Time-Sucking Black Hole...

My bike is lonely.

I haven't ridden my bike in at least two or three weeks.  I miss her and I know she misses me.  If you read my post, Workout Wednesday, Ride Your Bike, you'll know how wonderful biking around town can feel.  Seeing things from a different perspective and just enjoying the fresh air.

Why, then, do we stop doing the things that make us feel so free?  I know, I know...work, family, responsibilities, laundry, school, etc. are all the things (and then some!) that are requiring our attention and time.  And for most of these things (like family) they are important and should be at the top of our to-do list.  But, you and I both know that there are things we fill our days and lives with that are just big time-sucking black holes we fall into and forget to climb out of.

So, I think I'll put down on paper (because you know how I love list making) what is truly a big waste of time and what will add value, love, kindness, joy, calm, etc. to my life and basically stick with those...for the most part.  I'm sorry, but sometimes we do need the mindless, time-sucking black hole ride for awhile (for me it's the ever-loving Internet) however, I'm going to set a timer when I know I'm visiting that place.  That way I can get my 'down' time in but not let it close out those things and activities that are so much worth my time and effort.

What is your time-sucking black hole?  Let me know how you navigate around or through it, I'd love to know!

Set a timer on your time-sucking activities, you'll feel better!

A Girl, A Hoop and a Glass of Wine...

Something to think about when you're having a nice glass of wine this weekend...



Have a great weekend!

xoxo, Sharon

Cappuccino Comfort...

I love cappuccinos.  It's just down right comforting to me.

As a child I often woke up to the wonderful aroma of brewed coffee.  My parents weren't huge coffee drinkers, just a cup or two in the morning and that was it.  No grande cappuccinos or lattes or anything 'blended'.  Just a simple cup of "joe".   I often stole sips from my mother's cup and when I started drinking coffee I found myself preparing it in the same exact way as my mother:  cream, no sugar and to the color of lightly tanned leather.

When I moved to Spain for my junior year in college a whole new wonderful world of coffee opened up to me.  A simple cup of coffee with cream was not so, it was an incredibly brewed espresso with added water (Cafe Americano) with a side of warm milk...oh heaven!  From there I ventured into my first cappuccinos and lattes (mind you, there were no coffee houses on every corner like is today).  I proceeded to completely dive in with after-dinner lattes (with a drop or two of Cognac) or the ever increasing habit of a late-night/early-morning "cafe con leche" with a flaky just-baked croissant.  (De rigueur after a night of Spanish clubbing).

 Yes, I was spoiled, as the coffee/cappuccinos/lattes I was to find back in the States just couldn't really cut it.  Eventually, coffee houses began to spring up but there was/is always something missing.  Now and again I have come upon a 'true' cappuccino but it is very rare and now that I can't enjoy dairy, it's almost non-existent.  Almond milk will do but there's nothing like a frothy, creamy made-to-perfection cappuccino or latte.  When I'm feeling the urge I pull out my cafetera and enjoy the process of making my very own...

It's pretty close to the original but still...

Any warm memories you remember as a child or delicious food you had on vacation somewhere that you just can't find here?  Leave a comment and share!

Make a homemade cappuccino, you'll feel better.

30/30 Challenge...A Week in Review...

I'm still hanging in there with the 30/30 Challenge posted on Hooping.org.  The Challenge:  Hoop for 30 days for 30 minutes.  Like I said, I'm hanging in there.

Day #10
Practice with my mini's.  Just getting the feel of them, nothing fancy.

Day #11
More mini's.  A busy day so I ended up practicing with my mini's because it's too dark outside (humm, perhaps an LED hoop is in order?) and my regular hoop would take out most of my furniture.  So, mini's again tonight.

 Day #12
The sun started to peak out from the clouds and I took advantage of the sunshine. Thought I’d work some more with my naked polypro and practice hooping in my second current. Wow, I need some practice with that! Also, worked on just some free-form movement. A lot of drops but I felt a better connection with myself and the hoop. I’m enjoying, and a bit surprised at, the little discoveries I’m making.

Day #13
Well, it was raining most of the day and not just some sprinkles but an honest to goodness downpour. There was a break in the storm and so I took advantage of it and thought I’d just hoop until the rain started again.  I was inspired my Sharna Rose’s new video:


I  “attempted” to try at least one of her moves. After awhile It started raining again and when I looked at the clock 30 minutes had already passed. I’m going to need a whole lot more than 30 minutes to get any of her moves down. Anyway, had a great time hooping in the rain!

