New England offers countless delights for locals and visitors in the summertime. This summer, Heather and I have planned alternating weekends home (Boston) and away (Maine) so as to maximize the summertime fun. As we're seeing and doing new things, we've committed to writing a travel diary (old school notebook style) with photos, directions, highlights and hints so that we can add and reflect back in later years.
As part of that endeavor, I'm personally committing to sharing these experiences through A big lass weighs in... While this blog is mostly about my commitments to and challenges with weight, health and fitness, I've slowly realized that maintaining a balance of work and play is essential for my mental, emotional, social and physical well-being. So, each week for the rest of the summer you can expect to see a "Savoring Summer" post highlighting one or two of our recent fair weather enjoyments.
Week 1: Plum Island and Movies by Moonlight
Plum Island
Heather and I laced up last week for a trip to Plum Island near Newburyport, MA. The purpose of the trip was three-fold: 1- Enjoy a shoreline cycle, 2- Enjoy the beach, and 3- Get out of town! We were successful on all of the above; although learned some tips for a next visit!
Our good friend Ruth, an avid Plum Island visitor, advised us to park in the neighborhoods just north of Newburyport town center. This both ensures free parking (always a plus) but also lengthens the short ride between Newburyport and Plus Island (another plus).
The cycling through Newburyport and out to Plum Island is delightful. The views are lovely and the roads are gentle- I only wished there was more distance! Round-trip to the island + toodling around the island we biked a total of 13miles or so.
Once on Plum Island we explored a little and snapped a couple of photos of the island fixer-uppers (most of the homes are in very good shape) before heading to the beach. The water and beach were lovely. Pointers we learned: 1- Bring bug spray as the sand flies are vicious, 2- Pack snacks. There are few places to pick anything up. 3- Wear bathing suit under shorts and bike out ready to go. Otherwise you risk having to change in a porta-potty. From my experience I can attest that it's not fun. 4- Did I mention to bring snacks? We went around lunchtime sans lunch so our capacity to enjoy the beach for an extended period was limited by grumbling tummies. 5- Oh, and don't drop the bike lock in the sand. Sand will clog up the lock and you'll have to walk your bikes onto the beach without getting sand in the chains. Tricky.
On the way back to the car we stopped by Bob Lobster (yup, Bob Lobster not Bob's Lobster) for some clam chowda (for Heather) and french fries (shared). We sad next to a family visiting from Portugal who were originally disappointed to find out that Bob Lobster doesn't serve alcohol. However, after being reassured that they could bring their own, the father of the family popped away to the local liquor store and returned with red wine and a corkscrew. After a toast and a photo they settled into mussels, chowda, and lobsters. Success!
We headed straight back to the car thereafter so we could get into Boston pre-traffic. Next time, I'd wander the shops in Newburyport and/or sit and people watch in the square. It's a quaint little town.
Here are a few photos from our trip. Overall, our Plum Island experience = two thumbs up!
So, due to being married to a New Englander and working in a non-profit, I've learned to look out for the freebie Boston experiences. In summer there's a glut of free outdoor summer activities thanks our the 3 months of consistent good weather we get all year. Movies by Moonlight at the Boston Harbor Hotel is one of the gems of free Boston enjoyments. Part of their Summer Series, Movies by Moonlight showcases classic films, a harbor view and popcorn. :) Last year we enjoyed viewing The Maltese Falcon and Field of Dreams. Last Friday, we headed out for The Pink Panther and plan to see An Affair to Remember at summer's end.
There are two options for movie goers:
For those flush Bostonians among us you can sit at harborside tables set up by the Boston Harbor Hotel's restaurant. Heather and I did this one year (you have to show up early- like by 6pm for an 8pm movie). Diners can sit at their tables through the length of the film. Heather and I did this our first year- it was delightful and expensive. Between drinks, dinner and dessert we were looking at far over $100 for two people. But, it's a fun splurge.
Thrifty movie goers can cop a seat on the BHH's steps. The hotel provides foam cushions on a first-come first-served basis (though after sitting on concrete for a few hours, it's helpful to have additional tush-cushioning!). Stair-watchers usually start to arrive around 7:00pm - it does fill quickly. Heather and I have reverted to this option for all of our other movie outings. We arrive around 6:30pm, bring Chinese food, a covert bottle of red wine, lots of water and popcorn.
It's a great experience- from watching the harbor happenings pre-movie, to enjoying the water sunset, and sharing a group film experience. I'd highly recommend trying this summer experience. We snapped a few photos last week to share. Enjoy!
Friday, July 22, 2011
A double-run day and 2 miles in the heat
Running is my success this summer. Even when I'm tired, cranky, overwhelmed, under-resourced, or in pain I've committed to my runs for the past 3 months.
I started off with the Couch to 5k App, which I followed through week 7 (at that point the directions become warm up for 5 mins- run for 25 mins- cool down for 3 mins; warm up for 5 mins- run for 27 mins- cool down for 3 mins; warm up for 5 mins-run for 30 mins- cool down for 3 mins... you get the idea). Since then I've been trying to log between 2-3.5 miles per run at least 4 times per week.
Thanks to my CardioTrainer App, I'm able to really see an appreciate my progress. My weeks begin on Sundays. This week I've run 5 times for a total of 13.6miles. Now normally, I would've only done 3 or 4 runs by now, but I logged an extra run on Sunday while down Maine and tackled a double-run day on Wednesday.
For those that are unfamiliar with double-run days, it's simple. A day where a runner chooses to run twice in one day- usually spaced at least 4 hours apart. I first learned the concept through a Runner's World article (thanks to my mum-in-law I'm a subscriber now!). On the way home from work this Wednesday all I could this was, "This is a double-run day". So, after playing with the dog I laced up and hit the treadmill for just over 2 miles.
It was harder than I expected.
I'm not sure if it was the heat, the end of day, or the lightweight running shoes (a new pair of Nike's given to me by my friend Kimmie), bit I had to work for those 2 miles. And I did. I calmed my stride (the shoes kept me on the balls of my feet so I kept the pace slowed down to take care of my calves), I calmed my breathing, and then I reveled in my first double-run day of the year. That run was the best thing for me on Wednesday. I realized as I was running that I needed a double-run to give me something to accomplish. My day had been "blah" until I decided to run that evening. I'd had no projects or challenges at work that day. Despite my a.m. run, my general motivation and happiness had lowered as my work day progressed. I needed a double-run to make me feel successful. And while it wasn't fast and it wasn't long, it was successful. And so was I.
As I determine where to go from here, I'm considering a running plan that was created for me through the Runner's World Smart Coach program (a free program for Runner's World online members). It's for working up to a 10k race in a 12-week period and, while I'm not planning for a 10k, it would give me some structure to plan my runs around. I want to be careful as I'm still building up my knee post-injury last year, so I'll need to be more mindful as I take this new challenge on. While the plan below is a static plan, my experience this week underscores that I'll need to keep it dynamic. I may need some days where I need to skip a run and I may have others where I need to add one in.
Either way, it's about feeling successful- in running, and health, and healing.
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Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Days are passing...
My little cuz just posted recently on her Facebook that she'd successfully gone shopping for her "21st outfit". I remember when she was brought home form the hospital and my brother and cousins (her elder brother and sister) bathed her in the tub. She was so small - now she's studying to become a solicitor in Scotland. How time passes.
I've just over 9 months until I reach my 30th year. At this juncture I realize how much I've changed. I've identified pieces of my life I'd like to take back, wounds I'd like to lay to rest, heels I wished I'd dug in more, paths I wished I explored further, challenges I could've pushed for and moments I wish I'd revelled in.
I think it's often easier to identify the negatives. The "I wishes" and "I shoulds" rather than then "I dids" and the "I am proud ofs". In general, I'm still learning to appreciate those "I did it and I'm proud of it" moments in my history - especially the moments that were difficult decisions, those that led to changes in career paths and friendships and old patterns.
