“Think about the traits that creative people possess. Creative people don’t follow the crowds; they seek out the blank spots on the map. Creative people wander through faraway and forgotten traditions and then integrate marginal perspectives back to the mainstream. Instead of being fastest around the tracks everybody knows, creative people move adaptively through wildernesses nobody knows.”
Only a few years after my good friend and former ski racing teammate was told by doctors she might possibly never walk, run, ski, jump again from a broken back, now she bends and poses proudly to show her strength. An India trained yogi, Britt Bahle teaches at various studios around the Tahoe basin. After beating me up in class this weekend, she asked if I’d snap a few pics for Yoga Journal talent search, ironically she picked the back bend photo which I think has more meaning than just your average pose. Check out her nomination, like it if you do!
Yoga inspires me to be myself. It inspires me to laugh, to cry, and above all yoga inspires me to share all the knowledge I have gained through its philosophy and practice. – Britt Bahle
As skiers we are all very aware of avalanches and the dangers associated. We’d like to think we take the right precautions or know how to judge the snowpack to avoid all likely triggers. But I’ll admit as a confident and adventurous skier, I’ve probably put myself in situations that we’re less than intelligent. Accidents happen and they happen to the best, most knowledgeable people at times. All we can do is make the best decisions we possibly can on a day-to-day basis, manage and mitigate risk as diligently as possible, and feel strong in our convictions to make such choices to go out into the mountains in the first place.
In an effort to educate myself more about the rules of the backcountry, avalanche safety and rescue techniques I signed up for a 3-day AIRE Level 1 Avalanche training course. I highly recommend all my friends get the training, but in the meantime I wanted to put together a little recap or cheat sheet on some of the various things I took home. Granted their is only so much you can put into a drawing, but I tried to capture some of the key things to consider as your planning your trip, picking your team, selecting appropriate terrain and venturing up or down the mountain.
In the week leading up and intro my course the state of the Tahoe backcountry had fluctuated between its highest and lowest points of the season. Many people, including myself would report some of the best “conditions” of the season, which came along with the best avalanche conditions. It went from bomber ice and windblown over the weekend to 100 MPH winds and a few feet of fresh throughout the week and warmed up to sixty degrees at lake level by the following Sunday. Many people were eager to escape the lines or the resort and tackle some of the untouched out of bounds terrain. Unfortunately we witnessed not one, but two separate deaths by avalanche that week in our own backyard. We had and still have a persistent weak layer in the snowpack that continues to be a concern. But as we learned in the Avi 1 course is that their aren’t “No Go” days, but instead “No Go” places.
5 Safety Tips:
Use the decision-making framework to help select appropriate terrain.
Travel safely: be alert to changing conditions, communicate with group and be prepared for rescue at all times.
Test your gear and practice, practice, practice with it.
In the classroom we discussed the types of avalanches that exist; dry snow and slab, how to measure size and destructive potential, what causes them to occur, how the snow changes both above and below the surface and what influences those changes. We analyzed avalanche reports and accidents (which anyone can do at avalanche.org), including one that happened the day prior in our own backyard making it a very real and timely matter. A huge emphasis was put on “seeing what the experts are seeing” by reading the local avalanche report and going out and testing the snow to find that persistent weak layer in the forecast.
We hit the field, dug snow pits, and tested the integrity of the snowpack, layers and surface conditions. We saw surface hoar formed after a cold night, weak layers at the bottom caused by faceting and layers that changed from the base of our hike to the summit due to rapid warming. We learned tests on the go and practiced using our beacons, shovels and probes in simulated rescues. Something anyone, including myself can and should do regularly with a few friends, have fun with it, make it an apre ski festivity and hide some beers along with hidden transceiver.
The more you can be confident in your own decision making the safer you’ll be. No one ever plans on going out into the backcountry and not returning home that evening, just like no one plans on heading to the resort one day and not returning home as well. Have fun, be safe, and ski for a lifetime!
Where’s the repeat button?!!! Arcade fire track on… flashback to holding hands jumping around in a circle…
That music was unreal; I’ve never seen artists play with such passion. I couldn’t ask for a better weekend in SF. Great music, great people, good food, blue skies, glassy waves and lots of laughter. The biggest thanks goes out to my brother Sam who introduced us to the Bridge School and motivated everyone to make the trek, AND who most importantly won’t let us leave him out of the action, not even for dinner!
