Learning from the Best...

Hello January!

The new year is here, and so is the 6th annual Lose It For Lou Gehrig's Wellness Challenge.

For the first 6 weeks of every year I run an informal wellness challenge with friends and family to raise funds for the ALS Association - a tradition since my brother-in-law, Perry, was diagnosed with ALS in 2013. 

Each week I create a bonus challenge worth 50 points (which can be a big boost to our scores if we achieve the mission). This week each competitor was asked to pick their top weakness when it comes to health and wellness – AND find a solution! How? By reaching out to someone who has already conquered it!

When designing this bonus challenge, I thought specifically about lessons learned from Tony Robbins (I was lucky enough to see him live in November). When Tony talks about achieving mastery in any area, he puts a lot of emphasis on reaching out to learn directly from the best! Talk to the people who have not only done it, but NAILED it! Learn how they did it, then do the same!

So what weakness did I pick to tackle? Consistency.

Right now we are in the throws of the challenge, so I've been able to keep my focus. Healthy lunches are getting backed, pizza is getting ignored, and I'm spending lots of quality time with my running shoes. But I'm already nervous about when the challenge ends. How do I take the habits I've built and ingrain them into my daily life? 

It was time for me to learn directly from the best! I thought of some of the fitness-oriented folks I know who have truly made fitness and health a part of their lifestyle, and reached out to learn their secrets!

Here are the top tips they shared... 

CHANGE YOUR MINDSET. Lindy's top tips focused on mindset. One biggie... thinking about healthy habits as just that - a habit - NOT something that I "have to" do or that I'm being selfish for doing. She shared, "When I don’t [exercise] I actually feel like I’m missing something in my day." In terms of food, she encouraged making small changes one at a time (instead of a compete diet overhaul). "I think [making small changes] is key to continuing to eat healthfully and mindfully for life versus just a short period for a diet." But what happens when I eat a few too many Thin Mints? She says, "I also think not having the all-or-nothing mentality is key... Just because you mess up one day doesn’t mean you can’t ever get back on track again." 

Lindy Lissner (Group Fitness Instructor and Personal Trainer, Gold's Gym Linglestown)

DO SOMETHING THAT SUCKS EVERY DAY. Jim's message was one about discipline and really controlling the stimuli around you. He shared, "90% of the time we listen to the [voice] that’s telling us it’s okay eat that extra slice of pizza or not to exercise today. A disciplined mind will ignore that voice 90% of the time. That’s the difference." He suggests mapping out my food and nutrition for the entire week, and compared it to following instructions at work or school. At the start of my week, I write down those instructions and then I follow them! One final tip that I loved? "Do one thing everyday that sucks (that you don’t like doing). It will keep you true and honest with yourself." Worth a watch: https://youtu.be/Zy5c2k3W458 

Jim Wix (Personal Trainer, Precision Training Concepts)

GO THE DISTANCE. Nate suggested focusing on continued effort - not perfection. "You aren’t perfect!... There will be times you eat great and times you mess up, but... Messing up just gives you another chance to try again! And as long as you continue to try and never quit you will reach your end goal." He also compared our wellness journeys to a marathon (not a sprint). We should celebrate our small accomplishments along the way, and use those smaller accomplishments as fuel to propel us to keep going! One final idea that I'm going to put into place... Nate shared, "I write my visual goals out and hang them in my bathroom so when I wake up to brush my teeth that is a constant reminder of what I’m working towards!" 

Nate Offer (Master Trainer, Strong by Zumba)

FIND MY TRIBE. According to Kindra, "Having a little community of liked minded people helps a lot. People who will drink and eat chips and pizza with you (and make you feel no shame) and then turn around and rock high fat low carb Monday to Friday." I agree! It's awesome when the people around us help us to be the best versions of ourselves! She also stressed the importance of knowing your body - What makes it feel good? What doesn't? She shared, "I stopped thinking of food from a size/weight perspective and more from a do-I-feel-yucky-on-the-inside perspective."

Kindra McMillan (Co-Owner of The Studio, Zumba and Strong by Zumba Instructor)

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So many great tips to help me build consistency and make health and wellness a permanent part of my lifestyle! THANK YOU Lindy, Jim, Nate, and Kindra! 

What tips spoke to you? Have any great tips of your own? Share them in the comments!

