Tara and Bella

Blackberries and Raspberries, YUM!

I picked up the magazine, "Heart Healthy Living," the Summer 2009 issue, (www.hearthealthyonline.com) the other day because it mentioned the Cleveland Clinic on the front cover.   So, here's a little tidbit from the mag as well as a recipe they featured using blackberries and raspberries.

*Blackberries and raspberries are on the Cleveland Clinic's list of 40 best foods for heart health.  

*The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Feb 2008, said that people who ate 2 daily servings of berries boosted their HDL (good) cholesterol by 5% in 8 weeks.  

*And, Cat McKenzie who is the marketing director at the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission says, "One cup of blackberries or raspberries has even more fiber than a cup of bran-flake cereal."

Barbecued Salmon with Fresh Raspberry Salsa

4 Servings

4 4-5 ounce fresh skinless salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick

3 Tbs bottled bbq sauce

2 nectarines, pitted and chopped

3/4 C fresh raspberries

1/4 C coarsely chopped toasted pecans

Lemon wedges

Step One: 

Rinse fish; pat dry w/ paper towels.  Sprinkle salmon with 1/8 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper.  Brush 2 Tbs of the bbq sauce on both sides of the salmon.

Step Two:

Grill salmon on greased grill rack directly over medium coals 8-12 minutes or until salmon flakes when tested with a fork, turning once halfway through grilling.  (For gas grill, preheat grill.  Reduce heat to medium.  Place salmon on greased grill rack over medium heat.  Cover and grill as above.)

Step Three:

For raspberry salsa, in a medium bowl, combine nectarines, raspberries, pecans, and the remaining 1 Tbs bbq sauce.  Serve salmon with salsa and lemon wedges.

Eat up those berries!!!

Love,

Casey

With a little help from my friends...

....I am running again!

Lately, I have been very overwhelmed and anxious.  Sometimes I hit these periods of anxiety and start to get a little wound up.  When so much change occurs and all this "new" comes rolling into my life, I start feeling incompetent, insecure, and sometimes totally scared that I don't have what it takes to be a grown up person.  I've got no follow-through and giving up starts to sound like my best and most appealing option.  Basically, I freak out and then become paralyzed, like a deer in headlights.

Then, when the freak out becomes more uncomfortable than the original situation itself, I will call a friend for help.  About a week ago, I called Adrienne.  And she got me to make a pact with her that I would get out of bed and out of the house for a little fun playtime and a lot less hanging out in Dumpsville.  She made me promise.  So I got out of the house and went to a restaurant with another friend for dinner.  BIG help!  Another time, I called Emily.  She came down to my house with apples, cheese, and popcorn for dinner.  It turned things right around.  Then today, when I felt the spiral coming on again, I called Andrea.  You know, Andrea "back on the Go-Getters wagon" Andrea.  After reading her recent posts, I thought she might be able to show me the light at the end of the tunnel.  And, she did.  And now I'm running again, and truly appreciating it.

I have run a few times over the past week or so.  This evening, with Andrea's words, "just go for a run," still ringing in my ears, I did... and it felt great!  I didn't go far, just about a mile and a half, but it was a WONDERFUL mile and a half.  I have missed running.  I want more of those exhilarating runner's highs and less of these scary anxious lows.

Thank you fellow Go-Getters!  I am back on the Go-Getters wagon again too!!!

Love,

Casey

Not quite ready to run a marathon but...

So it's been a week since I decided to get back on track and, even though I got off to a bit of a slow start, things have been going well so far. Like I mentioned in my last post, I'm only doing cardio right now but will probably start adding in some weights after the weekend.

Thurs - 20 min
Fri - nothing
Sat - nothing AGAIN! Ugh!
Sun - 25 min
Mon - 30 min
Tues - 30 min
Wed - 30 min
Thurs - 40 min

That first day was torture and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack halfway through! Today I had planned to do 30 min but I felt so good I decided to go for 45. Too bad my foot cramped up at the 40 min mark! LOL! I should be up to 45 min tomorrow and through the weekend. Now I just need to come up with a plan for next week. Hopefully, there are some good classes that fit into my schedule. There is a great Pilates studio in my neighborhood and even though I don't have the money for it at the moment it's definitely something I hope to try in the near future.

My eating habits have been very good (they were pretty good before, just needed to resist the cheeseburger/ice cream urges), I'm drinking a TON of water every day, and I have more energy then I know what to do with. I go to the gym in the morning as soon as I wake up and for the rest of the day I'm in the best mood ever! Yay!

Hope everyone is well :)

Getting back on the Go-Getters wagon...

I'm not sure what's sparked my new found motivation for working out.

Could it be that The Go-Getters Getaway is rapidly approaching and I'd feel like a fraud if I didn't have some sort of Go-Getterish activity to report?!?

Could it be that I can't even fit into my Fat Jeans anymore?!?

Could it be that I just got back from a weekend in the Bahamas where I felt like the only appropriate beachwear for my current body was a black tankini with a skirt?!?

Probably all of the above.

It's been a long (looooooooooooooooong) time since I've been in the gym so I'm starting slowly. Just cardio for the first week or so and then I'll add in some weights and maybe a class or two. Eventually, skull crushers will make their triumphant return!!