Day #14
I was invited to my super-duper hooper's birthday party to give a little hooping lesson to the party-goers.  Awesome!  Seriously, whenever people put on that hula hoop, they just gotta smile and laugh, it's inevitable!  (When I get some pictures of the party I'll post and, no, I didn't take any myself, too busy having fun!)

Here ya go:

Day #15
Yup, you guessed it, more mini hooping.  Had a great day but was full of activity that I only could muster some mini practice.  Too tired to even take a picture with them so you'll just have to imagine me, bleary eyed and totally exhausted trying to not wake up my husband while the minis are flying off my hands and into tables and such.

Well, a weeks worth and I'm still at it.  If you've started a 30/30 Challenge of your own, I'd love to hear about it!

Keep-on-keeping-on, you'll feel better.

30/30 Challenge, Days #8 and #9, "In-Between Time"...

Day #8:
My husband and I had a wonderful Easter weekend spent with my parents in the desert.  Taught my Saturday Morning Hoop Class, packed lightly and off we went.  And no, I didn't forget to pack my BodyHoops Travel Hoop. 

Easter Sunday was a soothing 88 degrees with a gentle desert breeze.  It was still around 88 degrees around 7:00 p.m. and so I decided to burn off some afternoon margaritas I enjoyed with the folks by hooping by the pool.  Something happens in the desert when everything is so mellow and calm.  Not quite dinnertime yet so everyone is just relaxing and lounging around.  I call it "in-between' time.  Rare spare time.  Aaaahhhh, love that.

Day #9:
Mondays are my days to get caught up on things.  Pick up some groceries, laundry, return emails, phone calls, admin stuff for work, etc.  So after loading the washing machine up (again) I picked up my hoop.  I don't know why I picked up my naked hoop.  I call it that because it has neither grip tape or sparkly tape.  Just a plain ole' light hoop.  I rarely pick this one because it's a little bit bigger than my usual hoop and it's can be hard to hoop with because of it's lack of any type of grip. 

 But it was sure fun today.  Since it's my lightest hoop I thought I'd practice some 'tricks'.  Nothing fancy, just some moves that look great but take time and effort to learn, let alone master.  I usually tense up when I do this but not today.  It was so much fun!  Because of it's lightness, it didn't worry me if the hoop hit me in the head or chin or ankles or fall and skid across the concrete.  There wasn't any sparkly tape to ruin or part of my body where is would leave a bruise.  It just softly bounced around.  Which made it even more enticing to go further with some tricks than I ever have before.  It allowed me to relax and not have to 'get out of the way' of learning new moves and skills. 

Before I knew it my 30 minutes were over and the washing machine beeped.   Great way to utilize that "in-between" time.

What do you like to do when you have some spare or "in-between" time?  And what are the activities that border this time?  Let me know in the comments below, would love to hear it.

"In-between" time, it makes me feel better!

30/30 Challenge, Day #7, Easy Peasy

I teach a Saturday Morning Hoop Class so I got my 30 minutes in and then some...easy peasy!

Today was an especially beautiful California morning too. I get so much out of seeing a new hooper "catch" the hooping fever and my veteran hoopers who are so supportive and basically rock that hoop with such joy. I'm always amazed at how an hour flys by, I love my job!

Come join us for my Saturday Morning Hoop Class, you'll feel better!

30/30 Challenge, Day #6, Not feeling it...

Wow, another busy day.  It's amazing how a consistent 30 minutes, no matter what, it rather difficult.

So it's almost 11:00 p.m. and I'm barely getting home.  Work, errands, church, dinner with friends, walk the dogs and now I'm packing for a weekend at my parents (much needed R & R). But I'll have to finishing that in the morning because I also need to prep for my Saturday Morning Hoop Class tomorrow.  AND I still have to hoop.  OK, yes, right now I'm not feeling it.  I just want to wash my face and climb into bed.  I'm beat!  But I want to see this through so I'm going to practice with my 'minis' in front of the T.V.

Since I'll be away for the weekend, I'll bring my travel hoop so I can continue with the Hooping.org "30/30 Challenge" and report back on Monday.  I'm leaving the computer home.

Sweet Tigger wanting me to NOT pick up the minis and just go to bed already!

I'm going to hang in there, I know I'll feel better!

