Part 2: Filling Our Bellies in Kansas City

We were six women in two cars, packed fairly full with overnight bags, hotel snacks, a couple of coolers with adult beverages, walkie talkies, 40+ years of memories and giggles. Lots of giggles.

The first day started with a 7:30 a.m. Subway breakfast, included standard road food (Twizzlers, turkey jerky, lots of Diet Coke) and by 2 p.m.-ish, we were starving for lunch. A fortuitous stop in Des Moines took us down a random I-35S exit into the suburb of Urbandale, looking for a local joint. We took a quick spin down the main drag to get a good look at what was available and turned back around after deciding on a spot when it happened.

"Mayday! Mayday!" rang loud on the walkie talkie from the car that was supposed to be behind me. A rearview mirror check came up empty. They'd vanished.

"We're in the car wash!" They shouted again, this time more garbled.

"You turned too early," I radioed back. "Go one more block."

And then I heard nothing but laughing and static. "No! We're in the parking lot of the car wash," Deb tried to explain. "Maria ran out of gas!" More static, some gasping, more laughter.

After a trip to the gas station by my car to get a 1-gal. can with one precious gallon of gas and another trip back to the same gas station for the stranded car, we ended up at a Noodles. Not local. Not gourmet. But perhaps one of my favorite meals ever because of the circumstances.

We depended on the hotel for breakfast the remaining three days. Standard powdered scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, frozen potatoes, pancakes, danish and a small bowl of fresh melon just to make it look good.

The best lunch in KC happened at our friend Lara's house. She welcomed the whole tribe in, and greeted us with delicious tortilla soup, served in beautiful bowls lined with a tortilla. While the soup was fantastic, the appetizer (sitting around her family room, catching up on our lives, families and memories) and the side dish (sitting around the kitchen table, with much more chatting, while we ate soup and eventually pie) were worthy of many Michelin stars.

Dinner Friday night was a brew pub treat that featured a local/farm-to-table emphasis. McCoy's Public House treated us well. Collectively, we had a grilled chicken sandwich, macaroni and cheese, a bleu cheese burger, almond-crusted halibut and two orders of vegan masala. Good reviews all around. Best of all, this place was walkable from our hotel.

After no lunch and a heavy day of shopping, dinner Saturday night was our splurge: We were on the hunt for barbecue!

Everyone knows KC is famous for barbecue. It's the home of KC Masterpiece (the restaurant that borne the sauce or vice versa), Arthur Bryant's, Oklahoma Joe's, Gates Bar-B-Q, Jack Stack and so many more. We knew of the history of these places, but we had a few conditions.

We wanted quality, authenticity ... and someplace we could walk to or someplace the hotel shuttle and its 2-mile radius could get us to. Vanessa at the front desk recommended Q39 and she was oh so right!

Maria and I went whole hog, almost literally with ribs, pulled pork and brisket, while some of the other ladies had more demure pulled pork sammies.

Before.

After.

I'm pretty sure we all won. No calorie regrets. Not a single one. It was all So. Freaking. Good!

But, again, the best part of the meal (and that was a LOT of meal!) was that we spent it together.

Love you, Kansas City. And love you girls!

Part 1: Filling Our Hearts in Kansas City

I'm still smiling.

Our now-annual girls' weekend trip is in the books and I'm still smiling as I remember the past few days.

I haven't laughed so hard, smiled so much or had my heart full in so long. Maybe you can't really "go home" again, but you can sure find home when you spend time with the people who helped you become, well, you.

Yes, we shopped. Yes, we ate. (Man, did we eat! That Que39 place was so freaking yummy, I'm still dreaming about out and will tell you more tomorrow.) Yes, we got a little silly and loud and giggly. Oh, and we ran out of gas and had a nail in a tire. (Thank you, Skull-and-Crossbones-Belt-Buckle-William-with-the-Pretty-Eyes!) But the very best parts were just sitting around talking, learning about each others' lives, sharing our hard stuff and celebrating our good stuff.

