Our diet starts tomorrow?!

Welcome to 2015! We've enjoyed the holidays and now it's back to reality and routine... and for some of us- resolutions. As the clock counted down to the New Year, you (like us) might have made a list of things you'd like to do over the next 365 days. Maybe you want to do simple things, like eat more vegetables or more challenging things, like solving world hunger. Never the less, by the second week of said New Year, you may have already slacked on your resolutions or may find yourself "refining" your list... to combine resolutions into solving world hunger by eating a stick of celery over the span of a week.

On New Year's Eve, we asked local artist Kal Barteski to paint words of inspiration and resolution on the skating rink under the Canopy. Words like "Walk, Stretch, Have Fun, Love, Move Your Body, Play Outside, Celebrate the Everyday, Forgive More". The icy surface became a pinboard of ideas and motivation for the year ahead.

As the ball dropped on 2015 so did the temperature here in Winnipeg, making some of our ideal resolutions seem challenging (if not impossible) to do. But fear not, because we have some ideas for fitness at The Forks that you may not have thought of.

- Spend your lunch hour going for a walk (either inside or outside).

- Grab your friends or kiddos and go for a skate on the Red River Mutual Trail.

- Breakout your sled and shoot down Toboggan Hill (not your typical workout, but if you were to track this on a fitness app 30 minutes is about 300 calories burned!).

For those that need something inside, check out S.M.A.R.T. Exercise Class (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) at 9:30 and 10:30 a.m. Tuesday is Zumba and Thursday is fitness class. Just bring your runners and a bottle of water and join this low impact FREE fitness class. Class is open to all ages and all levels of fitness. But come early because there is a maximum of 25 participants per class.

Now for those that need something extreme to kick your New Year's resolution into full gear, we've got the three words: Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Inspired by the November Project, friends Tom and Rick wanted to push each other in their fitness goals, but also in their desire to stay motivated.

They began by meeting at The Forks with some friends on a lovely Wednesday in June... at 6:15 a.m. About eight people came out and did a bootcamp style workout. The next time they met, their friends brought some of their friends. The group kept growing and became known as Winnipeg Gone Rogue. Now they have 40-50 people come out and enjoy the plyometic workout with each person at a different fitness level. From marathoners to those just getting off the couch, Winnipeg Gone Rogue lets people challenge themselves physically while building a great fitness community (something which we hear is important when it comes to following through on your resolutions). 

Now you might be wondering if they shut it down during winter? NOT A CHANCE! They just layer up and introduce fitness moves like tobogganing. This past Wednesday it was -35 degrees Celsius and there were over 30 people there (seven of which, this was their first time). As one of the hashtags they use suggests #justshowup.

If this sparks your interest and you are now wondering how to find out where they are or what plyo-jacks they'll be doing, check out their Twitter and Instagram accounts for the latest details. But you can be sure they'll be meeting, rain or shine, snow or subzero temperatures. Oh, and did we mention it's FREE?!
And if you find yourself with a laundry list of excuses not to show,  listen to the encouragement from Rick and why you'll see him out there early on Wednesdays:

“There is no such thing as morning people. Mornings suck! You have to force yourself to do it. But if you can get up, you will make that day the best day ever! And it is going to make you a better, more motivated, healthier person. And that’s what you want in the end.”

So there you have it. Some ideas for continuing your fitness resolutions, or restarting them, or just show up. Here's to a fit + fun 2015.

Festival du Voyageur on the Red River Mutual Trail

February 14 to 17, join us at the Rendez-vous on Ice on the Red RiverMutual Trail, where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, to celebrate Manitoba’s French heritage in style! There are many fun activities lined up for the first weekend of the festival that will keep visitors entertained at the Forks.

Come on down in the evening of February 14 and take part in the Torchlight Walk presented by Manitoba Hydro. Join the cheerful crowd as they walk from the Rendez-vous on Ice to Voyageur Park for an exceptional stroll lit by hundreds of candles and torch lights.

(photo credit: Winnipeg Free Press)

Fashionistas will get a nice treat on February 16 during the Fashion on Ice fashion show. This spectacular outdoor fashion show will be presenting winter looks by local retailers and fashion designers. A truly unique event you will not want to miss.

Let’s not forget Family Day! Taking place on Louis Riel Day (February 17), it will feature free games, activities and adventures for the young and old alike!

And in case you get thirsty or hungry, we will be offering drinks in our outdoor bar as well as delectable French-Canadian cuisine. 

See you there! For more information, visit www.heho.ca. 

