Listening To An Inner Voice -- Part 1

I'm on a journey to discover what it's like to realize potential with my body, in pursuit of the physical activity of stair climbing.

The following questions are swirling furiously. Time to write lest they suffocate my next steps.

1)  Why am I doing this?
2)  What trips me up?
3)  Is it even possible to do better?
4)  Am I capable of doing more, faster?
5)  What makes me stop?
6)  What's next?
7)  Do I give up this crazy dream?

I experienced success over the years in creative endeavors, from piano performance, photography, and writing, to ensemble performance, decorating, and painting.  With my husband I raised three children who are now creative, wise, working, caring, talented adults.

In the work force I successfully contributed to the growth of one non-profit by designing and publishing newsletters, maintaining donor communication, budget planning and bookkeeping.  Another non-profit used my administrative skills as its program director.  

In education I introduced music into the lives of countless young school students, and I nurtured many at the piano from very young beginnings to their accomplished recitals performing Bach, Beethoven, and Chopin for audiences who were moved by their artistry.  Under an Annenberg grant, I created curriculum and trained teachers for an innovative program which uses music to encourage early childhood reading in inner city classrooms.

Do I really need to be doing this now? Climbing stairs?

After early retirement I dabbled in creative activities, growing content...for awhile. I always trusted my instincts, which rarely disappoint me.  One day I imagined I might be a good hypnotherapist, proceeded through the training, and since then have a deepened awareness and trust in my intuition. 

Our subconscious runs our lives.  However, we continually have the option to let all our old patterns dictate our behavior, reactions, and feelings, or, we have the option to shift these patterns.  We can move through our lives never quieting enough to hear the small voice within, or, we can be still, ask the questions and listen for the answers.

Sluggish and overweight for 14 years, by age 57 I found myself in the gym for the first time.  Previously it seemed I only moved for survival--never for recreation, never for competition, and certainly never to realize a dream!  (With the exception of one 5K running experience in college which I wrote about in a previous blog entry:  http://steppingupwithstoriesanddreams.blogspot.com/2012/01/time-to-run-season-for-every-activity.html )

What I did not write about that experience, was a remark by a boyfriend, as four of us sat around a celebratory dinner table. I wasn't hungry after my first time ever running three miles, so I declined to eat.  At dessert time I decided to have a piece of apple pie. While enjoying each bite, he said something to the effect of, "Cheryl will run three miles for a piece of apple pie!"

Perhaps it sounds harmless now, but at the time, his remark cut through the celebration, suddenly halting the good feelings I had about my race.  Instead, the message I heard was, there's something wrong with me.  Thus marked the beginning and the end of any athletic pursuit. 

After two years in the gym periodically, from age 57 to 59, I decided it was time to entertain a game-changer.  Until then, my gym work involved learning how to move, period!  From 59 to 60, my goal was preparing to climb a small mountain on my sixtieth birthday.  During that year, I discovered tower races, participating in my first stair climb-- a half-climb up the John Hancock building.

Age 60 brought five full stair climbs. My times improved with each one.

I no longer simply want to finish a climb.  I no longer simply want to improve in tiny increments.  My desire is to compete.

I have no athletic background.
I have no base of fitness to build on.
It's a daunting challenge to go from point A, the beginning, to point B, realizing my goal.

The women who win the top spots in my age group for each race, have backgrounds as fitness instructors and marathon runners, often having multiple triathlons under their belt. I know because I've researched who they are.

This could take awhile.

Back to the first question: "Why am I doing this?"

I believe I have untapped potential.

 

I love discovery,

and want to discover everything there is about becoming fit,

taking care of my health, pursuing an athletic quest,

pushing myself...

 

I want to keep learning.

 

I want to go

where I've never gone before.

 

I want to be judgement-free.

 

I want to be free.

 

Tomorrow, question two, "What trips me up?"




The Best Feeling

Mindful Gathering!

Gathering herbs from my deck garden for tonight's dinner:

Center--thyme.  Top left--sage. 

