Are You This Badass?

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Coco

I can’t write about being “badass” without giving a shout out to my friend Josie (@YumYucky), especially when her fitness theme for February is being badasss! Her no-excuses kick-ass workouts inspire me to take my routine to the next level, even if I have to stay a notch below badass while I nurse this mystery ITB/glute/piriformis injury. But the inspiration for this post came from my son’s wrestling meet.

Wrestling is a badass sport. You have to give it your all, or you will be crushed. You have to keep fighting when you are losing, because it’s better to lose by points then to be pinned. You have to stay smart when you are winning, because your opponent can take advantage of a moment of weakness and flip you on your back to win by a pin. You don’t have any shoulder pads to make you look bigger or a helmet to hide behind–your wrestling singlet doesn’t leave much of anything to the imagination.

As proud as I am of my son, this post isn’t about him either. It’s about–or inspired by–the girl on the other team who wrestled one of our lighter wrestlers. If you wonder whether girls should play football, you may be surprised to learn that girls are even allowed to wrestle against boys in high school. There aren’t too many girls in the leagues my son wrestles in, but there are a few. Although I do feel sorry for the boys who are matched up against them, I don’t wish the girls were excluded (and yes, my son did have to wrestle a girl once!).

Maybe it’s my strong belief in women’s rights and the principles behind Title IX, or because I enjoyed playing sports in high school (soccer and rugby), or because I wouldn’t want my daughter excluded from a sport she loved, but I find myself admiring the girls. I know that they have fought biases and prejudices to even try out for the team, and I’m sure that they are hassled and teased–it is high school after all. What could be more badass than going through all that to participate in the sport that you love?

Do you think girls should be allowed to participate in “boys'” sports?

Would you support your daughter if she wanted to wrestle or play football?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged | 5 Comments

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (Another Tiger Lilly Edition)

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Coco

Suddenly the automatic trash can doesn’t seem like such a good idea!

Posted in Life | Tagged | 3 Comments

Death Of The Cookie Monster

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Coco

I’ve had this post drafted for over 6 months now. I think I was afraid that as soon as I hit “publish” the demons that I think I’ve put behind me will come out of the woodwork. Over the holidays, I certainly ate “too many” cookies, but whether it was a mindful indulgence, mindless munching, or stress eating, it didn’t zap my sense of self-worth or send me into a downward spiral. So today, I am going to put it out there–fearlessly. 

Many years ago, when my son was still in elementary school, we decided to spend Christmas in Puerto Rico.  I had had a grueling few months of work, putting in 12+ hours a day at least 6 days a week on a “very important case.” (It was so bad that when the case ended and I returned to my usual work schedule, my son was worried when I wasn’t working weekends–did I still have my job? was I going to be fired?) I figured out at the last minute that I could take a week off around Christmas, and we were able to find last-minute flights leaving Christmas Day and returning New Year’s Day. It was a much-needed get-away–we just closed our eyes when we paid the bill at the Marriott.

Outdoor Pools

(Marriott San Juan Resort)

When my mother-in-law heard of our plans, she was upset that she was not included in our plans. I never will foret her email reply:

I’ve been waiting all these years for Santa Claus to die so we could go somewhere for Christmas!

I thought of this recently when I made a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, a/k/a my diet kryptonite. The transformation of Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde has nothing on how a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies could turn me into Cookie Monster.

You know how he gobbles cookies by the handful and lets the crumbs fly? I wouldn’t waste precious morsels like that, but I have eaten cookies by the half-dozen more often than I’d care to admit.

I used to bake cookies and freeze some “for later,” until my son called me on it:

Mom, you are just putting those away for yourself!

Recalling the taste of frozen cookies retrieved from the inner reaches of the freezer late at night, I knew he was right.

For a while I stopped making chocolate chip cookies, or made them only when I knew I could give most of them away. I just didn’t trust myself to be around them.

But this spring, after drooling over too many pictures of homemade cookies on great food blogs, I was bit by the baking bug. I made my usual Toll House Cookie recipe, and the cookies looked and smelled great coming out of the oven! I waited until they were mostly cool, and selected one to enjoy with a glass of milk.

And I did enjoy it. But I was surprised that one was enough. And I noticed the absence of the urge to eat more–to eat them all.

Of course, I did eat more over the next few days, but always in 1-2 cookie servings, and without having to flee the kitchen to avoid scarfing down the rest. 

It makes me wonder, is the Cookie Monster inside me dead?

Do you have a diet kryptonite?

Is there a food that used to do in, but doesn’t anymore? What do you think changed?

Posted in Fitness, Food, Life | Tagged | 9 Comments

Turning Point

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Coco

I live at the top of a steep hill. When I walk my dog in our usual clockwise direction, after we reach the end of our street, we turn the corner and trudge up a short, steep incline that flattens out after the first house.

For the past few weeks, that corner has reminded me of my “issue.” No matter how good I felt the day before, or how great I felt walking down my hill, my right ITB, glute and/or piriformis always gave a shout out as we turned the corner.

Until this weekend.

As I rounded the corner on Saturday, I felt … nothing.

As I rounded the corner on Sunday, I felt … nothing.

And this morning, as I rounded the corner … blissful silence again.

I know I’m not fully recovered. I still felt tightness during my runs this weekend. But this corner tells me that I have turned a corner in my recovery. 🙂

How are you doing?

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In God We Trust

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Coco

I put my trust in God for many things. I pray for guidance, and trust in the way God leads me. I pray for my family—my children in particular—and trust that God has great plans for them that include getting them (and me) through their teenage years. But I have a hard time trusting in God for my financial security. How else can I explain the insecurity I feel, despite the comfortable balance in our bank account?

It’s ironic, given that “In God We Trust” is still on our money, even after the recent redesigns (I checked).

In God We Trust

But I have a real fear of … I’m not sure what, exactly.

I’m not stingy with my money. I support my church and the school my children attend, and donate annually to several local and national charitable organizations. But I do have a hard time spending money, and I can’t set up a budget or list our fixed expenses without inducing a panic attack.

Maybe God is providing for me by installing this cautious approach to spending, but I feel like it’s a weak spot in my own faith—like that nagging tightness in my ITB that won’t quite go away.

Most people have heard this passage from 1 Timothy 6:10:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.

But 1 Timothy 6: 17, 18 is more meaningful to me:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

It gives me words to live by–or at least to aspire to.

Are you a spender or a saver?

Posted in My Faith | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments