I know we all don’t think about ourselves as athletes. Even though I compete in running races, I often don’t consider myself one either because my mindset is that the true athletes are those who are the ones at the big races competing to win.

When you keep hearing something, you know it’s a sign to go research it or take action.  In my case, it was reading people’s comments about the book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.  I read this book several years ago and got so much out of it, that I figured it was time to re-read it.  I very rarely re-read books, but, in this case...

When I woke up to a cloudy day on Saturday, I was disappointed because the weather report had said it would be a warm, sunny day, perfect for the beach. The night before, I had declared it would be a beach day for me.  But, with the clouds, I debated if I should stay home and do some indoor projects I needed to get done.

Last Saturday, I sailed on the Chesapeake Bay with one of my best friends and two other amazing women.  As we prepared to head out on our sail, my friend shared that this was the first time she had ever taken this specific boat out without her husband or kids…it was a new experience.  Not to get you worried about our safety…she’s been sailing for decades and has lived on sailboats for long periods and knows her way around.  Usually, though, she has another experienced sailor with her.

When I saw that P!NK was coming to perform in the Philadelphia area, I knew I wanted to see her, and that my sister would be the best partner in crime. Not necessarily because we hang out singing P!NK songs, but I knew her energy would be compelling for both of us.  My sister booked our seats, our hotel, and our logistics…she’s the one who is the event organizer in our family.

I spend a lot of time in my head playing out scenarios, reviewing what’s happened, thinking about what I said or wish I had said, and trying to plan for the future. On the face of it, these aren’t bad things to do. However, they need to be in balance with two other critical items - feeling and doing. 

I have a variety of health and training goals - increase strength, drink more water, limit my less-than-healthy eating choices, get back to running longer distances, and I could probably add more to the list. It can feel like a lot. When it feels like a lot, there’s a big risk that we don’t follow through. And, I know my key success (or failure) factor is my consistency.

Carrying these extra weights around as a leader is like carrying heavy rocks in your backpack. You can keep going, but your progress will be slowed, and you’ll probably be causing your body to work in a way that isn’t healthy.

I started seeing a functional medicine doctor in the fall of 2021 when symptoms of my Rheumatoid Arthritis started showing up. As part of my intake appointment, my doctor ran a ton of blood tests… it almost felt like I was doing a blood donation! One of the outlier results was my Cortisol level.

Last weekend, I went to New York City for the day to watch Wicked on Broadway. Though it was the second time seeing the show, I love how it takes a twist I wasn’t expecting. In addition to a great show and lots of laughs, I’m always struck by the song lyrics to Defying Gravity (a snippet is in the quote section).