LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Have a Hankerin’ for a Hike?
I love to hike. I don’t always like the drive to get to the hike but once I’m there, I’m in heaven. My daughter loves to hike too, and I feel grateful that I am still able to go on hikes with her. Last year we scrambled up Mailbox Peak. We were both in heaven.
Recently an old high school friend, and basketball teammate, touched base about doing some of the Pacific Crest Trail. I was ALL in (but not the whole trail at once). It’s been so exciting to start planning to hike sections of the PCT. In the past I have lived vicariously through other hikers who have done the trail, and I’m looking forward to at least getting a glimpse into the experience.
And though I am no hardcore hiker (I’m more of a hike hard and then come back for a shower and a glass of wine kind-a-gal), I have hiked and camped out for several days at a time, many times over my lifetime so I’m game for the challenge. And even better, I’m super excited to spend time on the mountain reconnecting with a friend.
Do you hike? What are your favorite trails? Have you done the PCT? What fitness activities do you enjoy with your friends?
Follow me for more ideas on living a happy and healthy life @lifeinspiredfitness.
PEN TO PAPER: Get on a roll
I’ve been on a roll. A slow roll, but a roll all the same. I’ve been writing, not as much as I’d like, but the key is I have been doing it. I’m a little bit like the tortoise in The Tortoise and the Hare. I’m just plugging away, setting aside time to write, even if it’s just thirty minutes.
Whether it’s the book you’re writing, or your goal to stay in shape, or even perhaps your goal to start a business, just start rolling. Even a slow and steady pace will gain momentum and lead you where you want to go.
What helps you to get, and keep, on a roll?
PEACELOVEBASKETBALL: Summer Shooting Challenge
It’s almost summer, and no longer basketball season. Or is it?
Kids are playing basketball year round these days, which is both good and bad. Good, because they’re getting more time on the court, but bad because too much time can lead to burnout and injury. I’ve written about this in my blog, Variety is the Spice of Life: Say NO to playing select sports year-round. I believe a player can still improve without playing a million games during the off-season by finding time to simply shoot and work on skills.
When I was a Sophomore in high school I averaged 3 points per game. The next year I was one of the leading scores in the Greater Spokane League. What changed? I worked on my shot. I spent some time playing with a team, but I spent a lot of hours just getting shots up on my own.
Download a free PLB Shooting Challenge Goal Sheet & Shot Chart form for inspiration and watch your shot improve this summer. (Coaches and parents suggest it to your players & kids.)
Dream big! Just grab a basketball, find a hoop and get after it.
Life Inspired Fitness: Do What You Love
I’ve always tried to do the things that I love to stay healthy and happy. Sometimes I put me second to everything and everyone else in my life, and that’s okay for a while, but as my good friend and writer Jenny says, “no one can pour from an empty cup.” So that’s what this blog is about, staying healthy by finding what it is that makes you happy, and doing it.
Other than my time at the computer writing, I am usually on the go. I walk my dog, go up and down stairs in my house all day long, work in the yard, and stay busy managing and fixing real estate properties. But what keeps me fit, is taking the time to do the things I love. I play tennis and run on occasion, but what gets me moving, is knowing that I need to stay in shape to keep playing basketball.
Basketball is dear to my heart. I have always loved to play, not to mention the game literally helped save my life after I was in an accident years ago. When I was 24 years old (more than half my lifetime ago), I lost my fiancé and nearly lost my own life, and basketball gave me a reason to live. Or maybe better said, it gave me a goal to achieve, which when I was in the depth of grief, was one in the same.
With a shattered right arm (my shooting arm) and a broken right femur, as well as other injuries, my return to basketball seamed unlikely to most, but I set a goal to play again. While going through rehabilitation to get my body strong, the focus and exercise helped me work through my grief as […]
Meet Sonya
Meet Sonya
Sonya Elliott’s memoir, Back on the Court: A Young Woman’s Triumphant Return to Life, Love & Basketball, is her story of finding hope in the wake of tragedy after she and her fiancé were hit by a train. She blogs about writing, basketball, and life and is currently working on a Young Adult Novel and a Non-Fiction Coaching book. Stories of her career as a fashion model are woven through her memoir, as both the Soloflex and Easy Spirit Shoes commercials were filmed during that time period, and this unique and intriguing business continues to be a part of her life.
Sonya played basketball at Eastern Washington University and was a starter for the Big Sky Champion team that went to the 1987 NCAA tournament. She coached for almost 25 years and was voted Seattle Times Coach of the Year, Seattle Officials Women’s Basketball Association Coach of the Year, and twice voted Metro League Coach of the Year. She loves the game of basketball and is thankful, not only for her husband and kids but for her ability to continue to get back on the court.
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PEN TO PAPER: Picture Perfect
There’s nothing like using a photo for a writing prompt…
WRITING PROMPT: Take a look at this picture, set your timer and write…
LIFE INSPIRED FITNESS: Destination Inspiration
Often, simply having a destination in mind where you’d like to go, is all you need to get your body moving. Sometimes it’s a thundering waterfall or a stunning view from a mountaintop at the end of a hike, or a secluded beach at the midpoint of a bike ride. But an inspiring destination can also be as simple as your local coffee shop, where the thought of a warm cup of coffee, helps you get a mile or two in as you walk, or ride your bike, to start the day. Maybe it’s the pull of a neighborhood viewpoint where you like to walk your dog. Maybe it’s the local farmer’s market, a friendly gift shop or maybe it’s your local ballot box (a little reminder to VOTE).
Whatever the case, try using destinations for inspiration. This can help on a daily bases as well as throughout the year to […]
PEN TO PAPER: Costume Craze
Halloween is my husbands favorite holiday. I don’t love it like he does, but I do love putting together costumes. We don’t usually decide what to wear until the day of Halloween, but we always pull something together from costume filled boxes that take up most our storage space. Some are nice costumes from when my parent’s used to go to Fasching (German Masquerade Ball). My mom always made some great ones and they have been passed down to us. The rest of the items we have collected from Goodwills over the years. It’s just a matter of using our imagination, pulling things together and hitting a vintage or resale store to add some new punch.
Our Elvis costume (that I whipped together in one day twenty-five years ago) has seen better days but it still gets used from time to time, we’ve got 60’s, 70’s & 80’s covered with random […]
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