So much awesomeness I can’t contain it!

I’ve been saying for a year now, that I want to learn to surf. The challenge is really, getting over the phobia of the dirty beach water.

But I recently moved to surf city. And I’m pretty sure I’ve only been to the beach twice. I thought it would be something I’d do more often. Life happens though, and the boys seem to prefer the pool, so I don’t push the issue.

Today, I went to Dana Point with a bunch of folks from my spiritual center. The water was clean, the waves were nice and someone handed me a boogie board.

And I rode wave after wave…until I was completely spent. And it was awesome! I swallowed salt water, had a few wipe outs, scraped my knee, got sand in my suit and kept going back for more. I didn’t stop until my body couldn’t take anymore.

Yeah, I’ll feel it in the morning. But I realized a few things.
1. I’m happier when I’m more active
2. I LOVE the beach, and…
3. I really enjoy boogie boarding

Honestly, today was so wonderful, I can’t even express the level of awesomeness I experienced.

Now I must go crash, for I am happy and exhausted.

Tags: boogie boarding, Health/Fitness, summer fun

Dealing with the challenge of commuting longer distances by bike; with the kids

I don’t remember a whole lot from my childhood. But the memories I do have a very sharp. Aside from summers spent swimming 9-to-5 like a job and smelling my mom’s hair just before she told me she was pregnant with my sister, few memories stand out more than when we had to commute using public transportation. I’m talking, up before the crack of dawn so mom could get us kids to the babysitter and get to work by 9:00 AM.

And now I’ve begun doing the same thing. Actually, it wasn’t until Summer and I had two kids on vacation, that child care and commuting by bus became a real issue. As I started pricing the child care, I almost had a heart attack. All day child care for two children is expensive. And getting them there is a challenge, to say the least. Especially since we all have to get there by bike.

The first day was a bitch. We were up at 5:30 AM and out of the door by 6:00 (you have no idea what I had to go through to get the boys to get dressed, even in their sleep deprived stupor. I told them to sleep earlier. They’ll learn.). We all mounted our bikes and set out for the Boys & Girls Club, which had the best rates for summer day camp. Four miles, up hill, down hill, busy streets, early in the morning.

For someone who had spent that latter part of the school year commuting by bike, the youngest seemed to have the hardest time. He cried about his nose hurting, complained about being hot and generally had a hard time with the whole thing. The oldest spent half the ride yelling at the youngest to stop crying. At one point we went down a hill and I let myself fly down until I reached the bottom. Along the way, the boys lost sight of me. When they caught up the oldest was crying and glared at me angrily. “He got scared because he couldn’t see you,” the youngest said rolling his eyes.

Despite the challenges, we made it to our destination and I got to work on time. It took an hour to make a 30 minute ride, but I’m pretty sure we’ll get faster as the boys get more used to the route. The ride home was much easier and faster and when we made it, we all vegged out in front of the television.

I saw a sign that the average bicyclist loses 13 lbs their first year commuting by bike. Those are results I can get behind. That and showing my kids that you don’t need a car to get around town. The more used to it I get, the less inconvenient it seems. We were even able to grocery shop–I’m talking real shopping–and get everything home on our bikes.

Truthfully, there have been plenty of times I wish I had a car. But I’m also learning to make due and so are my kids. Much like when my mom would drag my sister and I out on the bus to get to the sitter, I have to drag my kids out on the rode at ungodly hours to get them to the sitter as well. The main difference is that we’re all getting a work out on our way to our destinations.

As my mom always said, “I gotta do what I gotta do.”

Truer words are rarely ever spoken.

Tags: bicycle commuting, bus/bike to work, family, Health/Fitness

I took him to the park, left him for 30 minutes, he was fine, we made new friends

Note: I tend to write in bursts so if this is your first time here and you like what you read, subscribe to the feed so you don’t forget where to go to for more.

Today has been dubbed by Lenore Skenazy of Free-Range Kids, Take Your Children to the Park and Leave them There day. I generally don’t go to the park near my house because it’s not really…near my house, but today I woke early determined to participate in this day somehow.

I suppose it might have been better if I had spoke to some other parents near me. Truth is that I work a lot and the Boy doesn’t know the other kids very well. So I decided we’d ride to the park and I’d leave him at the playground, while I rode the bike trails.

When I got to the park, I was a little nervous. Not because I was afraid the Boy would come to any peril in my absence but because there were adults hovering over kids like I had never noticed before. Just as I was thinking I’d make him ride trails with me, another kid his age showed up and I didn’t exist anymore. I gave him instructions for responding to questions for where his mother was (I told him to say he was fine and that his mom was in the park, instead he said “Today is take your kid to the park and leave them there day! ” :-/) and headed off to the bike trail.

The sun was bright, the morning air was refreshing and the creek the bike trail followed was absolutely beautiful. I could smell jasmine, and grass and hear the little bit of water make its way over and through the rocks. And I was slightly in awe of what I had lived relatively close to for almost a year, and never bothered to see (I had also been complaining that the park wasn’t walking distance…which it really isn’t from our house, so the bikes helped).

