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December 4th, 2014 I have to stop using 2 spaces after a period. OMG! I can't stop. What is the big deal about not using two spaces after a period? I just read that I should come into the 21st century and stop doing that. Okay. There. Twice. I did it. I used one space. It doesn't look that bad. Change. I can do it. After all, I am one of the biggest proponents of change that ever lived. Change negates stagnation. If we refuse to move forward with the times, and what the times ask of us, we stagnate – like a pond with no outlet. No fresh water to flush and replenish that which no longer applies.
I have to sometimes remind myself of that which no longer applies. Snakes. Snakes have it down. So do hermit crabs. Snakes and hermit crabs clearly understand the need to shed. They know that if they hold on to what is, it will kill them. They know they need to shed the skin and the shell and move on. How can mere animals know and do, without a second thought, what we humans resist and kick and scream at when the same is asked of us?
There comes a time when we must be brave. We must face it. Change is inevitable and we cannot stop it. We are not so adverse to change when it is of our own choosing. It's when change is imposed on us from sources we cannot control, such as a new program or practice being introduced at work or the sudden loss of our job itself or maybe the failure of a project we put our heart and soul into. I have found that it is these uninitiated changes – the ones that blindside us – are the ones that really keep us from stagnating and cause true growth. These kinds of changes turn our world upside down and place us in new landscapes we could never have envisioned ourselves traveling. Scary? Yes, but if we view these changes as necessary, and perhaps even as an exciting new adventure, change beyond our control becomes easier to handle.
And so, as another day goes by, I will accept the changes that come my way today and look forward to the new places they'll land me because it is change that reveals all the wonders life has to offer, and… I have written.
December 3rd, 2014 “Earth is forgiveness school. I believe that's why they brought us here, then left us without any owners manual.” ~ Anne Lamott
This morning on Facebook I came across an article in Salon by one of my favorite authors, Anne Lamott. This article was on forgiveness and we all know what is at the root of the forgiveness tree. Anger. Anger that fuels hurt and pain and causes heartache and tears. Anne talks about the hurt and pain we start collecting in childhood and how the backpack we carry them in gets heavier as the years go on.
Then, in my email I find a blog by another author I like, Lisa Jakub. Today she was discussing moving. And we all know what comes with moving – contemplating one's life and reliving the memory each item brings up as we begin the arduous task of packing. Packing to reclaim a new territory offers us the chance to purge. The chance to decide, as Lisa points out, Do I really need this? Do I want to carry it down two flights of stairs of my old place, then up two flights of stairs to my new place? In her article, she also says that moving is one of the most stressful things a person can do – right up there with the death of a loved one and divorce, but she doesn't view it that way – she loves to move.
I'm smiling right now because I know you thinking Where is she going with this? Hang in there. It's brilliant, I promise.
For the last five years I have written this blog in an attempt to create an owner's manual for my life. I have wrangled with anger, hurt, deception, as well as happiness, fulfillment and contentment. I have traveled and explored, through these writings, the human spectrum from one end to the other and finally, one day not too long ago, while driving to work, it all became clear. WE ARE ALL THE SAME. In all my ramblings I'm not telling you anything new. Lisa Jakub thinks she's out of the norm for liking to move. Not at all. I LOVE to move and recreate a new nest, and I'm sure there's more of you out there saying I do too! People think I'm crazy, but I do too! (See, I told you it was brilliant.)
Anne Lamotte came to the same conclusion through her writings, though much more extensive and indepth than I could ever do. There is nothing more comforting than finding out you are not alone in ANYTHING this life throws your way. Someone else, somewhere on this earth, has gone through exactly what you are going through. In her books, Anne touches a lot on the part God plays in our lives. I think this is the absolute most important part God plays in all we experience – He sets in our path just the right people to show us that we are not alone. To show us there's no shame in being angry or hurt. To show us we don't have to hide in a closet sucking our thumbs and beating ourselves up because we can't be as “good” as everyone else. My brilliant truth? No one is as “good” as anyone else. WE ARE ALL THE SAME.
