New Lily

Fall, Cross Country Meets, and the Changing Seasons…These are a Few of My Favorite Things

#6 (Grace) at a cross country meet.

#6 (Grace) at a cross country meet.

Fall means cross country season in our house.  Many weekends I find myself at the start of a race…dashing with other parents through the woods to the one- mile marker and then off to the base of a hill….then to the edge of a small lake…. hoping to catch a glimpse of our daughters or sons as they race by.  I love cross country meets.  They’re exhilarating.  Watching younger runners dig deep and push themselves out on a cross country course motivates me to get in touch with my passion for running.

Autumn does that too.  Cooler temperatures make running easier.  It’s my favorite time to run. Especially this autumn.  I am not injured.  Not burned out. Not really anything but happy to get out and run.  I’m planning on running a race sometime in the next few months but haven’t signed up for anything yet.  I’m open to a half-marathon or even a trail run.  A few of my running buddies have already tackled a fall marathon. [Read more…]

Three Vegetables You Need to be Eating

Don't judge these great veggies by any pre-concieved notions you might have...

Don’t judge these great veggies by any pre-concieved notions you might have…

Kale, Yams, and Beets…if you aren’t eating these veggies on a regular basis, you should be. According to Alan Tyson, physical therapist, athletic trainer, and certified strength and conditioning specialist, if you are an athlete or just want to perform at your best, these veggies should be on your A-List.

We all know that eating vegetables is a good thing to do.  But not all vegetables are created equal.  The more colorful the veggie, the more significant the nutritional potency (Vitamin C and E, carotenoids, polyphenols, etc.).  When we eat a variety of green, yellow, and red vegetables we receive the maximum benefit that vegetables have to offer. Vegetables’ potent qualities are reflected in studies of populations with primary plant-based diets. Over time, people in these cultures are far less likely to be obese; they enjoy a longer lifespan; and they have a decreased risk of developing a number of chronic diseases. The general admonishment to “eat more veggies” is perfectly legitimate, but if you’re looking for a more concrete recommendation, the following are the reasons Alan Tyson says we should really get to know these three great veggies: [Read more…]

I’m Ready for Fall Running…How about you?

My happy place in Maine, where late summer running is bliss...if it weren't for the darn hills.

My happy place in Maine, where late summer running is bliss…if it weren’t for the darn hills.

I’m up north at Lovejoy Pond (it’s really a lake) in Maine for the last two weeks of summer.  Fall has come a little early to this quaint part of the country.  Waking up to the singing loons and 50 degrees is a refreshing change from the heat and humidity of Charlotte in late summer.  With the exception of the extreme hills, this is my favorite place to run.

Running in Maine is a wonderful foretaste of what is to come in the fall to North Carolina.  I, for one, am excited!  The greenway near my house will be full of runners training for the many races in various parts of the country from October – December.  Cross country runners will be lining up at high school 5K races. Many of those summer treadmill runners will hit the pavement when the air gets colder and the trees start changing. Running is contagious in autumn.

Where will you be running this fall?

Remarkable Louis Zamperini: Athlete and Airman (R.I.P.)

Louie Zamperini

Louie Zamperini

Louie Zamperini

Louie Zamperini

Occasionally, whether in person or in a book, we are introduced to such a remarkable human being that we are changed by the very meeting.  This is what it is like to read about Louie Zamperini in Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand.  Hillenbrand also gave us the story of Sea Biscuit, the famous race horse, and we were similarly touched. Unbroken is a story that is at once unbelievable and yet incredible because it is true.  To become acquainted with Louis Zamperini is to love him.  His spirit, his zeal, and his amazing will to live challenge us to become better people for knowing him. Even if we have only read about him. [Read more…]

How I Found Myself Praying at the Velodrome

Me at the Rock Hill Velodrome

Me at the Rock Hill Velodrome

I haven’t been scared in a long time. I mean really scared. The kind of fear that causes your heart to beat fast and your body to tense up. This week I joined a few of my kids and a group of triathletes at the Giordana Velodrome in Rock Hill, South Carolina, who were taking part in a certification class.  Sometimes I am amazed at what a mom will do for her kids (more about that later).

The course began in a classroom at 9 am going over the rules of cycling at the Velodrome. Watching the screen as Kyle (our instructor) showed what can happen when cyclists don’t follow rules, I began to sweat. Naively, I had seen people (even kids) riding on the banked track at the Velodrome and assumed that it must not be as difficult as it looked. They made it look easy, in fact. Yet, as I looked at the screens and saw some of the accidents that can happen when people aren’t careful on the track, I started to wonder what the heck I was doing there. [Read more…]

Paddle Boarding …. And Other Fun Summer Workouts

Me on the paddle board in Maine!

Me on the paddle board in Maine!

Looking for a new kind of workout this summer? Try stand up paddle boarding. I discovered this workout a few summers ago in Maine when I nice gentleman offered his paddle board to our family while we were staying on Lovejoy Pond.  I was amazed at how easy it was to get up.  Staying up those first few minutes wasn’t as easy.  However, after about 10 minutes I got the hang of it and ventured out onto the lake for my first paddle board workout. [Read more…]

Five Awesome Mom Salads

My own version of Caprese Salad...

My own version of Caprese Salad…

I love summer food. Especially salads. Fresh and colorful, summer produce and meats on the grill are delicious additions to an otherwise plain salad. My favorite salads are the those made from fresh ingredients. Following are some of my favorite summer salads (first one is my own version, the others come from great sources). These can be really easy if you are already grilling out chicken, steak or salmon. Just add the meat to the salad and you’ve got protein to boot!! I call these mom salads because even if the rest of the family doesn’t share our love for veggies and are content with the meat from the grill…we can create great salads to enjoy as a main course.

1. Whitney’s Caprese Salad

Ingredients: mozzarella balls, roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh garlic, fresh basil, edamame, salt and pepper, olive oil. [Read more…]

13 Great Tips for Healthy Eating

Eating shouldn't be complicated.  It should be as easy as riding a bike!

Eating shouldn’t be complicated. It can be as easy as riding a bike!

My good friend, Alan Tyson, physical therapist and owner of Architech Sports, posted the following healthy tips for athletes.  I believe they make sense for all of us!

Tip #1 Turns out mom was right…EAT BREAKFAST (within one hour of waking up).

Tip #2 EAT OFTEN (about every three hours).

Tip #3 Have a source of PROTEIN at every meal or snack (meat, fish, eggs or egg whites, yogurt, etc.).

Tip #4 Get 20 oz. of PROTEIN after your workout (not the carb-heavy stuff).

Tip #5 Drink H2O!  At least 63 oz. (or more) every day. [Read more…]

Finally a Green Smoothie I Can Handle

Not bad!  That's saying a lot!

Not bad! That’s saying a lot!

My brother-in-law is staying with us.  He decided he wants to start drinking a green smoothie everyday.  Since he had never tried one, he said to me, “How bad can they be?”  Well…pretty bad, actually.  Warm and fuzzy are not emotions that are stirred up in me when the word green smoothie is mentioned.  I’ve tried my share.  When two years ago my husband was diagnosed with cancer, I started making green smoothies for him.  I wanted the healthiest variety.  And he couldn’t eat fruit because his throat was subjected to radiation treatments and was incredibly sore.

We tried many different varieties containing lots of kinds of greens… wheatgrass, kale, spinach, collards, celery, cucumber, etc.  None of them were particularly palatable.  Some people would say it just takes time, that your taste buds get used to things.  Not mine. [Read more…]

Easter Is a Wonderful Chance to Try a “New Program”

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HAPPY EASTER!

This is a day of joy.  It represents new life.  New beginnings.  Second chances.  As a Christian, this day is THE day.  It trumps all others.  We celebrate Christ’s incredible gift to each one of us. I sat in church this morning keenly aware of how, though undeserving, I am grateful for the opportunity to start anew.  Glad to toss the “old self”, I feel excitement at the prospect of a new one.  This is true for all of me, not just the spiritual part. As a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend.  In all aspects of my life I could use a second chance.  Can’t we all? [Read more…]