A little cold water immersion after a long day!

Near the end of yesterday’s run, I met Paul on H7.  He was out for a walk.  He asked where I was running and then what I was running for.  After I gave him the brief version, he proceeded to give me his two cents for the next 20 minutes.  It became apparent quickly that he was an opinionated man!  He talked about technology and his minimalist approach to using it.  He talked about food and lectured me on drinking chocolate milk after my runs… said the only thing I should be drinking is distilled water.  It was a bit of a one-sided conversation but I was happy to listen, as he seemed like an interesting character.  I wanted to talk to him about balance, which I have been thinking a lot about lately.  But it really was tough to get a word in, so I shook his hand and told him I needed to finish up.

I have recently seen the beer commercial that depicts Canada’s backyard and how great it is, particularly with a beer in your hand.  Another beer company also has a commercial out about spending time in the great outdoors.  There is even a Subaru commercial that encourages us to get off our butts and get outside.  I sometimes wonder whether advertising will ever include commercials that sell ideas rather than products.  Would it be possible to have a national campaign to sell the idea of time outside rather than it being the catalyst for simply buying some product?  In the U.S, there is an initiative that seems to be making waves and is driven by the First Lady.  It is called Let’s Move and it is trying to do just that – sell the idea of being outside and active.  Star power never hurts sometimes – with the likes of Beyonce, Kelly Ripa, professional NFL players and others, they are using celebrities to sell the idea.  I realize there are downsides to this approach, but it puts them on par with some of the businesses out there that are simply trying to make money.  The fact that it’s driven forward by policy-makers makes it that much more effective.  Maybe we should put a pair of short shorts on Stephen Harper along with a sleeveless running shirt and see how inspired our nation gets!  But seriously, wouldn’t it be a little bit cool to have the likes of Margaret Atwood or the Sam Roberts Band or Mike Myers or Sydney Crosby promoting getting youth outside and active?  It’d sure beat Kobe Bryant with a bazooka in his hands for the latest Call of Duty video game!