Vacation!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I will be gone until June 23. We're taking a long vacation to Alaska and I'm so excited. We've been planning it forever and now it's finally upon us. I'm sure when I get back I'll have tons of exciting new things to share, including Wellness Wednesday features and a new feature, Photo Phridays!

Have a great few weeks!

Wellness Wednesday

Ah, it's Wednesday again! Time to discuss fitness, health and general wellness. This week I'll be addressing Beaded Tail's concern about fitting exercise into an already packed schedule. This topic is extremely important, because heaven knows we all have enough going on every day to pack a week. So here are my tips:

Break it up:
Exercise can be split up throughout your day. Just because you don't have the time to hit the gym for a solid hour doesn't mean you don't have time to exercise. Try a ten minute walk in the morning, another at lunch and another after dinner. You will have gotten the recommended 30 minutes without a huge intrusion on your life. Plus, these breaks give you a much needed "time out" to sort through the events of the day and refocus.

While you wait:
Here's a little trick I like to do. Weight training while I'm waiting. Say I pop something into the microwave for one minute. During that minute, I do a wall sit. This great exercise works your glutes and thighs. To do it, stand with your back to a wall and slide down it until you feel your muscles engage. Go no lower than a 90 degree bend in the knee. Hold until the microwave beeps. Some other ideas:
-Bicep curls while you wait for your Etsy listing photos to upload.
-Calf raises while your kids (or husband) find their shoes.
-Push ups while your computer boots up (sorry, Mac users, no push ups for you!)
These possibilities are pretty limitless. Once you get used to tossing a little exercise into your "down times" it will become second nature.

Running Errands:
This one may require an adjustment for some, but I find it second nature because I get very impatient when I'm not in control of how long things are taking. The next time you run errands, park as far away from the entrance to the store as you can. At first, you may think you're wasting time walking all that way, but if the store is really busy, you may find yourself walking through the doors ahead of all the people who were cruising the front rows and jockeying for position. Plus, you'll be upping your activity level. The same goes for taking the stairs instead of the elevator. In some buildings, the elevator is slow and stops on every floor. By taking the stairs, you'll really get your heart rate up and get to skip being crushed between that guy who's wearing WAY too much cologne and that seasick looking baby. Caveat: don't walk up 38 flights on your way to a job interview - you'll look a bit wilted!

I hope these help! Don't hesitate to offer more suggestions.

Have a healthy day!

The not-so-fine print:
All the information presented on Wanderlust Bling is for educational and resource purposes only. It is there to help you make informed decisions about fitness training. It is NOT a substitute for or an addition to any advice given to you by your physician.

Uh-oh

This weekend we took a little shake down trip with our new camping equipment to make sure it all functioned properly. It all worked beautifully, so I'm pleased about that. But I find this picture troubling:

You may not see anything wrong with it, but look closer. Doesn't it look like the photo the police find on the camera of the couple who disappears into the woods, never to be seen again? It has a nostalgic, so-happy-and-carefree-it's-melancholy-and-foreboding feel to it. Or am I just twisted?! ;-)

Wellness Wednesday

Hello and welcome to the inaugural edition of Wellness Wednesday in which I will be addressing health, fitness and wellness issues. I used to have a blog that I devoted solely to this topic, but my attention span is short and I need to vary my writing topics!

Today's topic: Exercising with asthma. This issue was raised by LillyShayStyle, whose husband has asthma but wants to get in shape this summer.

The most important thing to remember about this topic is this: See your doctor! Get your asthma under control! I cannot stress this enough. Asthma is a serious health condition and while it can be controlled, monitored and lived with, it is not to be taken lightly. If you're on a daily controller medication, make sure you're taking it appropriately. If you have an inhaler, be sure you have it with you when you're exercising. So see your doctor and discuss exercising with her/him. You should actually consult a physician before you begin an exercise program no matter who you are, just to be sure you're healthy enough for the activity. OK, I'll get off my soap box now.

Cardiovascular:
Warm up: A warm-up before you begin your more intense work out is essential for anyone, but especially those with breathing issues, including asthma. This means starting off slowly to allow your body to acclimate to the activity. Walk before you run or jog, cycle at a slow tempo before revving up those hills. Five to ten minutes of warm-up will let your heart and lungs adjust to the larger demands being made on them.

Environment: Pollution and air quality affect everyone when they exercise because their lungs are pulling in a larger volume of them as your breathing becomes more rapid. People with asthma should avoid exercising when there is heavy pollution. To avoid pollution, you can exercise indoors, away from roads and in the early morning. For those with asthma, exercising in the cold is also problematic and should be avoided.

Activities: Swimming can be a very beneficial exercise for those with asthma. Swimming is great exercise and perfect for summer. If you can't swim, check your local pools or Y for lessons. Not only can you get in shape, but it's a great skill to have.