The benefactor of Neil Young’s annual benefit concert, The Bridge School, helps physically challenged children overcome their impairments via the use of technology. The school organizes annual retreats for disabled adults to gather with peers, share stories and learn from one another. Sam who has cerebral palsy has been fortunate to attend these, many of which have been on the UC Berkeley campus where I’ve been able to join for evening activities. They take over the dorms with wheelchairs, aides, music and all sorts of communication devices that help them connect with one another. The experience has not only been empowering but also inspiring to see what technology has provided for each of these individuals.
From my own experience, it’s been amazing to watch Sam grow and articulate his needs though use of a communication device. With a head switch he can scan through a computer to build sentences and it then speaks for him. Although it takes time and can be frustrating, it has opened doors that may not have been possible before. This year Sam opted to attend the Bridge School Concert instead of the summer program, since the trek down from Oregon was really not feasible for both. Sam who both loves live music and San Francisco, has been wanting to go to the concert ever since he started attending the Bridge School camps over 5 years ago. He persisted and the entourage followed.
The lineup included the likes of Dave Mathews, Beck, Carlos Santana, Eddie Vedder, Mumford and Sons, Arcade Fire, Nora Jones, and of course Neil Young. It was pandemonium trying to gather tickets, but between the phone, computer and a few friends we gathered 30 people to join us in the festivities. Friends and family drove and flew down from Portland, Tahoe, Santa Cruz and all over the city to join the cause. We kicked off the weekend with a big Italian style dinner at Pizzeria Delfina, where our good friend and GM Nick Arnerich seated us on the street for a gorgeous evening, where as my dad put it “Naples met NEP (Northeast Portland), we had a meal not to be forgotten!”
I found the biggest available wheelchair accessible bus to shuttle us down to Mountain View on Saturday. It only seated 20 and we squeezed in an extra, so next year we’ll really have to find something bigger…a school bus? Needless to say our rowdy crew made it safely to the concert to enjoy over seven hours of unbelievable music.
The artists played with heart and soul, Neil Young would stroll on and off the stage joining in with the artists and even surprising Beck with backing vocals midway through his band’s rendition of “pocahontas.” It was like a jam fest that thousands of people stumbled on and I felt fortunate to witness. I had seen Arcade Fire headline at Outside Lands only a few months earlier, but the Canadian Indie rock collective showed it could conjure just as much power even when stripped of the usual sonic frills, rollicking through twangy versions of “The Suburbs,” “Rebellion (Lies)” and Young’s “Helpless” with the man himself. Our group was literally holding hands and jumping around in circles. If it helps explain the greatness of this event, singer-guitarist Win Butler said ”I can honestly say, I don’t think a lot of us would be in a band if it wasn’t for Neil Young.”
To top off the night, my mother who bought a few raffle tickets’ in hopes of grasping an iPad was shocked to win the grand prize; the 25th Anniversary Bridge School Concert guitar. This was not your average instrument, it was hand made by Martin Beck, engraved with the logo and had disabled kids carved in abalone on the neck. Not only was it gorgeous, it was to be signed by ALL of the artists in attendance. My parents met Martin Beck that evening and learned that they were the first Bridge School family to win a guitar, I’d like to think some things happen for a reason, if anyone deserves something special it’s them. Although no one in our family plays guitar, they’ve let many friends play it and will continue to share it along with the Bridge School with the world.
We all laughed and reminisced on our favorite songs as we bussed back to the city. It’s with great surprise I’ll say that the “Adults” out lasted the “Big Kids”, as my friends were dozing off past midnight my own mother was dancing like a giddy kid, telling us how long she had been wanting to see Neil Young live. Winning the signed guitar was the icing on the cake. She emailed me later to say “We are back home and still reveling in the excitement of the weekend! I am trying to be patient waiting for my hand made Martin Beck guitar to arrive. I can’t wait to actually see it.” The memories will live on through the guitar, music, photos and I’d like to think we’ll make it happen again next year.
[Reflection from a few month's back, the concert was this fall in Mountain View, CA]
“Last weekend is what life is all about…great people, family, food and fun…so happy and proud to call all of you family…at the end of the day that’s all that matters.”
“It is Wednesday and I am still floating around with my heart in the clouds. Thank-you all for joining us this weekend. Sharing the experience and the music with my friends and family is all I could ask for.”
“Thanks, Sam for the inspiration! Can’t wait for the next…”
“DITTO on the thoughts and our sentiments precisely!!! It was an off the charts weekend with way too much damn fun, food, and friends. Words cannot describe it, I too am still flying high.”
”Somehow all thought of selling the guitar slipped away when I heard about Neil and Pegi signing my guitar!”
