May 3 Affirming Life

I feel the need to affirm life today. This day is a sad one for me. I am feeling more this year than last. I am understanding more about myself this year than in the last two years. Two years ago today I lost my father to cancer. My father was my hero. In my mind he could do anything. He fought a courageous battle. I never heard him speak of how much time was left. It is no surprise that is how he chose to look at it. I'm not certain he ever admitted he even had cancer. I sat with him about two weeks before he died while my mother went to run errands. I was studying for finals. It was evident he was proud of my upcoming college graduation. He was interested to know what I was studying. It was Child Development one of the final classes I needed to complete my Psychology degree. We might have talked a bit about children and how they grow, I don't remember. What I do remember was he needed to eat. He was hungry but not understanding why. It was then that I knew the end was coming near. I wanted the clock to turn back. I wanted to have him teach my boys how to fix cars and build structures. While I was in class taking that very exam my mother called us all in. My brothers drove down from New York. I put everything on hold and stayed in the guest room to help Mom. We changed a plane ticket so my youngest son could say goodbye. It was bitter sweet. He had all his grandsons there before he passed. My mother told me they each spoke to him alone. They each told him he was their hero and they wanted to be like him. He was a great man. He loved his family and we knew it. We miss him. We each have our own way of grieving his loss and remembering his presence in our lives. I spoke with my oldest son about it today. He told me sometimes he just wishes he could call and talk to him. So do I.

I am choosing to affirm life today instead of letting this huge feeling of sadness pull me down. I am going to count all the ways I have abundance of life giving joy around me. Today is my younger son's fiance's birthday. She lovingly said as we were all filled with tears that early morning two years ago, "I am happy to share my day with Dave." She is a great asset to the family. Next summer she will be my son's wife. Next Friday my older son's fiance will graduate from college. She has worked hard to prove herself in life. I am proud of her accomplishments and excited to see what she does as she moves from this school to the next and earns her BA. I had a wonderful email message from a good friend this morning. Her granddaughter was born this morning!

I am grateful for life! This weekend was amazing! The sky was beautiful blue as only mountain skies can be. The grass deep green that can only be appreciated after it was covered in white for so many weeks this winter. Birds filled the backyard with activity. The cardinals were deeper red than ever before. Sparrows found bugs all through the freshly mowed lawn. Even the dog who usually wants no more than a half hour outside was enjoying the freshness of spring.I will end by sharing these photos of the flowers in my yard.







Please help me affirm life by telling someone about something wonderful. It doesn't matter who or what. Look at your surroundings, think about your family and friends, listen and you will find something wonderful about life to affirm. If you feel moved to do so please post this affirmation of life to share with people on line. You could respond to this blog post. You could use your Facebook status if you are a Facebook user. If you are one of my friends from Ravelry post something wonderful on one of the forums you frequent. Try to spread this affirmation of life in anyway you can. My father was full of life. I will continue to share that loving energy with all I come in contact with whether that be in person or online. I will continue to put forth all my loving energy into every contact I make!

Where is the knitting time???

This has been a week of fun filled studio time. Very little knitting time. Lots of exercise for me, for the clients, and for me and the clients. Yup, sometimes I worked out alone. Sometimes I worked out with my classes and other times just the clients worked out! I've gone home with just enough energy leftover for a quick meal and into bed. When could I squeeze knitting time in? I was getting it in while riding the stationary bike. If I were just doing that for exercise it would be great. Nope. Can't knit while doing push-ups. Can't knit while lunge walking around the room. Can't knit while doing lat pull-downs or shoulder presses. But I have a goal. Well, there are many goals. But one goal is to use 25 pound dumbbells for my bicep curls. That is much larger than my current 15 pounds. Those biceps will not get there knitting. They need to do the work using weights.

But if I had been knitting what would it be? Socks of course. I'm working with the most lovely merino blend yarn. The color is deep and rich. The pattern is challenging enough to keep me from falling asleep. (Now that you know about my workout habits this week you understand how important that is.) Actually the pattern is fabulously fun. It is one of Cookie A.'s patterns. I love her work. I have wanted to knit one of her socks for quite a while but have not had the courage to attempt it. This pair is for a friend. Somehow the great fear of knitting her socks is GONE now that I am making these socks for someone else. Note to self: remember to fool yourself into thinking you are making the hard stuff for someone else so you can have it!

So food for Friday?? Well, I have eaten oddly today. I had a turkey burger and raw carrots for breakfast. I had another turkey burger and carrots and hummus for my mid-morning snack. And yes, the hummus was on both the burger and the carrots. Why would I eat that way? Protein and veggies. Easy to carry and keep in the fridge. Easy to eat between clients. Let's dream about dinner. What could we have for dinner?

Millet and Pumpkin seeds

1 cup millet
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
21/2 cups water
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt

Bring water to a boil and add all other ingredients. Reduce to simmer and cook until all water is absorbed and the millet is soft. Add more water if necessary. Note: Some people like to toast the millet a bit before cooking. This can be done a number of ways. One easy clean up way is to heat your sauce pan and then add the millet to it. Keep the millet moving over the heat. You will hear little pops like popcorn. This is the millet hulls cracking and the millet toasting. Be careful not to let it burn. Once the millet is toasted you can then add all the ingredients to the pot and simmer.

Roasted Veggies
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
3 carrots
1 small onion
5-8 small garlic cloves
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp rosemary leaves
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
cracked pepper to taste

Wash and slice zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots into off center rounds (like ovals almost and there will be some odd shaped ones in there from the beginning and ends of the veggies) about 1/4 inch thick then put into a mixing bowl. Slice onion into 1/4 inch rounds and separate OR cut into eighths and separate and add to the mixing bowl. Peel the garlic cloves and add to the other veggies. If desired the garlic can be cut in half or quarters. Crush the herbs together and mix through the veggies. Drizzle the veggies with the olive oil and stir through to coat the veggies. Arrange the veggies on a broiler pan and broil turning so they don't burn until cooked to desired doneness.

I'm noticing the spell checker does not really like the word "doneness". I like "doneness". It makes perfect sense to me. I am going to continue to rebel and use the word.

Have an enjoyable weekend!

Foggy Thursday

I have to admit I am in a bit of a mind fog today. I'm sure it is due to the Chinese food I ate yesterday. I'm sure it has nothing to do with my current coffee habit and that I had tea with breakfast. Nor could it have anything to do with today rapidly becoming the fourth 10 hour workday of this week. And moreover I'm certain the mind fog has nothing to do with my new exercise routine. Really it has to be the weather report...fog then misty rain then real rain. Yup, let's just blame it all on the weather. Even the dog is feeling the need to curl up and take a nap, on my lap right now to be precise!

What is on the stove today?? I'm thinking bone soup would be GREAT today. The foggy chilly weather is reaching into my bones and a wonderful soup would help. And what is Bone Soup? It is a broth made from leftover bones from other meals. I only eat poultry, so for my soup it will be chicken or turkey bones. I save the bones from roast chicken throughout the month. I keep them in the freezer until I am ready to make the soup. On soup day I pull them out an put them all in a large stockpot.

Bone Soup Broth

leftover chicken bones
1 bunch parsley
3 stalks celery
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 tsp oregano

Wash and rough cut all the veggies. (What is rough cut? Chunky but not whole.) Put all the ingredients in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring this to a boil and then simmer for 10-12 hours. Why so long? This process pulls the "good stuff" out of the bones. This "good stuff" will help your body build healthy bones and joints. You can do the same process in your slow cooker. Set it up at night and cook while you sleep if you want to. I usually make this stock on a Saturday or Sunday and then it is ready for the week. I am making a large quantity to save time later in the week. Once the bones are soft the broth is ready. Strain the liquid off and store for later use. I usually freeze what I don't intend to use up in the next few days.

How do you use the Bone Soup Broth? As a base for other soups. Try starting with 4 cups of broth and add veggies of your choosing. For example:

1/2 cup chopped celery
1 diced onion
1 cup cut green beans
1/2 cup corn
1 cup cut carrots
1 peeled and diced sweet potato
1 can pinto beans rinsed
1 TBS olive oil
4 cups Bone Soup Broth
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Pepper to taste

Saute the onion and celery in the olive oil until clear. Add all the veggies, herbs, and the 4 cups of broth. Simmer until the veggies are cooked through. By adding the pinto beans you have enough protein without the need to add meat.

Enjoy!

No Nap Wednesday

So I could really really use a nap today. Instead I agreed to take all of Kam's clients for Friday morning. This may or may not have been a good choice. Her classes start at 7:30 in the morning. I am not best before 9 really to be honest I am happiest starting the day around 10. Oh well, it is all in the name of networking and business building. She will be going out to this Mega Networking event. As I understand it the event is speed dating for businesses. I think I'm getting the better end of this deal!

Workouts are going well for me these days. That could be one of the causes for the great nap craving this afternoon. Yesterday was legs and back. Today's scheduled workout was back and chest. My back is sore. I think I will do core with my groups tonight and call that my workout. Is that fair? Not really. Does it count for a workout? Yes, if I do the workout with two of my classes. Why two? I use very light weights when training with a group and need more exercise to count for a "real" workout.

What is on the table?? How about some veggie hash? Or some lovely walnut sauteed kale?

Veggie Hash (for one)
1 clove garlic, well chopped
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, sliced
1/8 cup parsley, chopped
3 basil leaves, torn into small pieces
1 TBS olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add remaining veggies and steam saute until veggies are "desired doneness", still crunchy in April's world. Now add the herbs and cook another 30 seconds until they wilt.

Walnut Sauteed Kale (For two hungry people or a few nibblers)
5 cups kale, washed and cut into small pieces
2 TBS olive or walnut oil
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped in large pieces
Sea salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the kale and walnuts. Stir frequently while it cooks down. Don't cover it or it will steam and become liquidy. This dish is ready in 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

March Math

So there are 5 recipes and today is March 9. I'm down 4. Not good. Looks like there will be a few posts today or a rather long one that accumulates through the day.

What did you have for breakfast? Was it enough? Did it hold you through to your mid-morning snack? Did you know your body needs protein first thing in the morning? When you wake your body has been fasting for 8-12 hours. It is hungry!! Cereal is not enough. For many people cereal is a sugar hit and then an energy drop in about an hour. Cereal is a processed food. Even "healthy organic" cereals are processed. In the processing sugar, fat, and salt are added to enhance flavors and make the flours stick together. Your body will use the sugar very quickly. You will feel energized for a short period of time and then you will feel like you need a nap. So what are you going to do when you really want a cereal option?