*Side note: You can read more about Perry and past wellness challenges at the following links: 2014 (year 1) and 2015 (year 2).

The Sound of Silence

Silence.
Can you hear it? 

Lately I find myself driving with the radio completely turned off. The only noise I hear is the engine running - a kind of white noise that blends into the background, completely unnoticed. I find it's one of the few times that I can manage to slow down my thoughts just a little. The tornado of to-do's and what-if's will slow down to a breeze - at least for awhile.

This past week was chaotic.

• My dad went in for heart surgery. (Check him out stealing a french fry post-surgery! Don't worry - he just had one!) 
• My youngest kid, Max, lost the use of one of his back legs and had to go to the vet for a biopsy. 
• At work, my department faced some unexpected and significant staffing changes.

(Don't they say things always happen in 3's?)

I consider myself to be a minimalist (or at least a minimalist in training). You can read about a few of my experiences with minimizing in 2017 and in 2015! I've been loving my clutter-free home, and continue to work on getting rid of "stuff."

Well, this past week was the first time I had the chance to test the mental side of minimalism. I was balancing hospital visits, pet meds, banquets, and pool parties. My mind was racing, and I had to find a way to "Cut - It - Out" (sorry, couldn't resist)! 

So how do we get rid of mental clutter? 
Here are two quick take-aways that we can put into practice today!

1. Breath. Let's take a clue from the Navy SEALS. SEALS are regularly put in high-stress situations, but did you know that they practice deep breathing in preparation for deployment? Deep breathing can help to decrease heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle tension. Check out this great website complete with timed imagery, and try breathing like a SEAL for yourself. CLICK HERE.

2. Turn off the radio. Did you every notice how some of your best ideas come to you when you are in the shower or out for a run? Studies show that there are benefits to what we often think of as "down time." In a recent training I attended with Chief Global Instructor for Apple, Kamran Loghman (organized by CEO John Dame), he presented this information and it stuck with me! Even though our minds aren't actively working on a problem, our minds are still working. So sometimes the best thing for us to do is to step away, hit the gym, take a walk, or even just turn off the car radio.

How do you get rid of mental clutter? Share your own thoughts in the comments!

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#minimalism #minsgame #experiencesnotthings #takeabreath

Can't Stop the Feeling: Off-Beat ZUMBA Instructor Leads Warm-Up

This Saturday as I departed Hersheypark Stadium, I walked to my car with my head hanging low. I joked to my partner-in-crime, Shawna Strine, about how the headlines would read "Off-Beat ZUMBA Instructor Leads Warm-Up at GOTR 5K." 

This Saturday I had one of those experiences that left me humbled, and I thought that others might find solace in my missteps - possibly in that "misery loves company" kind of way...

Or perhaps it's just good to know that life isn't perfect, and there is reason to celebrate the journey anyway! 

First, let me tell you a little about GOTR... 
Girls on the Run (GOTR) is a national nonprofit dedicated to, "creating a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams." This organization works to train young girls to run their first 5K race - all while sharing positive, self-esteem building messages! Girls on the Run aims to show these young girls that they truly are ROCKSTARS (certainly a mission that I can stand behind)! FYI... The organization is also responsible for the largest 5k series IN THE COUNTRY!

Pretty impressive, right? That's why for the past few years we have been proud to fundraise for this organization while training for distance runs through their Solemates program!

On to the 5K... 
When they needed someone to lead a short warm-up before their spring 5K, they looked right at their own volunteers... And our trio of licensed ZUMBA instructors was quickly formed: Shawna Strine, Dawn Clouse, and myself (fyi... Both Dawn and Shawna have also volunteered as Coaches)!

The Vision... 
I'm not going to lie. The thought of teaching ZUMBA on that massive stage was so exciting! This was a real-deal, professional, enormous, formidable, beautiful STAGE!! And we were going to get to teach on it!!!

In my visions, we were perfectly choreographed. I was able to balance teaching and crowd engagement with the utmost skill (making my Zumba Pro Skills Instructor, Steve Boedt, so very proud)! We got those girls PUMPED for their very first 5K!!

What actually happened was slightly different. 

The Reality... 
We waited backstage as they brought our awesome backup dancers on the stage - participants in the GOTR Heart and Sole program (Just another reason why this was going to be the coolest experience EVER)! We took the floor excitedly when we were motioned to enter.

