Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle show on your
VOCM Now, here's your host, doctor Mike Wall.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the show. I'm your host, doctor Mike Wall. Now,
our summers may not be that.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Long here in New Flannel Labrador, but it doesn't mean
we can't make the most of them when it comes
to outdoor activity.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So joining us today is my friend, Professor T. A.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Loffler. Now, she's a distinguished professor in human kinetics and
Recreation at Amoral University. She's going to guide us through
the different summer outdoor activities available in our beautiful province,
from the ruggy coastal trails to our urban playgrounds.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
She'll provide expert.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Insights on how we can maximize our enjoyment of these
activities despite.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Our shorter summer season.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We'll learn about the hidden benefits of engaging in these activities,
and she'll teach us how to make the most of
them to nurture both our physical and mental well being.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So get ready to explore the great outdoors.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I hope the show inspires you to seize our Newfoundland
and Labrador summer. Let's get to our interview.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Nikay, Welcome back to the show.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Hey, thanks for having me back.
Speaker 6 (01:11):
Well, you are my go to when it comes to
physical activity, in particular when it comes to outdoors. And
last time we chatted, we talked about winter activities, which
I know is something you're really passionate about, but you're
also really passionate about summer activities, so I thought i'd pick.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Your brain on that.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
But before we start, maybe for the listeners that are
tuning in, you can give a little bit of background
on yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Sure, I'm doctor T. A. Loffler, and I'm a professor
in the School of Human in Kinetics and Recreation.
Speaker 7 (01:37):
At Memorial University, and my area.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Of expertise is indeed outdoor recreation and outdoor education. So
most folks think I'm playing all the time when I'm
out working, but you know, in those rainy days, I'm
definitely working hard and I love doing anything outdoors and
one of my core missions is to get everybody outside.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Well, that's perfect, and that's why you're the perfect person
to talk to.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
You.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
You're the ambassador for outdoor activity. Really in the.
Speaker 6 (01:59):
Prim Newfoundland heard before that we have four seasons. We
have almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction. But our
supper is short, but there offers a lot of opportunity
for physical activity. You know, when people think about physical activity,
why why is it good for us? You know, can
you give us like the sort of science one on
one on it?
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Oh my goodness, it's good on so many levels. It
helps prevent many chronic illnesses. It can keep us moving
and keep our bodies much more limber if we don't
engage in physical activity, And.
Speaker 7 (02:32):
It's really good for our cognition.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Lots of research shows that by being physically active we
can have a better chance of fending off dementia and
other cognitive decline as well as our mental health. When
we get out and be physically active in whatever form
makes us happy, then we get to have some of
those wonderful endorphins that bring our mood up. Oftentimes, physical
activity provides meditative, repetitive movement, which also can kind of
(02:59):
relax if we're worried about something or something we need
to think about something sometimes by going out for a
walk or a run, doing yoga, those kind of things,
then that gives us new perspectives on things, which also
helps our mental health. So I think if I could
give a prescription to everyone, it would be number one
physical activity and number two, do at least a pretty
good chunk of that physical activity outside.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
Yeah, exactly, And that was going to be my next
question for those people that aren't real advocates for exercising inside,
because it's not for everybody go to a gym or
even an organized rec league of some sort. Is there
a difference between exercising indoors versus outdoors?
Speaker 5 (03:36):
There is, and it's sometimes people wouldn't intuitively come up
with some of the differences.
Speaker 7 (03:43):
These days, we often think about air quality.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
So exercising outdoors, you have infinite ventilation, so you're not
worried about sharing air with anybody else who might be
exercising beside you. The research also shows that by doing
some kind of physical activity outside, we actually work a
little bit harder. So wind is there, slopes are there,
(04:06):
we have more friction in the surfaces that we're traversing,
so ultimately we work a little bit harder. But because
the outdoors is so engaging and keeps us occupied, we
actually don't think we work as hard. So that's a
you know, kind of a win wind kind of bonus
that we work harder but don't think we did well.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
That's interesting you said that you know about the repetitive
type movements and the meditative aspect of it. I've heard
that being in nature because it's so random, as opposed
to being in a gym, being a treadmill and seeing
the same thing over and over again, the confusing aspect
or the chaos of nature itself, actually allows us to
immerse ourselves more in that. Is that true?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Well, it definitely requires us to engage with the environment differently,
you know. So if we took that example of let's say,
running inside on a treadmill versus running outside, either on
a sidewalk or on a trail, or even on a
less developed trail, our rain has to be perceiving all
kinds of different things. So on the treadmill, every footfall
(05:04):
is about the same and unless we totally space out
and get flipped off the back of the treadmill, we
could read a book or watch television or zone out
and get relaxed.
Speaker 7 (05:14):
That way.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
When we're running outside, our senses are very engaged. We're
aware of the smells. If we're going through a particular
neighborhood smell delicious bacon, booking, or if we're running in nature,
then we might be smelling the hint of wildflowers on
the air, things like that, so it engages our eyes
and engages our sense of smell. We might be hearing
birds song, so it becomes a multisensory experience when we
(05:39):
do that outside as well as because the terrain is uneven,
because we might have wind on a cheek, because we
may be needing to perceive curb cuts or roots or rocks.
Speaker 7 (05:49):
And things like that.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
It's very cognitively active, and so I think that's another
piece that ties in. It brings a complexity to the
task that we wouldn't necessarily have if.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
We're doing a similar kind of activity inside.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Oh, that makes perfect sense. I mean, you know, the
random rocks on a trail and all those.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
Things as opposed to a flat surface that's moving for you.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, that's that's important. I think that, you know, And
I think the other thing is how we exercise.
Speaker 6 (06:14):
And I think sometimes people think of physical activity in
the ways that we've probably seen a popular media, like
you know, they got to go and jump on a
treadmill like we just said, or they have to go
to a gym and things like that. But in the
capital city region, are there some activities that individuals can
engage in increase our activity levels and ones that maybe
don't require us to spend a lot of money.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
Well, in the Saint John's and in the greater Avalon
Metro areas, we do have a real plethora of walking trails.
I mean probably the toughest thing is, you know, getting
up from the chair and putting your sneakers on and
getting out the door, getting dressed for the weather, whatever
that is. But with the Grand Concourse trails, with municipal trails,
(06:56):
with city parks, so Bowering Park Park, with the trailway
system that you could jump on in the west end
of downtown Saint John's and you could walk yourself all
the way to Holyrood if you wished. So there's these
different interlocking hiking trails or walking trails, some of which
(07:16):
are multi use so that they could also be bicycled.
Speaker 7 (07:19):
But what I love about, especially.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
The summertime, and I live downtown Saint John's, is if
I want some physical activity, which I crave several times
a day, I just put on my shoes and I
have a little roote I do through my neighborhood, walk
up the hill. So I breathe a little bit of
hard going up the hill, and then through Batterman Park
to check out who's doing water around the loop. You know,
these days, I see little kids learning the bicycle and
(07:43):
people on their skateboards and people doing rollerblading. And then
you go on down the thing, and then you see
the folks in the baseball diamond playing some baseball. And
then you come back around and then we head into
Government House and the grounds on Government House are beautiful
and so many people don't know that we're welcome to
go in and walk there. Last summer as part of
(08:04):
the Platinums, you believe, they put a whole new set
of walking trails in the back there. So they're beautiful.
They're five foot wide, they're flat, they're very well graded,
and they're great for strollers. They're great for folks that
want to have a walking surface that's even in flat
and the daffodils are out and the trees are up,
and so it's a very engaging inner city walking experience.
(08:27):
So that's my number one go to always. And when
my grandmother turned ninety three, I put my laptop into
her lap and so she saw herself on the screen
and she was having a laugh kind of figuring that out,
and I said, so Omah, which is the German name
for grandmother, how did you live so long? And she
(08:47):
looked at herself and she started talking. And one of
her number one lessons was I go for a walk
every day. And so I've taken her advice to heart,
and I go for at least one, sometimes too, occasionally
three and on occasion five walks a day because that's
super easy. And now that it's getting to be summer,
I'm going to be starting to get out on my
(09:08):
bike much more as well.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
Well, you know that's really universal to anybody listening. We've
all got communities we can walk through. Or if you're
in a rural setting, it's even easier because you've got
roads with like not a lot of traffic around and
probably some hiking and things like that out there. And
I think that's really important. It's funny you said that
about the secret to longevity. I just got back from Okinawa,
where the oldest people in the world live, and there's
all sorts of group activities where people exercise and do
(09:31):
those types of walks and things together and it and
it adds a social component to it. One of the
things I think that people struggle with a lot these
days is enough family time together. Are there some activities
that you can think of that are really good for
families to do together.
