Self-Care: Cold Plunge, Meditation, Sunshine, Mani

This is me right before spending a good 2.5 minutes in Lake Ontario in the middle of winter, on a windy -11 day. Sean and I joined Meghan Yuri Young & Chloe Wild for a cold plunge hosted by Soho House Toronto. It was, as you would expect, cold, but fun. I had a full day of self-care and it was lovely. Sean dropped me off at the 1 Hotel (the old Thompson!) as I was attending a workshop hosted by NüLove featuring my friend, Coach Carey. The best thing happened, walked into the lobby and looked over to see Lisa Sonshine, who was also attending! Both Lisa & Coach Carey have been guests on our Cast of Creators podcast watch or listen to all our eps here. The workshop was so good, we meditated, had a healthy lunch, got inspired, and wrote letters to our future selves. 1 Hotel is going to mail the letters to us in a couple of weeks. I really love this idea and might send my future self a few letters this year. My wonderful day of self-care continued with a walk down Queen Street in the sunshine, popping into shops. My friend Angela has just re-opened her new shop in her old shop’s old location. Check out aka The Store on IG or in person at 662 Queen. There are so many cute things, clothes, shoes, jewelry, glitz, and glam! My final stop (before spending a quiet night at home) was a bright mani with my girl Amanda. Her manicures last WEEKS and I love how she’s helped my nails grow longer & stronger than ever. If you’re looking for a great gel mani, book an appt here. (I realized after that these colors are a little Mcdonald’s but IDGAF, I like it.)…

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A Break From All The Hustle and Bustle

Took the train to Kitchener recently to spend a weekend with dad & family. Was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, have a nice slow weekend. I didn’t realize I could catch a train to KW from the Bloor Up station right near our house. It was a nice ride! Up until about a week before I don’t think I’d taken the Go Train, ever! The train goes out near the airport, past Brampton, Guelph, and into downtown Kitchener. I had a window seat and watched the sun go down the whole ride. Dad and I got up early on Saturday and went to St. Jacobs Market. I hadn’t been there in a *very* long time, it was just as I remembered it (even though dad said it’s changed a lot). Took a nap on Saturday afternoon and noticed this cutie grabbing a snack outside the window. I watched quietly and admired her beauty. Went for a 7km walk w/ dad on Sunday morning, it was perfect. The greatest gift is spending time together hanging out. It was quite cold but energizing. We looked at houses in the neighborhood, walked through a park beside the grand river, and tackled a few hills.

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She Does The City: Taking The Plunge

Over the holidays I was interviewed by Jen McNeely, founder of She Does The City about cold water therapy. If you’ve been here a while, or follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been dipping myself into cold water for the last couple of years. It started at the cottage just before the pandemic and when we lived up there in 2020, I really got into it. Check out my interview here.  I’ve got my galvanized stock tank set up on the roof at home and go in it 3-4 times a week, usually after my run and before a shower. I need to get some new lights set up for night dips. If you’re interested in taking a guided dip, check out Unbounded Well or Othership. See my past posts on cold water therapy here. Use this link for a $10 credit at Unbounded in the Stackt Market. Their outdoor experience has cold plunge wells, Scandinavian saunas, a geodesic breathwork studio, and bonfire lounges. It’s great! I’ll be there in the evening on January 18th if you want to join. 😁

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HELLO 2023, IT’S ME!

After a nice relaxing winter break, I’m relaxed, recharged, and ready for a new year. You can’t deny the fresh feeling of January, it’s like a reset. My theme for this year is TRYING NEW THINGS. I’m applying it in a few different areas and have no doubt it will bring me closer to my goals. I started the year not hungover and went for a nice run through High Park.😁 Sean and I stayed in for NYE, watched a show on Apple TV (Tehran), and went to bed around 12:15. It was glorious! Today was my first 2023 workout at the gym & I’ve joined a 6-week challenge. I’m dedicated to making some serious gains by the end of it. I love working out, it really helped me get through some hard stuff last year. Last week I tried my first Lyra Class at a studio in my neighborhood. It was fun but hard! Working out the past year definitely helped, upper body strength is key. In other news, tomorrow I’m starting a weekly pottery course that will take me into the spring. It’s a dream come true! Have wanted to try pottery since watching Ghost as a kid haha. I’ve got a few things I’d like to make and look forward to learning a new skill. Here’s to a New Year & trying new things!

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Cold Plunge Season 2022

Did my first cold plunge of the season this weekend! It was with 1,700 people at Woodbine Beach, the largest group plunge ever. It was incredible! Everyone set up their stations 9-10 am, the music was great, we all did breathwork, got our blood pumping, then went in as a group. Lots of screaming as we went in, then the volunteers encouraged everyone to breathe through the cold and focus. By the time we hit the 2-minute mark, everyone was smiling and screaming. I didn’t take that many photos but shared a bit on Stories here. Kinda wish I took my phone in the water. The energetic vibes were so inspiring. Swipe through this post from @bowen416 to see what it was like View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ryan Bowen (@bowen416) Thank you to the event hosts Othership, CityShred, JayBird, and Unbounded. This photo was from last year, today there was 4x the amount of people! The weather has been so warm the past week I’ve not filled my cold plunge tank on the roof yet. I always hated the cold but I really love it now. Have written about cold plunge experiences for the past few years, see posts here. Looking forward to running this week, it’s lighter an hour earlier. 😁

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Press the Pause Button

I heard this quote in today’s ‘Daily Calm’ in the Calm app and it stuck with me. I got out of bed went right to my computer looked it up, found the author, and got his book on Audible. Finished my latest read yesterday and wasn’t sure what to read next but usually, when I least expect it, something happens to inspire my next read or listen. “When you press the pause button on a machine, it stops. But when you press the pause button on human beings they start,” argues my friend and teacher Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN, which advises global businesses on ethics and leadership. “You start to reflect, you start to rethink your assumptions, you start to reimagine what is possible and, most importantly, you start to reconnect with” ― Thomas L. Friedman, Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations I’ve been working on more of a slow-living type of life and honestly, it’s bringing me so much joy. Exercise, more sleep, good food, less drinking, and lots of time with my thoughts. Slow living means going through your life in a more thoughtful, meaningful way. Before the pandemic, I was always on the go, for like, my entire life. That 2-year pause we all went through + living up north in the woods, taught me so much about myself. I am resilient, creative, and determined. I’m thankful for each day and there is so much happiness to be found in what you already have, who you are, and the people around you. In other news, today I signed up for a course starting in January that I am so excited about. I’ll share what it is soon. If you can guess I’ll give you a prize. Until…

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Ontario Voted Today

Ran for the first time in ages and I missed this feeling. Next, I got ready for the day and went to the polls just before they opened. I was the first person my elections attendant had for the day so there was a little learning curve but everyone was nice. Was back home in 30 min including the walk & wait time. I’m excited about this week. We’re recording two exciting episodes of Cast of Creators and there’s a new episode out on Wednesday. We also have an Instagram for Funday now, follow @fundayagency. In other news, John Tory is Mayor again.

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Geary Art Crawl 2022

Went to the Geary Art Crawl with Sean this weekend. Had a nice walk taking it all in. Good vibe and cool things to buy/look at.

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