And those plans I made to stay on track? They were good plans, but destined to change. Here's what didn't happen:

• No 5K ... we were lucky to get out of our hotel room by 10 a.m. Six women, one bathroom ... you get the idea. I did manage hotel fitness center treadmill runs on two of the three mornings we were there, however, to keep it in check. And on our heavy shopping day, we walked more than six miles on top of that. 
• No carrots ... I forgot one of the healthy snacks at home. We did kill a bag of pretzels and a whole lot of Werther's candy mix, however. We took full advantage of the free hotel breakfast mid morning and probably ate dinner too late each night.  
• No strength training ... it just didn't fit into the schedule. But my abs and glutes took a beating because I spent approximately 9 hours a day laughing my ass off as the old stories rolled and the new ones were created. And I think it's important to remember that shopping bags can be heavy and carrying them around counts for something! 

Six of my favorite people in the whole world. In fact, this photo
is nearly the whole Fort Atkinson Junior and Senior High
School basketball team, circa 1980-1986. And Jane. LOL.  

And while these things didn't happen, so much more did. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

What is a Runner?

I set out Monday morning to get a long walk in.

Why walk? When I run a few days in a row, I try to give my knees a break. And, I knew I had RIPPED coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday ... which often includes a lot of the lunging, bouncing and side-to-side movements that are tough on those joints.

So walking seemed like a good idea. But I wanted miles, so I set my head on 8 miles and started.

Now, I can walk at about a 4.2 or 4.3 mile per hour pace, meaning I cover 8 miles in a little less than 2 hours. As such, I hunkered in for a nice, long hike.

Somewhere around mile 5.75, I couldn't take it anymore.

I kicked up the pace. My legs, almost "stiff" from walking, had to readjust to the faster pace and it took a minute or two for them to loosen up. But before long, I was running and I finished my 8 miles in no time.

At the end, as I was covered in sweat, I allowed my brain to entertain the thought that maybe, just maybe, I'm a runner.

Sure, I have run in a handful of organized events, but I've never done anything remotely as big as a marathon. I do get at least three days of running in each week, though the distances are not very long when compared to those I would consider "serious" about the sport. My speed certainly isn't fast and would probably be considered a nice jog in most circles. I don't have what most would consider to be a runner's svelte, lean physique.

But tell all that to my legs.

They want to move. My lungs want to burn. My arms want to pump.

Some days, I simply can't stop them all from doing what they want to do.

And because of that, I guess I am a runner.

Thank God I found out before it was too late.

This is a John Bingham quote and I love it. 

Almost Three Weeks with Fitbit

My hubs got me a Fitbit for my birthday. I've been wearing it for almost three weeks and I thought I'd give you an initial review. And since I know I'm a bit late to this party, I'd love to know what you think of yours, as you have had more time to use it.

What I like:

• It's black, so it goes with just about everything I wear. 
• It counts my steps and lets me know when I hit my goal. Plus, it can serve as a reminder to get off the couch when I have not yet met my goal. 
• It measures my sleep/restless periods during the night. 
• I have the option to record my food and exercise online.

What I don't:

• Since I'm not logging my food ... I'm just not into the minutiae/detail of that ... I'm not taking full advantage of the calories in/calories out capabilities. 
• It's sort of big and clunky. The Jawbone is a bit sleeker. 
• It's not REALLY telling me anything I don't know about my exercise regiment. And it doesn't accurately capture strength training or biking activity. Yes, I can log those things, but as I've already mentioned, I'm not into/not good at keeping track of stuff.  

How I think it will help:

• For me, the sleep tracking has been the most interesting. I have learned that I average less than 7 hour per night ... and remember, this is me without an alarm clock 5 days of the week. What's more, in that 6-ish hours of sleep I am getting, I'm "restless" or moving enough 5-10 times per night to register as awake ... meaning I'm flailing around and perhaps not actually getting good rest while I am sleeping. 
• Since I know sleep is important (the third leg of the stool, remember this post?), I'm more aware and now trying to go to bed earlier. 
• Being able to see the patterns of my active and sedentary times helps me understand in a new way what being off work is doing to me. It's great to get up and run 6 miles, but if I spend the rest of the day sitting still, I'm sort of cancelling it out.

Do you have a Fitbit or a Jawbone or something else? What do you like? How does it help? Tell me! 

Last night's sleep. Or lack thereof, I guess. The pink lines indicate restlessness and/or
awake. I officially woke up at 4 a.m. and pretty much stayed that way until 5 a.m. 

Yesterday's workout. I walked 6, then ran 2, per my treadmill.
When I logged on immediately following, the Fitbit indicated I'd
gone 7.4 miles. So my treadmill and the Fitbit don't agree on
distance. Then I didn't leave the house for the rest of the day. 

Prepping for a Girls' Trip

I'm headed out with some old friends (old as in we've been friends for a long time ... not one of us is actually old! LOL) and doing what I need to do to make sure things don't go off the rails.

This is what I've done so far:
1. Grocery shopped for snack/breakfast food. My Woodman's cart included baby carrots, Twizzlers, pretzels, Cherry Coke Zero, Oktoberfest beer, apples, clementines and Cliff Bars. I purposely left chips, cookies, crackers and additional candy at the store.

2. Booked hotel with fitness center.

3. Researched weekend 5K runs in our destination city on the chance that I can talk someone into going with me.

4. Planned meals thoughtfully for the days leading up to departure in an effort to "save" some calories for the weekend.

5. Began mindfully thinking about the weekend and strategizing my eating plan. I know that might sound sort of ridiculous, but I like having a plan formed ahead of time so I don't mindlessly cram calories in my craw.

My goal is to enjoy the weekend fully ... and not bring home any regret from overindulging. Instead, I will truly fill up on the laughter, memories, and chatter that hanging with old friends invariably brings.

Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf

We had a real dinner last night. Like a Brady Bunch meal. We used real plates and everything.

It was meatloaf and mashed ... but totally different than mom used to make.

First, the meatloaf was ground turkey and it started with this Rachel Ray recipe that was so freaking good:

Rachel Ray Nutty Turkey Loaf
http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/18900_nutty_turkey_loaf_with_cracked_cranberry_and_orange_sauce/

I made changes, because I didn't have all of the ingredients.

1. I didn't make the cranberry sauce, but I bet it would be great alongside.
2. I didn't have pine nuts, nor hazelnuts, nor wine. I substituted a handful of toasted walnuts and roasted peanuts for the nut part and just skipped the sherry.
3. I didn't have fresh herbs, so I used dry.
4. I didn't measure anything. Ha!

It was like Thanksgiving in a loaf. It would be perfect if you're planning a small holiday get together and didn't want to make a whole turkey. In fact, I served it with the mashed cauliflower I made the other day and it was the perfect side.

Seriously, make this!

Ring, Ring ... Awesome!

I'm sitting at home this afternoon, feeling a bit blue about my unemployment situation and the almost-too-small sweatpants I'm wearing.

Then this happens:

Phone rings. I answer tentatively and grumpily, because I truly hate talking on the phone and I'm dreading what sort of irritation may be on the other end of the line.

MISS DAISY: Hello?

NIECE #1: GuesswhatIdidtodayDoyouknowhatapacerisYourunfromoneendofthegymtotheotheranditsabiggym!

The words breathlessly tumble out of her mouth so quickly I can't decipher all of it. There's pure excitement in her voice and I can tell she's floating on air.

I ask her to slow down and try it one more time. She giggles and backs up a bit.

HER: OK, so you know, in gym? We did Pacers. Do you know what a Pacer is?

ME: Nope. What's a Pacer?

HER: You run from one end of the gym to the other and go around the cone before the buzzer beeps.

Ahh, I think. A Pacer is a down and back "lap."

HER: Guess how many I did?

ME: 20.

HER: Nope.

ME: 10

HER: No!

ME: Higher?

HER: Way higher!

So I start guessing in increments of 5, my voice getting more incredulous with every one and she keeps saying no until I get to 60.

HER: Sixty THREE!!! And guess how many Travis did? We had a bet. He bet me I couldn't do more than he could and when I asked him how many he did, he said 48. Then I went and I did 63! Then he asked me how many I did and I said 63 and then he told me he really did 59, but he told me 48 so I would stop at 49. But I didn't stop. I did 63!

ME: Wow! That's pretty awesome! How did it feel?

HER: It felt incredible!

I love the way an almost 13-year-old will "try on" vocabulary that's not exactly native tongue.

ME: What felt incredible ... beating Travis or doing 63 Pacers?

HER: Both! And then I got my homework done early in my study group and then I ran the whole way home! Running feels good!

By this point, I'm grinning from ear to ear. She's having a VERY. GOOD. DAY.

ME: So, you think this running thing might be something you'd like to do?

