Joy

I am starting to love the ritual of Sunday mornings. It usually goes like this: we have a lazy breakfast (this morning, it was poached eggs on toast), then the kids go play outside while I sip a London fog and and peruse the New York Times.

I opened up the Times this morning to a special section simply titled “JOY”. It was filled with articles about finding joy in forgotten and unexpected places (acronym included!): “The Joy of Consuming an Obscene Number of Calories Before Noon (J.O.C.A.O.N.O.C.B.N)”, “The Joy of Picking a Fight (J.O.P.A.F.)” and 12 others that brought many a smile to my face.

“The Joy of Jogging Very, Very Slowly”? This one very much spoke to me.

This got me thinking: what has brought me joy in these times? What may bring you joy, if you haven’t found it already? Here’s my list of things that have brought me hidden and unexpected joy.

The Joy of Getting Dirty in the Garden (J.O.G.D.I.T.G.)

My garden! Carrots and radishes and spinach, oh my!

I’ve never been a gardener. It’s not that I wasn’t interested necessarily - I’ve always loved a burst of colour amongst a sea of green. But it’s never been something I did. At the beginning of this whole thing, I asked my husband to build me some planter boxes so I could try my hand at growing things. He was skeptical - the only thing I’ve managed to keep alive are the kids, plants be damned - but he acquiesced and built two beautiful raised beds for me to plant anything I wanted.

Turns out: I’m a gardener! I love it. I love training the peas and tomatoes up the trellis. I love the science of it, the art of it. Learning what to plant with what, what foods they need, what to plant where and why. It’s soul filling in a way I didn’t know it would be.

The Joy of Terrible Yoga (J.O.T.Y.)

The more I practice physiotherapy, the more I’m turning to yoga postures to stretch, to activate, to control a movement I need my clients to focus on. It could be a simple Child’s Pose for someone with a stiff shoulder or back or a flow between Downward and Upward Dog for those suffering from dizziness.

Full disclosure: I’m terrible at yoga. TERRIBLE. My balance sucks, my grace in movement is… graceless? Is that a word?

But I’m loving it. I love doing it. It FEELS good. The worse I am at it, the more I laugh at my terrible-ness and the more joy I find in it. The best is doing it with my kids - there’s something particularly enjoyable about learning something from scratch with your mini-mes. (We’re really into Cosmic Kids Yoga - Jamie is awesome!!)

The Joy of The Aimless Drive, Bike Ride and Walk (J.O.T.A.D.B.R.W.)

Like most of you out there, I’m busy. I have a full time job, a partner, two kids and responsibilities. A seemingly endless list of responsibilities. I usually try to pair movements with extra function - going up the stairs? Take this laundry basket! Going for a walk? Pick up some lettuce! The more efficient I can be, the more time I have for myself… right? Although, it never seems to end up that way.

We have gotten into the habit of a bike ride after dinner. My kids take turns leading. Where are we going? Who cares! We’re having fun! It’s freeing in a way I forgot about and so happy to have experienced again.

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What are your New Joys? What has brought you happiness during these past few months? We would love to hear it!

Spring in Delta!

Daffodils!

Spring is here! Fine, it’s not TECHNICALLY spring, but:

• My crocuses (croci?) are in full bloom

• My daffodils are emerging

• I saw some robins on my lawn yesterday

All these things add to spring! If you’re anything like me, spring energizes you and gets you excited for the warm weather ahead.

With that in mind, I thought I’d put together a list of the things around town I’m excited to do, try and participate in this year!

The Delta Triathlon

It’s back! After 3 years of cancellations, this popular event has historically sold out quickly. The course starts at the Ladner Leisure Pool with the swim and continues with the bike and run through the very flat side streets of Ladner.

Never tried a triathlon? This is a great one to see if it’s for you! The swim portion is 600m, the bike ride is 18.5km and the run is 5km. There’s also kids and youth divisions for those 8 years old and over.

Registration opens for Delta residents this Thursday, March 5th at 9am. Non-Delta residents can register two weeks later on Thursday, March 19th.

For more information, visit the City of Delta’s website.

Bike to Barnside Brewing

So this little brewery opened up in Ladner a few months ago and I have to say, I’m intrigued. Not only is it an easy bike ride from downtown Ladner but it’s gotten great reviews from friends. They brew on site with ingredients farmed locally - what’s not to love? Not only that, but they have a cranberry tart ale I’m dying to try!

