photo by Teague Dugan 2022

Movement is essential to life and there are many ways to move.

Energy is a blessing. Strength can be cultivated; endurance slowly structured. Bodies are born with a predisposition to the proverbial fast and slow twitch muscles that loosely define one’s preference and natural abilities to marathon or sprint, so to speak. Furthermore, movement can be defined as affecting more than muscles and joints. Physically, mentally, spiritually and naturally movement is evidenced as that which is not stagnant or still, that which is voluntary or involuntary. Movement can be a motion or development, forced or relaxed, coordinated or unskillful. Movement is available to the limited as well as the unlimited; it is a concept to be defined individually and with personal parameters and goals.

To not move is to languish, to decay, to decline. It’s the old “use it or lose it” in real life. Perhaps, though, what is even more significant, is the intention we attach to our action or inaction. Surely finding that sweet spot of stillness enriches our lives, supporting moments of connection with our inner being and multiplying our energies for whatever else fills our existence. Again, it’s a matter of intention. If we allow ourselves to become inadvertently sucked into the mire of dormancy – allowing quiescence to become disabling – we may forever forfeit the awakening from a restful state that makes life something to be thankful for, miraculous.

Indeed, with all that is wrong with this world, there is also much that is right. Often the rightness is seasonal as each of us navigates surges of health, relationship and professional challenges; but the surges recede and we refuel. We refuel, that is, if we keep our mind and body well-maintained.

Before you close this post, hold on. No, I’m not about to harangue about fitness and training and pushing and setting goals and …. No, what I want to submit here is that there are many ways to move and perhaps movement, in and of itself, is the objective.

Our bodies and brains are miraculously made. We are formed to be functionally fit.  Many of us, desiring to go beyond the base level of health and conditioning, want to move into the area of performance and do so with varying degrees of confidence and success. Others seek balanced wellbeing. (No judgment. To each his own but again check that intention!)

Photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Warren Falls in Warren.

Let me give you two personal examples.  My brother and I emphatically share what we have inherited and cultivated. We are clearly the ‘glass half full’ kind of people and overflow with energy, optimism and enthusiasm for oh so much of life. We commit, persevere and are fiercely loyal. Ethics are important to us. I often quip that my brother is so energetic, strong and active that he makes me look like a slug. (Those of you who know me, know that I am a little more active that an icky, crawly slug.)

But here’s the thing. My brother DOES NOT WORKOUT. I say this with emphasis as it is just that startling. He does, however, get equal benefit from all that he does. He is constantly on the go and has never shied away from strength demands. One can “work out” in a gym with a specifically constructed program or one can chop wood and climb mountains. I need not belabor the point.

Finding Balance

I, on the other hand, have trained all my life from hours of class and rehearsal as a professional dancer to my work as a personal trainer designing fitness programs and encouraging clients to exercise regularly. Even today my Peloton rides, strength sessions and Yoga practices are structured as I continue to both model and teach. I also practice what I preach and this is what I’ve learned.

While intention is mandatory, balance is as well. We can stand on one foot physically, take care to work opposing muscle groups (how many times have I said that?) or weigh active/passive, training/rest. So that which I have learned is all about varying activity. We can build on the fascination of the standing desk or the admonition to stretch periodically during the course of a work day. We can intentionally plan blocks of time to work “out” or to work “outdoors,” to play sports and with our kids, to recreate and to literally realize the value of fun. And we can vary pace and intensity.

Blueberry Lake, Vermont

Once again, a personal example.  Coming from a long history of periodized running and cycling training, I am aware of the value of the LSD, long slow distance, to build endurance. Now I have swapped out the LSD for long, meandering walks with my chocolate lab, Sophie. On trails she is off leash, on country roads she is leashed. Either way, we work together. I defer (with admittedly occasional annoyance) to her nose, as she takes forever to sniff out scents along the way. She, in turn, sits and waits with sighing patience while I frame a scene and snap a picture. In another situation, those long pauses would have negated the value of the “workout” with distressing results. Wait! These long walks are not workouts. They are an additional option to move both physically and mentally, benefiting body and soul. Perhaps there is more to movement than muscular. Do we not shape mental stamina and emotional tolerance? Do we not encourage vision and focus and identification and introspection?