Go-Getter ROCK STAR!!!

Check out our fellow Go-Getter finishing the Rocky Mountain 1/2 Marathon this morning in beautiful downtown Denver!!!

Way to go, Kim!!!!!!!!  

Paint Out - DENVER!!

Attention all you Go-Getters in the Denver area...spread the word, invite friends, come and have fun!!!
*******************************************************************
FREE Community Arts Day!

LOCATION: The Gathering Place; 1535 High Street Denver, CO

DATE: Saturday June 20th, 2009 12pm-4pm

EMAIL: info@paintacrossamerica.org
*******************************************************************
Paint Across America along with the Wheeler Trigg O'Donnell Foundation and The Gathering Place will be hosting a free Paint Out in the Denver area.

Paint Outs are interactive art festivals/events where communities come together to create art. Activities include Free arts & crafts and group mural painting for children, teenagers and adults.

For more information please visit our website at www.paintacrossamerica.org

First Off...

...let me say how excited I am about the Go Getters weekend!! I've known Casey for a few months & am pretty pumped about getting to know more of y'all! My husband & I moved out to Colorado a couple years ago to see a different part of the country & get to know each other a little more deeply too. It's been a fun ride so far! I've been trying to get myself motivated to get back into running for a year now...and signed up for the Rocky Mountain Half Marathon. I'm pretty sure it's going to be 13.1 pretty greuling miles because I'm not quite in the shape I set out to be in before the race...ha!
We'll see how it goes.
Kim :0)

Short and Sweet

Gym.
Going.
Now.
Ugh.


(First time in months. Wish me luck!)

THE GO-GETTERS GETAWAY - Tentative Itinerary

Hello Happy Health Heros!

I have a TENTATIVE Go-Getters Getaway itinerary to share with you.  Please give suggestions...we are all in this together!

Thursday Evening:

Meet and Greet

Room "assignments"

Introduction to the weekend - "All For One, One For All"

Friday:

Morning Yoga - Sun Salutation

Power Breakfast - the importance of breakfast and how to "fit it in".

Showers/Relax Time/"go-getting" to know everyone

Go-Getters Seminar - "All For One, One For All" - ideas on community

Lunch

Afternoon Activities - nature hike, Go-Getters seminars, sailing...

Dinner

Go-Getters Seminar - Ady/Shan - Visualization and Art

Saturday:

Sunrise mountain climb - Quandry peak

Metta meditation on mountain top

Hike down, solo time

Lunch and rest back at house

Afternoon Activities - Blog Brainstorm, Go-Getters seminars, Global Volunteers 

BBQ!

Sunday morning:

Sun salutations

Breakfast

Closing

Remember, these are just a few ideas... The Go-Getters seminars are open - let me know if you'd like a slot!!!

Looking forward to your feedback.  Thanks!!

Happy Go-Getting,

Casey

Back at the Y, Gardens and Sunshine!

I realized I haven't been posting about any work outs at all! I rejoined the Y last month and enrolled the girls in swim, and it's been great. The class gets me there at least once a week and I use the time to use the elipitcal or arc trainer. While they were in school I was ducking out and doing weights in the morning. I need to set a routine for the summer, but this fall I'll be able to really get back into it. I'm still doing yoga at home, and will probably join up in one of the free yoga classes this fall as well.

Also, we've put in a garden again this year, but we expanded it to about 2 1/2 times the size last year, so I'm looking forward to lots of fresh veggies this summer and fall!

What else has everyone been doing or aspiring to do? Just putting it out there to keep us all in check!

Hope everyone is enjoying the precursor to summer! The sunshine and fresh air has been a big motivator.

Shock

Good Morning!

I ready this on www.tarot.com today.  I think this stuff is kinda fun.  I'm not asking anyone to believe in the "I Ching".  I just felt this was some interesting food for thought.  It also seemed to be along the same lines as Emily's post below.  Any thoughts on the concept of shock?

Have a great day!

Love,

Casey

51: Shock

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

General Meaning: One hears thunder unexpectedly! First comes fear, then a sharpening of one's vision. Recall a close brush with danger — a falling branch, an automobile accident barely avoided, an escape from a potentially violent confrontation. Such incidents arouse every nerve fiber in your body in a brief wave of terror, but soon, once the danger has passed, give way to a heightened awareness of the world. The same process also occurs with other types of shock — the loss of a job, the sudden departure of a loved one, business failure and so on. 

The lasting impact of a major shock can either be stimulating or debilitating, depending upon one's strength of character. The critical factor is the ability to shake off fear, thereby transforming anxiety into a laser-sharp perception of the world around you. 

When overtaken by crisis, the wise search their hearts for inner strengths in order to face their life with courage. This often means daring to take an unexpected path — to bounce back quickly and self-confidently after failures, to have faith in the eternal when confronted with death. 

We tend to think of shock only in the context of unpleasant events. We can also be jarred, however, by the sudden release of tension that comes with unexpected joy or success. To keep your bearings in the aftershock of either trauma or victory, it is essential that your inner compass be aligned with 'true north', that magnetic force which guides you toward fulfillment of both your deepest desire, and your highest destiny.