Building a better community ... literally!

A mere 6 miles from my house, the nucleus of a volunteer effort to give a family that gives much to our community a new home is underway. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has come to Houston, and The Junior League of Houston, Inc. was asked to provide dozens of volunteers each day to help keep things moving smoothly on site.

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be a part of such a unique opportunity. Our League was asked to help with the Katrina rebuild in New Orleans in 2006, and I had to miss that due to work obligations. With shifts morning, noon and night, I made sure to snag something that would fit into my schedule and do what I could to help. 7:30-11:30 p.m. might seem crazy late, but you know I'm a night owl!!

The main volunteer check-in is a tent in the Rodeo's stockyards off 288 and Airport. This is where we spent a lot of our time at the beginning of the shift. We checked in general volunteers that signed up on the HHN Homes site, as well as tradesmen showing up to do their thing.

My first hour or so was spent with our team running the check-in (thanks Perry Ann for asking me to lead!), which mainly consisted of me sending any troubleshooting or tough questions via walkie to Stathis, the man with the plan. He seemed to have an answer for everything, was super calm, and thanked everyone a million times for helping. A perfect volunteer coordinator!!

Once the rush of help was sent to the site, we were able to send some of our JLHers over. I went in the second wave about 9ish. When we arrived, framing was in full swing. Once the crane and such cleared some of their tasks, we followed behind the skilled workers disposing of scrap wood and then even moving some not needed wood planks to the side for later use. My favorite part was when Phoebe and I impressed the safety guys after we carried a pile over. They gave us big high fives, and I seem to recall making a quip about Junior Leaguers can do more than have lunch, or something like that. They loved our can-do attitude and how we were willing to jump in and get our hands (and jeans!) dirty. I love dispelling myths! (And bonus...free workout!)

About 10:30, the last of our League group headed back to the tent to straighten up and ready it for the next volunteer wave coming at midnight. The transition of how to run the tent was key, so super thanks to Nancy Jane and Cassandra for staying late to make sure that happened. Stathis was so impressed by how organized and thorough our crew was, plus how genuinely nice we all were. Thanks to all the ladies who came out and made such a great impression!

So I may be a bit zonked if you see me Wednesday. But it was totally worth it knowing the little things I did, even if mostly "behind the scenes," will help make a better life for a family in our community.

My name is Lisa, and I'm a volunteer junkie. And I like it that way.

My Photos from the Adventure

You deserve a break...

It seems after several great weeks, my body is rebelling against my fitness routine. For the past 4 weeks, I've hit or surpassed that 200 minute mark twice (including an impressive 244 last week), and got in the 160-170s range the other two. I have steadily lost at least a pound a week, and even saw another disappear yesterday (which I hope stays gone for the weekend weigh in).

But since Friday, it has been a challenge. Started that morning with my ankles feeling wonky on my run, so cut it short. Saturday was so packed that it was day 37 off (only 2nd in July). Sunday I could only stand cardiovascular and skipped weights. Monday's short tae bo and Tuesday's short run brought much soreness the following days.

So what gives? Why such drag and pain? I can only guess it is my body craving recovery. Just like we have to give ourselves breaks from being on the right side of nutrition or we will blow it, it is not a bad thing to cool the exercise jets now and then too.

So I still walked tonight, but just briefly. I will do something tomorrow, possibly just a walk or light yoga or pilates. I probably won't even make 150 mins this week but that is ok. I will hit it strong again this weekend.

Now, it's time for another sliver of fudge, right? ;)

Forever Young

I didn't mean for 10 days to go by before posting this entry, but I'm in the vortex of a chaotic time of year. End of the semester at work is always hopping with activities, plus the end of a school year in general sends everyone into "get a bunch of meetings booked before people go on vacations" mode. It's also the end of another Junior League year, which means I'm balancing at least 2 leadership jobs. Needless to say, I haven't had much time to spare but I expected it.

And in the middle of this bustle of activity, I spent 24 hours (literally almost to the minute) traveling to Dallas for a reunion. And not just any reunion...my 8th grade reunion. Yes friends, it's been 20 years since I was a geeky Catholic schoolgirl and no, I don't still have the plaid skirt or cardigan sweater hanging around.