Then it happened. The music came on, but there was one small problem... We couldn't hear it. At all.

So what do Zumba instructors do when they have NO CLUE what to do? Of course they smile and start dancing!!! For the next four minutes (possibly the longest four minutes of my life), the three of us rotated between super simple moves, smiled, clapped, and prayed that every so often we would hit the beat (we still haven't confirmed that we ever did).

The Take-Away... 
Ok, so the warm-up tanked. But we kept dancing - just like the girls that participate in the GOTR program. Some of those girls were about to begin a race they weren't sure they could finish. They had doubts. They had insecurities. But in the end, they pushed through it.

Over 2500 girls, coaches, buddies, and community members crossed the finish line at the Capital Area Girls on the Run Spring 5K!!

Things don't always turn out how we planned. But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate being there in the first place! No matter how many beats we hit in the warm-up/where we placed in the race/etc., we all kept dancing! The fact that we got to stand on that stage and show our support for those girls is incredible (and certainly an experience we will remember for a long time to come)!

"...Ain't nobody leaving soon, so keep dancing." Justin Timberlake, CAN'T STOP THE FEELING!

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Help Girls on the Run to show young girls that they are SUPERSTARS! Become a Solemate, Volunteer to coach, or make a donation. 

#gotr5k #finishstrong #girlsrule #zinlife #zumbalove #cantstopthefeeling 

Playing the #Minsgame: My First Month as a Minimalist

“Love people, use things. The opposite doesn’t work.” 

― Joshua Fields Millburn, Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

For the past month, I've been embracing a life with less.

It started with a documentary, randomly discovered when scrolling through Netflix - Minimalism, the story of two 20-something corporate execs  -Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus (a.k.a. The Minimalists) - who found happiness when they dumped their stuff and started living life with intention. (I actually got to meet these super inspiring guys just a few weeks ago, but that is a story for another post!) 

Flash forward to a Facebook post from my friend and amazing photographer, Deb Schell, asking if anyone wanted to join her in something Joshua and Ryan call the #minsgame.

#Minsgame: Here's the deal.. April 1 - purge one item, April 2 - purge two items, April 3 - purge three items... April 30 - purge 30 ITEMS!! At the end of the month, you've dumped 465 unneeded items from your home!

Deb and I decided April was the month and found 20(!) friends to join us in the fun!

It started out easy. Just one random cup from the kitchen, two unwatched DVDs from the shelf. As the month progressed, the numbers increased. But, as it turned out, I had no shortage of "stuff" to send on it's way! (The pics throughout this post show just a few of the "treasures" that found new homes.)

Every day I found another nook or cranny that held things I hadn't touched or used in years. Some highlights:

• My AP Style Guide from my days as a journalism major at SHIP. It was 15 years old. Believe it or not, this outdated reference book was one of the hardest things for me to get rid of!!
• Old school projects. Yep, 15+ years old!! 
• Costumes! We run a lot of races where we feel costumes are important (of course they are)! It was time to let go of ninja turtle shells, cowboy hats, and devil horns. 
• Paper! Including Puggy's vet records since 2003 and exit interviews and work evals since I've started working full time!

Some benefits: 

• Things that were just gathering dust in my care have been donated and will now get a second life. My books will be read, my wedding dress will be worn, my movies will be watched, my dishes will once again sit on a kitchen table (just not mine)!
• Old treasures have been recovered. In the back of my kitchen cabinet, I found a mug given to me by a very dear friend. It sits in the back because when it comes to coffee, mug size matters, and this one just didn't cut it. Thanks to this challenge, I re-purposed this mug to hold makeup brushes, and now I get to enjoy it everyday! This was a great reminder that stuff is meant to be USED and APPRECIATED,  not STORED and FORGOTTEN.  
• My house is calm. This part is hard to describe, but my home has a different energy with less stuff. I have a different energy with less stuff! My day-to-day life is fast-paced, and it feels GREAT to not have clutter slow me down. I didn't even realize it was! 

The #minsgame was an awesome challenge! Want to try it for yourself? CLICK HERE and get started! Post in the comments to let me know how it goes!! 

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A look at my next big challenge... PROJECT 333!

