Big picture vs. Close up

Finding the balance between looking at the big picture and getting lost in the detail is a work of art AND it is not easy to master.

This month, Derek and I were able to stick to a Sunday morning routine of mountain biking, up in Tahoe.  Most of you already know what happens when I start biking regularly… I start to use A LOT of biking analogies in my blogs! So, this month’s inspiration was totally from my biking…

We have discovered a great “flow” trail in Sugar Bowl.  However, in order to get to it, you need to climb about 900 feet within 1.4 miles with 11% average grade.  Not to mention you are already about 7000 feet above water… Basically, it is not an easy climb.  You certainly have the BIG picture in front of you as you start climbing and then comes the CLOSE-UP view when you look right in front of your tire, with the gravel and the slippery surface. Which would motivate you better? The giant hill ahead? Or the slippery surface right in front? Here is what I have decided to use - the mid way between the two.  Looking just a little further ahead from my tire helped me mentally.  I didn’t need to stare at the upcoming hills, constantly or worry about the loose rocks right in front of me.  I looked far enough to know where I was going with less detail to worry about.

About half way up… you see the building that i point at? that’s the start!

And the hill ahead…. you can’t even see the top.

Both the big picture and the underlying details are key to know, to succeed but I do feel like there is a mid way point that creates the comfort and the direction: Knowing both, you can pick a better “line” to travel to the top of the mountain.  Of course, this is much easier to accomplish with my bike, but neither work nor life is any different.  Let’s think about life… On a daily basis we all deal with A LOT of “details”.  So much so that we might actually loose sight of the big picture.  In a time like that, how do YOU feel if you take a moment to breathe and think about the “week” as opposed to the “day”? Personally, I feel a little bit more relaxed.  Especially if I am having a hard day, it helps me to look beyond just the “day”.  For me, the big picture in life is a little too broad to relax me, so finding a closer target definitely helps me to level set with the craziness of the one day.

Let’s, now, take this same concept to fitness…. The big picture can easily be “being in better shape”.  The details can be “doing bicep curls with 40lbs for 4 sets of 20 each”…. Your arms are tired and your hands are hurting from holding the dumbbells…. It is important to look just far enough to see the better line.  Is how you are working out within the line of a healthy workout routine, which will eventually help you reach to the big picture? It is important that we don’t work out just to workout.  Rather, there is a plan to follow so that we can effectively reach our big picture goal.

This month I will not provide a workout.  Instead, I will give you the opportunity to reach out to me if you would like to talk about your workout routines.  If you create that “mid way point”, between the big picture and the close-up, you will get to your goal faster and easier.

High five to all of us as we try to find the “line to the top of the mountain”…

grow up but not too fast, PLEAse…

Our Kids, Our Mirrors

It is amazing to watch how much our kids absorb from us (the parents) and from their surrounding.  They then reflect it back just like a giant mirror.  Sometimes I am excited to look at that mirror, as if I’m watching myself in a new dress.  And other times, it is hard to look at it, as if I’m looking at my unwanted body parts. I am a firm believer of being who I am in front of my kids - my happiness, my anger, my sadness… all represent ME.  Even if I try I can’t change so why cover it for them.  By being my pure self in front of them, I am learning a lot about my “reflection” - some parts I like and some I don’t, just like my relationship with an ordinary mirror.

Couple days ago, my daughter found my old blackberry phone (I actually never knew how to use it and luckily few weeks into my job, my company decided to move to iPhones).  And as always, she immediately started to play her pretend games in her own world of imagination.  Few minutes later, she turned to me and said, in Turkish, that she has a “meeting”.  I acted as if I was not surprised and I asked her how long it would take.  She said that it would be a short call.  Once the “call” was over, I asked her how it went.  And she said that she would need to have that “meeting” again.  I was cracking up through out the conversation because that’s usually how I tell them that I have a “meeting”.  My work is all about “calls” and with the pandemic, that became a norm in our house.  Both of the kids understand that I have my meetings, whether they respect it or not.  At least, this one was one of those reflections in the mirror that wasn’t hard to look at.  It was the reflection of a working mom.

The reflection gets harder to look at when the kids get frustrated like I do.  When things don’t go the way I expect or I want, I do get frustrated and I show it.  Not the best example for the kids, especially since they spend a lot of time with me…  As I look into that reflection, I am coming up with ways, first, to calm them when they get frustrated and then using those tricks on myself.  One thing that I have realized that they also reflect on those calming moments.  The other day, I was frustrated on something very unimportant.  Kaya came up and asked me why I was frustrated and then explained to me why I didn’t need to get frustrated with such a small thing.  My mirror… worked well…

Mirrors reflect what is really there, regardless of our perception of how we look at it.  For example, I can look at the mirror and see all the whites (gray) in my hair.  The reality is that my whites are there.  However, how I perceive them might not be the same as someone else would perceive them.  Therefore, it is key for me to separate the fact from the perception so that I can use what I see correctly.  With that, let’s bring the “fact” into our workout.

Most of you know that I am very picky when it comes to the correct form.  Therefore, for this month’s workout, I will talk about only two moves and leave it to you to see the “fact”.  You will need a MIRROR!

Move 1: Slow Squat Pulses

• Turn your side to the mirror and come down to your best squat position

  • Where is butt relative to your body? It needs to be way out, away from your feet

  • Where are your knees? They need to be right over your ankles, meaning way behind your toes

  • How is your chest? It needs to be upright, looking ahead

• Once you get your butt, your knees and you chest in position, turn towards the mirror keeping your squat

  • Now, where are your knees? Again, they need to be inline with your ankles, which means they shouldn’t be leaning in.

  • How far apart your legs? They should be wider than hips width apart, narrower than shoulder width apart

  • Where are your toes? They should be facing straight ahead - not to the sides like a ballerina

• Now that you are in the perfect form:

  • Come straight up

  • Hold for 1 second

  • Come back down to that perfect squat, watching yourself in the mirror

  • Hold for 5 counts

  • Repeat for 10 times

Move 2: Forward Lunge Step

• Turn your side to the mirror

• Keep your feet under your hips

• Step your right leg all the way forward into a lunge

  • Where is your right knee? It needs to be on top of your right ankle, way behind your toes

  • Where is your body? It needs to be right in between both legs, NOT leaning forward or back

  • Where is your core (abs + chest)? Upright and facing forward

  • Where is your left knee? Behind you, bent almost 90% angle, knee NOT touching the floor

• Once you get the correct form, step the right leg back to the starting position WITHOUT any stutter steps

• Repeat on the right side 10 times and then switch to the left side to repeat 10 times

Repeat Move 1 and then Move 2, 3 times.

These two moves will help you to get moving as the first thing in the morning, as long as you do them correctly, by watching the “facts” on the mirror!

A big high five to you from me if you can look at your reflection without fear…

My perfect reflection - taking pictures with my phone

she is one the phone (comb) and busy…

Best reflection of all - the fact is the smile!!!

Diet or Lifestyle?

What does weight loss mean to you, look slimmer or be healthy? Have you ever dieted? Or have you changed your lifestyle to keep a healthy weight? Do you even need to loose weight?

For those of you who know me, you know that I am more of a promoter for a lifestyle change when it comes to weight loss as opposed to intermittent dieting.  However, I also understand that there is a convenience factor of following a program for a limited period of time until a goal is achieved.  In that case, the type of the program, how suitable it is for someone’s life and how accessible it is are also very important.

