Spirited Woman Blogger Team

Best Workout Food for Women On The Go

Energy bars, bottled smoothies and sports drinks are easy to throw in your gym bag, but other types of healthier food can be even better before or after your workout, for energy, stamina and hydration.

Spirited women have busy lives and it is enough of a challenge for you to fit in a workout, let alone prepare something healthy to eat before you do it. But, according to Women’s Health Magazine there are several foods that pack a punch during your fitness routine – and they are just as easy to grab and eat in the car on the way.

Here are some of my favorite choices:

Bananas - Thanks to bananas' high potassium content, peeling one is a speedy solution to that stitch in your side. While a lack of sodium is the main culprit behind muscle cramps, potassium plays a supporting role; you need it to replace sweat losses and help with fluid absorption. Bananas are also packed with energizing carbohydrates. One medium-size fruit has 400 milligrams of potassium and as many carbs (29 grams) as two slices of whole-wheat bread.

Whole Grain Bagels - Carbs are the optimal workout food. A whole-grain bagel is an ideal pre-sweat-session pick because the fiber causes you to digest it slowly, which will deliver a steady flow of energy over time rather than one big burst.

Berries - USDA researchers recently placed fresh berries on their list of the 20 foods richest in antioxidants. Just a handful of blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries are an excellent source of these potent nutrients, which protect muscles from free radical damage that might be caused by exercise. Shop for berries by the shade of their skin: The deeper the color, the healthier the fruit.

Turning Cartwheels in My Mind

Peak performers...see in their mind's eye the results they want and the actions leading to it. -- Charles Garfield, psychology professor, founder of The Shanti Project.

In my mind's eye, I'm turning cartwheels on the smooth grass at the top of a small hill in Eden Park in Cincinnati. I'm 13 years old and nearly as limber as an acrobat. Turning ten cartwheels in a row is easy for me. (Come to think of it, I also had a thing for cartwheel hats -- so romantic, so adventurous ...) Later that afternoon, I strapped on my roller skates (used a key to lock them), and flew down the street near where my parents and I were living. Free as a bird, up and down hills, rolling along through the neighborhood, taking in the scenery.

Fast forward to college: In my 20s I loved folk dancing, and learning music and dance from various countries -- England, Russia, Italy. I also liked the gracefulness of ballroom dancing. Modern dance? Not so much, but any dance that involved interesting music with a solid jazz or Latin beat -- yes.

Then in my 30s, 40s, and 50s, I seemed to keep in shape without too much effort, just because I was so incredibly busy. In my 60s, I ought to have been involved in a regular workout program, but wasn't. The bod beautiful was morphing into the bod-that-needed-an-exercise-program.

Now, I'm starting to go to my neighborhood gym (see my post Shaping Up) on a regular basis, and will even work with a trainer for a while, to get back in shape.

Maybe I'll never again be as agile as I was in my 20s, but I can surely be my sassy best self in my early 70s! My role model? Someone who's just eight months younger than I -- the one and only Tina Turner, a ball of fire and incredible energy and sexiness.

So while I may only turn cartwheels in my mind at this point,  I am ready to see what I can do physically, at this point.  Dance, yoga, swimming, walking -- they all hold appeal.  Up and at 'em!

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
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Travel Is Not Always About Travel - Whew, What an Experience

I've had trouble in the past two weeks finding even ten minutes to sit down and scribble out a blog post. Let me tell you why.

I'm on my city's advisory board for our Sister Cities Association, and this year, we got it into our heads to pull off a miracle. You see, in our town we have a Memorial Weekend relay race called Ski to Sea. In seven legs of various different athletic activities, participants make their way from the top of our local volcanic mountain (Mount Baker) down to our bay. They do downhill and cross-country skiing, mountain biking, road biking, running, canoeing and kayaking all the way down the mountain until they reach sea level.

The Sister Cities Association has frequently hosted foreign visitors who wish to participate in this event; last year we had a whole team come from our South Korean sister city, Cheongju. We had so much fun in 2010, that we decided we'd like to bring someone from EACH of our seven sister cities. We worked with a local financial institution which donated half of the funds for airfare for one athlete each from the various countries and then we reached out to the community to provide matching money for the second half needed.

The money came in, equipment was borrowed, host families were found, parties were planned, and then... people began arriving. Last week more than 20 people (some countries chipped in and sent more than one delegate) arrived in my little town in Washington from Mongolia, South Korea, Japan, Finland, Russia, Australia, and Chile. We had seven languages being translated for each event and seven sets of customs to share with one another. Need I say the whole week has been exciting!?

I had two Japanese women staying with me in my home. One of them had hosted me when I visited her town two years ago for their local marathon race. Just yesterday I said goodbye to my two visitors and, in simplified English with lots of charades to assist, I told them I would come to Japan and visit as soon as I can. Pictures and details about the whole weekend will gradually be posted on our Sister Cities website if you're interested - www.bsca.org.