HER: Yes! I think I'm one of the best runners in my gym class!

That's when my day went from borderline OK to, well, incredible. Firstly, she's running and that makes my heart sing. And, secondly, she's found something that makes her feel strong and good about herself ... a great thing to discover as the teen years approach.

Oh, and, there's something completely awesome about the unbridled optimism and unapologetic pride of a 7th grader.

In fact, I think I'm going to try to find a little bit of that myself.

---------------------------------------------------
EPILOGUE: We chatted more about Trick or Treating, school, new friends and the like. Then we made plans to run the Frosty Rock Challenge in Fort Atkinson on Nov. 15 together, barring any scheduling conflicts. (She has to check with mom of course.)

Want to join us? Register here: http://www.forthealthcare.com/frostyrock/

Some Runs Are Good for the Soul

Saturday was a good day. A really good day.

It was a day I couldn't have imagined a few years ago and a day for which I give thanks--on my knees--at night.

Here's how it went:

I woke up, hit my treadmill and knocked out 3 fast-paced (for me) miles. I lifted, focusing on tris, bis and shoulders.

Then I ran to help my husband remove some big, ol' branches overhanging my in-laws' roof. Kati and Cassie were there, too, and it took four of us, ropes, ladders perched in precarious situations, chainsaws in one hand, crawling around on the roof with wet slippery leaves to get it all done. I didn't do any of the dangerous stuff, mind you. I mostly hauled branches and logs back and forth to the trailer and shouted words of warning, like a good mom/wife.

The day was beautiful and it was going to get better.

At that point, it was time to head home to shower and drive to Madison for the Haunted Hustle. Yes, I showered -- and did my hair -- to go to a run. If you know me, you know how ridiculous that is. But I suspected there might be Facebook photos, so I prepared appropriately.

We had ample time to get our packets and get situated. We lined up and took off with hundreds of other people and then it happened ...

Nirvana set in.

The running was easy, effortless and perfect. I was enjoying every step, really enjoying it. Not getting through it. Not pushing ahead. Our pace wasn't going to win us a medal, but I'm sure I don't care. It felt so good to just be running as if my body was born to do it.

I could have gone 10 miles. Or for 10 days. And I admit that part of me wanted to take the turn for the 10K,

But I was there for a different reason. I was there to finish a goal of my own. I wanted to see my friend cross that finish line with confidence.

And she did.

The only thing better than doing it yourself for the first time is being there when someone else does it for the first time.

I just couldn't stop grinning. My endorphins were surging. I made a mental note to look around and soak up the movie playing in front of me. Warm sun, cold beer, funny costumes, great band, giggling kids ... it was just perfect.

My only wish? That I'd started on this journey so much earlier in my life so I could have gotten so many more of these perfect runs and perfect days in.

Life is too short to not start today, kids!

Then, last but certainly not least, I hopped in my car and drove to the home of dear friends. Jim was already there and so was a delicious Thanksgiving-like meal. After an essentially perfect day, I was treated to an essentially perfect night filled with laughter, love ...

... and birthday cake!

I'm a lucky girl.

Mashed Cauliflower

Looking for a new way to enjoy mashed potatoes without the white potato?

Cauliflower mash is where it's at.

Here's my version:

Mashed Cauliflower
1 head of cauliflower
1-2 T low fat cream cheeese
1 T or so butter, adjust to your taste
1 t to 1 T minced garlic
Salt and pepper
Optional: grated Parmesean cheese

Cut cauliflower up into small pieces and boil in salted water until extremely tender. Drain and pat cauliflower as dry as possible with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Before returning cauliflower to hot pot, drop in a couple of spoonfuls of cream cheese and garlic to melt/heat up. Return cauliflower to hot pot, add butter, salt and pepper. Use immersion blender to mash up the whole works. (If you don't have an immersion blender, put the whole lot of it in a food processor.) Add grated cheese if desired.

The consistency is a little looser than real mashed potatoes and the amount of mix-ins depend on the size of the head of cauliflower. But it's a good substitute if you're doing the no/low-carb thing.

Nailed It.

She did it! She ran 5 whole Ks without stopping!

She got tired. She doubted herself. But she kept putting one foot in front of the other and she crossed the finish line with her hands in the air and a smile on her face.

What could be better than that?