The challenge is that every day the definition of “healthy food” changes based on the trends, and, in a way, politics.  What was deemed to be very unhealthy back in the time, can be promoted as VERY healthy today.  And based on those trends, new diets emerge for weight loss.  Some rely too heavily on the trends and others focuses more on the science.  As I have been working on and off on my nutritionist certification for the last decade, I have gained more knowledge on the science part of things, which helps me understand which diets are actually healthy and which ones just end up in water weight loss.

Here are couple tips to consider while looking at any diet plans:

1. Understand the logic behind the program: Is the explanation of how the weight is lost makes sense?

2. Stay away from any diet that relies on a TOO QUICK of a fix

3. Consider what you are asked to eat: Is there a special emphasis on a certain type of food? Is there a limitation on a certain type of food? If so, WHY?

4. Listen to your body carefully when/if you start a diet: Are you feeling tired or energized? Is your body achy or strong? Is your sleep affected?

5. Think about what to do after the diet: Will you be able to sustain your weight? Does the diet provide you with long term tips?

And here are some key principles that we follow in our household for a healthy lifestyle:

1. Stay away from processed food: longer the ingredient list further away it stays from our house. :)

2. No Refined Sugars (like cane sugar): maple syrup and raw honey are our best friends.

3. Keep water close by at all times: the first sign of thirst feels like hunger so first drink water as opposed to snacking on whatever you find

4. Balance meals with protein and carbs: you need carbs to send the protein to the muscles so make sure to pair them at ALL times.

5. Eat frequently in small and balanced portions: food is your fuel so try to eat every 3-4 hours.

6. Listen to your body: every “body” is different so reconsider your carb to protein ratio if you feel unenergized. Rule of thumb: if you tend to forget to eat, carbs will satisfy you more than protein so consider to have more vegetables with your protein.

Big thanks to my brother for inspiring my blog this month.  He thought I didn’t approve the fact that he was dieting but once I realized that he followed all the tips I provided above, without even knowing about those tips, I was very impressed with his efforts.  I know that he will get to his goal in no time and that he will be able to sustain a healthier eating pattern after his diet is over. Big high five to him for taking the leap to an healthier weight management. :)

Our body is what we have to survive.  Just like you wouldn’t fill your car with bad gasoline, don’t fill your body with bad fuel!

full month of june with my family in turkey

long family hikes is a part of healthy living - grandpa and the grandkids

here is a healthy dinner - everything is made with pure ingredients, nothing processed, nothing with refined sugars

Stand Up Tall

Has anyone ever taken your picture while you are not aware? For me, it has happened many times but almost all of them were while I was turned to the camera.  Couple weeks ago, I saw a picture of me from the side as I was standing with the kids, looking into a pond.  What I saw was a moment of awakening… NO… it was NOT my belly.  I am well aware of THAT… It was my very poor stance.

Prior to the kids, I was known for my good stance.  After the kids, things changed a little - and I knew it.  I just never realized how bad it had gotten - at least for my standards. I relied on my Baby K-tan for almost 3 years with each kid- total of about 5.5 years… It is absolutely the most wonderful feeling to have your baby right on your chest at all times.  I would not change anything about that.  However, one thing that I should have paid attention to was my stance when I was NOT carrying them in front of me.  My shoulders stayed rolled forward and my back was hunched at the top, as if I was trying to hide my chest.  Over the years, that became the comfortable form and it felt right.  Until I saw my picture….

Since then I am standing tall - shoulders pulled back, chest opened up and my back is straight. I actually feel refreshed.  As soon as I find/feel myself hunched, I stand tall, tuck my butt and stomach in and feel good about myself.

So what do we need to stand up tall? Do you remember how your doctor measures your height? You put your heels against the wall, suck your stomach slightly in so that you can get an addition 1/8 of an inch, you bring your upper back against the wall and you look straight ahead, as if your head is a table top.  There you have it… you stand up tall!  Clearly, you can’t be in that position every single minute but what you can do is that you can start with your shoulders and see if you are hunching them forward or keeping them lifted up.  For those of you, who have been with me in my classes, you know that we carry our daily stress in our shoulders.  The moment we relax them we let go of some of that stress. So now it is the same first step with standing up tall.  Here is a quick routine to get them moving:

1. SHOULDER ROLLS BACK: Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms right next to you body, dangling down. Squeeze your butt and tuck your belly button towards your spine. Roll your shoulders back. With each roll, open your chest and bring your shoulder blades together. (x10)

2. SHOULDER SHRUGS: Keep your stance from #1. Bring your shoulders up closer to your ears and then push them down as far away as possible from your years. (x10)

3. BACK PRESS w/ FRONTAL HOLD: Keep your stance from #1. Bring your arms parallel to the ground, and arms in front of the body. While keeping the arms parallel to the ground bring your shoulder blades together. [arms will move slightly to the sides as you push your shoulder blades together] (x10)

4. WALL SQUAT HOLD: Put your back against a wall and come down to a squat. Make sure that your shoulder blades and your lower back touch the wall. Put your arms next to your body with the palms touching the wall while the arms are straight. As you hold the squat, lift the arms forward to make them parallel to the ground and to your quads. Move the arms back to the starting position. (x10)

Repeat all for 3 full rounds

I would highly recommend to do these moves watching yourself on a mirror so you see what your shoulders are doing.  Don’t look stressed, looked relaxed! ;)

Let’s Stand Up Tall…

THANKS to this pond at Jones gulch, for the wake-up call!

kids already have that natural, good stance. (this picture was for the hair do) :)

I stood up Tall during my very first night time out with friends over the last 8 years. (thanks to 4-inch heels)

Daisies

Do you know how strong those beautiful, white and fragile looking flowers are?  Have you ever walked in a field full of daisies when there is no sun? I think, daisies can be a great symbol of resilience. Once the sun goes down, they all close up and if you are not paying attention they look just like grass.  Even if you step on them, they still find the strength to open back up once the sun comes out.

can you spot the Daisies?

How about now? It is the same field just a few hours later…

Thanks to daisies, it is a great reminder that a new day is a fresh new beginning.  No matter what happens the day before, it is important to find the strength to welcome the new day.  And, of course, if you can do it with the elegance and the beauty of daisies that is even a bigger plus.  

This month, I was able to enjoy the surprises of each day more than some of the other months.  I was able to deal with every day stresses and put them behind for the next day - at least, for more days than usual.  By doing so, I was able to embrace some of the unexpected surprises of each day much better.  For example, in the middle of a snow storm, when visibility was close to being non-existent, Kaya wanted to ski more with ME. The laughters we had, even after big crashes, were amazing.  I would have never thought that I would ever love to be out on the slopes in these conditions. But I did… thanks to Kaya… 

this is mid-april!

As I look back at April, I think we had a lot of fun… The kids finished their first season of Ski Team with big smiles and new friends.  We all closed up the Ski Season with a big Tiki party.  Derek was able to skim through a pond on his skis without getting wet! :) I managed to have my first business trip without any tears! Kids finally attended a birthday part during the ONE weekend that we are at home. In overall, we fully enjoyed the new day, like the daisies…

yet again, ending ski season in style!

Now… Let’s get back to being HEALTHY on that new day… Over the last two years, I have been focusing on resilience and building strength through the use of every-day household items.  And we do it with a SMILE. Since this month marks the 2nd year anniversary, I would like to share one of our class videos from this month. Few weeks ago, as we were focusing the theme of “Lounge”, we used sweatpants. I am pretty sure that everyone has some sort of sweatpants at home.  So for this workout, pick up YOUR sweatpants and be ready to have fun: 

https://youtu.be/v3QT0ssD1Oo

I hope you are waking up to the first day of May with a fresh outlook, just like a daisy. Big High Five for your every day resilience.

