Happy new year, fitness friend!
One thing I really enjoyed over the Christmas break was cooking — especially cooking without returning to the same old handful of easy-prep meals like a plain fried meat and steamed veg. I like trying something new, even if I don’t follow a recipe or know the “proper” way it’s supposed to be done.
Last night’s experiment was shepherd’s pie
I steamed potatoes and cauliflower, mashed them together, and pressed the mash into a silicone cake pan to form a base. On top of that was fried lean pork, then a generous layer of cheese. Into the oven it went, and it was fantastic. The only thing I’d change next time would be adding a layer of peas or some finely chopped, cooked celery for a bit more texture and balance.
I’m calling it potato pizza. I wonder if anyone else does this. Next time it will have bacon!
My dad liked it too, which always feels like a win.
I think that’s part of what I enjoy about cooking: it doesn’t have to be perfect, traditional, or optimized. It just has to be nourishing and imaginative.
Exercise Showed Up in Unexpected Ways
This past week, I also ended up moving more than I have in recent weeks, even though I haven’t been doing any formal workouts or winter sports.
Almost every time I went out, I brought my hacky sack with me.
While waiting for my dad to get ready to leave, I’d step outside and play. When we got home, I’d bring in the groceries, he’d take them upstairs and put them away, and I’d stay outside — sometimes in the dark — kicking the footbag around for a few more minutes.
Those little pockets of movement added up to at least 20 minutes each time, and easily over 60 minutes in the week. Add in stretches done on most nights before bed and upon waking (simple yoga and physiotherapy moves) and my 51-year-old body feels good.
What surprised me most was how quickly my skills came back. My timing and balance were good with the footbag, my stamina was still there, and even my stretches were quite easy to do without strain — despite not playing sports or going for walks and bike rides much over the past several weeks as Christmas approached.
It was a good reminder that:
- Fitness doesn’t disappear overnight
- Skills can come back faster than we expect
- Activity doesn’t have to look like a “workout” to improve comfort in life
Carrying This Energy Forward
Between experimenting in the kitchen and sneaking in exercise wherever it fit, this week felt like a gentle reset — not a dramatic New Year’s overhaul.
I’m thinking a lot about the sports I want to do this year.
Last year, I wanted to buy a new and much-improved mountain bike but I want to slow down that shopping item now. We’re going to have some cold weather in the next few months so gym workouts might be awesome, as would swimming or skating at the rec centres.
Then as spring arrives, it’s a great time to work out with roller skates and skateboards (before it gets too hot to enjoy all my safety gear). The new mountain bike could happen way later, after that, even in the fall when it cools down again.
My overall goal is day to day exercise when the opportunity shows up. Imperfect is okay. It’s satisfying. Any exercise fuels my day and helps me sleep well, so it’s always a ‘go’.
Enjoy your exercise! Wishing you a healthy, curious, and kind start to your healthy new year.
Sincerely, Heidi Bada