What I'm learning in these months as I approach my new decade is that I've got to appreciate each passing day. I must sit in the daily decisions I make- the decisions to go to sleep early or to rise late, to get up and run or to sip tea slowly, to reach out to family far away or to hug the ones close to me, to position myself toward new goals or to focus in on those at hand. In all of it, I'm learning to be authentic, even when it hurts, and to trust that the Universe will give as much as she takes, even when that hurts. I'm learning to be a role model, to nurture my nieces and nephews, to love my family even more deeply, to develop a marital relationship that is healthy, to prioritize balance in work and play, and to seek those things that make me feel full- spiritually, emotionally, intellectually and physically.
And, I can only do these things day by day. I hope that I'm making the most of time, as it passes.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Biking to work: Highlights and lessons learned through a 20-mile round-trip journey
Yesterday I tackled and completed my first bike ride of the year- 10 miles to and from home to work. I can't say that I loved every moment (the two hills within the last mile of coming home were killer in 89 degree heat), but I found the overall experience exhilarating. While my wife is not totally surprised that I loved biking to work (she does so twice a week- 16 mile round-trip), I'm a little taken aback at my immediate love for road-biking. Since purchasing my road bike from a friend last year (note: she used to ride the bike to work regularly to so it's seen a few miles!) I've only cycled on paved bike trails and local neighborhood roads, so yesterday's endeavor was do-or-die in the realm of my experience.
When I came home last night, I quickly jotted down highlights and lessons learned in my diary to commemorate the experience. Here they are- enjoy!
Highlights
1. Making it up all the hills without stopping- including the long slow one up Commonwealth Ave from Newton Center to Hammond Pond Parkway, the medium slow one by Chestnut Hill Mall, and the steep b@st@rd beside the Arboretum in Roslindale!
2. Not being afraid to take on the three rotary challenges in pre- 9am traffic... (I didn't run into any problems until rotary #3 when I was nearly run over... see Lessons Learned # 1)
3. Feeling the breeze as I raced/coasted downhill with legs straightened to stretch out my knees and my head hunkered down- glorious!!! (Though to the cars traveling behind me to whom I was subjecting my derriere for viewing I imagined the word as"Glory-@ss"... it helped get me laughing up the uphills!)
4. Making it to work and home in 50 minutes each way. The Google Maps said it should've taken me 59 minutes...woot!
5. The beauty of the road and woods by Allandale Farms in Roslindale. Lovely. (And the shade was well received in the hot afternoon)
6. Meeting a goal I made to start biking to work once a week during the summer. Now I have to keep it up!
Lessons Learned
1. Drivers only know the rules of the road as it applies to them. They do not realize that pedestrians and cyclists have right of way. Specifically, Brookline drivers don't realize that if a cyclist is going through a rotary they are acting like a car. Aka- if you don't see a cyclist signaling to get off the rotary at an exit, then expect that they're going around it just like everyone else. If you don't learn this rule, you're going to run over a cyclist. Like me. And that's going to make lots of people sad- including me.
2. Most drivers are jealous of cyclists. 1- Cyclists aren't paying $4.85/gallon to get to work and back. 2- Cyclists are burning off fabulous amounts of calories and building amazing muscle. Jealousy must be one reason why drivers try to run cyclists off the road.
3. Cars with JP (Jamaica Plain) bumper stickers are awesome- after making a left turn on a divided highway they'll slow down to let you cross over the road to the right shoulder (they do this in Roslindale too). In contrast, cars in Newton just run you over - whether you're crossing to the shoulder or just toodling merrily on your way.
4. Never bike on the road behind Newton North High School. The city may have paid millions to construct a new building, parking lot, green space and renovate the road in front of the school, but they didn't extend that cash to the back end. It's a maze of potholes, cracks and narrow, trashed lanes.
5. After 20 miles to and from work things hurt. I've tight shoulders from my backpack, achey quads from the hills, calloused hands from tightly gripping those handlebars while avoiding aggressive SUVs. And if anyone has recommendations for padded bike shorts, I'll take those asap. This is a habit I'd like to continue- with minimal discomfort if possible!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Redemption by way of a summer meal
Tonight I arrived home with an upset tummy and a frustrated brain. Despite the heat, I followed through on my commitment to run (after playing with my panting puppy, Bryce). And, after a grueling 3.4 miles of trying to rally my brain and my legs to work together, I finished satisfied with my efforts yet not unwound.
