The Eco Dad

I can't seem to get into any sorta rhythm with blogging, and I don't know why. I suppose if I keep blogging and not giving up, I haven't completely failed, right? I think having a challenge kept me interested and made me want to update. Going vegan hasn't exactly been all that exciting to write about and it's completely overrun my Instagram account. The memes, recipes and pictures of activism have been good though. Originally going vegan for the health benefits has spread into all other sorts of awareness. I've even started to wean the kids off of meat and dairy. I have to figure if I don't want it in my body, why would I put it in the bodies of my children? That said, they're slowly becoming vegetarians.  I think I'm a couple fun recipes away from making them vegan, but kids are fussy and my current arsenal of recipes is piss poor to say the least. So, as the title of this fine blog entry would suggest, it was my birthday recently. I celebrated by...

I know I haven't been around in a while. I've been pretty busy dadding and whatnot. Things I've managed to do: blow out my left knee, acquire achilles tendonitis and, if all that wasn't bad enough, I just ran a 10k race today and picked myself up two new blisters. Given the lower body ailments, I haven't exactly been on top of my cardio, so of course I thought I was going to die. "Beautiful, scenic hills," is code for death trap. Need to induce a heart attack? Hills. Bit of a masochist, are ya? Hills. Why do this? Because the cause was one close to my heart - SickKids Hospital. My cousin has cerebral palsy and spent some time at that hospital and throughout his various stays there I saw, first hand, the amazing things the staff do there. My two boys had a 50/50 chance of being affected by hemophilia, but as fate would have it, they were born completely healthy and I'm thankful for that every day. Had either of them been affected, we'd have been o...

So, my knee injury from months ago isn't much better. I may just relent and go see a doctor, but not before I kick the shit out of them one last time. 😕  The question begs: why? Because I had to go to Ukraine for work when this particular race took place. I registered for a 5k on a Friday with a follow up 10k the morning after. Why would anyone do that? Because the funds raised went directly into the small town my mom moved to and you got a bonus medal if you did it. Let's have an honest moment between us here. I just wanted the bonus medal. Oh, and I wanted to complete approximately 4 races this year. Race day came and went while I was off travelling for work and I was saddened I didn't get my medals or complete my races. Another moment of honesty, if you'll allow it: I had more fun in Ukraine, but that's not the point. Resigned to waiting until next year, I was pleasantly surprised when the event organizers created a virtual race. What's a virtual race? Wel...

It's easier, and a lot more fun, to showcase life's victories. Last year I completed my first 5km race. This year I completed my first 10km race. This weekend I attempted my first Try-a-Tri triathlon. Finishing races and raising money for good causes was sunshine and lollipops. This triathlon thing? A disaster. It was the complete opposite of sunshine and lollipops. It was shit storms and black licorice.  Artist's rendition of my swim at the Try-a-Tri This journey of eco-friendly frugality, family and fitness isn't going to be victory after victory.  I'm not perfect. No one is. There are, inevitably, going to be losses and heart break. I'm not going to hide mine to create some facade of infallibility.  I posted a DNF at this Try-a-Tri and the feeling of disappointment was brutal. There isn't much else to say. I shit the proverbial bed.  What's important though is what happens after the fall. It's easy to give up and move on, but then I...

You know that whole " do one thing every day that scares you? " Yeah, not so sure that's the best advice. I'm sure it's got limitations and such. For instance, I took the plunge and registered for a Try-A-Tri ... an introduction, of sorts, to triathlons. Why is that a scary idea? Simply put: I suck at swimming. Seriously, I'm terrible at it. I can tread water for like 30 seconds before I need friggin' water wings. What's worse is I have less than 2 months to get some beginner level of proficiency under my belt. Pray for my swimming abilities. Know what else I suck at? Cycling. Didn't think that was possible? It is. Borrowed the wife's bike the other night and sweet Jesus those gears just slip in and out, to and fro. One second I'm struggling to push forward, the next second it's like peddling does nothing. I get it's different gears and such, but after close to 7kms I had zero figured out. At the half way point I just put it at th...

I'm still on the fence as to whether I even like this running thing. I'm going to be honest, I hit the 2k mark of this last 10k and I thought, WTF am I doing?! Where's my runner's high? Then I remember why I'm running - to do good. This 10k was done to raise funds for research on heart and stroke PLUS I got to run with these beauties below. Check those sweet finisher medals! Together, as a team, we raised over $1000 for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. Afterwards we got to hang out and have some brunch. Throw in the fact we all got some exercise and I suppose there really isn't any reason not to run. Tonight I just signed up for another 10k, and this one will benefit the SickKids Foundation in order to support SickKids Hospital in Toronto. So far I'm solo. One of the other guys in the photo has said he'll run it with me. I'll try and convince a few others because, hey, nothing like raising funds for a good cause with good people. My goal...

In an earlier post I discussed my internal debate between a home gym and a low-cost gym. I ultimately chose the low-cost gym for a variety of reasons, but as I sit here on weekends, with the low cost gym closed, I wish I had something more than running at my disposal. Now, I'm not going to invest in a home gym. I don't have the money or the space. With a little ingenuity though, I can create something that doesn't take up any floor space and still lends itself to working out. I'm not much of a handyman, but off the top of my head I can redneck something together. I don't normally workout in sandals.  What did I slap together? A pull up station! All this pull up apparatus took was 3 pieces of 1" pipe, 2 threaded elbows and 2 floor flanges. I'm actually a bit impressed at how easy this was to do. I'm already trying to draft a fold away dip station in this head of mine. If companies can create fold away tables and beds, surely I can create somewhe...

This post is breaking away from my usual minimalist (I'm hitting a plateau in that department), anti-consumerist (still not buying new stuff) and/or reducing my environmental impact (I'm trying) posts. Today's blog focuses on personal health. It's probably just disguised bragging/boasting, but I'm proud of what I've accomplished. What have I done, you ask? Well, I ran my first ever 10k race! The previous 5k races and CN Tower stair climb were for good causes, but I can't even tell you what my 10k was in support of, other than a smorgasbord of local NGO's that work within the geo-political boundaries of Mississauga and, maybe, the Region of Peel. I did this one for me. Sometimes we lose sight of ourselves. We try to do so much for others and the world around us, but what's the point if we're not looking after the person in the mirror? How can we sustain a lifestyle if we don't enjoy it or it runs us ragged? For this 10k, I did it, in all hones...

I did it! I completed all 1776 steps of the CN Tower climb for the World Wildlife Foundation. Total funds raised by me? $370! It's not a huge amount, but it's $370 they wouldn't have otherwise had. To add to that awesomeness, I also got to spend time with friends. The only part that sucked was the 0500 hours alarm set on my phone on a Saturday morning. That was dumpy. Just gonna go ahead and use a B&W filter in honour of all the baby pandas we saved. This is the kind of activity I think more people should do - something for your body, for a good cause, with good friends. Look at all the win in that picture. If the picture wasn't in black and white you'd see even more win as the girl in the middle got a fluorescent yellow shirt for raising over $1000 ... yes, over one thousand dollars! She's a rockstar, or, as the WWF considers her, a platinum panda member. I think I might try to find more good causes to support. I just wish most of them weren'...

With my last entry I gave a little spiel about giving back. I chose to support a friend of mine in her efforts to raise funds for the World Wildlife Foundation. Good friend. Good cause. Money well spent. I've donated a good amount of my clothes, my wife's clothes and, tomorrow, I'm donating my kids' old sleep sacks to a friend with a baby. These are actions I can feel good about. But rather than wait for the Karma express to come rolling my way, I'm being proactive and doing good by me as well. If I don't invest in me, who will?  I think I already made mention that I joined a gym that carries a minimal cost of $4.99/bi-weekly.  Not bad. I made the decision to join that gym rather than source out used gym equipment for a home gym, because a home gym is generally never used. I'd end up with an oversized, overpriced set of clothes racks. How do I know? I had a treadmill, but sold it for roughly $100 before I started this journey. I had adjustable barbells, a...