Tomorrow I will ride again in the CT Challenge for the second year in a row. This year I will ride 50 miles less than last but 50 miles more than before life as a survivor. The CT Challenge, for those of you who do not know, is an organization and now a center that provides services for cancer survivors and also provides funds for research working towards a cure. It is bitter sweet this year as one of my riding partners from last year, Marlene, is once again in the fight and is unable to ride. I look forward to riding with her again soon. But this year there will be an empty spot next to me or shall I say an empty view in front of me as she always kicked my butt going up those big hills. Life before cancer was just that. Life after cancer is more heightened, from awareness and sensations to thoughts and emotions. Everyday is one more day of life. Life as I now know it, life that defines me as a survivor. I always was a survivor of sorts, even as a little kid. I survived divorce times 4, death of friends and family, mishaps, misfortunes, break ups and breakdowns. Now as an adult, which seems odd to say, I am a breast cancer survivor. At times I feel sad, why me, will I have to fight again. At times I amaze myself of how hard I try to be brave and […]
Read More4am, the alarm sounds. The room is dark. Quietly I roll out of bed. My wife and kids are still asleep in the hotel room beds. Why am I doing this? I grab a cup of tea, a banana, and a bowl of oatmeal. Time to get dressed. I put on shorts, shirt, pants, jacket, hat, gloves…. it’s May, but it’s cold this morning. Why am I doing this? I wake the kids and get them dressed. We pack the car and it’s time to go. As we drive, I feel that familiar knot in my stomach. I feel sick, but it’s just nerves. “Nerves for what” I wonder. Why am I doing this? Time to line up, heart pounding, surrounded by other runners. In my head I count down, 5…4…3…2…1….GO! So started the morning on Bear Mountain as I began a day of running over 30 miles up and down the mountain trails of the lower Hudson valley. Why am I doing this? It was a common refrain of the morning, and of the first few miles. “I could be home” I thought, “I could still be sleeping”! I could be spending my day playing with my kids, or just relaxing in the back yard. But instead here I am, running for the next 6 hours, through streams, over rocks, and around giant puddles of mud. It was a whole new challenge for me. A 50k run over some really unforgiving terrain. So mile after mile, hill after hill, […]
Read More“Please all, and you will please none.” ― Aesop Many of the posts here are about my “story”. The story of how I became a health and wellness junkie, the story behind the cancer, the hair, the boobs. On the surface these stores simply describe the course of events through my life. But deep down, my inner stories have a deeper and more profound impact on my life. I have a story in my head, as I am sure many of you do, about the whys and hows of my life. Excuses for the various directions I have taken. My internal story, it turns out, is a bit of a pity party. Well, today my pity party was abruptly halted by words of wisdom from a very close friend. It is true I have heard this nugget of advice before (my husband has tried on many occasions), but today the truth and simplicity struck me. The key , my friend shared with me, was to separate the “facts” from the “story”. When I started to view a recent issue I was struggling with from this point of view, I discovered more and more story, and less and less fact. I have struggled throughout my life with a near compulsion to try to make everyone around me happy. I find myself saying yes more often than I should, and feel a ridiculous amount of guilt when I say no. It turns out that this guilt is all based on a story in my […]
Read MoreIt’s been a busy few weeks sharing great health and wellness tips! I gave a “Juicing and Smoothies 101” talk at Dew yoga, hosted a “Healthy Snacks” demo at Lululemon, and participated in a survivorship forum hosted by the local hospital here in Stamford. And there’s more exciting events coming soon, so stay tuned!!! Anyway, while at Lululemon a man asked, “What are you selling?” Without giving it a thought I happily replied, “health and wellness”. He laughed and went on enjoying some yummy snacks. That conversation got me thinking, what am I selling? In reality, I’m not selling anything at the moment. For now, I’m just sharing. Sharing my journey and sharing what I have learned about food and what it means for health and wellness. For me, this was all sparked by my cancer diagnosis. Since taking a more conscious and active role in our health and wellness, both my family and I have experienced extraordinary benefits from our change in lifestyle. So I am sharing in part to thank those who shared with me, and in part to “pay it forward” so that others might benefit too. But also because I truly believe that what I am sharing has the potential of saving someone’s life! Why wait until the ball drops and you find yourself diagnosed with cancer, heart disease, or diabetes? You can fight these diseases before they ever get diagnosed. And while you are actively doing everything you can to prevent these diseases, you can experience […]
Read MoreCome join me for a Juicing and Smoothie adventure!!! You want to know what is in my Juice / Smoothie, I will share my secrets on Sunday April 14th. Not to be missed!! http://www.dewyoga.net/pages/events.html#5029052885916710759