Speaker 7 (09:47):
Well, A couple of.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Things come to mind again. Our local parks. I mean,
parks are wonderful oasis of nature in municipalities, and oftentimes
at the park might be the play structures, so so
young ones can be learning they're climbing and moving and sliding.
Speaker 7 (10:05):
Kind of skills.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Oftentimes grown up stand around and watch them. But some
new parks have areas where adults can do laps around
the playing surface as they go. And in some communities
in the world's kind of cool they're actually building adult
playgrounds beside the kid playgrounds where they can be sort
of more kind of outdoor exercise equipment. So I think
going to the park is a great one because you're
(10:26):
going to walk from the parking area to the play structures.
Looking for places in your neighborhood or community that are
safe for bicycles, so like the loop in Bannerman Park
or the closed down streets in Bowering Park are excellent.
My granddaughter loves to ride her bike at skate parks.
(10:47):
So the new playground at ken Mount Terrace has a
skate park and she is already ready to nash on
the trails, having been a three year old who could
ride her push bike in the skate park, and that's
a family activity for them. They go biking together, so
bicycling is a great one to do together. And then
all the kind of classic traditional Newfoundland outdoor activities can
(11:09):
be done as a family, so fishing, trouting when it's
food fishery time, going fishing for cod, four wheeling and
snowmore villain. But I'm not supposed to talk about my
winter passion. But the truth is anytime we go outdoors
for whatever floats our boat, it involves more activity. So
barry picking is an awesome way when we get to
the end of the summer and gardening. Gardening is when
(11:32):
we just can't leave off the list. So we have
a long tradition in Newfiland and Labrador of growing.
Speaker 7 (11:37):
Some of our own food.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
And I'm in a community garden plot and what's great
is again we have a multi generational community there, so
everyone's coming back into the community garden now. And I
think our youngest gardener is just born and we have
folks all the way up through mid eighties who come
and work in the gardens.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
They stand, they bend, they move. Is kind of like
yoga with benefits.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
We're here with outdoor Ambassador, doctor t A.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in New plan and Labrador. We'll
be right back after the break.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Welcome back. We're here with Outdoor ambassad.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Doctor Ta Laffler, learning about all the ways we can
stay active in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Let's get back to our.
Speaker 6 (12:28):
Interview and I'm just gonna take a quick step back
we talk with the benefits things. Is I think sometimes
we've been so convinced that the only way you get
benefit from exercise if you're going like a gatory commercial.
Can you just explain why walking and moving and doing
those activities you talked about are sufficient for people.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Yeah, I think there's you know, in attempting to get people,
you know, more active. We've you know, various campaigns that
tried to scare people into physical activity, control them, bargain
with them, all those kinds of things. But truthfully, especially
if someone hasn't been as active as someone there are
huge gains and huge benefits for health and wellness from
(13:10):
starting out near scratch.
Speaker 7 (13:12):
And when we.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Say physical activity, oftentimes people's first thought is the gym.
Whereas I go to the garden for the day, and
by the time I finished with the garden, I've had
a really good day of physical activity because I've shoveled.
I may have moved things by the wheelbarrow. I definitely
was bending, I was balancing as I walk down a
little rows between the gardens and things. And one thing
(13:35):
that I think we o down often talk about is that,
you know, when we think of physical activity, we do
think of cardioespiratory fitness. But when we think about physical
activity and what it takes to maintain this beautiful, amazing
containers called our bodies, we also want to be thinking
about our flexibility, our strength, our coordination, and those kinds
(13:57):
of things. So again, another rich area for outdoor physical
activity is more often than not, it's engaging many of
those different kinds of things. I was had, you know,
my students out on Long Pond this past week in canoes.
So if we look through what it takes to go canoeing,
we first have to take the canoes off the rack,
(14:18):
so we're working with strength, and then we take them
down and get them launched, and then we need to
get into the canoe, which we're working on balance their
fitness as we're paddling and we're drawing not to tip over,
and then we're working about coordination. And then the cognition
that goes with making a canoe go where you want
it to do is incredible, and it's fun and you
see smiles, and the passage of time.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Is quite quick.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
So I think if we can bring that broad definition
of physical activity from the classic and for those for
whom it works fabulous working out in a gym all
the way through individual sports. And what's great too, the
summer environment lets people play tennis, it lets people play pickleball,
the fastest growing sport in the world outdoors. I mean,
(15:03):
Trinity has an outside pickleball court. So we can bring
many of our activities that probably have to be played
inside in the winter time back into those outdoor play
spaces that are in parks can be less expensive or free.
And then of course we probably can't leave golf off
the list. You know, basically take your ball and club
(15:24):
for a walk sport, you know, so there is such
a wealth of opportunities to be active. One of our
newest things to show up in the capital city is
disc golf. You know, just down from the Confederation Building.
Disc Golf NL has got a course there, so initially
you could play it with a standard frisbee. As you
(15:45):
get you know, bitten by the sport, then you can
have your whole set of of frisbee discs that let
you be an amazing disc golfer. And then there's ultimate frisbee.
And I mean, your listeners are probably going to hear
me just get so excited.
Speaker 8 (15:58):
I know that that's why you're here, Because that's why
because because I mean, you know, for anybody listening here,
just to go back twenty some years when I first
moved here, Ta was instrumental in exercise and teaching when
I was doing my master's program, and we've became colleagues
for this whole period of time, and she's always been
enthusiastic about it.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
And that's something I really love about you, and I
think that's why it's so genuine coming from you.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
And I think that you.
Speaker 6 (16:20):
Know that brings us to a really nice segue though,
because we talked about all sorts of different activities, and
one activity would be hiking. I'm going to brag for
you for a second. I know you won't do it,
but you're a world class mountain climber. You've gone to Everest.
We were just talking about how you've been all through
the Himalayas. Let's talk about hiking in this province and
how world class it is, because I think it's something
that's worth bragging about.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
I was recently at the launch of the East Coast Trails.
Knew this is our trail. I was able to play
a small role in that video, and I think the
world has taken notice the East Coast Trail that you
know runs along the east coast of the Avalanche, and
many of our other very spectacular municipal trails and provincial
(17:05):
trails at National Park shows throughout the province are spectacular.
People are starting to come to the province to hike. Specifically,
I think during the pandemic, when many people did lose
connection to their traditional forms of physical activity, I saw a.
Speaker 7 (17:22):
Huge increase in hiking.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
You know, my favorite trail heads the parking lots were blocked,
so I of course went to the lesser known ones
and you still see that today, and I was so
excited to see people getting out and enjoying hiking. You know,
with again, hiking is another physical activity that once you
have some footwear that worked for you in terms of
getting outside, something to carry some water in, pack, a
(17:46):
launch pack, a snack, a small first aid kit, and
do your little bit of research ahead of time to
know the difficulty of the trail. Most of us these
days carry our smartphones with us, which give us maps
on our phone, give us some ability to communicate.
Speaker 7 (18:02):
And off we go.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
And I can be on the East Coast Trail from
home on foot in fifteen minutes, and can be almost
anywhere on the East Coast Trail within an hour's drive.
And then there's the Isthmus trails, and there's the Damnable
trails and the toiling Gate Trails and gross Morne trails.
When you can hike for your lifetime in this province
(18:26):
and just scratch the surface.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
I agree. And you know I got into that too.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
I got the trail maps and I started hitting some
of the trails I hadn't seen before. And you know
the amazing thing about Newfoundland and Labrador, And I say
Labrador too, I said, some hiking laborer last year there
was like the most incredible things I've ever seen in
my life.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
But every trail is different.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Our scenery, our landscape is so unique that you get
something else out of it that just a good hike
for the day, you know, And we're relatively safe here,
which is great. Like being in the wilderness. My friends
at BC are talking about grizzly bears and things like that.
We don't have some of those risk factors, so I
think that's really important. But it is a bit of
a challenge for some people. Some people have mobility issues,
(19:05):
and I know you're a huge advocate for accessibility for
people that may even have even greater challenges. So maybe
we could talk a little bit about some of the
options that we have for people that have some mobility
challenges here in the city.