Six months ago, I wouldn't have dreamed I'd be hanging out with people I hadn't seen since the pre-teen years. But now, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

There's something very healing to both the mind and heart to pick back up with people who knew you way back when. For the 50 in our class, we had a special bond. We traveled to retreats and on class trips together. We were reprimanded by the priest after church for some reason we don't really remember why. We played sports together, choreographed dance routines for PE class and got all decked out for our graduation. We had crushes on our classmates, and they had crushes on us...and some of us didn't discover who crushed on who until decades later.

Some of us were at the school all 9 years...some only middle school and others like me, just 8th grade. But on reunion night, we were all the same. We shared the memories that had come flooding back over months of emails and Facebook posts preparing for the gathering. We made new memories getting to know the adult versions of each other. No matter if someone was your best friend or you barely spoke to them back then, now we welcomed each other with open arms.

While many people I know were surprised I'd go to all this trouble for an 8th grade reunion, several of my classmates remarked that for them, these were the people they'd developed the real bonds with, even if they hadn't kept in touch since. Think about it: we all split and went to different high schools. We split even further for college. We now live all over the country. Even if we'd developed close friends in HS, those nasty hormones that hadn't taken full effect yet in our early teens tended to get in the way in the later years. Colleges may have reunions, but you rarely get the chance to get the friends you spent time with together again. This is the one cohort that is small enough for us to pull a gathering like this off and for it to have meaning.

So for one night, we relived "The Promise" we made 20 years ago: "When you need a friend...I'll always be there." And we got to feel "Forever Young" again ... and I've been jamming out to the 80s new wave almost non-stop since, just to hang on to that feeling a little longer.

Maybe that's how I've made it through the 10 days since. It's like I found a small fountain of youth to re-energize me, and I can't wait to visit it again in 5 years. Go Mustangs!

Sharpening focus

Now that we are into Month 4 of the year, I thought it was a good time to review my fitness progress. While I'd logged 2400+ minutes of activity by 3/31, I was surprised to see that January was my best month yet (1046 and only 4 days off) with an average of almost 34 mins/day. February and March showed steady decline... averages of 24 and 23 min/day, respectively. This was the AHA! moment for me.

AHA! So that's why I haven't lost much weight yet.

Not to mention, AHA! If I'm going to lose more, I have to step it back up. I've mentioned before I eat out a lot due to my busy schedule of work and volunteer meetings. Even if I follow my Food Revolution to the letter, restaurant food will always have more calories/fats/sodium than home cooked foods. So I have to work out. And dang it, Jillian Michaels ended up being right. While walking is better than zero activity, that alone is not enough for my fitness level.

Since I'm not back to running, this means more trips to the gym to use the elliptical, cycles, rowers, whatever will not stress my foot. I have mentioned a bit on Facebook about trying morning workouts again. I have been adding a day a week so this week, I am up to 4 mornings. I got my butt out of bed yesterday to the gym, and I plan to do so the remaining weekdays.

Already, I'm feeling a difference. I had a lot more spring in my neighborhood walk tonight and was faster than I'd been in months. Is it the exercise, the food changes, or both? Not sure, but I'm hopeful that I'm moving in a good direction.

I've thought more about the beverages part of my revolution too (as I drink my first Sprite Zero in about 10 days, yeah!!). There are a lot of days I like a second dose of coffee after lunch. And I like wine with dinner. But maybe, I should limit myself to one or the other. So far, I've kept to that since Sunday. They do say the little changes add up...and that could be a good 500 calories if I was indulging every weekday.

I realize the number on the scale is not the only measurement, but it would be nice to see a drop this weekend rather than a gain. I do take my monthly tape measure later this week, which I'm looking forward to since I've upped my weightlifting intensity also.

The adventure continues!

You say you want a revolution...

So we are about 3 months past Christmas. I'm down 5.8 pounds. I'm happy with that -- if I keep up the pace, I'd be down almost 24 pounds by next Christmas, and I'd be well within the healthy range for my height. Considering I am limited in physical activity as I continue to slowly recover my injury, this is pretty darn good.

But I've been feeling lately I could be doing better on the nutritional side of the equation. Between re-reading Fit to Lead and watching the first episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, I was inspired to think about what other changes I could make.

I went to a reception at lunch Saturday and was hit with nothing but fried foods...and literally, felt horrible later in the day for eating them. It wasn't just my conscience...my tummy actually ached. At first, I was flustered at the lack of fruits and veggies on the menu, but the more I thought about it, it was MY choice to eat them. I could have skipped the fare and grabbed a sandwich or something else healthier after the event.

