Weekend Wiffle Ball and Sushi . . . Oh, Geez!

Wow! What a busy weekend. I did one thing after the other and, before I knew it, it was over. It’s always a bit sad to say goodbye, but it is also nice to start the week off having had a great weekend.

On Thursday evening, I went for a run with my brother, Luke, and sister, Amanda. We hit the trails in Schenley Park and had a fun, albeit sweaty, time. It was hot! I had a bit of trouble breathing the thick air, — even at 6:30 it was still in the high 80s — but made it through the 40-minute workout anyway. Luke is training for soccer and Amanda is gearing up for a marathon, so I was traveling with quite the athletically-inclined pair!

Thank goodness for Anthony, my sister’s boyfriend, who greeted us at the end of the trail with water bottles and Edy’s Whole Fruit popsicles. Yay, for Anthony!

After our run, we hit the Squirrel Hill sidewalk sales where I got a cute sleeveless shirt for $1.00 (Yes, $1.00!!) at Avalon and a used copy of one of my favorite movies, Now and Then, at the Exchange. Both stores are places where you can trade clothing and accessories (Avalon), or DVDs, CDs and records (the Exchange) for money or items of equal value. You can also go in and check out the many items that people have traded in, purchasing them at a much lesser cost than you would if you were to purchase them new. I love the idea of reusing everyday items, and the sidewalk sale fulfilled my recycling dreams! (;

While we browsed, I had a honey green tea with tapioca pearls (boba) in the bottom. If you have never had these babies before, they are quite tasty. They are also pretty high-calorie, –about 100 calories every seven — so I do not drink boba tea often. I did not finish this one because the tea was a bit too fragrant for me.

Friday morning and afternoon was work, work, work and then, pack, pack, pack. I cannot believe we are already moving this Sunday! After many hours spent with the computer and boxes, Dan and I decided to take a short walk (about a 1/2 mile) and do some quick shopping at Whole Foods. We also sat down at one of the tables indoors, cooled off and ate some sushi. Mmmm … this was so yummy.

Saturday was another exercise session on the trails. This time my sister and I walked, and my brother, Isaac rode his bike along side of us. We made a plan to meet on the trails, but completely forgot there was a grand prix this weekend. The event caused some major blockage of the entrances to the trails, and it took about an hour for me to finally get to my brother and sister. I was on the trail and they were not allowed access it. So, I walked by myself until they found me. It was frustrating, but also quite humorous when my sister told me she feigned tears to woo a security guard into letting her on the trail — it didn’t work. (Giggle.) Oh, Amanda! Once I met up with them, we walked for about 45 minutes. My bum was a little sore after almost 2 hours of walking!

Sunday was more packing. I packed the entire closet! I also got rid of a lot of clothing that I haven’t worn in ages and it felt good to purge. Later that night, Dan and I made our way over to my parents’ house for our traditional Sunday night dinner. After dinner, we geared up for a new Shannon family tradition — wiffle ball! I have been a cheerleader the last few times, but this time I joined in and, boy, did I work up a sweat. I typically completely stink at all sports involving a ball, so I was completely surprised when I actually hit the ball! I even made a few runs into home plate. Go me! (Sorry for the dark picture.)

I wanted to focus this post on fitness because I promised to show you more of what I do for exercise. I used to be a hardcore exerciser and, while I am still pretty adamant about it, I have learned a few lessons along the way. One being that it is OK to slow down every now and then. When I was younger, exercise had to be my way or it didn’t count. Now, I have learned that it is OK to not always take fitness so seriously and have some fun à la a wiffle ball game!

I am curious: What is your favorite way to exercise? Has your philosophy changed over the years?

Workin’ Those Abs for Summer Fun!

I started off the day with some Ab exercises from Fitness magazine. Hey, it is vacation time, so that means it is also time to bare my lily white belly.

Gotta get in bikini shape!

I found this program in Fitness’ Web site called The 4-Week Ab-a-thon. Pretty cute, right? Anyway, I just kicked off Week 1 today, and boy did it get my tummy muscles going! My kitties were pretty freaked out by the figure eight exercise, but I could definitely feel it in my obliques.

I’m not sure if it’s my favorite ab workout, but we will see how my stomach feels about it tomorrow.

One bonus: I like waking up in the morning and sweating, even if it’s just for a bit. It always seems to give you that extra jolt you need to get your morning started!

Breakfast was a bowl of cereal; about 1 cup of All-Bran’s Strawberry Medley and 1/2 cup of Cascadian Farms’ Raisin Bran with 1 cup skim milk. I am not to fond of this brand of raisin bran, so I have been mixing small bits of it into more favorable cereal so it does not go to waste. I also had a juicy nectarine — it was perfect!

I had a homemade iced coffee in between breakfast and lunch — still fighting that caffeine addiction!

Lunch was leftover chicken salad from yesterday (about 3/4 cup) on 2 slices of whole grain bread with shredded carrots and lettuce for toppings. I also had the rest of last night’s broccoli on the side.

In addition to lessening coffee consumption, I am also still working on getting more sleep. Last night was about 5 1/2 hours again, and I am definitely feeling it. I just keep reminding myself that vacation is coming!

I am still working on getting outside on this fabulous summer day for a walk or run. I will keep you posted, but for now I have got work to do!

Happy afternoon!!

Time for a Change … Are You Up for It?

I don’t really even know where to begin this post, so I am just going to start and try to make it sound as coherent as possible.

The whole purpose of this blog was to initiate change; a huge change not only for me, but for the readers who follow it so faithfully.

We all are here because we are looking to make our lives better — whether it be by eating healthier foods (Eat), calling upon spirituality and holistic health (Pray), or getting up off our asses and going for a walk (Run).

WE WANNA MAKE A CHANGE.

But as of late, I have been feeling like I have been promoting so much change for others and ignoring the changes my own body is craving. In other words, I can dish it out, but I can’t take it. At least, that is how I feel today.

Well, I have been reading this fabulous book — The First 30 Days: Your Guide to Any Change (and Loving Your Life More) — as a result of my new job with the First30Days Web site, and I have got to tell you that it has really got me athinkin’. Mix that with my overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction with the way I have NOT been healthfully living and you gotchyourself a recipe for change!

So, I thought, “Why not share it with my readers at Eat, Pray, Run?”

Now, because the theme of the book and Web site is to commit to thirty days of change I have kicked off my personal challenge this morning. Throughout the next 30 days I am going to blog the steps I am taking to make my day a healthier one, and, hopefully, you can learn from it, too.

I think you will.

To make things easy, a list of things I would like to change:

1.) I want to be stronger. I don’t necessarily need to lose weight, but I would like to see an overall commitment to building physical strength. I want girly musk-les. So, you will begin to see more workouts from me — I mean, I am going to give ’em all a shot! I probably won’t be able to sit down on the toilet without holding onto the sides, but I am going to go all out anyway. Look for pictures, videos and workout reviews. I look really red-faced and silly when I exercise, but your going to get it all, right here.

2.) I want to eat more healthfully. I work and run around like a crazy girl a lot, and when I do sit down to eat, I don’t necessarily feel like cooking — or eating healthfully for that matter. Eating sporadically and not putting the best foods into my body is starting to wear on me. Therefore, I will begin to post what I am eating to keep me in check, and give you some healthy meal ideas. Lemme know if you have any other suggestions for this part of the 30-Day Challenge.

3.) I need more SLEEP. Again, I love what I do and, therefore, I put a lot of time toward making my writing life better each day. This is not a bad thing in the least bit, but when it begins to completely compromise your sleep and make you lean on coffee like it’s a prized gem, you may have a problem. I do. So, I am also going to begin to try to commit to more sleep. I think it will help me eliminate stress, mood swings and, of course, dark circles. I will log it in here, and I am counting on all of you to hold me accountable.

4.) I want to be more spiritual. I have so many fabulous spiritual resources and I feel like I don’t put them to good use. Look for more tips from experts, and reviews of books, CDs and classes. Come on, people, help me say, “Ommm….”

Now, I am going on vacation at the end of the week, so some of the meals might be pretty bo-ring. But I will try to jazz it up as much as I can . . . promise.

I am going to end this post here, but stay tuned for a few more separate posts today that will highlight what I am eating and a really interesting quiz.

In the mean time, check out the 9 Principles of Change located in the right sidebar of this page. You will see them there every day, and they will serve as a reminder of why we are here.

Wanna make a change? Keep checking Eat, Pray, Run for inspiration, and sign up for the free First 30 Days daily email program where you will get the tips you need to make a change today!

True Beauty Need Not Hurry, But a Cure Does!

So sorry for the long delay. It has been more than a crazy week. But here are the TEAM BEKAH pictures . . . finally!

Thank you so much, again, to all of you who contributed to Team Bekah: True Beauty, Never Hurries. We raised $595.00!! We had set a much higher goal and, although we wished we would have reached it, we are happy to have contributed what we did. This is our first time running this race as a team, so we learned a lot and are looking forward to next year!

One thing in specific that we learned: BE MORE ORGANIZED!! We forgot to make a meeting spot, and with more than 36,000 people participating in the race, that makes finding each other amongst a sea of pink a bit difficult. We caught up with each other throughout the race, but next year we will definitely have a plan!

I also wish we would have taken more pictures — I was bummed when I realized we did not have one picture of our entire team. My sister played camera girl this year, but next year I would like for us all to have a camera in hand. Again, next time, better planning!

All in all, however, it was a fabulous experience. It is so breathtaking to see that many people in one place, supporting one cause. The rain did not make a difference; those people were there to fight breast cancer, and the did it! It never fails to blow me away when I run past a father and son – or mother or sister or daughter or cousin or aunt or uncle – wearing an “In Memory Of” tag on their shirts. I hope that I could be that strong if I lost a loved one. I hope that I would be out there running.

We were all also so happy to contribute our fund-raising efforts in Bekah’s name. If you are curious about how she is doing, check out her blog. That gal just never ceases to amaze me — her strength is incredible!

