Today I ran a 5K to help support Pulmonary Hypertension, a disease that my company supports with various therapies. It was a gorgeous day down in Stanford and the run goes around the campus. I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, but still did okay with a 30:31 finish time (was hoping for under 30). I’ll blame it on no food before the run…haha. It was a tricky day because we went to brunch after the run and it was right before I needed to catch a flight to NYC. So I really had to guesstimate my points because I was eating out all day. I had a buckwheat crepe at brunch with spinach, bacon and mozzarella. Came with a salad. Then on the flight I had a pear and arugula salad that had a bit of brie, almonds, pear and grapes. I took off most of the almonds and barely used the dressing. Thankfully Virgin America put most of the nutritional content I needed to calculate the points. So I’m pretty sure I stayed within my points yesterday, despite eating out and guessing. And I got a run in which was good considering I had to sit on a flight for 5 hrs last night.
Date: November 3rd, 2013
Days Complete: 6
Tracked: Yes
Worked Out: 30 minute 5K
Feeling: A little sleepy. Getting into hotel at midnight and trying to fall asleep to be up by 8am was challenging. Probably managed about 5 hours of sleep last night, despite comfy Westin bed!
Quick update as I’m about to fly to NYC. Good day. Splurged a bit more at dinner again but I managed to stay within my points and make good decisions. Tracked, worked out, enjoyed the day! Date: November 2nd, 2013
Days Complete: 5
Tracked: Yes
Worked Out: 30 minutes on treadmill walk/run combo
Day 4 was an an experimental day with food. The past 3 days I’ve been tracking food on Weight Watchers. For those of you not familiar with WW, you get a set number of points for food each day based on your weight, sex, etc. In their Point Plus program things like vegetables and fruit are 0 points. So because I’ve been mainly paleo the past 3 days, I’ve noticed it’s been a struggle to get to my points target. And since I’ve also been working out, I’ve been slightly worried that I’m not eating enough which can have a negative effect on weight loss as the body can go into starvation mode and you don’t lose weight. So today I decided to do something different, just to see how it goes. While still sticking to my whole foods (ie no processed/fried foods), I added in a bit more carbs. Also because I’m doing a 5K race on Sunday and I usually try to “carb up” 2 days prior. It’s only a 5K but I figure I may as well. Anyway, I added in some whole wheat toast to my breakfast and for dinner had whole wheat pasta with home made spaghetti sauce. What ended up happening is I went way over my points for the day, but since I hadn’t cut into my weekly extra points (I think WW used to call them flex points), I’m fine. I also had a glass of wine with dinner. So it wasn’t a cheat day, I still tracked and stayed within my guidelines. I also tried CrossFit for the first time. Well, I didn’t do the typical workout of the day, but I started 1 of 3 1:1 sessions to learn all the different exercises you do in the workouts. I’m a little sore today (mostly my chest and arms) but I feel good. I think this could be a really great fit to get in weight training with my regular running. All in all, a good day. We’ll see how the scale reads on Tuesday.
Happy Halloween! Where ghosts and ghouls trick you to eating candy….or is it treat you?! I dunno. But I managed to be successful, even ON Halloween. Day started off normal, breakfast, lunch, snacks….all good. The real challenge came when I went over to my dear friend Katie’s house for dinner. I was originally going to get a salad from Mollie Stone’s, but their salad bar wasn’t inspirational. She was planning on picking up Mexican food for her and her family and she said, can’t you do something healthy there? Mexican is one of my FAVORITE foods….. So I thought about it and figured the reality is, I’m going to be faced with these situations on a regular basis….CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. I managed to survive it quite well with ordering a grilled chicken tostada salad with black beans, no rice, lettuce and pico de gallo. I told them to hold the sour cream and put the cheese and guacamole on the side. They put them in quarter cup containers which was great. I did eat the guacamole but it was measured and I had about about 1/8th cup of the cheese. I tossed the shell before I even started eating. Success! Didn’t eat any candy either…but I’m not a huge Halloween candy fan anyway, so it wasn’t too difficult. Bring on November!
Date: October 31st, 2013
Days Complete: 3
Tracked: Yes
Worked Out: Not in a typical sense. I did manage a 30 minute walk at lunch, tho.
Day 2 was another good day. The only difference is that I was faced with a few small obstacles. But I prepared for them which is what made me successful. I knew I’d be at an all day meeting for work at a hotel. Instead of having to question what they’d have for lunch, I brought my own lunch and snack (and thankfully I did because it was pasta with a ton of cheese!). Then last night for dinner I went to my Aunt’s house to visit with my family. This is something I’ve done pretty regularly the past 10 years because I have choir down in San Jose. It’s a great opportunity to visit with my family. The only challenge is they often put out snacks (crackers and cheese dip) while we visit before dinner. I was able to resist (had watermelon on my way down which filled me up) and for dinner, I had a chicken salad. I also tried a new boot camp class at my gym yesterday. There’s a new location closer to my house which is great, with different classes. It was good, not something I’ll do regularly but since it starts at 6:15 it’s a good early option as my other favorite class doesn’t start until 7 and sometimes conflicts with work. Tomorrow I’m going to an Intro to Crossfit 1:1 at San Francisco CrossFit. I have several friends who have had success with it and Bob from The Biggest Loser is a fan, and since I love him and want to have his children, I figure I’d better check it out (kidding about that last part, but I do love him as a coach!).  Here’s to a successful day 3!
Day 1 is always the easiest so not a whole lot to say. I did a massive grocery shopping trip yesterday to prepare for this week. Lots of fruit, vegetables, lean protein and other healthy goodness.
Received a lot of works of encouragement as well as a few people sharing with me how their own health challenges are going. It’s always so much more motivating when you hear how others are doing. Stats below will be shared in every post.
As 2013 is closely coming to an end I’ve realized that it’s been almost 10 years since I started my weight loss journey.  I say journey because it’s been a roller coaster ride and I still feel in many ways that I’m still on it. This past year has been especially difficult for me to stay focused on my health and fitness….I could blame a lot of things. Work, social life, getting older….but at the end of the day the buck stops here and it lies with me.
So while I know January is the big month to go on a health kick, I’ve decided to do a challenge the month before the holiday craziness. Some may say this is futile….that I’ll reverse it at the holidays. But the goal is really to take a month to get focused so I can keep myself in check DURING the holidays. Plus I started my weight loss journey sometime in the first month of December, so I know it’s possible.
So here it is; my 30 day challenge. I choose to hold myself to the following because I do better with some sense of structure when it comes to weight loss.
Whole, healthy eating for 6 of 7 days a week
Look, eating well all the time is hard. Plus it’s unrealistic. I am allowing myself one day per week to stray from my chosen diet so that I don’t go crazy and  throw it out the window.
Work out 4 days a week
This may not seem like a challenge for many people, and if I manage to work out more, even better! But I want to hold myself accountable to at least 4 days in a week.
1 alcoholic beverage per day
You may think alcohol is cheating. And to be honest, I barely drank when I first lost my big chunk of weight. But the reality is, some nights I just want a beer or a glass of wine. Especially if I’m going out to be social with friends. The reality is that I won’t even have one per day, but I’m setting that as the expectation that when I go out (minus my cheat day) I’m allowed one drink.
Track food and exercise 6 of 7 days
This will honestly be the most difficult for me to accomplish. Despite having tools (I use weightwatchers.com) to help track, it’s very easy to get lazy. So this is a stretch goal for me and I’m going to do my best to stick to it.
Post updates here every day on how I did the previous day
I’m not going to share the tracker information, but I will share how I felt I did, temptations that I overcame (hopefully!) and how I’m feeling in general. They will be short updates. And once a week I’ll update on pounds and inches lost. For purposes of this challenge, the week will be Monday through Sunday. So even though I’m starting on a Tuesday, I’ll consider my cheat day for this next week has already happened. So no cheat days until Monday, November 4th.
I’m doing this publicly to hold myself accountable. It’s very easy to SAY you’re going to do something, but if no one is holding you accountable, it’s even easier to stop. SO dear friends (and strangers who may happen upon this) I’m asking you to share words of encouragement from time to time. I’ll be posting the link to Twitter and Facebook in hopes that the more people who know, the easier it will be to keep myself accountable. I’ll be starting this challenge on October 29th (30 days before Thanksgiving) so check back in on the 30th (where I’ll post about day 1). And if you feel so inclined, start your own challenge with me. It doesn’t have to mirror mine, but hey, it’s ONLY 30 days. This is doable.