Four Balance Points

Wow, what a month?! Just flew by… Started on a sad note when we left my parents at SFO after a month and now the month is coming to an end on a high note as I get ready to drive from Joshua Tree to Tahoe with the kids.  After all, it is all about that balancing act of high and low notes.

Kids and I left Derek behind (balancing act of life) as we drove to Joshua Tree for Spring Break, to meet with friends.  If you don’t know, Joshua Tree is part of the high desert (NOT dessert) of California, which means it is at an elevation of ~4500 feet and it is a breath taking place - especially if you are with friends who know all the cool hikes. ;)

Our first day consisted of a 7.4 mile hike with 3 kids, ages 7,6 and 4.  And they all did a GREAT JOB.  Today, we did the Rattlesnake Canyon, which is rated as a “difficult” hike, with those 3 and they ROCKED again!  As I was trying to be calm watching my kids climbing over boulders to make it to the top, I thought about the importance of balance.  Balance is way beyond staying on one foot and not falling.  It is the independence…. When kids learn how to walk, they don’t need their parents’ hands anymore.  The key thing is to have all your balance points ready to catch if the floor beneath you slips. 

As we were doing some semi-difficult climbs, I kept telling the kids “four balance points”, meaning the hands and the feet.  I didn’t want them to be carrying anything on their hands or keeping asking for my hand.  Of course, my hand, arms and everything else were there to help them in the really tricky spots but otherwise, I wanted them to see that once they have their “four balance points” ready to catch, they were safer.  It worked (at least for the majority of the time)! I explained to them that if they are holding my hand, it takes away one balance point from each one of us.  As a result, we might easily put each other at risk.  

Once we came up with the “four balance points” rule, we ALL worked on our planks, most of the time. :) Ela certainly mastered the use of her all fours to go over rocks that were 10 times of her size (or bigger).

Given how much fun we had with this new rule, I decided that it would be good to come up with a fun, quick routine of “Four Balance Points”. I know that not everyone has access to giants boulders to practice the rule but we all have a flat ground to develop those balancing skills.  First of all, find yourself a somewhat open clear floor space - garden or park would also work.  Then try the following drills:

1. Plank side step: Start with a hand plank stand (hands under shoulder, butt down, lower back up, legs straight ). Lift right hand up slightly to move it one step to the right, then follow with right foot, then left hand and left foot. Move 3 steps to the right and then 3 steps to the left to get back to the starting point. Repeat for 3 times.

2. Crab side walk: Start with a table top position with stomach facing towards the ceiling/sky. Drop the butt lower down but don’t touch the ground. Lift right hand up slightly to move it one step to the right, then follow with the right foot, then left hand and left foot. Move 3 steps to the right and then 3 steps to the left to get back to the starting point. Repeat for 3 times.

3. Plank walks: Start with a hand plank stand. Move hands one step forward withOUT moving the butt up, then move the feet forward keeping the legs straight. Move 3 steps forward and then 3 steps back. During the step backs, initiate the movement with the feet and then follow with the hands. Through out the move, DO NOT move your butt up. Repeat for 3 times.

4. Crab walks: Start with a table top position with stomach facing towards the ceiling/sky. Drop the butt lower down but don’t touch the ground. Move hands one step forward, towards your feet withOUT moving the feet, then move the feet away from the hands. Move 3 steps forward and then 3 steps back. During the step backs, initiate the movement with the feet by moving the feet closer to the hands and then moving hands away from the feet. Through out the move, KEEP your butt down without touching the ground. Repeat for 3 times.

5. REPEAT moves 1-4 3 times.

Let’s get all our Balance Points activated all the time so we can be independent when going over BIG hurdles.  Since you have already done it at some point in your lives - BIG HIGH FIVE to you all!

can you spot the parking lot? this was already on the way down!

Even grown ups had to fit through there - using all fours

Can you spot Kaya using all fours?

Pressure of Expectations

How many of you started watching Olympics on 2/3? It was certainly addictive for our household, especially the Alpine Skiing.  We even managed to get my dad and my mom into it.  Now, they know all about the 4 main disciplines of Alpine Skiing and they are still having a hard time comprehending the speeds.  

Being such a big Alpine Skiing family, we, of course, had our favorites.  And we made sure not to listen to any news prior to watching the events (recorded).  Like most of you who were following Alpine Skiing events, we also had our surprises.  We watched our favorites missing gates, crashing and/or not finishing events.  We watched one of them sitting on the side of the hill, delaying the inevitable action of facing the media.  That’s when I started to think about this month’s title - Should it be about the disappointment? Or should it be about the failure? Or should it be about the pressure?

Well, disappointment is too harsh and failure is not necessarily true…. Who am I to be disappointed of someone’s performance that I don’t even know personally?  And is missing a gate a “FAILURE”? I think it is a mistake, a fluke or a slip but not a failure.  Finally, let’s think about the “pressure”… These elite athletes live and, most likely, thrive with the pressure of their own expectations from themselves.  For them, that pressure is most likely the fuel that powers them up.  However, I do think that there is a very fine line between the fuel that helps you move forward and the fuel that burns you down.  Most of these athletes are very good at finding the line and keeping themselves on the safer side.  As I read their social media posts, I can tell that their own expectations are already raised and they are aware of the pressure that those expectations put on them.  However, they also know how to deal with the pressure that comes from the audience - completely out of their control.  I want to believe that these athletes know, exactly how, to shut themselves off so the burning fuel will not enter their system FULLY.  

Now let’s take this pressure into our own lives… We also set certain thresholds for ourselves, at every age.  When we don’t achieve it we get upset but, hopefully, we don’t give up trying.  More we try, better we get. “Practice makes it better”…. The trick comes in when we need to separate those two types of “fuels”.  What is too much? When does my fuel become harmful?  Is there a reset button? To be honest, I am still trying to find out the answers.  Everyday, I have certain expectations for myself.  When I don’t meet those expectations, I feel like I am suffocating, but at the end of the day, “I” decide on those expectations.  I try to reset (by taking deep breath) and create a new path to my expectations.  The moment I forget to reset, that’s when things turn upside down.  This month was definitely a great one to exercise my reset button.  I was able to give myself a break with the “train and smile recaps” to be able to focus on my parents more.  Right now, I am 6 classes behind and I don’t have my game plan yet.  But I know that I will be able to catch up because I have a healthy pressure on me (solely created by me).

without that fuel, I wouldn’t have made it down this hill on my skis (I’ve been skiing for 1.5 seasons)

Thanks to that pressure, I am in front of my computer every last day of the month, typing these blogs so that I will meet my own expectations.  Tonight though, I will give myself a break on the workout routine.  Instead, I will give you a different assignment that you can do ANYWHERE/EVERYWHERE…. Think about some of those pressures that you can actually hit the reset button.  Don’t forget, the fuel is to move you forward, not to burn you.  If you are feeling as if you are burning, then take your deep breath and reassess your expectations.  Can you find that healthy balance between the two fuels?  I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Big High Five to those of you who can manage the fuel! 

Yes… Derek is up on the podium because he knows how to control his fuel (2nd place in Banked slalom)

This is my reason to take a deep breath and hit “reset”

don’t forget to reset!

Positively POSITIVE

After a peaceful start of the New Year, the first month went a little crazy… When we get so used to a routine, even a small derailing makes it feel like everything is upside down. The key is to have fun when we are upside down.  