It may not always be what we plan or what we prefer, but there are many ways to move and each bears its own blessing and abundance. May you move each and every day, one way or another, with intention and with balance – and maybe even stop to sniff or snap a photo.

Pausing to frame that photo!

PERSPECTIVE photo courtesy of Jim Heins

As I write this post, the yearly “spring forward” will take place in a few hours. Yes, once again, unless we rely on technology to automatically reset for us, we will manually set our clocks forward one hour and begin the shift from winter to spring’s expanding daylight hours. This ritual, like many others, is either wonderful or regrettable depending on one’s perspective.

PERSPECTIVE photo courtesy of Jim Heins

Perspective. Perhaps you, like me, first thought of this word in the context of drawing. As I struggled through a basic art class I failed consistently to find a way to show perspective – the inevitable train tracks or table legs. I relate more easily to perspective as attitude, mental rather than visual. Whereas a drawing may be accurately fixed, our point of view is often fluid and changeable and even more, personal.

FOCUS ON ICE DROPLETS photo courtesy of Jim Heins

Focus is another piece of the pie we call vision. How often have you said to yourself – “come on, FOCUS!” when a problem seems to blur? My brother is a photographer and recently bought a new zoom lens for his camera. When he shared a few pics, I was reminded how pausing to zoom in and truly focus on something is a gift. I am not a photographer, but like many of us, I love to use my iPhone to frame a trailside scrap of nature or catch the fleeting expression of a friend. Framing or reframing what the eye sees or the mind envisions adds depth and, yes, perspective.

In today’s world, we rely on science. Within the study of science there is integration of that which is mental, physical, sociological and psychological in order to explore perspective. A lack of perspective signals ignorance or misunderstanding while the opposite invites context, mindset, comparison and a frame of reference.

Recently I have been introduced to a number of podcast interviews of Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neurobiologist and ophthalmologist. (https://hubermanlab.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ekdc6jCu2E, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxR0zDL7sbc) I invite you to follow your curiosity into these hours of fascinating discussion.

Huberman, professor, Stanford University School of Medicine, teaches with such enthusiasm and expertise that the wealth of science-based material he shares becomes accessible and pertinent to our daily lives.

For example, two (BTW, free) tools he offers are (1)outdoor light exposure at the start of each day (and yes, I know, we are often challenged here in Vermont!) and (2) when stressed – utilize the physiological sigh: inhale fully, then top it off with a 2^nd shorter inhale, exhale slowly. Sometimes once is enough to diffuse a situation. He also points out that first we focus with the eyes (which are, by the way, two bits of brain that are outside the framework of the skull, hmmmmm) and then that focus turns inward into the realm of mental action.

If we, as Huberman suggests, train our vision as we train our muscles, might we also train our uses of focus and perspective? Rather than belabor, might I invite you to pause in your busy day to consider each? After all, your perspective will be uniquely our own!

To help you along the way, I share with you some of my brother’s photography, each demonstrating aspects of perspective that might lead you along the path, or track, or whatever, to ponder both focus and perspective. Enjoy.

Photo courtesy of Jim Heins

Last year at this time, Friday the 13^th to be exact, here in Vermont we felt the jaws of lockdown close. The date is notable. (http://lindafreemanfitness.com/2020/03/30/coronavirus-friday-13th-new-normal-march-2020/) For a moment it looked like SUPERSTITION was the monster. But more and more we heard the word SCIENCE.

Fast forward to a new year. I will avoid the quicksands of politics, social reform, education and finance, and simply say it appears that things are looking up. It is an anniversary this month. There is much to mourn and many lives and losses to be honored. Lest we forget. It appears that the effects of this pandemic and the shifting challenges that inevitably lie ahead will serve as constant reminders of a time that begs definition.