I was, however, ravenous.
Now the single revelation that came to me today through my sweaty slogging was "chickpeas". That's it- chickpeas. Miraculously, in stretching out my legs my brain also stretched out and I imagined chickpeas with artichokes, in some light summer dressing with a little arugula tossed in for good measure and color.
A quick search on the trusty Android later and I had a Vegetarian Times recipe in hand. Not having all of the ingredients I made my own modifications and beefed it up a little to my tastes (and appetite). Behold, I present to you, Citrus Chickpea Salad.
Salad:
1 1/2 cups chickpeas
32 oz can whole peeled plum tomatoes
3 cups artichoke hearts (can use frozen or canned in water)
Citrus dressing:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup basil, chopped
Directions:
1. Drain and rinse chickpeas. Place in large serving bowl (preferable something pretty)
2. Drain tomatoes and discard juice. Roughly chop tomatoes. Add to chickpeas.
3. Defrost (if necessary) OR drain and rinse (if necessary) artichoke hearts. Add to bowl.
4. In a small dish mix ingredients for dressing. Once mixed, pour over chickpea blend.
5. Toss dressing with chickpea blend.
6. Serve 1 cup of Citrus Chickpea Salad atop 1 cup arugula and top with 2oz cooked rigatoni.
7. Enjoy :)
For Weight Watchers folks, 1 cup of chickpea mixture is 7 PointsPlus. With the arugula and rigatoni, the meal is 9 PointsPlus and very filling. Lots of protein.
Now, it was 8:30pm before I when I started prepping this meal. And, as I had to defrost the artichokes and didn't think to start heating the water for rigatoni (a Jo-inspired addition) until after the salad was created, I didn't sit down to eat until 9:15pm. But, amazingly, throughout that time my mind quieted and my body relaxed. And while I'm sure my run, post-run shower, and chat with my mum all aided to that effect, I'm convinced that this salad is redemptive. The velvety, freshly picked basil mixed with the sharp, tangy garlic smells undid all the knots in my brain and settled my heart. And, you can believe that I enjoyed every last bite.
I enjoyed my dinner and the process creating it so much, that I was also satisfied with a mere sensation of dessert- 1/4 cup strawberry ice-cream with a little spray cream. A 2 PointsPlus delight made richer by the ability to simply enjoy it with my being instead of eating it to calm my mind. For those of you who know me intimately, you understand that dessert is rarely something I enjoy in small portions and is often something I use to cope with stress.
I wonder if the undoing of eating disorders is to be found in the cooking of inspired meals because, tonight, I feel redeemed.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Self-care Saturdays. Or. The Simple Pleasure of Breakfast, Walking, and Drugstore Hair Dye.
Yesterday was the advent of a calendar of solitary summer Saturdays. Heather is taking a class at New England School of Photography for the next 8 weeks of so and we're going to be adapting our weekends to compensate.
I still have to figure out all the details of my schedule adaptation, but I'll resolve that soon enough. My job and I have differing opinions. Go figure.
Due to life and circumstance, I've been feeling powerless over the past few weeks. Powerless and tired. Last weekend the confluence of those two energies led to a weekend at home with lots of sleeping and yoga, which was a great strategy. But, I can't sleep my weekends away every week- even if I'm having more sleepless nights during the week.
So, this weekend I strategized a Saturday of self-care and a Sunday of wife-time. I'd also planned to flex my work time (working a few 13 hour days...) and take Monday off for gardening, but work decided on the contrary and I'll be in the office tomorrow. I'm taking Friday instead.
