Even with the new things going on in my life, there are things that always make me happy that never get old... ...like finish lines. I love finish lines, and crossing them while holding hands with someone is even more awesome.
Unlike my last holding-hands-across-the-finish-line adventure, Ellen made it clear to me that she was married.
I am so proud of Ellen- not only for the amount of weight she has lost, but for how much of her confidence she has gained. I had the privilege of pacing a confident, fearless woman who was not afraid to go after her first 10K finish, only one month after finishing her first 5K. I high-fived her at each mile marker. It was a reminder to celebrate every milestone that makes up your journey. I couldn't even imagine running a mile pain-free back in August when I was hobbling around in my cam-walker boot. So for both of us, it was an accomplishment and celebration.
Muddy miles. #moreHokalove
I feel like I'm making up for the 3 months of running I missed out on during the summer and cashing them in now. I'm loving the trails now more than ever- the awesome weather we've been having lately, combined with the hokas- always makes for an incredible run. The trail time also allows me to catch up on my podcasts- because we all know that learning new things (metabolic efficiency, engineering resilience, biohacking your pH) never gets old either.
9 around the lake.
And on my plate, here is a meal that I haven't been afraid to repeat multiple times during the week. It's filling, balanced, delicious, and Whole30. Boom.
Omelet with spinach, sweet potato hash and avo. #itstartswithfood
You know what else never gets old? Snail mail and phone calls. In this day and age, it's easier to text. But perhaps I'm old-fashioned, in that sense- I love going to my mailbox and receiving a handwritten letter, or hearing an excited voice on the other end of the phone. I was lucky enough to receive both this week...
"You can't see the world from somebody else's point of view and not be changed."
-Lena Coakley
Hanging upside down not only brings good bloodflow to your brain, but your perspective of the world changes. Naturally.
Change of perspective. #inversiontime
I saw this video over the weekend and it completely transformed how I view my workplace. I always considered myself to be pretty good at being able to read/intuit other's feelings, but this opened my eyes up to the many emotional facets that occur in a single place. Hopefully this will inspire you to hold more hands, to look more people in their eyes, to smile genuinely, and to listen to the true emotions and the feelings that exist when people speak. And mostly, to really care. I know it did that for me. Enjoy.
After last weekend's amazing conference, I've been much more 'in-tune' with how my mental/spiritual health affects my physical/emotional health. Believe me, I'm usually skeptical about these woo-woo alternative medicine practices, but after reading and hearing testimonials from actual doctors (including Dr. Lissa Rankin), I'm now fascinated with EFT. I just need to nail down exactly what to say while tapping on the meridians. Couple that with my recent obsession with biohacking (especially HRV), and a pretty busy week, I've become much more aware of my stress. The awareness is a good thing. Before, I would be stressed. Note there is a huge difference between the two. Yesterday's swim offers a beautiful analogy. Because you know me, I understand things better through visual analogies, so hopefully this will help my readers. It was pouring rain. I like to swim in the rain...(remember my very first blog post when I was a baby blogger?). Sometimes worry, negative thoughts and irrational fears are like those thousands of raindrops. They are everywhere and they surround us. We can choose to get caught up in them and start down the downward spiral of 'what ifs'... or, we can detach ourselves and just be observers. I gracefully did an underwater dolphin kick, streamlined with my arms above my head and kicked onto my back, still 2 feet underneath the water's surface. I could see the tiny droplets of raindrops, breaking the water's smooth surface in a beautiful array of harmony and disharmony. I observed the cacophony (like my individual thoughts) falling on top of the water. But below, I remained in the serene calm, womblike and silent nature of the water, at peace. These are the lessons that I am slowly learning. As time passes, they make more and more sense to me. Eckhart Tolle sums it up best when he says: "The mind helps us in the practical aspects of life. However, we can observe the mind. Just observe it as it thinks about the past or the future. Whenever you observe your mind, you are no longer trapped in its past or future. Through self-observation you can move into the present. You are Now. Observe the mind without judging it." Speaking of judging...I have received some criticism about my new favorite running shoes. Granted they are not the most aesthetically-appealing and easy on the eyes, but they sure make my feet happy. They look heavy, but they are surprisingly light. (looks can be deceiving!) Ran 9 miles in these last week, pain-free. The run felt like I was prancing on a cloud, which made me feel like I was on Cloud 9. Not too shabby.
It's pronounced Hoka O-nay O-nay, not "Hoka One" #newbie
Let's just say that happy feet + happy mind + happy heart = happy girl.
I'd love to say that I'm a whiz in the kitchen, fluttering around in my apron, mixing a "pinch of this" and a "hint of that," eyeballing ingredients and seamlessly making substitutions in recipes as I use what's in my kitchen cupboards. Truthfully, I am anything but that. I am a slave to the measuring cups and spoons, pouring the exact amount of vanilla extract and measuring that 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. And substituting? Forget about it. If I don't have all of the ingredients, that recipe can wait until I go to the store. I am even a tad jealous of how most Asian people can wash rice and use their index finger to gauge how much water to add. What if your index finger is really short and you don't add enough? Then it'll be too dry. Too much? Then it'll be too soggy. I'd gladly measure out the water, thankyouverymuch. So, what's behind all of this? My type-A nature could be to blame. I could say that I'm a perfectionist and I like following directions. But really, the truth is that I'm afraid to fail. Aren't we all? I had the pleasure of hearing the amazing Kris Carr speak live this weekend in San Jose, where she talked about her own journey in the kitchen that began with her learning how to boil water. She told a funny story where she was asking herself, "But what if I mess up the kale salad? Then everyone will judge me!" She spoke about how we are all afraid to mess up in the kitchen, but as we continue to experiment with creativity, we build skill sets and confidence. As a result, the initial overwhelming fear of failing diminishes.
Lemon coconut flour cookies with chia seeds ('cause, hey...why not?)
A few weeks ago I had some extra lemons and decided to throw all caution to the wind and modify a recipe. I love lemons- lemon bars, lemon muffins, lemon meringue, so clearly, lemon coconut flour cookies should also be in that fabulous mix, right? I definitely thought so. Miraculously, it turned out well (read: turned out on the cooling racks and not in the trashcan) and I had happy taste-testers! My experiment with a basic coconut flour cookie recipe started a new trend in my life- use what you love to be your inspiration, stick to a good basic recipe model that works, and don't allow the fear of failure to stunt your creativity. And so I have applied this lesson also to my career. Although I enjoy clinical nutrition in the hospital setting, in a sense, I am now modifying the basic 'recipe' and expanding it to the community sector. I am so excited to join the staff at Crufit to help individuals become healthier with better nutrition. If you know me, you know how passionate I am about sports, nutrition, and assisting people on their health journey. I am thrilled for this opportunity to stretch those muscles more, to take a basic recipe model of sound nutrition, and creatively adapt it to help active adults get healthier. Crufit is a brand new studio in Montclair with top-notch instructors who specialize in rowing, cycling and TRX.
Crufit's brand new cycling theater- complete with wireless power meters that connect to the main screen!
In the theme of modifications, all you cyclists are familiar with the term RPM- revolutions per minute. I just attended a 2-day conference this weekend and heard some of the most inspiring and thought-provoking speakers like Dr. Wayne Dyer, Caroline Myss, Kris Carr, Gregg Braden, and Davidji.
No, that's not Moses. It's Davidji.
My favorite speaker was Davidji, who spoke about transitioning from being a crisis meditator to establishing a daily meditation practice. Meditation is about accessing the space between- the space between our action, our thoughts and our words. When we can access that space, we connect to our deepest, most authentic self. How do we do that? By ritualizing our practice. By making it a habit, just like brushing our teeth. So this my friends, is now our new acronym for RPM- Rise. Pee. Meditate. Like Lance once said, it's not all about the bike. Go deeper. Modify your recipes in life. Get creative.
First things first- I normally shy away from the word "vegan" since it's such a highly-charged word. I would much rather prefer to use the term 'plant-based,' but for some reason, "plant-based mac 'n cheese" just sounds strange, not sexy. Also for the record, I had grand plans to go to yoga tonight with my favorite teacher Pradeep. His classes land late in the day and go until 9:30pm-ish, which mean I have to plan hard that morning to pack everything (mat, clothes, towels, makeup remover, facewash, waterbottle, snacks, UGG boots, jacket for after class, you name it...). Once everything is packed in my car, and I am registered online, there's a 99.9% chance that I'll go. Unless I get inspired. Which is always the case when I work in close quarters with PK. This morning she mentioned that she made a vegan mac 'n cheese recipe. It sounded pretty incredible, and the creative 'cream' sauce piqued my curiosity since it was made from tofu, versus cashews or other nuts that most other vegan mac 'n cheese recipes called for. I cancelled my yoga class online. I went to Berkeley Bowl. I got busy in the kitchen, and the finished product was almost as good, if not better, than relaxing into savasana at the end of an intense class. Here it is- major props to my fellow dietitian and culinary muse, Praveena. Not many people can say that they know an intelligent and beautiful plant-powered/ayurvedic practitioner/yoga instructor/dietitian, but I do. And I get to eat lunch with her everyday. I know...It's ok to be jealous. Lucky for us, she shares her delicious recipes...
Meatless Monday at its best!
Vegan Mac 'n Cheese
1/2 pound dried elbow or shell pasta 1/2 c. water 1 c. unflavored soymilk or almond milk 8 oz. firm tofu 1/2 c. canola oil (I used a lot less; adjust to desired consistency) 1 c. nutritional yeast 1/3 c. soy sauce 1 Tb. sriracha sauce (optional) 1 1/2 tsp paprika 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp kosher salt 1/2 c crushed toasted walnuts (optional for topping) 1) Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until a little less than al dente. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain the pasta again. 2) Mix the remaining ingredients (except for the walnuts) into a Vitamix or food processor to create the 'cheese' sauce 3) If desired, add roasted broccoli (mix broccoli with garlic, olive oil, salt/pepper and roast for 15 minutes at 425 degrees) 4) Add the sauce and the cooked pasta to a large pot and cook over medium heat until everything is nice and hot, about 5 minutes. 5) Spoon into bowls, top with the crushed walnuts, and serve. Enjoy!
Last Thursday, my friend and I hiked up Mission Peak. We started early when it was quiet, and while traversing the upward slopes to the top, we would often stop, pause, and observe the view. It was nice to be far from all the noise, and even the faint sounds of traffic were barely audible. We cherished these moments of serenity, which so often become rare treasures in today's hustle and bustle.
Grateful to witness this beautiful sunrise...
After awhile, especially on our descent, many more hikers joined us on the trail. Most of them looked like they were in high school or college, and their incessant chatter and loud music played from their iphones was a stark contrast to the quiet we had cherished earlier. A part of me was disappointed that this younger generation was so dependent on their music for entertainment, even in nature.
Made it to the top! (and mad props to the person who dragged the xmas tree up to the peak!)
This experience kick-started my desire to run without my ipod recently. I was on a quest to just soak in the sounds of nature, without distraction. When you start to pay closer attention to the so-called silence, you can actually hear so much more- the subtle wind, quacking ducks, guns in the distance from the firing range, trickling water, your breath- ...and this is a reminder that you are alive. For Christmas, PK gave me "The Gift" by Hafiz, and it has proven to be one of my favorite gifts...filled with inspiring and beautiful words.
One of my favorites which has served to be the theme of my runs this week- "Stay close to any sounds that make you glad you are alive." -Hafiz
Gentle trickling streams of water...
Cooling down to a cotton candy sunset and the sounds of the gentle wind...
True to my introverted nature, these moments of quiet have been the most rejuvenating and restorative, and I am craving them even more now with the loud and hectic nature of the work place.
Life is art. It is what you create it to be. Unleash your creativity.
During today's ride up the 3 Bears, I was surrounded by good company. When I was tired and my mind was starting to fill up with thoughts like, "I'm tired now, I'll just spin and recover a little..." all of a sudden I'd hear Brooke's voice- "Fill that gap! Work your way up to that wheel and then you can relax!" I'd pedal hard, my heart pounding, and I could still hear her behind me- "If you want to, you're clear- you can pass them on the left and work your way up to that next wheel!" Her voice drowned out my own debbie-downer thoughts. I adopted her belief. I went for it. Sometimes having another encouraging voice in your ear makes you better. Coach gave me some extra little pushes (literally) when I lost momentum up a hill and on the flats when I needed to power up to the next wheel in front of me. Just having that extra physical help made such a huge difference for me mentally as well. When I was about to give up, all of sudden, I was back in the game, on the wheel in front of me, and still in the game. On a healthy team, strong people help the weak become stronger. They raise them up. Tangible lessons. If you want to become better, surround yourself with people who will push you (sometimes literally) to a higher level and who believe in what you can accomplish, even when your own vision is shrouded. Someone asked me yesterday if I had any New Year's resolutions. I don't. But I have set my intentions. 2014 for me is all about raising the bar- in all aspects of my life- in my relationships, in my career, in my spiritual practice, in my diet, and of course, in sport.
