Big Sur Marathon Training-- Week 1

Week one of Big Sur Marathon Training is in the books! How did it go?

Monday: running rest day. On my way to work, I did manage to catch the sunrise at the retention pond where I train. It was spectacular. The pose of the day for the #flexandflow yoga challenge was Wild Thing. Perfect timing, I think! I won Monday's challenge and got to pick out something from prAna's spring collection!

Wild Thing. you make my heart sing. So does this sunrise. Right place, right time.

Tuesday: I ran 4 miles around the 'hood. My legs felt surprisingly great! It was a cold, gloomy morning, and I scoped out my route for a place to take my daily yoga picture. The prompt was to do a pose that challenges you. I always struggle with balance poses and straight leg poses, so I did standing big toe pose, using my SpiBelt as a prop. Hey, whatever works, right?

This pose is so ugly, I had to find an ugly background. 

Wednesday: Speedwork aka mile repeats x4 on the treadmill. I took my Apple Watch out on my long run Sunday to recalibrate it in anticipation of using it on the treadmill. What I didn't realize is that the Apple fitness tracker does not give you mile splits. Since I wasn't paying attention to the numbers on the treadmill, I have no idea how fast my splits were. Crap! I know they were consistent, but that's about it. I'm done with the treadmill and I'm done with my Apple Watch as a running watch. Done. Garmin, you are stuck with me. And I'm doing my speedwork outside. The hell with it.

After my speedwork, I went to yoga. We did a lot of poses against the wall, which really allows you to properly position yourself in the poses. It was another amazing class, and I took my final studio photo for the yoga challenge. The theme was balance, and I chose warrior 3, which is a pose I really struggle with. It took me about 10 takes to get this picture and I still couldn't get the bottom leg straight. Ugh. Though the outtakes were hilarious...

Whoa, whoa, whoa!
The camera doesn't lie. I'm balance challenged.

Warrior 3.
A work in progress.

Thursday: EPIC workout day. I woke up to a beautiful blue sky, and after dropping my youngest off at school, I stopped at Payton's hill where I plan to do my hill repeats. I ran to the top and did the pose of the day, crescent lunge. It is one of my favorites. The wind was brutal at the top and I scurried back to my car. Then I rode my bike for an hour. This time I rode in Germany, which strangely looked like Wisconsin. 14 miles/1:00:43

The top of the hill.

After my bike ride, I headed over to work with Becky. She had me do cleans into front squats with 55# on the bar. This was the most I have done so far. She didn't expect me to get to this weight, and was thrilled with this. I was too! After the front squats were deadlifts 155#. She says this isn't my max yet. Ooof. It was heavy. But no complaining, right? Otherwise burpees... To finish, she had me push the prowler 3 laps across the floor. But on the trip back, I pushed the lower bar and OMG was that hard!

After my workout, we talked about hill training. This seasoned runner has never formally trained for hills before. Becky reassured me that I would have no trouble tackling the hills of Big Sur, both the uphills and downhills, with the work she has me doing. But she understood the psychological advantage of actually doing hill work, and we reviewed what I should be doing on my hill repeats. Short sprints up, and easy downhills. Stay tuned.

Clean into a front squat. A new skill this strength cycle!

Friday: rest day. The last day of the yoga challenge, we did child's pose. And all was right with the world.

Saturday: I had 6 miles on the plan. Except that I didn't look at the plan, and thought I only had to do 4. Oh well. It was a gorgeous morning, and I stopped to take in the sunrise. 4.55 miles/8:39m/m

Sunday: Since there is no snow on the ground--so odd for this time of year--I decided to take my 10 mile run to the very pretty preserve with the limestone path. I rarely get to run there in the winter, and I thought this would be a treat! The path was kind of mushy in places and there were frozen footsteps in other spots. There were also some patches of snow and ice. But the sun was peeking through the clouds and it was so pretty to be in this peaceful oasis.

Look at that sky!

