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Posted on Dec 3, 2013 in Health & Wellness

Gay community turning its back on bars

Gay community turning its back on bars

By Emanuela Campanella and Beatrice Britneff More and more gay Ottawans are ditching the bar scene and looking to gay sports as a venue to seek same-sex friendships, club organizers say. Sport provides a friendly and active environment for the gay community to socialize says Guy Delorme, the coordinator of Gay Ottawa Volleyball. “It’s easier to meet people because you have a common type of activity,” Delorme says. “At bars … it becomes a market where you may meet someone, but in terms of long-term relationships, the odds of finding someone serious in that context is less than other settings.” Volleyball isn’t the only option out there for the gay community. Karen Harris, chair of the Lesbian Outdoor Group, organizes hiking events for the lesbian community around Ottawa and Gatineau. She says this provides a new outlet for people who find socializing at bars intimidating. “It is extremely difficult to meet people in bars,” Harris says. “They are noisy and you feel very shy approaching people.” Harris says women...

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Posted on Dec 3, 2013 in Health & Wellness

Winter weather is no problem for dedicated runners

Winter weather is no problem for dedicated runners

By Roberta Bell and Sarah Turnbull It was dark, it was cold and with the exception of five women running through the slush on Richmond Road there were few people on the streets of Westboro Monday night. While others who work nine-to-five might find the prospect of mustering up the energy for a 2.5-kilometre run exhausting, that’s exactly what Bethany Elkins, Maureen McGrath, Christine Rivet, Cathy Delany and Julie Kulcha were doing. At a time when many Ottawa residents are preparing for a holiday filled with food and drink, these women were getting a head start on the new year’s resolution season. “If I could have the same effect sitting on my couch eating bonbons, that’s where I would be,” McGrath, an Ottawa nurse, said Monday night. “Every time I come, by the time I leave here, I feel 100 per cent better.” The women are members of the Westboro Running Room’s Learn-to-Run clinic, and are now seven weeks into their 10 weeks of training for the Ottawa Resolution Run...

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Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Health & Wellness

Extreme fitness fad met with skepticism

Extreme fitness fad met with skepticism

By Sarah Turnbull and Roberta Bell Ottawa has witnessed a boom in the popularity of CrossFit workouts in the past two years but many coaches and gym-goers say these exercises can be dangerous if not executed properly. Developed in 2000 by Californian Greg Glassman for military and police conditioning, CrossFit is a strength and conditioning exercise regimen that focuses primarily on core stability, flexibility, and strength training. CrossFit is considered a high-intensity workout as it pushes gym-goers to the ultimate fitness test. The training involves power lifting of heavy weights and also requires members to do push-ups, burpees and jump rope at a high speed with multiple repetitions. While the physical results can be impressive, form and technique are critical to prevent injury. Ryan Grant, a certified pedorthist and pedorthic technician sees many clients with injuries resulting from intensive CrossFit exercises. He works with people’s biomechanical issues and irregular feet patterns at SoleFit, an orthopedic clinic in Ottawa. He said serious problems can occur when people enter a CrossFit...

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Posted on Nov 26, 2013 in Health & Wellness

Sledding for success: Cody Sorensen’s got his eye on Sochi

Sledding for success: Cody Sorensen’s got his eye on Sochi

By Emanuela Campanella Cody Sorensen is training hard with one goal in mind: a spot on the Canadian bobsled team in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. “My nine to five is training, recovery, massage therapy and nutrition,” the Ottawa native says. “It’s not too many people who get to wear the red and white colours and get to represent their country,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about.” A typical day of training for Sorenson consists of a three-hour workout, which he says includes a warm up, sprinting and stretching. He then lifts weights for a couple of hours and finishes up with an hour of massage therapy. Sorensen says that he and his team members also do two runs on the bobsled most nights. “We’re making sure our pushes are fast and our bodies are feeling good,” he says. “It’s a full-time game.” Sorensen is currently gearing up for the 2013-2014 Bobsleigh World Cup tournament with team members Chris Spring, Jesse Lumsden and Ben Coakwell....

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