Whistle While You Workout

09/15/2026

PSA: if your heart rate while running is noticeably lower than it was a month ago, cooler weather could be the culprit.

Wrist-based heart rate monitors use an optical sensor, which typically emits green light. Blood absorbs this light, and when your heart beats, the volume of blood in the vessels under the sensor increases. The watch detects these changes in the amount of light reflected back to the sensor and uses them to calculate your heart rate.

But when cooler fall weather sets in, your body restricts blood flow to your extremities to conserve heat. That means there's less blood near the surface of your wrist for the sensor to detect, which can cause your watch to underestimate your heart rate.

And cold temperatures can also reduce battery performance, so your device may have a harder time keeping up in really cold weather.

The natural solution is to keep your wrist and watch covered. But assuming you actually want to, you know, read your watch, some tricks that work for me include:

🧣 Using a tubular scarf (eg. Buff) looped in a figure 8 on either side of my watch.

🧣 Wearing my watch on the underside of my wrist. That way, the fabric of my long sleeve naturally pulls away when I twist my wrist. This also seems to help keep the watch a little more protected from the wind.

🧣 In really cold weather, putting a very loose tubular scarf over my watch that I can easily pull away when I need to check it. Inconvenient? Yes. But a dead battery halfway through a winter run really stinks. 😂

Do you have any tricks for improving heart rate accuracy in cold weather? Drop them in the comments. I'd love to learn from you!

08/31/2026

I'm excited to be back again for the 46th annual Terry Fox Run and fundraising for cancer research! This year I'm running a modest 10km and enjoying the community vibes in Broadmoor Lake Park lol. The distance may be less than my usual 50km, but the cause is just as important! Thank you in advance for your donation. Our collective effort is literally changing the lives of Canadians facing cancer!

Donations to my run can be made here (link also in comments) https://run.terryfox.ca/page/whistlewhileyouworkout

08/21/2026

08/14/2026

Pistol squats are going well 😁

I've noticed that my left leg isn't nearly as good at balancing as my right and I'm not a fan of that discrepancy. So naturally, I'm training it! 💪🏻

08/10/2026

07/26/2026

Moose Is Loose 2026 Half Marathon (21.1 km)!
⏱️ 1:40:37�🏅 4th overall�🥇 1st woman 🤯🤯🤯

I did not have high expectations for this race: smoke, summer heat, one heck of a storm last night, and a rainy summer (read: lots of mud, puddles, and mosquitoes). On top of that, training has been spotty because of a lingering foot injury.

The course had plenty of surprises too! An entire spruce tree blocked the trail at one point, there was a reroute because high water had washed out part of the path, and a flock of Canadian geese with their babies decided they owned the course (honestly, the greatest threat of the day 😂).

So I ran based on perceived effort and what I felt capable of today. A few months ago I wasn't sure I'd be racing at all, so crossing the finish line pain-free felt like a win before I even saw the results.

I think that's one of the hardest parts about running. You can spend months, or even years, preparing for race day, and any number of things, big or small, can change your plans or even lead to a DNF (Did Not Finish).

👏 Run 👏 with 👏 gratitude👏

We're mortal, life is lifey, and you never know what obstacles you'll face. I was just grateful to be at the starting line, to feel strong and ready, and to run completely pain-free. (Shout out to the practitioners at Brentwood Chiropractic and The Bridge for continually fixing me. 😂)

Needless to say... I was ASTOUNDED by my placing! That was the cherry on top.

Aaaand! I got to see several familiar faces, including the lovely Michelle Uytterhagen !❤️ I love the camaraderie of this race and the beautiful course.

If you're looking for a summer half marathon or 10 km race, I definitely recommend the Moose Is Loose!

06/20/2026

PSA: This is the most practical (and least awkward 😅) way I've found to properly load the tibialis anterior, AKA your "shin muscle."

I'm especially looking at all of you whose sport involves running! 🏃

I've tried a few different methods over the years...

❌ Leaning against a wall and lifting your toes toward your knees (using body weight/gravity for resistance). Great place to start, but it's too easy for most people once they get stronger.
❌ Hooking a kettlebell over my foot. Uncomfortable, awkward, and definitely not something I'm going to make my clients do.
❌ Buying a $200+ tibialis trainer. Cool piece of equipment, but a little too niche for my liking.
❌ Jerry-rigging a cable attachment. It can work, but it always feels like it's about to fall off. 😬

♾️ Power bands to the rescue! ♾️

Here's how I set it up:
1️⃣ Loop a power band around a sturdy anchor close to the ground. I like to keep the loop fairly short so I have better control over the tension.
2️⃣ Sit on the floor with your legs extended. Hook the band over your shoe near the bottom of your shoelaces. Too high on your foot and the exercise is just pulling your leg (🥁). Too low and the band feels like it's going to slip off.
3️⃣ Scoot back until the band is under tension. The farther back you sit, the greater the resistance. Pull your toes toward your knees, hold for 1–2 seconds, then slowly return to the starting position.
4️⃣ Keep tension on the band the entire time. Don't let it go slack between reps!
Simple, inexpensive, and surprisingly effective.

Have you found another setup that works well? I'd love to hear it!

06/11/2026

Happy 2nd Birthday to Whistle While You Workout!! 🎉

Two years later, ~1250 sessions and 70 different clients, and I can honestly say I love my job and am truly living my best life ❤️

I could spend all day listing all the unique and special ways my clients have made a lasting, positive impression on me. On a daily basis, I come home inspired by the wins my clients achieve through training and by the way those victories ripple out into the rest of their lives. From lifting 100lbs+ for the first time, to doing a spring yard cleanup pain-free, to living without chronic pain for the first time in years, to taking summer hikes as long as they want... these wins make my heart sing!

A special thank you to Chop Shop Physiques! There is only so much I can do without a good gym, and having a GREAT gym makes all the difference. Not just because of the equipment, but because of the staff and management who support their trainers and members so well. Their tagline is right: "You should be here!"

And a shoutout to my referral network: the practitioners I recommend with complete confidence. My number one goal is to see my clients taken care of, both inside and outside the gym, and those relationships are invaluable! Kyle Smart
Kinetic Movement Brentwood Chiropractic Clinic - Sherwood Park
Lauren Detheridge | Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) Joey Silva | Physiotherapist Hannah Deacon, Dietitian Coach Dr. Nikolas Helfrich

Happy Birthday, Whistle While You Workout! Here's to many more years ahead! 🎂