Growing Up in the 80s: Justine Blainey’s Fight for Hockey

As a preteen girl in the 1980s, I was captivated by Justine Blainey’s legal battle to play hockey on a boys’ team. The girls’ league wasn’t competitive enough for her—the boys’ league offered more games, more practice, and a longer season. Plus, she loved body checking – and the girls weren’t allowed to do that.

Justine disguised herself as a boy to play. But when she wanted to compete openly as a girl, the league said no. This led to an epic and widely publicized legal battle between a 12-year-old and the Ontario Hockey Association. Her fight wasn’t just about hockey—it was about challenging deeply ingrained societal norms that dictated what was “appropriate” for girls.

Blainey’s case exposed systemic discrimination in sports. She argued her exclusion violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which prohibits sex discrimination. In 1987, after years of legal battles, the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled in her favor, making sex discrimination in sports unlawful. This landmark decision opened doors for countless girls to compete in arenas once closed to them.

Though her teammates were supportive, her victory came at a heavy cost. Blainey endured relentless media attention, bullying, prank calls, hate mail, and even death threats. Watching her struggle was an early lesson in feminist activism, showing me how fiercely society resists change when traditional gender roles are challenged.

Fitness as Feminism: A Historical Context

Women’s participation in sports and fitness has always been political. For much of the 20th century, physical exertion was deemed unladylike, and myths persisted that exercise would make women infertile, masculine, or undesirable. These fears reinforced outdated notions of femininity as softness, smallness, and dependence.

The bicycle revolutionized women’s mobility in the late 19th century. Before bicycles, the women’s movement was severely restricted. Social norms and restrictive fashions confined them to domestic spaces or made them reliant on male assistance, such as hitching horses. The emergence of the “safety bicycle” changed everything. Bicycles gave women unprecedented freedom to travel on their own power, transforming the way they engaged with public life.
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Suffragist leader Susan B. Anthony famously said, “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel … the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” Indeed, the bicycle became a potent symbol of the first wave of feminism, embodying progress and independence.

However, this newfound freedom didn’t come without backlash. Doctors and moralists warned women against cycling, claiming it was physically and morally dangerous. They coined absurd medical conditions like “bicycle face,” described as a flushed or pale complexion, drawn lips, dark shadows under the eyes, and a perpetually anxious expression from the “unconscious effort” of maintaining balance. In other words, it supposedly made women… unpretty. Some even suggested that riding a bicycle could lead to sterility or improper sexual arousal due to the design of the saddle.

Fashion also became a battleground. Victorian clothing, with its long skirts and corsets, made cycling impractical. This led to the rise of “rational dress”—divided skirts, bloomers, and looser garments designed to enable physical activity. Though practical, these outfits were often ridiculed as unfeminine or shameful, reflecting broader anxieties about women encroaching on male-dominated spaces.

Despite the resistance, women embraced cycling, not just for its physical benefits but for its role in social change. Bicycles allowed women to participate more fully in public life and bolstered the suffrage movement. They also provided a new sense of agency over their bodies, challenging the prevailing narrative of female fragility. For women, cycling was a path to health, empowerment, and freedom.

The bicycle’s history reminds us that every movement forward, whether physical or social, has the power to redefine freedom and equality.  Despite opposition, women embraced cycling for its physical and social benefits. It bolstered the suffrage movement and challenged narratives of female fragility. Even today, in places like Saudi Arabia and Iran, cycling remains a feminist issue, reminding us that movement—both physical and social—redefines freedom.

From Movement to Movement: A Personal Journey
Growing up, I wasn’t great at sports, but I loved movement—biking, swimming, running, dancing, rollerskating. 

As a teenager, the discovery of aerobics changed my life and led me to where I am today. The music, synchronized routines, and collective energy left me exhilarated. In school, my experience with movement was that it was about grades and competition. But in aerobics class, we moved for the pure joy of movement. At the YMCA, women of every age, size, and shape cheered each other on, celebrating strength in a non-competitive way. It brought me freedom, friendship, and joy. I was hooked.  

In a world that tries to control women’s bodies, reclaiming strength and physical autonomy is a revolutionary act. Today, as a kinesiologist and group fitness instructor, I help women tap into their power and embody their bodies with acceptance, joy, peace, and compassion.  

Your Guide to Mindful Gift-Giving This Holiday Season

The holiday season is a time of joy, connection, and generosity. But let’s be real—it can also be a whirlwind of stress, excess, and overspending. Between the sales, shopping, and wrapping, we sometimes find ourselves giving (or receiving) items that feel impersonal, wasteful, or quickly forgotten.

Mindful gift-giving is about choosing or creating gifts that resonate with the recipient. A mindful gift sparks joy, nurtures connection, supports well-being, and aligns with your values. In a world overflowing with “stuff,” this approach feels more important than ever.
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Wanna make this holiday season more mindful, sustainable and fulfilling for everyone on your list? Here’s your guide to mindful gift-giving — complete with insights from two local business owners who embody the art of thoughtful gifting.