The one thing I didn't count on was the wind. The temps were in the 40s when I headed out but the wind started to pick up. I had the wind at my back on the way out and didn't realize how strong it was until I turned around to head home. The best word I can use to describe it was brutal. While 40 degrees in February sounds almost balmy for Chicago, the wind is a deal breaker. This route is fairly hilly (for here) and at mile 7, I hit Payton's Hill into the wind. I stopped at the top to catch my breath. The downhill didn't feel much better since I was running into that cold wind. Not quitting on this run was a win. I kept thinking to myself: "what if it is windy like this at Big Sur?" And "what doesn't kill me will make me stronger". Running outside in February is always an exercise in mental toughness. Anyways, I got it done, 10.38 miles/9:03m/m

Coming up this week--more miles! And no more yoga challenge. I'll still be doing yoga but I won't be posting daily poses. Thanks to all of you for indulging me. I've really enjoyed having fun with the poses and the pictures.

How was your week of training? Any fun adventures to share?

I'm linking this post up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap! Head on over to their blogs to see what they and everyone else did this week!

5 new things to love on the run!

It's the month of love, right? I've been trying out some new fitness related items! Besides the SLS3 Dual Pocket Run Belt that I'm reviewing and giving away below, what else am I loving on the run? Or the bike....or the mat?

For inspiration: 
For Christmas, my sister gave me a Momentum wrist wrap with the mantra "just breathe" written on it. I'm sure she had no idea that so far this year I would need frequent reminders to do just that. I wear that bracelet every day and am grateful for the prompting. I just love it. My friend Zenaida hosted a giveaway on her blog, and I won a Momentum wrap from her! That one reads "stronger than yesterday". Sometimes I wear both. I need all the reminders I can get to stay tough! Since you can customize the mantras, you can make the wrap all your own. I had one made for my coach Becky with her favorite mantra "good vibes only". I can't believe she didn't already have one. I also ordered a wrap for one of my little patients who just finished a year and a half of chemo and radiation. Hers says "you are your own superhero". She is my superhero.

photo courtesy of Momentum designs

For fun!
One of my readers, Barbara Valentin, reached out to me about the book club. She's an author of contemporary romance novels and wanted to know if I would be interested in reading her book, False Start (affiliate link). The story is about a newspaper reporter who gets assigned to train for and run the Chicago Marathon. The catch is that she has to work with a coach, who just happens to be her ex fiance's brother. While this isn't the book genre we read for the book club, the book sounded like it would be a fun read. Valentin offered to send me a copy for my kindle, free of charge. Valentin is a great storyteller, and this light entertaining read would be enjoyable for anyone looking for something fun to read. Plus it's about running, and that's a win!

affiliate link

For the bike:

So it's no secret that I've been spending time on the bike trainer. I really enjoy this form of cross training. But how to track my speed, my cadence, and my miles when I'm not moving forward? I did my homework, and instead of buying a bike computer, I bought the Wahoo Blue SC Speed and Cadence sensor. (affiliate link) This device works via bluetooth with my iPhone. It's compatible with Android as well. I downloaded the Wahoo fitness app, but you can use it with a variety of fitness apps. Being a numbers person, it's been fun tracking my rides. I'm looking forward to the warm weather rides and road testing it.

affiliate link

But wait...how do I use my iPhone on the bike? Have no fear, there are plenty of handlebar mounts out there. Again, I did my homework and chose the Koomus Bike2Go Universal Smartphone Bike Mount Holder Cradle (affiliate link) (KB2GUSBMHC for short). I had my son install it for me, which he did in no time flat. I love it. The cradle is adjustable and holds a variety of phones. You can also adjust the tilt. There's a tether that inserts into your headphone jack in case the phone slips out of the mount. I've only used the KB2GUSBMHC on the trainer, so I'll fill you in on it's performance once I'm back on the road.

affiliate link

For the run:
Ok, now to that SLS3 Dual Pocket Run Belt. I knew that when SLS3 asked me to review it that I was already going to like it. Double Pockets? Yes, please. Waterproof? Yes, please. You know I love my SpiBelt. But even though it stretches, it doesn't hold everything I need. Plus I hate having everything all in one pocket. I'm always afraid I'm going to drop something and lose it.  The SLS3 Dual Pocket Run Belt solves that problem for me. Now I have a pocket for my phone and one for everything else. The pockets are large enough to hold my iPhone6. The waterproof material is a plus since I run outside no matter what the weather. It comes in a variety of colors. The belt is wide, adjustable, and comfortable. The only problem I had was since I like to wear the belt low around my hips, it would tend to slide up and I had to keep adjusting it. Other than that, I really can't recommend this belt enough. I'll be taking it out for a long run this weekend, so we'll see how it really performs!

you know that's not me!
photos courtesy of SLS3 and Amazon.com

What running/fitness gadgets are you loving lately? Any running related books you want to recommend?

Open your Heart: Benefits of Backbends

Life weighs us down.

We spend so much time sitting, hunched over our computers.

Stress takes a toll, causing us to hunch our shoulders and tighten up our back muscles.

We become closed into ourselves.

We can't breathe.

But there is a solution. It's as simple as bending backwards.

Yes, this mountain pose is a backbend too!

Have you ever noticed those ladies at the grocery store who are hunched over their carts like they're carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders?

Maybe they are. Really, who likes grocery shopping? Not me. I know, first world problem. I want to go up behind them and pull their shoulders back and up off the cart. Can you imagine the reaction? They'd be dialing 911. Crazy yoga lady in aisle 7...

But think about how much better they'd feel about the task at hand if they stood up straight with their chest forward and shoulders back.

I love backbending in yoga, because it opens my chest, shoulders, and heart. After spending a few minutes in a backbend, it's almost as if a big weight has been lifted off my chest. Truly, I feel happier after backbending. Have you ever noticed how much better you feel when your shoulders are pulled back? Try it! It's hard to be sad when you're moving forward with your chest puffed out.

This is because backbends open your heart. Christine from Love, Life, Surf wrote a great post on backbends. She says that this heart opening makes you more open to emotions, experiences, relationships, and love. To me, the simple act of opening your shoulders and lifting your head makes you look confident, approachable, and ready to interact with other people. After practicing backbends on a regular basis, you will automatically walk taller.

Pulling your shoulders back and opening your chest gives you more room to breathe. I don't know about you, but breathing is #1 in my book of things to do. And when I'm stressed, being able to take deep breathes really helps me literally blow off steam. If I'm having a bad day, just bending backwards helps open me up to really make those breaths deep.

And I won't lie. I do love it when people compliment me on my good posture.

Runners get a huge benefit from backbends and shoulder openers. Good posture is a key component of proper running form. According to Danny Dreyer, author of Chi Running, the more you slump, the more your muscles have to work to keep you upright. That's energy you could use on the road!

So what are my favorite backbends? There are so many to choose from!

Some are fairly simple:

Cobra pose. It's not about how high you go. In fact, you should try this one lifting your hands off the mat and letting your back do all the work. Then you know you're doing it correctly.

Some make you feel free:

Wild thing, you make my heart sing! Start in downward dog, and flip your leg over to your side. Take the same arm over your head and let your head fall back.

Some are harder than they look:

Camel pose is a tough one. You can reach back, one side at a time. You can turn your toes under or use blocks under your hands. Or you can rest your hands on your lower back while leaning back into the pose.

The full monty:

The first time I got up into full wheel pose, I couldn't catch my breath. I came out of the pose and almost felt a little anxious. Opening up that much can make you feel vulnerable, even when you don't expect it. It's a little disconcerting at first. I recommend you start with bridge pose and work up to this one.

A couple of tips before you start backbending:

-make sure you warm up before you do a backbend. Don't just pull yourself up into wheel. You risk injury doing that! Start with a few downward dogs, cat cows, and forward bends. 

-make sure to protect your knees. If you're going up into wheel, turn your toes inward.

-don't push yourself too far. You will reap the benefits even with modifications. Less is more.

-Smile. Poses are always easier when you are smiling.

Even triangle pose can be a backbend. Pull your top arm back, lean back, and open your heart to the sky!

If you are interested in participating in some heart opener yoga challenges, I have 2 IG challenges for you! kellypenderyoga is hosting a 2 week heart opener/ backbend #InLoveWithYoga2106 challenge. It started Feb 1, but it's not too late to jump in! And ALO Yoga has a month long backbend challenge for February. It's called #dropbacklove and also starts Feb1. There are prizes if you post every day! Who's in? I'm going to try my hardest to participate! Will you join me?

Do you backbend? What is your favorite backbend?

I'm linking this post up with DebRuns and WednesdayWord. Today's word is heart. Let's all live with open hearts. More backbends!

I'm also linking up with the ladies at WildWorkoutWednesday! The Fit Foodie Mama, Fitful Focus, Fruition Fitness, and Angelena Marie host this fun link up! Check it out!

