A vacation alone

Have you ever taken a vacation alone?

Over the years, my answer to this question has changed. As a kid - no way. As a teenager and college student - hell yes. As a wife and mother - why would I?

Last year, I took a vacation alone. I went surfing for a week in Costa Rica. When I decided to go, I didn't really think much about the fact that I would be traveling by myself. I craved the time alone but I was returning to a familiar place with familiar faces. I was returning to surf camp. En route to Costa Rica, it dawned on me that this was my first solo vacation. I assumed that I must have traveled alone in my college or post-college days but I never did.

I needed the time away from home and for myself. I have learned that I definitely have to carve out "me" time in order to recharge, and I fiercely protect this time. There are so many demands on my time and attention and so many people that I want to care for and support that it can become overwhelming. I am the first to admit that sometimes I need a break from parenthood, work and life. Having this time alone to take care of myself lets me regroup and reset so that I can (hopefully) be a better wife/mom/friend. 

So have you or would you take a vacation by yourself?

{Linking up with Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say}

Mercedes Maidana: Big Wave Surfer & City Girl

Growing up, I associated the company Patagonia primarily with their Snap-T pullover fleeces. All my friends had them and I desperately wanted one too. Little did I know that Patagonia was involved in more than just hiking, camping and climbing gear and supplies. It's also a great surf company.

Last week, I had the chance to hear one of Patagonia's Surf Ambassadors share her story at the Patagonia store in Soho. I love that Patagonia's Surf Ambassadors outnumber the number of Ambassadors in any one of the other sport categories.

Mercedes Maidana was a city girl from Buenos Aires who first tried surfing in her early 20s after a bad break-up. On a trip to Brazil with a friend, she borrowed a surf board and headed out into the line-up. As she lay on the board, she felt all the balled up anger and energy release from her body and she experienced pure joy - her first glimpse of happiness in 7 months. A one-week holiday turned into a three-month adventure. She fell in love with surfing and there was nothing else.

Since then, she hasn't stopped. She's traveled the world, chasing swells and catching waves. Ultimately, she settled on the North Shore of Oahu and her home overlooks one of the most storied breaks in the world - Sunset. She has been pursuing her dream of being a professional big wave surfer. She's been nominated for the Billabong XXL Girl's Performance Award - which honors to biggest ride on a wave - in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and won third place in the Women's Big Wave Exhibition at Nelscott Reef in 2010.

Mercedes is a super sweet, bubbly and gracious woman - not exactly what you would imagine as a big wave surfer. Surfing big waves has been a male-dominated pursuit - searching out the biggest and baddest waves out there. We're talking about 10-20 feet on the face of the wave. It takes a lot of a guts and nerves of steel as well as a hard exterior to take the beating by the waves. 

But really, I love the fact that Mercedes started surfing later in life (See??! It is possible!). She shared some great stories and humbling experiences, like being stuck underwater in a reef cave at Sunset, on the way to achieving her dreams. She trains hard - favoring high intensity interval training like Insanity and Asylum workouts, yoga, swimming - and generally tries to stay as active as possible. 

The biggest message that I took away from her story is the power of visioning and articulating your goals. Once you find your joy and it's something that's in your heart to do, there's no denying it. Eventually the right doors will open but it's on us to move towards those doors and to be prepared for that day but also provide the space to allow it to happen.

I had a chance to ask Mercedes a couple of questions about surfing and her outlook on life.

Are you seeing more women out there surfing big waves? Do you encounter much resistance as a woman? 

There are more women surfing big waves each year, at least that's what I witness in Hawaii! I encountered some resistance in my beginning years in the big wave lineups, but as the men who surfed there saw me over and over again, and they saw that I wasn't a weak surfer in the water, they totally embraced me and most of them helped me progress in the sport. When men see that you are so focused and you put so much effort in what you do, they appreciate that and they open up. I think that it's mostly the fear that they have that if you are not well prepared, you may become a hazard in the water or put someone in a risky situation. But if you can prove that you are just as strong as they are (or at least try), they know they don't have to worry about you and they don't have to take care of you in big waves.

How do you handle it when someone says to you "You can't or shouldn't be doing this" or, when you were starting out, "You're too old"? 

I kept myself focused and I tried not to give my power away to other people. There are many voices outside of us and inside of us that tell us that we are not good enough and not ready enough. And we may always have those voices speaking to us. What matters is how much attention we give to these voices and how we let them influence us in our day-to-day lives. If we have a desire coming from our heart, those voices might hurt for a little bit. But eventually, the desire is stronger and it is is on us to follow it and honor it, whatever our calling may be.

Who are your role models and/or mentors? 

So many people influence my life in positive ways: a lot of Waimea and Sunset Beach surfers that helped me grow as a surfer and set a high example of respect for the Ocean and others. I could mention Clark Abbey, Darrick Doerner, Greg Long, Jamie Sterling, and the amazing ladies that charge big waves such as Maya Gabeira, Keala Kennelly, and Savannah Shaughnnessy. There's also Yvon Chouinard who sets a great example of how to do business in the world while giving back and respecting nature and others (and go surfing in the meantime!).

Many of my readers are new surfers or those wanting to give it a try. What advice do you have for someone just starting out? 