Clockwise from sage--Basil, Jalapeno Pepper, Tarragon,

Rosemary, Marjoram & Oregano, and Parsley.



This evening I'm trying a recipe I found on Pinterest and posted to my "Healthy Inspirations" board. You can check it out at http://www.artsy-foodie.com/2008/07/fig-chicken-with-rosemary-and-thyme.html

Pinterest reminds me of boxes and files which years ago I filled with recipes and dream-home ideas I ripped from magazines.  Sometimes the clippings never made it to a box or file, but languished in the bottom of drawers, on pantry shelves between cookbooks, or stored away in boxes--dreams on hold, out of sight, eventually forgotten.

Why does a particular recipe call out over another? One holds a dream.  That's the one I'd tear out and bring into my life.  Same with a specific room decoration, piece of outdoor furniture, or picture of a cozy cottage by the sea.

Take an appetizer recipe for instance...sure there's the imagined taste of the prepared dish, but more, there's the thought of what an outstanding hostess I will be serving these little delicacies from a tiny round tray at the perfect gathering in my home.  The clipping of an intriguing cocktail?  A moment of sophistication shines through.  "Ten Healthy Ways to Serve Chicken?" ...tucked away with the dream of good health forever.

Then vision boards came along--visualization tools.  Arrange your dreams on a board you see every day and they will come true.  Vision boards are not exactly new.  I read recently they, "...go back into the dark ages when people took things from the Earth and drew pictures that represented what they wanted for themselves. This long history may have changed and shifted, and then encompassed into more recent theories, but the aim and design behind them has never changed." I can assure you, your dream on a vision board has a lot better chance of coming true than the one in a box in the attic.

Now we have Pinterest--gathering images from all over the world to place on "boards."  Aren't we all dreaming online now?  Further, like everything else in our society, these dreams are coming true faster and faster!

While I have a Pinterest board for recipes I'd like to try, I have a separate one, called "Healthy Inspirations."  Seems I still need that first board, dreaming of tasting chocolate cookies made with an Andes Mint placed on the top, right out of the oven--melting into a gooey chocolate and mint frosting. Or a little piece of cake called, "Death by Vanilla Cake."  Or how about my dream of biting down into a homemade Three Musketeers Bar, a 90-second Nutella Chocolate Cake, baked brown sugar chicken wings, and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter cookie dough frosting?

All of those, and more, are posted on my board titled, "Foods/Recipes I'd Like to Try."  They're not there because they represent a dream of becoming a great host, or because I think I'll be the best mother if I make them for my kids--my children have been adults themselves for many years now.  This morning I ask myself, why are these recipes on my board?  Do they still represent a primal, early childhood longing for comfort and love? 

There's a disconnect between my dream of being a completely healthy and fit 60 year-old stair climber, and my dream that must still exist of eating all the foods that took me to the opposite heights! Or rather, depths.

Writing today leads to three helpful observations/conclusions:

1)  If I continue with the same dreams I've had for so very many years, then I'll be dreaming the wrong dreams.  I'm not the person I was three years ago, five years ago, ten years ago, many years ago. Time to take the blinders off in the food department!

2)  It's confirmed--writing works for me.  This process combines subconscious thought and conscious thought which evolves into new discoveries.  This step...this very step, writing this blog today...is essential in going forward with my plans to successfully climb the Willis Tower in November.

3)  I intended to write about the "Rosemary/Thyme/Fig Chicken" recipe I'm making for dinner.  What followed leads to new steps I can take.

For starters, I'm changing the name of my Pinterest Board from "Foods/Recipes I'd Like to Try," to "Foods I Will be Able to Taste from Time to Time, Once I've Met my Health and Fitness Goals." 

Ha, a bit lengthy, but entirely necessary to make this shift.

It's time to fill up that "Healthy Inspiration" board!

Here's what I have so far:  http://pinterest.com/chspoon/healthy-inspirations/

Who Doesn't Like A Good "Before and After"

First a couple shots from yesterday's preparations:

See yesterday's blog for vegetable soup recipe.

The colors of health!

Scroll down for Chia Pudding recipe.

Top left, ready to add fruit to Harold's Chia Pudding--
made with unsweetened coconut milk, cocoa powder and chia seeds,
and mine--made with unsweetened almond milk and chia seeds.
The fruit makes adding a sweetener unnecessary.
  
Yesterday I persuaded Harold to at least try
some of the chia seed pudding. 
He commented it was, "Alright," as in ok. 
Today he reported that he had his best tennis games ever
yesterday after eating the pudding! 
He was eager to throw the fruit in and eat it down today
on his way out the door for more tennis.


~~~~~~~~

I started working out for the first time in my life in 2007! 

~~~~~~~~

Chia Seed Pudding

Mix approximately 2 tablespoons chia seeds with approximately 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk, flax milk, hemp milk, or coconut milk

in a tightly closed container. 

If you desire, add a tiny bit of Stevia or raw honey.

 

Shake rapidly.  Then thoroughly shake several times
 over the next 15 minutes. 

Place in refrigerator overnight to set. 

If you add fruit before you eat it, you'll get your sweet taste naturally...don't  need the Stevia at all.

  Variations could be unsweetened cocoa powder when you make it, nuts, bananas, coconut, or pumpkin pie spices--ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.  

A friend also likes his pudding made with crushed peaches and water.

I'm sure there are many ideas I haven't heard about yet. 

This couldn't be easier or more healthy...

also adds a burst of energy.

Thanks to friends David, Carisse, Nicole and Kristin for introducing me to Chia Pudding and sharing their ideas!

If you can't buy chia seeds locally, they're easy to find online.

 

One More:

2010                               2005

I know I showed this two years ago,
but it's worth repeating to see what health looks like
compared to...well, shall we say unhealthy eating
and absolutely no exercise.



Twice De-toxed and Re-toxed--Lesson Learned

Update:

July 25th:  I lose eight pounds during an eight day Detox--the least of the benefits.  I feel much more energetic and clear headed!  At the risk of sharing too much information, I experience no more bloating and discomfort after eating.  At the gym my trainer says my face has a new glow.

I  Feel  Good!

The next day I fly to Vegas, fully intending to adhere to my no dairy, no wheat, no meat, eggs, sugar, coffee or alcohol....hahaha!  My resolve holds steady for one day and one evening.  Eating strawberries and sunflower seeds in bed for breakfast the next morning, I rationalize all is well--even though the bottom half of the strawberries are hand dipped in chocolate from Payard's Patisserie.

                                                        
That's all I'll divulge here.  What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  You can probably figure it out though if I mention a buffet is involved, room service, free drinks and four visits to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill!

While still fun-filled and exciting, two of my vacation days I experience the old uncomfortable physical side effects to reintroducing all this food.  

My plane arrives back in Chicago five days later--six if you factor in our delay and 3:45 a.m. landing.  The next day I start the Detox over again. 

August 10th:  Second detox completed with similar results as the first,  a pre-planned dinner out with friends confronts me.  These are good friends I only see once a month, it's a beautiful summer evening, and we're dining at my favorite restaurant.  As the evening unfolds minute by minute, I become thoroughly wrapped up in the conversations, our support for each other, a live jazz combo to the left, and view of Michigan Avenue to my right.

Conscious thought takes flight when my inner subconscious patterns place my order as I proceed to thoroughly enjoy the evening. We each go our separate ways...I return home...and suddenly I feel terrible. 

I had been high with energy after the detox.  I felt completely comfortable in my skin...all was right with the world...I felt healthy.  Now, after dinner out, I can't understand why I feel so horrible--not just full, but uncomfortable all over, almost nauseous, and definitely weak. Then I realize what I've done to myself--spinach and artichoke dip & chips, two glasses of wine, Prime Rib French Dip sandwich and fries, and a shared banana cream pie dessert.  Yikes!  This is exactly how I use to order before I embarked on my healthy eating journey.