Speaker 5 (19:18):
Well, just like folks, trails come with a whole lot
of variety of options. So we have hiking that can
occur on anything from an asphalt trail all the way
to a very small, very primitive kind of single track
kind of a trail, And depending on where someone wants
to go, there is outdoor accessibility equipment available to them.
(19:42):
So one example is the Botanical Garden. Memorial's Botanical Garden
on Mount SiO Road has two grit freedom chairs. And
what a grit freedom chair is a wheelchair that can
be powered by leavers, so that give some mechanical advantage.
It also has instead of pastor wheels in the front,
it has one big pneumatic tire in.
Speaker 7 (20:03):
The front, not too big, but a six inch.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Which makes it very trail capable and so the little
wheel won't dig in and so someone who wants to
have the upper body workout and has the capacity to
do so, it can be self propelled. The levers can
also come out and someone could be assisted or pushed
by someone else. The Manuals River Trail system as well
(20:26):
out in Paradise has.
Speaker 7 (20:27):
A grit chair for people to borrow.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
If someone wants to go a little further afield than that.
Easter Seals and the City of Saint John's have chairs
called hippocamp and you may have seen them with the
children who have had make a wishes. They have a
very supportive seat. They're also three wheeled. You can get
them with beach wheels. I have one that I can
put skis on for the winter time and I know
(20:51):
I've seen some families take those into some incredible places
on the East Coast Trail and then us in HKR,
a school of human kinetics recreation as well as Eastern Seals,
have something called.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
The trail rider.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
And if any of your listeners have been in Southeast Asia,
they may have seen a rickshaw. And what a trail
rider is is kind of a wheelchair crossed with a
single wheeled rickshaw which allows someone It is a riding experience.
They can't propel, but they can go over many different
kinds of East Coast Trail single track. We used it
(21:25):
once to take some grandmothers into a wedding on Torbay Points.
I've had a friend of mine who uses a wheelchair.
We went into the Sunset overlook over Conception Bay, above
Anglican Cemetery Road. I've taken it to Cape Spear and
we've gotten folks up to the lighthouse. So that's again
much more of a riding experience, and the team that
(21:46):
accompanies them are getting lots of physical activity. But that
allows us to share some outdoor places like those grandmothers
got to go to that wedding because of that piece
of equipment. And then canoes motor boats, sailboats, all of
those out in the yacht club in manuals. They have
the able sale program and the able sell program also
(22:08):
runs for some nights as well in Kitty Viti, and
so it's an opportunity for folks with disabilities to get
to try sailing and that's an amazing opportunity. So activities
on water and then also bike and oal bicycle. Nufolan
Labrador in conjunction with VERSA which is the Visually Impaired
Recreation Sports Association, got some tandem bikes which allows people
(22:30):
with low vision or blindness.
Speaker 7 (22:32):
To be able to go bicycle riding.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
So if someone's living with a disability and either they
used to do something that they love to do or
they've got an interest, one option as well is to
contact the sport governing body in the province of that activity.
Because many have been learning a lot and thinking about
how to welcome folks with disabilities into their activities.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor Ta Laffler, learning about all.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
The ways we can stay active nature.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
This summer in Newfland and Labrador. We'll be right back
after the break. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
We're here with outdoor Ambassador, doctor t A.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Let's get back to our interview.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Can you just expand a little bit on the mental
health benefits, because sometimes just going up to Signal Hill
and looking over the water, going down to Middle Cove
and having a fire, or going anywhere in rural Newfoundland
and looking at the water and things like that is
therapeutic for people.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Why is that, Well, it's interesting that most of the
examples that you just gave evolved the water. And there's
actually a great book written by someone who looked into
a lot of the research around the influence of.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
Water on us, and it's called Blue Mind. And why
it's important that we make time to spend in on
or around the water.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
It's why that if people are buying property, we're willing
to pay, you know, up to a twenty five to
forty percent premium for a waterfront property. It's why people
have to call months and events to get a waterfront
table at a famous restaurant. It's why we're pretty excited
that the premiere was talking to somebody about taking down
(24:18):
the harbor fence because how many of us miss being
able to walk along the harbor apron and what a
magnet for physical activity the pedestrian mall and the harbor
could be with making that space more welcome to a
pedestrian environment because of the pull of the water. And
you know, we often talk about salt water cures everything,
but many of us find some physical activity on the water,
(24:41):
so canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, sea kayaking, as
well as whitewater kayaking. So the water provides that medium.
And then many of us find our solace near water.
So the sound of water is again been proven to
calm anxiety. Has provided that meta tative space. So when
(25:02):
we combine those two, it's like they attenuate each other.
So physical activity on or near water is magnificent. So
how many people enjoy in Saint John's walking along the
Rennies River trail or around long ponds. You see folks
going there because it has not only the physical activity
you're seeing water, you're seeing birds that live around water.
(25:23):
So again we can add that to the prescription some
physical activity outside near trees and near water. And why
say near trees is some interesting research has shown that
trees give off pheromones, they give off sense, and I
like to say it. Whether you believe in trees or not,
studies have shown that standing near a tree for five
(25:46):
minutes will reduce your quartersol or your stress hormone. So
stand near a tree, near a pond or some water,
you can just kind of fill your shoulders, come down
from around your ears.
Speaker 6 (26:00):
Yeah, oh it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, it's so funny. You said that.
Speaker 6 (26:03):
I gotta tell you something funny. We went to Japan
and the senses that we use in nature are amazing.
We use all five cents of You just talked about smell,
like people don't think about smell when they're hiking, or
pheromones and chemicals and cortisol and a little hormone. So
I agree, like, yeah, that's like I couldn't agree with
you more on those things. And you're right, like we
tend to migrate to the water here in this province
because we're surrounded by it, whether we're in Newfouland or Labrador.
(26:26):
We're very coastal communities. And I couldn't agree with that more.
The other thing I think is really important whenever we
could possibly do it is giving back to our communities
and you've mentioned several different sports groups and community groups
that are doing different things to promote physical activity. What
are ways that people can volunteer and also tick off
that box of getting outside and getting some activity.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Well, we spoke earlier about the East Coast Trail and
we heard recently funding for the Great West Trail over
on the other side. Trails require maintenance. The Newfoudland environment
is very tough on trails, so trails need to be
built and trails need to be maintained. So volunteering and
(27:08):
going on East Coast Trail trail maintenance. We have a new, beautiful,
brand new Beginner's mountain bike trail up in the Three
Pond Barrens area that was built by the Three Pond
Barons Grooming Cooperative and also supported by the Avalon Mountain
Bike Association. They just held the Women and Girls Mountain
Bike event there this past weekend. How exciting to try
(27:30):
to get more women and girls into mountain biking.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
And I know that we have at least three.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
If not four, nice beautiful developing mountain bike areas. Again,
we have the potential to be a world class mountain
biking destination. Last summer in the Kiddy Vidi Lake area,
we got a pump track, and if your listeners haven't
heard about what a pump track is, it's this cool
thing that kind of combines a flowy asphalt track with
(28:00):
circles and ramps and it allows people to practice both
on scooters and on skateboards and on bicycles, various maneuvers
that can help them become better mountain bikers. Well, I
was just in Portugal in April and it was amazing
in Lisbon, but we saw two pump tracks that kind
of had a more beginner one and then a more
advanced one, and it was great. Jody Cook pointed out
(28:23):
that it was built by the same company that built
our pump track, so that was a really exciting initiative
that was again took several community organizations and supported by
Canary Cycles in the City of Saint John's and Mountain
Bike Association to bring that to fruition. So volunteering to
help bring those kinds of outdoor facilities working to figure
(28:45):
out how to get more multi use trails because truthfully,
we know our resources in this province and in the
country aren't infinite, so we may not be able to
have six trail systems, but are there some trails that
make sense to share? And Mount Pearl and Paradise CBS
the trailway through there, I've had such amazing trips on
(29:08):
my bicycle and by foot, and I'm always so excited
when I see the trails being used respectfully and with kindness,
with people giving a shout oh I'm coming by, or
I ring my bell so I don't startle anyone, and
we go on by, and it's just so amazing to
see families outside with little ones on their bikes and
(29:29):
strollers and older folks. Kind of a fun story that
happened summer before last. A person had gotten in contact
with me because they had lost access to hiking through
an illness they were living with, and they wanted to
come try one of the grit chairs to see if
that would be a way for them to access the
outdoors because they loved being outside well hiking. So they
(29:51):
came and gave it a try and didn't hear anything else.