On 1/11, both Derek and I tested POSITIVE with COVID.  I had NO symptoms or a reason to think that I had COVID.  But we had the luxury of couple in home tests handy.  Derek wanted to be able to tell his company that he is feeling a little under the weather (just tiredness) but he doesn’t have COVID (since he didn’t have fever or body aches or anything else).  Therefore he conveniently used one of our in-home tests.  We were shocked to see his “double” lines.  I immediately started to get ready to send him down to the basement for isolation.  Since we had another spare test, I decided to test first to make sure that I am negative.  Within first few seconds, my second line was already apparent!! I was POSITIVE too with NO symptoms.  I picked the kids off of their schools right away and they both tested negative.  It was great news for them but that would also meant that we would need to isolate from them at home.  For those of you who know me well, I am very close with my kids - kissing and hugging is an every minute task!!  Having double masks at home, not eating food with the kids, constantly sanitizing any surface we touched, not giving them a good night hug or a kiss… NO FUN!  On 1/13, both of the kids also tested POSITIVE.  And guess what?! They had the biggest smile on their faces when they tested positive because they realized that they would be able to kiss and hug us!!!  That I call, POSITIVELY POSITIVE!  We were lucky not to have, almost, any symptoms.  

Here is a positive outlook during isolation!

We still don’t know how and when we got it.  Given how isolated we have been living for the last 2 years, it is hard to blame it on anything we do routinely.  It took us 10 days to clear the kids and get a negative test.  And during that time, we certainly missed our trips up to Tahoe.  However, the silver lining was that we were able to enjoy home and staying put.  We cuddled as much as we wanted and we enjoyed some delivery food for a change. :)

And on Kaya’s 7th birthday, 1/24, we were officially in the clear with our NEGATIVE tests.  I am still in shock that our son is now 7!  It was like last month that I announced his birth.  That means this blog has been around for over 7 years - kind of crazy.

Birthday boy, on his birthday, after school!

To top it all of, my Train and Smile theme of the week for the week of 1/10 was a “Fresh Start” where we used “cloth masks” as our tool.  In the middle of an isolation from the kids, a cloth mask came in very handy.  The bummer is that the “fresh start” theme was supposed to focus on removing the masks sometime in 2022.  Now, instead of removing, we are doubling the masks to a point there is NOT fresh air (let alone a start). :)

Here are couple moves to get your lungs going:

• Put on your mask and do jumping jacks for 30 seconds

• Keep the mask on and do mountain climbers for 30 seconds

• Keep the mask on and do burpee’s for 30 seconds

• Take the mask off for 10 seconds

• Repeat the first 4 moves 5 times

• Cover your eyes with the mask and lift your right leg off the ground (keeping the leg in front but not touching the ground) for 30 seconds

• Keep the mask on and switch legs for 30 seconds.

• Take the mask off for 10 seconds

• Repeat the last three for 5 times.

We hope that if you ever end up meeting COVID, it will be as gentle to you as it has been to us.

Big high five for finishing the first month of 2022 on a higher note.

Here is our COVID POSITIVE family!

Take a Deep Breath

YOU have made it… another crazy year. And I hope you have made it with a big smile and a pat on your back.

The month of December was all about “go go go”… I realized that one thing I forgot to do most of the days was to take a deep breath and pause for a few seconds.  Now that it is sinking in that we are ending the year, I am sitting on a chair and taking my deep breath.  The house is quiet with kids being asleep and there is a sliver of comfort in that on going “need-to-finish-that” mentality.  It has been such a busy month that I managed to fall behind on everything that I try to stay on top! And now, it is almost 2022 and I am trying to catch up.  That’s why that one deep breath is VERY important to take. 

THis is when i needed to take a deep breath and let them go to town! (Cleaning can wait)

This month’s rush and hurry, actually, did a great job summing up the entire year for us.  We managed to keep our selves busy while isolating as much as possible.  We found comfort in our trusted circle of friends when we were able to hang out like normal people.  Derek and I were able to enjoy a date night for a change and two grown-ups-only dinners with friends. Kids continued to adapt to our constantly “going” lifestyle… They travelled to Turkey with me and did a great job in 13-hour flights - not to mention a paranoid mom double masking them the entire way!  

Last year’s theme of earning and adapting didn’t change much.  This year, we ended up settling into what we have learned from last year and then getting used to more changes.  For example, as remote kindergarten became hybrid for the last 6 weeks of the school year, I had to adapt to letting Kaya go! All that complaining about trying to teach him a language that is not even native to me, went out the door.  I missed him A LOT when he was at school but then got used to that too. We, humans, adapt very quickly!

As of today, I have taught 105 Train and Smile classes in 2021.  I was able to teach the classes from different parts of the US and also the world!  We manage to have 50 unique participants join and we used 51 different household items to work out with.  Most importantly, though, I have captured 105 “smile captures” at the end of each session.  From being a YMCA Boot Camp community, we have grown into a VERY BIG family (with sore muscles :)).  We even welcome two babies  to the group, where the moms were able to come back to the class 8 weeks after their deliveries (not the mention both of those moms took the classes all the way to their due dates)!!

I feel like, tough times will always be there to test us, what’s important is to take that deep breath and move forward, hopefully with a smile.  Looking at all those “smile captures”, I know that it is in all of us, to be able to smile after a tough day (or a workout).  So with that, I will give you the same challenge from last year’s blog:

* Find a pen/pencil

• Put it in your mouth where the pen/pencil is parallel to the ground and the ends are sticking out from the sides of your mouth

• Lean your back on the wall and come down to a wall squat where your knees are at a 90 degree angle

• Hold your squat for 30 seconds with the pen/pencil in your mouth

• Once you are down take the pen/pencil out of your mouth and check your face in the mirror.

• Are you smiling? ;)

I wish you all a wonderful 2022 filled with health, strength and happiness…I am ready to take my big breath for this new year and all it has stored for us. I hope you are too.

smiles of gratitude

You survived another crazy year and for that a big high five to you!

ending the year with in a torchlight parade - couldn’t have asked for more… (skiing at night with torches in hands down the slopes)

Not for Granted

We are ending the month of “remember”, the month of “gratitude”…. As I was thinking through thankfulness and how to make this blog different than last two years, I decided to focus on “not taking things for granted”.  I have a feeling that we all hear the cliche on “don’t take your good health for granted”, don’t take your family for granted”, etc. Even though these are cliche, I do think that they are correct.  However, I would like to focus on what other people do for us that might be very easy to take for granted.

Imagine how often we use the words “thank you” - someone holds the door for you, someone passes you the salt during dinner, someone tells you the time when you need the most…. These are all very simple incidents when those two words help us express our gratitude.  Now let’s get much more deeper…. My parents believed in me when I was 18 and told them that I would like to study in the US.  They put all their fear and worry aside and did everything they could to send me to the US.  At the time, it was more like “so what?”.  I knew that this was what I wanted and my parents made it come true.  Now that I am a parent, the idea of sending either of my kids to a country that is THOUSANDS of miles away seems impossible.  My parents were no different than me (right now) back when I was a little kid - but then they made the decision to let their daughter follow her dreams.  Thanks to that decision that I am here in San Francisco.  Along the way, I of course thanked them but I was thinking about it as a much simpler “thanks” without understanding all the deeper feelings that went into it.  My parents put their own feelings aside to see me happy. Therefore, I feel like the words “thank you” are not enough to show my gratitude.  I just need to make sure that I don’t take it for granted that they have made a mutual decision for my future even though their hearts wanted to keep me by their sides.

