The Toque Girls

On the flight back from Los Angeles, I was reading Harper’s Bazaar and noticed a distinct trend. Almost every stylish woman in the issue mentioned her love for Mother Denim. Mother Denim? I’d never heard of it. But I was intrigued, especially as I’ve been eager to broaden my denim horizons.

Fast forward to an hour after landing, when I had to swing by Holt Renfrew. I happened upon a rack of soft, boot-cut jeans with a perfect wash for summer. They were none other than Mother Denim! It seemed like denim fate.

Obviously, I had to try them on. I fell in love. They’re soft and comfy but structured enough to hug and lift the right places. Meet my new pair of Mother jeans, which will make for a welcome switch from my usual skinnies:

What do you think?

~Michelle

{Photo via Mother Denim.}

The other day I mentioned my annoying knee issue. It’s actually a hip issue, which is causing my IT band to yank on my knee. Or something like that. It’s all very “My hip bone’s connected to my thigh bone, My thigh bone’s connected to my knee bone.” The problem started a few days after my half-marathon in November and I haven’t been able to run since! Well, I haven’t been able to run past the 15-minute mark, which is when the pain kicks in. This is all because I have a weak Caramel Latte muscle. That’s how I’m remembering it, anyway. The correct name is Tensor Fasciae Latea, but as my ingenious and awesome physiotherapist told me when I tried to repeat the name, “Just remember it has ‘latte’ in it, like Starbucks lattes.” Works for me.

As for my ingenious and awesome physiotherapist, that would be none other than Nicole at National Spine Care, who happens to be Christina’s sister. I’ve been seeing her first thing Monday mornings for the last while and it’s been so great starting every week with a dose of the lovely Nicole. She is a loyal Toque Girls reader and supporter — thank you! — and, through her treatment and the homework she’s given me, I expect to be running again this summer. Through all this, I’ve learned a valuable lesson: if you have abnormal pain, don’t wait too long to get help! Nicole said that my issue isn’t typically a hard one to fix but, because I left it so long, it will take longer to heal. My bad.

In related news, I’m craving a latte.

~Michelle

{Photo via Starbucks.}

Always on the hunt for new workouts, I was happy to stumble across a post by Julie at Peanut Butter Fingers about the 5 x 50 workout. The idea is to do 50 reps of the following five exercises, five times through:

• squats
• jumping jacks
• mountain climbers
• pushups
• crunches

While we’re vacationing in Whistler this week, I thought I’d tell you about one of our vacation-at-home traditions — Beer Walks. Note the capitalization of Beer Walks, indicating a proper noun. Indeed, Beer Walks require capitalization.

We’ll often do a Beer Walk on a weekend when the husband is post-call and exhausted, or if I’ve just finished a terrible week of work. We’ll pick a pub that’s some distance away from our house. It must be at least several miles away or it’s not a Beer Walk. That’s just drinking in the middle of the day.

We start walking mid-afternoon. Beer Walk can’t happen at night because that’s not extraordinary. But in the middle of the afternoon? Now, that’s feels like a holiday.

We’ll walk to the pub, have a pint (or two) and then, according to the rules of Beer Walk, we must trudge home again.

~Chris

I made two New Year’s resolutions this year. I didn’t tell you earlier just in case I didn’t stick to them. My two goals were simple: spent more time outdoors and do yoga three times a week.

And I’ve done it! I used to do both these things regularly and without effort. Somehow over the last two years, I fell off on both. The boy and I would put off going skiing or hiking because the conditions weren’t great or he was on-call the night before. My go-to yoga teacher switched studios and I couldn’t find another class that worked as well with my schedule.

This January, I swore off the excuses. Boy was enlisted on Operation Outdoors. We’ve been in the mountains every weekend except one since Jan. 1.  I did two monster runs outside that weekend so it still counts.

On the yoga front, I found a great way to get my fix. I’ve been downloading podcasts onto my computer and doing classes at home three times a week. Usually, I’ll practice for an hour. Sometimes, it’s longer; other times, not. On Sunday night after a day of skiing, it might be just a 20-minute stretch. But it works.

If you’re starting out with yoga, I’d recommend attending a  class. If not a class, at least try a video so that you have a visual aid.
If you’re ready for a regular home practice, try out these favourites of mine:

1. I’m so hooked on Faith Hunter. Her classes are phenomenal. Plus, she’s funny. You can find her podcasts here.

2. Dave Farmar is another great one. He is a Baptiste power vinyasa yoga teacher based in Denver, Colorado. Beginners, use caution. I find his podcasts are on the advanced side.

3. Yoga Journal. They have so many podcasts to choose from, paid or free versions. These teachers truly understand the body and alignment principles. I’m hooked! Number 36 is a great full class and 37 is my Sunday-night, post-ski special.

~Chris