As a teacher and a mother of two young children, I value the importance of regular physical activity and have witnessed first hand how physical literacy plays a crucial role in the development of a child’s skill set and self-confidence. With that said, I couldn’t be more thrilled to align myself with a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of physical literacy - Active for Life.

I am a firm believer that one of the best ways we can educate our children about physical literacy is to provide them with a model. With that said, I am by no means an athlete nor am I in the best physical shape but I do enjoy a variety of physical activities such as bike riding, going for a walk and even running. In fact, the kids and I recently participated in a 5k run hosted by their school in support of Free the Children, and in a few weeks, I will be participating in my third Warrior Dash. I've even attempted wall climbing as well as treetop trekking and the high ropes at Blue Mountain. Last fall, I signed up for boot camp with fellow colleagues and it has proven to be quite an experience. Since starting boot camp, I have managed to increase the number of regular push-ups I can do from two to 20! We sometimes share the gym with the after school daycare and I often catch some of my students peaking through the divider but I have to tell myself it's okay for them to see me all fatigued with disheveled hair. Because really, they need to see that physical activity is important at every age. Finally, one of my all-time favourite ways to get active is through yoga. While I don't practice as regularly as I used to, I find the sum of my experiences has made me more aware of my posture and breathing. And yeah, I have pretty much mastered the Sirsasana II, also known as the tripod headstand.

Just hanging around upside down, getting my yoga on. Check out my @activeforlifeca Role Model spotlight! {Link in bio.} #AfLfamily #physicalliteracy #physicalactivity #yoga #namaste #headstand #tripod #sirsasana #fitness #instayoga #yogaselfie

A photo posted by Diana (@torontomom) on May 3, 2016 at 1:14pm PDT

Head on over to activeforlife.com to learn more about physical literacy and to read their latest Active for Life Role Model Spotlight featuring yours truly. Namasté!

Four years ago, I signed up for my first ever race of any kind. But this was not your typical race. It was an obstacle course. A very muddy, challenging obstacle course known as Warrior Dash. While I never saw myself as warrior-like by any means, I sure left feeling like one. It was the first time Warrior Dash had taken place on Canadian soil and there were about 10,000 people in attendance. It was crazy, busy, muddy and a whole lot of fun. From sliding down wet tarp-covered ski slopes to climbing cargo nets to jumping over flames of fire, I managed to accomplish something I never thought possible. 

The sense of accomplishment I felt after having completed the 5k course in 53 minutes was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I am not a runner nor do I have a gym membership. I am a fairly active person, though, who enjoys bike riding, hiking, yoga, Zumba and salsa dancing when no one's watching. But I am not a runner. I just want to clarify that. Because I don't like running, let alone running up very steep ski slopes in the hot, hot sun covered in mud. And yet, I did it. While I nearly lost an arm (you can read more about my first Warrior Dash experience here), I knew I wanted to go back the following year. I did register in 2012 but my father had suffered a heart attack the week of the race. He needed to undergo a procedure and I wanted to be with him. 

Now, four years after my first taste of Warrior Dash, I am heading back and this time I'm bringing a team of teachers! You can blame lunch room chit chat for getting me started on how amazing it was. I am so excited for my colleagues and can't wait for the big day!

Are you thinking of trying out Warrior Dash? Here are some tips for Warrior Dash newbees:

Seeing as I had never trained for a race before in my life, including the time I signed up for the CIBC Run for the Cure last October, I was hesitant. But once I saw all the Warrior Moms who signed up, like Rachel, Sharon, Lisa, Joanne, Deb and Doris to name a few, I thought I would join them just for fun. I tried training but only managed getting out for a handful of runs, most of the time pushing my son in his Chariot. Zumba has also played a role in building up my cardio and endurance. But nothing could really prepare me for the steep climbs up never ending hills and slippery descents.

Warrior Dash Ontario took place on Saturday, July 9 at Horeshoe Valley Resort. My wave was at 3:30 so I left Toronto at around 11:45. The traffic was incredibly slow, which meant a 3 hour drive for me. I made it just in time. There were two parking lots set up with shuttle buses constantly on the run. After picking up my packet and checking in my gear, I had about 5 minutes before my wave time. Can you believe there were about 10 000 participants? The place was packed!

Once the race began, I decided to take my time and focus on my breathing, trying to establish a pace. Near the beginning, we hit some patches of sticky mud that was hard to manoeuvre through and some people intentionally dove into it. I came out of it with mud almost up to my knees and heavy shoes. The trail took us through some short uphill climbs through the woods and over fallen trees. It was nice and shady for the most part. Our first obstacle required us to crawl through a tangled web called Arachnophobia followed by a crawl beneath a dark, covered trench. Next, we climbed over the Great Warrior Wall which I'd say was about 10 feet tall and then the Chaotic Crossover, a vertical climb along cargo nets. The obstacles gave me a chance to make up some time and, quite frankly, were the most appealing part of the race. I kind of felt like a stunt double.

And then there were the steep hills. Oh, the steep hills! I had to remind myself to look only a couple feet ahead of me and focus on that. Otherwise, I would have taken a break and probably never make it all the way up. Further along, we came across more obstacles which included a mountain of straw bales, a field of tires with a scrap yard (really cool!) and the Petrifying Plunge. By the time our wave arrived at the plunge, the tarp that lined the slippery slope was worn out and had patches of holes and tears. The water had caused the soil to erode forming potholes of sorts. I nearly fell into one before sliding out of control and crashing into two people and landing on a straw bale that had been later added to prevent people from sliding further down the slope.

The Cargo Climb is pretty intimidating if you're afraid of heights but I stayed focused and made it up and over without a hitch. Finally, near the end, we got to jump over two warrior fires before getting down and dirty in the mud pit. I don't know what was at the bottom of it, but something gritty did a number on my knees.

I crossed the finish line 53 minutes later and ranked 524 out of 931 in the Women's 30-34 age group and enjoyed a complimentary freezing cold hose-down by a couple of firefighters. (Official results are available online.) My goal was to finish in under an hour and I did! But now, I want to try it again and aim for under 50 minutes. Yes, that's right. I want to torture myself yet again! It was just way too much fun. Plus, it was such a huge accomplishment for me and I feel so proud for having participated. Thanks to all the fellow participants from the Yummy Mummy Club and everyone else on Twitter and Facebook for their support and words of encouragement!

It was so much fun, I think I'll plan my daughter's outdoor birthday party around a mini Warrior Dash theme. Wouldn't that be neat?