How We Stay Ready in the Off-Season

While the curling season is still a few weeks away, the work to prepare for tournaments and playdowns doesn’t start when the first rock of the season is thrown. For us, the off-season is a chance to recharge, spend time with family and friends, try new activities, and build our strength so we’re ready to hit the ice when the season begins. The four of us each approach our summer training a little differently, but the goal is the same: stay active, get stronger, and find ways to make fitness enjoyable and sustainable. From softball and biking to rowing, swimming, strength training, and even navigating life with a newborn, here’s a look at what each of us has been up to this summer.

 

KEIRA

Find Fun Ways to Stay Active

During the summer, I like to mix in a variety of sports to keep myself active and have fun while doing it. I play in a weekly softball doubleheader with a great group of friends, and this summer I also gave beach volleyball a try—and loved it! Whenever I can, I fit in a few rounds of golf, hiking, mud runs and other casual sports. Staying active through different activities keeps things interesting and helps me stay moving without making every workout feel like training.

 

Prioritize Feeling Strong

Another important part of staying season-ready is regular weight training. My goal is to lift weights two to three times a week throughout the off-season. Strength training is important to me for a number of reasons, but injury prevention is a big one. Nothing derails progress like a mid-season injury, so I want to make sure my legs, arms, and core are strong enough to handle the demands of a full curling season.

Feeling strong also gives me the confidence to push myself and try new things in practice without feeling completely worn down when competition rolls around. Plus, I find that seeing those small week-to-week improvements in the gym is motivating in its own right—even when the start of the season still feels far away!

 

 

 

BRENDA

During the off season, I’ve been staying active and building my strength mainly through going to the gym, biking, and swimming. I’ve also found two things especially helpful for staying consistent with training.

 

Incorporating fitness into my everyday routine.

Starting in April, I began biking to and from work every day. This has been a great way to fit exercise into my schedule, especially with a toddler at home and a busy day-to-day life. Instead of spending that time sitting in the car, I’m able to turn my commute into a workout. We also have access to a gym at the hospital where I work, which has been incredibly convenient. A few mornings a week, I’ll leave home a little earlier, bike to work, and then head to the gym before starting my day. It’s a simple routine, but finding ways to build exercise into activities I’m already doing has made staying active much more manageable.

 

A little friendly competition.

A friend of mine and I have been competing against each other every week through our Apple watches to see who can earn the most points. The points are based on active calories burned, standing hours, and exercise minutes. The loser is supposed to buy the winner dinner! While it’s definitely a light-hearted competition, it has been a fun way to keep each other motivated and accountable throughout the off-season.

 

Overall, I’ve been trying to find ways to make training and movement a natural part of my everyday life. For me, making it convenient and fun has been the key to staying consistent.

 

 

 

LAUREN

Summer Fitness Postpartum!

At 8 weeks postpartum, training looks a little different for me this year. Right now, training isn’t about chasing old personal records or pushing through every workout.

My workouts are about creating a strong foundation, reconnecting with my body, and embracing the process. It’s about moving in a way that feels good, listening to my body, and slowly rebuilding strength and confidence. Some days that means a workout, other days it means a gentle walk, stretching or simply resting.

 

This summer has also taught me to give myself even more grace. Between the heat, interrupted sleep, feeding schedules, and the demands of having a newborn, there are plenty of variables I can’t control. So I’m focusing on what I can: staying hydrated, choosing cooler times of day to move, keeping the intensity appropriate for where I’m at, and remembering that progress doesn’t have to look the way it did before pregnancy. For now, I’m celebrating the small wins and trusting that consistency, patience, and time will get me where I want to go.

 

 

 

CHELSEA

Fitness Focus and Family Fun

During the off-season, I set a goal to focus on building strength, particularly in my legs and core. One of the biggest parts of that routine was the rowing machine, which quickly became a bit of a love-hate relationship. It was one of the workouts where I noticed the best results, but it was also one of the hardest to motivate myself to do every other day!

Alongside rowing, I discovered a variety of great online, at-home strength-training workouts that helped keep my routine interesting and challenging. On my rest days, I made a point of getting outside and staying active with the boys. Our activities ranged from walks and races at the park to baseball, playground time, and just about anything else that got us moving.

What I enjoyed most was finding ways to make fitness a family activity. It was a fun reminder that fitness doesn't always have to happen in a gym—it can happen anywhere.

 

Dealing with Injury Setbacks

Every off-season comes with its own set of challenges and setbacks, and this summer was no exception. Along with navigating life with a one-year-old who wasn’t sleeping through the night, I ended up breaking my toe. 

While it wasn’t a major fracture, it was the first bone I had ever broken, and it meant putting my usual workout routine on pause. The injury required a significant amount of rest, so I had to adjust my training plan and focus more on upper-body and core exercises while my toe healed.

The timing wasn’t ideal, especially when I had been in a consistent and enjoyable workout routine. However, the experience reminded me that staying active doesn’t always mean following the exact plan you had in mind. I learned to adapt my workouts to what my body could safely handle and continued exercising as much as I was able to while giving myself the time and rest needed to recover.

 

 

Taking Our Game to the Next Level

As we head into another season, we know that being physically prepared is only one piece of the puzzle. After coming so close to winning the Ontario Scotties over the past three years, we’re looking for ways to push ourselves to that next level—and this season, that includes putting a bigger focus on the mental side of the game. We have been working with a sport psychologist to help us strengthen our mental game, improve how we handle pressure, and continue growing as individuals and as a team. We’ve seen what we’re capable of on the ice, and we know that the small details can make a big difference when it comes down to the biggest games. We’re excited to put in the work this season, both physically and mentally, and see where it takes us!