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Meeting new challenges zip lining in Utah

Taking on Some New Challenges

July 13, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

I consider a big part of Becoming Elli to be taking on new challenges. Some are physical, some are mental. Some, like the veggie challenge, are habits.

As some of you know, I live in Summit County, Ohio, USA. By the name of it, you might think we are located on the top of a mountain, but in my county, the elevation peaks at just over 1,000 feet (325m) from sea level.

So when I had the opportunity last weekend to visit Utah and do some outdoor activities, I figured the higher elevation of around 7,000 feet above sea level would give me some challenge. And it did!

But it was the mental challenges that really gave me a bit of a work out!

Glad I’ve been working on “Becoming Elli” so I could enjoy the new challenges.

Hiking in the Mountains

I like to walk. I like to ride bikes. And I like to *hike* but there are usually disclaimers when I tell someone I like to hike. As frequent readers know, I am careful not to let my Achilles tendonitis or my piriformis act up to avoid injury.

This hike was a challenge due to the trail being loose and rocky. It was considered an intermediate hike.

I know that some hikes can turn into mountain climbing. Some are too fast paced for me. I took my time with this hike, stopping often to take photos and drink water.

I hike at a pace that some people might define as window shopping. Taking an intermediate trail was a bit challenging for me, so I took it at a window-shopping pace last Saturday when I hiked to Stewart Falls and back. Seeing the majestic scenery did feel like window shopping!

The elevation was higher than my body is used to and I tried my best to drink lots of water. Staying hydrated was a challenge. I drank 25 ounces of water during the hike and the hike definitely included heavy breathing, even with my fitness level.

Distance: 2.4 miles Elevation Gain: 672 feet (starting at 6880 elevation in the parking lot) Route Type: Out & Back The link is the trail that someone saved on the mapmyride app. Very fun and challenged my fitness level for sure!

The other challenge was not so much fitness-related, but was definitely going outside my comfort zone!

Zip Lining in Utah

Getting strapped into zip line gear felt a bit awkward, but I was glad to see the equipment holding me onto the cable was heavy duty.

The first zip was a short one to practice and gain confidence. That first moment of just hanging does take some courage.

While we were very high up, it was almost surreal and I think that is why I didn’t feel the anxiety I expected.
In all there were 5 different zips and each one was a little higher and longer than the last.

During the last zip down, while enjoying the scenery, I found myself holding my breath and had to remind myself to breathe!

I knew I would be zip lining for about a month and a half. I wondered how I would react when it was time to actually do it. New challenges met!

Have you ever challenged yourself outside your comfort zone? Wondered if you would actually have the courage when it came time to do the new challenge? Tell me about it. Leave a voicemail at 1-330-970-6662 or send an email to me at Chris@BecomingElli.com. Let me know what you did, where and how you felt before and afterwards.

From the top of Bear Claw after taking two ski lifts.

The Role of Discipline in Fitness

July 11, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Chris and I talked about the role of discipline in fitness in our podcast episode 35 of Fit Strong Women Over 50, Inspiration, Motivation and Discipline. Chris said she didn’t like the word discipline because it makes her think of punishment. You know, being disciplined by the teacher was what she was thinking about. I used the word as in being committed to something, as in having the discipline to do what is needed to achieve a goal.

I went to Dictionary.Com and looked for the definition of discipline. Here are the various definitions for the word:

Discipline

noun

training to act in accordance with rules; drill:military discipline.

activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training:A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer.

punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.

the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc.:the harsh discipline of poverty.

So, you can see that we were both right but just were thinking of different definitions.

When my son was younger, he played the bass in the school orchestra. He loved playing the bass and he played for many years. He went regularly to his lessons and never complained about going. However, he lacked the discipline to practice regularly so he never became as good as he could have.

His friend played the viola. He also took lessons but he practiced regularly and so he became a much stronger musician than my son. I don’t think he had more musical talent but I think he just worked harder. He was disciplined to practice daily and moved ahead in the school orchestra.

The same holds true for becoming fit. We talk about becoming like Elli, certainly a great goal, but we have to plan on how we’re going to actually do that. It takes some work for us to become fit and strong.

The first year that I ran a half marathon, I planned a training routine and I committed to it. I knew how often I needed to run each week and made the effort to do what I needed to do. I also made sure that I did my cross training. When I ran the race, it was great. I was happy with my results and I felt strong.

The next year I repeated the race but did not train as rigorously. I lacked the discipline for training that I needed. I finished the race, though in slower time than the year before, and quickly became injured.

