Do your best.

I attended a kid's birthday party this past weekend. One thing that I really remember is the conversation between a 5-year-old girl and her dad. He asked her what their three rules are for playing games. Her response rolled right off her tongue like she's really been trying to learn these points.

* Have fun.
* Do your best.
* Keep trying.

I thought that these were some great lessons to impress upon kids and, actually, on anyone who is going to get involved with anything where they might feel too small, too slow, too unprepared, too inflexible, too unconfident, etc.

How many new experiences do we as adults back down from because we are afraid that we won't look like the other people at the gym or we don't have a buddy to go with us or we think everyone is much more skilled? If you think about that, it's fairly sad. We push kids and teenagers to excel and try, yet somewhere down the line we accept that "trying" is for kids and the status quo is for us. Imagine if you saw a kid try and play Four Square on the playground and they lost the game and didn't ever want to play again. I'm sure most adults would push them to go back. What words would we say? You can't get better if you don't try? Everyone starts somewhere? Maybe it was just a bad day? Hey, that was only your first time?

We shouldn't let that be any different for adults. I mean geesh do you think everyone at your workout class or gym or yoga session has been doing this for five years? I doubt it. Like you tell your kids, they all had to start somewhere.

I was thinking of this last night since lately there have been newbies in all the yoga classes I've attended. The teacher always congratulates them for making it through their first session and then the rest of us clap for them. It's tough being new and inexperienced and unsure. I'm not arguing that. But remember: You're only new the first time. Just go and get that over with.

What a feat!

I ran three miles last night. What's impressive about that is I ran three miles while on the treadmill at the gym and without any headphones! No iPod for me. No Cash Cab for me. Just the big ol' tv and subtitles on Wolf Blitzer's CNN show. I can say I know more about President Obama's plans than I ever did before. Oh, and those Sasha and Malia dolls – totally a bad idea.

In the name of healthy living

I get the impression from others that people assume I love everything about healthy living. Like, I must love going to the gym when I go, that I would rather do yoga everyday rather than anything else, that I never indulge in desserts, yadda yadda. While there are some truths behind each of those ideas, it's not how I feel everyday, all day. Take this example. I hate yogurt. Yep, I realize that I really can't stand it. But I know it's good for me. I know it's a balanced snack. I know it's a good breakfast item. I know all of this. But I still can't stand it. However, I make a point to eat it. I have found that Stonyfield's vanilla flavor is the least offensive to me. But I practically hold my nose with each spoonful. And that's a spoonful overflowing with granola or berries to totally mask the taste. Well this is a lackluster post but I just wanted to point out this dumb factoid about myself. Carry on.

My parents are the best!

My parents care about being healthy. They know that being in good shape doesn't simply mean fitting into your clothes or losing an extra 5 lbs or winning a "best abs" contest. They know that being healthy is about being able to keep up with your kids. It's about hauling heavy things to fix a roof. It's about making sure they can walk up a flight of stairs when they are 90. It's about having the proper blood pressure and cholesterol numbers. The lessons that my parents have passed down to me are what compel me to exercise in different ways, to try new workout classes and to push myself when I'm too tired or lazy. When I was in high school, they bought me a gym membership to the fitness center at the Grand Traverse Resort. That was just the beginnning of my infatuation. I think I've had a gym membership ever since then. And I have learned there are plenty of ways to stay fit outside of the gym. I have gone snow shoeing, kayaking and water skiing with my parents. They aren't afraid of a vigorous sweat and some sore muscles.

This past weekend I was visiting with them in GR. They paid for me to be a guest at their fancy fitness center. I was so thrilled! I wanted to run that weekend, but I was deterred by the blizzards and the fiercely low wind chill temperatures. We all hopped on the treadmills in differing stages of walking and running. I was so happy to run 3.5 miles while working on intervals of faster paces. I feel fabulous when I can start the week off that way. It energizes me mentally and I feel alert and accomplished.

Thanks Mom and Dad for investing in my health, physically and psychologically. I'll try and keep it up throughout the rest of the week :)

Indecision can't last forever.

I had two great workouts on back to back days. I was hoping to make it to a yoga class on Thursday night, but that plan was derailed. I had an appointment for an orthodontic consultation on Thursday morning. The appointment lasted a long time as they took pictures and X-rays, talked about financing and treatment, and then I had to sit there and think if I was ready to finally buck up and get braced or if I'd go out to my car and cry and continue to moan about my teeth for another few years. The latter option really seemed stupid, really stupid in fact. I'd done that plenty of times already and surprisingly it didn't get me anywhere. I didn't feel happier about my smile. I was just turning the wheels. Well I went ahead and made the commitment. My braces come on in less than two weeks. Yowza. I know. Brace Yo'self! So maybe I'll make another fascinating (sarcasm) blog to document all the salacious saliva stories for my 14 readers. Ha. If I had 14 readers that would be a huge increase. Anyways, I got to work late because of all of that and so I had to work later to make up the time. That meant no gym or yoga for me. Oh well. That's why I always push myself to go when the time is available, because when I do want to go, the time's not working in my favor. We'll see what I manage this weekend. I am going to visit my parents and I'd like to go for a run outside but if it's subzero temps, then that won't happen. Thinking positively though! Happy Friday everyone!