Hot Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
1 cup cooked quinoa
7 walnut halves
1/3 cup frozen blueberries

Mix all ingredients together and eat as is or add almond milk or soy milk to taste. This packs in 340 calories, 11 grams of protein, and only 5 grams of sugar!

And how is it you cook quinoa?? Just like rice 2 parts water to one part grain and cook for 20-25 minutes. If you make too much (or you could make extra for later) try this...

Quinoa and veggie saute

1 cup cooked quinoa
2 cups chopped veggies of choice
1/4 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic chopped fine
1 tbs olive oil

Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil. When onion is clear add chopped veggies and cook until they are desired "doneness". (I like mine a bit crunchy.) Add the cooked quinoa and heat through. This is lunch for one. You can add 3 oz cooked chicken or tofu if desired. Realize that Quinoa is 222 calories per cup and 8 grams of protein. Adding chicken or tofu will increase the calorie count and the protein count. If your goal is to reach a 400 calorie meal you should add the extra protein.

Math people will notice this brings the recipe count up to 7. I will have to stop here. I managed to get in lots more workout time today than I normally pack in. Because of that I'm needing to head home and cook some food. I'll be sure to keep track of what I make and share tomorrow! Great evening to all!

Enjoy!

Post Olympic Blues

Thursday came and went. I felt melancholy through the afternoon. I couldn't figure it out. How could a day when I had acupuncture and a 90 minute massage result in melancholy feelings? I went to Ravelry to waste a bit of time before teaching a class and hoping to perk myself up with a funny quip or two from my online friends. What I found was so enlightening and uplifting it changed my mood for the rest of the evening and even carried over into today. One of my fiber friends (that is fiber as in yarn and wool to be spun into yarn) posted on a discussion thread that my Olympic shawl was her favorite project of the Ravelympics. I was stunned and proud. As I read further there was a post echoing her praise of my work. The enlightening moment was realizing I am experiencing Post Olympic Blues. The project was a long one. I cut it close and almost was unable to complete when I ran out of the yarn I spun last summer during the Tour de Fleece. I frantically went downtown to see if I could match the hand dyed merino wool. Lucky for me I did. I spent a week of the allotted 17 days spinning another 114 yards of yarn to complete the shawl I started. And how was this uplifting? I must need to start another project! I have a pair of special socks going now but can't post any pictures because I don't want to spoil any surprises. I'm also starting a baby sweater this weekend. The daughter of a friend is expecting a baby girl and I'm excited to start knitting this sweater for her.

Here is a shot of the Olympic Shawl:


Today's Recipe Offering:
Breakfast Chicken Salad (Serves One)
3 oz. diced cooked chicken
1 small apple cut into small pieces
1 stalk celery diced
10 walnut halves chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp honey

Combine all ingredients except honey in a bowl. Drizzle honey over the top or mix it through. This can be made the night before and stored in the refrigerator for a quick breakfast.

"Pesto" green beans
1 pound whole green beans (fresh or frozen)
2 tsp chopped basil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 TBS olive oil

Saute all in a skillet until the beans are tender but still crisp. Add sea salt to taste. This is a quick side dish and one of my staples.

Enjoy!

Wednesday!!

(Yes, I know it is not Wednesday! Due to computer difficulties at home this post had to wait until today to go live!)

Wintery Wednesday in Western North Carolina!!! I walked to work today through the snow. Interesting how icy roads mean leaving the car home and trekking in to work the old fashioned way while sunny skies mean driving in so many errands can be run. I was so bundled up to fight the bitter wind there was little pleasure in the walk itself. I did stop to take notice of the hill in front of the studio. This was a smart self-defensive move on my part. The hill is covered with 6-7 inches of snow. The ground underneath is uneven and can be hard to navigate. The surface was blowing and drifting. There were little points along the surface that were higher than others and dry powdery snow blew at high speed over and around these miniature points of architecture. The whole scene reminded me of walking the beach in Hatteras. The heavy winds blow the sand on the beach creating a similar drifting. There are high peaks almost like cliffs were the wet sand holds itself still and the dry sand whips on by.

On a chilly day like this I crave soup. What I have to offer today is Broccoli soup. The ingredients are simple as is the preparation and the outcome savory, warm, and satisfying.

Ingredients:
4 cups broccoli, chopped
1/2 a sweet onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBS parsley
1 TBS olive oil

Saute the onion and celery in olive oil until the onions are clear. Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan add filtered water to cover. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the broccoli is soft. The soup can be eaten as is or can be blended to a creamy consistency using a hand held blender.

Snow Covered Mountains

We have snow in the mountains again. Everything is covered in white. The clouds are dark. A peek at the weather map says the snow will continue through the day and maybe even into the night. If only I could just sit in my living room by the fire and knit all day. Not the case today. I am spending the snowy day catching up on officey stuff and planning to get my workout in.

Last Sunday I made a Fabulous Sunday Feast! One of the side dishes was Roasted Brussels Sprouts. It was such a simple dish and so yummy.

Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 pound fresh Brussels Sprouts
1 clove garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 TBS olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the Brussels and pull of any bad leaves. Slice them in half and put in a shallow mixing bowl. In a mortar and pestle pound garlic, sea salt, and rosemary leaves to a paste. Add olive oil until well combined. Toss Brussels and olive oil mixture together. Arrange on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Roast until browned and crispy on the edges. This should be about 20 minutes.

I went to Nutrition Data and had this recipe analyzed. Half the recipe is 101 calories, 7g fat, 3g protein, and caries a GI Load of 3. This is a large serving and the recipe could be portioned into thirds but beware there may be squabbles over who gets how many sprouts!

Enjoy!

March Challenge is ON

So, I've challenged myself to write each day of March and to present a new recipe in that post. Today being March 1 it looks as though I will just make it under the wire. 10:20 pm as I am typing out the rough draft.

As Mondays go today wasn't a bad one. The beginning of the month testing went well for the clients who tested today. And for my personal testing, it was beyond my expectations!! I set physical fitness baseline for myself and am working toward a new level, a personal best in the gym. I'm feeling energized and exhausted all at the same time. Energized by the opportunity and vastness of the goal at hand and exhausted from the exertion and length of the day.

Without further intro here is the recipe for March 1!

Black-eyed Pea Hummus

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 clove crushed garlic
1 TBS wheat free tamari
3-6 TBS water

OPTIONAL Additions:
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

Combine all basic ingredients and desired optional additions in a food processor. Add enough water to make a creamy paste. This alternative style hummus can be eaten with raw veggies for a nutritious snack. It is a good source of vegetarian protein.

It's not size that matters!

For the past few months I have been thinking my hand spun yarns should be thicker. That I should somehow be working against my natural tendency to spin fine yarns. I love the look of handspun bulky yarn. I love the natural lumps and bumps that appear. The new Spin Off Magazine cover has a lovely picture of coiled yarn. It’s amazing. The colors, the texture, the uniformity of the bumps all tantalize me. I read the article telling how to achieve this beautiful yarn. I slept on the information. I let the thoughts of thick and thin yarn spin through my mind for the next couple of weeks. I worked on a yarn in progress. It is lovely. It is about worsted weight. That is chunky in my spinning world. (Pictures will appear here soon!)

Then I started spinning Vitality. With the first bits of fluff drawing from my hand to the spindle I knew this would be a lace weight yarn. There are many reasons for this. The original reason was I have a small amount of fiber. The batt is less than an ounce. A finer yarn will have more yardage per ounce than chunky. This is logical. Then as I continued to spin my thoughts of thick and thin yarn played louder in my head. The artistic quandary finally started to fall into place. I enjoy spinning thin singles. I enjoy seeing how thin I can make the yarn without it breaking! Beyond that challenge, I enjoy knitting lace and socks.

Thus as much as I enjoy the beauty of the bulky handspun yarns and the artistic achievement of coiled yarn, when would I knit with them? What would I make with them? I suppose I would have a lovely scarf or two. I might have a cool hat too. That would not be so bad. It would be fun to show them off. But the deliciousness of the accomplishment is just not the same for me. I will continue to spin my fine even singles. I will stop thinking I need to spin chunky yarn just to prove something to the spinning police. I will love my yarns. And I will knit the delicate accessories these yarns are meant to be knit into!

Vitality

In October I spun a lovely batt of wool, bamboo, and firestar into my first ever chain plied yarn, Stained Glass. It was the theme for the October Spindlers group challenge on Ravelry. The experience was ground breaking for me. I found myself looking at family relationships I had avoided because of the pain associated with losing my father. I was open to working through this. I listened to the messages that came while practicing the meditative act of spinning. I gained more than insight with this experience. I gained courage to renew my faith in close relationship. I gained courage to reach out and make friends with people I may never meet face to face. I also won the random drawing to pick the theme for January.

I spent almost a week thinking about the theme. I am a personal trainer and coach many people about their life force. I wanted the theme to be about life energy and how we express that. What I came up with was Vitality. We all possess a vital energy, a vital life force. After choosing the theme I didn't spin much. There were holiday gifts to knit.But now we are in January. I have to spin for my chosen theme.

So I spent some time looking at my stash of fiber. I thought about what it says about vitality. I went out into the cold and picked a friend up from the airport when I really wanted to be home where it was warm. I played on the internet looking at space weather. I slept on it.

This morning I looked at the fiber again. There is a lovely blue Cotswold Wool. There is a nice brown with red fleck Jacob Wool. And finally a white Mohair and soft wool blend.
I carded up some and tried it out. A smallish sample of about 2 yards. It is lovely. Beautiful sheen, nice halo from the combo of Cotswold and Mohair. But it did not speak to me of Vitality. I remembered I had another batt hidden away. It is the Tea Cup Yorkie that came with my newest Yorkieslave Artworks spindle! I pulled it out and realized it looks just like the videos of the sunspots I was watching last night. Talk about Vitality! Where would we be without the sun?

May the life force energy fill you and feed you as the New Year unfolds into it's perfection!

Time Warp

So I thought I last posted sometime in July. Turns out if I just wait a few more days it will be a full SIX MONTHS!! Summer happened. Fall happened. There are stories and laughter and photos too. Hopefully they will arrive sooner than later and be a slight bit entertaining. For now though I have promised to return to sharing my words and thoughts and creations. Particularly food creations.

Yesterday I made soup. It was not a super hard soup. It was leftover soup. Perhaps we should start with the Monday night crockpot dinner that was the main contributor to the leftovers.