Sick for several hours, I paid the consequences.  Some learn in one lesson, others in two.  I take multiple lessons, but I learn a little bit more each time.  However, this time, I'm leaping ahead.

August 11th:  Detoxes over, I spend the whole day today preparing healthy food for the coming week.  I do not want to feel the way I did after indulging last night, ever again. 

Planning and preparation so key, this evening I have a refrigerator full of vegetables, salmon, homemade vegetable broth, chia seed puddings, sesame tofu, fresh fruits and all my morning smoothie ingredients and supplements.

Thoroughly enjoying my vegetable soup for dinner.

Cheryl's Vegetable Soup

Bring to a boil and then simmer, copious amounts of kale and spinach,

cabbage, fresh cilantro and basil, carrots, onion, and celery. 

Remove cooked vegetables and puree them in blender

with a little unsweetened coconut milk. 

Return puree to broth.

Season to taste with sea salt, ground pepper & garlic,

a bit of cayenne, and a small amount of raw honey.

Roast butternut squash, cube and add at the end,

along with black beans and one cubed potato. 

Seriously delicious.

"When you know better, you do better."

In training yesterday, Jesse shared a story about his grandfather, who many years ago, was a missionary in Japan. Having all but disappeared in our current-day global experience, missionary barrels were prevalent throughout the mid 1900's and earlier.

He told of huge cargo barrels his grandparents periodically received, sent from caring church members back in the United States. Traveling by ship, the barrels took approximately six months to reach their destination. Among other items, they were filled with multiple canned goods. As the story is told, on their journey through the Panama Canal, high humidity often caused the labels to break down and fall away, making one can indistinguishable from the next.  


In the story, Jesse's grandparents opened a can for dinner, only to be surprised by the contents.  Having lived through the depression, they certainly would not waste food, so their meal each night was whatever they happened to open. His grandfather confessed however, after a particularly long stretch of canned beets for dinner, one evening he finally had to say no. He could not eat another canned beet!


My parents, missionaries to the eastern bloc countries under communism in the 1970's, fared well with their "missionary barrels." By then, barrels had become boxes shipped by air. Because European food was familiar and desirable to both of them, there was no need for multiple canned goods to be shipped. 

Mary Ruth and Chester Gretz 1971

The care packages were filled with familiar American items mother missed, but could have done without--Bisquick, Jiffy Corn Muffin mixes, Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, baggies, paperback books, her favorite magazines and other cooking & baking products.  


A stand-out was the stack of "Canandaigua Daily Messengers,"-- their hometown local newspaper. Father smiled as he caught up on each story filled with names he recognized. He read aloud news of their friends, as mother delightedly arranged and stored her goodies in the European cabinets. My brother, a teenager at the time, went off to read the issue of "Sports Illustrated," packed just for him, though I'm quite certain he never received the swimsuit issue.


Like the barrels, missions in general have evolved over time. So many types of missions exist today. For instance, I have a friend who heads a mission which owns helicopters in the U.S. and Europe. They fly anywhere in the world there is a need, offering humanitarian aide as well as spiritual comfort and good news.  


Another, lives in the hills of a small Indian town raising her daughter alone since her husband passed away several years ago.  She simply befriends girls and women she comes in contact with wherever she goes, as she totally lives the lifestyle of her village neighbors--including sometimes walking treacherous rocky hills for miles to retrieve her water. 


As Jesse and I talked about his grandparents' canned goods story, we thought of how the Japanese diet, rich in fresh vegetables and fish perhaps could have been a healthy alternative. When my parents moved to a new continent, they had old habits flown across the ocean to them.  


Father did always love to garden and I'm grateful for all the fresh vegetables his gardens provided. In Europe, just as she had in East Bloomfield, NY, mother served his fresh vegetables for dinner all summer long. However, cucumbers were bathed in a yummy mayonnaise /vinegar /sugar dressing, and every vegetable was slathered in butter. An extraordinary baker, sugary desserts were always plentiful too. 