Here we know to drop what we are doing and head outdoors when there’s a “bluebird day”

Here in Vermont, March can be an odd month. As many areas of this country are already skipping into spring, we don’t know if it’s winter or an early mud season, a brief thaw or a hard freeze. Notions of change tease. Maybe there are stirrings of spring cleaning or stolen hours of spring skiing. Maybe we are off our rhythms, a little unsettled, a little off balance; or maybe we can feel the energy beginning to flow along with the sap.

The month of March is full of promise. In a few days, we will set our clocks forward, “spring ahead” and. for a while at least, we will marvel at the longer evenings of daylight. (and for some of us, we will continue to head into the woods with headlamps for the first pup walk of the day) Dinners will get later and mornings will arrive more quickly.

At 5:37 a.m. Saturday 3/20 we make it official, and welcome the Spring Equinox.

Over the final weekend of March, Passover and Palm Sunday will share the full moon.

Oh yes, there are more. Many more. But here are a few of my favorites:

3-1 National Peanut Butter Lovers Day

3-9 National Get-Over-It Day

3-13 National Good Samaritan Day (hmmmmm perhaps darkly appropriate? – but then there’s also 3-13 Open-An-Umbrella-Indoors Day)

3-17 and who could miss St Patrick’s Day? (or perhaps we should – green beer and masking might be a challenge)

3-21 here’s one: National Common Courtesy Day

3-30 National Virtual Vacation Day (wow – where did that come from?)

3-31 and not to be missed: National Little Red Wagon Day

What, you may ask, is Little Red Wagon Day? It is a day in which to celebrate memories in the making and ones already made. How much do you love this?

PAUSE

As we note this anniversary, may we ask ourselves “What are we learning? What is worth fighting for? What can we let go?” Will we carry forward some of what is good such as the recognition that connection, time, gratitude, compassion, creativity and generosity are indeed values that we need and can access? Can we functionally integrate activism with cooperation? Does hope underpin our character?

“Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, But the certainty that something makes sense,                  regardless of how it turns out.”  Vaclav Havel

Anniversary: celebration, recognition, remembrance, keeping, honoring, observance and, beautifully, triumph. We cannot overlook the opposite: lament and mourning. But, may this anniversary make sense.

January, the Full Super Blood Wolf Moon, (phew, that’s a mouth full) and honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. serve to remind us of challenges, transformation and potential. Where does Emily Dickinson come in? Right here: “I dwell in possibility,” she said. As do we all.

I write this post on January 20, 2019, as snow falls heavily with the promise of much more to come – exhilarating news for snow sports athletes and daunting news for commuters. It is also a holiday weekend decorated by a full moon (if we will see it, that is). Let’s unpack all this together.

On 12-30-12 I discussed JANUARY in the Rutland Herald and Times Argus. Here’s part of what I wrote:

“Janus is the god of beginnings and endings, of transitions and of time itself. The two-faced head of Janus often crowns doors and gates with one face looking back and the other looking forward. Is this not what we are doing at this time of year: looking back over the year that has just passed and looking forward to the year ahead?

An interesting aspect of the Janus head that I recently observed is that each face is the same. One is not looking forward with furrowed brow or looking back frantically as if to say “where has the time gone?” Both faces consider what has gone before and what lies ahead with equivalent composure.

I don’t know about you, but I am a firm believer in history. Yes, there is history to be revered, individuals to be honored. There is history made up of dates and wars. There is history made vibrant by inventions and discoveries. The history that intrigues me begins with the development of cultures and communities. What benefits us immediately, however, is our own personal history.

Within the context of the spiral theory of history in which history repeats itself and what came around once will surely do so again, we can look to our own personal history to see what lessons we have learned and what we might do differently. After all, as somebody once said (it is usually attributed to Einstein) “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

Within the context of fitness and training, history provides important information of one’s progress. Dedicated efforts result in diminished limitations and increased capabilities. Weakness develops into strengths, skills are acquired and goals are either scored or reached.