OK, the chocolate chip cookie at the finish line and the free beer didn't suck.

It feels so good to watch someone get their goal. To reach deep down in and find what it takes to finish what was started. To see that moment of satisfaction and pride sneak out, in spite of all efforts to contain in or hide it in self-depreciation.

Way to go, girl! YOU did it.

Way to go, Martha! 

Review of Summit Credit Union's Haunted Hustle, Middleton: 
Cost: $38 for registering well past any early bird discounts. A bit steep, but worth it.

Organization: Held at Keva Sports Complex ... plenty of parking, enough bathrooms, well marked course, easy packet pickup, chip timing. Everything went very smoothly. Website was really well done and helpful.

5K Course: Part road, part bike trail. Not a lot of actual traffic to deal with. VERY flat. Would be a great walking course if you don't feel like running. Would be great for a group of friends with different performance levels. Some could walk, some could run, some could do 10K. And the party at the end is just a bonus!

Options: 5K and 10K on Saturday, starting at 4:30 p.m. Half and Full Marathon on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. and 8 a.m. respectively. Also included a kids' race and stroller derby.

Extras: Expo had good vendors and nice swag. They had stuff for kids (face painting and bib decorating, etc.) and there were a lot of families or kids/parents running. Party after race was cool ... band was really good. Fun to race in afternoon and party into the dinner hours. I'd venture a guess that 75% of racers were in some sort of costume or Halloween gear, which was fun. I didn't participate in that, but looking at all the costumes was a great "distraction" on the actual run and made the time go really fast.

Weather: Could not have been more perfect. Sunny, warm, windy, but no one noticed.

Medal/Tshirt: Awesome! They glow in the dark! Yeah, I know my $38 went toward this, but I don't care.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. And while the early bird registration would save some $$, I might wait until race week/day to register. Late October in Wisconsin can be a bit dangerous.

Tomorrow, We Get a Goal

Tomorrow I'm running a 5K with someone who, up until last week, had never run a full 5K. 

She'd completed several 5Ks, but never run the whole way. She runs several times a week. She's strong and healthy and determined. 

She's just been unable to cross that magic line without stopping. 

Now, you and I both know that she's capable of doing it. But her head got in the way and convinced her lungs and her legs that she couldn't get it done. 

So, we put a race on the calendar. We changed up her routine a little. (My suggestions? No running where she knew mile markers. No running with the app that whispers in her ear to tell her how far she's gone.)

And guess what? She ran more than 3 miles this past week! 

So, on a beautiful fall Saturday, we're going to cross this "can't" off the list at the Haunted Hustle in Madison. 

It's the victory lap. 

You Are Starting Today ...

I'm counting today as the first official day of your journey. And while I'm not trying to put any pressure on you, I want you to know that I am here to help you however I can. I will cheer you on, kick you in the rear, commiserate when you need commiseration.

These are the things I want to tell you before you start, but know they are also things you will need to discover for yourself, in your own way. Your experience will be uniquely your own and only you will know how to make it better.

The most important thing you need to know is that YOU CAN DO THIS. It won't be easy, but it is also not impossible. You are stronger than you know and you are worth the effort.

Here are the others, in no particular order:

1. The goal is consistency. Make small, sustainable changes to move more and eat better. You do not need to train for a marathon and you don't have to be 100% perfect at the dinner table. You need to move more than you were and eat better than you did. Remember, if you do the right things, often enough, good things happen.

2. The work is the reward, not the punishment. View the sweat, the occasional tummy growl, the early morning alarm or the internal complaining (there will be complaining!) as a gift to yourself. What you are doing is making your life better, making your family better, making YOU better. Granted, you're pretty great already, but you're not feeling great inside ... and you can.

3. There will be times it just sucks. You won't want to workout. You will want a whole package of Oreos. But remember, this too shall pass. As with life in general, there will be good times and bad times. In the end, you will get through it. Be kind to yourself when the going gets rough. Remind yourself of the bigger picture. And get through the day.

4. When you don't want to workout, workout anyway. You will never feel bad about hitting the bricks. You will always feel bad about skipping it. And that feeling bad is the first step in a downward spiral that tears you down. Do what you can do to build yourself up.

