I've made mention to it once or twice, but let it officially be known....I am coaching the Strongsville High School Girl's Lacrosse Team!!

I played lacrosse all four years of college and did a little coaching at Hoover High School when I first moved to Ohio. Now I'm going to be head coach of the girl's team at Strongsville. Very exciting, I know. I can see you jumping with excitement from here.

I've been doing all kinds of coaching training online and plan to take some coaching clinics that are put on my US Lacrosse eventually. One things I've learned is that I need a plan for the season and I need to set goals. Let's start with some goals (because we all know that writing them down and putting them out there will hold us accountable)

1. Average less than 5 goals against per game: this means beefing up our defense big time. We'll need to have a solid settled defense and I want every single player to feel comfortable defending the goal.
2. Average 7+ goals per game: I know lacrosse at the high school level is chock-full of "give the ball to the star player" types of offenses. A corollary to this goal, is having an even distribution of goals scored by all the attackers. 
3. Win 80% of the draws: in the game of lacrosse, there is a golden rule "SHE WHO WINS THE DRAW, WINS THE GAME" and it is true in most games. You have to have the ball to score a goal, right? Makes sense.
4. Zero red/yellow cards all season: if you get carded, it means you are not playing clean lacrosse 99% of the time. I have no tolerance for dirty play. 
5. Make 75% of all free position shots: this will probably be the toughest one, you'd be surprised how many free shots on the goal can get botched. 
6. Average 5 caused turnovers per game: BIG D! All this means is that we have a very strong defense and that we are hungry for the ball. 

Run at lunch. Seriously, do it. You'll thank me later.

Or, maybe don't run...


...just get moving!! I find that my lunch break time is best utilized when I'm moving and not sitting in front of my computer.

Yesterday at 11:59 I decided I wanted to run at lunch and it turned out to be a great idea. Exercising at lunch always allows me to get all my jitters out so I can focus through the rest of the afternoon. I can usually get in between 3 and 5 miles comfortably at lunch, without feeling rushed.



I keep a big bag full of different types of workout clothes in my car for any occasion that I embark on unplanned exercise at lunchtime. I do have a shower at work, but I rarely use it because I don't want to deal with wet hair at work. That, and it takes a while to shower, which takes away from workout time.

Let's go on a tour of the next of the seven major chakra in the chakra system

• low back pain
• urinary problems
• loss of libido or incompetency
• difficulty conceiving
• relationship problems
• difficulty defining boundaries
• struggling with balancing whether to be assertive or passive
•  feeling a lack of creativity in life
• being out of touch with your feelings

• Write a letter to yourself as if you were writing to your best friend. Make sure to outline as many positive things as you possibly can, you want to let the recipient of this letter know how highly you think of them.
• Meditate on the time in your life between the ages of 4 and 8. Bring all the events (especially adverse ones) into your mind's eye and resolve to forgive them. Do the same with the people associated with those events. Understand that these things happened to help you learn something about yourself and your relationship with others. Appreciate those people for being your teachers and allowed you to learn from them.
• Look up and try a few guided meditations for the second chakra.

To learn about the first chakra, check out my first chakra post:

• The First Chakra

It's not a secret that I've been struggling to find my balance between being a yogi and being a runner. I purposely left the title of this post open ended so I don't have to call myself one or the other. I'm neither and I'm both, all at the same time.

Hmm, did I get too philosophical on you there? Sorry, I've been studying the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads all weekend. It had me thinking a lot about not being attached to results. Just be here.

Now.


Jess wrote a great post last week about how you're still a runner, even if you don't run marathons. That's a thought I can 100% get behind. Running is taking a backseat in my life, and that's okay. It doesn't make me any less of a runner. Even though it's still a huge part of me and I will take the opportunities to get out for a run when I can, running is not a priority for me right now. 

That's why I'm not going to commit to running any of the races on my 2012 wishlist.

That doesn't mean I won't run any races, I'm just not adding training for a long race to my already overloaded schedule. I don't want to add the stress of feeling like I have to get out there and run. While I may decide at the last minute to participate in a shorter distance, I'm not going to plan for it. Getting out for a run just isn't always an option, but I'll take what I can get when I can get it.

So runners, please don't abandon me because I'm not posting my marathon training updates like everyone else is. My inner runner is still in there, it's just a few layers beneath the yogi, the lacrosse coach, the fiance, and the engineer.

This is why I'm not just a runner. I just am.

I love baking. It's like an art form. Technically, you're supposed to follow the recipes exactly...


OR ELSE!

While, most of the time, this is very very true -- forgetting the baking soda, or adding more than a pinch of salt could spell disaster -- there are a few substitutions you can make to healthy-up that next batch of muffins or cookies.  Let's talk healthy baking substitutions.