I would tell them to persevere, as the beginning is always the hardest part! Once you figure out how to catch the waves and turn your board, it just gets easier and more fun all the time! I would also suggest that they take a few lessons at a surf school as they will learn the basics and get to practice in the right equipment for beginners.

What's one piece of advice that has stuck with you through the years? 

My meditation teacher once told me: "Live in the loving, live in the now, live one day at a time, one breath at a time." If we could do that we live in heaven on earth.

Where are you off to for your next adventure? 

I am growing my business in the self-development industry, working as an Abundance Coach, writer and motivational speaker. My bliss is to help people live their dreams and I share with them the tools and principles that I applied in my life to live my dreams. I want to spread a message of living an abundant, joyful, fulfilling life! I am now in Hawaii, working and keeping an eye on the storm models, because when some big perfect swell pops up somewhere in the world, I would love to go and keep improving myself in big waves! Thanks to Patagonia I am able to live my dream and grow as as surfer and as a person.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet Mercedes and hear her story. I loved hear her absolute enthusiasm and passion for surfing and the euphoria she describes from being out on the water. Thank you Mercedes! You can follow Mercedes on Facebook, Twitter or on her blog.

{P.S. This isn't a sponsored post or anything. I was invited to attend the event and ask Mercedes some questions. I just really loved Mercedes' story and love Patagonia.}

Conquering Fears in the Pool

My older son Jasper has always loved the water and swimming. While he would hesitate and show some apprehension when trying activities like soccer or tumbling, he would dive feet-first into the pool without a trace of fear. We signed him up for swim classes when he was about 18 months old. He's been taking classes ever since and is starting to swim on his own. The first time that he put his head in the water, pushed off the wall and swam to his teacher, my heart swelled.

Jasper at 2.5 years old

So, when he started protesting going to his swim class a few months ago, I wasn't sure what to do. When he started screaming and crying on the pool deck, I was at a loss. I expected this kind of reaction when we introduced him to skiing in February. But with swimming? No way.

He gave a number of reasons for why he didn't want to swim but I knew that something had spooked him and had started to erode his confidence. I knew that he didn't like using the kick board but the barbells were OK. He didn't like swimming to the deep-end but jumping off the diving platform into the deep-end was OK. He tried to coax and encourage him. We tried to bribe him. We tried everything that we could think of.

As a parent, it's hard to watch your child lose their confidence, especially when it's something that you know brings your child so much joy. As a parent, it's also hard to be that parent at the pool / birthday party / playground with the screaming, kicking, whining child. My husband and I were so ready to throw in the towel, to give up and to let Jasper win this battle. I was so frustrated. I could feel the frustration pouring out of my pores. In part, it was because I love swimming and want to share that with my children.

But, since we had already committed to lessons for the summer, we decided to switch him to private lessons with his favorite swim teacher - his first teacher who he loves and practically would do anything for. If this didn't work out, we'd give swimming a rest for a while. Since then, it's been a slow process of rebuilding his confidence as a swimmer and making it fun again. By the second lesson, he was laughing and smiling. By the third lesson, he was using the kick board and learning to do the backstroke. I started to breathe a sigh of relief. 

This experience reminded me of a few things:

• Don't push but don't give up. For me, I felt that it was important that Jasper keep trying. In life, he's going to encounter many situations that he doesn't like and that are hard but he needs to learn the skills to face those situations. Maybe that's the Tiger Mom in me coming out but I do feel that it's an important skill to learn. If he refused to swim and wasn't having fun, we would have stopped the lessons and taken a break from swimming.
• Don't underestimate the power of being silly. I swear that the reason that Jasper got back in the water and was willing to continue with his swim lessons was because his teacher is hilarious. He makes jokes and makes Jasper feel like he's the funniest kid ever. 
• It's a big deal to conquer your fears. Celebrate the small accomplishments along the way to help to build confidence. It's important to recognize the progress that our kids make. I know that it was a big deal that Jasper swam in the pool by himself without his teacher in the water with him and we celebrated that.

I am hopeful that this is a turning point for him. Our mantra through these last few swim lessons has been Brave and Calm. Yes, both Jasper and Mommy have to be brave and calm - the latter more so for Mommy.

How do you encourage your children when they are scared or lose their confidence? How do you build resiliency in yourself and in your kids?

{Linking up with Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say}

Defining "What's Beautiful"

Back in the beginning of May, I decided to enter Under Armour Women's What's Beautiful Competition - a competition to redefine the female athlete and find new faces to represent Under Armour Women. I was really unsure about entering, mainly because it required that I step firmly outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself. Frankly, I was scared and intimidated by all the other  incredible female athletes out there. 

In the end, I completed all 19 challenges and then some. I focused on my physical therapy and rehab, I rock climbed and tried stand-up paddleboard, I designed some gear for Under Armour, and I jump roped.

No, I wasn't chosen as one of the 10 finalists, but by the end of it, I really didn't care. The competition had become something more for me. You see, I tend to be more of an introvert than an extrovert. I don't like broadcasting my achievements. I'm not the loudest one in the room shouting to be heard. For me, sharing my story was my biggest accomplishment. For one of the challenges, we had to write a letter from our "future self" to our "current self." My note is below and I think it sums up what this experience has meant to me. 

More than anything, I have been so grateful for all of your support over the weeks - your comments, tweets and messages (and pictures and videos that I roped my family into sending me). Thank you so much. It truly meant the world to have your support and to hear that my story resonated with some of you. It reinforced for me the collective power that our individual stories can have to inspire, to change the conversation, to create laughter, and to connect with others - that's what's beautiful.