There are many other little things around us that might receive a “simple” thank you when it actually deserves a “deeper” one.  Friends are a great example.  If you have friends around you who you can always rely on, I am sure you “thank” them when they do what you ask them to do.  But do you really appreciate the fact that those friends are there for you WHENEVER you need them?  I don’t think it is easy to be that reliable person for others. Just treasure those friends and give them the well deserved “deeper” thanks you. :)

And of course “YOU”, as my follower, are also another great example who deserves a deeper THANK YOU.  This blog marks exactly two years of my non-stop monthly blogs.  It is because of YOU that I continue to write and I do think that my “thank you” needs to be deeper because you believe in me and you dedicate your time to read what I write.

Don’t Take it for granted: A Random Jazz CONcert to appreciate in the middle of a day

Don’t take if fro granted: A Snuggle time

Don’t take it for granted: the smiles and the togetherness

Now… let’s get back to one of the cliches about Not Taking it for Granted!  How about: don’t take it for granted that you can do some of the below moves? :) Let’s challenge that heart so that it can pump more blood to your entire body when you most need it!

1. 100 Jumping Jacks - make sure that you clap your hands at the top

2. 10 pushups - you can do these on your knees, on your toes or even on the wall

3. 10 burpees - start on the floor, jump out to a plank, jump back into a tug position on the floor and jump up to reach high

4. 15 dips - keep your knees close to your chest and initiate the move only from your elbows

5. 15 burpees

6. 20 dips

7. 20 burpees

8. 20 pushups

Let’s keep that body strong so that you show your thankfulness to your own body. :)

A big high five for keeping those “deeper” thank you closer to your heart…

Love the Unlovable

I feel like it is always easier to be unsatisfied than being satisfied - a typical human being.  And this goes for our bodies too.  When I look at the mirror, the first things I see are my “ugly” parts.  When people ask for healthy living advice, the first thing that they mention is the part of their body that they do not like.  We look at those parts with disgust, we talk about those parts quietly, we hide those parts if possible…

How about, as we enter the month of thankfulness, we actually try to embrace those parts (or part)?  If you have one of those “unlovable” parts, you know that you pay attention to it more than any other part of your body.  Even when you try to hide it, you are actually thinking about it more in depth than a part that you might not mind.  And if you DON’T have one of those “unlovable” parts, then we need to hear more from you to understand your secret. :)

Over the years, my “ugly” grew in numbers as I looked at the mirror.  However, I somehow learned to appreciate some of it.  When I was younger, I was very self conscious of my upper legs - my quads have always been there for me!  It never helped to be surrounded by thin and tall girls at my boarding school, either.  I would always do everything to cover my quads.  As the years went by and as I continued all my sports, my quads kept growing with me.  Today, my quads are my “unlovable” that I learned to love.  

I still have many parts that I should learn to love.  However, it does feel good to be in peace with my quads.  After all, those are the ones that protect my knees from giving in or keep me in shape as I climb the hills of San Francisco! 

Can you focus on YOUR “unlovable” to love it?  

Since we focus on the parts of our bodies that we complain the most, the best routine that we can cover is a PLANK.  With that, the very first thing to know about a PLANK is the perfect form: You need to have a straight line from your shoulders all the way down to your heels.  Whether you hold a “hand” plank, meaning that you are on your hands, or an “elbow” plank, meaning that you are down on your elbows, the imaginary line between your shoulders and heels should never change.  As we covered many times before, Plank is a perfect “Total Body” move, like a pushup.  Therefore no matter what part of your body is unlovable, plank might help to fix it.

Here is my quick challenge for you:

1. Get into a perfect Hand Plank position - as a modification you can get down to your knees, just make sure that your butt is down

2. Come down to an Elbow Plank without moving your butt up and then come back up to your hands. Repeat it for 6 times.

3. Hold the hand plank for 10 counts

4. Kick your right heel towards your butt, put it back down to a plank. Kick your left heel towards your butt, put it back down to a plank. Repeat the full rotation for 6 times

5. Hold the hand plank for 10 counts.

6. Lay down on your stomach with feet and hands off the ground for 10 counts.

Repeat #1-6 total of 3 times.

I know that you can find at least one “unlovable” and start loving!  When you look at the mirror, just remember that you ARE beautiful.  Give yourself a high five for how good you look! :)

TRUE JOy of achievement

SIze and body doesn’t matter when you have the ear and willingness to dance

Family First

One thing that the pandemic did was that it brought the core family together but then created a wall around the rest.  Most of us did not get to see parents for over a year, or even close to two.  Luckily there was Zoom or FaceTime but it was still not the same…

For the first time in my entire life, I have not seen my family (in person) for almost two years.  I missed the warmth of their skins as we hug and the laughters that are far beyond the volume of a phone or a computer.  September was the month, when I was able to hug my parents in person.  I was even more touched as I watched Kaya and Ela not letting go of their “anneanne” and “dede” (grandma and grandpa).  We had to break our core family to see the “rest” and that part was definitely not easy.  But at least we had a set timeline where we knew when we were going back to the core.  Certainly, the hardest part of the COVID separation from the “rest” was the uncertainty of “when to get back together”.  Even this time around, we were all hesitant to promise future dates - very sad!

My grandma and my daughter - unconditional love

Taste of first dinner together after two years

During our stay, we manage to dedicate our days to family.  My grandma came over almost every single day when we were in Istanbul.  My brother took days off of work to be with us.  My aunt flew from Switzerland to meet us.  The rest of the family met us in my parents’ house.  It was as if we were never apart.  I didn’t even let my friends know that I would be around.  As much as I missed them too, I just didn’t want to leave the side of my mom or my dad.  The fear of “what if I can’t see them for another 2 years” was constantly at the back of my mind.  Kids are a great indication of how quickly years go by, whether you feel it or not.  Just like I would not like my family miss those years with the kids, I also wouldn’t like my kids to miss any precious years with rest of the family.  Therefore every minute, in my opinion, is special and should be treated as such.  And as parents, we owe it to our kids to spend that quality time with rest of the family.

For those of you who might not know, my family participates in my weekly workout session - mostly on Saturdays, due to the time difference.  For this month, I changed the timing of our Wednesday session to accommodate being in Turkey - so that I would not need to teach a class at 2am.  With that, each class became even more family focused.  There was on Saturday class, where we actually celebrated my mom’s birthday, the core family that I grew up in and both of my kids were in one patio working out together - not to mention the numerous pushups that we did to celebrate my mom.  It was extra special when we also have the US crew on Zoom participating in the same family moment.

SMILE capture from that special saturday class

It is important to take a moment and enjoy the time with family and absorb the love, fully.  No matter how far we can be physically, that love always keeps us together and strong.  With that, here is a quick strength challenge, a repeat from the past months:

“Perfect Pushup” - twice a day for 5 counts each, for the full month of October.  Can you do it?

Here is a quick reminder of a perfect pushup:

• It doesn’t mean that you have to be on your toes. You are more than welcome to be on your knees.

• Keep your back straight and butt tucked in

• If you are on your knees, make sure that your hands are in front of your shoulders.

• If you are on your toes, make sure that the hands are under your shoulders

• TAKE your time

• If you can’t do 5, hold a “superman” for 10 counts.

  • Superman: Lay down on the ground, on your stomach. Lift hands and feet off of the ground. Hold until YOU can.

I will be looking forward to seeing your success stories on the comments, if you take me up on my challenge.

If you can, give your family members (core or rest or both) a nice hug - both you and they would certainly feel great!  High five to you all for getting through these times as isolated as we have been.

Core Family reunited

Act of Kindness

… is a super power!  

Have you ever wished to have super powers?  I did! And now, I feel like it is actually easier than I imagined, to have super powers.  We have already talked about the power of a smile.  What about an act of kindness?  The happiness that it creates - both by the one who provided it and by the one who received it - spreads like a huge wave.  It washes anything that is on its way and leaves behind that refreshing new start.

