about physical activity and exercise. I think it feels different because most of us have been taught to measure movement by the maximum. How far did you walk?How much weight did you lift?How many minutes did you exercise?Did you complete the entire workout? We don’t often talk...
23 days ago • 3 min read
Good morning Reader, A few months ago, I wrote about how better movement starts with better questions. Lately, one question has come up again and again in conversations with clients. "How much should I do?" It's a great question. As a Clinical Exercise Physiologist, I can absolutely help answer it. I can recommend sets, repetitions, intensity, and progression. But I've realized that sometimes my job isn't telling someone how much to do. Sometimes my job is helping them learn how to know....
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Here's something that people often don't expect about my work. Sometimes I'm not helping someone prepare for today's exercise. I'm helping them prepare for something that's happening weeks—or even months—from now. It might be a vacation. A hiking trip. Playing with grandchildren. Or, in one recent case... A snorkeling adventure. At first, you might think the concern was the snorkeling itself. It wasn't. It was getting there. Many snorkeling adventures don't begin by jumping off...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, I hope you've been enjoying this little series on resistance training. One of the things I love about exercise science is that it continues to evolve. As new research emerges, we have opportunities to refine what we know and, perhaps more importantly, how we apply it to everyday life. Last week, we explored research suggesting that approximately 90–120 minutes of resistance training per week may provide the greatest long-term health benefits. As encouraging as those findings...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, It's interesting how more and more research is emerging around resistance training. Just a few weeks ago, I shared some of the updated recommendations around resistance training. Now, hot off the press, another study is adding to what we know about the role resistance training plays in our long-term health. What caught my attention wasn't simply that resistance training was associated with better long-term health outcomes. It was the amount. Researchers followed more than...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Hi Reader, As we move into the thick of gardening season and spend more time outdoors tending to our yards, flower beds, and vegetable gardens, it can be helpful to ask ourselves a simple question: How am I preparing my body for these activities? For many people, gardening is a labour of love. We look forward to the warmer weather, the longer days, and the opportunity to get our hands in the dirt. What we don't always look forward to is how our bodies might feel afterward. A few hours of...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, have you ever said… "My right knee is my bad knee." "My left shoulder is the problem." "My good hip is doing all the work." I hear comments like this all the time. And I understand what people mean. They're talking about the side that hurts. The side that feels stiff. The side they don't trust anymore. The side that doesn't seem to cooperate. And every time I hear someone describe their body this way, I find myself thinking the same thing: What if we're missing the point? Because...
3 months ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader, There’s something about June that draws us back outside. The fresh air.The sounds of the birds early in the morning.The feeling of walking through your neighbourhood and noticing what’s starting to bloom again. And sometimes, we simply need another reason to get outdoors. That’s why I’m so excited to share that Take Your Walk to the Next Level: An Introduction to Nordic Walking begins this week here in Edmonton. Over three Wednesday sessions (June 3, 10, and 17), I’ll teach you how...
3 months ago • 2 min read