And summer before us, I was out riding the bike
in CBS and just who did we run into but
this person with their very own grid chair, loving it,
loving being outside again, and it was just like that
was the cat's pajamas. To see all my worlds come
(30:12):
cascading together in that moment, to have.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
Someone being able to re enjoy being outside.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor t. A.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in New flann and Labrador. We'll
be right back after the break.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
You're listening to what we broadcast up the Wellness and
Healthy Lifestyle Show with Doctor Mike Wall. Listen live Thursday
nights at seven pm and Sunday's at four pm. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor t. A.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Let's get back to our interview.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
And you mentioned a few things I was want to
comment on here. It's I was talking to the folks
from Amber the other day. You know, the Kitty Vitty
Trails are being as being some of the best mountain
biking trails in the whole world. The pump track amazing,
and it reminds me of one other activity we didn't
mention down in.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
The pond, and that's rowing.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
And I've rowed for several years, and there's a bit
of a cost to it, but it's very inexpensive for
the amount of time you get and the amount of
activity you get. It's really hard, it's very good exercise,
and it builds a real community around that as well.
So those are just a couple of things. And one
more thing was the group that's building the trail all
the way from the Holy Root up as well, so
there's a lot of trails around that area as well.
(31:28):
So this is something we're both passionate about. But I
know that you've been able to make a big difference
in people's lives for this and really spark this passion
for outdoor activity with people. Are there any stories you
could tell me or an example of somebody who could
be inspiring to our listeners right now?
Speaker 5 (31:45):
Well, it's interesting. Just yesterday was out at a chainsaw
safety workshop with a group of women that was sponsored
by the Becoming an Outdoors Women Workshops, which happened twice
a year, and their intention is to provide a fairly
low cost entry into meetings some other folks to go
outside and to be exposed to you name it in
terms of outdoor activities like you know and kayaking, maping, compass, hiking, camping,
(32:10):
outdoor cooking, and then all of the shooting, sports, archery
and things like that. So they organized this safety workshop
yesterday for women who wanted to learn how to use
chainsaws safely. And while I was there, I sat down
and one of the women leaned over and said, you
might not remember me, but I was at the very
first Becoming an outdoors Woman workshop twenty five and a
(32:31):
half years ago, and she said, I just wanted to
know I took your hiking workshop, and then I went
on your intro to Backpacking workshop, and then I immediately
started a hiking group in my community and we've been
hiking ever since. And I got, you know, I got
goosebumps because that was so cool that this program did
(32:53):
exactly what it was intended to do, which was to
provide opportunities for women to learn skills so that could
feel comfortable going out, because people aren't always comfortable to
just say I'm going outside, so sometimes they're looking for
an intro to hike program. I know the City of
Saint John's offers some very low cost out directivity programs orienteering,
(33:13):
which is learning to navigate, and it's a sport and
a great activity. Occasionally our Orienteering club has been active,
but they have different activities that families can do or
that kids can do at their particular summer camps. But
giving a chance the outfitters at times has offered workshops,
a chance to learn some of those skills so that
when we do go outside, we feel prepared and we're
(33:37):
ready to keep ourselves safe.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Yeah, that's that's fantastic.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
And you're right, you know, you just keep on picking
up knowledge as you go and having those resources are important.
What do you think makes this Problence in particular such
a great place to get active inside?
Speaker 5 (33:55):
You know, I don't know if in your in your
travels and your research, you've come across the concept of
freelss leave. It's a Scandinavian word for open air life.
So the Scandinavian countries, the Finns, the Swedes, the Norwegians
really embrace being outside, being out on the land, having
a relationship with their outdoor places and those kind of things.
(34:17):
And I've always wanted to discover if there is a
word for the same in Newfoundland, because I think we
do have that freeloss leave and I just you know,
I've spent some time looking through the Dictionary of Newfoundland
English and I haven't found it yet that captures the
joy like the saltwater joys, that captures the ability to
(34:37):
sustain yourself using the resources from the land, so berry picking, hunting, fishing,
you know, having that connection to this place, and then
the amazing ruggedness and beauty that we have and sometimes
a high price of admission. My students were out last
(34:58):
Friday when it was two degrees, it was raining, it
was blowing a gale, but we were practicing because it
does take practice. The first time you go out in
a rainstorm.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
You're probably going to be wet and cold. Then you
come and watch.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
Some more YouTube videos or talk to some folks and
adjust your layering system and you get more and more
comfortable as you go. Just like anything being outside, takes
practice and you might not get it right on the
first try or the second try or the third tribe.
But you know, these days, especially with YouTube and the
generosity of content creators, we can learn so many things
online that we would have been able to learn before.
(35:34):
And then there's also like I think of Like for
a Newfoundland, which introduces people to mushrooming and to learning
about mushrooms. There's nature and el and introduces people to
those kinds of things. So there can be ways in
which if you have a cultural interest or a natural
history interest, or a historical interest, or the guy who
(35:55):
wrote the book that came out last year on the
top of my head about strange and interesting places in
New filents. Oh yeah, so things like the Trinity Loop
and things. So, you know, just even going and trying
to find some of these unique places again often takes
outdoor activity and outdoor research and things like that to do,
(36:16):
which you know differs a little bit from what we
think of as traditional outdoor activities. So I think the
real key is finding some angle that works with your
wiring for getting you to be willing to go outside
for you know, thirty minutes a day.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
Yeah, and exploring our beautiful problems.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
My friends call me a wanna bay because I'm always
out of town on the weekends exploring new communities and
going to different places. And I think we have an
untapped resource there and it's great for people to see
our own problems, support those communities as well, go for
a visit. But I think one of the biggest assets
we have is somebody like yourself is such a strong
advocate for it to come on here for anybody listening.
Because Tia had so much information today, This will all
(36:55):
be available on vocm dot com. You can go and
re listen to it and track down some of those
things if you heard something that really resonated with you.
But Ta, thanks so much for taking the time to
join us today. As the pleasure as always, and I'm
sure you'll be back on many more times.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
I look forward to it. Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Thank you to my guest doctor Ta Lafler for joining
me today and sharing her expertise and passion for outdoor
activities in newflant and Labrador. Throughout our conversation, we explored
the beauty and variety of outdoor activities available in our province,
from hiking along the East Coast Trail to biking, gardening,
and even exploring our cities. We learned about the physical
and mental health benefits of engaging in outdoor activities, in
(37:34):
particular the calming effects of nature, the joy of being
near water, and the positive impact on our overall well being.
Now Ta emphasized the importance of accessibility and inclusivity and
outdoor spaces, and she shared the various options and equipment
available for individuals with mobility challenges. We also touched upon
the significance of volunteering and giving back to our communities
(37:55):
by maintaining trails, supporting outdoor initiatives, and sharing our.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Love of the outdoors with others.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
So whether it's exploring the rugged coastline, biking through scenic trails,
or simply enjoying the tranquility of a local park, there
are countless ways for us to embrace an active and
fulfilling outdoor lifestyle this summer. Remember, even small steps can
make a significant difference in your well being.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
Well.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Thank you for tuning in. I'm your host, doctor Mike Wall.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
We'll see you back here next week for another episode
of The Wall Show on your vocm
Welcome to the Wellness and Healthy Lifestyle show on your
VOCM Now, here's your host, doctor Mike Wall.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Welcome to the show. I'm your host, doctor Mike Wall. Now,
our summers may not be that.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
Long here in New Flannel Labrador, but it doesn't mean
we can't make the most of them when it comes
to outdoor activity.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
So joining us today is my friend, Professor T. A.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Loffler. Now, she's a distinguished professor in human kinetics and
Recreation at Amoral University. She's going to guide us through
the different summer outdoor activities available in our beautiful province,
from the ruggy coastal trails to our urban playgrounds.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
She'll provide expert.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
Insights on how we can maximize our enjoyment of these
activities despite.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Our shorter summer season.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
We'll learn about the hidden benefits of engaging in these activities,
and she'll teach us how to make the most of
them to nurture both our physical and mental well being.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
So get ready to explore the great outdoors.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
I hope the show inspires you to seize our Newfoundland
and Labrador summer. Let's get to our interview.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Nikay, Welcome back to the show.
