Sunday, July 28, 2013

Mermaid Sisters

My trainer, Kathi Potts, was competing in the Vineman Ironman (in Sonoma) yesterday.  She finished 9th in her division, 50-54.  She went the whole 140+ miles in 14 hours.  Simply AMAZING!

Since she was out of town (I workout with her Saturday mornings), I decided to swim yesterday for my workout.  I used my parent's community pool and swam a mile.  It felt great. I am definitely part mermaid and swimming is my strongest sport, always has been.

After my swim, I was chatting with 2 other people who were swimming laps.  We introduced ourselves and I mentioned that my sister swims everyday at that pool.  They said....Is your sister Joy?  I said....Yes!  They told me that were so proud of her and how much she had progressed with her swimming.  My sis is on her own healthy journey and began a while ago, incorporating pool exercise as a way of reaching a healthier weight.  Then she progressed to swimming laps.  According to John and Judy (from the pool) she has reached 50 laps!  Go sis go!!! 

Joy had never mentioned her progress to me, but I am super proud of her!  Most people can't or won't swim 50 laps, and now she does!  Let's hear it for sister mermaids! 

So go out and get your mermaid on, find a pool, jump in and enjoy a swim!

Desire to enjoy summer exercise.  Dedication to keep lapping the pool.  Discipline to go a full mile.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The Whole Fam Damily

My brother and his family are visiting.  It is amazing how grown up his 2 youngest are.  They are 16 and 18 and spectacular young men. 

I invited them to work out with my trainer on Saturday morning and was pleasantly surprised when they said they wanted to join me.  It was a blast.  I am so grateful that they are interested in health and fitness. 

I feel good about being a positive influence in their lives.  I can't believe they are so grown up!!!

Their older brother, who is 26, is expecting his first child in November.  Yesterday, I said, for the first time, that I am going to have my first grand baby.  It is so exciting to know that I will be a grand auntie.  The continuation of generations simply heightens the need to focus on being healthy so that I will be able to enjoy the new grand nephew arriving in November. 

What is happening in your life that motivates you to keep going, keep striving, keep making good choices to enhance your healthy journey?

Desire to meet my grand nephew.  Dedication to love my nephews.  Discipline to help teach my nephews by good example.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Bull Taco Birthday

Today we are off to the oceanfront San Elijo campgrounds where there is a taco stand called Bull Taco.  A friend of ours is celebrating her birthday by inviting people to gather there and then take advantage of the beach front location for water fun.  I am looking forward to the celebration. 

This will be a fun, interesting eclectic group of people including many from the yoga community, the healing arts community (this is our friend who is a reikke master) and a few corporate folks like Allen and I.  It should be great to share and hear different perspectives together.

It makes me think of our collective healthy journeys.  Each of us is interested in cultivating, capturing and sustaining health.  Each of us goes about it in a different way.  I think there is a need to suspend judgment and be open to lots of possibilities. 

Is organic always better?
Are processed carbs always bad?
Is daily exercise always the best way?
Is vegetarian/flexitarian/vegan/gluten free/dairy free (etc) the only way to go?
Lift heavy weights with low reps?
Lift light weights with high reps?
What about low salt, fat free, corn syrup, trans fats, casein?
Etc.
Etc.
Etc.

I think the best we can do is to strive to keep learning, be open to listen to different perspectives and select the path that is best for you.

Desire to be open to learning.  Dedication to seeking out people who don't always agree. Discipline to suspend judgment and listen.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

National Donut Day.....Not So Much!

Some of you may know that on 4th of July, Allen and I celebrate by eating donuts.  It is the only day of the year that we allow ourselves to have donuts.  We have been doing this for years.  We always look forward to it, Allen loves a plain crueler and a maple bar.  I look forward to glazed donut holes and an apple fritter, where I pick off the crust on the outside and leave the doughy middle. 

In some ways, last Thursday was not a great success.  We arrived at our favorite little donut shop only to find they had sold out of glazed donut holes.  So we raced to another nearby, albeit untested, donut shop to buy the glazed donut holes.  They had them, but they were not true donut holes.  Instead they were small pieces of dough that had been fried and glazed.  They were larger than a "real" donut hole, so the dough to glaze ratio was off and they did not taste as good.  Apparently, so many of the donuts that are being made at this time are not round with a hole in the middle.  There are more bars, filled, twist and other designs.  Hence the shortage of real donut holes.

I have to say that I enjoyed the bits off of the apple fritter, and I did enjoy half of a cinnamon roll.  But what I really craved, the perfect glazed donut hole, alluded me this year.

We enjoyed our off-plan calories, went home and took a nap.  When I woke up, I felt sick.  I think it was all the sugar and fat my system was trying to process.  We took a nice walk and that helped make me feel better.

The best part of this year's National Donut Day is that I am not motivated to want to do it again next year.  I did not like feeling that icky.  So, I guess it was a big success after all!  Isn't it wonderful when we get a lesson from an unexpected source?!?!  I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July 2013 and enjoyed it in a way that honored you!

Desire to celebrate.  Dedication to honoring our traditions. Discipline to listen to our body when it is teaching us a lesson.