A short personal story of exercise not done while too hot
My dad and I planned a trip to Butchart Gardens (near Victoria, BC) yesterday on my day off. I packed lots of snacks, sunscreen, and a small book to read. The only thing I forgot was my sun hat. I really could’ve benefited from the hat.
When we arrived, of course my blood glucose was low and we sat around, waiting for a fruit bar to perk me up. I was leaning into the shade sitting on a bench next to my father and a young family who didn’t mind the sun one bit!
We walked to our usual first stop – the sunken garden, and in some parts it’s hard to find a bench, and even harder to find one in the shade. I’ve been sensitive to over-doing water intake so I didn’t want to get too hot, too soon. One suggestion if you go on a hot day, you can access the sunken garden via the wheelchair-accessible path alongside, which offers a lot of shade (trees on both sides).
I had no plans so we went with our instincts to cool off in the Blue Poppy restaurant. I wanted to eat lunch on site, and the time was about right. I perked up after that. Moreso after I had a coffee and got a little reading done in the other cafe.
Between the coffees, my strength just felt gone so I stayed indoors. I spent a lot of time admiring artwork in the gift shop – something I always do. I hoped it would be cooler outside afterwards but it wasn’t really.
Then my dad got lost on the way to the car, I had a learning moment. I learned about “Find My” features on iPhones which would’ve been comforting when I couldn’t figure out where he was. ChatGPT also told me about Apple Airtags that can be attached to clothing or backpacks, so that we’d always be able to find each other with our iPhones. Not a bad idea. I’m not up to date on the latest ‘safety’ tech.
Once we were entirely cooled off, we spontaneously agreed to head for the Japanese garden and wow that was a treat! It’s significantly shaded (great for a hot day) and there’s a spot at the far end, where you can see a boat dock at Butchart Cove. We sat there and did stretches for a while, while other park visitors came and went.
The Japanese garden was a fantastic way to wrap up our visit. It has many meandering and relaxing paths with waterways gently trickling down the landscape. Out in the sun afterwards, the sun was even brighter and hotter it seemed! So we scurried from one shaded area to the next.
So our results were not a lot of walking. We did a lot of talking instead, some problem solving, and reading. I found a nice blouse in the gift shop that goes great with new Nike tights I recently bought. I had a great gluten free burger and salad. I got a strong start on my book – a graphic novel version of the story Heidi. It’s really awesome.
So instead of walking an hour or two, we probably walked about 1.5 hours (total) and spent the whole day there. Our initial problem with too much sun turned into a whole day of pleasure. We simply had no expectations of the perfect day. That was the key.