To be honest, this is how the Real Chicks got started. After climbing Kilimanjaro and feeling invincible, I wanted to make every woman feel the same way in the outdoors. Losing the group that was created out of that idea has left a gaping hole in my spirit. It has become obvious that I NEED to have like-minded women in my life. Guiding a monthly hike strengthened my desire to be better at it. It forced me to get up, even if once a month, and enjoy nature in a new way.
Since the March Real Chicks trip, I have been approached by several staff members at the Y about starting a hiking group here. At first thought, I adore the idea. Upon further reflection, it scares the crap out of me. In Omaha, I knew the trails, I knew the drives to trail heads, the mileage, the duration and the people. I trusted those I was with and they trusted me to guide them in their Saturday adventure. My competency in guiding is something I take very seriously.
Have you ever been on a hike with a less than prepared hike master? Everyone senses the stress, the pressure. As a hiker, you worry that if you fall, this person won't have the skill to help. I've been on hikes where I genuinely felt our leader had no idea where they were taking us. I worry that here in Colorado, I would be this person. There are SO many trails to learn! And most people who live here are really skilled, making me feel like I have to step up even more to be a good hike leader. It's not so much that I feel the need to be perfect. I will just have to humble myself...probably often. Perhaps be more of a hike organizer, than a leader. As a side note, skill development is a major reason I moved here. I felt I had exhausted many of my resources back home and needed a place where I could be the student more often.
So, I'm thinking of organizing a women's hike. In Colorado. Just as in Omaha, there may only be 5 of us on the first one but I am hopeful that in starting it, I can help foster healthy living for myself, as well as to other women in the valley.
Wish me luck.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The second step is finding a greater power to gives strength...
For me the next step in my process is heavily reliant on others.
I have lamented in the past about how I just don't have the network of supportive people in Colorado that I was blessed by in Omaha. It takes a while to develop community but I've had a particularly difficult time here. My community is transient, with ski and bike bums coming and going all year. People move here for a while but it's not often you find someone who's from here.
I spend a LOT of time missing my athletic friends and RCs in Omaha.
Then, last week I met with a colleague. We work together indirectly, had spoken on the phone several times but had never met. In arranging a conference call, she asked if she could come to my office and sit in on the call together. Our call went from about 3:15-4:00. By 5:00, we were still talking. She is a Real Chick to be sure and a chick with an incredible story. After a while in the conversation, she asked if I was a runner. Without thinking, I responded "yes." Almost immediately, I realized that I am a runner...in my mind. I used to be a runner. Out here, I've run a handful of times, mostly to make sure I still can. With my eager response to running, she asked if I'd like to join her in a trail run this week. Still feeling too big for my britches I again responded "yes."
What have I gotten myself into. I immediately make the "oh crap" call to my boyfriend who lovingly reminded me that this is exactly what I had been asking, nay praying for. Someone to keep my physically accountable to my goals. This is something I've been needing for so long! Dang...busted!
So by the time you read this, RC Paula and I will have gone running. She and I are of a similar spiritual mindset and neither of us see it as a mistake that we met. It was truly one of those moments where you can tell a great friend in a 5 minute conversation. I see this as a direct answer to a prayer! I took a step in admitting my problem, actually started to find way to remedy it and almost immediately, I have been given a friend for support. She had already become one of the most encouraging people I have met here.
And if you never hear from me again...check the trails around the Y.
I may have fallen and can't get up.
I have lamented in the past about how I just don't have the network of supportive people in Colorado that I was blessed by in Omaha. It takes a while to develop community but I've had a particularly difficult time here. My community is transient, with ski and bike bums coming and going all year. People move here for a while but it's not often you find someone who's from here.
I spend a LOT of time missing my athletic friends and RCs in Omaha.
Then, last week I met with a colleague. We work together indirectly, had spoken on the phone several times but had never met. In arranging a conference call, she asked if she could come to my office and sit in on the call together. Our call went from about 3:15-4:00. By 5:00, we were still talking. She is a Real Chick to be sure and a chick with an incredible story. After a while in the conversation, she asked if I was a runner. Without thinking, I responded "yes." Almost immediately, I realized that I am a runner...in my mind. I used to be a runner. Out here, I've run a handful of times, mostly to make sure I still can. With my eager response to running, she asked if I'd like to join her in a trail run this week. Still feeling too big for my britches I again responded "yes."
What have I gotten myself into. I immediately make the "oh crap" call to my boyfriend who lovingly reminded me that this is exactly what I had been asking, nay praying for. Someone to keep my physically accountable to my goals. This is something I've been needing for so long! Dang...busted!
So by the time you read this, RC Paula and I will have gone running. She and I are of a similar spiritual mindset and neither of us see it as a mistake that we met. It was truly one of those moments where you can tell a great friend in a 5 minute conversation. I see this as a direct answer to a prayer! I took a step in admitting my problem, actually started to find way to remedy it and almost immediately, I have been given a friend for support. She had already become one of the most encouraging people I have met here.
And if you never hear from me again...check the trails around the Y.
I may have fallen and can't get up.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The first step is admitting you have a problem...
So, I have a problem. I grew up in a home of foragers. We didn't eat meals, we snacked. We'd make ourselves PB&Js for lunch and cheese and crackers for dinner. What I feel this did, was connect food and eating to almost every activity I did. You eat while you watch tv, while on the phone, when hanging out with friends. As I got older it turned into eating during a lecture at school and while sitting at my desk. During these times I'd be eating convenience foods, which, for the most part, are crap! There was never the lesson of hungry=eat something, rather eat something to stay entertained regardless of hunger.