I asked Heather to wake me up yesterday morning for yoga (7:30am flow) before taking the dog out and dropping H. off at school. I then headed into Jamaica Plain where I treated myself to a vegetarian egg sandwich at City Feed (they are so yummy) while reading this week's Bay Windows and the great news about New York! I then headed to Boomerangs to donate the bagged household items and clothes that had officially taken residence in our wannabe-coatroom since April (until I evicted them to the basement two weeks ago). After returning to Chez Eugenia, Bryce and I packed up ourselves and a trunkload of hazardous materials (paint, car oil, pesticides) that's been in the basement since Heather acquired the house and headed to the City of Boston hazardous material drop-off near Millenium Park. After patiently waiting to rid ourselves safely of out trunkful of toxins, we headed to the top of Millenium for a walk- which also turned into a puppy-swim and soccer-playing. Fabulous :) We met new friends (Bruin + T-Bone) who turned out to be fellow swimmers and wrestlers. And exhausted ourselves thoroughly.
Returning home, we enjoyed a late lunch followed by a 75-min disco nap before heading to pick up a very happy wifey at school. After puttering around the house, we both enjoyed a light dinner (Toni, H. loves the peanut noodles) before going our separate ways (Heather to a disco nap and I on a date with Revlon). 60 minutes and many posed color-processing photos later, I was "ultralight 05 blonde" and Heather was refreshed.
We weeded and played with the pup once more before heading out to dancing with J. GirlSpot was an epic fail. Its advertised "cheap drinks and dancing" amount to $6.25 beers and $9.65 tequila shots sans dancing (unless you count moving strategically to avoid the chick who alternated leaping onto various queer young things to make out with spilling her frothy bottled beers over the non-dance floor as "dancing"). The upside was that we got to hang out with J and laugh hysterically while traipsing too many city blocks under 1 tiny umbrella in the Boston pour. Next time we'll stick to Kristen Porter's Dyke Night Productions and head to Felt or Machine. There's just something about a DJ that beats a pandora music station every time. I've no malice for GirlSpot - it was cute to see all the lil' barely 21 dykes out last night - but, as the name implies, it's a production in it's infancy. And, I'm just a little to old to wait for it to grow up.
All in all, yesterday was a massive self-care thumbs up. And I'll drink or give thanks to that any day. :)
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Change
I'm being forced to make changes due to external forces. And while I'm balking at the prospect of being less financially stable and losing the extras I've become accustomed to, I'm realizing there are also positive changes I'll also be compelled to make.
Exercise: I'm adding regular and varied exercise to my life. I'm purposefully building on my running schedule by adding in gentle yoga (to stretch and even me out), cycling (because it's summer and I enjoy it), and weight lifting (to lean me down). And, thanks to the Cardio Trainer app I'm feeling successful as I set weekly goals and log my progress. Hurrah!
Weight Watchers: I've membership for meetings until late July and then I'm switching to ETools only. So while I have connection and support from meetings I'm working on faithfully tracking my eats, which is my key to success. I skopje with my leader about the pending change and she said that when I'm within 5lbs of my goal weight to come back to meeting and she'll start me on the process to become a meeting support staff person. 2011 will be the year I become Lifetime and I will be working with the WW team by 2012.
Social connections/Interests: I have to foster more independent time and interests. I'm going to start with writing group twice a month and joining Andrea's crafting group twice a month (when it starts). I'm also looking into theater opportunities for other volunteering/extracurriculars. I want to be a call center do-gooder but have decided that my extras have to be fun or I won't do them. I also want to get out more- dancing, beach-ing, being more involved in queer community. By myself and with Heather and friends.
And last but not least...
Work schedule: I'm setting boundaries around work, including my time and my energy. Work is not enriching when there are more demands and less rewards. I'm building in my own rewards.
On a different note, I finally found fat photos from December 2004, the month before I joined WW at 248.6lbs...and I've been on this journey since. There are two and I didn't know the photos were being taken- I wasn't the primary subject (I avoided cameras). So once I figure out how to scan them (or ask the wife to do it for me) I'll post on here so you can truly see my 6 year change...my mum didn't recognize me in the photos at first...
PS- lost 0.6lbs at WW thought (without tracking). Am only 5 lbs away from my wedding weight again!
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