Read MoreAt the beginning of most yoga classes the instructor will ask the class to make an intention for that days practice. Recently, I have found myself making the statement –“ I will not judge myself”. For 60-90 minutes I focus on myself and my own abilities. I try to center my mind on the present moment and the feelings or thoughts that are occurring during that moment. Sometimes they are happy, sometimes sad, sometimes I am only aware of a specific body part. Whatever these thoughts or feelings may be, I remind myself, “Do Not Judge”. The challenge is taking this intention out the door when I leave. Today as I got into my car, thoughts about the choices I have made recently began swirling though my mind. Last year, while preparing for half-ironman triathlon, I would train 10 hours a week or more. Each weekend, I found myself going faster and farther than I ever had before in my life. This year I am putting my focus towards yoga, this new website, and getting my voice out there. I started to second-guess my decision, if I was training more this summer I could have had a faster swim, bike, run this year. Was I going to loose all the fitness I gained last year? The brain went crazy! Living in the present moment and not judging is no easy task. I have to keep reminding myself, I have made a choice and it is the right choice for now. I […]
Read MoreThere are so many things I want to do…Yoga, biking, running, swimming, being with my family, hiking, camping. Then there are things I have to do. Work, get the kids ready for school, make the breakfast, lunch, dinner (and yes Tim helps, A LOT), laundry, you get the picture. When I try to fit it all in and add a little extra ( passover dinner for 23, workshops, driving 3.5 hours to spend time with a friend, all in one weekend), I get a little stressed. Mind goes into overload. I use my breath but can’t get my mind to settle. Finally, the body gives out and wham, sick in bed for a whole day and feeling crappy for two more. Now sitting here writing this blog post I realized with all the mental chatter, I didn’t even find the time to sit quietly and settle. I have been dabbling in mediation. A little here and a little there. I have signed up several times for Deepak Chopra’s 21 day mediation. So far I have completed 7 consecutive days, and should be on day 14 but only on day 10. During those first 7 days, I felt much more ease and peace. Now the mind is in overload and the body feels it. How can your body stay strong and fight when it’s over producing hormones to keep you calm. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars […]
Read MoreJoin me at Lululemon in Greenwich Sunday April 21 from 12-2 pm where healthy snacks will be provided and your questions on how to begin will be answered.
Read MoreThree years ago when I went back to work and was on my road to recovery, health and wellness, I started working with a little boy who had a ton of issues. They included a lack of typical motor development, fine motor development and sensory issues. Around this same time, I had started juicing and taking gluten out of my diet and was sharing my experience with this boys mother. With the hope that a diet change might help her son, she took gluten, dairy and a bunch of other things out of his diet. Within weeks, a difference could be seen. His congestion, which was another one of his issues, was now minimal. Stomach issues that he had for years slowly got better. And remarkably, even his motor development began to catch up. Watching the changes in this boy made me understand more clearly than ever the direct link between the food we eat and our health and wellness. With added enthusiasm, Tim and I slowly started taking other things (refined sugars, dairies) out of our diet and adding more plant-based foods. We loved the way the food we ate made us feel. But even more so, we felt empowered by the choices of food we were eating. The more we learned about the foods we ate, the more we learned that they were powerful medicines to fight against disease. Cancer was and is all around me, my family and Tim’s family. The thought of my children being predisposed to […]
Read MoreToday at yoga the man practicing next to me was trying it out for the first time. At the end of class he turned to me and expressed how the hardest part was the breathing. Got me thinking….. I began a yoga teacher training a few weeks back and it was an amazing beginning of a new journey in my life. When I left I felt nourished and at the same time overwhelmed. There was so much information and I had homework for the next session. This included learning Sanskrit, reading two books, learning how to teach poses etc. Some times when I get overwhelmed I forget to breathe. Breathing – we don’t often think about it. It happens naturally. The air flows in and out and we barely recognize it. When we get tense we may hold our muscles tight and take shallow breathes. When we are nervous our heart may start racing and we take fast breathes. Sometimes we may even hyperventilate. I have on occasion or two been given a brown paper bag to breathe into, still not sure how that works. Today in my yoga practice I paid extra attention to my breath, to the in and out. My teacher spoke of breathing into my “back body”. How the heck do you do that? I have always wondered, but today something snapped, an “Ah-Ha” moment. Imagining where the breath goes, in your mouth, down your throat, into your lungs and the far reaches inside your body. […]
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