Fat Biking: Wellness in Winter

We know it’s hard to maintain your healthy habits on those cold, short winter days. But, it’s not impossible. In our Wellness in Winter series you can hear directly from healthcare and fitness professional GoGetFit users on what they do to stay active year round.

For the third piece of the series, we talked to Ciara Kallal, a clinical exercise physiologist who runs her own practice. She started using GoGetFit in 2018 when she was working with a primary care network.

Have you always been like a pretty active person? Tell us about your health and fitness journey.

Yeah, I've been active forever and ever. I had very active parents and started myself with the typical basketball, soccer, team sports, and stuff like that. In my mid teens, I found that I was more into individual sports where I didn't have to rely on others so much to achieve a goal. So I went into track and field, while also playing striker in soccer. It was in grade 12 that I hurt my back really badly and couldn’t train to the level I wanted anymore. But, my back wasn’t diagnosed properly; I ended up getting an MRI four or five years later and found out I had a herniated disk. Oddly enough, that’s when I found mountain biking. You’d think that mountain biking and a back injury don’t really jive, but I found that with trail riding on a full suspension, I really didn’t have any problems because the rear shocks take all the impact. Then I discovered how fun it was and got hooked pretty quickly! It’s been my primary activity ever since. I went to a couple camps but I’m mostly self taught. 

Is your injury something you have to continue to manage?

Yes, all the time. I feel it right now. It also depends on how long I'm sitting. Like I was in the car driving quite a bit last night, and when I got out, I was quite stiff. I have to be careful as to what movements I'm doing. There’s a lot of modifications for different activities; if I'm vacuuming, for example, I stay pretty upright and do short strokes and stuff like that. It’s just about finding those modifications and what works. It’s nice to find a passion that’s compatible with my back! What it really comes down to is working with the boundaries, strengthening, and being very purposeful about things.

So, where do you like to go biking typically?

We're fortunate in the Edmonton area to have one of the biggest urban trail systems in North America, super fortunate. It’s so easy to get out for a quick rip with your friends and have a great workout. But, I do have to say my absolute favourite spot is Canmore! I used to ride the Nordic Centre there all the time. I feel like it has a very good intermediate-level trail system and I’m a solid intermediate so it’s perfect for me! I can do the harder stuff but I like flow and going fast without feeling like I’m going to die! And, it’s super well mapped. The loops always bring you back to your car. It’s just a special place. I’ve been down to Moab, Utah too and that was pretty neat, riding the different elements. But nothing beats Canadian dirt, roots, and rock!

When the seasons change, how do you physically and mentally prepare for your winter rides?

In the winter it's a lot more balanced work because you're going slower. There's the element of bumps, humps, and snow shifting differently. An intermediate trail can become a black in the winter with the different pitches, slopes, and whatnot. So, from a mental point of view, in the winter I only ride trails I know very well, which gives me the confidence of knowing when my turns are coming, as well as the steepness or pitches. It’s important to choose more wisely in winter as well; even a trail you know well can feel completely new when it’s snowed in. I always have to be on my A game when I go out. If you’re not feeling confident, not feeling one with the bike, that’s when bad stuff happens like flying over the handlebars, which I’ve unfortunately experienced several times. So, whenever you lose that confidence or have a little spill, you’ve just got to call it. Then, from a physical point of view, doing more balanced work like in the gym is super important. I mean, it's way more cardio in the winter. You might not be riding as fast, but you’re certainly doing a lot more work!

Were you always an all-season biker? Or, did it take you a while to get into the winter side?

It totally took a while! I’ve been really winter biking for probably, I don't know, five or six years, something like that. Around half of that time I've been a serious mountain biker, I suppose. When it comes to winter, I would just always hibernate and do some stuff in the gym or whatnot. And then, you know, I decided that it's time that I start to enjoy the season that comes every single year without fail. So yeah, biking was becoming more of a thing right. It used to be that we would have to wait for people to hike or snowshoe on the trails to pack the powder down. But now with fat bikes and people grooming many of the trails, it’s become a lot more accessible. The nice thing too, it keeps you fit come springtime. It is always such a slugfest at the beginning of summer if you need to get fit again just to do the sports you love.

So, what do you do when it gets too cold? What is “too cold” for you?

Yeah, so minus 20 is my threshold. I mean, I have all my heated gloves and socks and such; it’s just that the breathing becomes harder. When it's too cold like that I always just revert back to the indoor gym. I also put my road bike on a smart trainer and do Zwift. Zwift is a pretty cool program because you actually race people all around the world. I never do well because there's Olympians and high performance athletes on there. But it's nice, you know, to be part of the women's races and stuff like that. So yeah, I'll revert to Zwift if it's too cold. Still, whenever possible it’s nice to get outside and force yourself out there. Every time I do it, I'm grateful that I did!

There’s all kinds of additional challenges when it comes to being active during the winter. What advice do you have for people who find it difficult or are struggling to get out there during the cold months?

My advice would be to reach out, whether it's to friends or acquaintances that you know are more active, and just start asking questions. Because a lot of the time it's fear based; we don't want to do something because we're fearful. For example, heated gloves and heated vests removed a huge barrier for me. Having Reynaud’s and just being a very cold person in general, I’m the person who has a bazillion layers on. And once I was able to get past this barrier with a solution, it meant cross country skiing was accessible, fat biking was an option, even walking the dog was more pleasurable. It’s just not fun when you’re cold and just coping with it. So, I would encourage people to get out into the community and start asking the questions about how these activities can be more accessible to them. When I first went biking, I went to a local bike shop, got a rental, and I tried it out. You know, there’s even cross country ski rentals at places like the Strathcona Wilderness Centre. It’s great to rent things and see if you like it. Plus, there’s no commitment that way. So, just ask questions, rent equipment, and see if there’s something that lights your fire and makes you happy. You can always give something a go. You never know what you're gonna take to!

Lastly, what do you like about using GoGetFit? What keeps you using the platform in your business?

I love GoGetFit because it is simple and effective. And it actually focuses on the things that matter when it comes to success - behaviors and habits and habit formation. So many years, it’ll be January 1st and you’re good for two weeks. Then all of a sudden it’s March and you wonder what happened. GoGetFit really focuses on what's most important to be successful in regards to activity, but also in regards to the rest of life; you know, things and skills that we need to do and commitments that we have. So, I love it because it's effective. I mean, from a clinician’s point of view, it's great to be able to see what someone’s habits are, to catch them if they fall, motivate them if they need it, and be there when they're successful, too. It's super easy to use, and I'm very grateful for it.