Active Lifestyles

This weekend we went snowshoeing. Last weekend we went sledding. The weekend before that, a hike.

Having an “active lifestyle” is something we are all supposed to aspire to. We look for ways to be more active, to attempt to make activity habitual so it becomes part of our lifestyle and we do it for varying reasons - for health, for appearance, for longevity.

Unfortunately the current American lifestyle which often revolves around work, eating fast or other restaurant food, and more work can make it difficult to maintain our vision of an active lifestyle. Through the years I’ve had many conversations with friends and colleagues who have asked me how it is possible that I maintain my activity level despite the pressures and time demands of my professional life.

I’ve realized that it boils down to two concepts - being physically active, and taking care of myself. And those two things can be broken into these five rules:

1. Do what you love. Play. Find something physical that you enjoy doing, and do it. As often as you can. Whether that is walking, dancing, biking, lifting weights, gardening, going shopping, or attending a fitness class. Run. Find something that you love to do so you are motivated to do it. Take a class and learn to SCUBA dive, dance or ski. Set goals - participate in a race or a walk. Schedule the time on your Outlook calendar if you have to, just make sure you stick to it. For us it is getting out onto a trail. Doesn’t matter how - biking, hiking, snowshoeing or diving (underwater trails!). As long as we’re moving in nature we’re happy. My general formula is to work out at the gym during the week so that I have the fitness to do whatever random outdoor activity we have planned for the weekend.

2. Drink water. Just water. Our bodies run on water and you can’t be consistently active if you are not giving your body what it needs. Especially here in the mountains, I can feel it in short time if I am dehydrated. Carry around a water bottle and keep it full so you never have an excuse not to be drinking. Try not to add flavors or sugars. All those additives are just empty calories. I very rarely drink soda (HFCS makes my mouth feel funny). If I need a sweet caffeinated drink, I’ll have some tea with a bit of sugar rather than a soda. Fewer calories, I think it tastes better, and the added bonus of good antioxidants, so long as you don’t add milk.

3. Eat real food. Simple food. Protein, veggies, fruits, dairy and whole grains. Decrease your sugar intake. Know what is in your food - if there is something on the label that is un-pronouncable, do you really want it in your body? We make most of our meals from scratch. That way we know what is in it. If you can’t or don’t know how, start simple. Invest in a slow cooker and freeze leftovers. Or make and freeze breakfast burritos. Learn how to make good salads. If you are eating in a dining hall, just keep it simple and try to avoid daily eating of the items that look fried (same goes for those trays of delicious looking cookies).

I don’t count calories. I figure that as long as what I’m putting in my body is good for me, and as long as I stop eating when I get the message that I’m satiated, I’m good to go. Yes, I know. You might say, ‘but you’re active! You don’t need to count calories!’ and to an extent that is true. But I truly believe that if we are giving our bodies what they need, they will tell us when we’re done. That might mean we need to be careful about portion control while learning how to listen, but eventually your body will tell you.

4. Take care of your body. Sleep. People have made fun of me for having to get my full 8 hours at night, but I know that if I get less than that for too many days in a row I will get sick, so I do it and rarely get ill. Wear sunscreen. Listen to your body. If something hurts, let it rest. Give it ice or heat and allow your cells to repair themselves. Don’t let yourself get hungry. Pack a lunch and eat it throughout the entire day. Your body and your ability to focus will love you for it. Get a massage, a facial, a manicure.. Whatever it is that makes you feel well taken care of. Looking and feeling good reminds me why I love my body :) 

5. It’s the little things. Find ways to work low-impact exercise into every day: bike or walk across campus, take the stairs, do chores, walk the dog. I know it’s cliche but park farther from the door to the store. Even better - if you have few enough groceries that you can carry them yourself, ditch the cart and carry your groceries out to the car. Some days my job requires me to run around and be on my feet all day, and those days I don’t go to the gym because I don’t want to push it and hurt myself.

These are NOT weight loss tips and I’m not saying you must do all of these things in order to have a healthy, active lifestyle. They are just the things that I have found to work for me. Hopefully someone will find this to be helpful. What works for you?

(Also it should be noted that I am not a fitness expert and this is not valid medical advice, so don't try to sue me if you try something and have a bad effect.)

Being an Introvert

It's funny how sometimes concepts and themes can follow us around. I've heard that we are always surrounded by recurring themes, it's just that once in a while one jumps out at us on one day and then we start to notice it elsewhere. Whatever the cause, the theme that has been prevalent for me lately is introversion.

Turns out I'm a pretty introverted person. I know quite a few people don't think I am. Particularly those I work with have a tendency to think I'm an extrovert because I turn on such energy most of the time while working. What they don't see is the crash that happens most nights. The thing about introversion vs extroversion is that it means our energy comes from within, rather than from the people around us. So an introvert can be social all day, but then probably needs to 'recharge' at night. On the Myers-Briggs I am an INFJ, one of the rarest types. Though not quite as reserved as that article might suggest, I definitely need my recharging time.