30 Days of Green Smoothies

A month ago, I joined Amanda from Run To The Finish and committed to drinking one green smoothie a day for the month of June. I decided to do the challenge mainly because: 1) I wasn't getting enough veggies in my diet; and 2) I struggled with afternoon fatigue and often had a hard time focusing during that part of the day. I would often need a quick nap in the middle of the day in order to have enough energy to power through the afternoon and the dreaded after-school / dinner / bath / bedtime portion of the day.

For someone who had never had a green smoothie before June 1, the challenge wasn't as difficult as I was expecting it to be. I didn't find the flavor or texture that weird or different or gross. The greens just added another dimension to the smoothie flavor. I did have one smoothie each day for 30 days even while I was traveling. I guess it helps that I was traveling to places like LA and Asheville, NC.

Over the course of the month, I started to experiment a little more. I don't know if it's because I generally like smoothies or because I previously worked at Jamba Juice in college but I didn't find the green smoothies intimidating. I was willing to throw in any combination of greens and fruits/frozen fruit that we had in the house. My green smoothie concoctions started to take over my Instagram feed!

After my update following the first week of the challenge, I continued to notice some changes.

• Less hungry before lunch and during the day: I typically have breakfast around 7am or 7:30am and am ravenous by 10/10:30am. During the challenge, I was less hungry before lunch, meaning that I was less likely to snack or take in extra calories. I tried moving my green smoothie to the afternoon to see if it would have the same effect on my afternoon cravings but I found that it was harder to make smoothies later in the day. I'm not quite sure why.
• Drinking less coffee: Previously, I would be a wreck if I didn't have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. But during the challenge, I found that I didn't need or rely on coffee as much. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't want to drink a smoothie and coffee at the same time for breakfast. Sometimes I would have a coffee later in the day but there would also be days when I would have no coffee. That was an unexpected side effect.
• Less naps: Along with the less coffee, I found that I wasn't taking my mid-afternoon nap at all. It wasn't that I was getting more sleep at night (I was actually sleeping far less hours). I was also super busy and stressed with work this month and frankly couldn't afford a cat nap. That may have had something to do with it but it's possible that the green smoothies helped too.
• Requests from my husband: An unexpected side effect was that my husband is now hooked on green smoothies too. He requests green smoothies now, or at least insists that I make enough for two.

Over the course of the month, i figured out some tips and tricks that made the process easier. Here are a couple of things that worked for me:

• Green smoothie for breakfast: It worked best for me to have a green smoothie first thing in the morning for breakfast when I was more likely to actually make and drink the smoothie.
• Prep your greens and veggies ahead of time: This saved me a ton of time in the mornings. I would rinse and spin my greens and then store the greens in the salad spinner in the refrigerator. 
• Balance the flavor: If I used a more distinctive vegetable in my smoothie (i.e. kale or swiss chard), I tried to balance the flavor with a sweeter fruit like frozen pineapple or mango. That helped to cut any of the bitterness of the greens and helped mask the flavor a bit.
• Frozen bananas: Frozen bananas are a great addition to green smoothies. If you prep your own frozen bananas, do NOT cut some bananas up into slices and throw them all together into a tupperware container in the freezer. The banana slices will all stick together, making it kind of hard to actually get them out when you need them. Yeah, learned this the hard way. You can lay the banana slices on a plate or tray in the freezer. Once they are frozen, you can combine them in a container and store in the freezer.
• Add the greens first. I mentioned this before but just a reminder that you should add your greens as one of your first ingredients in your blenders This will help ensure that your greens get thoroughly blended.

I know that green smoothies aren't for everyone but it's safe to say that I'm hooked on green smoothies. While I may not have them every day going forward, I'm pretty sure that I will have them a couple of times during the week. Overall, I'm really glad  that I did this.

Are you a regular green smoothie drinker or a newbie? If you do drink green smoothies, have you noticed any differences in how you feel? Do you have any other tips to add to my list here? 

Finding Time for Fitness - Part 2

A few weeks ago, I shared some tips on how I manage to find time to fit in fitness during my busy days as a working parent. It was nice to hear that many of you use similar tactics to sneak in some sweat time during the day like working out during nap time or including your kids in exercise through walks, hikes, Zumba - you name it. Many of you work out first thing in the morning either before your kids are awake or right after dropping them off at school in order to get it done before the day has a chance to get away from you. I think my favorite comment was from Tracy at Sellabit Mum who said, "Does it suck getting up at 4:30? OMGYES. But totally worth it by the time I'm hitting the pavement."

Luci Gabel left one of the best tips - just don't think about it. "Too many people think they need to 'feel' like exercising or be 'in the mood' to exercise first. Which is not the case at all." I completely agree. I know that if I think about something too long, I can come up with every excuse in the book and rationalize my ways out of it in about 5 minutes flat. Now, if I have the opportunity to go work out on a day which I hadn't previously planned on going to a spin/yoga/TRX class, I just do it. I may not want to go down to the gym or for a run right at that moment but I make it count and I know that I will feel better afterwards.