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Hey, thanks for having me back.
Speaker 6 (01:11):
Well, you are my go to when it comes to
physical activity, in particular when it comes to outdoors. And
last time we chatted, we talked about winter activities, which
I know is something you're really passionate about, but you're
also really passionate about summer activities, so I thought i'd pick.
Speaker 4 (01:25):
Your brain on that.
Speaker 6 (01:26):
But before we start, maybe for the listeners that are
tuning in, you can give a little bit of background
on yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:32):
Sure, I'm doctor T. A. Loffler, and I'm a professor
in the School of Human in Kinetics and Recreation.
Speaker 7 (01:37):
At Memorial University, and my area.
Speaker 5 (01:39):
Of expertise is indeed outdoor recreation and outdoor education. So
most folks think I'm playing all the time when I'm
out working, but you know, in those rainy days, I'm
definitely working hard and I love doing anything outdoors and
one of my core missions is to get everybody outside.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
Well, that's perfect, and that's why you're the perfect person
to talk to.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
You.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
You're the ambassador for outdoor activity. Really in the.
Speaker 6 (01:59):
Prim Newfoundland heard before that we have four seasons. We
have almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction. But our
supper is short, but there offers a lot of opportunity
for physical activity. You know, when people think about physical activity,
why why is it good for us? You know, can
you give us like the sort of science one on
one on it?
Speaker 5 (02:18):
Oh my goodness, it's good on so many levels. It
helps prevent many chronic illnesses. It can keep us moving
and keep our bodies much more limber if we don't
engage in physical activity, And.
Speaker 7 (02:32):
It's really good for our cognition.
Speaker 5 (02:34):
Lots of research shows that by being physically active we
can have a better chance of fending off dementia and
other cognitive decline as well as our mental health. When
we get out and be physically active in whatever form
makes us happy, then we get to have some of
those wonderful endorphins that bring our mood up. Oftentimes, physical
activity provides meditative, repetitive movement, which also can kind of
(02:59):
relax if we're worried about something or something we need
to think about something sometimes by going out for a
walk or a run, doing yoga, those kind of things,
then that gives us new perspectives on things, which also
helps our mental health. So I think if I could
give a prescription to everyone, it would be number one
physical activity and number two, do at least a pretty
good chunk of that physical activity outside.
Speaker 6 (03:21):
Yeah, exactly, And that was going to be my next
question for those people that aren't real advocates for exercising inside,
because it's not for everybody go to a gym or
even an organized rec league of some sort. Is there
a difference between exercising indoors versus outdoors?
Speaker 5 (03:36):
There is, and it's sometimes people wouldn't intuitively come up
with some of the differences.
Speaker 7 (03:43):
These days, we often think about air quality.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
So exercising outdoors, you have infinite ventilation, so you're not
worried about sharing air with anybody else who might be
exercising beside you. The research also shows that by doing
some kind of physical activity outside, we actually work a
little bit harder. So wind is there, slopes are there,
(04:06):
we have more friction in the surfaces that we're traversing,
so ultimately we work a little bit harder. But because
the outdoors is so engaging and keeps us occupied, we
actually don't think we work as hard. So that's a
you know, kind of a win wind kind of bonus
that we work harder but don't think we did well.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
That's interesting you said that you know about the repetitive
type movements and the meditative aspect of it. I've heard
that being in nature because it's so random, as opposed
to being in a gym, being a treadmill and seeing
the same thing over and over again, the confusing aspect
or the chaos of nature itself, actually allows us to
immerse ourselves more in that. Is that true?
Speaker 5 (04:43):
Well, it definitely requires us to engage with the environment differently,
you know. So if we took that example of let's say,
running inside on a treadmill versus running outside, either on
a sidewalk or on a trail, or even on a
less developed trail, our rain has to be perceiving all
kinds of different things. So on the treadmill, every footfall
(05:04):
is about the same and unless we totally space out
and get flipped off the back of the treadmill, we
could read a book or watch television or zone out
and get relaxed.
Speaker 7 (05:14):
That way.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
When we're running outside, our senses are very engaged. We're
aware of the smells. If we're going through a particular
neighborhood smell delicious bacon, booking, or if we're running in nature,
then we might be smelling the hint of wildflowers on
the air, things like that, so it engages our eyes
and engages our sense of smell. We might be hearing
birds song, so it becomes a multisensory experience when we
(05:39):
do that outside as well as because the terrain is uneven,
because we might have wind on a cheek, because we
may be needing to perceive curb cuts or roots or rocks.
Speaker 7 (05:49):
And things like that.
Speaker 5 (05:50):
It's very cognitively active, and so I think that's another
piece that ties in. It brings a complexity to the
task that we wouldn't necessarily have if.
Speaker 7 (06:00):
We're doing a similar kind of activity inside.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Oh, that makes perfect sense. I mean, you know, the
random rocks on a trail and all those.
Speaker 6 (06:06):
Things as opposed to a flat surface that's moving for you.
Speaker 4 (06:10):
Yeah, that's that's important. I think that, you know, And
I think the other thing is how we exercise.
Speaker 6 (06:14):
And I think sometimes people think of physical activity in
the ways that we've probably seen a popular media, like
you know, they got to go and jump on a
treadmill like we just said, or they have to go
to a gym and things like that. But in the
capital city region, are there some activities that individuals can
engage in increase our activity levels and ones that maybe
don't require us to spend a lot of money.
Speaker 5 (06:36):
Well, in the Saint John's and in the greater Avalon
Metro areas, we do have a real plethora of walking trails.
I mean probably the toughest thing is, you know, getting
up from the chair and putting your sneakers on and
getting out the door, getting dressed for the weather, whatever
that is. But with the Grand Concourse trails, with municipal trails,
(06:56):
with city parks, so Bowering Park Park, with the trailway
system that you could jump on in the west end
of downtown Saint John's and you could walk yourself all
the way to Holyrood if you wished. So there's these
different interlocking hiking trails or walking trails, some of which
(07:16):
are multi use so that they could also be bicycled.
Speaker 7 (07:19):
But what I love about, especially.
Speaker 5 (07:21):
The summertime, and I live downtown Saint John's, is if
I want some physical activity, which I crave several times
a day, I just put on my shoes and I
have a little roote I do through my neighborhood, walk
up the hill. So I breathe a little bit of
hard going up the hill, and then through Batterman Park
to check out who's doing water around the loop. You know,
these days, I see little kids learning the bicycle and
(07:43):
people on their skateboards and people doing rollerblading. And then
you go on down the thing, and then you see
the folks in the baseball diamond playing some baseball. And
then you come back around and then we head into
Government House and the grounds on Government House are beautiful
and so many people don't know that we're welcome to
go in and walk there. Last summer as part of
(08:04):
the Platinums, you believe, they put a whole new set
of walking trails in the back there. So they're beautiful.
They're five foot wide, they're flat, they're very well graded,
and they're great for strollers. They're great for folks that
want to have a walking surface that's even in flat
and the daffodils are out and the trees are up,
and so it's a very engaging inner city walking experience.
(08:27):
So that's my number one go to always. And when
my grandmother turned ninety three, I put my laptop into
her lap and so she saw herself on the screen
and she was having a laugh kind of figuring that out,
and I said, so Omah, which is the German name
for grandmother, how did you live so long? And she
(08:47):
looked at herself and she started talking. And one of
her number one lessons was I go for a walk
every day. And so I've taken her advice to heart,
and I go for at least one, sometimes too, occasionally
three and on occasion five walks a day because that's
super easy. And now that it's getting to be summer,
I'm going to be starting to get out on my
(09:08):
bike much more as well.
Speaker 6 (09:10):
Well, you know that's really universal to anybody listening. We've
all got communities we can walk through. Or if you're
in a rural setting, it's even easier because you've got
roads with like not a lot of traffic around and
probably some hiking and things like that out there. And
I think that's really important. It's funny you said that
about the secret to longevity. I just got back from Okinawa,
where the oldest people in the world live, and there's
all sorts of group activities where people exercise and do
(09:31):
those types of walks and things together and it and
it adds a social component to it. One of the
things I think that people struggle with a lot these
days is enough family time together. Are there some activities
that you can think of that are really good for
families to do together.
Speaker 7 (09:47):
Well, A couple of.