Most of my life I continued to eat and serve what I knew, which was processed foods, canned, quick, easy, white flour/bread/rice/pasta, nitrate-filled lunch meats and hot dogs, sugar, sugar, sugar, butter, butter, butter. The norm--what I knew.


Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better."


Today I absolutely love my new breakfast shake of frozen banana & blueberries, cherries, almond butter, brown rice protein powder (no taste), ground flax seeds, borage & flax seed oil, water and ice. It takes me less than five minutes to prepare.


I'm learning to taste each vegetable instead of butter, and to prepare fish in various healthy, delicious ways. For the first time, I'm not growing herbs simply for their aroma and beauty--I use fresh herbs in cooking each day.

I'm ready to spring into more 
new learning experiences, 
to know 
how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Happiness In The Midst Of Change

Asked by friends, "So, how is the detox going?" ...the answer is complicated.  Part of the day I'm energized, almost to an electric buzz level.  Other times I'm slightly uncomfortable, edgy. Then after the prescribed Ultra Bath each night, I feel fantastic again. Some meals leave me completely stuffed, while others, so very hungry! 

I have a good workout with my trainer this morning, but catch a look at my face near the end--how in the world could it be so red! Jesse says it was actually glowing like I'd been in the sun when I first arrived for our session.  Concerned, I check my blood pressure only to discover it's perfect.

Everything in this seven day prescribed plan is new or different for my body to absorb, adjust to, and benefit from.  That's to be expected if my goal is to attack inflammation, boost my metabolism and immune system, rid my system of toxins and move into providing my body with proper replacements.

This is change, which can have moments of elation at new possibilities, times of disappointment over losing the familiar, and confusion as to exactly what's happening. Eventually we learn our way-- in a new job, location, home, economy, relationship, or health routine. We adjust, discovering how we fit in and where our efforts can best be placed.  We realize over time, even though the change may have been unwelcome at first, it can turn out to be very good for us after all.   

Our responsibility is to choose to see the positive while remaining grateful...not always easy, but it is a choice.  I recently read that ...happiness is 10% actual experiences and 90% is how you perceive those experiences. Setting goals each day and achieving them definitely benefits one's perception of the day!

While my body decides what it should do with these changes -- straight lemon juice with olive oil, probiotics, liver detox-supportive herbs, flax seed, borage oil, magnesium citrate,  two cups of steamed vegetables at lunch and dinner, vegetable broth with seaweed, no sugar/wheat/dairy/eggs/caffeine/alcohol, and more-- my job is to remain utterly convinced this is a great experience.  I'm certain such good changes are taking place that  I will benefit enormously going forward to the next level in my fitness goals and stair climbing.

At the end of the day after that Ultra Bath I mentioned (hot as one can stand it, with 2 c. Epsom salts, 1 c. baking soda and 10 drops lavender essential oil) I know I met my goals for the day.

I'm happy.

...and I choose to believe that red face this morning was the sign of healthy skin coming through...step by step, I'll get there.

~~~~~

No butter!  Still tasted good though.

Being Yourself, the Best Miracle

I recently viewed a video about the making of  "The 41st Day,"  a documentary following Ryan Hall this year as he prepares for the Olympics, up through the day he competes as an Olympic marathoner.  Inspired by the film's explanation for its title, I immediately checked the calendar to see exactly how many days I had before the Willis Tower stair climb on November 4th.

In the video Ryan explains that the documentary title arose from a conversation he and the producer had after Ryan read him the Bible story of David and Goliath.  This caught my attention.  It's quite rare to hear the sentence Ryan spoke to the producer in the video, "Remember that night when we were sitting around and I was reading you the story of David and Goliath?"

A quick summary:
In the story, two armies face each other, ready for battle on opposite sides of a steep valley. The Philistine, Goliath, referred to as a giant (over 9 ft. tall) in full armor, came out each day for forty days and taunted the Israelites--mocking and challenging them to fight. This evidently inspired great fear.  However, when David was sent to the front lines by his father, to find news of his older brothers, he heard Goliath's defiance and immediately began to persuade King Saul to let him fight the giant.  On the 41st day David approached Goliath, unarmed except for his slingshot. "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..." One of his stones found a hole in Goliath's armor (forehead?) and he fell to the ground as David moved in for the kill. The Philistines retreated and became easy targets for the Israelite army. 

I divided the days between watching Ryan's video and my participation in the Willis Tower stair climb into three, forty-one day periods.  In order to reach the goals I set for each of the three "41 day" periods, my plan is to walk each day in confidence toward the goals, rather than languish in fear.  I could look back upon my past and define so many moments as inactive because of one fear or another.  That is over.  

Maybe it took me longer to get to the front lines.  But I'm there now, I've observed the giant, and I'm ready to fight.  As uncharacteristic as it is, for me to use army/battle/fighting analogies, it definitely works for my current inspiration.  

I close with an online commentary's summary:

• David chose not to wear the King's armor because it felt cumbersome and unfamiliar. David was comfortable with his simple slingshot, a weapon he was skilled at using. God will use the unique skills he's already placed in your hands, so don't worry about "wearing the King's armor." Just be yourself and use the familiar gifts and talents God has given you. He will work miracles through you.

My fight is not with a sword, or even a slingshot, but rather with honesty, creativity, hard work, compassion, dedication, and the desire to walk in love and joy, not in fear.

~~~~~~

Second day of detox...still not used to all the straight fresh lemon juice!  Enjoying the Ultra Shake...blueberries and banana today instead of strawberries, along with the almond butter, ground flax seed, borage oil and protein powder (recipe on yesterday's blog.)

Climbed stairs yesterday and today...whoa, the heat at the top on the last two floors--yikes, sucking very hot air!  Each day increasing the amount of floors I can double-step. Yes!

So many vegetables!  A friend shared that the reason I'm so very full on this simple, healthy diet, is that my metabolism isn't working properly.  The good news is, that's what this diet is for--to boost it!




Lunch - 1/2 c. brown rice & 2 c. vegetables.
Supper - same, but add organic chicken breast or fish.

Preparation - Birth To This Season

In preparation for November 4th's stair climb at Willis Tower, I created a series of goals I will meet in three 40-day increments.

Willis?  "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?!"  The Sear's Tower, which has been re-named the Willis Tower,  is the skyscraper my husband climbed the morning after our first child was born.   Actually he took the elevator, but it was still pretty cool...

October 3rd, 1977 Matt is born at 11:00 p.m., followed by the usual hustle-about, elated phone calls, and precious moments. Finally settled in my Michael Reese Hospital room, wide awake for the night, I watch the sunrise through the huge picture window overlooking Lake Michigan.  Such beautiful new energy welcoming our son into the world! Kissing Harold goodbye, he's off to tend the day's obligations, till a lunchtime return.   I discover every "first" moment with our son--first sounds, moves, touches, smells, and first time singing my homemade lullaby to his soft tiny face looking up from my arms. Little do I know, Harold is looking out over the city of Chicago from the 103rd floor of the Sear's Tower.

"Roots" aired that January on television and Harold is thinking of the scene where Omor holds his newborn son up to the sky and proclaims, "Kunta Kinte - Behold the only thing greater than yourself!"

He wants to be as close to the sky as possible and realizes the Sear's Tower is the way to get there.  From the very top, Harold looks up to the sky and declares, "I have a son! I have a son!"

If the only way to reach the 103rd floor that day had been the stairs, he would have run them!

...the time it took for this reminiscence distracted my mind from the Ultra Shake I'm drinking.  I felt like a lab scientist making it, so was doubtful this drink with oils, powders and seeds could taste good.

After the first few sips, it grew on me.  By the end, I enjoyed it!

More tomorrow about my first 40 day goals...and why 40 days.  Today however, I embark on the first of a seven-day detox and replacement therapy--from Mark Hyman, M.D.

Big shopping day yesterday
gathering everything I need!