In reading through all your comments, the biggest thing that came across to me was the fact that it all starts with not only making fitness a priority but making ourselves a priority. If fitness isn't a priority, it's so easy to put off working out in favor of doing other things like the dishes or laundry or cleaning which may seem more "important" to do when we plan out our schedules for the day or week or when we find ourselves with a bit of free time. If we don't make ourselves a priority, we are much more susceptible to feeling guilty about taking time away from others, from work and from household chores or asking for help so that we can work out. We may feel that we need to put everyone else's needs before our own.

But this isn't about focusing on ourselves in a superficial way. It's about focusing on our health - physical, mental and emotional health. When we are healthy, we are able to be the best partner/spouse, parent, friend, daughter/son, sibling, employer/employee, etc. that we can be. As a parent, I believe that it's one of the most responsible things that I can do, not only to set a positive example for my kids and help them develop good habits, but because I'm investing in my health to ensure that I'm around to raise my kids and watch them grow up.

What do you think? Do you find it hard to make yourself a priority? Do you get push-back from family and friends about working out?

Bloggy Boot Camp Philly

Earlier this year, I started thinking about attending a blog conference. I had only been blogging for a little while but I felt like there was so much I needed and wanted to learn. I wanted to know what my options were should I decide to take this blog beyond just a hobby of mine. I started looking around, first at some fitness-focused conferences and then at big name events like BlogHer. Somewhere along the way, I came across this thing called Bloggy Boot Camp.

I read some reviews and narrowed it down between Bloggy Boot Camp and BlogHer. Ultimately, what drew me to Bloggy Boot Camp was its format and intimacy. The event is typically capped around 100 and they assign seating during the day. While it may sound hokey, as a new blogger, it put me at ease. I knew that I wouldn't have that "new kid entering the cafeteria and trying to decide which table to sit at" feeling. Plus, it's affordable ($99!!) and is an event that truly driven by content. 

Laurie Turk (www.tipjunkie.com)

The conference was jammed packed with amazing speakers who shared real-life stories and tangible take-aways that could be implemented right away. Topics ranged from 10 Tips for Blogging Success to Vlogging to SEO to Expanding Your Platform Beyond Your Blog. There were also two break-out sessions - the Business of Blogging and a Writer's Workshop. We covered so much ground and never once did I think, "Gee, I don't really need to sit in on this session." ALL of it was information that I was thirsty for.

Here are some of the key ideas I took away from the conference.

1. We're all in this together.

So much of blogging is about reciprocity and support. It's what the blogging community thrives on. Avoid blog jealousy over someone else's success. One blogger's success benefits us all and sets the bar higher for what we can all achieve. Support your fellow bloggers by reading their posts, leaving thoughtful comments and sharing on Twitter, Facebook and other platforms. Find your tribe and let's all lift each other up.

2. Focus and Prioritize. 

Have one main goal for your blog - whether it's traffic, experience, recognition, or writing. Sticking to your one main goal will make decision making so much easier. From there, create three-month goals to help you prioritize your blogging efforts. Focus your attention where you want to see results. Across the board, the magic number seemed to be three. Any more than three things, nothing will get done.

3. Branding. 

Branding is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Understand what your readers want and expect from you. Consider fully what you bring to the table, not just online and through social media but also offline assets and connections.

4. Niche vs. Category. 

This was an interesting one for me. I always thought of blogging niches as "Mommy blogger" or "Healthy Living Blogger" or "Technology Blogger" etc. This always troubled me because I kind of feel like I don't fit into a niche per se. Yes, I talk about healthy living and fitness but I also talk about being a Mom, bringing up my kids in a multi-cultural family, and a slew of random stuff. That's the point - that's my niche. It's me - my passion, my loves, my interests. All those other labels are categories of blogging.

5. Video!! 

I've heard it before but I've been reluctant to believe it but video is getting bigger and bigger. There are growing opportunities and companies and brands are willing to pay for it. Keep your videos short (1-1.5 minutes) and don't just be a talking head or take yourself too seriously. You need to be entertaining and tell a story. Focus on getting videos out there, balancing quantity with quality. As you do more videos, you will improve and it will be easier.

6. Don't sell yourself short. 

You have to be your own best advocate. Don't just jump at the first business opportunity that comes along. It has to be the right fit for you, your blog and your readers. As Tiffany from SITS said, Don't go after the money. Go after the bliss.  If it's a sponsored post, it should be stories in YOUR voice. Business opportunities are like buses. There's always another one coming - Richard Branson. Lastly, Never take "No" for an answer from someone who can't give you a "Yes." - Allison Talamantez from Sway in Real Life.

7. Treat your blog like a business. 

If you act like a business, you will be a business. You never know when that one post will go viral or an amazing opportunity will come along. Put things in pace so that when you have success, you are ready for it. It's a mindset and mentality. Believe in yourself and your blog. If you make decisions out of desperation, you will make bad decisions.

8. Be seen in real life. 

Blogging is great for making connections but nothing beats meeting people in real life. Attend events and conferences if you can. That personal, face-to-face connection matters. 

9. Live your life. 

Blogging and social media is great but you have to live your life too. It's tempting to sit glued to your computer all the time but blogging has to serve you and your family. Tiffany and Laurie Turk from Tip Junkie both emphasized this point. It's OK to close your computer - it's not the end of the world. I don't know the key to success but the key to failure is trying to please everybody - Bill Cosby.

OK, I tried to come up with a 10th takeaway to round out this list but this post is getting long enough.

