Busy Gals Get Healthy!

On Saturday I was invited to speak to the Professional Women's Group at Dress for Success South Central PA. The topic I was given? Staying well as a woman on the go. 

I immediately started wondering if I should be the one to give this presentation... I work too much, I sleep too little, I skip workouts with my trainer (sorry Derek), and I pick birthday cake over brussel sprouts every single time. But I think that's why I'm perfect for this presentation - because I imagine I'm a lot like most of you. I know how hard it can be, and I struggle right along with you!

Here are a few tips, ideas, and suggestions that I've been trying to work on. Perhaps they will be helpful to you as well.

FOOD

• Take Inventory - What temptations are hiding in your cabinets? It's easier to make healthy choices when you don't have Halloween candy eyeing you up from your kitchen counter. Could you start fresh by donating to your local food bank? 
• Clean Food - The idea is to increase natural, whole foods and decrease overly-processed foods or foods with added sugar. The fewer the ingredients, the better! Check out the ingredients listed on your favorite items - What did you find? Any surprises? 
• The “U” - Ready to fill up your kitchen with clean, healthy foods? Try to shop in the "U" (or the outer perimeter of the grocery story). This is where you'll find the fresh fruits, veggies, meats, dairy, etc. 
• Meal Prep - Sunday night take time to plan and cook your meals for the week. Load up your Tupperware and fill your fridge with grilled chicken, steamed veggies, and salads. When dinner time rolls around, you are less tempted to grab that box of Kraft Mac & Cheese because you already have something healthy ready to go. 
• Progress, Not Perfection -  Our meals will never be "perfect," but what can we do better this week? Can we start using whole rolled oats instead of flavored instant oatmeal? What about trying my new fave peanut butter, Crazy Richard's?! Start by making small changes and build from there. 

FITNESS

• Find What You LOVE! - Exercise is not one size fits all. Try different things until you find something that moves you physically and mentally! For me, that's ZUMBA! I love it, and I can't get enough! 
• Sleep In Your Gym Clothes - It's not easy to exercise at 6am (some mornings it's tough just to get to the coffee pot at that time!) But morning workouts are sometimes all that fit into my crazy schedule. Sleeping in my gym clothes (sports bra, socks, and all) seems to make it easier to roll out of bed when my alarm goes off. 
• Find A Buddy - Everything is better with good company - including your workout! But who you pick is important. Look for someone who is already committed to reaching their fitness goals. They can help to motivate you when things get tough!
• Take The Stairs - Pretend the elevator is always broken. Oh, and the parking spots closest to the building? They are always full! 
• Just 5 Minutes - Don't feel like working out? Tell yourself you'll do it for just five minutes. That's it! At the end of five minutes, you can stop if you choose to (but it's likely that you won't want to anymore!)

CREATE YOUR OWN RED SOLO CUP WORKOUT!
Supplies: 1 red Solo cup, 2 sheets of card stock (or any heavy grade of paper), scissors

Download the template: CLICK HERE.
Cut out all 25 exercise strips. 
Each morning, randomly select ten strips and do those exercises throughout the day!

STRESS RELIEF

• Get Psyched Playlist - Create an iTunes playlist with all of the songs that get you pumped up! Listen to it any time you need a little extra motivation!
• Clear Out Clutter - Whether it's in your house, on your desk, or in your computer files - clutter can be stressful! We regularly keep a bag handy for items that can be donated to Goodwill. 
• Give A Compliment - An easy way to make yourself feel better? Say something nice to someone else! Whether it's their awesome new 'do or their insightful comments at the committee meeting, it feels nice to be nice! 
• Call A Friend - Haven't talked to your bestie in awhile? Or perhaps a long-time friend that is no longer in the area? Call them! 
• Attitude of Gratitude - What are you thankful for? When life gets stressful, it's easy to forget the many things we have to be thankful for in our lives. Can you list five things right now?

What are your faves from the list above? Do you have tips to add to this list? Share them in the comments below!

Emerging Philanthropist Program

In March I was accepted into the inaugural class of Harrisburg's new Emerging Philanthropist Program (EPP) - a collaboration between Harrisburg Young Professionals and The Foundation For Enhancing Communities (TFEC).

The program is designed to "engage Harrisburg's emerging business and community leaders with the great possibilities that lie within philanthropic endeavors in Harrisburg." As a group, we will engage in those possibilities by awarding a $5,000 grant to a local non-profit organization.

