Canada Day in Ottawa

Canada Day in Ottawa - it’s the best place to be! For years, we’ve made the requisite July 1st trek to Parliament Hill for the noon-hour show. Thousands show up in their best (only!) red and white clothing. It’s definitely easier to spot your kids in the crowd if they don’t wear the colours of our flag that day. 

Well, the kids are older now, and they’d rather tromp around the city with their friends. So, our routine has changed drastically. But that’s okay, it was still an all-Canadian experience for me this year: starting the day with an Essentrics workout, followed by a run along the canal in my Lululemon running gear. During said run, a loon landed on the water beside me, and then the Canadian Forces Snowbirds passed overhead on their way to their annual Parliament Hill Canada Day flyover.

    1.    Essentrics - with the exception of 5BX that was created for the Canadian military(1), Essentrics and Classical Stretch would appear to be the only made-in-Canada fitness program. Created by Canadian icon, Miranda Esmonde-White, it is now practiced around the world. The TV show Classical Stretch is broadcast on the American channel, PBS, which leads many to believe Esmonde-White is an American. Not so - she’s Canadian, folks!

2. Rideau Canal - we’re lucky to live just a few short blocks from the “oldest continuously operated canal system in North America”. As of 2007, it was also designate a UNESCO World Heritage Site.(2) And it’s my favourite place to go for a run.

​3. Lululemon - there are many fitness clothing companies these days. And I own lots of different brands - it’s an occupational hazard when you work in the fitness industry. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, no one can dispute that Lululemon helped make fitness clothing trendy and popular. There’s even a term for it - athleisure wear, as in athletic leisure wear. Yoga pants are not just for yoga class anymore. Lululemon was founded in 1998 in Vancouver, BC. 

    4.    The Loon - while there are in fact 5 different species of loon, Canadians are most familiar with the Common Loon.(3) Heck, if it warrants a Hinterland Who’s Who segment, it must be a Canadian icon!

5. Snowbirds - the Canadian Forces Snowbirds are as iconic as poutine or beavertails.(4)  And it’s a long-standing tradition that they fly over Parliament Hill on Canada Day. So much so that Ottawans who aren’t downtown for the ceremonies still get outside in droves at the noon hour. They know they’ll see the Snowbirds without having to fight the crowds.


Well, that’s wrap on Canada’s 149th birthday. I hope your celebrations were as equally Canadian!

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5BX
   
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal
   
3. http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/loon.html
   
4. http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/snowbirds/index.page

​Image sources:
Amanda Sterczyk & pixabay.com