Barefoot for Winter

I am incredibly frustrated!!!!

As the name of my blog may have hinted, I am a barefoot runner. Not literally. I wear VFF's , they are as close to barefoot as I can get and still have my tootsie's protected.

I learned to run in these shoes. They are one of the main reasons I am a runner, and that I am as fit as I am now. I wear these shoes to work, to run, to Zumba, to the grocery store....but, alas, perhaps not for much longer.

You see, I live in Alberta. We have winter. Not a little bit, but, serious, sub-zero winter. The type of weather where the insides of your nose freeze as soon as you inhale. Not conducive to barefoot running at all.

I thought things would be fine this year. I thought that the fabulous VFF company that I love and tell everyone about had my back.

This winter, they were finally making a winter shoe. I heard about, and then read about these fabulous shoes --> THE LONTRA . They were the winter running shoe I had been dreaming about.

So far, I cannot get a straight answer as to whether or not we will be seeing them up here. One major retailer of outdoor gear has informed me that they will not be carrying them as they could not get them from the manufacturer. WHAT? Where else would we need these more than in Canada???The land of snow and ice??? VFF's got me hooked on their product, and now seem to be leaving me high and dry when I need them most.

If Canada will not be getting these, I don't know what this gal will do.  Treadmill you say? Hamster wheel of death I say.

Put Your Mask On!

It's important to take care of yourself....eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, those are the basics. We all know these things. They're talked about on every daytime  talk show, shouted at us from the fronts of magazines while we wait in line at the grocery store. (I won't even get into the mixed messages we all hear about getting and staying healthy...let's keep it simple tonight.)


Somehow, this self-care seems to be at the bottom of the list for most of us.

There are so many other more "important" things that absolutely must be done.

We are all busy. That is the common denominator. The universal excuse for not caring for ourselves.

If we are too tired to care for ourselves, how long can we go on caring for our families/homes/kids/dogs/goldfish?????

The most important lesson we can teach our loved ones is that it is ok to take time for YOU!

Going to Zumba for an hour should not be guilt inducing.. That hour is for you do decompress and do something good for your body.

Telling your kids/husband/cat to wait until you finish that last set of bicep curls is not being selfish. By doing that, you've shown them that you finish what you start.

Let's use the old airplane analogy: If those funky yellow masks drop from the ceiling, they tell you to put yours on before your child's. This goes against your instincts to care for your little one first....but....if you don't get your mask on, you may pass out....then you will be no help to your child. See where I'm going with this?

I'll confess, I am having a hard time fitting it all in these days. I've gone to work full time for the first time since my oldest was born ( he is 14). I start early, and once home, I still have my "home jobs" to do, and my workout, and the online course I've just started, and planning each week for Booty Busters.

I need to remember to make an appointment with myself every day ( or a couple of short ones daily) to move my body and stay strong.

I need to take the time to eat right and drink my water.

I have worked too hard to lose ground now.

I need to put my mask back on.