I’ve heard rumours of grilled cheese sandwiches and charcuterie plates available as well. Maybe some food trucks will show up this summer? One can hope!

Sustainable Workshop Series - Gardening

Every spring, the City of Delta puts on a series of workshops focusing on sustainable gardening practices - honestly, I had no idea! This year, workshops focus on vegetable & herb gardening, mason bees, managing garden pests, backyard composting, soil management and more!

Gardening has so many benefits beyond the obvious sustainable and environmental reasons. A Swedish study linked gardening with improved cardiovascular health and increased longevity regardless of regular exercise. A Dutch study associated half an hour of gardening with a significant reduction in acute stress, suggesting a stressful day at the office can be (at least somewhat) mitigated by a good dig in the dirt. A study out of the University of Pennsylvania suggested regular gardening improves sleep as exposure to natural light helped regulate circadian rhythms. (Side note - this review of the literature has convinced me to start gardening.)

The best part? They’re free! All you have to do is sign up here.

Watershed Creek Fish Release

This one is a great event for the whole family. On Sunday, April 19th from 12-2pm, over 25,000 chum salmon fry will be released into Watershed Creek. It’s fun, it’s free and it’s a chance to see how we can support our local ecosystems.

Plus, you’re in the gorgeous Watershed Park! Bring your mountain bike or your hiking shoes and make a day of it!

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That’s my list! What are you excited for this spring? Leave a comment below!

Stay tuned for the continuation of Nicole’s series on Injury Prevention in Running, with Part 3 landing here on the blog next week!

How to Avoid Common Gardening Injuries

Gardening season is here! And if you’re like me you have launched yourself outside with enthusiasm and gusto. There is so much to love about gardening. The fresh air, it’s relaxing (sometimes), and can be a very rewarding activity. But gardening can also be very physically demanding work and if you aren’t careful you might end up with an injury that could have been prevented.

Below are some tips to help you avoid the most common gardening-related aches and pains that we see!

1. PACING: If your normal activity level is walking the dog for 20 minutes around the block would you suddenly wake up one day and decide to run a marathon? Probably not. If you did you would probably survive the ordeal but your body certainly would not be happy with you. The same goes for gardening. If you are generally sedentary and don’t do a lot of full body exercise, then keeping your arms overhead for four hours while you trim the hedge all in one day because “you just want to get it over with” is probably not the best idea for your shoulders. Instead try to do the more intense activities for shorter periods of time and try to spread them out throughout the day or over a few different days with easier activities interspersed.

2. YOUR LOW BACK: Repetitive bending and twisting is tough on any back, but if you have a history of back problems (especially disc problems) then you really may trigger some pain. Be careful with your lifting posture and use proper techniques (wide stance, back in neutral, lift with your legs, you know the drill). For lifting and carrying keep the load as close to the center of your body as possible.  Maybe try sitting on a low stool when working in a garden bed instead of being on your hands and knees. If your back starts to feel sore take a break. Better yet, if you notice you have been hunched for a while get up, walk around and maybe give your back a chance to arch a bit before the ache even sets in. 

3. YOUR SHOULDERS: The reaching, the grabbing, the digging, the pulling, the pruning, the supporting of body weight while on hands and knees…. it’s almost a perfect storm. Once again, unless this is something you do regularly, shoulders can struggle with a sudden increase in heavy activity. Specifically, shoulders tend to dislike overhead activities, reaching, and twisting. The more repetitively you do these things or the more prolonged the activity, the more likely you could end up with rotator cuff impingement (pinching) or tendinopathy (overuse injury). Again, pacing and rest breaks are your friends. Also, if you must prune the hedge get on a ladder so there is less overhead work, and move that ladder frequently to avoid unnecessary reaching. 

Please note that a little bit of muscle stiffness the day after gardening is completely normal and can be a good thing. It means you worked your muscles hard enough that they will become stronger. If you experience this soreness it is probably a good idea to take a rest day in order to give yourself some recovery time. Pushing through sharp pain is not recommended.

We hope these tips have been helpful for you. If you have any questions or would like to book an assessment  you can give us a call at the clinic 778-630-8800 or access us online at ladnervillagephysio.com.

Happy gardening!