Yes, I view "travel" in its simplest form as an opportunity to go from this place (here) to that place (there), but my philosophy of travel is to experience intercultural relationships, whether the swap of culture is international or merely regional. One doesn't really have to leave home to take part in that kind of travel. One only needs to open her home. In my next post I'll give some practical suggestions regarding how to get involved with offering hospitality to visitors coming from far and wide, that is once I've caught my breath.

- Cami Ostman, www.7marathons7continents.com, www.camiostman.net
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Best Walking Trails - On Six Continents - Part One

As you know, if you follow this blog, I'm an avid runner as well as an enthusiastic traveler. I tend to travel in a fairly rustic manner (one carry-on bag, staying in hostels and taking public transportation), but that doesn't mean I don't value a good shower and a well-prepared meal even on a long trek. I may have been to all seven of the world's continents, but many of the places I write about here, I ache to get to in the next few years.

Today, I want to start to tell you about my wish list for top walking treks around the world (well, in my case, I'll probably run some parts of these trails, but you can walk if you'd like). This week I've listed my top "must walk/run" trails on three continents; next week I'll cover three more land masses. Antarctica will have to be a post all on its own for another time.

Europe - The West Highland Way, Scotland. Ever since reading about C.S. Lewis' love for the area, I've wanted to walk the West Highland Way (which runs for 96 miles from Glasgow to Fort William). I visited Scotland in 2000 and friends of mine drove me beside a portion of the trail. This only further wetted my appetite for traveling the Way. This is a very well traveled walking path, so there are plenty of services available as you go. Accommodations include "bothies" (basic shelters for camping), bunkhouses and hostels, B&Bs and hotels---the whole gamut. Lodging fills up fast during the summer I've been told, so get a head start and plan now for next year.

Spain - Camino de Santiago de Compestelo (or The Way of Saint James). This walking route is considered a spiritual journey. The history of pilgrims on this route is long and varied (over a thousand years). Nowadays, a traveler can choose to do some or all of the hundreds of kilometers available, allowing modern transportation to get you to your starting point and back from your final destination. The ultimate goal is to end up at the Catheral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where it is said the apostle James is buried. Hostels and services are sprinkled along the route, so you can travel lighter than on other walking trails throughout the world. Bring a journal and be ready to encounter other spiritual sojourners.

Part of Being a Spirited Woman is Doing Well Under Pressure

As we reach the last few weeks of track season we reach the first week of championship season. Championship season is basically the “this is it” moment and includes conference, districts, and, of course, the state meets. While every meet you run is important these are the highest because it gives your school the opportunity to earn hard-to-achieve titles -that in the running world are very desirable because to say your school was state champion for track is very cool!

While you don’t need to run a certain time to be eligible for conference or districts, nor place a certain place to get to them they are still races that keep you on edge because everyone wants to do well.

Tomorrow is my conference meet. While it is the least exciting of all the championship meets you can still feel the buzz in the air of all the runners anxiously waiting to race or see how they did. When I approach the starting line at any race I like to remind myself that I have trained hard to get this far.

Part of being a Spirited Woman is doing well under pressure. Not everyone does, but at large meets like this, I have to not lose myself in the completion or my times won’t be my best. Pressure can be hard to deal with, but if you approach a situation with confidence you will excel.

Alice, The Spirited Kid
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Return to Vibrancy

My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass. -- Terri Guillemets, creator of The Quote Garden

I've realized for some time that my usually exuberant health is below par. Most of the problems I've been having are related to the stress of attempting to surf the dangerous waves in the economy and surviving until better days arrive. Another cause of my less-than-excellent health is quite simple: I've been sitting at the computer too much and haven't been getting out and walking.

Well, that's an easily corrected situation, isn't it? Hmmmm....not as easy as you might think. The solution does not just involve putting on walking shoes and a warm jacket, opening the front door, going through the front door, and closing the door behind me.

Nooooooo........I actually have to get my mind wrapped around the concepts that (1) it's OK for me to leave the computer for an hour and go for a walk, (2) I just might enjoy a stroll around the neighborhood, and (3) although the short-term benefits of regular walking are immediate, the long-term benefits are indisputable.

So, after considerable back-and-forth dialogue with myself, I was convinced that going for a brief walk would be good for me. I walked along the path past the tennis courts to the nearby town of Ross, and sauntered down the quirkily named Shady Lane. Along the way, I exchanged "good morning" greetings with about six smiling people, and even heard roosters crowing lustily behind one of the intricate gates that protect the gorgeous homes on the street. All in all -- dare I admit it? -- the walk was kind of fun! I think I'll do it again today, and every day that it isn't raining...

One small step toward getting back in balance....

