Tip for the day....Monday style!

A few years ago I bought a mountain bike from an ex co-worker. It was more or less a steal and it has more or less been sitting in storage for the past 2 years. I am sure the news which I am going to share with you all is earth shattering so brace yourself……….if you let a bike sit for too long without using it, the tires go flat. Okay, so maybe not earth shattering, in fact knowledge held by nearly everyone I am sure. Nonetheless, after sitting in storage my mountain bike was beyond the point of being able to be ridden. So I called up my hunky handyman who came to my rescue with a tire pump. After engaging a set of pliers, a lot of muscle and some sweat my tires got some air in them.

Armed with aired up bike tires I set out yesterday morning for a much overdue 20 mile bike ride. It was an amazing Sunday morning…..the sun was shining down on Tulsa and the air was a comfortable 77 degrees and the wind was gusting to 25 mph. Oh how I try to embrace the Oklahoma wind, but it sure is hard especially on good hair days or when trying to take an overdue bike ride. Overdue being a key word here for two reasons:

1) My legs were not prepared to battle the gusty winds.
2) I didn’t think about the need for sunscreen.

My back is a very uncomfortable shade of red today and there is not enough aloe in the town of Tulsa to alleviate the pain. Not to mention I am going to be rockn’ an awesome farmers tan for the entire summer. So my tip for the day Monday style is to always wear sunscreen, for many reason, but one being you will not have to worry about the loss of sleep due to the pain of a burn.

Sleep tight!
JB

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

To all those mamas who are military mothers & grandmothers.

Those that have lost a child.

Those that have encouraged their children to reach for the stars.

Those that are no longer with us today.

Those that lead by example.

Those that love unselfishly.

To all the mamas that if not pillars of strength, beacons of hope and example of perseverance we would not be where we are today.

I love you mama...more everyday!!

The ABC's of Wellness

Wellness has been on the top of my mind lately. With stress slowly eating away at me it has become essential to my mental and physical wellbeing that I begin to truly understand wellness, the components and how to implement them into my life. Yes….I run, I bike, I swim, I row, I lift, I walk, I golf (when I can), I eat healthy (most of the time), but there have to be other elements that make up a life of wellness. So I went in search of what wellness really meant and how I could infiltrate it into my life.

Wellness……..what does that really mean?
According to the Mayo Clinic there are 5 components that make up a wellness:
Aerobic Fitness
Healthy Nutrition
Weight Management
Musculoskeletal Conditioning
Stress Management

I am going to spend some time over the next few weeks covering each of these components in detail……but in the mean time I want to share a quote with you that I stumbled upon today while reading about the healthcare crisis in America:
“A serious competitive runner cannot smoke and cannot be overweight. For those who strive to control our healthcare costs, we offer this simple cost effective suggestion: RUN HARD. RUN LONG. RUN HARD FOR A LONG TIME.”

Get out there and run my hommies!
Love ya!!

A little H2O

I have huge news to share with you.

Are you ready?

Are you sitting down?

Are you sure you are ready?

I registered for my first ever triathlon!!!!

Okay so maybe that is not huge news for you, but I am beyond excited. I have been thinking about competing in a triathlon for nearly 3 years, yes I know it takes me while to commit. I have spent the past month looking for a road bike I think I found the perfect one, I just need to save for it now….those thing a ma jigs do not come cheap. However, the one thing I can start right now is learning to swim, I hear that is critical to the success of competing in a tri.

I started swim lessons last night and oh my gosh I may have found my new love. You may be thinking I thought children under the age of 10 took swim lessons; well they do but so do women who are 32 and like to channel their inner child from time to time. So I pulled on my super tight Speedo, strapped on my goggles and did a cannon ball right into the middle of the pool well maybe not that last little bit.

I met my swim instructor at 7pm last night and to be honest I was a bit nervous. I had been thinking all day ‘I am pretty sure I am going to start hyperventilating when I put my face in the water’. After all for 30 some years I have been swimming with my face above the water with the notion that I was going to breath in H2O if I stuck my nose in the water. Much to my surprise I have no issue at all with placing my face under water; I did however have some serious issues with keeping my chin glued to my chest. As Katie (my most precious swim instructor) told me, if I don’t keep my head down then I am going to cause drag and it will slow me down. SLOW ME DOWN that is not going to work, after all I am learning to swim in order to compete in a timed event.

With my lesson only being 30 mins in length we simply worked on the chin issue, Thursday’s lesson will bring something new and exciting I am sure. But I need to practice so I am off to the pool in order to concur gluing my chin to my chest…..do you think super glue or gorilla glue is the best for this particular situation?

Love,
JB

National Teachers Day

Anybody and everybody that makes this world a better place by just being in it should have a special day in their honor. I think of a lot of people that have done extraordinary things in our history and/or are extraordinary people that have days specifically designed to honor them.

January 15th ……Martin Luther King’s Birthday


February 15th …….Presidents Day


March 17th…….St. Patrick's Day


April 29th…..Mica’s Birthday


May 8th …….Mother’s Day


June 19th ….Father’s Day


July 4th….Independence Day


August 8th ….Shanda’s Birthday


September 5th….Labor Day


October 1st….World Vegetarian Day


November 3rd….Matt’s Birthday


December 25th….Christmas


Today….May 3rd is a day set aside to honor and celebrate those who do something good, important and valuable every day…..our teachers. Teachers help to shape, form and mold us in a positive direction and into the individuals who we become. I can think of many teachers through the years that have impacted my life in a profound and positive way……Mrs. Ports, Ms. Adair, Mr. Wagner, Mrs. Nelson, Mr. Basher, Dr. Ownbey and the list goes on. When I recall all the extraordinary teachers in my life they all have the same attributes….supportive, helping, humble, kind spirited, motivating, patient and positive.

Thank you to all the teachers out there that make this world a better place by helping to shape and mold our great nation!!

Thank you teachers!!
JB

Important Facts About Chad

Did you know that today is brothers and sisters day?

1.Chad works the world’s worse hours, but he loves his job, loves his co-workers and loves his life. I think we could all learn a thing a two from Chad about following our dreams and passions.

2.Chad and I are night and day yet somehow grew up under the same roof. He is laid back, chill and very rarely gets upset. I on the other hand…..well I am the opposite.

3.Chad’s favorite food is steak and lobster. I pause for a moment on this statement and wonder how exactly is he my brother.

4.Chad is good everything he does.

5.Chad has listened to all my stories of heartbreak, love, drama, marathon training and everything between and still answers his phone when I call. Yet now that I think about it, he doesn't not answer my calls as often as he use to.

6.Chad is an inspiration…I hope I am at least half the person he is.

If you have a brother or sister tell them today and everyday how much they mean to your life. If you don't have a sibling get one through the Big Brother Big Sister chapter in your community, the relationship will change your life!

Love you bro!!

April showers bring May?

Isn’t there a phrase out there that goes something along the lines of…………April showers bring May flowers? Bring on the flowers!!


JB