5. Your brain is going to try and trick you. It's going to tell you that you can't do this, that it's too hard, that you're too tired and that it's just not worth it. It's going to sabotage you at every turn. Do not believe it! Pay attention to the stuff you're doing right. Purposefully celebrate the little victories to give your brain something else to fight the sabotage with. Look yourself in the eye and remind yourself why you're doing this. And tell your doubting, negative, sabotaging brain to sit the eff down and shut the eff up.

6. Don't deny yourself everything. You LOVE Cheetos? Find a smart, controlled way to enjoy them. Buy a Grab Bag and split them up into a week's worth of small servings and eat them when you can sit down, concentrate on them and truly savor them. Trying to go cold turkey is pointless and sets you up to fail. Moderation. And control. And purposeful decision-making.

7. Involve a few others. Get support from the people you trust. Involve your kids. Let them cheer you on. You will do this better if you have support and encouragement from your team. And on the other side of this, ask for help when you need it. There is no shame in that. We all get stuck, get frustrated, get overwhelmed. The good news is there is always a way out or a way around whatever obstacle you find.

8. Remember that this first part is sort of temporary until you get where you want to go. Yes, it's going to take some time. But if you stick to it, it will happen a whole lot faster than you think. It took you a few years to get here, it's going to take a little time to get back to where you want to be. In fact, you'll even get stuck a few times. That's OK. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other ... again, do the right things often enough ... and you will get there.

9. When you're feeling frustrated or defeated, battle back with exercise. Take a walk. Shake your butt in a Just Dance dance-off. Yes, it will burn some calories which will make you feel better, but it will also clear your head and adjust your attitude. (This also works with smart-mouthed teenagers ... get 'em outside and watch their little personalities bloom!)

10. Believe you can do this. Because you can. Repeat it in your head. Make up a little tune and sing it while you brush your teeth. You can do this. Trust me, it's so much harder to walk around feeling bad about yourself than it is to pick up some weights or put on your tennis shoes.

Good luck. Go get'em. Got your back! 

Sore So Good

I have a new routine on Wednesdays.

First, I go to the 8:15 a.m. RIPPED class. Then Peggy is gracious enough to let me lift weights with her afterward. It's become a day I look forward to because I feel like I'm really starting to understand the strength training stuff more ...

(... and it's good girl talk time. Without a job these days, I'm more than a little starved for adult conversation!)

At first, she basically told me what to do and coached me through it. What exercises, in what order, number of reps/sets, how to perform them. She even did a fair bit of cheerleading when I needed it. Then she transitioned to more guiding than telling. And now she stands back and let's me lead, jumping in when I get stuck or need help.

Yesterday, I hit it hard. Lots of reps, reasonably heavy weights. I hit my back, chest, tris and bis. Nearly a full upper body workout.

I went to bed with the best of intentions, but woke up several times with an aching back and shoulder blades.

This morning, I was hurting. While I could still lift my arms, I was super sore and it's been a while since I have felt like that.

So I got to wondering ... why do we get sore and what does it mean?

Here's a quick rundown:

• Muscles are one of the few tissues in your body that can grow or shrink, based on activity/use. 
• When you lift weights, you actually damage the muscle fibers. 
• That damage is what creates the "hurt." 
• Your body recognizes the damage immediately and sets out to repair the damage using protein to do so. This repair process actually creates new fibers, thus increasing the size of the muscle. 

So, is it good or bad to be sore?

If you're looking to build muscle, soreness seems like it would be good, right? Well, it is in that it proves you "damaged" your muscles and are therefore building new fibers. It can be bad, however, if it prevents you from working out the next day. If Monday prevents Tuesday and Wednesday, Monday may not have been worth it.

Remember, the key to a healthy, move-more lifestyle is CONSISTENCY. You want 30 minutes a day, 5 or 6 days a week, of heart pumping activity.

So how do you get sore and stay consistent at the same time?

Alternate body parts. And never work the same muscle groups two days in a row.

Yesterday I hit upper body hard, and am sore to prove it. So today, I did glutes and abs ... parts that were not sore. This makes sense because I got a good workout in today and I gave my sore muscles time to start to repair themselves. Overworking, or breaking down those fibers too much, can actually decrease your muscle mass because you're not allowing them time to perform that healing process.

I do the same for cardio. I walked/ran 10 miles on Monday. Did RIPPED on Tuesday and Wednesday. So this morning, in addition to the glutes and abs, I rode my bike to give my knees a break.