I really feel this has become a norm in our society overall. As we all became too busy to sit down with our families, we have become on-the-go, processed-food eaters. Having food at a social event is not only normal, it's expected! I can even think of countless hikes/runs with friends that were immediately followed by some sort of eating activity. In Chicago, my roommate and I would reward ourselves for a long run, with a big, fat pancake breakfast at Walker Bros!
As I've begun to recognize this as a habit of mine, I have attempted to shift my thinking about food. Any woman out there knows this isn't an easy thing to do especially when eating is tied to emotion on top of everything else. So, where am I going with all of this?
Two weeks ago, I had to swallow my pride. I joined Weight Watchers Online. I never thought I'd be one of those people. Weight watchers was something my mom did. I didn't sign up, however, with any specific weight loss goal. Rather, I was interested in tracking what I ate, how good/bad it was for me, how much physical activity I was getting etc. This has become a GREAT thing for me, mostly because, sitting at my desk all day, I can get online often to monitor and plan!
For those who don't know the system: in order to maintain my weight, I am given a certain number of points per day...21. All foods are assigned a point value and I can eat whatever I want, so long as I say at 21 total points for the day. In addition, I am given 35 free points for the week. I normally use these for dinners with friends and wine consumption ( a non-negotiable). I can also earn extra points by being active, with activities being worth point values as well.
It has been SO interesting to see what I eat and what it amounts to. I always thought I was a pretty good eater but I am completely reevaluating now that I've seen the data.
Examples:
Carrots 0 Points
Peach 1 Point
Venti Americano .5 Points...add milk .5 Points YES!!
Boulder Canyon Chips Individual Pack 3 Points
1 Bottle of Stout Beer 4 Points (dang)
1 1/2 cups of Rice Pilaf 8 Points
3 Slices of Cheddar Cheese 9 Points (double dang)
1 1/2 cups of mint choc chip ice cream 17 Points (aaaakkkk!!!)
Sure, there aren't really surprises here. Of course dairy and dairy+sugar are going to be bad for you, right? But the ice cream amounted to almost ALL of my caloric intake for the day! That's really bad.
What I like about the system is that no one is telling me what to eat. I can eat what I want, when I want it. I just make more educated decisions about my diet now. Knowing that I splurged at lunch, makes me reign it in for dinner. Knowing that I'm going out to pizza on Saturday, makes me more cautious on Tuesday. Knowing I've used up all my extra points forces me to relate eating the snacks to the amount of physical activity I'm getting in.
Last, let me tell you, there was a day, when I thought I ate pretty well. Healthy breakfast, went to Music in the Park and packed healthy snacks for lunch (save for one beer-it doesn't help that I like the dark ones) and then went over to a friends house for dinner. Turns out, that day, I had eaten 65 Points worth of food! The major culprits were walnuts, cheese, rice pilaf....and the ice cream. This was the day that this system really hit home for me.
I have thus far found it to be a great mechanism of accountability for maintaining my dietary goals.
I really feel this has become a norm in our society overall. As we all became too busy to sit down with our families, we have become on-the-go, processed-food eaters. Having food at a social event is not only normal, it's expected! I can even think of countless hikes/runs with friends that were immediately followed by some sort of eating activity. In Chicago, my roommate and I would reward ourselves for a long run, with a big, fat pancake breakfast at Walker Bros!
As I've begun to recognize this as a habit of mine, I have attempted to shift my thinking about food. Any woman out there knows this isn't an easy thing to do especially when eating is tied to emotion on top of everything else. So, where am I going with all of this?
Two weeks ago, I had to swallow my pride. I joined Weight Watchers Online. I never thought I'd be one of those people. Weight watchers was something my mom did. I didn't sign up, however, with any specific weight loss goal. Rather, I was interested in tracking what I ate, how good/bad it was for me, how much physical activity I was getting etc. This has become a GREAT thing for me, mostly because, sitting at my desk all day, I can get online often to monitor and plan!
For those who don't know the system: in order to maintain my weight, I am given a certain number of points per day...21. All foods are assigned a point value and I can eat whatever I want, so long as I say at 21 total points for the day. In addition, I am given 35 free points for the week. I normally use these for dinners with friends and wine consumption ( a non-negotiable). I can also earn extra points by being active, with activities being worth point values as well.
It has been SO interesting to see what I eat and what it amounts to. I always thought I was a pretty good eater but I am completely reevaluating now that I've seen the data.
Examples:
Carrots 0 Points
Peach 1 Point
Venti Americano .5 Points...add milk .5 Points YES!!
Boulder Canyon Chips Individual Pack 3 Points
1 Bottle of Stout Beer 4 Points (dang)
1 1/2 cups of Rice Pilaf 8 Points
3 Slices of Cheddar Cheese 9 Points (double dang)
1 1/2 cups of mint choc chip ice cream 17 Points (aaaakkkk!!!)
Sure, there aren't really surprises here. Of course dairy and dairy+sugar are going to be bad for you, right? But the ice cream amounted to almost ALL of my caloric intake for the day! That's really bad.
What I like about the system is that no one is telling me what to eat. I can eat what I want, when I want it. I just make more educated decisions about my diet now. Knowing that I splurged at lunch, makes me reign it in for dinner. Knowing that I'm going out to pizza on Saturday, makes me more cautious on Tuesday. Knowing I've used up all my extra points forces me to relate eating the snacks to the amount of physical activity I'm getting in.
Last, let me tell you, there was a day, when I thought I ate pretty well. Healthy breakfast, went to Music in the Park and packed healthy snacks for lunch (save for one beer-it doesn't help that I like the dark ones) and then went over to a friends house for dinner. Turns out, that day, I had eaten 65 Points worth of food! The major culprits were walnuts, cheese, rice pilaf....and the ice cream. This was the day that this system really hit home for me.
I have thus far found it to be a great mechanism of accountability for maintaining my dietary goals.
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