Intensity: If you have asthma, you need to monitor your intensity. You may need to curtail your intensity, working at a more moderate level. You want to keep your intensity below the point of breathing difficulty. If your breathing becomes labored, slow down and let your breathing return to normal.

Cool down: When you've completed your workout, don't just stop cold. Make a five minute cool down during which you lower your intensity part of your routine.

Start slow: If you've just begun exercising, start off with 15-20 minutes of cardiovascular work. This goes for everyone, not just those with asthma.

Strength:
Strength training is important for everyone, and especially for people who are trying to lose weight. Muscle torches fat even when you're sleeping, so the more you have, the more weight you'll lose. Start off with a full body work out that works all your muscle groups. It is very important to perform strength exercises with proper form and I highly recommend getting a routine from a Personal Trainer in your area. Many gyms offer one time consultations with a trainer for free or a very reasonable fee. This is invaluable as they will be able to assess your current fitness level and provide you with an appropriate work out for that level. They can also correct your form to prevent injury and maximize results.

Okay, that's it for this week! Next week: Fitting exercise into packed schedules and healthy snacks.

Have a great and well day!

The not-so-fine print:
All the information presented on Wanderlust Bling is for educational and resource purposes only. It is there to help you make informed decisions about fitness training. It is NOT a substitute for or an addition to any advice given to you by your physician.

I Need Your Thoughts!

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. We ran yet another race - the Re-Run Run. It's a benefit for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and all the t-shirts, medals, food, etc. is donated from other races so that all the money from race registrations goes to the Society. The fun side of this is that you don't know from which race your goodies will come. We ended up with the Chicago Distance Classic t-shirts and finisher's medals - luck of the draw and very exciting since most 5Ks don't have finisher's medals! We both won our age group, so so both also got a very nice medal from the Catalina Island EcoMarathon, which looks like a great race! It's partially on trails, which is so much more interesting (albeit challenging) than a purely road race.

Here's where I need your thoughts: I'm planning on starting a feature on Wednesdays called Wellness Wednesdays (I'm a sucker for alliteration.) I want to provide the crafting community with health and wellness tips specific to our needs. In case you're wondering, I'm also an ACE Certified Personal Trainer, though I should take this opportunity to point out that nothing on my blog counts as medical advice and I assume no liability should you attempt anything you read here. ;-) So does anyone out there have any diet/exercise/fitness/wellness problems they'd like to see discussed here? I'm open to suggestion and welcome your input! Thanks!

Have a great day!

Well that was interesting.

I had an eventful weekend. On Saturday I did my first ever craft show. It was at the Waldorf School in Eugene, and it was fine, except for the weather. At first the rain was just a slow, steady drum on my canopy, but in the afternoon, it turned into a lashing, blowing storm that soaked my displays. The teachers and parents started moving their face painting, bag toss and food booths inside and all the vendors started to pack up. Sure, the fair was supposed to go until four, but no one was sticking around that long. Just as we were about to take the canopy down, a huge gust blew it up and over and it landed on a fence. Good from a containment standpoint, bad from a non rip standpoint. It tore a hole right in the thing. Glad I bought it used. Of course, Eugene being Eugene, once all the vendors were packed up, the sun came out. No one made moves to unpack, though. I did make some sales and handed out some cards, and while I didn't sell any of my Tile pendants, they were a huge hit. Everyone read the blurb I posted and asked lots of questions and told me it was a wonderful, creative idea, so that was nice. All in all I think I'll count it as a success and a good learning experience. I had a great time and it's so nice to interact with customers, rather than only having an internet transaction. Definitely something I plan on doing in the future.

On Sunday I ran the Eugene Half Marathon while K ran the Marathon. It was great fun. Okay, it was fun for awhile and character building the rest of the time. I ran the exact same pace I did for the last half I ran last November. While it may look like that means no progress, it actually means I was in better shape, as this time I was still battling a chest cold. My legs were killing me yesterday and I was hobbling around like an old lady. Every time I got up I screamed like a warrior going into battle, since my quads felt like they were going to explode with each exertion. Good times!

I took yesterday off and just sat around and read. Oh, alright, I also listed some cuff links. I'm kind of bad at taking a day completely off!

Have a great day!

My Booth

I finally got my booth all figured out. I spent a lot of time at local thrift shops getting table cloths for my tables and other display pieces. My items are priced, my layout is planned and I have a box filled with essentials like tape, scissors, markers, pens, etc. I'm quite happy with my layout. It's been a cramped few days as I've had the tables set up in the middle of the living room so I could make sure I liked how it was set up and to make sure I had all the signage I needed. Here I'll take more tomorrow once I have it set up under my new blue canopy.

Have a great day!