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.
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.
—
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.
My good friend Vinnie on his birthday at Point Reyes, watching the sunset dip into the ocean. We all laughed at the thought of being entertained by the view, it’s far better than television!
The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression.
In fact play improves our work.
- Steven Keil
I watch TED Talks almost weekly for inspiration, but when I came across Steven Keil’s manifesto for play I was especially moved. It’s not brilliant, or a discovery of something we don’t already know, but the way he presents the need for play in culture is fascinating to me. It may be that I relate dearly to the subject matter or that it validates the way I live. I watched it twice and decided to share a few key points.
Keil believes that “The opposite of play is not work, it’s depression. In fact play improves our work” and thus he calls for a players revolution, for a drastic change in the way people think and behave. Although he addresses the “serious meme” that has infected his home of Bulgaria — and calls for a return to play to revitalize the economy, education and society, his sparkling talk has a universal message for people everywhere who are reinventing their workplaces, schools, lives.
What he finds in Bulgaria is that people are not living up to there potential. That society lacks innovation; they have poor heath, and have been dubbed the saddest place on earth. They also have few entrepreneurs, the assumed engine of the economy. He calls the operating system broken and believes they are last because they don’t value play. In fact, they de-value it by trying to be overly serious.
Some limiting factors:
Untrusting.
Controlling.
Restrictive.
Not valued.
Not having any FUN.
Fear is the enemy of play. The concept that needs to be broken in Bulgaria and everywhere is that the opposite of play is work. Where we feel guilty if you’re playing at work or doing something that can be perceived as fun. That thinking is backwards, because play improves our work. It stimulates creativity, increases productivity and improves our ability to learn. So much of our lives are spent at the workplace, it should be fun. Play doesn’t mean not serious, instead it promotes self-fulfillment, innovation, and creates meaning.
Playing is not just meant for kids and recess. We are all designed by nature to play from youth to old age. Keil declares, “Our brains are hard wired for play. Evolution has selected over millions and billions of years for play in humans and in animals. Evolution does a really good job of deselecting traits that aren’t advantageous for us and selecting traits that are competitive advantage. Nature isn’t stupid.” It’s proven that the more you play the bigger the brain size. They found that rat’s that play more have bigger brains. And bears that play more live longer.
The benefits of play are emotional maturity and decision-making ability. Play creates a synergy of ideas that maybe you wouldn’t have occurred before. Playing can be very social and it shows other sides of your personality. The people I play with or engage in exercise, the arts, laughter, etc. are the people I am closest too, I understand the most and am challenged by. I believe in Kiels closing statement, that we need a drastic change in the way we think and behave but we don’t need a workers revolution. What we need is a players uprising. Reinvigorating our lives, schools and work. Who cares what time you get in or leave work, the focus should be on providing results. I couldn’t tell you how much time I spent on the mountain or in the water when I am trying to get better at surfing, I can only tell you when I succeed and when the hard work comes to fruition. I believed that we should all rediscover play, innovation, and trust; allowing people to be thought leaders. Empowerment and constructive criticism goes a long way.
TEDx TALK: Steve Keil – A manifesto for play, for Bulgaria and beyond
I admit, I have a gear addiction. I have a few toys lying around and now I have a fourth bike. I would feel guilty if they did not all get used, but in just the last 7 day’s I have ridden all four of them. I am a typical gear junkie, who is constantly fixing things, making upgrades and enhancements. Over the years I have collected random parts and components and realized I had the makings for a new bike. I had a front fork, seat post, stem, saddle, brakes and a buddy offered me his old Schwinn Homegrown frame.
The beauty of a single speed is that you do not need many components. I stripped what components and cables remained on the Schwinn and and kept the crankset. I mapped out a color scheme and bought a few can’s of spray paint to get started. I stripped all the stickers, goo and dirt from the frame and fork, sanded and primed them and spayed them with multiple thin coats, followed by a gloss finish.
Instead of trying to salvage the old, bent and worn wheels, I found some reasonable white rimmed wheels on Nashbar. I peeled off the red racing stripes and now they look great. I also wanted to add my own feminine flair, so I got a purple handlebars and found a matching chainring and wire clamps for the brake cables.
For a single speed you do not need shifters, de-railer or any moving parts. All you need is a singleator, a rear cog, spacers to fit the wheel hub, a chain and chain ring for the crank.
After month’s of tinkering with the bike, finding parts and getting it dialed it took only two sittings to get it all put together. It helps to have a mechanic as a friend, because as we put it together we would throw parts around the garage, swap out pieces and realize we need something else.
