Guess what day it is! Not only is it hump day, we’re over half way there, it is National Eat Your Kid’s Halloween Candy Day. A little known holiday that’s a bit of mystery outside of the parenting circuit. Nevertheless, it is a very important one. As a parent, we’ve earned the right to pilfer their candy. If we left it to them, we’d only get the raisins, pencils or pennies. We can’t have that nonsense!
Back in my day, you hit the mother load when you got a full size candy bar in your bag. Oh how we have raise the bar! Goalielocks came home with several king sized bars last night. Could you have imagined that back in the 80s and 90s? If this seems excessive, it is. However, it does help mitigate the loss of candy to National Eat Your Kid’s Halloween Candy Day.
In order to mitigate the extra calories, I headed back to the Barre for more fun. It was another fabulous class. Truly, I can’t recommend Adam’s class highly enough. Let me tell you, Xtend Barre is a lot harder than it looks. I felt the first class for almost a week! You can imagine my horror when I got to class and the dreaded Bosu was back. Literally, the last time I did the class on the Bosu, I couldn’t laugh, sneeze, cough or move for like 5 days. It hurt my abs to simply exist.
Unfortunately, I’m battling a nasty cold. I am praying that I’m done with the coughing fits before the pan of tonight’s class hits my abs. Otherwise, sweet mother of Jesus, there will not be enough Aleve in the world to cure my ills. If I’m looking at the bright side, the good news is that class is superbly effective. I guess that’s what keeps bringing us all back now isn’t it.
Winter fluff. I’m not talking about the white stuff, but rather the extra pounds one tends to gain during the winter season. Of course, this was normal living in Minnesota. Activity waned for me as the weather got colder outdoor. Fortunately, over-sized sweaters were the perfect way to cover up any extra weight.
Unfortunately, living in South Florida our winter consists of dips into the 40s. Most of the winter is comfortably warm and bikini season in unending. There’s rarely sweater weather here, so there’s no covering up any extra winter fluff. On the flip side, the weather here is perfect. Consequently, we can enjoy the great outdoors year round. Not surprisingly, running is a lot more pleasant when the temperatures are in the 70s not the high 90s. Running in triple digit heat indices, as you can imagine, is not nearly as much fun as it sounds.
The only the combination of lack of sweater weather and winter fluff are troublesome is around the holidays. Who wants to behave and eat well with all the holiday parties and dinners? Thanks, but no thanks! So how does on survive the holidays without putting on the fluff? I’m glad you asked. The key is moderation and exercise. Sadly, diet is 80% of the equation with exercises only making up 20%. This means you cannot completely correct all your food indiscretions with exercise.
Where does this leave you? Comprising. If you’re at a party, enjoy the food, but skip seconds. If you’re drinking, opt for a drink (like a vodka soda) that is low in calories. My drink of choice is a peach pear LaCroix with a shot of Peach Ciroc on the ice. Its refreshing, its light and its low calorie. Plus, Circoc is very smooth. In addition, add in some extra workouts as this will help mitigate some of the extra calories.
In honor of the start of the holiday season, let’s kick it back to 2001 with Pink’s Get the Party Started
“Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but the parent of all others.” – Cicero. I drove to the rink to watch my youngest play to hockey games today with a heart full of gratitude. First of all, the game was at home – a total godsend. Secondly, there’s nothing better than watching your kid play the game they love. No matter how we hockey parents feel, we’re still gonna show up at the rink to watch our kids. It didn’t hurt, of course, that they won both games. Excitedly, the Mayor had the game wining goal in the 2nd game.
Yesterday, during the torrential rains of Tropical Storm Philippe, Goalielocks and I went to Dick’s and PetSmart. While driving to the store, we started talking about the current state of youth sports. For instance, when I was growing up most kids played multiple sports. In contrast, today’s kids are specializing in one sport by age 12. Moreover, the cost to play for today’s kids has become astronomical. In order to stay competitive, many kids play on tournament teams, attend clinics, take private lessons and go to camps. This, however, comes with an extremely colossal price tag that puts youth sports out of reach for many. This was mind blowing to Goalielocks. As we drove home last night, I think Goalielocks understood how lucky he’s been having played travel hockey since 2011.