Tiffany Romero, SITS

Thank you so much to the Bloggy Boot Camp team, especially Tiffany and Francesca for putting on an amazing event. I left feeling inspired and in awe of the blogging world but also empowered. Thank you to the incredible sponsors of the event - King's Hawaiian, Waterpik, HAPPYBABY, Mirassou Winery,  and Care.com.

Why I should write for YOUR magazine

As you know, I've been recently named a Fitfluential Ambassador. Fitfluential is starting to partner with some healthy living and fitness publications and I have the opportunity to "audition" to write or do video posts for these digital publications. While I can't share any names yet, they'd like to see what I'm all about and if their readers would like to read what I have to say. 

I love writing and I love sharing my passion for healthy living and fitness. The opportunity to be a contributing writer for such a magazine would be a dream. Healthy living magazines have been my constant companion for well over 20 years and have played a huge role in nurturing my love for all things health and fitness and also in encouraging me to try new things.

While I've been active my whole life and grew up playing sports, I never have considered myself an athlete and I would have never imagined that health and fitness would play such a prominent role in my life. I was not the fastest runner or highest scorer but I was a dependable team player. Sports were something that I was required to do in high school but never something I was passionate about. 

Once I entered college, I started going to the gym by myself, mainly sticking with cardio machines like the stair master or treadmill because I wanted to stay active but more likely because I was dealing with a bout of disordered eating. That's when I first started subscribing to fitness magazines. I was drawn to the healthy eating and strength training tips as well as the stories about real women and how fitness transformed their lives. Through reading these magazines, I learned to appreciate and respect my body and arm myself with the tools I needed to take better care of myself physically, mentally and emotionally.

Looking at myself and my life today, I do consider myself an athlete. Health and fitness are a core part of who I am as a woman, wife and mother. I run, swim, ski, spin, and yoga. I've run 3 marathons and completed an olympic triathlon. I developed a love for TRX and am longing to try new activities such as CrossFit and Kettlebells. Being fit keeps me healthy and sane. Being fit not only helps me build physical strength but also mental strength to handle whatever challenges life throws at me.

While you may not see workout plans or recipes on this blog, you will witness my adventures through life. My readers come back to my blog for the stories that I share, my experiences as a mom of two young boys who is trying to balance working at home, fitness, family and healthy living, and the lessons that I've learned through these experiences. I share the challenges I encounter, my successes and setback as well as how I choose to handle these situations in a real and honest way. In this past year, I've taken several leaps of faith and have made a commitment to live more intentionally and gratefully.

More specifically, readers come to read about my quest to learn to surf. After learning to surf last year and falling head over heels in love with the sport, I couldn't find many surf-related resources online that I could relate to. Most of the information out there assumed a certain level of knowledge and/or experience and didn't address the basic questions or trials and tribulations of a beginner surfer. Surfing is growing in popularity and there are more and more beginners out there thirsty for information.

I've discovered that I have the ability to connect with, support and encourage others in their journey. Over the past three months alone, the number of visitors to my blog has tripled, my page views have nearly tripled and my Twitter followers have increased five-fold. That shows me that the stories I share resonate with a growing audience. I would love nothing more than to be able to empower others in their healthy living journey.

Tell me, why do you like reading my blog? What do you think I'd be good at? I'd love to hear from you in the comments!!

Almost What Not to Wear

I don't know about you, but I have a closet full of clothes I don't wear. I've fallen into the "Mommy wardrobe" trap. The one where you only where yoga pants and other comfy clothes with elastic waistbands? Yeah, that. I don't necessarily want to wear nice clothes when I run after my kids or am playing with them on the floor. Plus, I work from home, leaving me with even less incentive to dress nicely.

I've always kind of wanted to go on the show What Not to Wear not only to meet Stacy and Clinton and leave with a smashing wardrobe, but to learn tips and tricks on how to make the most of the clothes that I have. Earlier this week, I had the chance to do that...sort of.

While I didn't get to learn from Stacy and Clinton in person, I got as close as I could get. I participated in a Style for Hire seminar. Style for Hire is a new company founded by Stacy London. The premise is that stylists should be accessible to more people, not just celebrities or the wealthy. It's a network of personal stylists across the country who are hand-picked by Stacy and can help you purge your closet, figure out new looks that flatter your frame and figure, and go on a personal shopping trek to help you fill in the gaps in your wardrobe.

For the seminar, I was a volunteer "client," meaning that I dragged my wardrobe (most of it) to a hotel in Manhattan to let a group of stylists pick through it, help me figure out what works and what doesn't, and help me shop my own closet to find new ways to put together outfits. Yes, in case you were wondering, I did leave my workout and shlubby clothes at home.

I know that it still sounds fairly frivolous - the whole notion of personal stylists. But what I admire about the company is that it's trying to help clients (primarily women) learn to embrace and love their bodies no matter what shape or size. So much of our self-esteem is caught up in our own image of our bodies and is often reflected in how we dress. By showing folks how to dress, what works and how you can create new combinations from clothes you already own, it's empowering.

I had a ton of fun and walked out with some great ideas and tips. While I may still be wearing yoga pants as I write this (come on! I just had physical therapy!!), I feel like I have a lot more options when I look at my closet in the morning.