Monday night chicken...
One roasting chicken (I prefer organic)
One lemon
One white onion
Two cloves garlic
One sprig rosemary
Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt
How to: slice the lemon into pretty circles about 3/8 inch thick, slice the onion into wedges (I usually cut it into at least 8ths), chop the garlic smallish. Layer the onion (save a bit out and put it into the cavity of the chicken) and lemon on the bottom of the crock. Add the chicken to the crock. Cover the top of the chicken with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Add 1/4 -1/2 cup of water to the crock. Turn on high for 1 1/2 hours then turn on low for another 3-4 hours.

Why the varied cook time? I am starting this at lunch and bopping home between my 6 pack at 6 class and my 7:30 Firestarters class to check on it. I used the meat thermometer and turned it off when it was 175 degrees. By this time it was falling off the bone and the crock was full of juice!

Leftover Soup
We did not eat all the chicken. I just put the crock in the fridge for leftovers. Then yesterday when it was time for dinner I pulled it out. I put the whole contents into a stock pot and added a quart of broth. The broth can be purchased broth or some that you made and stored for later (expect news on this next week!!). I brought the whole thing to a boil. While it was boiling I did stuff, cleaned the kitchen, searched out veggies, fed the animals. What veggies did I find? Baby carrots (great they were already peeled!), a couple of sweet potatoes, some fresh kale, the remainder of a bag of broccoli, and some already cooked veggies that wanted to be eaten up. All the veggies were cut into bite sized pieces. Once the broth mix was boiling I strained it out. The chicken bones and meat need to be picked through and the veggies need to go into the broth to start cooking. While the veggies were getting going I picked the meat off the bones and added it to the veggies and broth. The soup was ready in about an hour!! Cutting the veggies into bite sized pieces makes the cooking time FAST. The lemon gives the soup a refreshing taste. We did find the soup needing a bit of salt and pepper but I usually like to add that in later anyway.

Next up? Adventures in fiber from the summer!!

Finally Caught

For the last 3 weeks we have had a visitor in the ceiling of our personal training studio. I heard it talking over my office. We were hoping for a squirrel but raccoons make such a distinctive noise there was no doubt that we had one. After spending 2 hours in the crawl space straightening insulation and reconnecting the heat and AC duct work Cahoulin was sure there was no critter left up there. This was May 3. The hole where he could come and go was boarded up. We all left that day certain we had outsmarted a wild animal. By Wednesday we knew he was still up there. For the last week we have tried to catch it in this live trap. What do you put in a live trap to catch a raccoon? We tried a variety of fare. Apples are favorites. The soy power bar was eaten. The chocolate candy gave it diarrhea as did the gluten free breakfast bar. Why did we try such weird food? This is a personal training studio. We don't eat bad food here. (The candy was left here by a client who needed to get rid of temptation. The temptation was not yet removed from the building when the need arose for more bait.) Until today it was able to get the food without tripping the trap. Today it lost. Or you could say today it won. FYI suspending the bait in mid-air works. The animal has to get to it by entering the trap and cannot possibly fish around through the sides. We called all around but no one will rehabilitate raccoons. Everyone wants to kill them because they spread rabbis. I will not tell where he is. I will tell you though he is safe. He is no longer in the studio.


Kam and Cahoulin, trainers here at The Fire!

Verdicts

I have a few things running through the brain right now that need to be determined. Just thought I would share the verdicts. In no particular order they are...

1) I am in process of writing a book. This is a non-fiction work. As many aspects of my life (such as decorating my home) the format is eclectic. Part memoir/journal, part how to, part self improvement, part fitness, part cookbook, all a work of love from my heart.

2) I am not as strong as many women my age. There are advantages to this (refer to verdict #1). I am forgiving myself for getting this way and moving forward.

3) I need to grow 10-15 pounds of muscle (refer to verdict #2). This takes a long time to complete. I am confident I can accomplish this task in a decent amount of time. What is that? It is sooner than years from now but probably not by the end of the summer.

4) I am addicted to my knitting. I am learning there are also advantages to this (refer to verdict #1). My skills are going up and that makes me happy. I am learning to enjoy lace patterns. The ones that are memorize-able are the best.

5) I don't need to be famous. I like my privacy. Right now I can pretend I am not known by anyone who passes me on the street. Not being famous means I don't have to worry too much about getting "caught" doing something "wrong".

6) I love coffee. I enjoy the taste of it. I enjoy the smell of it. Most of all I enjoy the side effects. Feel creative and alert. I don't drink coffee very often. I try to avoid it on a regular basis. I save it for that Sunday treat.

7) I love chocolate. I don't intend to put it out of my life. It's there to keep me sane in the world of healthy eating and lifestyle. Besides that dark chocolate has many health benefits, raised serotonin, weight loss, and a happy mouth just to name a few.

8) I enjoy my job. I love seeing someone dig deep and pull their personal power out to make the workout worth the effort. Everyone has a different look for this. Some make faces and others reach a serene state of confidence.

9) I like spinning with a drop spindle. I have fun pulling the fibers out into a thin thread. When they are bouncy and springy it makes me want to spin more. I am using a bottom whorl spindle. I like the way it spins. It is as though I was playing with a top. I am trying to use a top whorl to spin silk. The silk is very fine and I am learning to respect the fiber. Hopefully with enough respect I will have a beautiful yarn.

There may be others later as I continue to sort through the pages of my mind. But for now, these will do.