At 25 years young, I’ve been feeling like the juice in my energizer battery is leaking. There is continually less time in the day to fit in my workouts, work, social life and should we say blogging… but that’s nothing new, if you gave me more hours in the day I would just add in more activities. What’s bothered me most is fatigue, struggling to get out of bed in the morning, or skipping workouts from being exhausted by a days work. Coming from the person who usually races out the door to squeeze in a surf session or bike ride before the sun goes down I knew I needed a change, but wasn’t sure just what that was.
Should I give up caffeine? Sweets? Or (God forbid) alcohol? Sleep more or less? up the workouts…
I consider myself a healthy person, and some of my friends or co-workers might say that’s an understatement. Although I’m pretty active, make most my meals from scratch, eat lot’s of veggies and fruit, I do enjoy my red wine, afternoon cappuccino and occasional sweet treat. And by no means am I a calorie counter, or one to follow fad diets; I admittedly have difficulties resisting the abundance of great restaurants I am presented with living in lovely San Francisco.
Earlier this winter, I stumbled upon this article in Outside Magazine – about this fascinating 21-day cleanse called Clean.
“The caffeine-free, fully cleansed, take-your-nap, buff-as-hell guide to a whole new you”
Which when followed strictly will supposedly rid your body of toxins and boost not only your mood but increase your energy. The only catch is you have to cut out refined sugar, alcohol, dairy, soy, red meat, shellfish, wheat, caffeine and various fruits and vegetables. So just abut everything you eat? But the seven Outside editors who went through a range of self-denial sufferfests, also yielded surprising answers about what you need for total health. At first glance I thought, WOW impressive, maybe this is just the thing I need. But the difficult part was deciding when to pull the plug… Luckily I had a motivated partner in crime who kick started the game. She bought the book and immediately prompted me to follow suit. Let’s start when you get back from Vacation, timing couldn’t have been more perfect. I had already cut out sweets and coffee for lent and was traveling to Costa Rica for a week of surfing, much needed Vitamin D and technology reprieve. I read the book on my trip and began promptly upon arrival home.
In addition to food’s you cut out, Dr. Junger author of Clean points out that our number one toxin is stress, followed by lack of sleep and hydration. We often eat when we are bored or because it is presented to us, not when we’re necessarily hungry. Our bodies are constantly working to catch up, and we never give them a rest. The cleanse is recommended as a once a year way to a reset your immune system, intestines and body chemistry. But Junger warns, that once you start, you’ll have a difficulty going back to the way you ate, and only now do I understand why.
In reflection, it is definitely a testament of control, personal will and organization. I still ate a ton, but very consciously, and planned much of my meals in advance, because you can’t expect a place to have much or any food that fits your ‘diet’ needs. My meals consisted of a green smoothie for breakfast, solid meal like quinoa or brown rice and fish with veggies for lunch and blended vegetable and bean soups for dinner. I snacked on nuts, apples, carrots, celery, seaweed, snap peas. If I really needed something sweet I had a medjool date. I drank more water than I ever imagined, rotated out with a few cups of tea – ginger, green, licorice and mint or detox, Yogi Tea’s are my go-to. (Please Note, I did not use the powders or any of the packaged cleanse, just followed the food guidelines)
A look back at the transformation that occurred over three weeks time, and how my view of food has drastically changed. I have already adapted much of the eating habits into my post cleanse routine, as my body has quite simply rejected a lot of what I used to eat blindly. Even when I was a competitive athlete I wasn’t fully in tune with what foods made me feel better, stronger, recover quicker and make my skin glow. I have already shared many of the secrets with friends, so I thought I would write about it.
CLEAN: A Revolutionary Program to Restore Your Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself
Elimination Diet:
You are supposed to ease your way into the cleanse, as to not completely shock your body. I had eliminated caffeine and sweets for lent, which was about 4 weeks prior to starting the cleanse. I started the cleanse one day after returning from vacation where my stress level was low, I had been very active and my body was feeling good. This made for a much more smooth transition when I eliminated more elements from my diet.
Week one:
I felt the effect much faster than I imagined, only a few days in I could literally feel toxin’s moving out of my body. I had some afternoon headaches and hit a wall at night where I would become very exhausted. The most curious symptom was congestion, which may have caused the headaches, but my sinuses were constantly draining. It was as if I was sick, but I wasn’t.
