Silken's Blog

How Practicing Gratitude Changed my Life

Jul

For many years I wore a string of prayer beads on my left wrist, to act as a reminder of the important and powerful practice of gratitude. There were 27 beads and each morning upon awakening, I would touch a bead and be grateful for something -- my kids, my health, the antics of our... more

Mental Health is Health

May

This week has been Canadian Mental Health Association’s Mental Health Week. I’ve seen a lot of excitement about it online – there has never been a time in history where so much emphasis has been put on our health. That said, a Google search of “health” provides an overwhelming amount of... more

Relearning to Breathe through Yoga

Apr

To breathe, is the most natural thing in the world – or so they say. Years ago, watching my baby boy sleeping, I would watch him breathe in what seemed like a whole body activity. His belly expanded like a balloon when he breathed in and his belly pushed downward completely emptying... more

World Autism Awareness Day: what I would like to share with others

Apr

I don’t have autism, and up until ten years ago, I can honestly say I understood very little about autisms or the lives of families who have children affected by autism. There was a boy in my daughter’s grade three class who was non-verbal, had some severe behaviours and spent very... more

5 Tips for Helping Special Needs Kids Stay Active

Mar

My step-daughter Kilee isn’t motivated by a need to compete, she doesn’t recognize the need to achieve a healthy physique and she has trouble initiating activities. She also very much suffers from inertia. If she’s sitting with her beloved dinosaurs, she’d quite happily sit with them for... more

How to Discover your Inner Athlete

Mar

I exercise almost every day. It kind of comes with the territory of being an Olympian who’s married into the world of fitness, but I pretty sure that’s not why I do it. I exercise every day because it makes me happy. Like, I actually mostly enjoy exercise in the moment. People will tell... more

What question summons you to be fearless?

Mar

Quiet your mind for a moment with me. What is a question that summons you to be fearless? Fair, the question itself reads a wee bit cryptic, “What is the question that summons you to be fearless?” When I asked myself this question, I stayed with it for a moment and this is what I wrote.... more

How Kindness Makes you Happier

Feb

I want to be kind, I really do. Kindness matters, I know this, I coach this, I speak about the power of kindness, and yet – yes there is a yet. In my primary relationship with my husband, being kind seems to be in a wrestling match with being right. Being right just feels so good. It is a... more

Being A Strong Athlete Didn't Save Me From An Eating Disorder

Feb

Four years ago, I shared my struggles with anorexia and disordered eating by writing a book, Unsinkable. Journalists in the following weeks expressed disappointment that another athlete had an eating disorder. They had held me up as a strong woman who went after her dreams, and suddenly I... more

Today's Kids Could Use A Lesson In Healthy Competition

Feb

It seems to me that the word "competitive" is getting a bum rap in today's school systems and sports programs. When I was growing up in primary school, there were awards for top marks and effort -- there was the most improved student, the award for highest achievement, the athlete of... more