Summer is over. It’s
not officially over until September 21, but today is Labour Day, so yes, it’s
done. As I mentioned in an earlier
article, leaves are already coming off the trees. People go back to work tomorrow and the kids
go back to school. My hockey season
starts next Wednesday and I am really stoked, with my back feeling better than
it has in years.
When I reinjured my back a few years ago, I stopped going to
the gym, because it just hurt too much.
Granted, it didn’t stop me from playing hockey, but it sure did limit
what I could and couldn’t do. Never a
strong skater, it turned me into a weak one and the extra weight I packed on
certainly didn’t help. The biggest thing
it did was to steal my biggest weapon, my slapshot. I’m hoping it will return this season, I’ll
know on Wednesday.
Now that the weather is cooling down as well, I am going to
return to the gym. Trevor Linden’s Club
16 is just up the road and is much easier to get to than the one in Burnaby I
used to go to. The cool weather is
important in this endeavor as Toby goes everywhere with me, and I’m not leaving
him in the truck when it is hot.
Obviously, I won’t be able to start off where I was and will
have to work up to it. My workouts were
a little on the insane side. I would
start with a 10-minute bike ride to warm up, then I would do the weight
training circuit (12 stations) 3 times and take about 45 minutes. That would be followed immediately by 30 to
45 minutes of sprints on the bike followed by a cooldown of fast walking on the
treadmill for an additional 30 minutes. I
did this ever Monday and Tuesday, play hockey on Wednesday evening. Then it was back to the gym for Thursday and
Friday. I would rest on Saturday and
play hockey Sunday morning.
Now, I have not been completely sedentary for all this
time. I was still playing hockey every
Sunday and Wednesday during the season and every single day I take Toby for his
walk for 45-60 minutes every morning. At
the old house, I took Toby to the park, so I will admit, I wasn’t moving the
whole time, especially if there was another dog owner to talk to. Now, out here, it is an actual fast walk for
45-60 minutes every morning and another 20-30 minute walk every evening.
I missed going to the lake this year, but I know I did the right thing with how good my back feels now. I’m still stiff and sore when I get out of bed, but that’s more age than anything and it passes once I’m up and moving. It’s the same if I have been sitting for any length of time.
Another important milestone is just around the corner. Wednesday marks the 6-month anniversary since
I took possession of my new house. Next
Saturday is a big milestone as it marks 6 months since I actually moved in and
spent my first night in the house. After
20 years of living in an old 300 square foot basement suite, it is a slice of
heaven living here. In fact, it was 20
years to the day when I moved in and when I moved out.
There has been several more bear sightings in and around the
complex, although, I have personally only witnessed one. I have seen lots of evidence of bears around,
but not the bears themselves. It’s
probably just as well, but I would like to see one from a place of safety, with
camera in hand to get some nice shots.
All in all, it has been an adventuresome 6 months and an
amazing summer. The weather wasn’t the
greatest for long periods, but, I don’t tolerate heat very well at the best of
times. My favourite kinds of days are,
sunny days where it is just warm enough to wear shorts and T-shirt, or better
yet a bright sunny day, where it is at 0 degrees or lower, just after a fresh snowfall.
Which is something I am really hoping for and looking
forward to. The Farmer’s Almanac is
calling for a very cold winter with lots of snow, so we shall see. In Vancouver, snow was something that if you
got it at all, it was just a dusting that lasted a couple of days. Maple Ridge has always seen more snow, so
hopefully it continues along that pattern.
Especially since, I no longer have to shovel it.
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