Did You Have A Shake Today?

Head bent over a plate of delicious mixed greens, I have a five inch range of motion with my arms before they begin shaking hard enough that the greens free themselves from my plastic Staples fork.  Eating a salad takes long enough as it is with all of the chewing, with a forecast of showered greens I might be here until next season.

Fortunately I am a problem solver and have decided to give myself a three inch clearance to get this job done.  It's not pretty, but it's functional.  Who wants to see a lady with her face glued to a plate? Look no further, she's right here!

In the back of my mind I'm picturing the little tears in my muscles that are rebuilding with each bite.  Have some fiber biceps brachi, how about a little steak trapezius?  Mmmm...steak is good...

Don't forget the water, deltoids love water!

The things we do to our bodies everyday demand attention and care, you have to pay the toll, no freebies!  Each morning I get out of bed with a quick assessment of what hurts and play a little match game to figure out what I did the day before that led to that feeling.  Should it hurt, is there a problem?  Is there reason for concern?

And guess what...I love every morning I wake up with a little discomfort.  It's glorious, a glorious reminder that I wasn't sitting around the day before.  Most of the time it's discomfort related to a workout, but not all the time.  It could have been yard work or a home project, some type of investment in my world or my families world.  I pulled up a chair at the table of my life yesterday and it was good...so good...

Maybe it wasn't shamrock, strawberry, vanilla or chocolate, but I had a shake today and it was exquisite!  If you haven't had a shake today, there's always time for one tomorrow!

WAM, WOD's and WSD!

I'm not sure exactly where the summer is going, but it's flying by faster then Tanguy on a trail.  That being said, July has become the perfect month for getting some rest and enjoying some good old fashioned fun.  I've been relaxing, WOD'g and biking...

This past week I had the opportunity to share the love of summer and cycling at the Ladies Trek Mountain bike Demo.  Full-suspension and hard-tailed eye candy came in all sizes for a very eager group of ladies looking to expand their rides and skill sets.

There were so many fabulous bikes in this trailer...

The support team!

Ladies learning to embrace the suck on the trail! 

This event was so popular that there's talk of another being had before the summer is over, if that should happen, I'll be getting the word out to those of you that I know are looking to expand their mountain bike prowess!

And just like that there's only fourteen days until the Wish A Mile ride will begin!  As many of you already know I'm riding as part of Team Alex (check out what Miss Alex wished for here:  www.wishmich.org/alex).  It's been amazing to be involved in supporting this cause and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming event!

I'm still accepting donations, if you're interested in supporting this cause, please click here to donate:  http://www.wishmich.org/danabaurhenn

Please also make note that I'm accepting well wishes and weather dances for blue skies in support of this event and all the participants...

Last but not least, don't forget to do something that sucks today!

WOD=Word of the Day

Thumper Footing [thuhmper foot-ing]:  The involuntary act of leg shaking.  To shake ones foot/leg severely after extreme exertion or during duress, such as when performing a workout.

Use it in a sentence:

"It seemed like her rope climbs were going well until she began thumper footing.  We didn't know if we should catch her or give her a carrot.  Then we remembered, carrots are for ugly people."

Stick Out That Belly!

It was after lunch period in fourth grade, I was standing in line waiting to go back to class daydreaming about climbing tree's after school.  My older brother had recently embarked on an all encompassing effort to build the first of many Ewok forts in the woods behind our house.  I was determined to stake out one of the floors for my friends and I to use as we pleased.

Suddenly, I was snapped back to reality by one of my friends pointing at me, "Look at how your belly is sticking out!"  Congratulations...it was the beginning of the end of innocence regarding personal body image.  I was absolutely crushed.  It was one of my favorite sweatshirts, grey with different colored balloons on the front.  Apparently, after having a bit of lunch my kid belly was full and friends were noticing. 

I don't remember what excuse I made up to explain why my belly was sticking out, but I'm sure I shirked it off in some way.  From that day forward I learned to "suck it up".  That's what you do to look...good.  Suck in the belly and pull on your pants.  Suck in that belly and wiggle into a dress.

Well...today...I let it out...

And achieved the first of hopefully many flat backed dead lifts.  I'm not sure exactly what made it click, but through several discussions JD walked me through a description that suddenly made sense.  "Stick that belly out!"  I didn't realize that I was intentionally sucking it in when I was lifting, but once I intentionally pushed it out...SCORE!

There are things that I've always wanted for my body (who hasn't day dreamed about six pack abs?), but what's even more important to me now is being able to use what I have to be healthy and happy.  I wish I could go back in time and visit little Zuul in the lunch line.  I would pat that belly and tell her not to worry...that one day, when she's grown up she won't be standing in line worrying about sucking in her belly.  She'll be outside, running, climbing and perhaps even squatting trees.

Twitch of the Lips

Before I became an endurance mountain biker I was a runner.  It was a sport I picked up after many years of walking for exercise.  I was in search of something that would be an adventure, something to get me out the door.  I was constantly looking for a "something" that would give me back a little bit more then just exercise.

I remember reading a quote in one of my running magazines that said, "Keep a smile on your face while you're running so others will think it's fun to."  When I was a child, my mom said I used to smile at everyone, all the time.  I suppose that's why the smile comes naturally when I'm having fun or when I'm in pain.

There have been several occasions in the past few weeks where I was in the middle of a workout and extremely uncomfortable.  I rolled through the usual internal banter about being an idiot for doing the workout in the first place and then I crested the hill where I could just about see the final rep.  I started smiling, it still hurt, but it also felt exceptionally fantastic to have won another battle with those demons that tell you to throw in the towel.

I'm not sure if it makes me less of a competitor to have a smile on my face, but to be fair, I think there's also a lot of other expressions that parade across my face when I'm in pain.  I think the smile stands out because it's the least grotesque. 

I've decided that when I don't want to smile anymore during a ride or a WOD, that's when I'm going to throw in the towel.  That's when the pain and/or the exercise just won't be worth the price of admission.  I like the crossfit quote, "Do something that sucks every day...", but I think I'll add to it and say, "Do something that sucks and makes you smile every day..."