The first part of this year was a challenge for me because I was still dealing with that injury. As soon as I was able, I started to train again. I began lifting weights at the gym and began to try to run again by using my Couch to 5K app. (I’ve written about this recovery before.) As I’ve gotten stronger, I’ve begun to become more disciplined in what I’m doing. I make sure that every day brings some kind of physical activity.

I’m beginning to see the benefits of that discipline. I feel stronger and healthier now that I’m moving more again.

Unlike practicing a musical instrument, practicing fitness means doing different things on different days. Discipline doesn’t have to mean doing something daily but it does mean making a commitment to some level of exercise and sticking to it.

I don’t want to strain certain muscles or joints so I try to mix it up, fitness wise. Right now, I try to go to yoga at least once a week, run no more than three times a week, and go to the gym for weights and boot camp at least three times a week. I also usually have a day where I just go for a good long walk.

I hesitated to commit to a race or really any kind of event but I’m beginning to see the benefits of having a specific goal on the calendar. If I know I have to run a certain distance on a particular date, I’ll work hard to meet that goal.

I’m starting to look for a 5K or 10K race that I think I’ll enjoy. I don’t know when I’ll be strong enough to run a half marathon. Maybe by this fall, but we’ll see. Being disciplined in my plan of training and cross training, I may be ready sooner than I think.

How do you use discipline in your training? Or do you just wing it? Feel free to share your thoughts on the role of discipline in fitness.

We’re also discussing this in our Facebook Becoming Elli Group so feel free to join us there too.

Ask Chef Laura Campbell – Episode #37

July 9, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

In episode 37 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 podcast, Jill and Chris interview Laura Campbell, a chef educator and lecturer in Cleveland Ohio.

We talk with her about our food system, teaching others about how to cook, her opinion about organic foods, preparing foods, and her favorite vegetables.

Since 2015, she has worked as the Chef Instructor for Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, whose mission is to serve and advocate for the oppressed, forgotten, and hurting. Prior to joining the LMM team, Laura spent four years with Mustard Seed Market in Solon, Ohio where her passion for culinary education surfaced in earnest.

Ask Chef Laura

Years of private catering and patisserie further paved the way for hospitality instruction.

She holds an associate degree in Culinary Arts from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and a B.A. in Geology from The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. Laura brings over twenty years of experience in the hospitality industry.

She lectures on a variety of topics including Culinary History, The Modern Food System, The Cooking Hypothesis, GMOs vs. Organics, and How to Navigate the Grocery Store. Laura also provides personal chef services, consulting and classes.

Follow her on Instagram: @askcheflaura
To learn more about her work at the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry, click here to read about the Central Kitchen and Culinary Arts Training Program where Laura instructs.

Kayaking: Trying a New Sport

July 6, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Have you ever been invited to do something fun, but you hesitated and said “NO” — Why did you say no? What’s that about?

Maybe because I’m getting older I find I feel like saying no because it’s outside my comfort zone.

I am trying to be more adventuresome and not say no to things. I want to continue to try new sports. Last month I participated in a terrain race. Definitely not in my comfort zone.

Last week a friend of mine invited me to go kayaking. She has two kayaks, with the floatation devices (AKA lifejackets), paddles, and a clever waterproof pack for valuables that will float if the boat gets flipped.

She did all the work getting them loaded into the back of her truck and getting everything ready. All I had to do was show up!

So why did I feel like hesitating? Probably because I didn’t have much experience kayaking.

When I was a teenager, I used to play on little sailboats, (Sunfish and Sailfish boats mostly) and I was almost fearless. I was very confident. Somewhere I left that Chris behind. Since I really didn’t have much experience maneuvering a kayak, I was coming up with reasons why not instead of saying yes. And although, I have used a canoe before (maybe 3 times), I have never tried kayaking or paddle boarding.

Guess What?? It was so much fun!

We kayaked by putting the boats in at an inlet of a lake called Mogadore Reservoir. There were lots of inlets with trees woods and wildlife. The sun was shining and there were lots of birds flying around. I’m not sure if they were blue herons or some type of loon.

The water was high (but not too high like the river walk I wrote about last week) and the lake was very cold. Just little ripples of wind showed up on the surface of the lake, no waves. In fact, in some places, it was downright hot on the water. I believe that the air temperature got up to 91 degrees, but it wasn’t too bad out on the lake when I’d dip the paddle in the water and let it run down my arm a little to cool off! So glad that I had the sunscreen on and I wore a baseball cap to help shade my face.