On December 4th, 2009 my Dad passed away. It has been 3 years yet I can still remember that day so clearly. It’s amazing how distinctly I can remember certain things, while what I did last Saturday is a haze. How one life can forever change in an instant. Yet by the same token, seemingly mundane memories…Dad buying all the bake sale cookies made with Pam (we were out of butter) so that I wouldn’t make the neighbors sick, flying for the first time and asking if we’d see God in the clouds (his response, God lives on a much higher cloud than these), learning how to play cribbage…these are so much more acute now that he’s gone. Perhaps because I realize I need to hold on to the memories I have, knowing I can create no more.
Many of my friends today didn’t know my Dad. Didn’t know what a wonderfully talented, amazing and caring person he was. There aren’t enough adjectives to describe how awesome my Dad was, nor how I felt about him. But perhaps this video which was put together by a dear family friend, Kate Booth, can show you just a hint of the love he had of life, and the love that those around him felt for him.
If you’re still around after that, I will share with you the eulogy I prepared for my Dad’s memorial service. It’s long but if you’ve made it through the video, you can read my parting words to my Dad below.
A tribute to my Dad
As a child I was a true Daddy’s girl and that continued into adulthood. How could I not be? He was a kind, loving, caring man who truly loved life, his family and friends. I thought long and hard about what I could share with you today about my Dad. How could I express what he meant to my brother and I, as well as the rest of our family? But the more I thought about it the more I realize that there are just certain things you can’t put into words. So I thought I’d share with you a few stories I remember about him in hopes that they will bring smiles, tears and perhaps make you remember a story about him that was buried in your sub-conscious that you can hold on to during this time of remembrance.
My first memories of my Dad were ones of adoration. But also of doing anything I could to NOT disappoint him. I remember when I was about 4 years old and in a hardware supply store with my Mom. I believe my Mom was having a key made. I stood by a stand that had padlocks on it and for some reason I wanted one…I imagined it sitting on my dresser with all my other knick knacks. Who knows what I would do with it. I just wanted it.  And so being a silly child, I took it off the rack and put it in my pocket. Well, of course my Mom noticed it and made me put it back and apologize to the person who worked at the store. But the worst part about it all was as we were driving home she told me that I had to tell my Dad what I had done. I knew how disappointed he would be in me. As I walked into our house, sobbing and falling to the floor (yes, some of you may have experienced my dramatic flair…) I told him what I had done. While I knew he was disappointed, my Dad was able to forgive me. He had forgiveness.
A few years later around age 8 or 9 I recall a Saturday morning where I was dusting. It was one of my weekly chores to dust the living room and as I was dusting, the television was on and I was watching a Lassie movie. I got so enthralled with it I stopped my dusting to watch it. I recall Lassie going into a burning building to save the people who were stuck inside and Lassie not getting out. I was so upset not knowing if she had been able to escape the fire or if she had died. My Dad silently walked up behind me, grabbed the dusting cloth and wiped the tears from my eyes and said, ‘don’t worry, it’s just a movie.’ My Dad had compassion.
My Dad was also a character. He loved jokes and he loved to make people laugh. Usually whenever he’d tell a joke it was one that made me roll my eyes, but always smile at the end. I recall getting several emails when I was away at college with funny stories and jokes. They were always very dry and slap-shticky, but that was my Dad. For those of you who knew him in the musical theatre capacity, you remember his fun vocal exercises of “rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers” and “she-sells-sea-shells-by-the-sea-shore”. My Dad always tried to make everything he did fun. My Dad had joy.
My Dad loved music. From a young age it was no doubt apparent that he was going to be a great singer. He sang in USO shows in Okinawa, he did professional musical theatre here in the bay area and he sang in various choirs and men’s groups. My Dad had a great sensitivity to music and he loved sharing it with people. Whether it was singing at your wedding, or having the patience to work with you to get you to sing a song in a show, he wanted to be a part of that. I’ve heard from many people that he sang The Lord’s Prayer better than anyone. I’ve also heard from people who have worked with my Dad over the years who speak of what an influence he was in their musical lives…whether it was in setting them on the path to music or giving them the courage to get up in front of a group to sing, my Dad was a teacher in the greatest sense. His soul was filled with music.