This was somewhat a rough month for me.  I spent about 2 weeks trying to book a ticket to Turkey for 9/1 departure.  The hassle, certainly consumed me more than I thought.  I couldn’t sleep at nights, I lost my patience with the kids over unnecessary things and, worst of it all, I felt very hopeless.  Not to mention, right at the same time, Kaya started school in person - FOR THE FIRST TIME.  I also didn’t anticipate the adjustment period for all that!  Basically a lot was happening…. Finally last Monday, when I still didn’t have tickets, I decided to go to LinkedIn to find someone who works for Turkish Airlines, preferably in the Bay Area, so that they can relate to all we went through last year during COVID.  I found someone… Someone with the super power of kindness…. He responded back to my desperate message right away and by the end of the day, I received our tickets!  He could have easily ignored my message or sent me back to the “help desk” line. Instead he took the time to communicate with me and resolve my issue.  Later on, he told me that he believes in kindness to fix this world.  That’s when I decided to dedicate this blog to him.  Not to mention, once I added him to my LinkedIn, I found out that it was his birthday that Monday!

The moment, I have realized that someone is truly trying to resolve my issue, I felt my shoulders relax.  My heart calmed down and my eyebrows lifted…. There was definitely a physical reaction to a simple act of kindness.  My mind changed from thinking about writing negative reviews to sending thank you messages.  What Mr. Guner did changed the path of my month.  I had other stresses to deal with but I was able to change my mindset on how to tackle them.  

It is really easy to get pulled down with negativity.  The key is to find the sliver of light that shines off of kindness, whether you create it or find the one who can create it for you.  Once the light is there, getting out is easy. :) 

Now… with all this stress talk, here is a good quick workout that would put some stress on your muscles to get you even stronger.  Don’t forget… you can use kindness on yourself too by being kind to your own body.  If something is too much, just stop…

For this month’s workout, I would like you to find a hill.  For example, I use the streets around my house.  I call this “Uphill Run, Downhill Play”.  If you start at the bottom of the hill:

1. Run up the hill

2. Run down backwards

3. Run up the hill

4. Side shuffle down leading with the right side

5. Run up the hill

6. Side shuffle down leading with the left side

7. Run up the hill

8. 10 Lunge walks to 10 forward squat jumps down (watch your knees)

9. Run up the hill

10. Run down 3 knees up/3 kick backs alternating

If you start at the top then just start at #2 and after #10, run up the hill! Once you are down, practice being kind by stretching… Being kind to yourself is the first step towards being kind to others. :). 

Big high five to you ALL for getting through any stress that is thrown at you on daily basis.

GIving each other a hand…

let’s get mom some flowers, just because… (Kaya’s idea)

… AND my first grader - we manage to adjust!

Your way is OK

As we all know, everyone has their own ways of doing things.  And sometimes it is hard not to chime in to tell your own way - not because it is THE right way of doing it but because it is the way you know how to do it.  It is almost like being the back seat driver.  Unless the actual driver is not a “driving student”, in most of the cases, the driver knows their own limits and has different reflexes compared to the back seat driver.  So it is much safer to let the driver drive as opposed to the back seat driver, because the driver is doing OK!

I feel like it can get very discouraging if you are the ONE doing it and everyone else chimes in.  During those times, one thing that I try to tell myself is that my way is just another way of doing it  - might not be the most efficient, pretty, fast or usual but it is a way. Otherwise, it is really easy to feel bad about yourself, to feel like all you do is wrong… Self confidence is the strongest shield that we can ever carry on us.  The key is never to loose it or to get it damaged.  

I have certainly been the one who “chimed in” before.  If I ever made anyone feel like their way was incorrect, I truly apologize.  Loved ones are mostly the easiest target to try to influence your way in.  So in my case, my apologies should probably go mostly to Derek, for making it feel like his way was not correct.  I am sure that it was indeed very correct…

It is rightly said, “habits die hard”.  That saying goes both ways: 1. Someone who is doing something one way will continue to do it that way, no matter how much they will be influenced by others.  2.  Someone who is doing something one way will have a hard time not to chime in to someone else doing the same thing another way.   I believe that the key thing to remember, in these situations, is “respect”.  As long as everyone respect’s each other’s ways, without a “but” then our strongest shield is intact, with no cracks… :)

Month of July has been a lot of “new” things for our family.  With new things come testing the waters….  Therefore different ways emerge and respect takes over.  It is really refreshing to be able to try things out for the first time in my own way without feeling like I keep failing.  The support function works great when respect takes over the mind.  It is also nice to sit back and watch how others tackle the “new” things.  Sometimes silence can be the best education when least expected. :)

Their feet can hardly touch the pedals but they make it work - #selfconfidence

Now… that all being said, when it comes to our exercises, there is only one right form. How you get yourself into that right form is up to you. :) Let’s think about some simple challenges… Do you remember the wall squats from months ago and also the pushups?  This month’s moves will be just those, as a pre-sleep challenge.  How you get into the correct form is up to you, as long as you keep the correct form through out the moves. :)

Here are our moves of the month with the correct forms:

1. Wall Squat for 20 seconds - Knees bent at 90 degree angle with lower back against the wall. Knees stay right over ankles and in front of toes. Chest stays upright. Legs are hip width apart.

2. Pushups, just 2 times - back straight and butt down. The pushing up move comes from the bending of the elbows as opposed to pulsing the butt up and down. The beauty of a pushup is that it can be on knees or on toes. Or it can be performed elevated or parallel to the ground.

As you are holding the wall squat, just think about your day: trust yourself on how you do things and appreciate others on how they do things.  And as you are doing your pushups, make sure that your “shield” is getting stronger and stronger because you can do IT!

Big high five for keeping your self confidence intact…

With his way of holding he caught and Released 5 fish

Her way was not the cleanest but she completed the task

What to Let Go

The month of June was full of old memories creeping up.  That made me think about the balance between saving and letting go the tangible things that reminds us the past. Therefore, just like last month, I have a question for you… What to let go?  What do YOU let go?

I am in a constant dilemma on what to save and what to let go of the items that matter to me.  Pretty much my “things” have some sort of a story or a history.  And that is why I save stuff like old ski passes or show tickets with the hopes of creating memory books in the future.  

With COVID lock down, the first thing that I focused on was cleaning our downstairs room, which became our permanent office.  I was truly impressed with myself when I let go of things that had sentimental value but no use.  The amount of paperwork that I was able to recycle was amazing.  Believe it or not, I still have my notebooks from college.  I keep them because those represent my hard work through out those years, with my own hand writing even though they are completely useless.  Sometimes, I find letters written to my parents, out of boredom in a lecture, that should not be thrown away. However, at the same time, I feel like I don’t have the energy to go through each page to find things to save.  So I choose the easy way to save it all.  The question is, if I don’t have the energy to go through each page to find something worthy, who will?  

I also write diaries every day for my kids - one book per kid… Yes… with a pen and in a notebook!  I can’t help to think if these notebooks will also become those items that they won’t know what to do in the future.  However, at the same time, I want to believe that it will be special both for them and for me to read these diaries in the future.  As I write each page, at the end of a long day, I realize that what I remember from that day is usually the heart warming stuff.  Our minds make sure that we build good memories to pass along…

As I try to find the fine balance between saving and letting go, I try to pass that thinking to the kids too.  That’s when I see the HUGE personality difference between the two - one is as attached to “things” as I am and the other cares less about them.  For Ela, a pretty flower on the side of the street can easily make her forget about a stuffy that she carries every where with her.  She can even exchange that stuffy for a flower.  For Kaya, on the other hand, there are stories and memories associated with each of his toys and it would be the hardest thing for him to apart ways with any of his “things”.  Could this dilemma be related to the personality too? (Most likely…)

Mom and son walk on a super clear day - memorIes from june

Now let’s get to the fun part, the workout…. I would like you to grab a pencil.  I will have three moves for you that will require that pencil.

