Currently
This has been an odd Winter. Really odd. I’ve experienced 3 Winters since moving to Southwest British Columbia in 2010 and I’m being told that I was spoiled with how amazing they were. Watching this winter unfold has felt like watching an awkward stage performance on some reality TV show were the individual tries to sing but sounds like someone strangling a cat, at first the fact they can’t sing is humorous, in a schadenfreude kind of way, but eventually you become uncomfortable at the display and wonder why somebody isn’t escorting them off the stage. Somebody needs to escort this Winter off the stage. This Winter was going to be The Winter we’d nail skiing, not only resort skiing but backcountry skiing. It’s been a hard activity for us to get good at but we hadn’t really put much effort into it in the past. This Winter we planned to change that. I’d imagined doing midweek night skiing at Cypress Resort, then getting out into the backcountry on the weekends to experience the joys of powder skiing that we’ve heard so much about. So far, those dreams haven’t materialized. We’ve had a few large dumps of snow broken up by long stretches with no precipitation and the temperature and freezing levels have been really high leading to heavy, wet snow cheerfully referred to locally as “elephant snot”. We’ll just have to see how things progress as the Winter goes on. For now it feels like I’m in a holding pattern, waiting for permission to land. So I thought I’d write a “currently” post, a post about what I’m doing right now instead of planning my ski trips. Currently… reading The Rock Warrior’s Way, I think the title is lame, and I’ve found the writing so far to be pretty verbose, but I’ve seen some great improvements in my own climbing focus from the techniques it recommends so far, so I’ll continue to read it. loving Sticking dynos at the local bouldering gym. I’m not a fan of gyms in general but climbing indoors is actually pretty fun. Working a problem for a few days and finally sticking that crux dyno move is pretty damn satisfying. I’ve only been at it for a few weeks and I already feel functionally stronger than I have in my whole life. thinking a lot about Social Media and Networks. I’m always on this knife edge between loving and hating it. I love that it gives me a medium to inspire people to get outdoors, but when I see people in the wild staring at their phones, holding them up looking for reception,...
7 Exercises to do while watching TV
This post is not at all about endorsing that you spend a lot of time in front of TV’s or screens but I’m also a realist. At least an hour of my day, especially during the Winter, darker months, is spent watching TV. I don’t have cable or satellite so I usually end up watching a documentary I can stream online, or I queue up a few videos during the week using Vimeo or Youtubes “Watch Later” feature and then watch them all at once. I’m not a fan of sitting for long periods of time so I started looking for stretches and exercises I could do that wouldn’t be so distracting as to make trying to watch and learn something on the TV redundant. I am also not recommending that these should become your only stretching and exercise regime when not engaging in your chosen activities. For me these exercises are merely supplemental to my own regular Yoga and exercise schedule. It’s an alternative to statically sitting or lying for an hour. I run, climb, ski and hike mainly so these exercises are geared more towards those activities. Still, everyone can do them and you will notice improvements over time if you stay consistent. 1. IT Band Stretches: If you run or even hike and backpack long distances then IT Band stretches are excellent. I used to suffer from stiff and sore knee joints before I started to stretch my ITB on a regular basis. Here are a few I do on a regular basis. Seated IT Band Stretch: If you have a foam roller and Yoga mat you can also do the following in front of the TV if you have the floor space. 2. Hip Flexor Stretch: Similar to the IT Band, Hip Flexor stretches are not only great for the legs but also for nagging lower back pain which I sometimes suffer from. This whole Yin Yoga video is excellent, but skip to minute 39:20 to see a pose I do if I’m lying on the couch to give my hip flexor a stretch. 3. Squats: Trusty Squats. I do as many reps as I can or few sets a minute or two apart. Do what works for you. 4. Thigh Steering Exercise: Skip to minute 1:40 to see the exercise. It may look simple but trust me, if you don’t ski regularly it will start to feel pretty difficult around the 25 to 35 rep mark. 5. Heel Raises: Pretty straightforward exercise. Good working on calf strength, endurance and flexibility. I primarily do them for ice climbing as I get...