My Dad had a strong faith in God. He was a member of this church for 20+ years; involved in the choir, volunteering with the church at the Garlic Festival as well as being a part of the men’s group. His faith was quiet but strong. When he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the mid-90’s I believe he put a lot of trust in God. He had the love and support not only from his family and friends, but from his church. My Dad had faith.
We last saw my Dad in August of last year. Our family was having a large reunion with people coming from as far away as Sweden. My Aunts, brother and I knew it was something my Dad had to attend and so we flew him out as a birthday surprise. Although the Parkinson’s had begun to severely affect his body, he was still able to walk out and sit amongst his cousins, sisters, kids, nieces and nephews, and feel the love we had for him. Everyone came up to him to talk with him as you saw in some of the pictures in the video.  He was loved by everyone. As we all were sitting there I decided I wanted to sing for him. Most of you know my Dad passed on his gift of music to me and it’s something that has been a huge part of my life. I don’t know what made me decide to sing that day. As much as I love to sing, I’m not one to “break into song” without being prepared. But something told me that I should sing for him. A lot of the family gathered around and I sang a song by Stephen Schwartz called The Meadowlark from the musical, The Baker’s Wife. It’s a song I’ve never performed but always loved. As I finished singing, I looked over at my Dad and there were tears in his eyes. I could see the love there and how proud he was of me. That is an image that will stick with me forever. That was the last time he heard me sing.
Through the last years of his life I got into the habit of playing a little game with him where I’d say, “Daddy, guess what?” He’d ask what and I’d say, “I love you”. He quickly caught on and so whenever I’d say, “Daddy, guess what?” he’d reply back, “I love you”. And so I started saying, yes, that’s right. While my Dad’s life was short, it was very full. I can only imagine that he is looking down on us now from heaven with the rest of his family and friends who are there and basking in the love that is resonating from this church today. My Dad knew how much he was loved. And while he is physically gone from us, he is not truly gone. I was at a memorial service for a friend a few weekends ago who was sadly taken from us too soon. He was a part of my choir and his best friend (and our director) made a good point to remind us that every time we sing, he is a part of the light and resonance that exists around us. That is how I feel about my Dad. Every time I sing I will feel his presence around me and I endeavor you to feel the same way. He loved all his family and friends dearly and that love will be a part of us for the rest of our lives.
So I end with sharing a poem that gives me hope and faith through all of this and I hope you will take solace in it as well.
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I do not die.
Okay, if you’ve made it this far, bless you. I realize this is a long post. And I’ll end with this:
Three years gone and I still miss you, Dad. I pass by your picture every day and I wonder if you would be proud of the woman I’ve become. I imagine you cheering my successes, and comforting me in my sadness. Every time I harmonize with the radio, I think of you. When I make a corny joke, it is inspired in some way by you. I’d like to think you are proud of me Dad because you see, so much of who I am is a reflection of you. I love you.
Adding to the list of songs I love, I would be remiss without including songs from musicals.
Quick background: I’ve been performing in musical since the age of 4. Growing up in a musical household (Dad was a music director, Mom a choreographer) it was hard to NOT be a part of musicals, but I loved it from the get-go.
I remember when RENT hit broadway. My voice teacher at the time had come back from New York and had told me about this new “rock musical” that was sweeping Broadway. A modern day version of La Boheme, it had its own tragic story. The composer tragically died of a brain aneurysm the night of the final dress rehearsal. The musical then went on to be an international success, really embodying the message sung throughout the musical, “No day but today”.
Most people know or know of RENT, but it had been a while since I’d heard it. I put it on last night in the car and even after almost 10 years, the words still speak to me, the story still moves me to want to live my life to the fullest while recognizing the frailness of humanity and the joys of being yourself.
Your Eyes is a song sung by Roger toward the end of the musical. A song that “took all year” to write for Mimi.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3YYWhMYrCE
And the iconic Seasons Of Love. This is the anthem of RENT.
….thinking about where I’d rather be than here and the first place that comes to mind is Moab, Utah. Gorgeous scenery, peaceful setting…and some kick ass mountain biking, rappelling and kayaking.