Whole wheat flour for white flour -- let's start with the basics. If you're still using enriched, bleached, white-as-snow flour, you're missing out on a lot of good nutrients and fiber. Whole wheat flour includes the outer shell of the grain, so the texture will be a bit more coarse than white flour but you can substitute whole wheat for white flour in a 1:1 ratio. I do all of my baking with whole wheat flour unless I'm going for a really traditional feel (and as you probably know, traditional isn't really my MO).

Avocado puree for butter -- this is a good vegan substitute. If you're looking to cut out fat, this isn't the way to go, but avocados have all the great things that other fruits and veggies have and butter doesn't. Avocados have pretty much the same consistency as butter at room temperature and can be subbed in a 1:1 ratio. Avocados have a subtle flavor that goes really well in brownies or chocolate puddings, just know that you may taste a slight hint of 'cado in a cookie recipe!

"Flax eggs" for eggs -- 1 regular egg = 1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, mixed and allowed to set/gel for about 10 minutes. For cookies and muffins, they will add a boost of omega-3's and some extra fiber, but I might shy away from recipes that really use the eggs to be a sticking agent. Flax eggs just aren't as sticky as regular eggs.

Unsweetened applesauce for butter or oil -- I've successfully used applesauce in place of oil in a 1:1 ratio. If you use it to replace butter, it can get a little tricky because you'll have to add a bit more of the dry ingredients to offset the extra moisture in the app'sauce. I would suggest replace up to 3/4 of the butter in a recipe with apple sauce to start. Don't forget to reduce sugar if you use sweetened applesauce.

Mashed bananas for butter -- bananas can definitely be subbed in for butter to reduce fat in a recipe and add some extra potassium and vitamin B, but they definitely add sweetness, so cut down on the sugar the recipe calls for if you do this. Sub in a 1:1 ratio.

Vanilla for sugar -- adding an extra couple of teaspoons of vanilla and cutting the sugar in half in a recipe is an easy way to reduce calories in a recipe without sacrificing sweetness. If you're wary of this, start by cutting the sugar by 1/4 and only adding one extra teaspoon of vanilla.

Turbinado sugar/sucanat/blackstrap molasses for white sugar -- here's another back to basics suggestion. You lose a lot of the good stuff in the processing of white sugar (much like white flour!) As a general rule, go for less processed ingredients of any kind and you'll get the added benefit of fiber which helps those calories metabolize more slowly in your body.

Cacao nibs for chocolate chips -- here's that golden rule again, less process ingredients are healthier! Cacao nibs don't have all the added sugar that chocolate chips do, so by default they won't taste as sweet, but they're a good stand in if you want to cut out some sugar.

There are so many more, but at the risk of making this post unbearable to read, I will spare you. What healthier substitutes do you use for baking?

After lacrosse practice on Sunday, Brandon and I headed over to the IX Center for the Great Big Home and Garden Expo.  We managed to get out without buying any of the gimmicky knick-knacks that many exhibitors were selling -- although I really wanted this thing that picks up dog hair like MAGIC. What we did leave with was a list of home improvements for the house.

It is said that you have a storehouse of karma that you carry with you in life. If you are walking down the street and you stub your toe on a rock, that is because of old karma stored in that storehouse. If you are walking down the street and you choose to kick a rock but it hurts your toe, that is new karma that will go into your storehouse for later.

In honor of my new good karma Friday tradition, I want to send as much GOOD karma to that karma storehouse as I possibly can. These are my picks for the week:

(1) The TSA worker at the airport in Philly who put a smiley face on my boarding pass. He put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. See? A smile can get you all the way from Philly to Cleveland.

(2) Maria is giving away a scholarship for street yoga training. Street Yoga is definitely something worth getting involved in, and it's awesome that Maria is going to help somebody be a part of it.

(3) My friends who want to support Brandon's music as much as I do! I've been totally floored by the outpouring of support...even if it's just a "I hope there's a good turnout at his show". It means so much to me and I know it means the world to him. Oh, and on that note...

FireSide Symphony will be at Dewey's Coffee Shop in Shaker Square tonight at 7:30 pm! So if you're in the area, pop on in for a hot cocoa or a coffee and enjoy some amazing live music.  


Happy Weekend, my lovelies!

1. I'm waiting for my plane back home to Cleveland (from Philly). The TSA worker who checked my ID at the security gate drew a smiley face on my boarding pass because I smiled at him and asked how his morning was. Note to self: smile more often, they're contagious!!

2. When I get back to work, I'm going to have a meeting with my new boss about beginning responsibilities in my new job. I'm excited! I am moving from R&D into Quality, for those of you who had any idea what that means. It is definitely time for a new challenge and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

3. Lacrosse practices start in 27 days. I have a lacrosse field clipboard and a whistle, so it's official. I'm a real coach. Go Mustangs!!

I'll be back in Cleveland soon, excited to be home!