And so, as another day goes by, I will head off to work to join others in this quest of figuring out life as we move through the activities of our day, and, I will, as I do everyday, anticipate with excitement just who or what God will cross my path with. I also think I will purchase Anne's new book Small Victories, and…for this day, I have written.
Hope and joy sit on my doorstep. I sincerely hope they do on yours, too.
November 14th, 2014 Very often I bring you things and people in this blog that have touched my life and inspired me to be better than I am today or to “go for it” and try to reach a goal. What I have for you today touches on something that means a lot to me and I need constant inspiration to do it – aging gracefully. We all age. There is no getting around it – we can't stop the process. What is important and what we can control is HOW we do it. If you've followed me long enough you know that both physical and mental care takes precedence in my life – after all, if I don't take care of my body, where will I live?
Today I want to share the story of a great lady that I have the pleasure of working with every week at the Mashpee Koko FitClub. She is the mom of the co-founder of Koko, Mike Lannon. On the morning I first met Diana Lannon over a year ago, I was a brand new fit coach and had no idea what I was doing. The club was full, the phone was ringing, and people were standing at my counter asking me to do computer things that were completely foreign to a Mac user on a PC. In walked a tiny lady wearing an orange jacket with an orange beret perched perfectly on her head. I introduced myself and then watched her set up on the machine next to my desk. She was amazing. She asked for a little help and we started talking. I was even more amazed to find out she was 89 years old. She didn't look a day over 65. When it was time for her to leave, she walked over and thanked me for helping her and patted my arm and said I was doing a good job. I had no idea she was our co-founder's mother, but just the fact that she took the time to say that, buoyed my spirits at a time when I was sure I was failing miserably at my new job.
From that day forward my face lights up and my spirits soar when Diana walks in the door. This week Diana is featured in an article in the local publication of the Cape Cod Pulse. I would love to share her story, written by Syrel Dawson, a Mashpee member, with you. Click on the link below and meet Diana Lannon, who just celebrated her 90th birthday and is my constant inspiration for aging gracefully.
And so, as another day goes by, it is my goal to be Diana when I, too, celebrate my 90th birthday, and…I have written.
90 Year Old Will Pump You Up
Written by “pumped up” Mashpee member, Syrel Dawson (below) – another inspiration in both aging gracefully and writing…congrats on the publication, Syrel!
November 11th, 2014
I need to put that on my mirror for those days when I feel just plain lousy (I hate that word, but I hate the feeling too, so it works). Sunday I just didn't have my usual energy bounce. When trying to figure out why, I could only attribute it to the tremendous energy I spent over the last few days once again trying to control something I couldn't and I was left with no ambition to go workout. But I went anyway. I felt more relaxed when I got home, but I still just wanted to sit and read the day away.
I'm learning about myself. This morning, a blog I follow reminded me of the things I learned in my three years of Bikram yoga practice. In the hot room I learned to let go, to just calm down and see where things take you and to not be afraid to do do this – I learned to look at “not knowing” as an adventure instead of a fear of the future. Most importantly though, for a type A like me, who places order above all else, I learned that life isn't linear nor does it have to be. That's a big one for me. In my head the weeks that stretch out in front of me are laid out, Sunday thorugh Saturday, with everything in line and ordered just like I like it. When my schedule suddenly changes, I freak. My order is messed up. I become agitated and immediately invest a ton of energy in trying to fix it and get everything back in line again, actually leaving myself too spent to do the things I usually love to do in my down time.
When this happens, as it so often does in my current job, I need to go back to what the hot room has taught me. I need to stand still and breath through the uncomfortableness and see where the situation goes. Simply remembering this concept calms me right away, and I experience instant peace. It is in this blip of a peaceful moment I also become aware that God is standing just behind my right shoulder (I don't know why my right shoulder, it's just been His place all my life) whispering, “I got this.”
Read Leigh's blog post. She makes so much sense. Then, maybe relax your grip on that which you are trying to change, just for today, and grab yourself a peaceful moment.
And so, as another day goes by, miraculously, my situation fixed itself as easily as a satin bow becoming untied, and…I have written.