I ran much of the race with my youngest brother, Isaac — you will see him waving in the picture at left. He has asthma, and we decided to do a walk/run in order to better help him cope with Pittsburgh’s hilly terrain. We had so much fun recognizing the little things — a young boy playing his guitar and sitting with his mom in their front yard, just watching the race. Their house was decorated with pink banners. Or the beautiful trees that lined the course, which ran through Schenley Park.

I love this race for all of those simple things, and of course the very big matter at hand, breast cancer, too.

Want to jump on the Race for the Cure bandwagon? You may still have time. Check here for a race in your city!

Because True Beauty Does Not Have to Hurry … Ever.

I have wrote before about a favorite quotation of mine in which Poet Rainer Rilke says, “Go into yourself and see how deep is the place from which your life flows.”

I know for sure that I am not yet there, not even close; I have yet to delve deep enough into the waters that constitute my being.

That being said, I can very easily feel and touch the people in my life who have made their way into that deepest part of my soul — and Bekah is one of them.

I wrote about Bekah, a 23-year-old woman battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma for the second time, in a post the other day. Through her thoughts and writings in life, and on her blog, Bekah continues to inspire me and people all over the globe every day. In an effort to honor her truthfully beautiful spirit, my family, friends and I have formed a team for the 2008 Susan G. Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. Our team, Team Bekah: True Beauty, Never Hurries, will be raising money to help fund research for breast cancer, and will be doing so in Bekah’s name (see sidebar on this page).

If you are in the Pittsburgh area, join Team Bekah: True Beauty, Never Hurries today! Come join us on race day, May 11, 2008 where you can run, walk or yell really loudly from the sidelines — we just want to see your faces! And if you cannot make it, sponsor a member of Team Bekah today by making a contribution. You can even visit my personal page and make a gift that will go toward my fund raising goal of at least $500; our team fund raising goal is $5,000!

Please support me, my team, Susan G. Komen and the lovely beauty for whom we all walk and run, Bekah, in this race!!

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure raises money to fund education, screening and treatment programs for these women and thousands of others in our own community and supports the national search for a cure.

JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER TODAY! EVERY STEP COUNTS!

Enough is Enough Already … Go Find the Good Life

So, the question I asked myself this morning was, “When is going out in the cold just because you said you would exercise and be more healthy and get off your butt and inspire lots of people, … crazy?”

I woke up this morning with every intention in my heart to go outside and run and live long and prosper. I got all geared up: pants, Under Armour, fleece jacket, gloves, ear-covering headband, hat, Ipod, watch, socks and shoes.

And then I walked outside to this:

And I thought, “Am I crazy?”

I watched — as much as I could between wiping away the big flakes of snow that were pelting me in my eyes — as a man struggled to gain control of his car and a college student ran with her face tucked so far into her jacket, all I could see were two eyes and a rainbow scarf coming at me.

Surely, the inhibition to run at this moment would not strike many people as a thought based on normalcy.

So, I decided to turn right back around, go back inside, get nice and warm, and eat a toasted bagel with apricot cream cheese.

Kidding, kidding…

Instead, I chose to hightail it to the gym which is about a five-minute walk from my apartment. Today, it was about a 4:30-paced walk because I was hustling to get out of the cold. At that very moment, I was so happy that I still had a week left of my recently canceled gym membership.

“Why did you cancel?” you ask. Well, that is the same thing the guy at the front desk asked me when I decided I no longer wanted my membership.

“Does it work for you if I just tell you it’s because I am poor?” I said to him.

He uncomfortably laughed.

I dead-on stared at him and said, “I’m serious.”

I think he felt sorry for me.

But I digress. The point is, I did go to the gym. I got on the treadmill, turned up my I-pod and ran for 35 minutes.

Lets get one thing straight: I hate the treadmill. But once I was done, I was so glad I had pushed myself to workout. I was all skippy, hoppy on my way back to my apartment. Until I slid on a patch of ice. I looked really dumb, and actually saw a guy who was driving past smirk at me. I brought my skip down to a slow walk.

However, as I walked (now, very carefully), I was listening to a song called, “Many the Miles” by Sara Bareilles.

She says:

“There’s too many things I haven’t done yet

There’s too many sunsets I haven’t seen

You can’t waste the day wishing it’d slow down

You would’ve thought by now,

I’d have learned something.

I made up my mind when I was a young girl

I’ve been given this one world

I won’t worry it away

But now and again I lose sight of the good life

I get stuck in a low light

But then love comes in… ”

I love that. When I was a young girl, I did tell myself EVERY DAY that nothing — I mean nothing — would get in the way of me getting where I needed to be. I believed in it with my whole heart and soul.

And then, I did. I did exactly that.

I lost sight of the “good life.”

All the people who love me, and writing, and running, and the snow that lay before me on this very day.

I lost sight of it.

But I am so lucky that “Love” or, in my case, the real me stepped in.

Because here I am now — seeing the good life once again.

And, today, that goodness was a bagel with apricot cream cheese the second I walked in the door.

It was so good …