My heart is full with gratitude for the boys’ opportunity to play hockey. Our boys have been playing travel hockey since 2011. In the year since, we’ve had incredible experiences with their teams. Moreover, the boys had the fantastic opportunity to travel with their teams to Boston, Minnesota, Ottawa, Washington D.C., and Quebec. This season we will be travelling to Chicago, Atlanta and Boston. Needless to say my boys’ are extremely excited for these trips.
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There are many things that fill my heart with gratitude, but none more than the incredible people in my life. From my parents and in-laws, to my brothers, my hockey family, my friends and my work squad, I am lucky to be surrounded by incredible people that make my heart sing.
To fly or not to fly that is the question. For the 2nd Saturday in a row, thank you hockey schedule, I was able to take my circuit burn class followed by aerial yoga this morning. This was my 3rd aerial yoga class. One of the questions, I’ve been asked most often since starting aerial yoga is which practice do I prefer. Do I prefer aerial or vinyasa?
The answer isn’t so easy because both the aerial and vinyasa practices feed each other. There are aspects of aerial yoga that will translate into a better practice on the mat. For example, the inversions in aerial yoga are much easier because the swing supports you and provides balance. Consequently, since the inversions are aided in a sense, it allows you to work on strength and alignment. As an added bonus, you can hold the pose for a significantly longer time. I guess the answer is that I prefer both.
Aerial yoga takes a significant amount of trust and letting go of fear. You have to trust yourself and the swing knowing that it will prevent you from falling and hurting yourself. Moreover, you have to let go of fear. Admittedly, the first aerial yoga class I took was intimidating. My teacher Monica, who is incredible, encouraged all of us to let go of our fear. Additionally, she also showed us how to position our bodies to prevent a fall and assisted us with the poses. As a consequence, I felt comfortable in the fabric by the end of my first class.
Aside from the fear of getting hurt or embarrassing oneself by falling, the fear of not being able to keep up is omnipresent that first class. If you find yourself in an aerial yoga class discouraged by your ability, do like Elsa and “let it go.” Today in class, there was someone completely new to aerial. Almost half way through the class, she became discouraged and was ready to leave because she couldn’t keep up. Fortunately, between our teacher’s encouragement and her fellow classmates’ encouragement, she decided to stick it out. While she may have struggled that first half of class, she absolutely slayed the second half.
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I think the turning point was realizing that: a) nobody was judging her b) everyone progresses at their own speed c) her practice is her own. In my opinion, there is no better teacher of humility than a good yoga practice. I’m a highly competitive person. Yoga has helped me put that aside. I’ve learned to accept that my practice is my own own and I’m in competition with nobody. In addition, I learned that I loved savasana in aerial yoga even more than on the mat. I know, I didn’t know it was even possible. In the aerial class, you encase yourself in the yoga silk, which becomes akin to a hammock. It sways ever so gently during the pose, which is okay with me. By the end of the savasana, I feel like I’ve just woken up from the best night’s sleep. I freaking love it.
Due to my work and hockey schedule, I haven’t been able to go to a Vinyasa class for a couple of weeks. I cannot, however, wait to see how I’ve progressed on my mat since starting my aerial practice. As for my aerial practice, I look forward to seeing how it evolves from week to week. Significantly, I’ve noticed with each class a step function in ability and comfort. Last week I was able to do a flip, while today I was able to do plow and a shoulder stand. It was pretty awesome stuff. Tomorrow it’s Xtend Barre in the morning followed by hockey games in the afternoon. At some point tomorrow, I’ll try to tackle the household chores. I’ll probably try to get some laundry done and maybe even take a nap.
Tonight’s song comes courtesy of Tom Petty in honor of Aerial Yoga: Learning to Fly
What’s your trademark? Is it the way you smile? Is it the cup on Dunkin in your hand? The way you dress? Or maybe it is the way you make people laugh. Each of us has unique gifts, a unique look, unique ideas. Either way your trademark is uniquely yours, so own it.
I get it, trust me I do, its tough to own your fabulousness while fighting through the minutia (aka brave sierra) of the 9-5:00. One of my favorite movies is Office Space. As our protagonist became miserable in his job, he lost himself for a minute. It wasn’t until he decided to make a change that he was invigorated again. In the end, he defrauded the company and ended up in a construction job. Obviously, I’m not advocating defrauding you company, but I am advocating finding and following your passion.
Nobody in Hollywood today or yesteryear, could compete with the awesome persona that was Mae West. Without a doubt , her trademark blonde hair and acerbic wit were and still are absolutely legendary. I love the quote from her below. It’s not what you do or what you say, but how you say it. Say things in your voice. Do things in your own way. Be true to your identity.
As I wrote at the beginning, each of us has things that are uniquely ours. This along with the way we make people feel is our trademark. As I look at my own kids, each has a trademark of their own. Jake’s trademark is his dimples and passion for music. Goalielocks’ trademark without question is his flowing blonde hair and brilliant, inquisitive mind. The Mayor’s is well he’s the Mayor – that’s his trademark. Everywhere we go, people know the Mayor. Certainly. his cute dimples and personality don’t hurt. No matter the pressure, no matter what happens, don’t let life’s up and downs impact you amazingness.
Tonight’s song: Queen Ft. David Bowie Under Pressure
I admit it, after much consternation I jumped on the Jus cleanse bandwagon. After struggling to lose both the Norway and Hurricane Irma weight, I figured why not try it. I researched several cleanses. I quickly realized that I would need a cleanse with more than just juice if i was going to be successful. Fortunately, I found a cleanse on Groupon from a reputable company with tons of good reviews. It was reassuring to see numerous people write that they didn’t feel hungry or fatigued while on the cleanse.
Consequently, I bought a 3 day cleanse from Jus By Julie. The cleanse itself was came with nine juice and nine soups. The juices were Sweet Spin Juice (kale, spinach, pineapple, rice milk and mango), Spicy Pomegranate (think master cleanse with pomegranate), and Berry Chia. I enjoyed each of the juices including the Spicy Pomegranate. These juices are blended not cold pressed, so there is considerable pulp in some of them. I don’t mind pulp, but if you’re not a pulp person these juices probably aren’t for you.
In addition to the juices, the cleanse came with 9 different soups. There’s too many to name here, but some of my favorites were: split pea, carrot ginger, red lentil, coconut pumpkin bisque and the detox broth. Each of the soups, like the juices, is vegan, gluten free, kosher, non-GMO and dairy free. If you have sensitivities to any of the aforementioned items, this cleanse will be perfect for you. While the soups have no dairy, gluten or animal products, what they do have is a lot of good flavor. I was honestly impressed with the quality and flavor of all nine of the soups.
Was I hungry on the cleanse? Absolutely, but I’m always hungry. I could eat sixty four Thanksgiving dinners still be hungry. At the end of each night, I was hungry, but I wasn’t dying from hunger. In fact, I had expected to be much hungrier at the end of the day. From a calories perspective, it wasn’t super low calorie, which is good. I felt it kept my calories at a safe level without being too high or too low. Unquestionably, the most surprising aspect of the cleanse was how I felt on the cleanse. Surprisingly, the cleanse left me feeling energetic and amazing. While teaching Zumba on the cleanse, I felt great and full of energy. This was a truly pleasant surprise.
Confession time. The cleanse directions state that you’ are to give up solid foods and coffee creamer while on the program. I have no problem with the food, but admittedly I couldn’t give up my Dunkin. Nonetheless, the cleanse was still effective for me even as I continued to drink my cream laden coffee. I know there’s a cacophony of differing opinions on cleanses, which makes it difficult to truly evaluate their worth. However, at the end of the three days, I was down four pounds and feeling fantastic. It is definitely something I will buy again and something I’d recommend trying.
Where can you buy it? The best option is via Groupon as it sells it for $59 plus shipping vs. the list price of $125 on Jus By Julie’s website. They ship the juices and soup to you frozen at a cost of $20. Jus By Juile packs their products into a Styrofoam cooler with a generous amount of ice packs. I was impressed that the cleanse survived being delivered to sunny South Florida in the early October heat.
Affiliate disclosure: Some of the links of this site are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earning a commission if you click through and purchase.
There are only 28 days remaining until we wage hope at the Purple Stride event in Debbie’s honor. Team Deb Force Five was the top fundraising team in 2016 and the 3rd place team in 2015. Since her diagnosis in 2015, she became an advocate for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PANCAN.) Most importantly, it is our team goal to continue the mission and support the work of PANCAN. PANCAN’s goal is to double survival of pancreatic cancer patient’s by 2020. This is a huge undertaking. Furthermore they cannot achieve this goal without our collective support.