Big Sur Marathon Training--Week 0

This week, I wrapped up my base building workouts and today I officially kicked off my marathon training for the Big Sur International Marathon. I didn't know what else to call the week before marathon training starts, so week 0 it is.

Like I did for Chicago, for Big Sur, I'm following a 12 week training plan. While Becky didn't develop this exact plan for me, I followed the plan she made for Chicago and tweaked it a bit. I reviewed my training plan with her, and made some adjustments based on her feedback. Right now, I'm feeling fairly confident that I've got a solid plan that will get me to the finish line intact.

That is if my plantar fasciitis behaves itself. I've gotten a ton of advice from everyone including my dad, who eventually became so frustrated when he had PF, he finally took a mallet to his heel. While that somewhat extreme solution worked well for him, I'm not so sure I want to try it on myself. Not that he hasn't offered to do it for me. What has seemed to work for me is the night splint aka my faux Strassberg sock, my Feetures compression sleeve (affiliate link), heel lifting, calf stretching, heat in the morning, and wearing shoes to work with a low (not flat) heel. I tried orthotics, but all they did was make me feel like I was 80 years old. Experiment=fail. I didn't like feeling old. I took the orthotics out of my running shoes and that's that. I'll use them in my work shoes for now.

So how did week 0 aka base building go down? Besides lots of yoga? The SweatPink #FlexandFlow yoga challenge continues, and I haven't missed a day! The challenge wraps up on February 5, and while I'll miss posting daily yoga poses, it's time to focus on the task at hand: the Big Sur Marathon. But you know there will still be yoga happening for me. I just won't bombard you with all my poses.

Monday: yoga class at the studio. This was an amazing class with one of my favorite instructors. She devoted the class to the full moon and we did moon salutations. She also introduced me to my new mantra, "Chill out or Burn out". Repeat as needed. Which I did all week.

Pose of the day was one legged chaturanga

Tuesday: 4.55 miles easy in the hood. I was glad to be done. It was blustery and cold. 8:45m/m.

Pose of the day: Upward facing dog

Wednesday: Mile repeats x4 on the treadmill. Last week I struggled with pacing, but this week was much better. I'm pretty sure my treadmill needs to be calibrated, because my splits were slower than I expected. I chose to focus on consistency and not pacing. Splits were 8:24, 8:16, 8:16, 8:34 (oops!). After I finished, I went to yoga for another studio class. The theme was hips and hamstrings. Perfect.

Yogi's choice inversion--I chose handstand at the wall. I used superphoto to edit this. My face kind of freaks me out. I look like a cyborg.

Thursday: Cycling x 1 hour. Thanks to the magic of YouTube, I rode in Thailand. I promised Becky these rides would be all about endurance and this one pretty much was. There were a few "harder" efforts but nothing too taxing. The video itself was kind of a turd. The cyclist would randomly stop to wait for his friend to catch up. Meanwhile, I'm pedaling away, just staring at his tire. This happened several times. Dude, ever heard of hitting the pause button? Guess I got what I paid for. This really was the first video that disappointed me. Looks like it's back to Italy this week. Anyways, I rode 13.75 miles/1h.

Pose of the day was lizard lunge. Felt great after riding. My ITB thanked me.

After that, I went to see Becky. She had me do some work on the GHD machine, reverse back extensions and traditional back extensions. Holy hamstrings! I did barbell cleans into a front squat followed by deadlifts, both with increasing weights. We finished up with some more hamstring exercises. And my foam roller got some attention that night.

Friday: rest. Pose of the day was tripod headstand. I have never done this version of headstand, and I had a nice surprise! You just never know what you are capable of, do you? What a great way to head into a long day at work. Pun completely unintended!

I was going to stay in half tripod, but my legs went up!

Saturday: 4 miles easy in the 'hood. The January thaw felt great! 8:45 m/m.

Pose of the day was humble warrior. I just love this pose.

Sunday: 8 mile "long run". This was my first long run since I ran that half marathon in November. It was 50 degrees, which felt great for January. Unfortunately, it was pretty gloomy out there. My foot felt pretty good most of the time but started to hurt towards the end. When I looked at my Garmin, it read 6.66 miles. Coincidence? I think not. Anyways, I finished up and stretched it out. 8:45m/mile

Pose of the day was reclined hero pose. This is a great hip opener and quad stretch. Take it slow. And yes, my eyes are closed. A moment of quiet for me in the middle of a run. Reflecting on how great this pose feels and gratitude for my body that lets me do hard things.

It's been a pretty good week off the road too. Uneventful for the most part. How about you? Any of you yogis ever done moon salutation? Anyone else doing the SweatPink #flexandflow yoga challenge? It's the final week!

I'm linking up with Holly and Tricia for their Weekly Wrap! Check out what everyone else has been up to!

Runfessions for January

It's time once again for that monthly confessional, hosted by my friend Marcia at Marcia's Healthy Slice. You know you want to bare all...now is your chance to share. Come on in, the water's fine...

What you see isn't always what you get....
So you all know that I'm participating in SweatPink's #flexandflow yoga challenge. Every day, the ladies at SP post the pose of the day and participants not only strike a pose, but they also have to present it creatively. I've had a blast channelling my creative side here. Yep, nurse practitioner by day, creative yogi by night. But I have to runfess is that sometimes there are many takes before I get "the shot". When I use the timer on my phone, I have only 10 seconds to set up the pose. It doesn't always fall into place in time. The camera catches it all!

Like this:

This is what you saw. Headstand. With a beautiful sunrise.

And this:

Oops!
What you didn't see. Actually, no one saw it hopefully. I was alone in the park. Whew.
And ouch. This one made my sons laugh out loud.

But it was on sale....

I must runfess that since the holidays I have been buying ALL THE THINGS. Last week, I was meeting my friend Sara for lunch and...oh, how interesting...Athleta is right next to the restaurant we chose. They just happened to have 20% off all the sale items. And I just happened to have a coupon. The prices were irresistible and I couldn't help myself. I'd call it therapy, except that I also bought a few things from REI earlier in the week. 

A blogger in real life...

I have to runfess that it's always a little awkward when a random stranger tells me they read my blog. This time, it happened last week, while I was in line at Whole Foods. The woman in front of me was talking to the cashier about a half marathon she was supposed to run in Florida that was cancelled due to storms. Of course, anytime I hear someone talking about running, my ears perk up. My Mrs Kravitz powers kicked in and I eavesdropped. When she turned to me and told me she reads my blog, I was, of course, thrilled because yay, someone reads my blog, and simultaneously embarrassed because oh no, someone reads my blog! We chatted and it turns out she lives very close to me. I told her to drop me a line so we can meet up for a run. Hi, Alicia! Thank you!

#Branding...

I runfess that I've been giving the brand ambassador thing a lot of thought. One of the brands that I worked with in the past upped the ante for their ambassadors this year. They developed a kit that ambassadors were required to purchase, which included compression socks and a shirt. The new requirements were for ambassadors to wear the shirt and socks for races and training photos. I'm always honored to be chosen as a brand ambassador, and I understand that we have to represent the brand in exchange for discounts on products and other perks. I'm happy to promote the products and share product reviews and discounts on social media. But the requirement to purchase the kit and wear it to every race bothered me. A lot. Shouldn't they be providing the kit? Sadly, I've parted ways with that company. 

News you can use....

I runfess that on my nightstand, I have a stack of Runner's World and Running Times from July to present. Between my niece's Girl Scout magazine sale and my CARA membership, I think I'm subscribed through 2017. I need to get through the pile before the next issue comes. Yesterday, I read the December issue of Runner's World and besides the usual array of running articles, I learned a few new things:

-Did you know that smoking marijuana is a "thing" for many long distance runners? Apparently the natural endocannabinoids aren't enough for that runner's high...nope, these runners toke up on the run. For nausea control and that chill vibe, apparently. That might be the only way you'd see me running an ultra distance. But if you want to try pot running with a shorter distance, the 420 Games might be for you. It's a 4.2 mile run. Brownies at the finish.

-The best shoe for you? Is the one that fits. A large retrospective study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the best running shoe for a runner is the one that is the most comfortable. And there you go. Advice you can take to the road. Oh, and maximalist shoes are a "thing" now. And "bounce" shoes. 

-Finally, I learned that RBF (resting bitch face) is also a thing in running (RBF) as well. Explains why often I don't get runners waving back at me. Apparently, this is how I look most often: 

I'm not having a bad run. It's just my RBF.

What do you have to runfess? Any brand ambassadors that are required to sport logo gear for races? Ever been recognized by a random stranger who knows you from social media? Any great buys from holiday sales you want to share? Running bitch face anyone? 

Besides linking up with Marcia, I'm also linking this post with the DC Trifecta for Friday Five. Head over to Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia's blogs to see what everyone is sharing today.

Pessimism vs. Optimism

It's so easy to get caught up in a cycle of negativity. Trust me on this one. I've got the DNA for negativity. But the first step towards improvement is awareness, right? I've had a lot of practice, and once I realize my mindset is heading south, I'm pretty good at turning my thinking around.

I've had some help too. My coach Becky refuses to let me complain or even apologize for a less than stellar effort. In fact, if I utter a negative thought, it's burpees for me. You can't make a runner run for punishment, right? Don't tell her this, but while I don't know that I'll ever love burpees, I'm minding them less. I've gotten stronger and they aren't as hard as they used to be for me.

Maybe that's all part of her plan?

Anyways, life has tried its hardest to drag me down these last couple of weeks. As Cousin Eddie would say, "shitter's full".

Sorry for the crude reference.
From National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Enough's enough. When Deb gave this week's Wednesday Word prompt, the word optimism, at first, I thought, what do I have to say about being optimistic? Life hasn't exactly been a bowl of cherries lately.

As it turns out, I have a whole lot to say. I recently wrote that post about training in the winter. I'm going to expand these thoughts to running in general. Maybe even life in general.

Clearly, I need this. Let's break it down:

-The pessimist just complains or whines. It feels good at the time but gets you nothing.
-The optimist acknowledges the issue, but turns their thoughts around to a positive mindset. If you struggle with this, like I do, then maybe you need an extra push over to positivity.
-I've included mantras to repeat to yourself when you're feeling particularly negative.
-And because I'm a goofball, there's the jokester's perspective, which just basically makes fun of everything. I do that too. Because sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh.

Don't roll your eyes. It really works.

Meet the Pessimist, the Optimist, and the Jokester and their approach to the run:

Pessimist: It's cold, it's dark, it's hot, it's raining (whatever).
Optimist: Wow, -2F! That's pretty cold. But the sun is out. I've done this before. I can do this. I can do hard things. I'll need to layer up. OR Yes, it's raining. It can't always be sunny when I run. Running in the rain can feel good.
Jokester: Free shower!
Mantra: If we waited for perfect conditions, we'd never get anything done.

Embrace the conditions.

Pessimist: Man, this run sucks. I feel horrible. I'm a sloth. I give up. I'm going home.
Optimist: I do feel tired today. Not every run is a good one. But I told myself I'd get 4 miles in today, and I'm going to do that. No matter what it takes. I'll feel so much better for finishing.
Jokester: There's pie at home!
Mantra: Not every run may be good, but there's something good in every run.

There's something good in every run. This was my first speedwork session last summer while training for Chicago. The good thing? I finished.

Pessimist: I loathe the treadmill. I feel like a hamster on a wheel. This sucks. I hate this.
Optimist: I don't like running on the treadmill. How can I make the most of this workout? Intervals? Speedwork? I've got a great playlist to help push me.
Jokester: (singing) "I'm on the road to nowhere..."
Mantra: Every step takes me closer to my goal.

I do loathe the treadmill. It's a necessary evil. Every step takes me closer to my goal.

Pessimist: I don't want to run 20 miles. It's too far!
Optimist: 20 miles is really far! I'm going to feel so much more ready for my marathon after tackling that distance!
Jokester: Chuck Norris never ran a marathon.
Mantra: I can and I will.

Last long run before Chicago. I can and I will.

Pessimist: Running is hard.
Optimist: Running isn't easy, but I'm getting stronger with each run.
Jokester: Run? I thought you said rum.
Mantra: The body achieves what the mind believes.

This was a great exercise for me. Forcing myself to write about optimism actually helped me feel more optimistic as I look forward to February and starting my marathon training cycle. I'm sure I'll be coming back to this post to remind myself to always look on the bright side!

"Imagine something good about every race you run, and learn to be an optimist."-Jack Daniels

What to do you do to turn those negative thoughts around? Are you naturally an optimist? A pessimist? A jokester? What's your favorite mantra?

I have a new one after Monday's yoga class: Chill Out or Burn Out.  Best advice I've gotten lately.

I'm linking up with DebRuns at Wednesday Word. Check out what all the optimists are saying!