Best of all, there is a history of immediate feedback related to one’s dedication, one’s efforts. Become sedentary and our body and health will bottom out. Continue our efforts to exercise, fuel appropriately, live healthfully, and train for our sport or activity of choice and we see positive results over time. We can look back on interaction with others, the evolution of like-minded individuals enjoying the benefits of community. Bodies and minds are enhanced. Enthusiasm is nourished. Energy multiplies.

Confidence, born of experience, gives us a powerful tool upon which to rely. History allows us to dream, to formulate achievable goals, to make a bucket-list and then to stretch ourselves in pursuit of what we identify as important to us”.

Today we anticipate a rather spectacular lunar event. This particular Wolf Moon (January moon so named to suggest the howling of wolves in winter) will be a huge super moon and because of its proximity to earth may emit noticeably stronger energies. About 9:30 p.m. EST we might watch the eclipse and comprehend why it is also called a blood moon. Shortly thereafter the moon will reach peak fullness.

Is there significance to this confluence of events? “Lunar eclipses are often associated with change, mystery, and upheaval.” (Tempest Zakroff) Another writer, Mickie Mueller, suggests: “As this one coincides with the first full moon of the regular calendar year, it’s a good time to contemplate what things — ideas, habits, practices — you may wish to leave behind, and what you want to bring into your life and build upon for the year to come… It’s a magical reset button.” Might this be a good weekend to reevaluate our New Year’s goals and resolutions? Are we on track? Might we need, in wisdom, to rework those ideals and restructure our coming weeks and months?

Because I write in the venue of fitness, health, and well-being, I tend to translate what I encounter as applicable to the same. For example, I learned that the full moon is a call for balance. OK, physical balance is a no-brainer but so is balance in all aspects of our training and life experience. I hear that an eclipse represents power and fruition and can be transformative. Ditto.

Finally, I have brought Martin Luther King, Jr. into this equation. Why? Well, of course, we active individuals love having an extra day off to go do something and this year we can go play in the snow. More significantly, however, it is a time to pause to honor history: past, present, future, personal and universal.

We all know of MLK’s “I have a dream” speech. But time spent on your favorite search engine will provide hundreds of pithy, compelling quotes. I will close with a few for you to apply as you wish. Consider your personal “possibility” (Dickinson), reevaluate your personal experience, and move forward on your personal path.

“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”

“Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better. ”

“Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service… You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

Solstice, sun standing still, happens December 21, 2018 at 5:23 p.m. There’s a boatload of science behind this precise moment, but there’s also a great deal of myth, poetry, anxiety, practicality, paganism, and just plain opportunity to celebrate.

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) is another story entirely. For most, eagerness for more daylight is a common denominator. There are practical issues such as light for the morning commute or not arriving home in the dark after work. There are visibility concerns for kids waiting for school busses or pedestrians along city streets or country roads. And, perhaps the worst for those of us who crave outdoor activity, is that daylight affects, if not controls, our time outdoors. There’s only so much we can do with headlamps! Even our pups grow cranky or overweight with less action and we, their guardians, must find creative ways to keep them exercised mentally as well as physically.

There is also the good news about longer periods of darkness. Used properly, they gift us with time – time to linger over a meal, to read a book, work a puzzle, or finally reorganize that closet or maybe even catch up on paperwork (I guess I should say email). Just as farmers traditionally mended harness and repaired machinery over the winter months, so, too, these indoor hours encourage repair and restoration of sports equipment, furniture or whatever we have put aside as we darted out the door last July.

Nor is it all about darkness. What’s wrong with night skiing or skating at lighted venues or a moonlight snowshoe? (Perhaps the only caution here is to be certain of the route, let someone know where we are going, and please try not to get lost and tax a local rescue team. Maybe now is the time to learn how to use one of the many apps guaranteed to keep us from doing so!)

But back to Winter Solstice. Some things I learned from a Google Search:

Ancient peoples whose survival depended on a precise knowledge of seasonal cycles marked this first day of winter with elaborate ceremonies and celebrations. Spiritually, these celebrations symbolize the opportunity for renewal, a casting off of old habits and negative feelings and an embracing of hope amid darkness as the days once again begin to grow longer.