5 Life Lessons I Learned From Surfing

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

A year ago, I was on a beach in Costa Rica doing something I never dreamed of doing - learning to surf. I'm not exaggerating when I say that surfing changed my life. I never would have thought that I would own two surfboards, surf in NYC, religiously check the surf forecast and obsess about anything and everything surf.

For me, surfing felt like I was coming home. Don't get me wrong. I was terrified and it was hard but there was something about being out on the water, the camaraderie, and yes, the hard work that just fit. When I read this post by MizFit, it all made sense to me.

"I am often surprised at how often the things we don't think we'd ever want to do ignite new passion in us when we simply try them with an open heart and open mind."

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

Though the process, I've learned some important lessons that go beyond the water.

1) Check Your Expectations
I am normally not a braggy braggy person. I believe in the idea of hard work and that if you work hard, you will make progress. At the same time, I do have high expectations for myself. I felt like I should "get" surfing and be good at it. I understood what I needed to do technically but I couldn't manage it. I was extremely frustrated. Only when I adjusted my expectations did I start having fun and, consequently, start surfing better. I learned how to be more forgiving of myself.

2) Slow Down
Learning to surf seemed so overwhelming at first. How was I supposed to paddle, catch a wave, stand up on the board and ride the wave at the same time? There were so many things to think about. My surf coach started from the basics and slowly added one new step at a time. He made learning to surf feel manageable and I learned to slow down. For me, this was such an important lesson. I have a tendency to rush through things in life or become overwhelmed when things start piling up (work, family, etc.). Now, instead of being overwhelmed by the big picture, I try to focus on one thing at a time and breathe.

3) Commitment
One of the most important lessons I learned was about commitment. When you paddle out in the ocean, you have to be committed to make it past the breaking waves. If you're not, you will be continually battered and pushed back to shore, exhausted. When you paddle for a wave, you have to be committed to catching the wave.  If you are wishy-washy, you can get into trouble and potentially hurt yourself or another surfer. Surfing taught me to trust my judgement and instincts and to stop second guessing myself.

Photo: Oriana Fowler/Surf Simply

4) Patience
There's a lot of waiting involved in surfing - waiting for the ocean to calm down so that you can paddle out, waiting for a set of waves to approach, waiting for the right wave. I learned to sit on my board and to appreciate the amazing gift it was to be in the ocean.

5) Learn something new
It was an incredible experience to learn something completely new in my mid-30s. How many opportunities do you have to do that? I was so far out of my comfort zone but I think that was why this experience was so rewarding. Yes, I pushed myself physically and mentally. Yes, I fell countless times, got water up my nose and earned new bruises. But, there's something about learning a new sport that made me feel incredibly alive. It made me happy. This experience has made me more open to try new things and to be uncomfortable because the reward is often so great.

Source: fromupnorth.com via Christine on Pinterest

No More Making Excuses

On my way home from my doctor's appointment. No, I'm not putting weight on my right leg. It just looks that way because my knee brace has my leg locked in a straight-leg position so there's no much clearance between my foot and the ground. PS: I love my hot pink sneakers!

Lately, I've been reading a lot about the need to get out of our comfort zones - to abandon the tried and true, to be afraid and to experience something new - and how in doing so, you learn, grow, and become stronger. I've been seeing tweets about someone's latest race and/or PR or describing a great run or spin class or otherwise proving how they are getting out there and going after their goals. As I read these, I have automatically thought, "I would totally do that but I'm injured."

I believe in the importance of being uncomfortable. For me, when I think about challenging myself, I usually think about physical tests - a new workout, a hard interval or strength training session, a race, a new sport. But there are so many other ways that I can challenge myself that do not involve being mobile or active.

I've realized that since my surgery, I've been using my recovery as an excuse. While my injury may hold me back from some of the physical challenges and amazing fitness workouts that I want to do, it doesn't and shouldn't hold me back from stepping outside of my comfort zone. Yes, I do know that I have to give my body time to rest and recover and that it's not the ideal time to test my limits. But I'm not saying that. I just think that I've been cocooning myself in the safety of my recovery, which has enabled me to be content with just feeling meh and being a blob on the couch.

Earlier this year, I said that I was going to make it count. So, I'm going to stop using my injury as an excuse. However, I promise I will still ask for help when I can't reach something.

Professionally, I am working hard to build my consulting business and expand the type of work that I do even though it's hard and scary...and hard and scary.

Personally, I'm trying to let go and embrace change, which is somewhat difficult for this Type-A, micro-manager. But this month is going to be a whirlwind. It's going to be messy but we'll make it through OK, just one day at a time.

And, this blog is definitely moving me beyond my comfort zone. Putting my thoughts, experiences and emotions out there to have them embraced (or not) by readers I don't know is definitely forcing this introvert to be a bit more extroverted.

So tell me, what are you doing to move beyond your comfort zone?

Friday Round-Up

Homemade Get Well cards from the boys - my offline reading for the week.

Since coming home on Monday, I've been pretty much confined to my bed and the couch with a bit of hopping around on crutches in between. To be honest, my ass hurts from sitting and lying around so much over the past couple of days. After sleeping the better part of Monday and Tuesday, OK and Wednesday, I'm starting to feel more like myself and the pain in my knee has subsided substantially. Thank the Lord.