Laughing is Good For The Soul...

I love watching bloopers.  If you're every down or in a blue mood, try watching a couple and see if that little giggle doesn't pick you right up.  Because laughing is good for the soul.  (FYI: Since this is Jim Carrey is more on the PG 13 side so...)

Have a great Easter/Passover weekend, enjoy!

30/30 Challenge, Day #5, Leg Hooping...

I wish I could leg hoop better than I do.  So I devoted this day to leg hooping.  I have the bruises to show for it too.

Sometimes the reason we aren't that great at something is because we just expect or want it to happen easily.  We simply don't put in the time and effort it takes to get better at something we want.  Just a thought I had as I realized the hoop was becoming a bit easier and less frustrating.   When at first you don't succeed...

Make the effort, you'll feel better.

A Place That Understands Me...

Since it's so hard for me to find gluten, dairy and soy free, I was in heaven when I came across Nekter Juice Bar.  Short and sweet,  you simply must try Nekter Juice Bar.  They have locations in Costa Mesa, Corona del Mar and Long Beach, CA.

Now I know there is that other juice bar all over town but this is so much more and, in my opinion, better for you.  Here's why:

They make their juice from actual vegetables and fruits.  Nothing out of a jug and don't skip over that last part:  They add real VEGETABLE juice.  There's no dairy, gluten or tons of added processed sugar.  They do have agave syrup for sweetening.  It's lower on the glycemic scale but I still shy away from adding this because you don't need to add sweetness to already sweet fruit, darn it!  (Sorry, that just came out). But I digress...

For those of you who haven't tried juices or smoothies made with kale, spinach, parsley or maybe a cucumber, I suggest you try it.  Yes, it may be green but it's chuck full of vitamins and minerals and blended with other yummy ingredients you won't feel like your eating a glass of liquid spinach.  Trust me.  And you don't need to add sweetened yogurt, or sherbet or ice cream to make it taste tolerable.  Again, trust me. Like I've harped on before, get in the habit of tasting what real food taste like NOT what the manufactures want you to get hooked on.  Oops, I digress again...(I'll put away my soapbox now).

I tried the 'Grenie Bowl.  Pure acai, berries, banana, spinach, kale, nutmilk and agave (if you must) and whipped into this soft frozen slice of heaven then if that wasn't enough, they topped it off with hempseed granola and added bananas and strawberries on top of that!.  Tell me that doesn't sound wonderful!

(Caution: People with nut allergies unfortunately will not be able to partake of it as their nutmilk is blended cashews.)

Besides these wonderful Acai bowls, they make juices and smoothies.  Doesn't a Chocolate Dream smoothie with nut milk, cacao, carob, dates, avocado, a dash of agave syrup and blended with ice sound delish?  For a person who can't do dairy, you bet it does! 

Let me know if you head on down to Nekter Juice Bar and tell me if you choose something off their menu or made up a blend all your own, I'd love to hear about it.

Go on, add some green veggies to your life, you'll feel better.

30/30 Challenge, #Day 4, relax...

 A friend of mine sent out an email and wanted to see if anyone wanted to hoop in the park after she got off work.  Ah, yeah, that would be me.

So three of us were able to meet up this evening and hooped as the sun was setting.  It was a bit chilly and windy but it was certainly a great way to unwind from the day.  I wasn't teaching a class or taking a workshop, no technique I wanted to learn, just three girls talking about an upcoming birthday bash we were all invited to and what we were going to wear.  Perfect. 

We hooped over an hour and would have hooped a lot longer but since the sun was on the horizon and the chill factor was coming up, we had to stop.  Hummm...fire hooping would have solved that.  I'll have to remember to add that to my 'bucket list' for sure.

So nothing amazing to report other than it was a great hour of relaxation with the 'girls' and enjoying each others company.

Relax, you'll feel better.

30/30 Challenge, Day #3: Breaking It Down...

Hooping, let alone hoop for 30 minutes, was going to be hard to fit in today.   My schedule was full and I really didn't see any opportunity to fit it in.  So I broke it down. 

I thought, I must have, at least, 10 minutes here and there to sneak some hoop-time in.  So I found literally 10 minutes here and 5 minutes there and finished up the rest before bed.  My husband just smiled when I said I only needed 10 minutes to complete my 30/30 Challenge...for today.  And that made me realize what a fine line there is between keeping a commitment or ...not.