This one's for you, Ed

I hear the term Southern roots, but I don't think it can apply to a Midwest girl whose people came from Ireland and Scotland. Although, I sure like my cold beer on a Friday night and a pair of jeans that fit just right – that's not region specific, is it? Well, listen to the song yourself. You'd think I was a raving republican, I'm sure, but I'm not. This song makes me happy. It really truly does. I smile when I hear it. I feel lighter when I run. It makes me feel the way the movie Marley & Me made me feel. It's "Chicken Fried" by the Zac Brown Band.

A productive weekend

Quote of the Week: If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress. ~Barack Obama

I found lots of time to workout this weekend. I went running at the gym after work. Pretty soon I will have more daylight to make me feel safer about running outside after work. I did even get a headlamp as a Christmas present that should help too. Until then, when it's too dark, I'm running on the treadmill at Planet Fitness. (Don't knock the treadmill. It's better than not running at all!) My goal is to run a 5K a bit faster. I thought in order to work toward that goal, I'd have one day of running per week where I play with intervals of a quicker pace. My first effort went well.

On Saturday I was at the 10 a.m. Bikram yoga class. What an energetic way to start the day. It's hard on the body to go earlier in the day. If I know I'm going after work, I make a point to drink lots of water during the day. It really helps to lubricate the inner body systems. When I make it to class after only being awake for an hour or so, I'm already working against a water deficit. Oh well. I survived.

Then on Sunday I did lots of little exercises with weights at home. I experimented with some routines online. It wasn't the most deep and vigorous bout with lifting weights, but I was active amd felt good about that.

All in all, I am very satisfied with this weekend's fitness.

Feed your stomach and your heart.

I had two wonderful workouts on back-to-back days. I decided I could take a day off and rest. So instead of going to the gym I had a visit with a great friend. We hadn't been able to connect for a couple of months and the timing was right for a get together. I'm so glad I made the time for that! Sure we need to treat our hearts right by laying off fatty foods, keeping our BMI in a healthy range, and revving up the cardio exercises, but it's also important to nurture our hearts in terms of satisfying friendships.

A new year. An old favorite.

The following is my article on body image from January 2008.

It’s another January in another year, but many women will be repeating the same old resolutions. Fit into size 6 jeans. Lose 5 pounds by spring, and 10 pounds by bikini season. Are these goals that you have personally contemplated, or is this what our culture is pushing on you?

Case in point: January magazine covers. Fitness: Get lean in 4 weeks. Health: Lose 15lbs fast. Oxygen: Build a dream body. Women’s Health: 26 ways to lose fat fast.
These resolutions to change your body are as worn out as your favorite lounge pants. What saddens me is that I haven’t heard one woman say: “In 2008, I am going to love myself the way I am.”

Read the rest here.

4th yoga class down. 31 to go!

It's a new year and a time for the resolution makers to start sweating off the pounds. My 6:30 p.m. yoga class was as full as I had ever seen it. I don't think one more tiny supermodel could have fit into the room. Take the usual room temperature of 105 degrees and combine that with the extra body heat and it had to be over 110 degrees in that room. It was brutal. Althought I do agree with the philosophy that the heat limbers you up. I was stretching deeper by the end of class than I normally do. I have to say my self esteem seems to rise in direct proportion to how much or little I am exercising. Two days in a row and I feel bootylicious!

New Year. Same Earth.

My new year's resolution is to buy less than 12 water bottles in 2009. I know you can recylce them but that still calls for a process of extra energy in order to do that. While it might be considered rather light green to recycle your water bottle, I'm sure it's right-on-target pine green to not buy them in the first place. I realize you can't plan for every thing and that's why I have alotted myself 12, one for each month. In order to see this goal though, I plan to stock up on safe bottles that I can throw in my car before work, take to the gym and tote with me while on vacation.

Taking the first step

One of my favorite sayings makes the point that success does not come from completing an event but rather having the courage to begin. That is so true. Sure we feel satisfied when we cross a finish line but we should also feel pleased anytime that we stared the demons (laziness, fatigue, distraction, etc.) down and went out and exercised at all. Running 10 miles is great but you had to start with smaller distances to build up to that feat. That is where true success lies. Carving out a plan. Jumping over the obstacles (instead of being squashed by them). Making it to the starting line, through the gym door, lacing up your shoes, you get the point. I feel like a solid champ for making it to the gym yesterday. I ran four miles. I didn't break any land speed records but I got in a hearty workout. I sweated out some toxins. I started again with building a base. There's a 5K coming up and I'd like to run it in 30 minutes. I gotta start with the little incremental steps to get to that point. That's what I did last night. Cheers to me! And to all of you who are just keepin' on!

The lump train pulls into the station

This is a three-toed sloth. This is the best image I could find to portray how I am feeling. I guess it's only been a week since my last vigorous workout, but after the drinks and desserts of the holidays, it might as well have been a year ago. I should have gone to yoga last night. I should have. (Guess the Dalai Lama ate a bacon cheeseburger.)

I am hitting the gym tonight. As this post is my witness, I vow to go for a long and sweaty run.