To prepare ourselves to select the grant recipient, we attended a series of panel discussions featuring  philanthropic leaders in our community (One speaker had "Civic Leader" listed as a title on their nameplate. Impressive, right?! That's a title I want to hold someday!). At the panels we learned about:

• Assessing the needs of the community
• Fundraising
• Grantmaking
• Engaging the next generation in service

On Tuesday night, we met for another powerful session. We heard from three area non-profits. They are lesser know, but they are doing INCREDIBLE things! If you are looking for a group to get involved in, these three might be worth checking out:

Neighborhood Center of the United Methodist Church - Through their Young Mothers Together program, The Neighborhood Center provides support for pregnant and parenting teens through "counseling, advocacy, group support, emergency pantry, and apprenticeships." The staff and volunteers mentor the girls, teach them skills to support their child, and help them to begin to set goals for their lives. One easy was to support this program is by collecting Campbell's Soup labels - LEARN MORE

Samara - Samara takes a multigenerational approach to interrupting the cycle of abuse. They run small group sessions for both parents and children that focus on "healing families through nurture, education and self-discovery." This program, founded in 2008, is absolutely inspiring to me. They are giving parents (who may not have grown up in a supportive family environment) a vision of what a positive family environment could look like. And they do that without judgement. Everyone is welcome as they are. Support this program with your donation of time or treasure - LEARN MORE

The Joshua Group - Working in the heart of Allison Hill, where the high school dropout rate is almost 50%, The Joshua Group works to, "provide hope and support for at-risk youth particularly through educational and vocational opportunities." They run a strong after school program that focuses on tutoring and mentoring local youth, and are seeing awesome results - Joshua Group students have better attendance rates, higher GPA's and a 97% promotion/graduation rate! Support this program by volunteering your time to tutor or by donating items on their wish list (school supplies, cleaning supplies, etc.) - LEARN MORE

#bethechange 

Buying Land, Building a Legacy

"Do not let a Just Cause go unassisted by you. Do what you can. Never think that what you can do is not enough. Every little bit helps. To do nothing is what hurts."      Neale Donald Walsch.

Washington D.C. 

A few weeks ago I traveled with our College President, our Director of Marketing, and our College Diversity Coordinator to Washington DC to meet with Education USA, a federal advising center for international students. As Central Penn's International Admissions Counselor, it was a great opportunity to learn about the program and how it can match potential students from all over the world to our school.

But my biggest takeaway didn't come from the walls of a DC office building. It came from the four doors of our Chevy Explorer.

A long drive has a way of inspiring conversation, and our trip was a great opportunity for me to get to know our college leadership team. As we drove, our new Cultural Diversity Coordinator, Romeo Azondekon, shared glimpses of his past as well as a very profound glimpse of his future.

Romeo was originally born in Benin, but moved to the United States with his family as a child. A few years ago he traveled back to his native country to purchase a plot of land. Why? Because he eventually wants to be in a position to build a school for the children there.

Ok - let's break this down...

Many of us say that we want to make a difference. Many of us dream of doing big things for the greater good. Yet here is Romeo who has actually PURCHASED THE LAND TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. Wow!! He may not be building his school yet, but he has managed to take a huge and tangible step toward creating his legacy.

Now check out this video...

Did you take the time to watch it? Powerful, right? Narayanan Krishnan is creating his legacy by feeding those starving in his hometown. His empathy and love for others is palpable. And again I am inspired.

Listening to both stories made me start to think about what I say I want to do versus what I've actually done. It's time to get busy, and start thinking about my own legacy. In a symbolic sense, it's time for me to "buy my plot of land."

I'm not quite sure what that will look like, but I do know it's something I will be thinking about this week. Will you do the same? What will your legacy be? How will we get started?

#bethechange

No Sour Grapes: Wine Tour Recap

With my bus co-leader, Heather!

I love teaming up with friends for great causes! On Saturday Heather Masser and I led a winery bus tour to benefit Isaiah 61 homeless ministries. With a group of 20 friends, we traveled in a chartered bus to four Central PA wineries. Although the bus ride was a little toasty (our air-conditioning gave out after the first stop), the vineyards were breathtaking and the wine was delicious! Here's a recap of our day...