#minimalism #minsgame #experiencesnotthings 

After the Campaign - Why I Won When I Lost

I can't believe it's over... We made it through ten unforgettable weeks of fundraising in my campaign to be the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's 2015 Woman of the Year. And everyone's wondering, "Did you win?"

Well I didn't earn the title of "Woman of the Year" but I did win. In fact, all of the candidates did. Here's why... 

I won because Cathy Jennings believed in me enough to nominate me for this crazy adventure. 

I won because my employer, Central Penn College, gave me their full support and encouraged me every step of the way. 

 
I won because I got to team up with amazing businesses and organizations like Roundtable Productions, Mint Photobooth, the Conference Center at Central Penn College, Lancaster Brewing Company, the Local 520 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union, The Jason Barshinger Band, Pamela's Flowers, Appalachian Brewing Company, Amuse Uncorked, Gold's Gym Linglestown and Camp Hill, Halifax School District, Konhaus Marketing, and Arooga's. 

 
I won because I got to meet and learn from some incredible former candidates! Tania Srouji, Abeer Srouji-Allen, Rene Krebs, Brent Eshelman, Bob Carey, and more. I even got to team up with Nick and Dorothy Ferraro for an Elvis Tribute Show featuring The Philly Elvis! 

 
I won because I got to spend ten weeks having fun and raising money with the BEST CAMPAIGN TEAM EVER - including my husband, my family, and my besties! I can't believe how lucky I am to have this group in my life! They lugged masses of yard sale items all over Central PA, wrapped what felt like thousands of candy bars in gift wrap, allowed their homes to be overrun with BINGO prizes, sat in the hot sun (while getting yelled at by shop owners), dressed up as penguins and hotdogs to collect donations on the street corner, made whoopie pies, sold soup, battled with orange cones, pounded the pavement to solicit donations, and even helped me to Facebook-stalk my competitors (just a little!)! 

I won because I have a circle of family, friends, and colleagues full of generosity and heart who donated prizes, bought raffle tickets, attended events, and donated. Your support meant so much. 

I won because I had some fierce competition to motivate and inspire me! All 11 candidates were amazing! I'm honored to be in their ranks! Huge congrats to our newly-named 2015 Man and Woman of the Year, Bryan Laudermilch and Jen Fertenbaugh (fyi... she raised over $74,000!!!)! 

 
I won because - TOGETHER - we raised a crazy amount of money (our team raised $21,810, and the candidates combined raised over $270,000!!!!). That money will ensure that kids like our Boy and Girl of the Year (Chase and Ady), our spouses, our parents, our siblings, and our loved ones will be able to live in a cancer-free world. Someday truly is TODAY.

Thank you everyone for an incredible ten weeks. I am so amazed and proud of what we were able to accomplish together! 

#somedayistoday #mwoy2015

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Week Eight and The "Henrietta" Dance

Eight weeks ago I began this crazy adventure to become the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's 2015 Woman of the Year. I remember thinking that ten weeks (the length of the campaign) was such a long period of time (It isn't!!). And today we are just 14 days away from the finale - just 14 days until we meet again at the Radisson to see who earned the title!

We've gotten a lot accomplished in the past eight weeks (thanks in FULL to my amazing campaign committee): Two Zumbathons, a yard sale, BINGO, and more. But we still have lots to come in these final weeks: the Poker Run, the Elvis Tribute Show, Wine and Paint Night, and a Murder Mystery.

I'll admit it - this morning I felt tired. I was ready to for this campaign to be over! I kept thinking about all we have yet to do in the next two weeks, and it was overwhelming. Last year's Woman of the Year, Kathy McCauslin-Cadieux, joked that there would be a moment that we would see a bus and consider getting on it (or stepping out in front of it). I may have hit that moment.

BUT... just as I thought my will to fundraise had given out on me, I was given a reminder of why this campaign is so important. 

Today was our monthly visit to the Hershey Children's Hospital as part of the Soaringwords + Zumba Fitness program. Along with Stephanie Okuniewski and Cindy Riess, we led a Zumba Fitness class for the patients and families staying there.

One amazing little girl danced with us the entire time - she was energetic and vivacious and insanely adorable! Forget our choreo, this little girl was creating her own dance moves! She was teaching us! She even helped us to create some fun new choreo named after her chicken, Henrietta (check out the video below)!