When I returned to the playground about 30 minutes later, the kids were engrossed in play. I asked the Boy if he wanted to ride the trails with me, he asked his new friend, I introduced myself to the friend’s mother (who asked about “eave your kid at the park day,” which I happily explained) then we all rode off on the nature reserve bike trail together.

It was so much fun! The other mom and I had lots in common, and the kids were getting on like old friends. There was a set of metal slides and we hug out there, while the kids went down the tallest one over and over.

Then it was time for us to go our separate ways. The other mom and I exchanged numbers because…well, our kids hat hit it off (and so had we kinda) and expressed some interest in hanging out again. The whole thing was all in keeping with why I was there in the first place: For the Boy and I to go out, be active and make new friends.

We’ll definitely be doing that more often.

Tags: bicycling, Free-Range, Health/Fitness, kids, Take Your Kid to the Park and Leave Them There

The catch-22 of getting fit

Yeah, I know you’re supposed to consult your physician before starting any fitness regimen but what healthy person actually does that? And truthfully, these last few weeks, I’ve felt better than I have in a very long time. I’m positive its a result of healthier eating and regular exercise.

So you’re probably wondering what I’m going on about.

I started having pain in my lower back which got progressively worse until finally I decided to go to the doctor. When you have pain radiating across your lower back and shooting down your leg, your body is trying to tell you something Read more…

Tags: Catch-22, Fitness FAIL, Goals, Health/Fitness

Today was a good day

Up early for yoga. I even let the boy try the class. I think 30 minutes is good for a 7-year-old. Even the instructor had to admit it had been a tough class. But we all left feeling stronger and energized.

I invited a friend over for breakfast and went home to whip it up. Potatoes, bacon, sausage and eggs. It was goooooood. After my friend left I settled in to watch “Lost” but it ended up watching me. A few hours later, my friend hit me up again, inviting me over for a swim (I love how just last week it was pouring and we were actually having weather in California. But today it was sunny, blue skies and warm enough for a night swim). So I went over. And swam a 500.

It’s nice to have a friend close to work out with and just swim in her pool. Afterward, we sat and talked in the jacuzzi.

Here’s the thing. I went from nothing to three or four-times a week exercising. And I love it! I know once my two months are up, I’ll probably work out fewer days a week but I’m going to use this time like hell week when I used to swim. We’d work really hard the first couple weeks and then we’d get into our routine.

I also remember feeling like I didn’t have any friends. Now, I’m starting to accept that I enjoy being active and I like being social.

I almost feel guilty saying that. But it’s how I feel and I want to own it.

Oh. Next week I’ll be blogging from Miami Beach for Entrepreneur’s Growth 2.0 conference. Last year’s conference went down as one of the hardest days of my life this year there is the promise of fun, adventure and mischief.

I’m excited.

Life is good.

Tags: Exercise, Health/Fitness, Life is Good, Work/Life Balance

Like James Brown Said: I Feel Good!

I’m just realizing that sitting down to write this post is the first time I’ve sat down since getting home. That’s right, got home and went straight to work flat ironing my hair that had gotten all sweaty during pilates, and prepping tomorrows dinner in the slow cooker, making my lunch for tomorrow, tucking the boy in the bed and…

Shit. I’m tired again, just thinking about it.

Actually, I’m not all that tired at all. In fact, since I started working out last week, I’ve been feeling stronger and more energized. No afternoon crashes and I’m not exhausted when I get home.

Whoda thunk?

Seriously though, I think this working out thing might be all it’s cracked up to be.

Tags: Energy, Health/Fitness, Work/Life Balance

Recommitting to a Healthy Lifestyle

I used to be very active. I started swimming when I was four and began competing by the time I was five. Growing up, I often spent the entire summer at the pool: lessons in the morning, free swim in the afternoon, swim team practice in the evening.

In high school we often had two practices a day: two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon. In city college, I played water polo and joined the swim team. Once I got to the university, I wasn’t able to join the teams (some NCAA technicality) but I enrolled in swim fitness classes and swam two or three times a week.

Since I didn’t have reliable transportation, I usually caught the bus or walked everywhere I needed to go. I was athletic and had lots of energy.

Once I graduated college, I spent most of my time in the house and rarely ever exercised. I began living a sedentary life.

This year, I want to change that. No, no, it’s not a resolution, it’s a necessity.

For most of my life I have lived a relatively healthy lifestyle. And then suddenly I just stopped. Despite saying I wanted to work out and lose weight and be fit, I continued to do nothing to make those things happen. I made excuses: I only like swimming, I don’t like walking or running, I can’t afford a gym membership.

The time for excuses is over.

Starting this year, I’ve decided that I have to put my money where my mouth is. I’ve got someone willing to join me in my fitness quest and we’ve already made a plan for classes and activities to do together.

Baby steps right?

I think I’m on my way.

Tags: 30 Days, Balance, Goals, Health/Fitness