Monthly Archives: August 2011
Greetings from Pasadena CA!
Here is Part 2 of my California Dreamin’ post series…
Pasadena City Hall
The other part of my get-a way is obviously to stroke my spirit and to relax and unwind. Our lives get so busy with the day to day grind of work, family, trying to get loads of laundry done, cooking, shopping etc. while taking care of children (and sometimes even our aging parents) that we forget to place our own need to relax and de-stress on our to do lists. Many of you know exactly what I mean! This is why it is critical that we take the time to de-compress.
Stress is one of the main reasons why we have dis-ease in our lives and when one remains at a heightened state of dis-ease, one eventually will fall victim to some real illness. When our bodies and minds don’t get a chance to rest and recover, we set ourselves up on a path of self destruction. I used to be a workaholic and I made a conscious choice: I don’t want to live in that world any more. Give yourselves permission to take a break. Stop and smell the roses, gardenias, and lilacs in the gardens of your minds and learn to enjoy the moment. Slow your world down and enjoy life in its simplicity whether it is taking a long walk, finding a free outdoor concert, people watching, lying on your backs watching cloud formations, reading something for pleasure, watching the sunset, star gazing and most importantly spending time with loved ones.
I just helped supervise my daughter and her new friend while they made fresh, home-made lemonade for their lemonade stand. What’s even better is they used lemons picked fresh from the tree in their backyard. I have been friends with the little girl’s father since we were teenagers and now the next generation, our children, have developed a friendship that seems so beautiful and natural. It really is the simple things in life that matter. Ah, how sweet it is! And now for that fresh, tasty glass of lemonade, please?
Greetings from Sunny California–Day 1
Hello Dear Fitness and Wellness seekers,
I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful summer wherever you are. What a beautiful state California is this time of year! I am doing some research and continuing education and training in addition to visiting friends and family along the way. A balance is important when it comes to work and play.
One of the beautiful California Beaches
One of the areas of continuing education that fascinates me is working with athletes to help improve their performance, skill level, and I always am looking for better ways to teach all my clients about injury prevention. Yesterday, I visited the Parisi Speed School in Pasadena CA. It was interesting to see how this type of athletic training and conditioning works to help people- children and adults alike- improve their performance and skill levels for various sports. I watched with great interest and admiration, a dear childhood friend’s daughter, who is a competitive basketball player, and my own daughter, who is an aspiring runner (training for her first 5 K race to benefit the American Cancer Society) as they completed a variety of tests to assess their strengths and weaknesses. This is crucial to any exercise program to bring awareness to both the trainer and the participant to address any poor body mechanics and/or imbalances which can lead to potential injuries. While a lot of this information I already knew, we all know how our children can respond when we try to teach them anything new. Many times, they just won’t listen to us- even though we may also be highly trained in whatever we are attempting to teach them. It is usually a trained professional who is a perfect stranger to whom they will listen. This is just as well for me because I want only the best instruction for my child and watching this coach in action was enlightening and gave me great insight when I hire my next (SAQ) Speed Agilty, Quickness and conditioning coach/specialist. Mission accomplished. So, Day One in California was productive as well as fun and learning more about my craft is always fun for me!
Part 2 of my California Dreamin’ Trip is coming soon!