All the lying around has left me with a lot of time to read. For once, I feel like I actually have a handle on my Google Reader and that it's not exploding in all directions. Since my life hasn't exactly been bells and whistles, I wanted to share some of the amazing articles and blog posts that I've read this week, much in the vein of weekly round-ups by Kristin at What She Said, Ginger at Ramble Ramble, Katy at Katy Widrick, and Christine and Caitlin at Oatmeal in my Bowl which I love to read.

• I haven't been reading Cat's blog as regularly as I would like but was gifted with amazing posts this week. She wrote about a lesson she learned from her son who, when asked what his favorite body part was, answered his wee-wee - just like any 4-year old boy would. The lesson was about learning to love your body for what it's capable of versus just what it looks like. She also wrote beautifully about the need to "Surround yourself with awesome people, and be awesome to others. Nice follows nice, good follows good, awesome follows wine." The last line is definitely true.
• Callie at The Wannabe Athlete wrote a beautiful post in response to the Trayvon Martin case. Callie is "white attorney, the wife of a black man, and mother of a son the world considers black" and writes about how our souls are all the same. 
• Carla at MizFitOnline confesses how exercise isn't her passion but how it fuels her life and her true passion.
• My heart hurt when I read this post by Missy at Literal Mom about Fitting in.
• Whitney at Live, Run, Love, Yoga wrote about the need to slow down. As a competitive, overachieving, perfectionist, this post really hit home with me.
• For those of you looking for a bit of fitness inspiration, Lindsay at the Lean Green Bean has put together a compilation of all-time favorite workouts. Seriously, this is an amazing resource.
• Speaking of crazy feats of strength, The Hunger Games has been all the rage. I loved the books and went to see the movie on opening weekend and really liked it. Jacki at MomJovi wrote the best review of the Hunger Games movie I've read. I completely agree on all counts.
• Finally, this post by Tracy at Sellabit Mum made me stand up (if I could) and clap my hands. I love these New Egg Hunt Rules for 2012 and I love Tracy and her blog.

That's a long list! Sorry but I've been doing a lot of reading.

What are some of your favorite reads of the week? Share with me!

Bye Bye ACL. It's been nice knowing you.

Well ACL #2, we've had a good 15 year run together. You stepped in when ACL #1 gave way on the ski slopes in the Alps. You restored me to full mobility and activity within a few short months and I felt as good as new. We've completed an Olympic distance triathlon and run three marathons together, two half marathons and countless shorter races as well as chased after two little boys. You stuck by me as I learned to cross-country and telemark ski and to surf.

But, now it's come time to part ways. Today, you will be replaced by ACL #3. I can only hope that it will be as good to me as you have been. To be fair, I actually hope that it is better than you because I really don't want to have to go through this again. I'm not sure I could handle a 4th ACL in my life. So, if you get a chance in the OR, can you please just have a little chat with ACL #3? I'd appreciate it.

Also, to remember today and one of the main reasons why I am having surgery, I'm linking up one of my favorite posts of all time - riding my first wave on a surfboard - to celebrate Alison's and Ado's 1st Blogoversary Blog Bash! Come check it out and you can join in too!

No Turning Back - Injury Update

Last week, I went to see my doctor again. It had been four weeks since I injured my knee and things were not improving. I take that back. I could walk without limping so that was an improvement, but my knee still wasn't normal. It was still wonky and unstable if I changed direction too quickly. You know those vitamin bottles that have a child-proof top and clicks when you turn it? Yeah, that's how my knee feels.

When I walked into my doctor's office, he turned to me and said, "You know that this means that we're talking surgery, right?" I let out a big sigh and nodded in agreement. At first, I thought that he meant he was just going to scope my knee to clean up my meniscus and scar tissue. Wishful thinking. He was going to do a revision of the ACL reconstruction that I had about 15 years ago. Apparently, while my ACL was still in tact (hence zero swelling after I injured it), it had become too loose and wasn't doing its job anymore. So, he was going to snip my ACL and replace it with a new one.

Over the past week, I have been in denial about the whole thing. While I knew that there was a good possibility that I would need to have surgery again, I didn't think that it would be another reconstruction, complete with its attendant recovery period. After my first knee surgery, I was not allowed to put any weight on my knee for 3 weeks. It was scary and frustrating to watch all the muscles in my right leg shrink and atrophy. Thankfully, physical therapy wasn't too bad and I regained my range of motion fairly quickly but the journey back to full strength and activity levels took some time.

But I'm kind of scared this time. I'm not 21 this time. I'm in my mid-30s and I know that recovery is going to be different. I know that I'm still young and active, but things just move slower these days. Muscle soreness lingers a day or so longer than it used to and a few days off from working out feels like a month. I'm worried about gaining weight and backsliding in my fitness. I'm frustrated because this wasn't supposed to happen again, especially because I had just returned to running and my legs felt stronger than ever. I also have two young active boys who may not completely understand why Mommy can't move around much. But if I want to keep doing these things, surgery makes the most sense for me.

After we decided on the surgery, I asked my doctor to tell me exactly what to expect in terms of rehab and recovery. I will be in a brace for two weeks. While I can put weight on my leg (hooray for the small things!), I will likely be hanging out at home and not doing much of anything. Then, it will be a 4-6 month recovery period and 9-12 months before I can train for anything seriously. 9 to 12 months. Those words echoed in my head and all I could managed to say was, "DUDE! That's a long time!"