This girl should not have to deal with being sick. Kids like our Boy and Girl of the Year, Chase and Ady, should not have to deal with being sick. Our loved ones - spouses, parents, cousins, neighbors - should not have to deal with being sick.

Is it crazy to think that WE have the power to make cancer a think of the past?

Every dollar raised gets us one step closer to finding a cure, and allows kids like Chase, Ady, and our amazing little dancers today to just be kids!

So I am bracing myself for the final charge to the finish line. I can't quit. I have two more weeks - two more weeks to use to change the future for cancer patients and their families.

Will you join me? Please donate now or purchase tickets to one (or more!) of our upcoming fundraising events:

1. POKER RUN - THIS SATURDAY, May 30 (departs 10am) at the Local 520 Union Hall, Harrisburg
2. ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW WITH NICK FERRARO - THIS SATURDAY, May 30 at Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg
3. WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED - Monday, June 1 (6-8pm) at Best Western Premier
4. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - Thursday, June 4 (6:30pm) at The Conference Center at
   Central Penn College
5. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Sunday, June 7 (2-4pm) at Gold's Gym Camp Hill

You can also shop for the cause: 

1. JAMBERRY PARTY - Order online through May 31
2. TSHIRT SALES - Order through May 29, $12 each
3. MARY KAY SATIN HANDS PROMO - Earn some bling when you sell 10 of our specially packaged hand creams, $15 each

Thanks so much for your continued support through this campaign! See you at the finale!! #somedayistoday #mwoy2015

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!

Weeks 5 and 6: Over Half Way!

When people ask me how my campaign to be the 2015 Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Woman of the Year is going, I simultaneously experience two powerful and contradictory feelings. Part of me begs for the weeks to slow down - I have so much left to do! Then the other part wonders how I'll make it through the final four weeks! I'm so thankful for my campaign committee (30 people strong). They are such a huge source of support - and I'm continually inspired by all that the team is accomplishing!

Each week of the campaign challenges me to learn and grow in new ways. During week five, the LLS office challenged us to have a CALL PARTY to call 30 people to ask them for $100 - this was painful for me! Luckily Shawna Strine and Deb Schell were willing to join me (and Steph Okuniewski virtually)! We ended up having a fun night drinking margaritas at Arooga's - end earning a $500 bonus for our efforts! I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone (a lot), and I know that will be beneficial to me long after this campaign is over.

TEAM YARD SALE also saw their big event come into fruition! This one was LOTS of work, but a ton of fun! We had face painting, carnations for all moms thanks to Pamela's Flowers, yummy food thanks to Mama's Soup Coupe, baked goods, and masses of treasures for shoppers to take home! I can't say thanks enough to our event team Kim Lehman, Shawna Strine, Steph Okuniewski, Mandie Levan, and Heather Kat Stouffer; our sales "managers" Shawn Thoman and Brian Okuniewski; our "stock team" Rita Goodyear Thoman, Barry T, LuAnn Gallup, and Lexy Pollack Ridgley; and the MANY people who donated merchandise or came to the sale!

Other ways to get involved:

1. We have a jamberry party going on through the end of the month (Thanks Dawn Leeson). 
2. We are taking orders for tshirts (Thanks Artistic Imprints). 
3. We even created a special Mary Kay satin hands promo where you can earn some bling when you sell 10 of our specially packaged hand creams (Thanks Kimm Moore)! 

Upcoming events:

1. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Saturday, May 23 (1-3pm) at Halifax Elementary School
2. POKER RUN - Saturday, May 30 (departs 10am) at the Local 520 Union Hall, Harrisburg
3. ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW WITH NICK FERRARO - Saturday, May 30 at Appalachian Brewing Company, Harrisburg
4. WINE AND PAINT NIGHT WITH AMUSE UNCORKED - Monday, June 1 (6-8pm) at Best Western Premier
5. MURDER MYSTERY DINNER - Thursday, June 4 (6:30pm) at The Conference Center at Central Penn College
6. ZUMBATHON CHARITY EVENT - Sunday, June 7 (2-4pm) at Gold's Gym Camp Hill

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More than 1.1 million Americans are currently living with or in remission from a blood cancer. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed. Every ten minutes, someone dies from these cancers. They are men, women and children of every race and every age. Learn more at lls.org. 

Look for event and campaign updates on my blog and on my personal fundraising page!