Active Living: Getting Dirty in the Trails

Getting a little bit dirty running through the trails, listening to some good tunes, and being surrounded by gorgeous trees and a view of the water and the mountains was just what I needed this week.

I have your typical 9-5 office job where the majority of my day is spent in front of the computer. I am a Coordinator, which basically means "firefighter." Staff issues, program concerns, deadlines, meetings...all of these factors make for stressful days at work a lot of the time. I like my job, but an hour escape at lunch time is the perfect way for me to rejuvenate and get ready to face the issues of the afternoon.

I have never been a morning workout person. I committed for one summer, working out 4 mornings a week for a Triathlon training program, but have not returned to morning workouts since. I would always have a sick feeling throughout the whole workout and would feel worse rather than better during the day. I've also tried to commit to after work workouts, but find that by the end of an 8 hour work day, the last thing I feel like doing is going to a packed gym and fighting for machines.

I therefore use my lunch time to fit in a daily 'active living' practice. I do not engage in one self-chosen practice, but rather engage in a variety of practices. For example, this week, on Monday, I taught a noon hour muscle conditioning class called 'Hard Core Bod.' Tuesday, I went for a run through the SFU trails and then went for a walk with my boyfriend along Kits Beach that evening. Wednesday, I led the warm up for approximately 1200 walkers and runners at the SFU Burnaby Terry Fox Run. Thursday and Friday, I went back to the SFU trails for a run again.

I enjoy engaging in different 'active living' practices rather than just one. I feel this gives me balance. Teaching fitness classes provides me with the opportunity to educate others on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and encourages me to continue to learn new exercises and fitness tips to share with my class. Going for a run by myself is a time for me and only me to reflect. When I reflect on the day and work, I always find my mind 'clears up' during these runs, and I come back to the office with a new solution to a problem. Going for walks with my boyfriend is a time for both of us to be doing something active together while reflecting and talking about our days.

With the fall coming up, I hope the rain and cold won't discourage me and that I will continue to run the trails at SFU. Sometimes getting a bit dirty in the trails is just the kind of 'active living' practice I need to get me through the day.