What do Luciano Pavrotti, Count Basie, Joan Crawford, Micheal Landon, Patrick Swayze, Steve Jobs, Alan Rickman, Dizzy Gillespie, Sally Ride and Bill Hicks all have in common? Pancreatic Cancer. It is a disease that does not discriminate against race, income level or even age. Consequently, I had always thought of it as a disease of the elderly, until my healthy friend was diagnosed at 41. It was an enlightenment I could have done without.
Faced with the diagnosis of Stage IV pancreatic cancer, Debbie chose to live life to the fullest. She was a huge advocate for PANCAN and the great services they provide. Significantly, she was the keynote speaker at last year’s Purple Stride event. In her two year fight against pancreatic cancer, Debbie taught me and many others a lot about what it means to live, love, fight, persevere and be brave all with grace and dignity. Debbie will always be a beacon of light in the many lives she touched including mine. This event is a wonderful opportunity to honor her and support her beautiful family. Lastly, I look forward to walking, running, skipping, hopping or dancing with you to wage hope.
When you’re a busy hockey mom/career woman like me, staying sane amidst the crazy is always top priority. The responsibilities of work, home and hockey (insert sport here) pull you in a million different directions concurrently. Sometimes you feel like you’re caught up in the rack, a medieval torture device, because you’re being pulled so many different directions. So how does on stay sane when juggling life’s many responsibilities? How does one find a way to release the pressure and unwind? I’m glad you asked.
Here’s my Hockey Mom Fit Life guide to staying sane:
Surround yourself with great people. Your squad will pull you through the best and times and the worst of times just like in a Charles Dickens’ novel.
Make staying fit a non-negotiable priority. There is no better way to cope with the stressors of life than taking a kick arse zumba class or running 3 miles. Seriously, it works wonder for both your physical and mental health.
Get in the habit of reading books, not just your Facebook feed. A great novel can lift your spirits and stimulates your mind. There’s nothing bad about that combination.
Take a yoga class. Regardless of what type of yoga class you take or your level, nothing beats the supreme relaxation of savasana. I’ve been waiting all week for tomorrow’s aerial yoga class and its end pose savasana. In the yoga swing, which functions like a hammock, savasana is otherworldly. Undoubtedly, I will fall asleep during the final relaxation pose again. If I had my druthers, there would be an entire class of savasana. (Just a suggestion Monica!)
Eat well 80% of the time. Feed your body and soul with natural, whole foods that will fuel your workout. Additionally, when you fall off the wagon, and it will happen, don’t be yourself up over it. As long as you’re not falling off the proverbial wagon all day every, you should be okay.
Treat yo self! Back to the 80/20 rule, make space in your diet to treat yourself. One of my guilty pleasures, is European chocolates. Can you blame me? I didn’t think so. Particularly, I adore Neuhaus and Leonidas chocolates. A nice box of chocolates will last me almost. I allow myself to have one a day, like the vitamin only better, so I never feel that I’m deprived.
Take a vacation that isn’t related to your child’s sport. This summer we spent fifteen days in Norway as a family. While it certainly was not cheap, it was one of the best experiences of my life. It is a trip that we as a family will never forget. Moreover, it was a nice departure from our everyday obligations and life. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Don’t be afraid to enjoy an adult beverage with your squad and be grateful for Uber.
Pay it forward. Nothing keeps you grounded like giving back and making the world a better place. For me, it’s all about funding pancreatic cancer research in honor of my dear friend Debbie, who was the inspiration for this blog. Pancreatic cancer robbed us of a beloved member of our hockey family way too soon. Consequently, we will never give up the fight to find a cure for this insidious disease. This November, we will participate in our 3rd straight Purple Stride in her honor under Team Deb Force Five. You can join us at the event or you can donate in her honor here at our: team site.
There’s no better way to relax than by listening to fabulous music. For instance, his morning I was rocking out at work to REM, Tom Petty, The Beatles, AC/DC, so tonight I’ll leave you with some REM and No Doubt. C’est la belle vie!
Be Brave, be bold, be unapologetically you! It’s quite the call to action isn’t it? But what exactly does it mean? To me, being brave doesn’t mean mustering up the courage to bungee jump or sky dive. I mean, I guess in another context, it absolutely does mean bravery. Rather, I’m talking about the bravery it takes to get out of bed after life’s darkest night’s. When life has thrown everything it has got in your face, but you still get up, put your make up on, rock your heels and smile, that my friend is bravery. Yeah, it isn’t jumping out of a plane or anything like that, but sometimes not giving up is brave.
