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Work Hard. Play Hard.

Posts by Annie Vranizan

What is the single best thing we can do for our health?

It’s really no surprise that the single best thing we can do for our health is get exercise every day.  As a person that thrives on adrenaline, being active and pushing my body to new limits, I don’t really have to be told to get outside and take a walk. If it were up to me, I’d opt for far more time outside and less behind the screen or in a seat. But sometimes in our busy, over stimulated lives it’s hard to remember that exercise is considered preventative medicine for far too many diseases that we’ve grown accustomed too.  I often think that my activities allow me to see the world in a differen’t light, relieve stress and actually provide me with more energy. Check out this 9 minute visual lecture, by a doctor-professor that explains and backs up the importance of 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Dr. Mike Evans is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael’s Hospital.

MonsterMash + high-res version

Monster Mash

The soft friendly light contradicts the progression of waves that could eat you alive. I sat in awe as the fierce monsters rose from the ocean, doubling up and swallowing the face. They crept in and dropped like bombs on the white sand, with a roaring echo that could be heard through the night. It was mesmerizing to observe.

Photos taken from the cave at the end of kalalau valley on Kauai, HI.

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Have you ever climbed through a Volcano? Walked on a black sand beach? Wondered what life without vegetation would be? Watched the stars in silence? The sunrise?

That is just what I did in Maui. I was fortunate to be included in a six person hut-hiking trip through the desolate crater of Haleakala. Rising over 10,000 feet from sea level the monstrous crater rim is seven miles long, three miles wide and 2,000 feet deep. We had the huts and what seemed like the whole crater to ourselves. The weather was perfect, the sky blue and not a cloud above. We played like kids at sunset and pulled our sleeping bags under the stars till our eyes became heavy.  The last day we rose before the sun to catch it come over the valley clouds and paint pictures with the wild colors of sand. Blacks, blues, reds and yellows danced across the hills as we climbed to the summit. The protected landscape was unlike anything I’ve seen before.

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Just a bunch of city kids let loose on the beach somewhere between San Francisco and Santa Cruz…

On MLK Weekend the weather forecast was sunny and surf report too good to be true for January. We packed up our camping gear and headed down the 101. As we dipped away from the city the swell lines were clean and visible all the way down the coast. For the first time I’ve seen people were surfing all sorts of hidden breaks and spots along the cliffs.  When we arrived at Waddell Creek there were only a handful of people in the water and waves “looked” friendly enough. Our crew of six suited up and hit the water.

Being the only people in the water, we charged the waves together, took drops we wouldn’t normally try and acted like fools. Some people caught a few on the head, others sat far outside and some ripped it up for the rest of us who couldn’t catch a break. We surfed till we couldn’t move our arms and chilled on the beach till sundown.  Eventually making our way to Santa Cruz where we camped and woke up to do it all over again the next day. Only an hours drive from the city, it felt far more removed than usual because we had  the wintery beaches to ourselves.

Having spent my life on the mountains, I’ve come to expect winter to be unpredictable and delayed at times.  Some years it comes in October, while others we’re scraping by in December. And if you grow up in Oregon sometimes it comes and goes away with the rain in January. Despite my love of fresh, we even have years with too much snow, when plows and patrol can’t keep up the roads and avalanche control to enjoy it.  Although that is rare, this year seems to be breaking the record for abnormal conditions.

It’s January 5th and for the first time in over twenty years I have only skied one day this season.  For someone who used to log more days on snow than off in a year this is a little startling. Granted, I am living further from the slopes and I have work and surfing to distract me, but it is hard to ignore the impact on the mountain economy. With most of the western United States experiencing far below average snowfall, if any. While Alaska and the Northwest are getting hit, most of California is operating on a few man made runs and lots of sunshine on the horizon. Locals can be found hiking, biking, climbing and even swimming in the Sierra’s.