One of the ways that I recharge is by reading. Constantly. I fly through books. So one of the things we decided about the new house was that I should have a spot for my reading. We decided on a couple of wingback chairs in the living room, to allow me to be social and near people, but also be my spot. I picked fabric for my chairs tonight, and will definitely post pictures as soon as we get them :)

And then there is this article. They interviewed the author on NPR today and I thought her perspective about needing to leave room for introverts in the workplace was really interesting. She said that a lot of our most creative work happens when we are alone, rather than when working with a group, because we get influenced by the reactions and inactions of the people around us. Fascinating, and if you think about it, totally true.

When was the last time you had a truly productive brainstorming session? How many times do people say 'oh man, another meeting.' or 'ugghh I hate group projects! Meeting with the group is always such a pain!?' Very common. Not that it's bad to want to work with groups, I just think there are a lot of people out there who would rather do some of the work on their own. There's a reason everyone listens to music in their offices - we need to create our own space to do our best thinking.

Anyway. Those are my recent thoughts on introversion. Chris is out of town this week, so I will have plenty of time to spend by my quiet self, doing my quiet things, until my (ok ok maybe not so) quiet husband comes home to keep me company.

_____________________________
2/1 update: I found this interesting article, "An Introvert's Guide to Networking," which pretty much describes my philosophy about how to handle networking. I would add to this that when you bring together a group of people who don't know each other at all, it can be great for the introverts if everyone stands up and says their names and what they do. That way we can seek out the people for whom we might have an actual purpose to converse, rather than having to just start random conversations.

Dr. Harding, cont'd

Yesterday I talked about two things I learned from Dr. Vincent Harding. Here is the third thing that he said that really made me think:

 Dr. Harding had a brief aside about our names. He asked each person who spoke to tell their full name, the name of their mother's mother and where they were from. And he said that so much of the beautiful diversity within this country is represented by the names we carry. Why are we afraid to ask one another how to pronounce our names? In learning how to say someone's name we are actualizing part of their humanity, and sharing part of our own. In shortening or mispronouncing someone's name, we are discrediting part of that person's being.

Given that I go by my initials and I also went through a name change this year, that concept of our names being a reflection of our humanity really struck home. My name is a combination of one that was given and one that I chose. I go by my initials not only because it is what my Mom decided I should be called but also because it is frustrating to hear people mispronounce my full name, and Angelina Jolie jokes can be demeaning. I always had some discomfort with my last name, and the transition to my new last name has been remarkably easy - it has been 6 months and it is already very rare for me to think of myself with my maiden name. My married last name feels more home-like than my maiden name. (Also I have always loved writing cursive capital L's :) ) It made me wonder if I have ever caused distress by not giving someone's name the respect it deserved.

Similar to the reminder about listening, the aside about our names has given me renewed impetus to make sure that my actions honor those around me. I have always followed a combination motto of 'do no harm' and 'make the world a better place' but I think I need to add to that something about respecting the humanity of all I meet.

Dr. Harding did create in me a 'wonderful disturbance' and I am enjoying processing my interactions with him.

Meeting Dr. Harding

On Thursday I had the honor of meeting Dr. Vincent Harding, a man who was good friends with and a speechwriter for Martin Luther King, Jr. He came to CSM to speak as part of our diversity week events. It was an honor not only because of the company he kept or the incredible things he has done, but just to have the opportunity to be in the presence of someone who so fully radiates peace and who, in just a couple of sentences, gave my brain a lot to chew on.

I spoke to him briefly while pinning on his lavalier mic and in that moment he helped me calm out of what had been a very hectic day. He did nothing remarkable. All he did was listen when I told him how I was doing. Really listen. I think we forget the value of listening to one another. So often conversation is spent thinking of the next thing to say, rather than truly paying attention to one another. That reminder of the value of listening to one another was the first thing I learned from Dr. Harding.

During his talk he touched on two things more that struck me. The first is the concept of "who are you waiting for?" He said that he often gets asked when he thinks we'll get another leader like Martin Luther King, Jr. and he always wants to ask people what is preventing them from becoming that leader. He said we need to free ourselves and realize that every one of us can be the leader to make positive change in this world. He challenged everyone to find the thing we are passionate about and to seek to make change on that issue within our part of the world. 

I've realized for me it is not only to act on the things about which I have a passion, but it is also to encourage my students to do the same. Through conversation and modeling I wish to create what Dr. Harding called a "wonderful disturbance" in my students. A wonderful disturbance makes something stir inside of you, making you assess yourself and calling you to action. 

This post is long, so soon I will write about the third thing I learned from Dr. Harding. But until then readers please tell me:

What things have caused a wonderful disturbance in you, and how are you acting upon them?