1. Pencil Squat Pulses - place the pencil in between your two feet and then come down to a narrow squat. Please make sure that knees do NOT move in front of your toes. Hold down for two counts and then come up to straight. Continue with the pulse for 30 seconds.

2. Elbow Plank pencil roll on Right - come down to an elbow plank position (you can be on your knees) and place the pencil under right hand. Roll the pencil out forward and back. Continue with the right hand rolling for 30 seconds.

3. Elbow Plank pencil roll on Let - come down to an elbow plank position (you can be on your knees) and place the pencil under left hand. Roll the pencil out forward and back. Continue with the right hand rolling for 30 seconds.

4. Standing up pencil rubbing - stand up and extend arms forward with the pencil in between the palms of each hand. Make sure that the arms are straight in front and parallel to the floor. Start rubbing the pencil back and forth inside the palms (as if you will light a fire using friction). Continue for 30 seconds.

Repeat it all, for total of 4 rounds, and then write yourself a note that you will read in a year! ;)

Memories are to keep it in our heads forever.  Let’s figure out what we can release back to the earth without impacting those wonderful memories.

Give me a high five with those pencils that will build a new memory for you! :)

Sometimes a photo is all we can have

Kaya’s art wiTh him the whole time

Heart or Head

Which one do you rely on? Logic or gut?  This is a tough pick for me and a very thin line between the two… 

I have been watching my kids very closely during their activities, like swimming, gymnastics or even school.  Kaya has always been the cautious one where as Ela just goes for things.  Of course, there is the age factor but even when Kaya was Ela’s age, it looked as if he calculated the pros and cons of trying something new.  For both of them, “logic” is something that is forming as they grow up.  Therefore I can tell that it is hard to rely fully on the “head” to make decisions.  However, even at age 3, it seems like they have been finding the balance between listening to their hearts or their heads.

“Should we stay around or go far far away?”

“should i fly down the hill or just walk?”

I believe in the “gut feeling” but at the same time, my analytical mind can reason through any emotions.  Every day, I work on finding the balance between my head and my heart - in decisions as simple as “what to eat for dinner”.  Then comes the harder decisions, such as what my next role should be.  There are times, that I know that my head will be the sole winner and other times, I let my heart take the lead.  But yet, I still feel like there is something to the “gut feeling” at all times.   What makes it hard is the difficulty of explaining the “why”, when the heart or the gut comes into play.  

There is a great “short” movie by Disney, “Inner Workings”, that explains the dilemma between the heart and the head.  The movie takes it to an extreme but still it does show the power of the gut…. It is certainly a big battle in my head when I need to let my heart lead the way.  But when my heart wins, it seems like it doesn’t fail. :) After all, my heart wanted to be in San Francisco since I was 10.  But yet, my head still challenged that decision when I was presented with the the exact job offer (the exact compensation) one in North Carolina and the other one in San Francisco, CA.  Luckily my heart won the battle…  The key, for me, is to never look back once I let either the heart or the head lead the way.  

Heart and head dilemma is certainly in our every day workouts or sports.  Sometimes the heart knows that you can do the move and the head overthinks to make you question.  Or wise versa…. There could be times that your head knows that you can do it but fear takes over your heart to make you doubt yourself.  I have certainly been on both sides of that equation.  The hardest one for me is when I know, in my head, that it is something I can do but my gut tells me otherwise.  Should I just go with my head or listen to my heart?

With that being said, I have 3 moves for you and I am wondering if it is your heart or your head lead your way…

1. 1-min Hand Plank (back straight and butt down)

2. 20 seconds Single Leg Stance with CLOSED eyes (right)

3. 20 seconds Single Leg Stance with CLOSED eyes (left)

4. 1-min elbow plank (back straight and butt down)

5. 20 second rest

Repeat 1 though 5, 2 more times.

The above short routine is a great core builder and believe it or not, the Single Leg stance might become the hardest move if done correctly.  For that move, put one foot on the other calf and just close your eyes and count until 20 (slowly) without falling down.

High Five to you all for all the decisions that you make EVERY DAY!  Either head or heart, the journey continues and looking back with a “what-if” never helps…

and sometimes curiosity wins…

You Are Special

I want to dedicate this month’s blog to you and to your stories.  Cathy’s comment on my last month’s blog inspired me to think about all your stories, whether I know it or not.  

We all had different paths that brought us here and made us a community - a very strong one.  As I think about the people around me - family, friends, acquaintances, one-time meets, etc. - I see many exciting shades of colors, where not a single one is the same as the other.  We certainly make a beautiful painting that is impossible to ruin.  I believe that it is our story that gives us our color…. It really doesn’t matter how we look outside, there is so much inside to tell. 

For those of you who know me well, you will agree that I love telling stories.  (I can already see the nodes.). Each of my stories from the past (as recent as yesterday) makes me who I am and I am always excited to share those with you because that is my way of finding even more about you. Some stories bring tears to our eyes and at the same time create strong bonds between us.  And some stories bring laughter and make a hard day go by easier.

And some stories can be in books. :))

Interestingly enough, this month I had the chance to listen to even more stories of people around me.  One was a close friend and another one was a security guard at a local Whole Foods store…. I was touched by both.  Then came more… an acquaintance, a colleague, and a new close friend from Kaya’s school…. 

I love that colorful painting made by each one of you who is reading this blog or who is a part of my life.  Every single dot on this painting is special.  You Are Special… Your story is Special… Just keep touching others with your story and let them touch you with theirs…

Our picture is even prettier than this one… And even in this one there is not a single dot that is same as another. :)

With that note… Since you are special and you need to celebrate yourself, I will give you a quick and tiring workout that won’t take too much off your time and that will make you strong.  This workout is inspired by Tabata technique.  We will basically have 8 moves, each will be performed in 20 SECONDS and the full set will be repeated total of 4 times.  Ready?

Moves:

1. Jumping Jacks

2. Squat Jumps - make sure that your knees NEVER go in front of your toes

3. “Burmese” Jumps - start in a hand plank position, while your hands on the ground,  jump your feet towards you hands then back out to plank position then jump up with hands up in the air

4. Lunge Jumps (Left foot forward) - Get into a lunge position with left foot forward.  Jump straight up and back down to lunge

5. Lunge Jumps (Right foot forward) - Get into a lunge position with right foot forward.  Jump straight up and back down to lunge

6. Pushups

7. Dips - Keep your knees close to your chest and go down to dips (both feet and hands on the floor)

8. REST

Basically the key thing to keep in mind is to do the moves back to back and only do them for 20 seconds each.  Since the 8th move is a rest, you will have plenty of time to rest in between sets. :)

A big high five to all of you for being very special!   Thank YOU…

On a side note, ended our ski season in style!

#strongwomen Continues

Three years ago today, I attempted to start a series of blogs on #strongwomen.  It ended up being a single blog about the most important woman in my life - my mom.

This is now the perfect opportunity to pick back up on my “series”…. As I mentioned in my earlier blog, those strong women are among us, every day, dressed up as our mothers, mentors, close or distant relatives, piano teachers, bosses or complete strangers that we run into in life.