Speaker 5 (09:48):
Things come to mind again. Our local parks. I mean,
parks are wonderful oasis of nature in municipalities, and oftentimes
at the park might be the play structures, so so
young ones can be learning they're climbing and moving and sliding.
Speaker 7 (10:05):
Kind of skills.
Speaker 5 (10:06):
Oftentimes grown up stand around and watch them. But some
new parks have areas where adults can do laps around
the playing surface as they go. And in some communities
in the world's kind of cool they're actually building adult
playgrounds beside the kid playgrounds where they can be sort
of more kind of outdoor exercise equipment. So I think
going to the park is a great one because you're
(10:26):
going to walk from the parking area to the play structures.
Looking for places in your neighborhood or community that are
safe for bicycles, so like the loop in Bannerman Park
or the closed down streets in Bowering Park are excellent.
My granddaughter loves to ride her bike at skate parks.
(10:47):
So the new playground at ken Mount Terrace has a
skate park and she is already ready to nash on
the trails, having been a three year old who could
ride her push bike in the skate park, and that's
a family activity for them. They go biking together, so
bicycling is a great one to do together. And then
all the kind of classic traditional Newfoundland outdoor activities can
(11:09):
be done as a family, so fishing, trouting when it's
food fishery time, going fishing for cod, four wheeling and
snowmore villain. But I'm not supposed to talk about my
winter passion. But the truth is anytime we go outdoors
for whatever floats our boat, it involves more activity. So
barry picking is an awesome way when we get to
the end of the summer and gardening. Gardening is when
(11:32):
we just can't leave off the list. So we have
a long tradition in Newfiland and Labrador of growing.
Speaker 7 (11:37):
Some of our own food.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
And I'm in a community garden plot and what's great
is again we have a multi generational community there, so
everyone's coming back into the community garden now. And I
think our youngest gardener is just born and we have
folks all the way up through mid eighties who come
and work in the gardens.
Speaker 7 (11:57):
They stand, they bend, they move. Is kind of like
yoga with benefits.
Speaker 2 (12:03):
We're here with outdoor Ambassador, doctor t A.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in New plan and Labrador. We'll
be right back after the break.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Welcome back. We're here with Outdoor ambassad.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Doctor Ta Laffler, learning about all the ways we can
stay active in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Let's get back to our.
Speaker 6 (12:28):
Interview and I'm just gonna take a quick step back
we talk with the benefits things. Is I think sometimes
we've been so convinced that the only way you get
benefit from exercise if you're going like a gatory commercial.
Can you just explain why walking and moving and doing
those activities you talked about are sufficient for people.
Speaker 5 (12:47):
Yeah, I think there's you know, in attempting to get people,
you know, more active. We've you know, various campaigns that
tried to scare people into physical activity, control them, bargain
with them, all those kinds of things. But truthfully, especially
if someone hasn't been as active as someone there are
huge gains and huge benefits for health and wellness from
(13:10):
starting out near scratch.
Speaker 7 (13:12):
And when we.
Speaker 5 (13:13):
Say physical activity, oftentimes people's first thought is the gym.
Whereas I go to the garden for the day, and
by the time I finished with the garden, I've had
a really good day of physical activity because I've shoveled.
I may have moved things by the wheelbarrow. I definitely
was bending, I was balancing as I walk down a
little rows between the gardens and things. And one thing
(13:35):
that I think we o down often talk about is that,
you know, when we think of physical activity, we do
think of cardioespiratory fitness. But when we think about physical
activity and what it takes to maintain this beautiful, amazing
containers called our bodies, we also want to be thinking
about our flexibility, our strength, our coordination, and those kinds
(13:57):
of things. So again, another rich area for outdoor physical
activity is more often than not, it's engaging many of
those different kinds of things. I was had, you know,
my students out on Long Pond this past week in canoes.
So if we look through what it takes to go canoeing,
we first have to take the canoes off the rack,
(14:18):
so we're working with strength, and then we take them
down and get them launched, and then we need to
get into the canoe, which we're working on balance their
fitness as we're paddling and we're drawing not to tip over,
and then we're working about coordination. And then the cognition
that goes with making a canoe go where you want
it to do is incredible, and it's fun and you
see smiles, and the passage of time.
Speaker 7 (14:40):
Is quite quick.
Speaker 5 (14:42):
So I think if we can bring that broad definition
of physical activity from the classic and for those for
whom it works fabulous working out in a gym all
the way through individual sports. And what's great too, the
summer environment lets people play tennis, it lets people play pickleball,
the fastest growing sport in the world outdoors. I mean,
(15:03):
Trinity has an outside pickleball court. So we can bring
many of our activities that probably have to be played
inside in the winter time back into those outdoor play
spaces that are in parks can be less expensive or free.
And then of course we probably can't leave golf off
the list. You know, basically take your ball and club
(15:24):
for a walk sport, you know, so there is such
a wealth of opportunities to be active. One of our
newest things to show up in the capital city is
disc golf. You know, just down from the Confederation Building.
Disc Golf NL has got a course there, so initially
you could play it with a standard frisbee. As you
(15:45):
get you know, bitten by the sport, then you can
have your whole set of of frisbee discs that let
you be an amazing disc golfer. And then there's ultimate frisbee.
And I mean, your listeners are probably going to hear
me just get so excited.
Speaker 8 (15:58):
I know that that's why you're here, Because that's why
because because I mean, you know, for anybody listening here,
just to go back twenty some years when I first
moved here, Ta was instrumental in exercise and teaching when
I was doing my master's program, and we've became colleagues
for this whole period of time, and she's always been
enthusiastic about it.
Speaker 6 (16:16):
And that's something I really love about you, and I
think that's why it's so genuine coming from you.
Speaker 4 (16:19):
And I think that you.
Speaker 6 (16:20):
Know that brings us to a really nice segue though,
because we talked about all sorts of different activities, and
one activity would be hiking. I'm going to brag for
you for a second. I know you won't do it,
but you're a world class mountain climber. You've gone to Everest.
We were just talking about how you've been all through
the Himalayas. Let's talk about hiking in this province and
how world class it is, because I think it's something
that's worth bragging about.
Speaker 5 (16:43):
I was recently at the launch of the East Coast Trails.
Knew this is our trail. I was able to play
a small role in that video, and I think the
world has taken notice the East Coast Trail that you
know runs along the east coast of the Avalanche, and
many of our other very spectacular municipal trails and provincial
(17:05):
trails at National Park shows throughout the province are spectacular.
People are starting to come to the province to hike. Specifically,
I think during the pandemic, when many people did lose
connection to their traditional forms of physical activity, I saw a.
Speaker 7 (17:22):
Huge increase in hiking.
Speaker 5 (17:23):
You know, my favorite trail heads the parking lots were blocked,
so I of course went to the lesser known ones
and you still see that today, and I was so
excited to see people getting out and enjoying hiking. You know,
with again, hiking is another physical activity that once you
have some footwear that worked for you in terms of
getting outside, something to carry some water in, pack, a
(17:46):
launch pack, a snack, a small first aid kit, and
do your little bit of research ahead of time to
know the difficulty of the trail. Most of us these
days carry our smartphones with us, which give us maps
on our phone, give us some ability to communicate.
Speaker 7 (18:02):
And off we go.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
And I can be on the East Coast Trail from
home on foot in fifteen minutes, and can be almost
anywhere on the East Coast Trail within an hour's drive.
And then there's the Isthmus trails, and there's the Damnable
trails and the toiling Gate Trails and gross Morne trails.
When you can hike for your lifetime in this province
(18:26):
and just scratch the surface.
Speaker 4 (18:29):
I agree. And you know I got into that too.
Speaker 6 (18:31):
I got the trail maps and I started hitting some
of the trails I hadn't seen before. And you know
the amazing thing about Newfoundland and Labrador, And I say
Labrador too, I said, some hiking laborer last year there
was like the most incredible things I've ever seen in
my life.
Speaker 4 (18:43):
But every trail is different.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Our scenery, our landscape is so unique that you get
something else out of it that just a good hike
for the day, you know, And we're relatively safe here,
which is great. Like being in the wilderness. My friends
at BC are talking about grizzly bears and things like that.
We don't have some of those risk factors, so I
think that's really important. But it is a bit of
a challenge for some people. Some people have mobility issues,
(19:05):
and I know you're a huge advocate for accessibility for
people that may even have even greater challenges. So maybe
we could talk a little bit about some of the
options that we have for people that have some mobility
challenges here in the city.