Good health is not something you need to get; it's something you already have, if you don't disturb it. -- Dr. Dean Ornish, founder of program for reversing heart disease

Linda Jay Geldens, www.LindaJayGeldens.com
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Try Something New

Tuesday was my last middle school track meet forever. In honor of the last meet a few of my friends and I decided we would do something we have never done before. In track there are a multitude of events and between the four of us there was only three we had never tried. After discussing for about five minutes we decided we would do discus. In track discus is an event in which you try to throw a metal disc as far as you can. This seemed like an odd event for me to do because I have very little arm strength.

As we approached the discus cage the coach gave all of us a disc to get used to holding. To my surprise the disc wasn’t heavy it was only 2-3 pounds. After a few test throws I discovered I could throw in the middle to high 30s. On our track the first line is at 40 feet away. The lines are just to make it easier on the referee’s - so you can get an estimate of how far you can throw. After realizing how close I was to the line I decided to make it my goal to throw past it.

When we got to the meet the next day, all four of us went straight to the discus for practice. When we were there we realized our throws were a lot worse than in practice because our throws were so far from the line. Then a coach informed us that the line was 50 feet away at this track and we realized that our throws were about the same. When it was my turn to throw for the first time I entered the cage and gave it my best shot. It wasn’t my best throw, but I still had two more.

When my second throw came I threw it over 40 feet! I was so glad I had accomplished my goal. My third throw was a little less than my second, but they take your furthest throw. In the end I was really glad I tried something new. Though I have already said this, trying something new is part of being a Spirited Woman because it challenges you and in the end you may end up enjoying it.

Alice, The Spirited Kid
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Seacamp

Last week I went to Seacamp with my grade. It is a camp in the Florida Keys where you learn about marine biology. It was so much fun. I saw sharks, fish, coral and sponges in the water. I also dissected algae and found 45 starfish. It was the coolest trip ever.

On the trip I learned how to snorkel. Learning how to snorkel was a challenge at first, but I got the hang of it after a while.

Believe it or not, tubeworms were one of my favorite parts of Seacamp! They are worms about 1 centimeter wide that live underwater in walls or rocks. At the top they have little cilia-like arm-things. They are pinkish reddish. They are cool to look at, but it is more fun to touch them. When you touch them they shoot back into the wall really fast. It scared me the first time I did it because I thought I killed the worm. I later found out it was fine.

We also played a game where we camouflaged ourselves. I was camouflaged in mud. When I came out it was so gross! On the way home we got to feed Tarpon. They are GIANT fish. We fed them sardines. Overall I had a great time at Seacamp.

Traveling and having new adventures can rejuvenate your spirit. Taking a break from your routine helps your creativity blossom again. Even though I was learning new things, I didn’t have to study for tests which is stressful, so Seacamp gave my mind a break. I also got to move in the water instead of sitting in a desk, so this gave my body a break. Being in the ocean also reminded me how vast the world truly is. And I made new memories. All of these things keep me spirited, and I hope you take the time to travel and find new parts of your spirit this summer too!

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
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Let the Meets Begin

Today was the first track meet of the season. I finally got out of class and changed into my track pants and headed off to the bus. At the bus, I was given my track shirt by my coach and I felt ready to run.

The bus ride was long and boring. I closed my eyes and I focused on my race strategy. It felt nice to relax right before the meet.

Once we got to the meet I warmed up and stretched out. My first event, the mile, wasn’t for an hour. I had plenty of time to get ready. I began to notice an unusual pain in my groin and when my dad came I mentioned it to him. My groin still hurt but I decided to run.

It was cold outside and taking off my jacket at the start of the mile wasn’t my first priority. I finally managed to take it off just as the gun blew. I started my race strong.

Lap1… Lap 2… Lap 3… Lap 4… FINISH!

I finished the mile in ninth place at a time of 6:38, which is a new personal best. I was so happy I jumped up and down.

After the mile were two other events and the sprint medley. A sprint medley is a relay with four people where two run 100 meters, then somebody runs 200 meters, and then the last person runs 400 meters. I was the 400 meter runner for this medley and our team won! I was so happy.

I then went home and showered and felt good that I accomplished what I did.

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
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The Victory Prance

Bragging about and celebrating a win are very different, but often get confused in a 7th grade gym class. We started soccer (a very popular sport in my grade) and things get rough. Every time I score a goal (which isn’t often because I don’t like the sport) I like to do a victory dance. My friend and I thought it looked like we were bragging and decided to use our creative energy to do something funny instead.

We came up with…THE VICTORY PRANCE.

Every time my friend and I score a goal or win a game we skip up and down the field shouting "victory prance."

It’s really funny actually.

At first we got weird looks that we ignored because we didn’t care what other people thought about our prance.

Part of being a Spirited Woman is celebrating in your own way. I think if you are creative while doing it the game is more fun.

Challenge: Make your own victory symbol or dance.

- Alice, The Spirited Kid
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