Speaking of brave, last Wednesday I wrote about my first Xtend Barre experience. What I may not have shared is that by early Friday, my abs were so sore I could not roll out of bed. In addition to basic movements, I couldn’t cough, sneeze or laugh without significant pain. I was that sore!
I’m obviously glutton for punishment or stupid because I went back for more Barre torture tonight. There was no bosu ball madness in class tonight, which my abs are quite happy about. Adam is a phenomenal teacher. I thoroughly enjoy the class, but am certain that by Friday morning I’ll be unable to walk.
Whether it is returning to a fitness class that kicked your butt or holding your head high after disappointment, be brave. Harness your inner shield maiden or warrior , take risks and own your future. “Audentes fortuna iuvat” remeber Virgil’s wise words “Fortune favors the brave.”
When you’re a hockey mom, your life becomes a rat race cloaked in a fog of fatigue. Some weeks there simply is not enough caffeine to keep you awake. Day in an day out, you race from the bus stop, to work, to the gym, to practice and then to home. By the time you eat dinner, its after 9:00 and your falling asleep on your plate. Maybe your kid doesn’t play hockey, but plays another sport or activity, but the story is the same. Pure unadulterated exhaustion. As I figure it, I will finally get a chance to sleep in sometime in December! Woohoo!
In effort to balance your life, you have to make yourself a priority. It could be carving out 30-60 minutes for exercise. Or maybe you take the time to actually use the Massage Envy membership you bought yourself. At this point in my life, I could get 86 90 minute hot stone massages without me having to come out of pocket. Do as I say, not as I do is clearly the message here. Nevertheless, I’m taking time Sunday to get a nice relaxing massage. If the meme below speaks to you, like it does to me, it is time for you to make yourself a priority.
I went for a run tonight when I got home from work tonight, despite the fact my abs were destroyed in Barre. For context, my abs have been so sore since taking my first Barre class that I can barely get out of a chair, rollover in bed or stand up. Hey, the upshot is that I know the class worked! In order to run, I had to figure out how to mitigate the pain in my core. As a result, I found a girdle (sexy I know) for lifting weights that I could use to support my abs while I ran.
The run sucked, but running in 88 degree weather is never the most fun you will ever have. The runner’s high you experience post-run is amazing and can’t be beat. I only ran 2.75 miles because I’ve been having some serious shin pain in my right leg and serious knee pain in my left. Sadly, my left knee was not loving the run so much. Fortunately, my right shin felt pretty good during the run and feels okay still. Fingers crossed!
No sooner had I sat down after taking a nice post-run shower, when the Mayor called me asking me to pick him up from practice. Hubby took them to practice tonight. The Mayor’s practice ends at 7:20. Meanwhile Goalielocks finishes practice at 9:30 pm. I, of course, told him I’d pick him up. I drove to the rink through the usual log jam that is Friday traffic on the turnpike to get My Mayor. The normally six minute drive, took at least 15-20 minutes. Good times. Only in Florida, is the quickest route on the turnpike through the pay lines and not the Sun Pass lanes. Craziness!
I got to the rink and saw my Bantam parents outside in their “Oktoberfest” beer tent. None of them had seen the Mayor. As I drove towards rink two, my hubby came out of the rink laughing. It seems the Mayor, in between the time he hung up with me and I got to the rink, had arranged to go home with a friend and out for dinner. Amazingly, the Mayor forgot to relay his change of plans to mom. I thought I was going to blow a gasket. I had finally gotten comfortable when he called. Now here I was circling the parking lot at the rink in my pajamas hair uncombed with searing pain in my core. Ah yes, motherhood is a glamorous gig.
As I figure it, the ab pain is really a good news bad news scenario. First of all, it is good because apparently my ab muscles still exist. It is bad, however, because any movement like coughing, standing up, sitting down, laying down, coughing or laughing causes the some serious pain. Sadly, while I have now confirmed the existence of said ab muscles, they’re nowhere to be found. In fact, they’re now in the witness protection courtesy of Irma and stress. Here’s hoping they emerge from the program before the holidays.
I’ll leave you with this incredible video of the band Aha (awesome Norwegian 80s band) performing Take One Me acoustically. Shout out to one of my fave people, the one and only BG for directing me to it. Its incredible, enjoy!