After my initial hesitation, my feelings turned into relaxation and enjoyment. What a fun way to spend a few hours on a sunny afternoon. I’m so glad I said YES!! I have to remember that it’s a fun thing to say yes! I’m definitely going kayaking again and I would recommend it to other women over 50 who are looking for a little bit of adventure outside their comfort zone.

I am trying to remember to try new things and not be too hard on myself for feeling hesitant.

About Kayaking
Kayaking has become a popular sport popular water sport. It seems like it has surpassed went windsurfing and sailboating, but is probably rivaled by paddleboarding. Canoeing has been popular for many many years. Kayaks are great for floating down the river (as long as the river isn’t too high!) or exploring the nooks and crannies of a lake nearby lake.

While I don’t have any statistics about how many kayaks have been sold in the last 5 years, it seems like this is a sport that is gaining momentum.

According to a report from the outdoor foundation.org posted on the American Canoe Association website, in 2017, 49% of the US population participated at least once in some sort of outdoor activity during 2017.

WOW! Half of the people in the US. Wow, that seems like a lot. But take a look at page 11 of the report. After age 50 how much that drops off. And outdoor activities for women crosses indoor activities at around age 20. Interesting. No surprise that the report said that the Outdoor Foundation says that walking, hiking and running are the most popular outdoor activities in the USA.

How about you? What new sports are you trying? Or thinking about trying? What seems too scary or outside your comfort zone to try? Leave a message below or call our voice mail at 330-970-6662 to leave a voice message. Let us know if it is okay to add you to an upcoming podcast.

Orthopedic Massage — What is It? What are Its Benefits?

July 4, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

What is Orthopedic Massage?

Last year I discovered the wonders of orthopedic massage. I spent several months last winter dealing with pain in my hip and leg. Basically, I had sciatica problems and a very sore piriformis muscle. The sciatica pain is caused by the nerve being pinched for some reason and causes pain to radiate across the back and down the leg. The piriformis muscle is a muscle deep in your buttock and apparently can become inflamed. When it does, it hurts. Let’s just leave it at that.

Earlier, when I was training hard on my running, my trainer suggested that I go see a local orthopedic massage. I went and it was heaven. Joanne was able to make those very sore muscles feel so much better. I also discovered that her clientele is almost exclusively athletes. She works with runners, from 5K to ultra marathoners. It’s not uncommon to hear a discussion about her services at my Saturday morning boot camp.

When the sciatica and piriformis flared up, she helped a lot by helping me get back into alignment and doing some stretches to reduce the pain. This was not a pleasant, feel-good massage. It hurt but by the time she finished, I felt better.

She also gave me some exercises to do and introduced me to the wonders of the lacrosse ball in muscle rehab.

So, what is orthopedic massage? It’s a massage that works on relieving soft tissue issues. You don’t have to have problems for this type of massage to be of benefit. It can help you recover from training and muscle fatigue. When you have a problem, the massage therapist should help figure out what’s wrong and be able to relieve the pain through massage and stretches.

Basically, orthopedic massage can help improve your range of motion, make it easier to move, and recover from injury. Think of it as part of your preventive health care.

How do you find someone who does orthopedic massage? Check with your local gym and chiropractor for referrals. Ask fellow athletes. Make sure the massage therapist is certified and confirm that they’re trained in orthopedic massage. You might look for this or for someone who does sports massage. It might be similar. Be sure to discuss what your problems are, where your sore spots are, and see what they say.

You’re not looking for a Swedish massage or the hot stones spa massage. Those are relaxing but they won’t really help your body recover.

When should you get an orthopedic massage? If you’ve never had this before, don’t do it right before your race or competition. Instead, do it afterwards. Your muscles might be sore from this massage for at least a day. I don’t mean to suggest that you’ll be in pain but it’s better to have this done either during your training or after the big event.

If you can find a good orthopedic massage therapist, stick with him or her. It really does make a big difference in your performance and recovery. I now see my orthopedic massage therapist as often as I can. She’s a busy woman with lots of clients. I feel so much better after a massage.

Kohlrabi Slaw — Veggie Challenge

July 3, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

Today’s recipe as part of the Becoming Elli Veggie Challenge is Kohlrabi Slaw. This is not only a new recipe for me, but also a new vegetable.

I went to a local farmer’s market recently and bought an assortment of things to try. My friend who went with me said, “well, you’re certainly an inspirational shopper.” I’m looking forward to trying the six-pack of kombucha I bought. I hope it’s good because it was expensive. At least I thought it was.