Hunters Valley Winery

HUNTERS VALLEY WINERY (Liverpool, PA) - They were our first stop of the day, and were so hospitable! They welcomed us with cheese and crackers, pretzels, and cookies. In a crock-pot they had warm samples of their COUNTRY SPICE wine waiting for us (I couldn't help but start thinking of the holidays)! My favorite wine was MIST IN THE VALLEY - a sparking red! They also generously donated 10% of our purchases to Isaiah 61.

Spyglass Ridge Winery

SPYGLASS RIDGE WINERY (Sunbury, PA) - I always love visiting Spyglass! The owner, Tom, spent a full hour telling us about the winery, the wines, and the fun events they have planned like the annual Celtic Festival and concert series. His passion for the winery is clear, and we learned so much from him. 2015 is going to be a big year for Spyglass as they plan to add a brick oven and begin distilling VODKA. We'll definitely be back to sample both next year!

SKEETER'S BBQ PIT (Shamokin Dam, PA) - Lunch time! We found a great spot overlooking the river that served pulled pork, pulled chicken, and homemade cornbread. A casual mid-day stop with a great view!

Benigna's Creek Winery

BENIGNA'S CREEK WINERY (Klingerstown, PA) - Even though she was sick that day, Jennifer (the events coordinator), was so nice! She took the time to give us a full tour of the winery and explained every step of their winemaking process. It truly made me appreciate the time and labor that it takes to produce a bottle of wine. From handpicking each bunch of grapes to bottling the wine for sale - the process is a lot of work (but the end results are certainly worth it)!

ARMSTRONG VALLEY WINERY (Halifax, PA) - Our final stop was right in my hometown! We started out in the tasting room where we all loved their CHA CHA (a carbonated white) mixed with their CRANBERRY wine. So good! I also picked up a few bottles of my favorite: their semi-dry RUTTER RED. Afterward we took a hayride through the vineyard! Midway through, they stopped the tractor and we were given the opportunity to taste grapes straight off the vine. So flavorful!

And at the end of the day, we had something even sweeter than wine to enjoy... our amazing group raised $275 for ISAIAH 61's homeless ministry. The money will help to provide warm and nutritious meals for many that are homeless in Dauphin County! Let's raise our glasses to that!

Our beautiful group! Thanks for a great day!

Catching Up With Coworkers

Kate showing me the ropes!

Two weeks ago I was sitting with Kate Savidge, Central Penn College's Enrollment Events Specialist (now account executive for Tanner Furniture). It was her last day, and I was getting a crash course on what would soon be my new role at the College!

As we went over event planning processes, student worker schedules, and student store inventory, we put one important date on our calendar - a happy hour to recap on the first few weeks in our new roles!

We met Friday night at Lancaster Brewing Company to fulfill that promise. And we found out it had been a busy two weeks for us both! Kate was getting to know her awesome new team and working with her first official clients. I was having fun getting to know our student workers (who have renamed themselves JARS - Junior Admissions Reps) and prepping for my first big event - Discovery Day.

As Kate and I talked at the bar, I began to notice a few other familiar faces in the room. As it turned out, one of my former employers, JPL Creative, was having a farewell party for Jeannie Kollar-Harvey, who has called JPL her professional home for the past eight years.

A few of my favorite faces from JPL. Jeannie is in the center in pink!

I was only at JPL for a short time, but it still felt great to see the people that made my time there so meaningful. There's nothing like catching up with old friends like Jeannie, WB, Kdog, Laura, Jill, Michael, Zen, AJ, Jason, Katy, and more; seeing updated pictures of kiddos now six years older (and A LOT taller); hearing about engagements, weddings, and milestones; and planning future opportunities to connect (Yep, I'm expecting to see ALL of you in one of my Zumba classes)!

And I thought it was super cool that two very different moments in my life seemed to intersect so randomly. But is life ever really random?

I walked to my car that night and I realized two things: 

(1.) I have had the opportunity to work with some really cool people! At JPL I was continually inspired by the talent and creativity surrounding me. I had never really considered myself to be a "creative" person, so most of the time I was absolutely awestruck by what they were doing! And although I'm still not a self-identified "creative" person, the team at JPL did help to strengthen that side of me. I'd like to say that a little of that JPL spirit rubbed off on me before I left!

(2.) Those cool people don't stop at the doors of JPL. I've been blessed to work with some amazing talent at Cumulus Media, the American Cancer Society, HACC, and now Central Penn College - and they've helped to teach me, too. At every stop on my professional journey, I've walked away with new skills and experiences to make me better!