Maybe it's because we make these commitments and then say it's all or nothing.  That unless we complete it the way we thought it should go, then we give up, dump and forget it.  Only to berate ourselves for failing.  Failing at something that we didn't view at every angle.

Like today, there was no way I was going to fit in 30 consecutive minutes.  I could have just 'thrown in the towel'.  But I made a commitment and I wanted to finish.  I wanted the feeling of completing that challenge.

So I just broke it down into bite sized pieces and I got it done.  Yes.  Yes!  So next time you feel like you're ready to quit, fail, drop, forsake, surrender, withdraw, give up ( I think you get it now) try viewing it from a different perspective.  It may surprise you.

Just break it down, you'll feel better.

30/30 Challenge, Day #2...

So I didn't have any expectations for day #2 of my challenge: Hoop for 30 minutes for 30 days. 

OK, first day was at a hoop jam so that was easy.  But day #2, totally wasn't expecting the feeling that washed over me.  Sheer bliss.

I started off by setting an alarm for 30 minutes.  Yes, I actually set an alarm.  Then the most wonderful thing happened.  I didn't force anything, I just allowed me and my hoop play together.  It didn't matter if I was dropping it or that it didn't go where I intended it to or worried if it looked 'pretty'.  I just played.  I allowed the hoop to teach me how to play.

I know, I know for those of you who haven't hooped yet I can imagine you are rolling your eyes by now, but really, me and my hoop just played.  And it was...fun, blissful, joyful and I was giggling.  Now I ask you, when was the last time you giggled while 'working out'? 

I don't expect everyday to be like this.  But one thing is for sure, from now on I'm going into my 30 minutes without expectations.  Just an openness to learn and let my hoop teach me what it is I'm suppose to discover for that day.  And be blessed by it.

30/30 challenge, go for it, you'll feel better!

30/30 Challenge...

Hooping.org is having a challenge.  Hoop for 30 minutes every day for 30 days.  Sounds easy and simple enough.

But when I think of my days and how I'm rushing from client to client or errands or cleaning the house or walking the dogs or... (you KNOW what I'm talking about), all of a sudden trying to find 30 'spare' minutes sounds very much like a challenge.  But I'm going to try.  Trying is step #1.  Set my intention, put it out there for some accountability (which I'm doing here) and go.

I'm even going to put it on my calendar, sort of like an appointment.  Which is a great way to stay on your exercise program because sticking to a fitness routine, for many people, can be difficult.  Things always seem to 'get in the way'.  Some people conquer this by exercising first thing in the morning.  Wake up, exercise, head to the showers and off to work (or kids or whatever else you do during the day).  Brilliant idea as there are too many things we allow to interfere with our exercise 'appointment'.  Other people, like me, simply put it on their calendars and treat it like any other appointment.  You wouldn't cancel your doctor or hair appointments that quickly so why, as something as important as your fitness/health, would you cancel it?

So I'm challenging you.  You don't have to hoop for the 30/30 challenge (unless you want to and who wouldn't want to?) but choose something and stick with it.  Walk, Run, weight train, swim, kick-box, yoga, whatever motivates you, commit to it for 30 minutes for 30 days. 

Let me know that you'll be doing the 30/30 challenge with me, what you'll be doing (fitness related) and your comments on your insights, difficulties, remedies, discoveries, etc. during the month.  I'd love to know we're in it together.

Exercise for 30 minutes for 30 days, you'll feel better!

A Little Chocolate 'Nightcap'...

I like ice cream.  It's not that I crave it or anything, but I like it.  However when it's just one more thing you can't eat (I'm dairy intolerant) sometimes it just REALLY sounds good.

Like tonight.  After a great day with my husband hooping with the Facebook group LA Hoopers,  I made a simple but delicious dinner and we settled in to watch Swingers.  Remember that movie?  With Jon Favreau (love him),  a young Vince Vaughn and Heather Graham (who's never looked better).  The perfect 'nightcap' would be a little bowl of ice cream.

And so I had a bowl, chocolate to be exact, but made with coconut milk.  Yes, coconut milk.   I highly recommend you try So Delicious Coconut Brand Ice Cream,  it's smooth and creamy made without dairy or soy.  Chocolate is my favorite because it tastes slightly like a Mounds Bar.  Oh yeah.

So if you're dairy intolerant (and even if you're not) give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Try some coconut milk ice cream,  you'll feel better!