Sustainable Gifting: Insights from Garden City Essentials
For Jolene Antle, founder of Garden City Essentials, mindful gifting begins with sustainability. Her shop specializes in natural skincare, wellness products, and eco-friendly lifestyle items designed to tread lightly on the planet.

“Mindful gifts ideally have minimal ecological impact,” Jolene shares. “Local, handmade, sustainable, and consumable items make amazing mindful gifts that also support small businesses and local communities.”
Jolene’s journey into mindful living began as a personal experiment in creating cleaner, more effective personal care products for herself. What started as a kitchen experiment evolved into a thriving business that promotes a sustainable and holistic lifestyle.

"We’ve always tried to promote a more mindful approach to consumption by offering natural and sustainable lifestyle products that are gentle on the planet."

At Garden City Essentials, you’ll find beautiful low-waste options like handmade soaps, beeswax candles, plantable greeting cards, organic teas, and even refillable household products. Customers are encouraged to bring their own containers for bulk purchases, encouraging sustainable habits that extend beyond the holiday season.

The serene interior of Garden City Essentials in downtown St. Catharines, ON

Wellness as a Gift: Thoughts from Lost ’n Found Yoga and Pilates

For April Janzen, Creative Director of Lost ‘n Found Yoga and Pilates, mindful gifts are those that enrich lives without adding clutter.  She believes that practical or experiential gifts can have the most lasting impact:

“When I think of mindful gift-giving, I think of something that doesn’t collect dust or go out of style,” April explains. “Practical or experiential gifts often have the most lasting impact.”

April sees wellness-related gifts as particularly meaningful because they encourage recipients to prioritize their health—something many view as a luxury.

“Most people want to improve their health but feel that spending money on their mobility and strength is a luxury. Studio classes taught by professionals can make a real difference,” she says. “They offer the reward of seeing real change in your body and the accountability to keep going.”

Is someone on your shopping list yoga or Pilates curious? Consider gifting beginner-friendly options like an introductory class package. More seasoned practitioners might enjoy a membership or workshop as a way to deepen their practice.

Take A Mindful Approach to Shopping

April offers a simple but powerful tip to stay grounded during holiday shopping:

“Before making a purchase, stop and ask yourself, ‘Am I buying this just to hit a gift quota? Is this a filler gift?’ Checking in with yourself can bring awareness to whether you’re purchasing excessively.”
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Taking time to pause, breathe, and reflect can help you stay grounded in your intentions, ensuring that the gifts you choose feel meaningful and aligned

​9 More Mindful Gift Ideas to Inspire You

1. Share an Experience: Invite a loved one to join you for a cooking or art class.  Take them to a concert, museum or gallery. One of April’s most treasured gifts was an experience: tickets to see The Magician’s Nephew with her son while they were reading The Chronicles of Narnia series together. 

“It was such a meaningful gift because it created memories we’ll always cherish,” she says.
Whether it’s theatre tickets, a shared hike, or a homemade meal, experiences can create lasting connections that far outshine anything wrapped in paper.

2. Commit to a Wellness Journey Together: Start a new habit, like meditating or practicing yoga with a friend or family member. 

3. Upcycle: Repurpose or transform an item into something new and meaningful, like creating a homemade yoga bolster from old fabric.  When my friend’s dad passed away, her husband and I secretly took her dad’s Hawaiian shirt collection (Hawaiian shirts were his signature look).  We turned the shirts into a set of throw pillows.  This made a unique and meaningful gift.  She absolutely loved it.  

4. Re-gift: Pass along a book, a piece of jewelry or some artwork that you know someone else will love.  Maybe they express admiration for something of yours every time they see it.  Write a note about how it served you and why you think they’ll appreciate it. 

5. DIY: Create a custom playlist or ‘soundtrack’ for your relationship.  Make a photo album or scrapbook.  Write a heartfelt letter sharing what you love and appreciate about them.  Sew a yoga mat bag, meditation cushion or eye pillow.  Create a family recipe book.  Whip up a delicious batch of baked goods! 

6. Wellness Gifts:  Give a gift certificate for a massage, or give a high quality yoga mat, blocks, or a resistance band to encourage practicing self-care.  

7. Gift Cards:  Choose a store where they can buy something they will use and love – something that won’t end up collecting dust on a shelf or sitting in a landfill.  

8. Consumables: Refillable household products like soaps or lotions make great gifts.  So do coffees, teas, chocolates and homemade goodies.    

9. Give Back: Donate to a charity in someone’s name. The first year my partner and I were together we agreed that instead of giving each other gifts for Christmas we would donate to charity in one another’s names.  That started some wonderful conversations about the problems that occupy our minds and the causes that are important to our hearts.  It was an opportunity to connect on a deeper level and to give back to our communities.

