Vita Abundantior -- A Health Analysis

I've been thinking about my health and my body quite a bit in the last few weeks. Not in a bad way, as I've never been one to constantly put myself down or criticize myself (although, as with most women, I think every now in then it's inside of the norm), but more as an analysis of where I am, where I want to be, and how to get there.

Last week I went to the batting cages with the softball team that I'll be playing on for the summer. I haven't played fast-pitch softball in almost two years, though we played about 6 months of slow-pitch in Syracuse. So while I know I'm not super fit for softball, I wasn't expecting to see how weak I felt. I felt like my swing was still pretty good and I was making decent contact with the ball by the end of the evening, but I just felt like I had so little power. In my arms, my hips, and my core.

Then today I want for a run. I've been running a few times since we've been in Colorado and I've felt pretty good on each run, but today my legs just felt heavy. Again, my hips felt weak. So, I started to think about why this might be happening and how I can change things up so I feel stronger.

My conclusion is that, while I am doing more daily active things (like riding my bike to work, hiking once a week), I'm doing less intensive exercise. In college I was a two season athlete with a workout plan for the summer. After I graduated I was dating a college athlete and was still in the mindset of exercising almost every day. In DC I discovered yoga and we joined a gym, which I was adamant about working into our weekly schedule. I also did a lot of walking in DC. And then in Syracuse, I went to spinning and yoga weekly, I ran a couple of races, and I played on softball and kickball teams.

Part of what I was so excited about with our move to Colorado was the active lifestyle mindset of most people who live here. Here biking as a means of transportation is common, people take their three year olds and their dogs on hikes, and families hang out a parks with their kids. As far as vita abundantior goes, I feel like we've done a great job of taking advantage of the opportunities to be active and outside in Denver. But what I think has fallen by the wayside is my attention to overall core strength and fitness. And as a soon to be 28-year old who would like to start a family in the next year or two, its really important to me to be fit and in shape before I get pregnant so I can continue that lifestyle during the pregnancy.

If we had the opportunity to hike four or five times a week I think the fitness would take care of itself, but the fact is, we're happy if we get to fit one hike in per week because of our work schedules. So I need to form a plan to make sure that my overall needs are met, while still making sure that we embrace the Colorado mindset. A good balance is what I need and here are my short term plans for achieving it:

1) I've signed up for two months of sunrise vinyasa yoga classes at the Denver Botanic Gardens. As an employee, I get to go for free, so I'm taking advantage of the opportunity, even though the classes start at 7am.

 2) I'm going to start doing some basic lifting and core exercises each evening while we're watching TV at night.

3) I currently work four days a week and have three off, so I'm going to go for a run, for however long I'm feeling, for two of those days.

4) Weekly bike rides, hiking trips, and organized sports should help round out my week. This fall, I hope to add volleyball to the repertoire.

 I'm really excited to get back to yoga, and perhaps when I get a full time job, I can find a spinning studio to join too. I'll report back on progress as the summer goes along.

Photos of the Day - December and January

My photo project has still been going on, but because of the move I haven't been able to edit photos taken after January 25th. Hopefully that will remedied in the next month once our finances become more stable, but until then, here are a few of my favorites from December and January.

A Peaceful Christmas



Misty Morning



Margarita Cupcake



Calm After the Storm




Making Madelines

Greeting from Denver!

I know, its been a VERY long time since we've updated, but our lives have been a little bit crazy over the last month.

First we had the holidays. Then we both had rounds of interviews for jobs in Denver. Then came the reality that one of us got the job (Heather) and the other didn't (Jennie). Then I got offered a full time job in Syracuse. Which led to a couple of days of thinking, talking, and number crunching to see what our best options were.

If the job offer in Syracuse had come a month earlier, or if it had been a job that would have furthered me in my museum career, things might be very different right now.

As it is, we followed our hearts, dragging our minds behind, confident that we could make things work, and we have landed ourselves in the beautiful state of Colorado.

After a 5 day road trip with three pets, a UHaul and one very old car in tow, we finally made it.

We're fortunate enough to have several friends in the area and they are being exceedingly generous in letting us crash, tolerating our pets, and giving us as much support and help as they can. We're making this first month work as best as possible until our pay schedules get worked out, I find a job, and we can find our own place to live.

Despite the logistics we still have to conquer, we feel very good about our decision to leave the east coast behind and follow our dreams of living in Colorado. It all goes towards living our life more abundantly and we're excited about what the future holds for us here.

Happy Holidays!

We hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season.

We're currently enjoying the holiday festivities in Christiansburg, catching up with friends from high school and hanging out with the family.

A new year's resolution post will be coming in the next few days, but for now, we hope everyone enjoys their holidays!

--Jennie and Heather

Where is the Snow?

Its December 7 and there has been zero snow in Syracuse yet this winter. Is it global warming? Are the snow gods being kind to us this year? Did someone do an anti-snow dance?

Granted, we've only experienced one Syracuse winter, and everyone told us that last year was unusually bad, but even the locals are staring at the sky in wonder. In fact its starting to feel strange thinking about Christmas without wading through the snow to get a Christmas tree.

Other areas in the country have seen the white stuff, even areas that typically don't get any snow at all some winters--NYC, Washington DC, Southwest Virginia. Our friends in Colorado have posted pictures of dazzling white stuff, but we're still staring at bare trees, cold dirty streets, and gross, icky rain.

I may regret this in a month, but I wish it would start to snow already!

Pictures of the Day October and November

I've been delinquent posting my favorite pictures of the day, so here are a few of the best to catch you up. You can see all of my work on my facebook page.

A Day at the Pumpkin Patch



After the Rain



Syracuse University Volleyball



Creekside Walk



Dandelion Fun

Barefoot on the Treadmill?

Last night at the gym Jennie and I decided to test out our new style of running. We worked out on the elliptical for about 30 minutes and then decided we should give the whole barefoot thing a try. We had heard from several people that we needed to start slowly and carefully so as not to injure any of the muscles that we haven't been using with our fancy running shoes.

We started out walking barefoot on the treadmill at about a 2.5-3.0 speed. We definitely got some funny looks from those around us at the gym! After about 5 minutes of walking (it felt really nice to be barefoot I might add) we decided to go for it and jog for a few minutes. We jogged at about a 5.0, a 12 min mile pace, which is slower than either of us typically run, but it was our first barefoot experience. We both loved it! Definitely need to build up the strength in my ankles and shins and the callouses on my feet, but it felt so nice--so natural compared to running in shoes. Jennie said she definitely felt it in her calves more than anywhere else. I think my calves were alright because I tend to take shorter strides and stay more up on my toes, even in running shoes.

My biggest complaint is that the balls of my feet are rather raw this morning. I will definitely have to build that up, but I think that I prefer the barefoot feel to wearing the Vibram Fivefingers that we tested out. Jennie definitely wants a pair of the Vibrams but I think I'll save the money and use my bare feet. I am also thinking about investing in a pair of the gladiator running sandals for running on rocky terrain.


Overall, it was an awesome experience and I think this change is important on our road to the life more abundant (no pun intended)! I'm hoping this will motivate me to run more often and enjoy it. I'm also in the middle of reading Born to Run which is helping to motivate me. Who knows, maybe we'll actually do our half-marathon!

EDIT: And now that I've read more about barefoot running I'm realizing I don't need to build up callouses, but instead I need to change my technique :) Apparently I need to land lighter and pick up my foot sooner--those actions should help avoid any friction!