Continuous Learning….Sharpening the Saw

This weekend I participated in a personal trainers seminar put on by the National Council on Strenth and Fitness ( www.NSCF.org ) . What an enjoyable weekend that was! The organization is excellent, the materials (which I got back in February) are extremely thorough. Oh, and the instructor was incredibly knowledgeable guy who walked the talk. So I got two days of review, met some new friends, and had a blast.

While I kept up with my interest/knowledge in wellness over the years, I had let my personal training certication lapse.  Since I was getting more and more requests through work, church and the community to participate in and lead in various fitness related programs, I decided it was time to get certified again. And, I have enjoyed every second of it. 

While I work for a fantastic company which provides numerous educational opportunities, I found I had been spending more time on the work related knowledge programs and not as much on the areas that interested me.  This year’s balance plan includes more reading time. I have 3 unfinished books that I am proud to say I am making headway on again:  “Love Without End”  ( http://www.lovewithoutend.com/ ), “The Power of Now” (this is by the same guy who wrote the book on Oprah’s Monday night deal (www.oprah.com), “The Purpose Driven Life” (this one is taking a bit longer like “Love Without End” because I read a bit, then lay my book down and ponder…), and my most recent addition, “Eat, Love, Pray” ( http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/ ) which really suits me on several levels.  This was one of Oprah’s book club recommendations and my boss loaned it to me. This woman writes conversationally, she has a quest for knowledge, and I enjoy her sense of humor. Plu the chapters are short so if I only have 5 minutes before bed, I can still get a bit in!

So, this weekend’s seminar and my personal training textbooks have reminded me how important it is to spend time sharpening the ol’ saw–BUT in a subject matter that excites us. Like trying a new sport.  Which, btw ladies, I still think the sprint tri is SUCH fun. And much more achievable than most folks think. There is a great book on training for one in 4 hours a week or less. Truly it can be done. You can find the book at : Amazon.

Learn, live, love…and pass it on!  

Lisa

I’ve decided that “island time” is something I need to add into my 2008 game plan. Island time and seeing the world through a child’s eyes. Making work more like play. Taking life a little less seriously.While in Maui, I played with my kids. We snorkeled and delighted as we saw new fish or coral with an excited hand squeeze between my daughter and I. There was so much to see that we almost held hands the entire time we snorkeled because we were squeezing so much! My son, the adventurer, was ahead of us scouting out new spots with coral or fish while doing somersaults over and over as he waited for the girls to catch up. I didn’t wear a watch the entire time. We got up when we were ready, we ate when we were hungry, and we slept when we were tired. The only real time we kept was in order to get to boats and surf lessons. It was heaven!I think as adults we need to let our inner child out more often. Ever notice how often we analyze events that have happened or spend time focusing on the future? Why can’t we simply enjoy “now” like children? I am not advocating abandonment of responsibility; however there IS something to be said for spontaneity and the freedom that comes with letting your hair down every now and then. Today I didn’t “work-out” but I was active and played with my kids. We jumped on the trampoline, walked to some tennis courts to play a little tennis, we shot baskets and played foosball.Your charge for this week: go goofy and get giddy. And let me know how it goes! I have a feeling we’ll be swapping silly stories and making each other smile. Go ahead. TRY IT!!

Hello friends! I’ve heard from a few of you that you would like more breakfast ideas. EASY, quick breakfast ideas–but HEALTHY ones. Kudos to you guys for going the healthy route ! OK, here’s a couple of easy ones to try:

Almond Protein Shake - there are a couple ways to do this depending on your preference for vanilla vs chocolate! (I’m a chocolate girl, myself!) I start with chocolate, unsweetened almond milk (you can go for nonfat dairy milk, vanilla oat milk, or vanilla rice or soy milk. Then add either chocolate or vanilla protein powder. Currently, I am using Biochem’s chocolate protein powder. If you want to cut calories, go 4 oz of the base milk and 6-8 oz of water, add 1/2 banana (I freeze mine once they start turning so I never lose a banana!), 1 tbsp almond butter. You can also add 1/4 cup raw almonds if that’s easier. I also keep organic frozen blueberries in my freezer and throw that in as well, plus some cinnamon flax seed oil. Yum!

Another easy meal is your basic eggs and toast. Try 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread ( like the cinnamon and raisin–can you tell I love cinnamon?!) and make your self an omelet with 3-4 egg whites and 1/2 cup chopped spinach and if you have them on hand, you can throw in tomatoes/sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms and/or onions (another good one to keep chopped and frozen in the freezer for ease. On your toast, again I go for a little sweet and good fat by either putting a tad of coconut oil on them fresh from the toaster so a little goes a long way, then I sprinkle stevia and loads of cinnamon. Add 1/2 a grapefruit and don’t forget your cup o’ GREEN! (…tea, that is–but with this breakfast you are also starting your day with a dark leafy veggie which is AWESOME!)

Another easy breakfast is OATMEAL. If you haven’t tried it in a while, this is one I tend to cook up more in the winter. Get yourself the SLOW cooked oatmeal, 1/2 cup, cook it per directions either microwave or stove top depending on your available time. Then, add in your protein powder . Again, I go for chocolate protein powder, about 1/3 package of sugar free hot chocolate mix (for sweetness), and 1 tbsp of almond butter. Mix it all up, then throw in fresh or frozen fruit–blueberries are a super food and they are always handy, but banana slices or raisins work well with this high protein, complex carb power breakfast.

These ought to get you going. If you have some ideas, please share them! Later I will share some snack ideas. My kids are hooked on a couple raw foods and home made energy bars.

POWER UP and LIVE FIT!