Soreness

I have given quite a good deal of thought to the subject of soreness over the last few years. Kam has gone through phases of building muscle and insisted that the sore muscle thing was great. I never really understood this nor did I subscribe to the same thought process. Sore muscles were painful in my book. With that in mind it is no wonder that I also could not understand why someone would voluntarily workout with the intent to make the muscles sore. I understood the reasoning behind being healthy and fit. I even did workouts to target muscle groups with the intention of toning. My definition of toning was firmer muscles without pain.

Twelve years later Kam and I own a personal training studio. I am a personal trainer. I have studied the science behind intentional muscle soreness. I have studied the thought processes of individuals looking to raise their self esteem. I have studied what it takes to support someone through tremendous weight loss and to support someone who is in need of building muscle mass. I have gone through much trial and error with my own body. The gaining and losing of weight takes quite a toll on the body and mind. I have been through this. I know first hand what my clients are experiencing. (This is with the exception of those who are in need of burning more than 40 pounds of fat. I have not had the need to burn more than that personally.) I also took the time to learn about nutrition both in college last spring and throughout the last 14 years of my own personal journey into health.

Ten weeks ago today I had major surgery. I had a hysterectomy. Two years ago in April I broke my leg requiring surgery to repair the damage. Both of these surgeries demanded recovery time. One of them gave me the insight to persue my future in the psychology field and to specialize in fitness or sports psychology. The other gave me the freedom to live in my body and appreciate my total health. After four weeks from my hysterectomy, I began to increase my cardio workouts. At the six week mark I began to reintroduce my weight training. Now, at the ten week mark, I am working out with my clients, teaching classes, and leading a 20 minute ab class 2-4 times per week.

Over the course of the past 10 weeks I have been in some state of soreness. In the beginning it was surgical pain. Then I had sore abs, also from the lapriscopic surgery. Then I was sore as I started to move my body. The new beginnings of cardio and weight training brought about some post surgical setbacks I had not anticipated. I found myself needing to take it easy. I could not demonstrate for clients and use any "real" weight. This would take me back to the couch with forced rest.

But about four weeks ago I had a shift. I felt a "mental pop" of sorts. As I was coming back from my six week check up there was a voice in my head. (Don't worry my degree is in psychology. We (psychologists) are supposed to have voices in our heads.) That voice said, "You should go workout. Stop at the studio and lift weights. BIG weights." I was almost worried. What I did was start to increase my activity. I started doing my own workouts with light weights. I started playing more with clients. I started teaching more classes. I started to get SORE. At first I wondered what was happening. I asked Kam, "Why is *insert body part here* sore? What did I do that would make me sore there?" Bless her, she was always patient. She always takes the time to inform me of my body and remind me that exercise can make you sore. She smiles, but never laughs at me, when I tell her I don't like being sore.

Today marks the first day that I intentionally did a workout because I was NOT sore. I get it now! I woke early. (You really need to know this was not by choice. There were too many snoozes on the alarm clock. All three animals thought it was time to get attention. I was doomed not to sleep another minute.) I left the house and started my workout by 7:10 AM! I realized that my upper body was not sore. I wanted to workout. I wanted to try harder. I wanted to push myself to the very limits. I wanted to see the strength of my body. I felt that power. I felt the pride of completing what I set out to achieve. I get it now! I have the drive and the desire to explore the depths of my personal power! I am so excited about this. I want to share it with my clients. I have always wanted to support and assist them in discovering their own health but now I have a personal understanding of how that health goes to a very deep level!

Lessons Learned

Today is about learning lessons. Or perhaps it is this week/month/year/life that requires the lesson learning. The lessons currently?

Knitting:
Gauge! When the pattern says 36 st = 4 inches that is important. 32 stitches is not 36. It is actually a difference of 4 stitches. One stitch per inch. What a slight difference. Really might not make much difference right? Wrong. This translated into an 8 stitch difference and an additional inch. Now if I were making a shawl or even a cozy pullover that extra inch might be manageable or even forgivable. However, I am working on socks. An extra inch in socks is not a good thing. They become sloppy. They bunch up when you walk. They slouch down the leg. This led me to finding new yarn, smaller needles, and sadly, knitting a new gauge swatch. You may be thinking, "Why did she not do this before?" I did, sort of. I had a pair on the needles, they were 32 stitches = 4 inches. Those needles were 1 1/2 (2.5 mm already quite small). I needed a new pair. The LYS (Local Yarn Shop) had a pair of 1s (2.25 mm even smaller). Usually when I go down one size I end up with the perfect gauge. I feel I must admit here that I am using the word usually with a very loose definition. Usually would imply some sort of pattern. One of the lessons here is that there really is no pattern to my usual gauge/needle/yarn. So what happened with the new yarn and what size were the needles? The needles I started with for this next attempt were size 0. What I ended up with was size 000! I got the gauge. Now am doomed to knit socks with tiny needles. They will be wonderful socks though. I started with latte colored yarn and a slightly darker bead. These were/are called Bailey's on the Rocks Socks. They are the Mystery Sock from Knitter's Brewing Co. The new ones? The color is apricot. I am pretending it is peach. Yes, peach is more orange than apricot sometimes. But couldn't they be interchanged? In my imagination they will be peach and I will call them Fuzzy Navel Socks. They will fit my feet. I will wear them with the giddiness they deserve.