The Becoming Elli community has been doing the veggie challenge this year: eat a new vegetable or prepare a tried-and-true vegetable in a new way. So, while I was at the farmer’s market, I decided to buy some kohlrabi, which is a brand new vegetable for me.

One of the members of the Becoming Elli Facebook Group (join us, if you haven’t already!) said that kohlrabi is one of her favorite vegetables and she likes it raw. OK, so that got me curious.

A bit of online sleuthing and I decided to make a kohlrabi slaw.

Kohlrabi, also called German turnip, is in the same family as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and broccoli. It looks like a root vegetable but it’s actually not. It’s really a stem. The greens are also edible. I’ll cook them and report back on that.

I thought the texture of kohlrabi was similar to jicama, which Chris discussed a while ago. I suspect you could swap the two in a recipe.

Kohlrabi Slaw Ingredients

1 kohlrabi bulb, cut into matchsticks

1 apple cut into matchsticks

Olive oil

Apple Cider Vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Directions

Cut the kohlrabi and apple into matchsticks.

Mix the matchsticks in a bowl with some olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Use about a tablespoon of each, mix, and decide if you need any more.

Season with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

I used honey crisp apples. The sweetness worked well with the vinegar and the kohlrabi. Certainly, try other apple types to see what works best for you.

I really liked this slaw. The apple provides a bit more sweetness than the kohlrabi and the kohlrabi provides a bit more crunch than the apple. The olive oil and apple cider vinegar add a bit of zing to the dish.

Bean and Vegetable Reunion Salad – Veggie Challenge

July 2, 2019 / Chris Brown / 0 Comments

Bean and Vegetable Reunion Salad

This salad was made for the family reunion I attended on Saturday. Of course I made something for the veggie challenge. Although there are not any new vegetables in this salad, all the fresh vegetables are balanced with lots of protein with many types of beans. It makes the salad more colorful, too!

Delicious, pretty and healthy!

I made a whole lot of this salad and only about half of it was eaten. There were about 75 people there, so I expected to see more of it gone. My son said that people are “afraid” of vegetables. I’m not quite sure what he means by that. I think maybe they were more afraid of the beans and the potential for gas. I do know some people don’t each much fiber and something that has as much fiber as this salad is too much of a risk for them. Meanwhile, all the fried chicken, sausage with sauerkraut, sloppy joe, pulled pork, pizza and fudge was devoured.

I like to prepare this salad in a huge bowl so it is easy to mix, without all the ingredients falling onto the counter top. I open the cans (for the beans) or chop (for the vegetables) and add each item as I go. Because I find that it is too easy to mix too vigorously and break the beans or mush the vegetables, I like to remind myself to just “turn” the ingredients, instead of mixing the ingredients.

Beans:
Open each of the 15 oz cans, drain, rinse and rinse again.
Pat dry the beans to eliminate the extra water before adding to the mixing bowl.

Black beans
Kidney beans
Garbonzo beans – also known as Chick peas. I used 2 cans in this salad
Cannellini beans – Put these in last because they break if they are stirred too much

Vegetables:
Chop each vegetable so it is smaller than bite size.

Sweet onion
Red pepper
Yellow pepper
Orange pepper
Green pepper
Celery
One can of corn

Usually I don’t add corn to a veggie salad, but for this bean and vegetable reunion salad, I think it needed the color. Corn looks good against the black and kidney beans.

If I was going to do it again, I’d add a peeled and seeded chopped cucumber, along with chopped olives and grape tomatoes quartered.

Dressing:

Olive Oil
Cider Vinegar
Lemon Juice

Generously pepper the top. I skipped the salt because there were so many items from cans which tend to have lots of sodium.

Mix (turn) it all together and refrigerate overnight. This gets all the flavors melding together. Place into a pretty bowl. This salad traveled well sitting on an ice pack with another ice pack on the top. While this salad doesn’t technically have to be refrigerated, I think this bean and vegetable reunion salad tastes better when it is somewhat chilled.

The temperature at the outdoor family reunion was in the high 80’s, so I was glad I brought something that could be on the table without worrying if the dressing had turned.

What is your favorite dish to bring to a family reunion?

Doubling Up with a Walk and Talk

June 29, 2019 / Chris Brown / 1 Comment

Jill and I are having so much fun building the community of Becoming Elli, interviewing guests for our Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast and developing resources that women like us would want (like our Fitness Foods downloadable recipe booklet.)

As you can imagine, it takes a little coordination and planning. It was really sunny last Friday. Rather than sit in a meeting in front of our computers, we decided to do a “walk and talk.”