I'm scheduled for surgery on March 26. I have roughly a week and a half to be as active as I can, strengthen my legs and have fun.

{This post is linked up with Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say}

5 Ways Not to Bake a Birthday Cake

1) Do not agree to bake a cake that requires a 12 inch cake pan or any other size cake pan that you do not personally own.

2) Do not drop a layer of the cake on the floor as you transfer it from the oven to the counter. Do not try to pick up said layer of cake from the floor when it is still piping hot.

3) Do not remove rock hard buttercream frosting from the refrigerator two hours before you are expected to leave the house and expect it to soften so that you can assemble, frost and decorate the cake in time.

4) Do not agree to decorate the cake with roses, flowers and hearts as requested by your child when you have never decorated a cake before in your life.

5) Do not think that you have to make everything from scratch yourself. There's nothing wrong with a cake form Costco or the local bakery.

{Lessons learned over the weekend}

Lessons from Ski School

I had my first ski lesson when I was four years old. It was a disaster. I remember that one ski boot kept unbuckling from my ski every time that I tried to move. I cried lots and lots of tears. After about a hour or so, my instructor lifted me up, hoisted me over his shoulder and skied down to the bottom of the bunny hill and returned me to my parents. Despite that first experience, I agreed to try again and ended up falling in love with skiing. 

My brother, sister and I grew up skiing in the mountains of Vermont and then Lake Tahoe. After we each had kids, we started talking about when we could get our kids up on skis. We questioned other parents and ski instructors. How early was too early? 18 months? 2 years? 4 years old? 

I have been so excited to share this sport with my sons and desperately want them to love it as much as I do. Since my husband doesn't downhill ski, I needed the boys on my side. Otherwise, how could I convince three non-skiers to head up to the mountains so that Mommy could ski while they hung out and waited for me in the lodge? At the same time, I was scared that my kids would have a first experience similar to my own and walk away hating the sport and never getting to experience the thrill of skiing down a mountain.

In particular, I was worried about my five year old son J. He has always been a cautious child, more comfortable sitting on the sidelines watching as his friends would dive head first into any new situation that presented itself. It takes him a while to warm up to new people and situations; he doesn't like to try things that he's not familiar with or good at. (No, it's not lost on me that he will not know if he is good at something until he actually tries it. I try this argument all the time. It doesn't work.) I signed him up for a tumbling class at 18 months and for 45 minutes for the first 4-5 weeks of class, he screamed and cried through the entire class while I held him and tried to pretend that crawling up and over different obstacles was SO MUCH FUN! 

Once we planned this trip to Lake Tahoe, I would occasionally mention the idea of skiing to which his response would be, "Never. I don't want to ski." When I brought up the topic again, I received the same response. I didn't have high hopes that he would try skiing on this trip but I resolved to let him make his own decision. I didn't want to push him to try it and then get upset with him when he would ultimately choose not to ski or worse, refuse to participate after I shelled out a $100+ for a lesson. Truthfully, I didn't want this to ruin our trip or my week of skiing.

Well, funny things happened on the way to Lake Tahoe. First, I injured myself which meant no skiing for me. Second, J decided that he wanted to try skiing. I tried really hard to play it cool and not to jump up and down with excitement when he delivered his decision. We agreed that he would try once. If he didn't like it, he didn't have to try again. I worried that while he agreed to these terms, he would balk when he saw the equipment and had to put on the big heavy ski boots. But he didn't. He went along with his cousins and ski instructor Marcel and learned to ski. 

As parents, it's often hard to disentangle our children's experience from our own expectations. We want so many things for our kids. But, do we end up pushing our kids to play certain sports because it makes us happy or offers a chance to live vicariously through them rather than because it's something that they truly enjoy? 

I asked J a couple times if he was having fun. He nodded yes. He had a blank look on his face so I wasn't sure if he was being completely honest with me. But then he turned around and told me how Marcel told him he "ripped." The biggest smile spread across his face. He then told me that it wasn't so hard - all he had to do was make french fries with his skis and then gently make a pizza, and then french fries and then gently make a pizza. He wanted to keep skiing after his lesson ended as well as that afternoon. Then I knew, he really did like it. 

At the end of his two-hour lesson, Marcel took J on the chair lift. Watching J ski down the beginner trail, all by himself made my heart swell. It was one of the proudest moments I've experienced as a parent. It made up for the fact that I couldn't ski. Almost. Of course, my two-year old son wasn't one to be left out of all the action. He got his own pair of skis and raced down some gentle slopes. We couldn't get him off the mountain at the end of the day.

I learned a couple of things over the last two days. 

• It's a fine balance between encouraging children to try new things and allowing them to make their own decision. As they get older, it's important that it is their own decision.
• Introduce the new activity and let it be that - an introduction. They don't have to love it right away or commit to joining a team. If they enjoy it, great. If they don't, you can try again another time. Maybe the circumstances weren't right this time around.
• Different kids take to different activities and sports at different ages. Like I said, J is more reserved. There is no way I would have tried to get him on skis at 2.5 years like his younger brother.
• As hard as it is, don't push. We all know that kids have a sixth sense when it comes to things that Mom or Dad really want them to do. They will do the complete opposite.

I'm going to try my hardest to remember these lessons when I try to convince J to give surfing a go.

{This post is linked up to Pour Your Heart Out at Things I Can't Say and Wordful Wednesday}