It's all about balance,

Hmmm. Like everything else, right?

(Work/Life, Calories In/Calories Out, Activity/Rest, Fear/Confidence, Risk/Safety ... you get the idea.)

Up Your Game ... By Playing with the Right People

I went to my 7th grade niece's volleyball game yesterday. As the season is winding to a close, it's hard to not compare those first games to these last few.

Two months ago, none of the kids knew much about anything. Today, there's a marked difference between the "A" team and the "B" team. A few kids have shifted between the two ranks, but not many.

The A team works together better. They seem to understand the rules more. Nearly all serve overhand. They seem to be a bit more naturally athletically inclined. Maybe more notably, their talents are more evenly matched. In other words, there isn't a great deal of difference between the best player on that squad and the worst.

The B team is a different story. They don't work together that well most of the time. They don't seem to understand the rules. Some are not so obviously athletic. They almost wholly serve underhand and even those rarely go over the net. Lastly, I think there's a bigger difference between the best players and the worst.

Now, some of the difference between the two teams is coaching and time spent with each group. And I empathize with the coach. It's very difficult to be one person, trying to advance the kids that are ready and teach fundamentals to those that find it all a bit harder to grasp.

What I notice more, however, is there there are a couple of kids on that B team that could really benefit from playing with the kids on the A team. Kids with glimpses of potential that could learn from and grow with exposure to a higher level of play. They're eager, hustling, proud when they get something right.

With a little encouragement and opportunity ... and a lot of hard work ... a few B team girls could really help the A team someday.

It all got me thinking about working out.

And I'm convinced it works the same way.

You rise to the level of your competition. You improve based on your surroundings. You blossom with the right support and encouragement.

In short, you do better when those around you are "better" than you.

Think that high-intensity workout your friend does is too much for you? Maybe it is today. But if you stick in a class that has gotten to be routine and sort of easy, you'll never progress.

Think that running partner who is content to run the same speed, distance,time you've been running for a year is going to help you run faster, farther longer? She's not. You'll both keep going at the same pace you've been going.

You get better by challenging yourself. By getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself a little harder. Will you be able to keep up on the first day? Probably not. But that's not your goal. Your goal is to get better than you were, not to keep up with someone else's plan.

There's a woman in my RIPPED class who is an Energizer Bunny. She goes above and beyond on nearly every section. Today we were side-by-side on the dance floor that is our workout room at the country club. She took off, adding extra things into a routine we've been doing for weeks.

And, unbeknownst to her, she pushed me. If she can do it, I'll be damned if I'm not going to at least try to do it.

I tried. I didn't keep up to her. But I did more than I normally do.

And I'm glad she was there.

Oddball Favorite Things

Here are a few things I just can't get enough of right now.

1. Famous Dave's Spicy Pickle Chips: Seriously, have you tried these? I bought an enormous jar at Woodman's and it's gone, people. Gone! I ate them all. They're crunchy and sweet and sour and spicy and so very good. I'm blaming Lorri and Dion for this addiction, since I first discovered them as their house. My addiction is so bad, that I'm buying ordinary cucumbers, cutting them up and tossing them in the remaining liquid just so I can eat more.

2. Fresh berries mixed with cottage cheese: Yup. It's a great breakfast, a pretty good dessert and a nice snack. Plop some cottage cheese in a bowl, mash in some raspberries or blackberries, hit it with a shot of vanilla and a dash of fake or real sugar. Filling, protein-ish, sweet and satisfying.

3. Slippers: Fall is here and I refuse to turn on the heat. So slippers and my fireplace have to do the warming duties when it gets chilly. I prefer the bootie style (vs. the open back/slide in type) and I don't like a big, ol' hard, clunky sole.

4. Brussel sprouts: I think I've waxed on about these delicious little cabbages before. I just put them in a bowl, cover with a little plastic wrap and nuke. Add a bit of butter and some salt and pepper and I'm good to go. Yum!

5. Pickled beets: I'm a recent convert to the delightfulness of this lovely concoction. My favorites are made by Bushel & Peck's Market in Beloit ... so freaking good!!! But the grocery store brands will do in a pinch. Add them to spinach, a little blue cheese, a few walnuts and a raspberry vinaigrette and life is good!