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?

Taking These Porcelain Babies for a Walk . . . or Run!

I just got back from what started as a walk, but quickly turned into a walk/run. You see, as I was getting ready to head outside today, I knew I didn’t want to go for a full-out run. I was feeling pretty tired and I could feel a ton of lactic acid running through my body.

But then, once I get started, I decided I was going to do a walk/run; often times, quick running sprints mixed with fast-paced walking or light jogging can actually help flush some of the lactic acid out of your body. So, that is what my game plan was tonight.

My exercise path was 4.28 miles and it took me 43 minutes to complete it. I ended with 2 minutes (for a total of 45 minutes) of light walking. It went a little something like this:

*5 min. warm up

*1 min. sprint, 2 min. fast walking (5:00 – 15:00)

*1-mile run (15:00 – 22:55)

*Back to 2 min. fast walking, 1 min. sprint (22:55 – 40:00)

*Ran the rest of the way home (40:00 – 43:00) = 4.28 miles

*Cool down – walk (43:00 – 45:00)

NOTE . . . I have a few rules about a walk/run workout that are the result of my slightly demented runner’s way of thinking:

– I never stop in the middle of the hill; even if it means running a bit farther than the designated 1-minute mark.

– I also never stop at the top of hill.

– Or in front of people.

Combine all of these rules and you will understand why the middle of my workout lead to a one-mile run: I started my “one-minute” sprint at the bottom of a one-mile long hill. Yes, ONE-FREAKING-MILE long hill! More on this hill in Several Reasons Why My Sister Requires Rehab.

But I was glad I did it. I have taught myself to love hills, and conquering this one always feels like such an accomplishment. It just keeps going, and going, and going . . .

One thing I wish I could have changed — my decision to wear black capri pants. I thought the slight drop in temperature would make hiding my porcelain-tinted legs — why show those babies if need not be? — OK, but I was dead wrong. Note to self — no one gives a crap about your legs.

By the way fabulous readers, if you live in an urban area like yours truly, and you cannot exactly drive your car along a sidewalk or dirt path to measure your run, walk or bike, then check out Map My Run. It’s an awesome tool that lets you draw your route on a map or even satellite map of your area. It totally rocks my world!

OK, I gotta shut up and go eat dinner … I’m hungry!

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!!

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!

A Saturday Morning Tea Party (For One)!

What a fabulous Saturday morning!

I have so much to get done today. But, instead of feeling a bit stressed about it like I usually do, I decided to start the morning off with a nice cup of tea and a long walk.

I just got back from exercising, and, I must say, it felt so good to be outside and breathe in the fresh air.

Before I left I tried a new loose leaf tea that I had ordered from Blue Iris Tea Company called Casablanca Melon White Tea (see sidebar for more information).

It was so light and yummy that I think I might just have to have another cup later today!

Now, I drink bagged and loose leaf tea, but according to several resources loose leaf tea is more flavorful than bagged tea and the quality is significantly higher.

I am not sure about the quality of the tea — I would have to compare many to really be able to make a conclusion. But I will tell you one thing: the flavors in this tea really stood out! Unlike other fruit-enhanced teas that I have tried, it actually tasted like there was real melon in this tea.

Next on my list to try? The Marsala Chai …. Mmmm!

Happy Saturday to all of my readers. (:

A Little Something Extra . . .

If you have not yet read my latest story at Her Active Life, check it out here. I was very excited by this news!

Chocolate and Leisurely Walks Are New Prescription for Weight Loss

P.S. Happy Birthday to my ♥Aunt Melissa, a regular Eat, Pray, Run reader! I hope you enjoyed your day.

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!

IT IS COLD.

I write to you this morning with semi-numb fingers, all while wearing two long-sleeved shirts, a sweater, sweatpants, socks and fuzzy slippers.

It’s cold in Pittsburgh.

So, since I am all about this fitness crap, I thought I would lend myself — oh, and you, too! — a little help.

Why not workout inside?

According to Amazon.com, the top five fitness DVDs this morning are:

1.) The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max DVD ~ Bob Harper (II)

2.) The Biggest Winner How to Win By Losing: The Complete Body Workout (5-Disc DVD Set: Shape Up- Front, Shape Up- Back, Cardio Kickbox, Maximize – Full Frontal, Maximize – Back in Action) DVD ~ Jillian Michaels

3.) The Biggest Loser Workout Power Sculpt DVD ~ Jillian Michaels

4.) The Complete Collection of Sweatin’ to the Oldies DVD ~ Richard Simmons

5.) Kundalini Yoga for Beginners and Beyond DVD ~ Ana Brett & Ravi Singh (I have actually wanted this DVD for quite some time.)

And since you are all probably thinking the same thing I am (Richard Simmons? Really?), here are some new workouts available online that will get you started TODAY, while you wait for your new DVDs:

Shape magazine’s 2008 Bikini Workout: http://www.shape.com/workouts/162

SELF magazine’s new Retro Workout: http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2008/01/0121_mobfit (Major flashbacks of my mom doing Jane Fonda workouts!)

Fitness magazine’s 15-minute De-Stress Workout: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/fitness/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/fitness/story/data/1194889898202.xml

As for me, have pity on my soul. It is my sister’ s birthday and I promised her a walk … outside. Saying no is not an option. She is scary.