I love when we do that. We catch up on what is happening. So often the sentences start with – “Oh! Yeah! I wanted to tell you about …” or “I found something that I think would work for…”

Walking, while we talk, helps keep the blood circulating in the brain and we rarely have a moment when we say something like “hmm, there was something I needed to tell you, but I can’t remember now.”

Sometimes I’ll bring a little notebook to jot things down, but more often, I just use my phone to keep a reminder note.

This was the first day since all that rain we’d been having in Ohio. We had more than 7 inches in June, which is unusual for around here. There was an enormous amount of water running in the Cuyahoga River. This river was in the news recently for the 50th anniversary of the clean-up efforts. In the 1970’s this river became famous because it caught fire in Cleveland with all the oil and pollution in it. With a lot of work and legislation it has been resorted. You can see it is healthy now thanks to all the focus on it.

Jill and I met at Fred Fuller Park near the trail. One side of the trail was closed. We didn’t walk even half a mile and the other direction was closed for flooding as well. So we drove a little farther up the trail to Brady’s Leap and continued our walk and talk.

Take a look at the rushing water where the Cuyahoga River goes under Main Street in Kent, Ohio! It’s usually pretty calm right through here. Kayakers have been warned to not try to enjoy the river until it goes down. A few kayakers even had to be rescued when their kayaks got caught in trees that were hanging.

I’m not sure how far we walked, but I ended up with a total of 6.4 miles for the day. I guessestimate that we walked was just under 5 miles. That’s what I call doubling up!

What a pleasant way to enjoy a meeting!

Do you ever double up to get work done and exercise at the same time?

Fitness Challenge Recap

June 27, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 2 Comments

Recently, I participated in my gym’s fitness challenge. I was nervous about signing up because I felt like my training had been erratic this year due to injury and traveling but when I saw the list of activities, I decided to give it a try.

Fitness Challenge

We had one minute to complete the exercises with two minutes of rest in between. Here’s what we had to do:

Row on the rowing machine
Push ups, as many as possible. Women over 50 did modified push ups.
Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry. Women over 50 carried a pair of 30 pound dumbbells.
A running agility test. The goal was to do it as quickly as possible.
Dead lift four different bars with progressively heavier weights. Women over 50 lifted 75, 105, 135, and 155 pounds.

Bike for two minutes.

Inverted Rows. Women over 50 had to do 31 to get the maximum points.

Ski ERG Go for distance.

Treadmill Run for two minutes. The participant could set the treadmill at the speed he or she wanted and the distance was recorded.

The total possible points was 36. I don’t think any participants earned a perfect score. Instead, the highest anyone earned was 34 points. I managed to get 29 points, surpassing my expectations.

I earned the highest possible points on everything except for the agility test, biking, the Ski machine, and the treadmill, proving that I’m strong but not fast. The exercises that required speed was my weak point. However, I squeaked by on the rowing machine to get maximum points.

These fitness challenges are usually fun. The gym changes up what’s in the challenge so some are more enjoyable than others. I found this one to be both challenging and enjoyable.

My last challenge was a year ago. The format was completely different and was held outside. I won that one too. We really need to work on getting more women over 50 to compete.

Health at Every Size with Erica Leon

June 25, 2019 / Jill McCauslin / 0 Comments

What does it mean to have health at every size? Podcast #36 Becoming Elli Community

In episode 36 of the Fit Strong Women Over 50 Podcast, Chris Brown and Jill McCauslin talk with Erica Leon about body image, intuitive eating, and learning to live in a healthy way. Erica is a registered dietitian and is the owner of Erica Leon Nutrition, an outpatient group nutrition practice in White Plains, NY.

As a registered dietitian, Erica counseled people on diets, primarily to lose weight. After 10 or 15 years of noticing that people kept losing weight, only to regain it and then return for yet another diet, she looked for another way to help people regain health.

Erica uses a “non-diet” Health at Every Size ® approach, which helps chronic dieters to discover their natural, internal signals of hunger, fullness and satisfaction.

Jill, Chris, and Erica discuss how Erica promotes healthy behaviors like physical activity, eating in a balanced way, and “regular” meals. Erica says, “Intuitive eating allows you to focus on your bodily sensations.”

Healthy at Any Size

Some of the topics covered in this episode is

What harm the “diet culture” does to many women
Why a little more body fat for women over 50 is actually helpful for protecting the body.
Why the principle of habituation works

Some of Erica’s favorite mantras to eliminate negative voices are: