THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

SWOPPER
The Swopper is a German stool which allows the sitter to tilt, lean and bounce. They call it active sitting. I call it comfortable and the best desk chair I've come across. I bought my first set of Swoppers years ago as seating at our breakfast bar. Now we also use them at our desks. They are pricey, but I spend a lot of time at the computer and figure it's a small price to pay to avoid back ache.

The look is attractive high tech, and they are quite durable. The colors are rich and vibrant. I bought mine from the good folks at Fitter International in Calgary. Their web site is fitter1.com


NIKE SHOCKS
Nike Shocks have been in the marketplace for some years now, and until this year, I could never get a decent fit in that model, so I gave up long ago. Then last year, my friend Val gave me a pair which were bought for her husband but were too small for him. I wore them to do my fitness walks on vacation in California. Wow, they were soooo cushy. Though a small man's shoe actually fit me and my orthotics, they looked like boats on my feet and stuck out so far behind my heel that they may have been dangerous. I passed on the male model to a guy in CA and resumed my search. It wasn't until this summer, again in California, that I found a pair of Shocks that fit well. I bought two pair right then and there. And I LOVE them.

More than any other athletic shoe I've ever had, the Nike Shocks actually DO absorb much of the impact of walking, especially in the heel strike. I presume I have a very hard heel strike because I quickly wear off the back of the heel on my walking shoes and hiking boots. When I walk in the Shocks, there is a noticeable decrease in the impact of that heel strike. Though the heel strike doesn't come into play so much in low impact aerobics and step, the Shocks work well for me in those fitness formats. It's convenient to have athletic shoes that work well for so many sports.

The one exception I've found is MUD. Because of the open space under the shock absorbers, Shocks are not good for muddy paths. We were training on a local hill this fall at the end of hiking season. We went up and down this hill ten times in an hour to get a huff and puff cardio workout. When the trail got wet, the shocks collected all the mud and grass that could pack in that available space. Each foot weighed a pound or two more than normal. It took me a full hour outside with the garden hose to clean up those shoes the next day. Not gonna do that again.




MICROPLANE GRATERS
Vacationing in Carmel Valley, California a couple of years ago, we came across a fabulous knife shop. Among our purchases was a Microplane zester which has made a change for the better in my cooking. I love orange and lemon zest in salad dressings, baking, etc, etc, but I never wanted to lose the time or knuckle skin required to get the rind off the fruit. Problem solved with this great grater which is my current kitchen gizmo.

The zester was just my introduction to the Microplane line of graters. I now have several more models, each designed for a specific task. The other one that I use a lot is the cheese grater. Just before serving the salad, I run the hard romano over the grater a few licks and, voila, a perfect sprinkle of cheese offers a taste kick that enhances most any green salad. Anything to make salads interesting is in our best interest, don't ya think.

IT WAS A BANNER HIKING SEASON!

As Chinook winds rolled in over the great Rockies to push out the onslaught of cold fronts and snow flurries, a long, colorful autumn finally gave way to winter, and I now plan my daily exercise according to the temperature. This is the season of hot and cold flip flops. Earlier this week the high in Calgary was 14 C. I walked downtown in a wool sweater and light coat. Fifteen minutes into the journey, I peeled down to a silk blouse and was grateful for a breeze. By 6 PM, the streets were wet and the wind was from the north. At 7:30 PM when I joined my neighbor on his dog walk, snow was flying fast and thick under the street lights as the north wind stung my cheeks in the spacious, open school yard. Never a dull moment in the prairie transition from grass to snow.

Even as I anticipate the splendid white of winter, I pine for the hiking season just past, the best of my life. It started with my first trip to Whistler, British Columbia, the site of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. In coordination with Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the very capable Leisure Sales Manager Jennifer Furyk, I hosted our first WHISTLER HIGH ADVENTURE. It was four straight days of nonstop RECREATION. Indeed, Whistler is recreation on steroids!! It is the adrenaline junkie’s paradise. The epicenter for mountain biking and summer snow boarding, Whistler attracts lots of young folks. What a great vacation destination for families with teens.

Our High Adventure group decided that we would each do exactly what we wanted, even if no one else in our group was interested. I chose to do hiking related activities. Some chose canoeing, kayacing, eco touring, extreme ATV touring. To my surprise, none of us chose to float down the river in one of those adult tinker toy rigs or golf on a world class course.

The Via Ferrata was my goal, but on my first
attempt, foul weather forced the guide to cancel
the trip before we even got the gear on. It was the right call, and the default guided hike on the glacier made a great day. At the top of Blackcomb Glacier stands a small hut. I thought it was a storage shack or communications depot. The guide suggested we nip in for tea. I laughed at what I thought was a joke. The guide knew that I love the Lake Louise area and the two tea houses nestled among those peaks. I thought he was pulling my leg until he flung open the hut door to reveal a young Irish chap serving tea and eats from behind an efficient little bar. Hot tea and sandwiches are never tastier than in the middle of a hike. I loved the Irishman’s twinkling eyes and quick wit. I asked if he had a license to serve liquor. He said that no one in their right mind would leave an Irishman alone in a hut with a keg of beer.

The weather cleared the next day, and the Via Ferrata was on. The name is Italian for “the iron way”. It is an engineered vertical pathway with permanently fixed cables and metal ladder rungs bolted into the rock. With instruction on safety protocol, a rookie rock climber can don helmet and harness, double connect to the cables to prevent serious falls and move up the rock face. It was a new experience which required thought and focus. I wasn’t frightened, but the thought occurred to me that I was in charge of my own safety. All my (two) previous rock climbing experiences were at the end of a rope tied to the finest mountain guide in the Alberta Rockies, Mathias Ahrends. He was in charge of my safety. This felt a little less carefree.

My companions for the trip were two
delightful folks from my home state of Arkansas. Lucky for me that they happened to sign up for the same trip. Their physical competence and zest for life made us a good match. It dawned on me halfway through the climb, that the competence of your companions is important. Though the harness double connected to the cables would prevent a fatal fall, it would not prevent the person ahead of you falling ONTO you. I can't imagine how frightening and complicated that scenario would be. But I digress; the experience was fun, and it opened my eyes to the motivation that propels so many serious climbers up these massive mountain walls.

The Ziptrek Ecotour is Whistler’s famous, signature activity, and it lived up to its reputation. I am not afraid of heights, so there was no sense of conquering fear for me. What I found thrilling was moving through the canopy of the ancient rainforest that grows between Blackcombe and Whistler Mountains. Looking down 200 feet of tree branches to the forest floor below was fascinating. The patterns of nature were incredibly beautiful.

I left Whistler to fly home to Calgary and four
days of hiking near Lake Louise with my husband and a dear friend from Hawaii. We introduced our guest to the iconic hikes near our beloved Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise...Mount Fairview, Plain of Six Glaciers, Mount Saint Piran and Helen Lake Meadows. As luck would have it, the high alpine meadows of Helen Lake offered unseasonable weather for July. The early morning dew on the trail sparkled in the dabbled sunlight filtering through the trees. By the time we reached the meadows, we were under cloud cover, and at Helen Lake, snow began to fall. Dashed were our plans to hike over the ridge to the next lake and beyond. As we headed back across the meadows, the snow flakes grew huge. Just at the edge of the forest, we stopped under a tree to marvel at the spectacular Christmas card scene before us. Disney sized snow flakes fell thick and fast, without a sound, onto an already snow covered trail. The deluge continued throughout our descent, and we often had to stop and shake off the turret of snow piled atop our hats. My hands were frozen! And I think our uncomplaining Hawaiian guest was chilly too.

As soon as we hit the car, we headed to the nearest fireplace, Numtijah Lodge on Bow Lake just a few miles north. The big restaurant fireplace was roaring. We took the table in front of the fire and I slid my chair onto the hearth until the warmth penetrated my soul. What a gift for our Hawaiian friend, to enjoy this uniquely Canadian experience.

Hiking continued through most of September for me. In all, I enjoyed sixteen day long hikes in Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country. I tend to prefer the Lake Louise area and hikes off the Icefields Parkway to K Country, but this season, I had such fine K Country guides that I really enjoyed that front range of the Rockies. Trails in K Country involve more trudging through the forest to get to spectacular vistas while the hikes in the back ranges often get above tree line faster. My spirit soars at the splendor of distant peaks; give me panoramic scenes over dense forest any day.