Resolutions

I am not a big fan of New Year Resolutions. Not because I am a make 'em and break 'em kind of girl, but rather because I find it more helpful to set goals for myself as they seem appropriate. Also because as I've seen a few times, where I am at the beginning of the year could be completely different than where I am in February, much less the end of those 12 months.

Of course I have long-term goals - getting a doctorate, having kids - but those aren't necessarily helped by New Year Resolution kind of thinking. I prefer to make my goals as I encounter natural changes in the flow of life, or as I realize that there is something I want to accomplish. For example, when we moved to CO we decided that we'd do a few things to be more productive and feel more satisfied with our lives. To that end we have been exercising at least a couple times a week (optimally with one or more of those being outdoors), we only have 'basic' cable to help avoid the temptation to channel surf, and we bought a house so we could have our own space that really fits our lifestyle. We also decided to get back into some activities that we each love - juggling, singing, video gaming, hiking, biking.. writing in my blog.

Since I was a small girl I always considered myself 'a writer.' I used to keep extensive diaries and would mark on the front cover for every day that I missed. I kept notebooks filled with poetry and short stories. I was very proud of them, though would probably have been mortified if anyone had read them. In college I started this blog - it actually just turned 10 years old! I put my musings here (many of them much more melodramatic than what I'd post now. and no, you can't see them). But as college got more intense I rather lost track of the creative side of my writing habits and in the last couple years I've realized that I miss the firing of those particular synapses.

In the spirit of making resolutions that will make me more satisfied with how my life is going and in the spirit of helping my friends do the same, yesterday I challenged a friend to a duel. Not a duel in the traditional sense wherein one or both of us ends up dead (hopefully!) but a duel of wits. Of creativity. Of encouraging one other to write creatively EVERY DAY. So starting on Saturday and going through February 14th, we will have our "Blogging for Soup" challenge. One can't be brilliant or interesting every day, so I won't be posting every word here but I am hoping to have an increase in regularity of my posts. Our punishments for missing a day involve a bit of public humiliation, so you might get to see that too.

Here's to resolutions! Whether you make them at the New Year or when you sense a need for change, whether you keep them close to your chest or shout them from the rooftops, I hope you are successful with your endeavors this year.

2011 Recap

Yeah so this is a little late, but better late than never, right? My letter to 2011.

Dear 2011;
HOLY CRAP a lot happened this year! Let's take a couple moments to recap.

To be honest, I don't remember much of January. I know we worked out a fair bit and I know the Spring Hello, Hialeah! happened, but that's about all I've got. We assigned each other resolutions, and the one I was given was to 'get sick less and not take it so hard when a certain mean person was mean to me.' Easier said than done on both counts..

By February I broke the first half of my resolution - in an infamous weekend, me and half the students on a trip got food poisoning (or a simultaneous flu?) and that Sunday my foot mysteriously started to hurt. Chris was in DC and that Friday was the first mention of possibly moving to Boulder.

That pain in my foot turned out to be a somewhat serious thing and led to 2 months of physical therapy starting in March, which is also the month that Chris proposed. So it wasn't so bad that I couldn't do anything active since there was suddenly a LOT to do to get ready for the wedding, which we decided would be in July. March was also the month of the Vagina Monologues. Look at a picture of our beautiful cast!

March turned into April and the insanity of planning for Commencement (and multiple failures at the second half of my resolution. eesh). Between the intensity of work and planning for the wedding, with a couple PT appointments each week there wasn't time for much more!

In May Grandpa Stenger passed away.

In June Chris went to Kansas City for work, which was a great mini-vacation for him. I don't remember much of June, so I guess I was just doing wedding stuff?

July, of course, was the wedding! What with the foot injury, here's a picture of the only day (after February) in 2011 that I wore high heels:

End of July brought a massive fail at the second half of the resolution, followed by our super-amazing and super-needed honeymoon in Belize! Also, the confirmation that Chris got the job in Boulder and that we'd be moving.

August and September were taken up with negotiating the move and preparing to leave our jobs. We had some great times (and tears..) with friends and coworkers as we said goodbye. By the 27th we were packed up and on our way. We drove from FL to CO and took our little bug to places like Georgia and Tennessee, and spent a couple days getting through Kansas.

October brought our arrival in CO, the start of new jobs and a whole lot of house hunting and exploring the area.

And of course in November we moved into the new house! Just before Thanksgiving, which gave us enough time to dig our pots and pans out from the pile and cook a beautiful meal to celebrate how thankful we have been for everything 2011 brought.

We wrapped up the year in a very different place than we started. New state, jobs, marriage, home... December allowed us time to finally breathe. After all the transition and movement, it was sure nice to have a whole month of being in one place!

Thank you, 2011, for the adventure, growth and opportunity. You certainly helped us appreciate the things we have and the family and friends that we love. We will always look back on you as 'that year we did all that crazy stuff' and it was awesome.

Here's to a great, though hopefully a little calmer, 2012!