~Jean-Luc LaFlèche, Communications Assistant, Festival du Voyageur

Warming Huts v.2014: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice

Once again the Warming Huts v.2014: An Art + Architecture Competition on Ice has been a huge success.  This competition, endorsed by the Manitoba Association of Architects, invited architects from all over the world to submit proposals for warming huts online at www.warminghuts.com. 

After receiving over 190 entries the jury blindly chose three submissions that best “push the envelope of design, craft and art.” This year the three winners are Canadian, with two of the winning entries coming from Toronto and one from Vancouver.  In addition to the three winning open submissions, there will also be one hut from a separate University of Manitoba competition, one from the local invited architect Étienne Gaboury, and one hut from Kelvin High School’s drafting program.

Every year the architects push the boundaries in terms of inspiration, design, and materials used.  There was no theme for this year's competition which produced a diverse set of winning warming huts.

1. NUZZLES - RAW DESIGN INC.- Toronto

Imagine a series of glowing mounds on the frozen river landscape, each creating immersive layers of light, warmth and interaction. Inspired by the insulating properties of fur, NUZZLES brings a unique, engaging experience to the visitors of the Assiniboine River. Moving away from the introverted enclosure, NUZZLES exhibits a heated, lit core, encompassed by a multitude of insulated appendages which allow users to nestle into the structure. Constructed from a geodesic lattice of hollow aluminum tubing, and an outer layer of foam bristles (pool noodles), NUZZLES provides an inner layer of still air in order to increase heat capacity. Occupants are encouraged to playfully interact with bristles in order to sculpt informal seating or standing space as well change the lighting dispersions of the glowing structure.

2. Red Blanket - Workshop Architecture Inc.- Toronto

Red Blanket will be a visual marker against the surrounding white winter palette. It will be seen by skaters far in the distance. First as a red speck, then, as you skate closer, you will see the dense fabric panels swaying under heavy winds. The wall of thick felt will be angled to protect skaters from the prevailing wind and provide a sunny spot. Each of the ten panels is sized to be the width and length of a single roll of bright red felted wool. A rod will be affixed at each panel’s top end and hung in two parallel lines from the underside of one of the bridges crossing the Assiniboine or Red River. The bottom ends of these monumental- scaled panels will act as a warm blanket for people to wrap themselves in, one or two at a time. Simple wooden benches will be slid into place by skaters as required to create different groupings from a single person lacing up their skates to a small group gathering to share hot cocoa.

3. Windshield - Kate Busby & Bella Totino – Vancouver

“And all about him was the wind now, a pervasive sighing through great emptiness, as though the prairie itself was breathing...” W.O. Mitchell

WINDSHIELD is a five-metre tall wind vane that counters prevailing winds to protect its occupants. The vertical shelter is supported on a circular rotating steel base. Its modern aluminum frame and fabric skin are based on the tectonics of the early birch-bark canoes that would travel down the Assiniboine in the summer months. The light frame allows the shelter to adapt to changing wind pattern by rotating to protect its users from exposure to the elements. Fixed to the centre of the circular base a modified outdoor heat column serves both as hand- hold and a source of heat and light. The shelter stands proud as a landmark feature along the frozen river, inviting new visitors to test its wind breaking abilities and warm their mittened hands.

4. SKYBOX – University of Manitoba – Winnipeg

SKYBOX creates the visual immersion of people against a background not normally considered, the sky. Winnipeg’s trademark aspect is its winter weather, and SKYBOX aims to create a mesh between the transforming weather conditions and the community. Purposefully placed reflective material covers the interior space to procure an illusion of the visitors sitting amongst the changing winter skies.

SKYBOX embraces the current generation’s fascination with social media by creating a photographic opportunity amongst the changing skies. Through the process of uploading images with the tagline #SKYBOX, Winnipeg’s community can interact with and promote The Fork’s Red River Mutual Trail on an international scale.

5. Voyageur Hut  - Étienne Gaboury  - Winnipeg  

This warming hut celebrates the 45th season of the Festival du Voyageur; it is a mirthful evocation of the ‘courreurs de bois’. They relied primarily on clothes to warm themselves, wearing probably one or two pairs of pants, ‘long johns’, sweaters, toques, woolen socks, moccasins, and sashes wrapped around their waists. Recalling these habits and traditions are the inverted pants and sash. These are suspended by two helium-filled balloons; the lower one, a voyageur carrying a canoe, and the upper one, a floral form, all meant to create a festive setting visible from afar.

6. To Be Named – Kelvin High School – Winnipeg

Working with Red River Mutual, the sixth warming hut will become a class project for Kelvin High School Students to be unveiled during build week in January.