Speaker 5 (19:18):
Well, just like folks, trails come with a whole lot
of variety of options. So we have hiking that can
occur on anything from an asphalt trail all the way
to a very small, very primitive kind of single track
kind of a trail, And depending on where someone wants
to go, there is outdoor accessibility equipment available to them.
(19:42):
So one example is the Botanical Garden. Memorial's Botanical Garden
on Mount SiO Road has two grit freedom chairs. And
what a grit freedom chair is a wheelchair that can
be powered by leavers, so that give some mechanical advantage.
It also has instead of pastor wheels in the front,
it has one big pneumatic tire in.
Speaker 7 (20:03):
The front, not too big, but a six inch.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
Which makes it very trail capable and so the little
wheel won't dig in and so someone who wants to
have the upper body workout and has the capacity to
do so, it can be self propelled. The levers can
also come out and someone could be assisted or pushed
by someone else. The Manuals River Trail system as well
(20:26):
out in Paradise has.
Speaker 7 (20:27):
A grit chair for people to borrow.
Speaker 5 (20:30):
If someone wants to go a little further afield than that.
Easter Seals and the City of Saint John's have chairs
called hippocamp and you may have seen them with the
children who have had make a wishes. They have a
very supportive seat. They're also three wheeled. You can get
them with beach wheels. I have one that I can
put skis on for the winter time and I know
(20:51):
I've seen some families take those into some incredible places
on the East Coast Trail and then us in HKR,
a school of human kinetics recreation as well as Eastern Seals,
have something called.
Speaker 7 (21:01):
The trail rider.
Speaker 5 (21:03):
And if any of your listeners have been in Southeast Asia,
they may have seen a rickshaw. And what a trail
rider is is kind of a wheelchair crossed with a
single wheeled rickshaw which allows someone It is a riding experience.
They can't propel, but they can go over many different
kinds of East Coast Trail single track. We used it
(21:25):
once to take some grandmothers into a wedding on Torbay Points.
I've had a friend of mine who uses a wheelchair.
We went into the Sunset overlook over Conception Bay, above
Anglican Cemetery Road. I've taken it to Cape Spear and
we've gotten folks up to the lighthouse. So that's again
much more of a riding experience, and the team that
(21:46):
accompanies them are getting lots of physical activity. But that
allows us to share some outdoor places like those grandmothers
got to go to that wedding because of that piece
of equipment. And then canoes motor boats, sailboats, all of
those out in the yacht club in manuals. They have
the able sale program and the able sell program also
(22:08):
runs for some nights as well in Kitty Viti, and
so it's an opportunity for folks with disabilities to get
to try sailing and that's an amazing opportunity. So activities
on water and then also bike and oal bicycle. Nufolan
Labrador in conjunction with VERSA which is the Visually Impaired
Recreation Sports Association, got some tandem bikes which allows people
(22:30):
with low vision or blindness.
Speaker 7 (22:32):
To be able to go bicycle riding.
Speaker 5 (22:34):
So if someone's living with a disability and either they
used to do something that they love to do or
they've got an interest, one option as well is to
contact the sport governing body in the province of that activity.
Because many have been learning a lot and thinking about
how to welcome folks with disabilities into their activities.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor Ta Laffler, learning about all.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
The ways we can stay active nature.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
This summer in Newfland and Labrador. We'll be right back
after the break. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
We're here with outdoor Ambassador, doctor t A.
Speaker 3 (23:14):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (23:19):
Let's get back to our interview.
Speaker 6 (23:21):
Can you just expand a little bit on the mental
health benefits, because sometimes just going up to Signal Hill
and looking over the water, going down to Middle Cove
and having a fire, or going anywhere in rural Newfoundland
and looking at the water and things like that is
therapeutic for people.
Speaker 5 (23:34):
Why is that, Well, it's interesting that most of the
examples that you just gave evolved the water. And there's
actually a great book written by someone who looked into
a lot of the research around the influence of.
Speaker 7 (23:48):
Water on us, and it's called Blue Mind. And why
it's important that we make time to spend in on
or around the water.
Speaker 5 (23:57):
It's why that if people are buying property, we're willing
to pay, you know, up to a twenty five to
forty percent premium for a waterfront property. It's why people
have to call months and events to get a waterfront
table at a famous restaurant. It's why we're pretty excited
that the premiere was talking to somebody about taking down
(24:18):
the harbor fence because how many of us miss being
able to walk along the harbor apron and what a
magnet for physical activity the pedestrian mall and the harbor
could be with making that space more welcome to a
pedestrian environment because of the pull of the water. And
you know, we often talk about salt water cures everything,
but many of us find some physical activity on the water,
(24:41):
so canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, sea kayaking, as
well as whitewater kayaking. So the water provides that medium.
And then many of us find our solace near water.
So the sound of water is again been proven to
calm anxiety. Has provided that meta tative space. So when
(25:02):
we combine those two, it's like they attenuate each other.
So physical activity on or near water is magnificent. So
how many people enjoy in Saint John's walking along the
Rennies River trail or around long ponds. You see folks
going there because it has not only the physical activity
you're seeing water, you're seeing birds that live around water.
(25:23):
So again we can add that to the prescription some
physical activity outside near trees and near water. And why
say near trees is some interesting research has shown that
trees give off pheromones, they give off sense, and I
like to say it. Whether you believe in trees or not,
studies have shown that standing near a tree for five
(25:46):
minutes will reduce your quartersol or your stress hormone. So
stand near a tree, near a pond or some water,
you can just kind of fill your shoulders, come down
from around your ears.
Speaker 6 (26:00):
Yeah, oh it's so funny.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
Yeah, it's so funny. You said that.
Speaker 6 (26:03):
I gotta tell you something funny. We went to Japan
and the senses that we use in nature are amazing.
We use all five cents of You just talked about smell,
like people don't think about smell when they're hiking, or
pheromones and chemicals and cortisol and a little hormone. So
I agree, like, yeah, that's like I couldn't agree with
you more on those things. And you're right, like we
tend to migrate to the water here in this province
because we're surrounded by it, whether we're in Newfouland or Labrador.
(26:26):
We're very coastal communities. And I couldn't agree with that more.
The other thing I think is really important whenever we
could possibly do it is giving back to our communities
and you've mentioned several different sports groups and community groups
that are doing different things to promote physical activity. What
are ways that people can volunteer and also tick off
that box of getting outside and getting some activity.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Well, we spoke earlier about the East Coast Trail and
we heard recently funding for the Great West Trail over
on the other side. Trails require maintenance. The Newfoudland environment
is very tough on trails, so trails need to be
built and trails need to be maintained. So volunteering and
(27:08):
going on East Coast Trail trail maintenance. We have a new, beautiful,
brand new Beginner's mountain bike trail up in the Three
Pond Barrens area that was built by the Three Pond
Barons Grooming Cooperative and also supported by the Avalon Mountain
Bike Association. They just held the Women and Girls Mountain
Bike event there this past weekend. How exciting to try
(27:30):
to get more women and girls into mountain biking.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
And I know that we have at least three.
Speaker 5 (27:36):
If not four, nice beautiful developing mountain bike areas. Again,
we have the potential to be a world class mountain
biking destination. Last summer in the Kiddy Vidi Lake area,
we got a pump track, and if your listeners haven't
heard about what a pump track is, it's this cool
thing that kind of combines a flowy asphalt track with
(28:00):
circles and ramps and it allows people to practice both
on scooters and on skateboards and on bicycles, various maneuvers
that can help them become better mountain bikers. Well, I
was just in Portugal in April and it was amazing
in Lisbon, but we saw two pump tracks that kind
of had a more beginner one and then a more
advanced one, and it was great. Jody Cook pointed out
(28:23):
that it was built by the same company that built
our pump track, so that was a really exciting initiative
that was again took several community organizations and supported by
Canary Cycles in the City of Saint John's and Mountain
Bike Association to bring that to fruition. So volunteering to
help bring those kinds of outdoor facilities working to figure
(28:45):
out how to get more multi use trails because truthfully,
we know our resources in this province and in the
country aren't infinite, so we may not be able to
have six trail systems, but are there some trails that
make sense to share? And Mount Pearl and Paradise CBS
the trailway through there, I've had such amazing trips on
(29:08):
my bicycle and by foot, and I'm always so excited
when I see the trails being used respectfully and with kindness,
with people giving a shout oh I'm coming by, or
I ring my bell so I don't startle anyone, and
we go on by, and it's just so amazing to
see families outside with little ones on their bikes and
(29:29):
strollers and older folks. Kind of a fun story that
happened summer before last. A person had gotten in contact
with me because they had lost access to hiking through
an illness they were living with, and they wanted to
come try one of the grit chairs to see if
that would be a way for them to access the
outdoors because they loved being outside well hiking. So they
(29:51):
came and gave it a try and didn't hear anything else.