The first week I ate more than the prescribed amount of food, as I tried to maintain my normal level of activity throughout. My muscles felt heavy when I ran and they did not recover at the same rate as I was used to. I went backcountry skiing and my normal snappy movements were sluggish and my muscles sore and achy after the fact. I was also starving for carbs, I ate lots of quinoa and brown rice to fill the void but it wasn’t the same. I drank 3-4 cups of tea along with 7-8 cups of water a day.
Week Two:
I felt a drastic change in my skin. From head to toe, my skin felt smoother, softer and tighter. Although my face broke out, my arms, legs and body felt leaner. I lost about 5-7 lbs. in bloated weight and my muscles appear more defined. I also felt like my flexibility increased, which was most noticeable during yoga.
Alcohol and eating in social situations was likely the most difficult thing this week, with a black tie event, outdoor concert and NBA basketball game I found it challenging to be the one sipping water and picking apart my plate to find something edible. Everyone asks questions and you start to get tired of explaining why you are not eating, drinking certain foods – everyone seems to have their own opinion about what’s healthy and questions the logic behind your program. The best advice I can give is to share openly, and recommend the read about it and make their own decision.
Week Three:
Things started to click this week, it was as if my body was enjoying the diet, energized by what I was supplying it with and came to life. My focus was heightened, my thoughts, emotions were stronger and I was more aware of my surroundings and most noticeably the taste of food. I did not crave (too many) foods outside the diet. I slept soundly, and woke up with the sun, ready to start my day. My confidence increased and I would attribute it to the way I both felt and looked at myself. The whites in my eyes even shone more bright.
What I started to fear most was introducing new foods back into my diet. Rightly so, the smallest glass of wine left my stomach in knots, as did wheat make me bloated and cramped. Now that I had cleaned my body of much of it’s toxicity, the difficulty was to determine isolate what things made me feel good, bad, better or worse.
Epilogue:
I didn’t exactly ease out off the cleanse, I more than shocked my system with rich foods, sweets, alcohol and wheat. I quickly realized how poor I felt and what simple things really hit me in the stomach. Pineapple made me break out in hives (found this was common through the forum), coffee after 8 weeks without it almost made me throw up and wheat makes me bloated. I am still working to figure out a balance, but I definitely enjoy the affects of eating this way and will try and incorporate as much as possible into my day to day eating.
I remember a year back when my roommate did a cleanse and made these gnarly green kale, ginger and chia smoothies. I used to look at them and cringe. Now I’m making my very own ‘green smoothies’ EVERY day and loving the effects. If I stick to one thing, it will be liquid breakfasts!
If you’re looking for an opportunity to refresh your body, get in tune with your surroundings and shed a few office lbs. I would recommend trying this cleanse. Unlike others out there, it can be done with a normal workload, activity and social setting. It can also be a lifelong diet if you choose.
About The CLEAN Program
If your interested in doing the cleanse, I highly reccomend getting the Clean book through Amazon. It’s a little repetitive, but rather interesting. The 21 day cleanse is mainly focused on ridding your body of toxins that collect in a healthy manner and then restoring them back to a place they can support healthy digestion and cleaning. Here is the website too, it has all the resources if you don’t want to read the book. Dr. Junger takes a lot of his practice from working in the field without technology.
You can also signup to the Clean community, where you’ll have access to a forum and some of the Clean team will reply to your questions. It is a great place to ask questions, find answers and see if others are having similar symptoms or reactions to food and the cleanse. I was able to determine that breaking out in hives from Pineapple was a common reaction that others had experienced.
A few tips, If you so choose to do it:
1. Find an accomplice or partner to do the Cleanse at the same time as you. This person is a good confidant to talk about your symptoms, feelings and best of all, keep you committed.
2. Take detox bathes, they are the best – 30 minute hot Epson Salt bathes that literally pull toxins from your body, you’ll break out in a sweat or even breakout on your face, but they help the process, relieve stress and are a good way to end the day.
3. Plan ahead, make things in bulk. I cooked pots of quinoa all at once, batches of soup, doubled smoothie recipes or baked fish for a few days. It makes it easier to get your lunch ready for work in the morning. The last thing you want to be in is a time crunch, because it might be difficult to find the foods you can eat just around the corner.
4. Talk about it, people are curious and may poke fun, but most people find it fascinating. I found that the more I talked about the cleanse, the more accountable for what I was doing. AND I found that most my friends were interested in following suit, I got at least three or four people to buy the book.
5. Remember, it’s only 3 weeks! You can do anything for a short period of time if you set your mind to it. You’ll be surprised how fast it goes and how hesitant you will be to go back to the way you were eating, living before.