November 6th, 2014 20,000 steps yesterday! The 10,000 step challenge is over and my result astounds me. The day I started this challenge on October 1 I thought I was in pretty good shape averaging 7000-8000 steps a day. Turns out that is the average step count for most people and I set out increase my average to 10,000 steps a day. I surprised myself. This last week of the challenge I set out to make 17,000 my average and yesterday ended the challenge with an astounding 20,139 steps. I know. Wow. Here's my proof:
This is what I like about challenges. They push you. They keep you accountable. They make you aware. We all get caught up in whatever it is we de do everyday and the things we know we need to be paying attention to get put on the so called back burner. It's always I know I need to do that. Someday I'll get to it. Challenges do that for us. Challenges get us to pay that extra bit of attention that we need to make our selves healthier, better people.
Is there an area of your life or health that you've been nagging yourself to do better at? If there is no formal challenge for what you want to do, how about setting up your own for November? A simple goal and a calendar will help you make that change for the better. If you'd like to share your challenge in the comments below, I'd love to hear what one tiny thing you'd like to task yourself to improve for this month.
My challenge? Koko FitClub took care of that for me and my members! We are doing the Koko Games. See pics below for rules and challenges. We get to pick 5 things on the chart to do, but you can't claim them before you do them. You just have to hurry and do them before someone else takes your square. I already did one: wear your Koko Gear into the club. I always wear my Koko hoodie to workout. One done! Yeah, I know, that wasn't really a challenge at all and I have to step it up. I did that one to get my name on the board so I could encourage my members to get up there. It worked. In two days we covered 13 squares. I will be working all month to excite and encourage my members to get their name on five squares.
Now, my other four. One I know I want to do is a goal I set last year when I earned my yellow lanyard. I set a goal to earn my blue lanyard (500,000 Koko points) by this Xmas. I have just about 20,000 points to go and at almost 1500 points a workout, 500 on cardio days so this is totally doable by the end of November. My third one is to earn 4500 Koko points in one week. That will be done tomorrow because I already have near 3500 since Saturday. Now for a real hard one. Being gone from exercising all last week while I was in NY, my e-BMI crept back up to 29.9 when I got back to exercising on Saturday. I'm going to try to drop that by two points again like I did last spring. And the one last one…hmmm…
And so, as another day goes by, I'm up for the challenge, and…I have written.
November 4th, 2014 …and I don't have to leave the house. It's the second day “officially” of my new job. I am now the manager of the Mashpee Koko FitClub and I couldn't be more thankful to God or more excited about the new challenge. Last night when I locked the door and walked to my car, I just sighed and said to myself, “I'm not in Harwich, it's not 7 pm, and I don't have a 40 minute drive home on that Cape highway.” I felt nothing but peaceful thanks for those physical amenities. I now wake up to my beloved morning routine of leaving to work out at about 8-8:30am. The big difference is when I'm done, I put on makeup, change my clothes, and work in the same place all day. No more driving a million miles a week in all kinds of weather all over this cape. I now work 10-6 everyday, except Wednesday which is 8-3, and I can't be happier.
That's the physical perks. The mental and emotional perks far outweigh them. I finally get to stay in one place to thoroughly get to know one group of people. I finally get to take ownership of one club instead of trying to balance two. I love being able to leave at night knowing I'll be back the very next day and what I didn't finish, can be done tomorrow. Essentially – in teacher language – I have my own classroom back. I'm home again. These years without that classroom and children to teach have been hard on me emotionally. I haven't been able to put that passion for teaching on the shelf or redirect it into other things. For 3 years, both God and you (in this blog) have watched me struggle to redirect that which is so much a part of me to things that were so much not a part of me and never would be, no matter how hard I persisted.
I don't want to “work”. I want to get up every morning with that old “it's a brand new day” and enter my classroom filled with all I'm going to accomplish with my students. I want to be the master of crafting those individual learning paths and watch amazing progress again. This new job provides that. Yesterday I worked with two women who just came back after an extended absence from their exercise program. One said her doctor told her to get her ass back into that place that she is paying for and not using. She said her doctor told her she was going to be very sorry in the future if she didn't get back in there. We connected over that conversation and I welcomed her back into the club and told her we would be spending the winter together. I must've said that to at least five women yesterday. And we will – spend the winter together – learning from each other and maintaining health, because I will BE THERE. In one place. Not leaving them and racing to Harwich and beyond.