This year more than ever though I’ve come to realize that winter is a luxury, and snow the crop in the farmer’s economy.  The livelihood of sales reps, ski patrol and anyone that thrives on tourism is at stake, i.e. the majority of the ski industry and many of my friends. As much as I want to complain about my own lack of turns, I’m forced to pray for the better. Although that is not the only reason I’m more appreciative of my turns this season.

My one and only day so far this season happened to be with my brother Sam, who has severe Cerebral Palsy, and cannot walk, talk or ski on his own. That’s never stopped him from wanting to go fast and rip turns like the rest of us. He got his first bi-ski at age 12 and has since had to find chairs that will suit his growing needs just to squeeze in a few runs.  He turned 24 over Christmas and after a 4 year hiatus from skiing he was chomping at the bit to get on the slopes. We had reservations at Mt. Bachelor adaptive ski school and after cancelling our first day because of rain, we got a call to cancel again due to early season conditions i.e. no grooming, wet snow and winds which can be very jarring on a sit skier. Admittedly I wasn’t very eager to get out, but when Sam persisted, I couldn’t deny him the opportunity.

We pimped out his rig and hit the mountain with a posse of three aids, my mother and myself.  Sam quickly asked to speed up, catch air and laughed at the thought of scaring my mom. We all got three ripping runs and he couldn’t have been happier. If I don’t get another day in this season (Which I know we will), I’ll be happy to say I got my one with Sam.

Here is just a little peak at skiing with him:

Please excuse the videographer… you’ll get the picture! 

 

Though I’d like to think doing a snow dance and sacrificing some skis to the snow gods will do the trick, it appears to me like our weather system is a little out of wack. Let’s just hope Mother Nature comes through strong in the next couple months to make up for lost time.

Kids say the darndest things, but sometimes they are more right than adults. They speak what they think, while we questions our motives. Take a few minutes to listen and appreciate the moving art of life.

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A Moving Art original short. This inspirational video was well responded at TED conferences and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg motivates those around him as happiness is revealed. Music is by Gary Malkin and narration is from Brother David Steindl-Rast.

Love of the water only grows as you spend time in it. The feeling of freedom it provides and the sense of playfulness within is hard to match.

Whether it was at the pool, beach or on the river, I spent almost every day of my youthful summers in the water. But it was only recently that I started to truly appreciate the ocean in all its beauty and strength. As a surfer you become very in tune with the water around you. It’s very alive, always changing, moving and reminding me to go with the flow of life. Each time as I paddle around, sometimes alone, sometimes joined by dolphins and otters or thousands more people in California, I learn something new.  I am continually humbled by the waves, some days they make me feel glorious, while other days it’s like I have no business out there.

It is difficult to explain the connection with waves that keeps myself or others going back. But I thought Mickey Smith, a charming, humble, creative and passionate surfer/ photographer did an exceptional job. In his recent appearance at the DO Lectures he shares a poetic story and the magic of waves in his film Darskide of the Lens, along with a few valuable lessons to live by…

  • DO arm yourself with a grin.

  • DO embrace being out of control.

  • DO let your weirdness flow free. Go mad and be yourself.

  • DO trust in the things you love.

  • DO get primal with nature.

  • DO trust your instincts and run with them always.

  • DO use your fears and failures as fuel.

  • DO what you love for a living. But be wise with it.

“Fires of happiness, waves of gratitude for everything that brought us to that point in life at that point in time to do something worth remembering with a photograph or a scar.”

His words are inspiring. Take 20 minutes to watch this talk and steep yourself in some of the wisdom that Mickey has to offer.

MICKEY SMITHmickey-smith-portrait-do-lectures

Photographer, film maker & surfer

Mickey Smith is a lad that has lived a life a little less ordinary. He grew up amongst a family of fisherman and mariners, so the ocean and the elements were inevitably where he was drawn. At the age of 9 he was given a disposable camera and an acoustic guitar and cameras and music combined with the magic of waves eventually led him to become a photographer and film maker. From Iceland to Tahiti, Ireland to Japan, Mickey’s love for waves of consequence and isolated environments has left him with many a fine tale to tell and worldwide acclaim for his groundbreaking creative endeavours.