And summer before us, I was out riding the bike
in CBS and just who did we run into but
this person with their very own grid chair, loving it,
loving being outside again, and it was just like that
was the cat's pajamas. To see all my worlds come
(30:12):
cascading together in that moment, to have.
Speaker 7 (30:15):
Someone being able to re enjoy being outside.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor t. A.
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in New flann and Labrador. We'll
be right back after the break.
Speaker 1 (30:31):
You're listening to what we broadcast up the Wellness and
Healthy Lifestyle Show with Doctor Mike Wall. Listen live Thursday
nights at seven pm and Sunday's at four pm. Welcome back.
Speaker 2 (30:43):
We're here with Outdoor Ambassador, doctor t. A.
Speaker 3 (30:45):
Laffler, learning about all the ways we can stay active
in nature this summer in our province.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Let's get back to our interview.
Speaker 6 (30:52):
And you mentioned a few things I was want to
comment on here. It's I was talking to the folks
from Amber the other day. You know, the Kitty Vitty
Trails are being as being some of the best mountain
biking trails in the whole world. The pump track amazing,
and it reminds me of one other activity we didn't
mention down in.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
The pond, and that's rowing.
Speaker 6 (31:08):
And I've rowed for several years, and there's a bit
of a cost to it, but it's very inexpensive for
the amount of time you get and the amount of
activity you get. It's really hard, it's very good exercise,
and it builds a real community around that as well.
So those are just a couple of things. And one
more thing was the group that's building the trail all
the way from the Holy Root up as well, so
there's a lot of trails around that area as well.
(31:28):
So this is something we're both passionate about. But I
know that you've been able to make a big difference
in people's lives for this and really spark this passion
for outdoor activity with people. Are there any stories you
could tell me or an example of somebody who could
be inspiring to our listeners right now?
Speaker 5 (31:45):
Well, it's interesting. Just yesterday was out at a chainsaw
safety workshop with a group of women that was sponsored
by the Becoming an Outdoors Women Workshops, which happened twice
a year, and their intention is to provide a fairly
low cost entry into meetings some other folks to go
outside and to be exposed to you name it in
terms of outdoor activities like you know and kayaking, maping, compass, hiking, camping,
(32:10):
outdoor cooking, and then all of the shooting, sports, archery
and things like that. So they organized this safety workshop
yesterday for women who wanted to learn how to use
chainsaws safely. And while I was there, I sat down
and one of the women leaned over and said, you
might not remember me, but I was at the very
first Becoming an outdoors Woman workshop twenty five and a
(32:31):
half years ago, and she said, I just wanted to
know I took your hiking workshop, and then I went
on your intro to Backpacking workshop, and then I immediately
started a hiking group in my community and we've been
hiking ever since. And I got, you know, I got
goosebumps because that was so cool that this program did
(32:53):
exactly what it was intended to do, which was to
provide opportunities for women to learn skills so that could
feel comfortable going out, because people aren't always comfortable to
just say I'm going outside, so sometimes they're looking for
an intro to hike program. I know the City of
Saint John's offers some very low cost out directivity programs orienteering,
(33:13):
which is learning to navigate, and it's a sport and
a great activity. Occasionally our Orienteering club has been active,
but they have different activities that families can do or
that kids can do at their particular summer camps. But
giving a chance the outfitters at times has offered workshops,
a chance to learn some of those skills so that
when we do go outside, we feel prepared and we're
(33:37):
ready to keep ourselves safe.
Speaker 4 (33:39):
Yeah, that's that's fantastic.
Speaker 6 (33:41):
And you're right, you know, you just keep on picking
up knowledge as you go and having those resources are important.
What do you think makes this Problence in particular such
a great place to get active inside?
Speaker 5 (33:55):
You know, I don't know if in your in your
travels and your research, you've come across the concept of
freelss leave. It's a Scandinavian word for open air life.
So the Scandinavian countries, the Finns, the Swedes, the Norwegians
really embrace being outside, being out on the land, having
a relationship with their outdoor places and those kind of things.
(34:17):
And I've always wanted to discover if there is a
word for the same in Newfoundland, because I think we
do have that freeloss leave and I just you know,
I've spent some time looking through the Dictionary of Newfoundland
English and I haven't found it yet that captures the
joy like the saltwater joys, that captures the ability to
(34:37):
sustain yourself using the resources from the land, so berry picking, hunting, fishing,
you know, having that connection to this place, and then
the amazing ruggedness and beauty that we have and sometimes
a high price of admission. My students were out last
(34:58):
Friday when it was two degrees, it was raining, it
was blowing a gale, but we were practicing because it
does take practice. The first time you go out in
a rainstorm.
Speaker 7 (35:08):
You're probably going to be wet and cold. Then you
come and watch.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
Some more YouTube videos or talk to some folks and
adjust your layering system and you get more and more
comfortable as you go. Just like anything being outside, takes
practice and you might not get it right on the
first try or the second try or the third tribe.
But you know, these days, especially with YouTube and the
generosity of content creators, we can learn so many things
online that we would have been able to learn before.
(35:34):
And then there's also like I think of Like for
a Newfoundland, which introduces people to mushrooming and to learning
about mushrooms. There's nature and el and introduces people to
those kinds of things. So there can be ways in
which if you have a cultural interest or a natural
history interest, or a historical interest, or the guy who
(35:55):
wrote the book that came out last year on the
top of my head about strange and interesting places in
New filents. Oh yeah, so things like the Trinity Loop
and things. So, you know, just even going and trying
to find some of these unique places again often takes
outdoor activity and outdoor research and things like that to do,
(36:16):
which you know differs a little bit from what we
think of as traditional outdoor activities. So I think the
real key is finding some angle that works with your
wiring for getting you to be willing to go outside
for you know, thirty minutes a day.
Speaker 4 (36:32):
Yeah, and exploring our beautiful problems.
Speaker 6 (36:34):
My friends call me a wanna bay because I'm always
out of town on the weekends exploring new communities and
going to different places. And I think we have an
untapped resource there and it's great for people to see
our own problems, support those communities as well, go for
a visit. But I think one of the biggest assets
we have is somebody like yourself is such a strong
advocate for it to come on here for anybody listening.
Because Tia had so much information today, This will all
(36:55):
be available on vocm dot com. You can go and
re listen to it and track down some of those
things if you heard something that really resonated with you.
But Ta, thanks so much for taking the time to
join us today. As the pleasure as always, and I'm
sure you'll be back on many more times.
Speaker 5 (37:08):
I look forward to it. Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 3 (37:13):
Thank you to my guest doctor Ta Lafler for joining
me today and sharing her expertise and passion for outdoor
activities in newflant and Labrador. Throughout our conversation, we explored
the beauty and variety of outdoor activities available in our province,
from hiking along the East Coast Trail to biking, gardening,
and even exploring our cities. We learned about the physical
and mental health benefits of engaging in outdoor activities, in
(37:34):
particular the calming effects of nature, the joy of being
near water, and the positive impact on our overall well being.
Now Ta emphasized the importance of accessibility and inclusivity and
outdoor spaces, and she shared the various options and equipment
available for individuals with mobility challenges. We also touched upon
the significance of volunteering and giving back to our communities
(37:55):
by maintaining trails, supporting outdoor initiatives, and sharing our.
Speaker 2 (37:59):
Love of the outdoors with others.
Speaker 3 (38:02):
So whether it's exploring the rugged coastline, biking through scenic trails,
or simply enjoying the tranquility of a local park, there
are countless ways for us to embrace an active and
fulfilling outdoor lifestyle this summer. Remember, even small steps can
make a significant difference in your well being.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
Well.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Thank you for tuning in. I'm your host, doctor Mike Wall.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
We'll see you back here next week for another episode
of The Wall Show on your vocm
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