As I begin my new job as Enrollment Events Coordinator at Central Penn, I'm excited to think about the new ways I'll learn and grow. Who will I connect with? What challenges will I have? What new strengths will I develop? I can't wait to find out!

To Jeannie: Congratulations!! I'm so glad I could share in your evening, and I wish you the best in your new position! Looking forward to seeing you at Zumba class! :)

To Kate: We are two weeks in! Woo hoo! Thanks for the many ways you have helped me to prepare me for this position. I'm looking forward to our next happy hour recap!

To YOU: What new skills are you learning at your job that you are excited about? Share them in the comments below!

Moving Past Mistakes

Help For The Homeless Dinner 2010
One of my favorite student-led events!

Working in higher ed, I've been blessed to play a small role in the lives of some AMAZING, AWE-INSPIRING STUDENTS. I tell them I need to start an autograph wall to get their signatures now (while I can still afford them)! They are all destined for GREAT THINGS!

As student affairs practitioners, I think we are innately wired to see the limitless potential in our students. No matter where they are, we challenge them to GO FURTHER. And it's very cool to watch them become leaders on their campus (and eventually in their communities).

Recently one of my former students was accused of making a mistake - a BIG one. And I've been reading some pretty awful statements on social media. This particular student definitely was one for the autograph wall - a natural leader, organized, determined. In the short time that I knew him he certainly affected his campus and his community for the better. And then, THE MISTAKE. In an instant, the many positive conversations that were once surrounding this student turned negative.

As humans, we are messy, fallible, and imperfect. We fall short again, and again (and again). And very rarely is it because we are bad people. Nope - it's just not that cut and dry. Think of a mistake that you've made or something you've done that has hurt someone else (and yes, we ALL have something). Now consider why you made the decision you did. How have you changed from that mistake? What have you learned?

Don't get me wrong. We should be held accountable for our mistakes. And if guilty, this student will face the ramifications of his actions for the rest of his life. But I refuse to believe that he is any less than he once was. That limitless potential? IT'S STILL THERE. 

Whether guilty or innocent, I'm still keeping his autograph on my wall. He's still learning. We all are. And that means that THIS STORY ISN'T OVER. For this student, and for all of us: We make mistakes, but mistakes don't make us. Let's not allow our mistakes to define us. Instead let's reach into our limitless potential, turn things around, and get back to doing those GREAT THINGS we are destined for!

To this particular student: I'm still cheering for you.

#studentaffairs #highered #studentlife #potential

Mile 11 and Mary Kay

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph. 

~Author Unknown

On Sunday morning Shawna and I met on City Island to run the Harrisburg Half Marathon, a beautiful 13.1 mile course along the Susquehanna River. I'll be honest - we did NOT train well for this one. Yeah, we would get a long run in most weeks, but our longest distance before the race was just under nine miles. Yet there we were (along with close to 1,000 other runners) heading toward a distant finish line.

We started strong using the time to gab (as normal)! We were excited to see friends and family cheering for us along the route (Thanks Bob, Alex, Chrystal, Vincent, Rebecca, Danielle, Jodi, Nate, and all who came out)! But around mile 11 we hit a long stretch of silent pavement - no homemade signs to distract us, no people cheering - and we began to get TIRED.

Mary Kay Ash, the brilliant entrepreneur behind Mary Kay skincare and cosmetics often quoted E. H. Harriman when she said, "Much good work is lost for the lack of a little more." Could it be that our dreams are within our reach if we only give just a little bit more?

Mary Kay gives the example of height. Let's say you have a man of average height (5'8'). If you take away 10% (a small amount, right?), he is now just over five feet. If you add 10%,  he's (as Mary Kay would say) "A GIANT."

Now let's think of our own lives. What difference would 10% make for us and our goals? What could we accomplish by giving just a little bit more?

When Shawna and I hit mile 11, we couldn't see the finish line. We were tired, and it would have been so easy to congratulate ourselves on what we had done and just stop there. BUT - all we had to do was give a little bit more and we could cross the finish line!

And so it is with so many of our goals. We get to a certain point and say "good enough." But let's not stop there! It's that final 10% - that final two miles - that can take us from "good enough" to GREAT. The finish line is right around the corner just waiting for us to arrive! 

What goal are you working toward? Where could an extra 10% take you?