A GREEN Anniversary

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! And to Nick, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! March 17 is one of my favorite days of the year - it's my excuse to wear green, drink like an Irish and celebrate my favorite person: my hubby. Today marks 11-years together (seven years marriage) - and in those 5,781,600 minutes we have loved, laughed, played, cried, overcome, endured and thrived. Here's to many more minutes, hours, days and years together. Love you!

***Want to learn about the origin of Saint Patrick's Day? Or why we wear green? Check out the videos on the History Channel!***

Motivation Monday: Fit it in

No matter how busy life becomes, make time for a workout: fit it in! Whether it's one-hour, 30-minutes or just a quick ten, it's important to dedicate your schedule to being active. Here are some simple exercises when you are crunched for time.

Chrissy's Quickie 25:

• Brisk one-mile run between a 6:10-8:30 pace (Approximately 8:30 minutes)
• 30 push-ups (Approximately 1:30 minutes)
• 40 triceps-dips - 10 slow, 10 with left leg raised, 10 with right leg raised and 10 fast (Approximately 2-minutes) 
• 8-minute abs (10 exercises at 45 seconds each: basic crunch, right oblique crunch, left oblique crunch, bicycle abs, long-arm crunch, reverse crunch, vertical leg crunch, switch abs, half curl and plank)
• 30-seconds plies squat jumps
• 30-seconds squats
• 30-seconds calf raises
• 30-seconds jumping jacks
• Three-minute stretch (Try some of these moves!)

Fast n' Simple Fitness Blender routines:

• Customize your workout calendar
• Enter your preferred type of workout, duration and difficulty. Voila! Fitness Blender finds a great workout to fit your needs. Check it out!

My 30-minute Gym workout:

• 25-minute stationary bike (hills program at 11 level). Great to do while reading a book!
• One-minute push-ups
• One-minute plank
• One-minute squats
• One-minute plies squats
• One-minute calf-raises

These are just a few of my quick n' dirty workouts I do when I'm crunched for time! Make your workout a habit!

What's New Wednesday: Three Sisters

Known as one of the more difficult day hikes in San Diego County, the Three Sisters Waterfall Trail outside of Julian lives up to it's reputation. This past Sunday, we accepted the challenge and hiked the 4-mile out and back trail to Three Sisters falls. It was a beautiful, sandy, colorful hike that included treacherous hills, rope rappelling, bouldering, slippery granite and sweat...lots of sweat. But the hike was well worth it.

*Note, the best time to visit is in early Spring to ensure there's plenty of water!

Tasty Tuesday: Liberty Pizza

Pizza is a staple in the Califf household - whether it's a quick Tombstone, a homemade, or delivery, pizza is our go-to meal. My favorite take-out as of late? Liberty Pizza! Check it out! I love the Angelica's Pepperoni - as pictured above. Dig in!

Motivation Monday: Daylight Savings

 

Love it or hate it, you can count on daylight savings each year. And with just one night of disrupted sleep (and maybe a week to adjust), you gain hours of sunlight - and more time to embrace the day! How do you plan to use your extra hours of fun? Not sure? Well, here are some suggestions to take advantage of daylight savings!

• Enjoy a long run after work - explore a new neighborhood; go for that longer, more challenging run (normally reserved for the weekends); train for an upcoming race; and/or hit the beach and run along the boardwalk. If running isn't your cup of tea, take a walk/stroll. Or a hike!
• Plant a garden. The impetus of daylight savings was to provide farmers more time to work the fields. So why not take the original spirit and build a backyard garden. Beyond embracing the season, gardening is a satisfying, healthy, and resourceful activity. Time to get your hands a little dirty!
• Take your dining outdoors. Host a backyard BBQ or enjoy a picnic at your local park - either way, you will be able to take advantage of those extra hours of rays. 
• Play a sport. Soccer, flag football, kickball, baseball or Rugby, gather some friends and sign-up for a local league. It's a great way to stay healthy and hang out with your friends. San Diegans, look-up Go Vavi - tons of opportunities to play (albeit a bit pricey).
• Read a good book outside. Enough said. 

Try some of these healthy approaches to daylight savings and that hour difference will only be a positive change!

Curious about the history of daylight savings? Check it out! And read up on the perpetual debate about daylight savings.

Motivation Monday: Letting go

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my older brother's seizure that ultimately sealed his fate, and as I reflect on this moment, I realize I'm still processing. My relationship with my brother, Greg was confusing - in a way, I hated him for things he did to me and my family. But mostly, I loved him. He was the closest link to my past, and there was undoubtedly an innate bond that neither time nor history could break. Thus, the notion that my dad and I had to make the impossible decision to turn off life support has proven to be difficult to digest. My head knows the right decision was made; my heart is still healing.

Regardless, I'm learning to let go and move forward for me...and for my surviving family.

A friend recently admitted I'm a person with high anxiety - a part of me appreciated her honesty; the other wanted to retort, "duh." I think anyone that experienced the amount of family drama, deaths and uncertainty I have in the last 12-years (well, 33 years) would suffer live with anxiety. But it got me thinking. I need to rid myself of this built-up anger, sadness, frustration and fear that has dictated my life. It's time to be freed of these negative, martyr-thoughts in order to start living in the now. I believe this is the first step; making the decision. Check!

And of course with my affinity for lists, here are some great, tangible ways to let it go of the past: relationships, past hurt or both.

• After making the decision to let go, express your pain...as well as your responsibility. Write it down, journal, channel through positive activities (exercise, support groups, music, art), and/or address the source. No matter how you decompress, remember to recognize your involvement - no man is an island, so-to-speak. Therefore, our actions and words have consequences.
• This moves into another step. Stop viewing yourself as the victim. Once you move from a victim perspective, you are able to become a survivor. You have allowed yourself to process the pain - now make the choice to move forward. 
• Focus on the present. It's a gift to be able to live in the moment - but it takes practice. Start to view each experience as a gift - an opportunity to grow, give, improve oneself and enjoy.
• Lastly, forgive. 

Sure, these steps are easier "typed" then applied but just reviewing personally makes me feel empowered. And as I always state to my scholarship students; your past doesn't dictate your future. 

In the meantime, RIP Greggie - I miss you daily. Love you always.