For breakfast every day,
and afternoon snack if hungry.
I use frozen blueberries--yum! 
Ice is optional...
it's smoother without the ice.

Ultra Broth

3 quarts water

1 large chopped onion

2 sliced carrots

1 cup of daikon or white radish root and tops (ideal, but optional)

1 c. of winter squash cut into large cubes (like acorn)

1 cup of root vegetables:  turnips, parsnips, and rutabagas for sweetness

2 cups of chopped greens:  kale, parsley, beet greens, collard greens, chard, dandelion, cilantro, or other greens

2 celery stalks

1/2cup of seaweed:  nori, dulse, wakame, kelp, or kombu

½ cup of cabbage

4  ½-inch slices of fresh ginger

2 cloves of whole garlic (not chopped or crushed)

Sea salt to taste

If available, you can add 1 cup of fresh or dried shiitake or maitake mushrooms.

Add all ingredients at once and place on a low boil for 60 minutes or longer to desired taste.  Cool, strain (throw away the cooked vegetables) and store in a large, tightly sealed glass container in the fridge.

Heat gently and drink at least 3 – 4 cups a day.

--from “The UltraSimple Diet, Kickstart Your Metabolism…in 7 Days” by Mark Hyman, M.D.

~~~~~~~

It feels good to be cooking with so many fresh vegetables.
However, the seaweed?
Not used to it in my soup.
I think it's an acquired taste, which I suppose I'll acquire
since it's on the menu every day this week!

Each of these seven days will start with drinking the juice of half a lemon in 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, followed by 20 - 60 minutes of Yoga, at least 30 minutes of writing, and then the juice of the other half of the lemon with hot water.  Next, a cup of green tea, and finally the Ultra Shake for breakfast.

If my final goal is to climb the Willis/Sears Tower on November 4th with a different body than the one I climbed with last season, I believe this is a great way to start the change! 

 

This will be my highest climb ever,

and I've been told the steps are steep.

"It's All About The Journey"

January 2011 found me running along Mission Bay early every morning.  I use the term "running" loosely.

After a quick snack of oatmeal or nuts to start the day, I walked out the cottage door of my vacation rental, on to the boardwalk of the bay just steps away.  The first two weeks I greeted each morning walking briskly along the sand, up to the park, curving around by the roller coaster, and circling back, across Mission
Boulevard along the ocean. Sun fresh off the dawn, flocks of birds gathering quietly along the water, an occasional "snowbird" or two crossing my path--an idyllic two-mile start to the day.

Attending a daily Fitcamp in San Diego on the bay,  I committed to working out twice a day and adding on as many walks by the sea as possible.  My goal was to make a difference!  I wanted the difference of feeling fit.  I wanted the difference of being physically prepared for an athletic event, as my first stair climb was February 2011, a half-climb of the John Hancock building in Chicago.

My friends and trainers taught and encouraged, inspired and supported.  They reminded me, "It's all about the journey."  I said I understood.

What I really wanted was to magically turn into a lean, fit athlete.  Something inside me was crying out for it.  Overweight since the mid 80's, I needed to move.  Not having moved for so many years, I didn't know how to make myself keep moving. 

I wanted to be strong.  I didn't know how to push myself to the necessary limits. 

I needed to accomplish, overcome, be victorious.  Finally I believed in walking forward without hesitation into every opportunity life offered.  I believed, "The time is now!"

Two weeks into this experience, walking along the bay one morning, I think it's time to run.  I tell myself it's impossible, I can't breathe, I just cannot do it.  Physically, I pick up one foot and then the other a little higher, a little quicker, and watch the street signs go by -- Avalon, Balboa, Brighton... I have to stop and walk again. Really, two blocks?

The next day I make it three, to Capistrano, and that's where I stay for many days.  It seems that my little three-block run is as far as I can go.

Then one morning as I start my jog at Avalon, Coldplay is on my i-Pod singing about being stuck in reverse, losing something, wasting love, lights guiding you home, and  best of all, igniting your bones...and I keep running.  The guitar picks up a steady faster rhythm in the instrumental section and the percussion flares up...stronger ...more guitar...the song swells..."Tears stream down your face," ...and sure enough tears are streaming down my face. 