And so, as another day goes by, Pharrell, Janice*, also rings in my head, because for the first time since I retired five years ago I can honestly say “because I'm happy,” and…I have written.
*My friend Janice changed her Facebook profile picture to one that shows her beautiful smile and her tagline was that Pharrell rings in her head. You are beautiful my dear friend – we have both come a long way since we met in that art class 4 years ago and we have now, finally, landed in that happy place. As always, thanks for inspiring me.
October 22nd, 2014 Every morning my friend Shirley sends a little devotional to her family and friends. This morning I woke up to some very wise words entitled The Layman's Ten Commandments by an unknown author. After reading them I felt the thoughts were so cleverly written that they were just too good not to share.
Thank you, Shirley, for the time you take to speak to us each day!
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These anonymous words are a must read. Try to understand the deep meaning of this beautiful, thoughtful piece.
1]Prayer is not a “spare wheel” that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a “steering wheel” that directs the right path throughout the journey.
2] So why is a Car's WINDSHIELD so large & the Rear View Mirror so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.
3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes a few minutes to burn, but it takes years to write.
4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.
5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!
6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, “Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!
7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.
8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision!”
9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.
10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today's PEACE.
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October 18th, 2014 I spend a lot of time talking to my members at the Koko FitClub about their workouts, nutrition, and overall health. One day last week a member and I were having a cardio discussion – treadmill vs elliptical. We were talking about how the elliptical gives you a much more vigorous workout because it engages both the upper and lower body, as opposed to the treadmill where a lot less is required from you upper body. She remarked that on days when she feels tired or lazy, she chooses the treadmill. I completely agreed, having done the same thing myself.
I love that being LAZY means choosing a TREADMILL.
I kind of always equated being lazy with choosing the couch.
And so, as another day goes by, my members continue to amaze, inspire and teach me, and…I have written.
“Sometimes people quit due to slow progress. Little do they realize that slow progress, is, well…Progress!”
October 13th, 2014 I learned a lot in days 7-12. First, I learned I walk 11-12,000 steps a day without even being conscious of it. That's a good thing. I'd hate to think I have to worry about upping my steps forever. Second, I learned my added sugar intake runs around 22g a day and there is no way to get around that because I need to take my New Lifestyle diet food to work. At work we only have a hot and cold water dispenser. There is no microwave or refrigeration available, so when I work 8, 9, or 10 plus hours, food has to be portable and able to be recreated with either hot or cold water. Yes, all of our clubs are located in plazas where many food options are within walking distance, and I am allowed to put up a sign and leave to get stuff…but this leads me to the third thing I learned. I panic if I did not pre-plan and bring my own food. The thought of hunger setting in to the point where it affects my work and having to run out and make a hurried choice about what to eat, scares me. I have become fearful of what is in my food when I eat out. When we do go out for dinner, I usually ask them to give me either grilled chicken or steak tips and a double order of vegetables. Then I still feel like I'm in control. In Harwich we have a great restaurant right next door and I will run over for a grilled chicken ceaser salad in an emergency.
I don't know why, but in these first few weeks of this challenge I spent more time just figuring out “what is” instead of trying to change anything. The one thing that did change though was that my husband jumped on the bandwagon with me and he cut the white foods out of our diet (he is responsible for all food shopping and cooking) and now he is very conscious of how much added sugar is in everything we buy. We buy all organic and spend very little time in the inside aisles of the grocery store. We love fresh salsa and guacamole and we found organic chips with only 2g of sugar to go with them. Other tailgating type snacks we make are eggplant pizza and chicken burger sliders. The eggplant pizza is eggplant slices, baked and topped with my husband's homemade sauce made with our garden tomatoes. One year ago we were buying frozen pizza bites and barbecue chicken wings for our game time treats. I'd say we've come a long way in making better food choices. Packaged and processed foods are 99% gone from our pantry.