Image: a re-creation of the pillow made out of Hawaiian shirts. 

This Holiday Season, Choose Mindful Gifts

This holiday season, let’s celebrate the spirit of giving with intention and heart. Let’s give in a way that contributes to others’ peace, health and happiness. Whether you’re shopping locally, supporting small businesses, or sharing experiences, your gifts can reflect gratitude, care, and connection for the recipient and the planet.  

A Gift of Wellness From Me to You

I’m gifting you free access to my Immune Booster Kit, an online program designed to strengthen your immunity and help you feel your best during this busy season.
This kit includes:

• Practices combining movement, breathwork, meditation, and self-massage.
• A BONUS respiratory recovery practice, perfect for anyone bouncing back from a seasonal bug.

🎄 Claim Your Free Gift Here

Wishing you a joyful and mindful holiday season!

 This past summer was difficult. As many of you know, my dad passed away in July. Just eight weeks later, my partner’s father also passed. It’s been an emotionally raw time, marked by the intensity of loss and the challenge of supporting ourselves and our families through our grieving processes.

I’m taking this week off for a much-needed pause. I’ll be retreating into nature for some hiking, reading, and resting;  allowing nature to work it quiet magic, providing space to heal and breathe deeply.

How Nature Nurtures
Nature has always been one of my greatest sources of comfort in difficult times. I have a dear friend that I meet with regularly for “forest therapy,” basically we go for a walk and talk through the woods. These walks have provided companionship and profound healing as we puzzle through some of our lives’ more difficult moments together.

There’s a reason many of us turn to nature when we feel stressed or anxious. Being outdoors is both restorative and transformative. Research backs up what we know intuitively: spending time in nature has real, measurable health benefits. It can lower anxiety, muscle tension, heart rate, and blood pressure. Trees even release phytoncides, essential oils shown to reduce stress and boost the immune system. Nature heals, and asks nothing in return.

Beyond the physical benefits, nature also heals us emotionally and mentally. It offers perspective. Walking in a forest or gazing up at an infinite sky reminds you of your place in the larger web of life. These moments of connection can help us feel grounded and peaceful. 

How Nature Grounds Us
Nature engages the senses, pulling us out of our heads and into the present moment. Mindfully tuning into your senses during a walk transforms it into an awe-filled experience. Try this the next time you’re in nature.  Identify:

• 5 things you can see: a bird, a tree, a leaf, a stone, a cloud
• 4 things you can hear: bird songs, buzzing insects, the crunch of footsteps, rustling leaves
• 3 things you can feel: the sun on your face, the breeze on your skin, the earth underfoot
• 2 things you can smell: pine needles, flowers, or nearby water
• 1 thing you can taste: water, trail mix

As Dr. Kelly McGonigal notes in her book The Joy of Movement, “Within the first 5 minutes of any physical activity in nature, people report major shifts in mood and outlook... both distanced from the problems of everyday life and more connected to life itself.”

How Nature Moves Us
Grief can feel like a heavy, stagnant weight. Movement helps to shift that weight, offering relief and mental clarity. Walking, biking and hiking can provide both stimulation and solace, shifting mental fog and offering clarity.

You don’t have to embark on a grand adventure to feel the benefits – but by all means, DO take a heart-thumping romp through the wild, if that’s what moves you!  Even a simple walk through a tree-lined neighborhood or a park can reconnect you with your body and clear your mind. And, let's face it, a stroll outdoors offers much better scenery than the treadmill.  If you want to connect with life, get outside.   

Exercising outdoors can:

• Expand your perception of time
• Give you perspective on life
• Help you feel more connected to the world around you
• Induce emotions like awe, wonder, and hope
• Calm your mind and reduce anxiety
• Regulate the sleep patterns that grief often disrupts.

The benefits of exercising outdoors come from moving through an environment that naturally calms the body and mind.  So, let nature help you move through stressful times.  

Finding Healing in Open Spaces
Exploring new landscapes or hiking unfamiliar trails is a reminder of life’s beauty, even amidst loss. Spending time outdoors feels like a way to honor my father’s memory. He loved nature, and knowing I’m carrying on something he cherished brings me comfort.

The simple act of being outside—breathing in fresh air, feeling the breeze—can be deeply healing. Nature offers us the space to process grief away from the constant demands of daily life.

Whenever I meet the ocean, feel the warmth of the sun, or walk beneath a canopy of trees, I’m reminded of my connection to the natural world. Nature nourishes and sustains us, providing endless opportunities to reflect on life’s beauty and our place in it. In those moments, I can’t help but feel gratitude for the gift of being alive to experience it all.
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So, I'm heading off to the woods to be nurtured by nature.