I pass Balboa, Brighton, Capistrano, then Cohasset, Coronado, Deal...music is inside me, driving the crescendo of emotion running through me and then there's San Gabrielle Place, and just another block I'll reach Devon Ct. ..."when you lose something you cannot replace,"...yes, all these years...

..."I promise you I will learn from my mistakes"...and I'm promising myself. 

Devon Court!  I start walking again at Devon.  I laugh because back in Chicago, Devon Avenue is a few blocks from my home.  The music slows, coming to an end...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Brushing tears from the corner of my eyes as these words become my vow to myself from that moment on, 

I know the light which guides me.

The journey Carisse and Palani talk about continues.  I did not magically become a super-fit athlete by February of 2011.  I haven't broken any records (yet.) 

I am healthy.

Sometimes I feel like everything's ignited! 

I'm taking care of myself,

already preparing for the fall season of stair climbing.

Understanding a bit more,

a good way down the road,

enjoying a look back

at this journey.

Dinner at 9 A.M.

Today's Bounty

I considered posting daily menu plans.   What looks good on paper and in books, intersects with real life however and requires continual adjustments to the plan!

Attempting to eat every three hours and having my big meal of the day at 9 a.m. involves strategic planning.  Sparing readers the details, suffice it to say I'm working on it.

Tried a new smoothie today.  Was looking forward to tasting it, but honestly, I didn't hold out much hope for anything called:

Blueberry and Broccoli Smoothie

Recipe
1 cup frozen Blueberries
1/2 cup steamed Broccoli
1 cup 100% cranberry juice (I used Pomegranate/Blueberry,"Pom")
1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt

SURPRISE!

It's delicious...can't taste the broccoli,

fruity, not too sweet, just right. 

So healthy and hearty too.

It's a meal!

Eating solely for fuel to build a strong body is the antithesis of every reason I ever ate before.

This may take awhile.





Re: Blueberry Broccoli Smoothie
      It's a large portion, so if you sip it over time, it does begin to
      separate.  Simply take a spoon and stir to bring it back to
      original consistency.  Seriously very good.  Harold tasted it
      and agreed to have it for dinner sometime with me!

Shifting Energy

Page from "In My Window,"
an early childhood book I wrote a few years ago.

Changing a bedtime and
rising-time should be easy, correct?  There can be ripples, accidental consequences, complications.  

I always thought of myself as a late night person, relishing those hours hidden from the day.  If pushed to say more, I'd reveal they feel stolen away from life, like my own special time wandering through the minutes without boundaries.  It's who I am, and who I'm thought to be.

I understand that my plan to be in bed at 9:45 and rise at 5:45 is accepted less than fully.  It's the same "grain of salt" which was in the air last November when I announced, "I'm going to become a competitive athlete."  So many years of staying up late and not exercising, naturally leads those who know me well to different conclusions.

My role fits into a neat little box, next to everyone else's role in each of their boxes, and we stack up however we stack up.  Regardless, it's what we do. 

Inevitable consequences when change occurs?  Yes.
Inevitably negative?  Doesn't have to be.

I met my goals... 1) of improving with each tower race this year, and  2) I topped the list of competitors in my age group in the race last Sunday.

Peers have asked how my knees hold out with all the stair climbing.  I've deduced that not having exercised for fifty-seven years actually leaves my knees in great shape for a sixty year old to be climbing stairs!  Likewise, my new theory is -- having never been disciplined about a regular bedtime, or exercise and proper healthy meals all these years, leaves me with an extraordinary amount of energy to apply to a regular bedtime, exercise and proper healthy meals!

I'm aware conventional reasoning proposes all these years of one behavior make it more difficult to change.  I am not conventional.  In truth, no one is...but that's another entry. 

We are each a glowing mass of energy. 

Cheers to no more boxes!



P.S.  And my blog written by 8:00 a.m.!