Tag: gym
Well, this year’s off to a fun start! I’ve been trying to make an effort to try more new things, such as the crystals 101 session I attended the other night, and now I just got to participate in the breaking of a Guinness World Record!
How fun is that?! Yesterday at the YMCA, I was one of the 454 participants in the world’s largest exercise ball class, and we broke the record by merely one person! The energy in the room was great and the half-hour class flew by. We were lead by none other than Eva Redpath, who I’ve known for some while now, and as always she made it an engaging workout that had us all bouncing, lifting and sweating it out early in the morning. I expected nothing less when I heard she was leading the class.
Why the attempt at breaking the world record? We were there as part of the YMCA GTA’s Sweat for Good campaign. No matter where and how you exercise, we all sweat. Same same, right? But when you exercise at the YMCA, you sweat for good. The YMCA GTA offers programs and services dedicated to the physical, mental and social health of Torontonians of all ages. And by choosing to make the YMCA GTA your gym, you become a part of this community that helps strengthen Toronto as a vibrant, healthy society.
Although I haven’t had a gym membership in a while (I typically run outside and then mix in a variety of other workouts here and there), I do have really fond memories of the YMCA. I used to go swimming as a kid there, and I remember meeting up with friends every weekend to walk there and the smell of chlorine always takes me right back to those fun times in the pool. I remember we would also use the sauna afterwards, just to warm up afterwards (I bet that the women weren’t too fond of us kids in there now that I think about it, but we were pretty well-behaved kids).
I also took gymnastics and dance lessons at the Y. Practicing roundoffs and cartwheels and headstands on the mat, learning jazz ballet choreography—so much of my fun as a kid took place at the Y.
And having been to the YMCA a couple of times recently, I love seeing that it’s still thriving with members of all ages. It’s easy to see why, though; the facilities are top notch. From the wide variety of gym equipment to the awesome running track (although I think it was the badminton players I saw in the gym that was most envious of—so fun!), to sweat for good in such a welcoming community is a great thing.
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January 12, 2018
I have no idea what took me so long to realize this, but I much prefer outdoor workouts. I will almost always opt to run outside over the treadmill or an indoor track. And when it comes to yoga and group cycle classes–workouts that in and of themselves, I’m not personally a huge fan of–I’ve actually enjoyed when done outside with the breeze, blue skies, and sunshine.
Which is why I’m totally into the outdoor exercise classes being held all summer long at CF Shops at Don Mills. They’ve got both group cycle classes and yoga all season held in the Town Square. I had a chance to try out the group cycle class last week and I found it much more fun than being in a dark studio.
Plus, here’s another great reason to take advantage of these summer classes at CF Shops at Don Mills: you work up a sweat and can tick off your workout of the day from your to-do list, then you’re right at this great open-air shopping centre (did you know it’s Ontario’s first open-air mall of its type?), so you can treat yourself right away to both some retail therapy, and a delicious bite to refuel.
If you live nearby or it’s easy for you to get to, I recommend going to check it out. And, hello, the yoga classes are free! You can’t beat that price! Plus, the 50-minute group cycle classes are a very reasonable $15.
Here’s the nitty gritty details so you can plan your workouts:
Group cycle classes run every Tuesday and Thursday from now until August 31st at 9:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 5:30 pm. The class happens rain or shine (the class is indoors if it’s raining btw). Just bring your running or Spin shoes.
The complimentary yoga classes happen every Sunday from now until September 3rd from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. (and only if the weather permits — if it’s raining, class is cancelled). BYOM. That’s bring your own mat, but you yogis probably got that.
You do have to reserve your spot online, though! To register, head over to CF Shops at Don Mills to snag a spot in a class.
I’m hoping to round up some friends to go this summer, so maybe I’ll see you there!
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July 5, 2017
As someone who hasn’t owned a car for quite a while, I must admit I haven’t given much thought as to what happens to used car tires when they are thrown away. When it was brought to my attention that just disposing of them means that thousands of tires are just ending up in landfills, it was scary to think about. I feel I’m pretty aware of how much garbage I create in terms of packaging, clothing and the like, but tires, that’s a significant level of waste, to put it mildly.
Knowing this, I was happy to learn about the good work of Ontario Tire Stewardship; since 2009, their Used Tires Program has diverted close to 100 million tires from landfills! How does it work? Well, when you have old tires to get rid of, rather than dropping them at the dump or tossing them with the trash, you bring them to a registered collector and they’ll have your tires hauled so they can be responsibly recycled into new products.
I didn’t realize that tires can be made into other useful items, such as surfacing for playgrounds and flooring for gyms – which you know speaks to me! I had the opportunity to test out recycled rubber flooring in a gym I worked out in recently. The flooring is super soft underfoot and provides a lot of cushioning, it’s easy to keep clean, and it’s slip resistant.
And that cushioning is great not only for any high impact exercises you may do, but also, say, if you drop a heavy dumbbell (which my weak arms have been very close to doing more than once) It’s also a budget-friendly option, so I’d definitely want this in my home gym, if I were to have the space at home.
With winter here (and perhaps you’ve made some fitness New Year’s resolutions), you may be wanting to do more of your workouts indoors. Consider looking into the repurposed rubber flooring option and remember, you typically don’t need much space to get in a good workout. So carving out a corner where you can get Zen or do some strength training using your own body weight won’t call for much flooring.
Many of the other ways the tires are repurposed are for the outdoors such as rubber landscape tiles and rubber mulch, which I didn’t even know existed but plan to try in my potted plants in the nicer weather. It can also be used for landscaping bricks, paving, planters and roofing shakes – something to keep in mind for spring when you decide to do some renos or updates. I’m also thinking these tiles would be an easy way for me to spruce up my downtown balcony floor, which I’ve left as the builder made it: plain and grey. A soft rubber flooring would be much more inviting.
So enough daydreaming about the nice weather… and back to the resolutions. In addition to hitting the gym in 2017, remember to Rethink Tires and ways that repurposed tire products can be used in your life. You’ll be doing the planet some good, which is a great way to make 2017 even better than last year.
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January 4, 2017
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