A walk in the park

One day into the 25 Days of Healthy Christmas, and already an obstacle has cropped up.

While out for tea with Ryan Correy yesterday -- a professional and very competitive cyclist – I shared with him my plan for the holiday season. He listened patiently while I excitedly laid out my goal for the month, and when I was done, he offered me a different perspective.

"It sounds to me like you're doing now what everyone does in January," Ryan said. "But if you're trying to beat the typical January workout frenzy, maybe you should be using this month instead to get into a routine that you want to settle into over the next year."

I had to ask myself if that is the case. Am I just beating other January workout zealots to the couch by a month with this plan of mine?

A little less motivated and plagued by doubt, I thought a walk and some sunshine would do me some good. It would also be a tactical move to fulfill my daily exercise requirement. 

The weather was perfect for a brisk walk in little more than a cozy sweater (I joyfully ditched the ski jacket at home today), and the stroll gave me a chance to reflect on why I decided to take Christmas to the healthy extreme this year. 

Ryan was right, I thought: going crazy for one month -- regardless of whether it's a Christmas or a New Year's resolution -- is not the way to create a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. But I'm stubborn, and I have committed to this month of health so I am going to do it. 

What I will add to the mix, though, is some serious reflection on how to maintain a dedication to regular exercise come January, and how to find fun ways to stay active in the great city that is Calgary. My walk in the park with little Archie turned out to be a beautiful marriage of both healthy reflection and healthy activity, and a great launch to my holiday mission.  

I can't wait for Day 2. I'm thinking, though, that I should make a plan so I don't get stuck in a rut of just hitting the gym every day. 

Any suggestions as to what I can do for fun and exercise over the next 24 days?

The 25 days of Christmas

My mom this year decided to call off Christmas. No, not in the Dickensian way you might immediately be inclined to suspect: she doesn't despise Christmas a la Scrooge. On the contrary, she loves this season. And why wouldn't she? It is, as the song goes, the most wonderful time of the year.

She decided that Christmas this year wasn't for her in the typical way so many families -- ours included -- tend to celebrate it: with lots of gifts, too much food, and over-imbibing. So she stripped away all the excess, and Christmas for our family will this year involve a healthy dinner, church, and relaxing time with loved ones.

Surprisingly, that sounded pretty good to me, and that got me thinking about what I could improve on for the 25 days leading up to Christmas. I know that, every year for at least the past decade, I have joked about the inevitable "Christmas fat": 10 pounds that I have previously resolved to stop combating, knowing it would melt off by summer's arrival.

This year, however, I thought I might play with my tacit acceptance of the Dreaded-10. Rather than make it a Christmas of excess, I have decided to make this one a Christmas of excessive health and gratitude. My plan? Twenty-five days of working out from Dec. 1 to Dec. 25. This will include moderate, healthy eating every day, gratitude for my luxury to do so, and at least 45 minutes of working out each day.

And it won't just be the gym. With so much to do in Calgary over the winter, why stop at the elliptical? There is cross-country skiing and snowshoeing to be done; an adorable little doggy to be walked through countless beautiful places; an incredible boyfriend and amazing friends with whom to try fun and exciting new things. Indeed, this city is a veritable winter wonderland, and I'm going to use my downtime to take advantage of it, as well as protest the typical over-consumption I've come to associate with Christmas.

Stay tuned for my schedule and plan. In the meantime, here's a picture of my Archie and I:

Put on your Winter Gloves

Calgary winters are known for being cold, warm, then colder still. With the fluctuating weather, it can often be difficult trying to figure out how to dress for the elements.

But thanks to one Montreal indie group, you can put on your Winter Gloves any time and the tunes will be perfect regardless of what Mother Nature decides to spring on you.

Yes, the band is called Winter Gloves, and their synth-poppy tunes and catchy licks will have you dancing your way through Calgary's streets until the snow melts.

Check them out here:

Bisous!

Brooklyn dad is out of this world

This video is unreal. Not only does it just a darn cool experiment, but it shows a father teaching his kids to dream big. In sending an iPhone to outer space, this dad is exploding any boundaries his kids might have when setting out to perform a little experiment -- and the results are beautiful. Getting personal here, it demonstrates to me that when we allow ourselves to ask, "What if?"and we pursue that question mark with no regard for limitation or failure, the stars are within our reach.

I don't care, take two.

So Bones and I decided to play with his new vacuum-tuberific mic tonight. He also happens to have every other instrument known to man in his home studio, so we thought we'd lay down some fresh licks and spice up Navenis' original track, "I Don't Care." We also made a jazzy new album cover. I can see this one topping the charts. Enjoy.

Follow this fancy link to hear I Don't Care, featuring Dan Bones.

Creating space

quit job,

creative writing

takes dedication

As pushing me

shaping me

goes a long way: so 

does letting go

create space for

creating.

What my boyfriend and I did for fun tonight. We sing.

Love,

Mannis

http://soundcloud.com/tannis/i-dont-care/s-0F0Hk

Album art Option A

Album art Option B