Calgarians Lynn and Clem Feldmeyer have hiked K Country for years and know virtually every trail. Clem cleverly put hikes together that looped us through the mountains without retracing our steps and with minimum time in the forest. I just love our early morning departures from the city, the cheery conversation en route, the hiking, of course, and the fabulous gourmet dinner picnics at the end of the day. We no longer drive home hungry, munching junk food. Nowadays, we decide well ahead who brings what. We find a picnic table near the trail's end and lay out a spread fit for the food network. With tablecloth, wine glasses, crockery, and awesome food, we stretch out the pleasure of the day for another few hours.

This was the season for wild life, as in animals. I saw more critters this hiking season than all past years put together! There were the standard whistling marmots en route to Plain of Six Glaciers and Helen Lake, the mountain goats at Lake Louise and Buller Pass, moose at Takawkaw Falls in Yoho Park and K Country, the odd clutch of superbly disguised ptarmigan fowl in K Country, mountain sheep in K Country; none of that out of the ordinary. But in September at Fall High Adventure, we came across THREE separate grizzly bear and a family of jet black wolves.

The best grizzly sighting occurred on our return from Pope's Prospect and Plain of Six Glaciers. I learned from our beloved guide Bruce Bembridge that the cliffs above and stream bed below that route are rich wild life habitat. Many times I have stopped on that trail to rest my legs and scan the scene through binoculars. On this occasion, there was a gigantic grizzly bear digging up roots on the far side of the stream below. It was a perfect viewing situation. We were far enough away to be safe, the bear was absorbed in its task and there was a clear view with few obstructions. Our High Adventure group was wild with excitement. We sat down on the trail to watch the drama unfold through our binoculars. In short order, other hikers in the area gathered around to watch. Lucky for us, one was a European tourist with major camera equipment. This guy was not a hard-core hiker, but he had all the right gear for photography, that's for sure. We pointed him in the right direction and he clicked away and, as promised, emailed us the shots. Neat to get the photos without wagging all that heavy gear in a backpack all day long. I was prepared to stay until the bear left or darkness fell, but the good sense of our guide Dan prevailed, and after half hour or so, I was pressed back into hiking so that our return to the hotel was completed in daylight before we were weak from hunger.

The wolf sighting was an early morning spark of magic on the Icefields Parkway. Our High Adventure group was in the Fairmont van en route to the Helen Lake trail head. Bruce Bembridge, our keen eyed driver and guide, spotted the pack on a bluff right beside the highway. He quietly pulled the van onto the road shoulder, and there they were right outside our windows. Two huge wolves and a smaller juvenile. The animals lingered on the bluff and paced back and forth until one sat down, threw back his head and howled. What a gift. Very few people, even those living in the Bow Valley, have seen wolves up close. We presume that they were separated from the rest of the pack who were likely in the forest on the other side of the road. My sense is that the howl said, "Hang on, we'll be there as soon as we can cross the highway safely."

Again we were lucky with photography. Cheryl Melamed is a professional photographer in Michigan and a veteran of our High Adventure trips. She had the calm to get her camera out of the pack and the skill to get it focused quickly to capture all this as she contorted to lean over several bodies and shoot out the window. I was impressed......by the wolves and by Cheryl.

I have many, many times seen the more common coyotes both on the prairies and in the mountains, but, oh my goodness, never had I enjoyed such a fine look at wolves. The size difference is considerable. Coyotes look like small, scrappy,timid, rag-tag dogs. Wolves, on the other hand, are big and sleek and self possessed. This awesome experience was part luck in being at the right spot at the right time. The other part of the equation was our fine guide. We were fortunate to use the best guides in the Bow Valley; those guys have wild life radar in their brains!

The High Adventure group was delightful. As always, we were a group of friends old and new, with a common passion for the landscape and the creatures who live in it. I truly loved every minute of it. Below are a few shots of the wonderful people who made that week such a joy.