Exercise:
Time! There is always time for exercise. Half an hour can be fit in between clients. That is a good amount of cardio-knitting. Two half hours will add up to one whole hour of cardio, and probably 1-1 1/2 inches of additional sock! I too can do the Power Half Hour training routine. Concentrating on myself for just one half hour at a time will add up and my results will be stunning.

Soreness? I keep wondering why I am sore. I keep working in those sets with my clients. I have been doing steady cardio workouts. This would mean that I might have a few sore muscles. I might have muscles that are growing and repairing themselves. Somehow I don't seem to be catching on to this. It is not as if I am thinking I am above getting sore. It is more like I am having trouble understanding the mechanics of the human body when applied to my body. Yesterday I worked back and biceps. Today I am aware of those muscles. There is a good chance that as the sun goes down I will be even more aware of them (the workout was at about sunset yesterday). General rule-muscle soreness sets in 24-48 hours after exercise and can last for 24-48 hours. Lesson learned here? Keep training and the body will keep changing. You may be more aware of the changes some days than others.

Memories of the Stoneman

A year ago the world lost a special man. He meant many things to many people. My mother lost someone she thought she would spend her entire life with. My brothers lost their first male role model and great friend. I lost one of the greatest heroes in my life. My entire family was left with a gaping hole. Today, while that hole is still there, we have all learned to live without falling so deeply into it that we are lost and unable to live our lives.

My father was a man who I always felt could do anything. At 44 years old I understand there were things he did not know and may have not been able to fix. However, I will never admit that my Daddy had any short comings in the fix-it world. I grew up with him fixing diesel engines and building houses. He repaired appliances and lawn mowers. He could fix the car or hang wallpaper. Plumbing and electrical issues were always handled without calling in outside help. He built a pond and a cabin (really more of a house that was called a cabin) on land he and my mother bought after they married. He remodeled apartments and cared for the swimming pool of the complex his family owned. He built swing sets for us all to play on and even hung a swing in the living room of the house he built while I was growing up. This man did all these things and so very many more.

Through out the years of my upbringing he worked many 10 and 12 hour days. He demonstrated a work ethic that was close to impossible to beat. His examples, both those that were his own alone and those that he shared with my mother, have shaped who I am today. I always felt he was fearless in his endeavors to reach his happiness. He kept moving to new locations and new jobs throughout his lifetime in order to reach the place he felt was the perfect location for him and his beautiful bride to spend their golden years.

Unfortunately those golden years were cut short. They had a few years in their mountain get away. They had a dream home. He finally had land surrounding his home to play on and shape as he wanted. The home they found was complete. It did not need to be remodeled nor did it need to be built. They moved in and it was ready to live in. Except of course for the kitchen wallpaper, 2 inch forest green stripes and pink counter tops were just not going to cut it for either one of them. He left this home. It is still there. My mother is still there. Many of his projects are still there.

His courage through the last year of his life is inspirational. He never admitted defeat. He fought to the last breath he took. I am sad he is gone. I am sad he cannot tell me what he thinks about what I have created in my life since graduating from college. However I know he is in his perfect place. Because of his courage and insightful lessons I am moving forward in my life with less fear than those around me. I know I am in my perfect place. I know only good can come to me. I know that all I do and am doing will give my children examples to build their dreams on. He may not be here physically but his presence, his essence, his stoneman sense of humor filters through my days. These are just a few of the many thoughts flowing through me as I live in his honor today.

Follow the Leader

When was the last time you played follow the leader? If you are one of my clients you can say "Today!" Wow, was it fun?!? I played with 3 sets of clients. We did circles through out the studio. Walking lunges, squat walking, and crossover walking all around and great form from everyone. We played ball too. Just a simple game of catch, using 4 and 6 pound medicine balls. Sometimes we stood on solid ground. If the ground was solid we did twisting trunk throws and catches. Then we stood on uneven ground, those icky balance pods and Bosu trainers that make you have to use every muscle in your body to keep from falling over. What a blast to be throwing a game of catch while floating on uneven ground.

Now I re-read this paragraph and question my sanity. "Fun?" And why did I do this three times today? That is a total of about 2 1/2 hours of workouts. Then I led the "Six Pack at Six" class. Two days in a row now 20 minutes of abs. The question is "Why did I do the extra 30 minutes of cardio?" Must have been the need to get some knitting into the day.

Bottom line here...I had a fun day playing with my clients! Thanks everyone for participating!

Food

I am obsessed with eating today. I don't seem to be able to get enough food. I ate a good breakfast. I had a great lunch. I ate 2 snacks. How is it that I am beyond hungry at every turn? Metabolism. I have been working at raising my metabolism. I am interested in burning that fat. I want to grow that muscle. I want to achieve the performance goal. In order to achieve that goal I must work hard on the health goals. To be a healthy balance in my body I must attain 25% body fat. This goal requires eating properly as well as exercise.

Last week I regained my body's strength and began working out with my clients. I joined in on ab workouts through out the day. I did lunges. I did squat presses. I added chest and bicep exercises on my own. I continued to increase my cardio activity.

This week I am realizing my body is searching for the balance in caloric intake. As I increase my physical activity my desire for food increases. After much trial and error I have honed my diet to meet my needs and serve my body in an efficient manner. As I avoid the foods that make me feel ill at ease and increase pain my energy level goes up. The foods that raise my energy are the exact same foods that supply fuel to my muscles for the recovery they do on a nightly basis.