My two week assessment of this challenge? It has done it's job. This challenge has made both my husband and I more aware of just what we eat and how much we move each day. It's lead us to make conscious choices instead of hurried ones – Saturday night at Not Your Average Joe's when they asked if we wanted bread, my husband said no. That has never happened before. Then he had seared tuna salad and I had steak tips and vegetables. He had a beer and I had a glass of wine. We both felt really good about the choices we made.
There are three more weeks left to the challenge. Its changed our lives in just two weeks. It's not too late to hop on. Today Michael Wood wrote Goal Setting For The 10,000 Step Wellness Challenge. Click on over and make a conscious choice to join us. (Ashley – he posted the next Harvard Stadium stair workout – 8am Nov 1!) Also, if by now you have picked up your iPhone 6, the health app that comes on it is great for measuring your steps and giving you the weekly average. (My phone is still on order, but my sister sends me pics of her steps on hers,)
And so, as another day goes by, you are never too old, never too tired, never too sick or never too busy to start making positive changes to your life, and…I have written.
October 13th, 2014 I learned a lot in days 7-12. First, I learned I walk 11-12,000 steps a day without even being conscious of it. That's a good thing. I'd hate to think I have to worry about upping my steps forever. Second, I learned my added sugar intake runs around 22g a day and there is no way to get around that because I need to take my New Lifestyle diet food to work. At work we only have a hot and cold water dispenser. There is no microwave or refrigeration available, so when I work 8, 9, or 10 plus hours, food has to be portable and able to be recreated with either hot or cold water. Yes, all of our clubs are located in plazas where many food options are within walking distance, and I am allowed to put up a sign and leave to get stuff…but this leads me to the third thing I learned. I panic if I did not pre-plan and bring my own food. The thought of hunger setting in to the point where it affects my work and having to run out and make a hurried choice about what to eat, scares me. I have become fearful of what is in my food when I eat out. When we do go out for dinner, I usually ask them to give me either grilled chicken or steak tips and a double order of vegetables. Then I still feel like I'm in control. In Harwich we have a great restaurant right next door and I will run over for a grilled chicken ceaser salad in an emergency.
I don't know why, but in these first few weeks of this challenge I spent more time just figuring out “what is” instead of trying to change anything. The one thing that did change though was that my husband jumped on the bandwagon with me and he cut the white foods out of our diet (he is responsible for all food shopping and cooking) and now he is very conscious of how much added sugar is in everything we buy. We buy all organic and spend very little time in the inside aisles of the grocery store. We love fresh salsa and guacamole and we found organic chips with only 2g of sugar to go with them. Other tailgating type snacks we make are eggplant pizza and chicken burger sliders. The eggplant pizza is eggplant slices, baked and topped with my husband's homemade sauce made with our garden tomatoes. One year ago we were buying frozen pizza bites and barbecue chicken wings for our game time treats. I'd say we've come a long way in making better food choices. Packaged and processed foods are 99% gone from our pantry.
My two week assessment of this challenge? It has done it's job. This challenge has made both my husband and I more aware of just what we eat and how much we move each day. It's lead us to make conscious choices instead of hurried ones – Saturday night at Not Your Average Joe's when they asked if we wanted bread, my husband said no. That has never happened before. Then he had seared tuna salad and I had steak tips and vegetables. He had a beer and I had a glass of wine. We both felt really good about the choices we made.
There are three more weeks left to the challenge. Its changed our lives in just two weeks. It's not too late to hop on. Today Michael Wood wrote Goal Setting For The 10,000 Step Wellness Challenge. Click on over and make a conscious choice to join us. (Ashley – he posted the next Harvard Stadium stair workout – 8am Nov 1!) Also, if by now you have picked up your iPhone 6, the health app that comes on it is great for measuring your steps and giving you the weekly average. (My phone is still on order, but my sister sends me pics of her steps on hers,)
And so, as another day goes by, you are never too old, never too tired, never too sick or never too busy to start making positive changes to your life, and…I have written.
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