Update on It Figures' Aussie Beauty

I hadn't seen Dianne Lyons for years, and your email requests made me track her down. I found her working at a terrific multi-sport facility called Calgary Winter Club where she was recently voted by the staff and members as INSTRUCTOR OF THE YEAR. The Winter Club also awarded her its Service Excellence Award. It does not surprise me that she is so respected and loved there. She was working on her fitness certifications when we were taping the It Figures series. I know her to be a reliable, honorable, hardworking gal who is down to earth and approachable. And yes, she still looks FABULOUS!

We sat down for a chat and a cup of tea. Here's my question and answer dialog with one of your favorite It Figures TV gang.

Dianne Lyons

Can you tell us about how you keep fit nowadays? What is your current favorite exercise format?

I instruct several fitness classes weekly. My favorite is a combination of twenty minutes of cycling, twenty minutes of core work and twenty minutest of yoga. Beyond that, I enjoy running and power walking on my own time.

Is there any exercise you can no longer enjoy and really miss?
I love swimming, but I can't take the chlorine, so I avoid the pool.

What keeps you motivated to be physically active?
I seek an overall sense of well being in mind, body and spirit. Being fit makes me feel empowered.

What is your work nowadays?
I teach specialty group fitness, traditional group fitness and personal training/fitness consulting.

What is your proudest accomplishment of the last decade?
Furthering my education has been a good decision for me. I really enjoy being a part of the fitness industry.

What is your greatest pleasure these days?
I find such joy in watching my daughter Brittany achieve her dreams. She graduated from the University of Calgary with honors in Health Sciences and is now doing graduate studies at an American university. Watching her is like seeing a bud flower into full bloom.

What concerns you most about our world today?
I am saddened by the cynicism and selfishness. I think most people are good, and there's no reason to always expect the worst.

Have any advice you’d like to give other baby boomers?
Just be kind to yourself and extend compassion to other people and animals. Be warm hearted rather than cold hearted.

Do you ever think about retirement and what you would like to do?
I really don't see myself retiring. I like people and want to stay involved. If I didn't work for pay, I'd do volunteer work just for the love of people.

Do you still have close ties to your native Australia?
Yes, my parents and siblings still live there. I go back "down under" for an extended period every two years. Though I officially became a Canadian citizen last year, Australia will always be an important part of me.

Whatever happened to Lonny Balbi?

For years, people, those of you who know my IT FIGURES TV show and fitness videos have been nagging me to do an update on the old TV gang who exercised with me on screen for decades. It seems to me this is the perfect forum for that. I can’t promise that I can track them all down, but I can likely find those about whom you ask most often.

I communicate with Renee and Lonny regularly, and they are the two who generate the most inquiries. So, let’s start with them. I have submitted a list of questions to them on your behalf and asked them to be honest, not modest.

Here is my question and answer dialog with Lonny Balbi.

Lonny Balbi

Can you tell us about how you keep fit nowadays? What is your current favorite exercise format?
My fitness routine has changed a bit over the years. I came from the days of high-impact aerobics, then high-energy step classes. Now I am teaching a lot of indoor spin (bike) classes, with some outdoor running and gym workouts thrown in for variety. I still ride my bicycle to work almost every day of the year!

Is there any exercise you can no longer enjoy and really miss?
I quite miss the high-impact aerobic classes. It’s not so much that I cannot do them, but that they are no longer popular! I loved the pounding beat of the music while going crazy with a room full of fanatics.

What are you doing now in the field of family law?
I have had my own family law firm since 1988. We are known as a “boutique” firm with four lawyers practicing exclusively in the area of family law. We have developed systems and expertise in an area that affects so many people.

Related to my business is an interest I have in law reform and mediation. We are constantly striving to change laws and practices to make family law more user friendly and understandable. We also want to reduce conflict for the sake of children. That’s where mediation comes in.

What issues concern you most in Canadian or American law?
I like complicated and intellectually stimulating issues. Recently, Canada had very difficult laws and procedures in relation to spousal support. I was lucky enough to be on the federally appointed advisory committee which implemented several changes to this important area of the law.

On both sides of the border, we all struggle with issues surrounding children. When parents break up, the children are often caught in the middle and we are always looking for ways to both reduce conflict and help children through this difficult process.