[Perhaps this is why the Winter Solstice is followed so closely by New Year’s Resolutions….]

And, did you know this? The solstice this year will be extra special because it will be followed the next day by a full moon known as the Cold Moon, and you might be able to see a meteor shower to boot.

And, finally, a few words to ponder: “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars.” (Og Mandino) 

To hike: “to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise: to suddenly increase the cost, amount, or level of (something)” merriam-webster

with Sophie on Mt. Worcester, Vermont 2018

UP-Perhaps it is because I live in Vermont, to me to hike means to go UP, i.e. “suddenly increase the … level.” I somehow associate the long slogs through wooded areas with trekking, or hitting the trail. I like to do both but I especially enjoy the challenge of climbing the rocky segments of a steep trail – as long as there are some good hand holds and I don’t look down! Interestingly, though I do gaze in awe at the view from the summit, that’s not what attracts me to the hike – it is time with my BFF, Sophie, my Chocolate Lab, and the process, the journey. Hiking is such a metaphor for life. And, as I add the years, I accept the slower pace, the digging deeper for strength and endurance, the need for focus and the attention to balance. In fact, I realize my personal hiking challenge is not fitness, it is footing. Again, such a metaphor for life!

SEQUENCE: Prepare-Up-Pause-Down-Recover-Repack

A hike begins weeks and months before it actually happens. (Rather, a successful and comfortable hike does.) All the elements of training for athletic endeavors apply to hiking as well. Deliberately enhancing fitness in all its aspects including nutrition over duration – not just packing an energy bar for the top – programs a better experience on first and subsequent hikes. (Here I write of day hikes since through hiking is an entirely different animal.)

Preparation also includes researching the trail, planning for emergencies and changeable weather conditions, putting into practice safety concepts (letting people know where you are going, when you anticipate returning), packing your pack. Note: cell phones are great but here in Vermont there is limited service. Find alternative apps, etc. And, please observe cell courtesies in the presence of others.

Up often includes a preliminary portion of the trail that is either through the woods or along a path leading to the climb. It is a good chance to warm up (and, if hiking with your dog, spend a few minutes with some “pay attention to me” on-leash reminders). It is a time to gather thoughts and energies for what lies ahead. I don’t know about you, but I find that if my mind wanders, I might also wander – maybe even off trail. I may slow down or become careless with my steps. Then there is the chatter. I talk to Sophie – a lot. When hiking with friends I am tempted to chatter away. Stop! I need to remind myself! Value the silence sometimes. FOCUS.

Pausing at the top is a must! For many, this is the entire purpose of hiking. For others it is a perfect lunch break, rest or photo op. Note: if hiking with dogs or children, beware of fragile vegetation at the summit or potentially hazardous drop offs. Safety and consideration always rule.

Down is my least favorite direction to travel. Roots, loose dirt or rocks, muddy or slick surfaces and sometimes huge steps are as much of a challenge to me as navigating a stream crossing. (I admitedly defer to descending purposely on my butt!) This is definitely not the time to relax and assume that the work is done.

Recovery is too often neglected. There is the immediate recovery of post hike refueling and rest at the bottom. Perhaps a change of clothes, especially foot wear, and a few stretches before getting into the car would be smart. Depending on the challenge of the hike, active rest the following day might be the ticket. Not to be underestimated, sharing the story of a hike, posting on FB, journaling or simply reviewing the experience is instructive, pleasurable and restorative.

Repack. Aha! Here’s the trick! First unpack and dry out anything damp or wet. Then either repack for your next adventure, lay out your necessities, or make a punch list for the next time based on what you may have needed or learned on your most recent trip. Remember those moments on the trail when you said “I wish I had …?” Now is your chance.