What are these foods? Lean proteins and fresh vegetables. Each of my meals consist of whole foods. I enjoy fresh raw salads which are lightly dressed. I have trained my taste buds to enjoy salad with very little or no dressing. Salad dressings can become an unnecessary source of fat in the diet. I try to eat as many steamed fresh veggies as I can. In the winter or early spring I turn to flash frozen foods to bring in the needed veggies that are not available fresh at a reasonable price. I don't eat any highly processed foods. I don't eat anything that has gluten in it. I don't eat anything from the nightshade family. (I have learned that the nightshades cause me to have higher joint pain issues.) I am striving to eat vegetable protein. However, I am having difficulty eating soy products. Instead I am eating hormone free chicken and turkey. I am eating fish sometimes. I prefer to have fresh fish. Frozen fish leaves me wishing I had not eaten. Must be the 25 years of living on islands.

But where are the goodies? Not there. No cookies. No baked goods. The bread I sometimes indulge in is made of brown rice flower. It is not like wheat bread. I am OK with that. Not eating gluten gives me a clearer head. Less allergic reactions. All around a happier life. And one more upside, it helps to keep the pounds from adding up. I also indulge in DARK chocolate from time to time. This is now a rare occurrence. I want that goal. That is the inspiration. Great healthy body.

Earth Day!!

(Just a brief explanation...I attempted this post yesterday and experienced errors continually. I typed the post in Word and was trying to copy paste. I was lazy. I did not want to retype the body of the post. Today I am feeling I should have gone ahead and made myself do the work. So, I am doing the work. A happy belated Earth Day to all!)

Earth Day 2009, what are you doing to celebrate it? Are you thinking about that garden you might plant or maybe the shrubbery you want for next spring’s bloom? Are you thinking of the air or water quality in your city? Perhaps you are thinking on a more global scope and pondering the rainforest depletion or the expansion of desert lands. I am thinking on a very personal level today. I am thinking of my health and its impact on the planet.

As a personal trainer I tell people daily to drink filtered water, eat lean proteins and fresh vegetables, and do cardiovascular exercise. My job and lifestyle have a direct impact on the quality of my life and my environment. When I am taking care of myself I am taking care of the planet. How so?

Filtered water is of vital importance to the homeostasis of the human organism. Every metabolic function requires water. The tap water in most cities is more like soup than water. Municipal water is chlorinated to make it “safe” for drinking. Chlorine is not a chemical I am interested in ingesting. Most water is also treated with fluoride. Toothpaste with fluoride has a warning label on it. If you swallow more than a pea sized amount you must call poison control. Is this something we need to drink? I don’t think so. These are only two offenders. Think about the offense to the body for a moment and then think about what the impact is on the environment. I worry about the contamination to the ground that grows our food. I worry about the contamination to the waterways, rivers, lakes, and ocean. These waterways do more than provide fish for eating. They are of vital importance to the “metabolic function” of the planet. So I put only clean filtered water into my body.

Lean protein is a large category covering many individual items. I have been a complete vegetarian in the past but right now am eating poultry. I found that I have a sensitivity to soy products and this presents a difficulty for the vegetarian diet. The poultry and eggs that I buy are hormone free and free range. I try very hard to also buy locally grown. The treatment of animals in mass markets is deplorable to say the least. I ask my clients to give up red meat if they can. We are fortunate in Asheville to have some local farmers who are supplying “healthy and happy” lean red meats, including buffalo. If I were to subscribe to the red meat eating plan these would be my choices. Meat has a large impact on the environment. Many acres of land have been cleared in the name of producing meat for the mass markets. Once those acres are cleared the time they are able to feed cattle is limited. The meat must be transported to market thus, consuming further natural resources. Eating lean meats consciously grown and locally produced lowers the overall impact on the earth and the body.

As a vegetarian eating soy, I was happy knowing that soy beans put nutrients back into depleted soils. I am always grateful when one of my clients tells me they are eating a vegetarian diet. It is like a score for the home team. I do eat meals throughout the week that are void of animal products. These meals are rich in leafy greens and often also contain legumes. When I choose my fruits and vegetables I strive to buy local and organic. If I can’t purchase organic my next choice is transitional farming. It is such a great feeling knowing that the food I am eating is not laden with pesticides that will harm me or the wildlife in my world. Those pesticides do not stay on the plants. Portions of them wash off into the dirt and flow toward the waterways which are so important to our lives. Excessive spraying of berries is proven to harm birds and insects, which could take me many many posts to cover. Now that we are officially into the spring season the farmer’s markets in Asheville are open. I am looking forward to finding fresh foods grown in my own county!

By now I am sure you are wondering how cardiovascular exercise could be of benefit to the planet. As I increase the health of my body I am raising my resistance to bacteria and viruses. This lowers my consumption of paper products and packaged remedies. It may be of small consequence but each item adds up. Another benefit to being in shape is I am more interested in spending time outdoors. Outdoors is where my garden is. Outdoors is where the trees and shrubs are. Outdoors is where I can go hiking. Outdoors is where I come in direct contact with the EARTH and am able to celebrate our co-existence on a regular basis!

Go outside. Celebrate your co-existence with the EARTH. Breathe the fresh clean air that is being produced by all the beautiful spring vegetation!