Mediation is one of the systems we use to help conflicted people resolve their disputes. A mediator is a third party neutral person who helps the spouses achieve a constructive settlement following separation. Related to this concept is the exciting area of collaborative family law. CFL, as it is known, is a relatively new idea that encourages respectful communication and negotiation in an effort to resolve outstanding issues. I have really enjoyed this area as well.

What is your proudest accomplishment of the last decade?
I have done lots of things that I am very proud of. But number one on my list is a small project I started a few years ago which is really gaining momentum. Each Christmas, I go to Mexico. Yes, it is a holiday, but on Christmas day I go to several orphanages in Mazatlan to give the children Christmas presents. The first year, I went to one orphanage and it was fantastic. The next year, I was able to go to three orphanages. Last year, I visited four orphanages. Each year, I am able to see more children and give them better gifts. Friends and family have offered to help out; but this is my own little project that gives me more satisfaction than anything else I could do at this important time of year.

What is your greatest pleasure these days?
I still enjoy my work very much. I get a lot of pleasure out of seeing someone who comes to see me in a very broken state, and by the end of the process, they are a much stronger, better person. I love the feeling of having helped someone to be stronger.

What concerns you most about our world today?
When I read in the newspaper about countries that are devastated and people are dying daily, it always affects me when I look around my life and how I have so much in comparison. We all need to do more to help those less fortunate than us. That could include helping local organizations all the way to assisting with world relief organizations.

Do you have any advice you'd like to give other baby boomers?
Fifty is the new 30! Aging is an attitude, and not a chronology. Keep active, and have lots of fun.

Do you think about what you would like to be doing ten years from now?
I have lots of interests. I would like to continue to work in my law firm, but perhaps at a reduced workload. I would like to focus on other charitable events. I might do some public speaking engagements and some consulting. There are just so many opportunities.

Whatever happened to Dr. Renee Martin?

Here is my question and answer dialog with Renee Martin, Ph.D. (Next time, it will be with Lonny.)

Renee H, Martin, Ph.D., FCCMG
Professor of Medical Genetics University of Calgary
Canada Research Chair in Genetics
Associate Director, Institute Maternal and Child Health

Can you tell us about how you keep fit nowadays? What is your current favorite exercise format?
I do go to the gym for both cardio and weight training but, by far, my favorite exercise is out of doors -- hiking and cycling in the summer, and cross-country skiing in the winter. In fact, I just booked a hiking holiday in July with my best friend and her husband. Every year, the four of us hike at some wonderful mountain locale, generally in Western Canada or the States, but sometimes in France, Italy, or Spain.

Is there any exercise you can no longer enjoy and really miss?
I can no longer run (creaky knees and flat feet), but walking is a great pleasure.

Do you still have that famous sweet tooth?
I still have daily hits of dark chocolate and black licorice, and regular treats of ice cream and cheese. Regular exercise seems to allow considerable leeway without worrying about diet.

What are you doing now in the field of genetics?
I am studying the causes of chromosome abnormalities in human sperm, especially in infertile men.

What issues concern you most in genetics?
The development of private "do-it-yourself" genome scans -- really not useful without the guidance of a geneticist.

What is your proudest accomplishment of the last decade?
A body of research leading to new knowledge about how the early stages of sperm production are linked to chromosome abnormalities, and the training of new researchers who are now professors in universities in Canada, France, China, and Spain.

What is your greatest pleasure these days?
There is great pleasure in the travel associated with my work -- discovering the different ways people live and work around the world. In the past year, I have traveled to Botswana, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Miami, Dallas, France, Montreal, Halifax, Phoenix, Belize, San Diego, Vancouver, Barcelona, and China.

What concerns you most about our world today?
The lack of world peace is horrifying.

Have any advice you’d like to give other baby boomers?
If you are like Charlene and me, you are sure to face adversities. I currently have a stress fracture (no skiing this year). But just keep on trucking, and take pleasure in what you can do.

Do you think about retirement and what you would like to do?
Yes, retirement is coming up soon, as my hubby has become enamored of life as a farmer. We have planted a small vineyard in the Okanagan, and we will make our first wine from our very own grapes this fall -- so, a very big change on the horizon.

Welcome, friends, to Charlene says....

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