Sunset Ridge, Mt. Mansfield,Vermont

COURTESY-Yes, there are trail courtesies and, as with most good manners, they are all about consideration. Leave No Trace (essentially pack in/pack out, https://www.greenmountainclub.org/hiking/leave-no-trace/), greet other hikers pleasantly and step aside as the situation dictates (some feel the uphill hiker might chose to allow the downhill hiker to proceed while others feel one should always concede to the uphill hiker-so perhaps let the situation dictate is the better rule), offer assistance when called for and, of course, observe stewardship of the trail and surroundings.

GEAR-Oh, so much to say about gear! Choosing the right gear is very individual and usually based on experience and conditions. Hiking the more popular mountains in Vermont I am always astonished when I see folks leave the parking lot to head up wearing sandals or fashion tennis shoes and carrying – nothing. There is no need to reinvent the wheel on a packing list so please, if unsure, look for advice from those who have been there/done that. (The Green Mountain Club or the Appalachian Mountain Club are always good resources. For example: https://www.greenmountainclub.org/the-long-trail/trip-planning/) Note: some readers live in other areas of the country so, of course, utilize a local hiking resource. But if and when you visit Vermont ….

The basics are obvious: appropriate attire including several layers, one of which is waterproof, good shoes or boots (often personal preference here – I like trail runners for the most part because I opt for traction and flexibility but my ankles sometimes call out for higher boots, etc), poles, and a pack. Note: when I hike the Whites or with my friends, I am the only one without poles. In the past I have cited my need to have hands free for Sophie. Now, with my new vest that easily snaps in folded poles, I have a pair on order. When I hike on easier day hikes in Vermont, I see many without poles. Good to have options! Oh, and BTW, Ultimate Direction now makes poles with 2 levels of handgrips that so easily address the dilemma of uphill and downhill https://ultimatedirection.com/fk-trekking-poles/.)

Speaking of Ultimate Direction, it is a company I have just discovered in my search for the perfect pack. I lug a lot of water on my hikes because of Sophie and those water bottles are both awkward and heavy. I bought a nice one from Orvis that includes a top for her to drink out of, but again it is awkward. (Hate it when I bend forward and the water bottles drop out and hit me on the head!) And, yes, I know, Sophie should carry her own – but I hate to interfere with her freedom to explore when it is ok for her to do so and I certainly don’t want to affect her balance when scrambling up or down steep rocks. Better me.

Now about that pack …

LOVE this vest from Ultimate Direction!  

https://ultimatedirection.com/adventure-vesta-4-0/ While I understand that there are many excellent products for far less money, after having tried and returned several varieties, this is the one that works for me. (besides, I ordered from Amazon and had lots of extra Amazon dollars to put towards) I’ll let you click on the website for the details, but here’s what I carry comfortably and securely (summer hiking season): for Sophie, I fill the bladder, remove the hose and carry a soft folding bowl, treats and several edible nutritional bones for her lunch break; water for myself in the front bottle, electrolyte powder to add, energy bar and/or food, cell phone (hoorah – this is the only pack/vest I have found that accommodates iPhone8+ in front!), rain jacket, wind jacket, extra layer if needed, gloves if needed, head lamp (needed or not), wallet, whistle, map, ibuprofen, bandaids, dry socks, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, and the kitchen sink. Just kidding. I can snug down the pockets and snug up the fit so this vest, parts of which are water repellent, is like a second skin and carried higher on the back which prevents lumbar fatigue and protects balance. Yeah, I know, this vest is designed for women ultra distance trail runners. But hey, if it works for them, surely it works for me.

I always wear a baseball cap and my RoadID bracelet with emergency contact info; states that I am hiking with my dog just in case…and Sophie’s collar sports her name and a phone #)

TRAILHEAD-The trailhead is the beginning and the end of an out-and-back or loop day hike.

useful resource for running or hiking

It marks both anticipation and accomplishment. Adventure begins here; memories are saved. A day alone or with friends, physical exertion, exhilarating views, woods, wildlife, time, and then well-earned fatigue are all to be had for a hike. Won’t you plan to visit a trailhead soon?

The Whites – New Hampshire – Mt. Moosilauke, 2018