On my long walk later that day, I decided it's time for me to take control, and start my OWN revolution. No, I don't have a fryer I need to bury in the backyard, but I could make some efforts to eat more healthfully. So, here is my pledge:

Lisa's Food Revolution

• Beverages: Drink a glass of water with each meal. I don't drink enough, and I can feel that some days. Plus it is said that water helps rev the metabolism. With meals that I drink coffee or alcohol, I will drink an extra glass. And I will work to cut out soda to where it will be an occasional treat. I am on the "zero" brands now, but those have sweeteners and that's just more chemicals.
• Breakfast: I eat it everyday, which is a big plus. I will only allow myself 2 "processed" breakfasts a week (e.g. Eggos, microwave sandwiches). On days I eat a carb-based breakfast (TLC bars, toast), I will take a piece of fruit for a mid-morning snack.
• Lunch: I eat a lot of meals out due to my job and volunteer work. Fish will be my first choice of protein, followed by chicken and then veggie options. I will not eat beef unless I know it's grass-fed. I will consider other lean proteins such as bison or pork. I will have at least one green with the meal and limit bread as much as possible.
• Dinner: Same rules from lunch apply if eating out. We cook a lot at home so this is easier, but we do need to cut back on frozen pizzas...one option is to switch to more Amy's brand organic.
• Evening Snack: Same as breakfast, only 2 processed treats a week. That means it will take even longer to finish the frozen Girl Scout Tagalongs in the freezer, but hey...I'm proud that nearly 2 months later, and I've only eaten half the box so far! Freezing them really does work ;) Again, I will work to get more fruit in here as at breakfast.
• Eating Out: In addition to what I already said about my meals away from home, I would like to get to fast food & fried foods = zero. It's just not worth how yucky I feel afterwards.
• Indulgences: Any plan that does not allow for breaks will fail. I will allow myself to break these rules for special occasions. If I have a meal where I do not follow my new rules, I will get back on track the next meal, not the next day. This is a lifestyle, and life is not always perfect. I will not beat myself up for being human.

I'm also going to work to get back on track with the 200 minutes/week exercise plan in April. I was still active in March but didn't hit that mark any week (ranges were 146-178 minutes, so still not a total slouch!).

So, what changes are you making to be healthier this spring??

Wii bronze

We Burnses have had the Wii almost 3 months now. Apparently, on the Fit Plus, when you hit 10 hours of activity, the little clock turns bronze and gets all jumpy and excited. It was impressive and made me proud ... what I failed to mention in my last blog is I'm improving, but still battling, my plantar fasciitis. I've decided to take one more month off running to continue healing.

The good news is I only hurt badly a few days a week versus every day. The bad news is most people heal in 4-6 weeks. But they probably rest completely, while I have stayed mildly active for my weight loss, to keep my sanity and relieve stress. Most people don't have to dress in suits so much for work either, even if I do have one really well cushioned pair of shoes I can wear with most of them.

So I guess I could have been healed already. But I probably wouldn't be as happy. So I will learn a little patience, and set my sights on a 5k in May.

2 months down...

2010 seems to be flying by! Thought it would be a good time to update the blog on my health and fitness adventures so far this year.

I'm happy to report I am roughly 5 pounds lighter than I was at Christmas. If I keep up this pace, I would be 20 pounds lighter for the year by my birthday, which would be wonderful. I would be at a healthy weight for my height with some cushion for those times of year that just get crazy and I fluctuate 2-5 pounds. I should also be able to fit back into the skinniest of my suits then :) For me it's not about the numbers, but how I feel. And I feel better already, but would feel even more so another 10-15 down the road.

I've also lost about a half inch off most measurements on my body, which means I'm toning up. I am even starting to see outlines of muscles. Yay for weightlifting!

I have worked out 1694 minutes in the past 2 months, with 12 days off (I still have to workout today). I'm pretty much on target for my "only 65 off a year" plan, but I can't let March be as crazy as February (8 were in Feb!). That's an average of about 29 minutes a day, so even with having 2 weeks where I didn't hit the 200 minutes (but several where I went over), it's all working out.

Most importantly, I am feeling better overall. I feel I have an even better attitude towards life, much more balanced. I have had some very hectic months between work and volunteer gigs, and am looking forward to a slight break that mid-March will offer. I have to think the increased focus on what I'm doing to my body makes a big difference.

So how is your year going?