Update from Zero to 100 Farm
Well there you have it, summer is nearly coming to a close. You haven’t heard much from me as much like you, I am spending my summers outdoors doing things like enjoying the trails, upgrading my farm, and doing all the other active stuff that summer brings. I thought it would be a good time to touch base with you all to let you know some of the things I have been up to that you might want to take advantage of and/or help you with your goals and mindset. So in no particular order, here are some updates!
Bonefit Trained
Each year I do continuing education to maintain my professional certifications and to satisfy my curiosity and desire to bring you relevant fitness content. As bone health and osteoporosis have been a concern for many of the clients I work with, I decided to do my training with the Ontario Osteoporosis Strategy through Bonefit. I am please to say I am now officially Bonefit trained and have some tools in my kit to help you prevent osteoporosis, manage symptoms, and help reduce your risk of falls and fractures. If this is something that interests you, shoot me a quick email letting me know what you want to know about (I am keen for some new blog topics!) and whether you are interested in a free consultation for personal training.
In Person is Available!
We have been working hard “finishing” the barn. Ok so its not totally “finished” but we have some beautiful floors and most of the junk is tidied up. I went ahead and installed my suspension trainer at the one end and have been using it myself and for my in-person clients. While many of you know that I offer online training, you might not know that I do take clients here at my home in West Grey, Ontario. I have a lovely set up in the house and now we get to work out in the barn too. Its actually a lot of fun when the horses come in and cheer us on out there! If you are near the area, perhaps in-person training would be the right option for you! You get to use all my equipment and we have fun in a comfortable environment. Again, just email me if you are looking to get fit and are nearby!
Looking for a Part-Boarder (or two!)
You have probably heard that when your horses live with you, you actually ride less. Yup, I am no exception there! With all these upgrades we have been doing around the farm, my boys are essentially retired… but clearly against their will! They have free access to their field, grass, friends… all the things, but they choose to come into the barn and chew on our new walls! GAH! Every time I go out there they look at me expectantly like “when are we going for a ride.” Only so much I can do in a day boys! So with that, I am casually searching for a new BFF who would like some more saddle time. We have a brand new riding ring and hope to do a couple excursions before its too cold to get out. If you are in the area and you think we might be a good match, please reach out to me to find out more.
Working on my own goals
The other reason I am not riding as much as usual is because I have picked a goal that uses my own two feet. You may remember I have struggled for ages with plantarfascitis and spent nearly an entire year trying to fix it. Well I wanted to do something with that and push my boundaries. I signed up for a 10km trail race in July which was up and down the ski hill twice, totaling 420m of gain. I felt it would be the best challenge for me mentally as with that much hill, I wouldn’t be focused on metrics like pace which might have me pushing the foot too hard too soon. A lot of walking is done! I successfully completed it and continue to increase my mileage. My next “race” is an 8 hour challenge on halloween. I am training to spend long hours moving and again not focusing so much on pace as I am terrain and just keeping going. The race is a 5km trail loop which I complete as many times as I can within the 8 hours. I can run, I can walk, I can stop for snacks and naps if I need. I am approaching it as a gauge of what I can do, not just a particular distance… really just setting a benchmark for what my best is right here and right now before I plan my 2027. If you want to keep up with my training, I write up some pretty good little blogs on my strava, so you can give me a follow there. Here is a link to a particularly heartfelt one from my run the other weekend.
Farm Upgrades
I previously mentioned some of the things around here that have been keeping us busy all summer, but for those who are curious and always like to know the tea, here is a list of what we have been working on in no particular order. Barn floors all bricked including a beautiful new entry way. Water posts installed in both paddocks. Yes, BOTH paddocks - we built a second one. Fences rerouted to accommodate the new barn location. New riding ring with wooden boards and four jump in jump outs (I screwed in every last board myself!). Rodent patrol now on duty (we have 2 cute new kittens bringing life to the barn). Kickass garden witchcraft (I am usually a failed gardener but our first crack at veggies yielded so much my freezer is full and I am still putting fresh veggies curbside in our cooler with our eggs). Small details to turn the new barn into a real home. Its a beauty. Come visit!