Tracy

Activity and movement have always been an essential part of my life in school and in my career. I used to be a competitive multi-sport athlete; chasing after a ball, diving for a ball or defending an opponent was where I felt most comfortable. I was also a Physical Education Teacher; running, skating, and stretching alongside my students was how I got active throughout the day. When I had young children, building snow forts, kicking a ball, and going for walks was just part of our day.

Today, as an Education Consultant, I create opportunities for Physical Educators in-person and online. I now have to be more purposeful and diligent to get moving throughout the day. It doesn't always come easy, but there are activities that I enjoy and ways to get motivated to move every day!

According to the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines, adults aged 18-64 years should accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per week. With this in mind, I do my best to go for a brisk walk or hike everyday. Exercising outdoors tends to boost my mood even more. It helps to have a partner to do that with, so I usually go with my husband. He encourages me to workout when I don’t push myself to do so. He even set up a home gym in our garage to do HIIT and Yoga workouts, especially for those cold winter days, with our favourite videos from Fitness Blender and Nike Training Club.

Music is a huge part of my life! As a DANCEPL3Y (dance-play) Instructor and Region Operator for the Edmonton and Central Alberta areas, my playlists are vast. I find moving to music motivates me to exercise and it definitely makes the time go faster. I also listen to podcasts when I workout, which boosts my learning at the same time. Research says, when you move, your heart rate increases which pumps more oxygen to your brain. If exercise helps you learn better, remember more, and combat stress, then I’m all for it!  

Even though my competitive athlete days are over and so is my time as a P.E. Teacher, activity and movement continues to be a huge part of my life and will be for the rest of my days. As the old saying goes: you don’t stop moving from growing old, you grow old when you stop moving.