I was lucky to grow up in an environment where I didn’t feel like being a girl/women was a disadvantage.  In my head, there was nothing that I couldn’t do just because I was a girl.  Even when I picked up windsurfing at age 10, I never thought I was any different than all the other “guys” in the bay.  If they were able to cary their 30lbs board on their own, I would do it by myself too.  Not a single day, I asked for help or accepted help.  I pretty much graduated from high school with the same mindset.  Now, when I look back to those times, I realize that I was surrounded by strong women.  My mom being the top one, another one of those women was my piano teacher “Madam Magdi” - Magdalena Rufer.

Imagine a ballerina in her 70s (even though she was NOT a ballerina) - super skinny, with long red hair (she used to dye it with henna), big blue eyes.  She was Swiss and lived in Turkey longer than I even existed. :). I always knew her alone since her husband had passed away long before I knew her.  She never needed help from anyone even though she had some health issues.  From my perspective, she took care of herself and didn’t want to rely on anyone else.  She did what she loved - spreading her love of music to anyone who is touched by her.  She was a pianist, but in my opinion, she was teaching the actual feeling of music more so than playing the piano.  Even to this day, when I hear any form of music, I close my eyes and think through the feelings of each note and sound.  She was the example of independence, self power and resilience, but with the gentlest way possible.  She followed her heart and never gave up. (I miss her a lot)

MAdam magdi and I…

We are surrounded by strong women with their stories and achievements.  Let’s take a pause during these crazy times and think about those who might have helped you (knowingly or unknowingly) become who you are today.  

Strength is in our personalities but also, physically in our muscles. :) Luckily we can train both our internal strength and our physical strength.  This month’s moves will actually leave our hands alone - as tribute to Madam Magdi.  Let’s get that heart beat up… 

1. Jumping jacks: legs and arms out at the same time - 100 reps

2. Sit to jumps: sit on the floor then get up and jump - 10 reps

3. Regular Squat pulses: legs are shoulder width a part, quarter squat pulses - 10 reps

4. Narrow Squat pulses: legs are together, quarter squat pulses - 10 reps (watch your knees)

5. Wide Squat pulses: legs are wider than shoulder width a part, quarter squat pulses - 10 reps

6. Sit to jumps - 10 reps

7. Regular squat Pulses - 10 reps

8. Sit to jumps - 20 reps

9. Lunge hold with arm under leg: start with right leg forward, left leg back, bring right arm under the right leg to outside of the right foot and up - 10 reps and repeat 10 times on the left side

10. Split jumps - start with right leg forward and left leg back lunge, jump up to switch legs - 10 reps (10 total jumps)

200 counts and you are done! Let’s keep those legs strong!

Thank you to all the strong women around me for teaching me that gender does not dictate what I can and cannot do!

Big high five for thinking through your memories… :)

Look Beyond

At work, we have a tradition on providing mini-bio pages when someone joins the team.  A little over a year ago, that tradition evolved for existing team members, where, if you are selected, you give a more detailed presentation of yourself during the bi-weekly team meeting.  Well, I got selected two weeks ago…. Derek immediately joked around saying that it would take me 25 hours to prepare it and then 4 hours to present it! (Ha-ha-ha, right!). It actually took me a week of thinking about it and 4 hours to prepare it (I haven’t presented it yet).  It was definitely one emotional task to put that presentation together because I went through a lot of great memories of my childhood.  It made me remember people, places, activities and even conversations…. I decided that one of the activities that I used to do and the conversation that followed it, would be a great theme for this month - Look beyond what it really is….

I went to a 5-day boarding school starting at age 11 through 18.  My dad used to drop me (later, me and my brother) off at school every Monday morning - it was about an hour drive.  There was a section of the drive where the highway would go through hills filled with houses “built-over-night” (gecekondu, in Turkish).  These houses were illegally built with no permits or stability in the structure, therefore they made those hills look horrible.  However, whenever there would be fog, my dad would say that we were in an enchanted forest.  We would imagine the trees and the animals in that forest.  The conversation would take us deep into our imagination and by the time we arrived to school, I would be in a whole different place in my mind.  Who would think that those eyesore houses would actually become something pretty in the mind?  Don’t take me wrong, Monday blues was still there but the excitement of seeing the fog was a whole new way of looking forward to the drive.  

The whole boarding school idea wasn’t fun for anyone in the family but it was a really good school so we all had to learn how to live with it.  When we looked beyond, we focused on the big picture but we also looked into the moment to make more out of it - the enchanted forest was just one of many excitements that we discovered along the way.

Into the memory lane - at my middle school

Now let’s think about the journey of being healthy… One part of that journey is “working out”.   Human mind is great at finding excuses to push it out and then feel guilty about it.  The easiest excuse is “time”, which I talked about last month.  The fast follow to “time” is the equipment.  This is where you can truly look beyond because I can guarantee you that your house is filled with all sorts of workout equipment.  After all, this is exactly why I started my “Train and Smile” sessions.  Last week, during my session, I wanted to focus on “being off the grid” and picked a workout tool that focused on being off your phone - I chose magazines.  Yes… we worked out with 2 magazines.  We were very respectful to the magazines where we absolutely did NOT use them to slide on the floors. :)

Here is a quick warm-up routine with two magazines:

• Magazine twisters: (great upper body warmup)

  • Bring your palms together right in front of your chest with fingers facing up and the two magazines are in between the hands

  • Magazines should be stacked together and perpendicular to the floor (top towards the ceiling, bottom towards the floor)

  • Keep elbow at chest height and keep forearms parallel to the floor

  • Keep pushing your palms against to each other while the magazines are in between the hands

  • Just my using your wrist, turn one magazines towards you (top towards you) and the other on away from you (bottom towards you)

  • Keep alternating for 30 seconds

• Magazine friction:

  • Magazines in between your hands, extend your arms forward at shoulder height

  • Palms pushing against each other, thumbs facing up, fingers facing forward

  • Start rubbing the magazines against each other forward and backward (as if you are trying to start fire with a stick)

  • Keep going for 30 seconds

• Magazine curls:

  • Put each magazine under your arm against your body

  • Palms facing each other, on either side of your body

  • Bring your thumbs towards your shoulders, without dropping the magazines

  • Continue for 30 seconds

• Magazine jacks:

  • Feet wider than shoulder width

  • Hold the magazines from the top and line it right in front of your legs

  • Jump to bring your feet together, while bringing your magazines together to clap in front of your legs

  • Jump your feet out, while bringing your magazines to the starting position

  • Keep going for 30 seconds.

Repeat it all for 3 sets…. 

Now do you see your magazines differently? :)

After a fun workout with our magazines!

Let’s focus on the big picture, because it is always there… Just remember that as you come through hurdles/excuses, you might be able to find a way around it.   High Five to that creative mind of yours!

Time is the Best Gift

It is hard to believe that the first month of the new year is already coming to an end…. Time truly flies!  When I look back at the month, it was filled with fun days spent with the family, mostly doing things that make us smile.  Kaya’s 6th birthday definitely topped it all and I was reminded, one MORE time, that the time flies…. I still remember the day, at the hospital, waiting for his arrival.  Then came the hourly nursing sessions at night for 20 months.  Now, he is learning how to read and write, and it is yet another great chapter with him.  

Kaya’s birthday celebration at tahoe

Yes, time flies…. I believe that the key is to focus on the things you like while it is going by.  Therefore, “time” is actually the best gift that you can give to yourself OR to others. :)  What unnecessary thing that you can eliminate from your day so that you can spend your time doing something you like?

It is a typical Sunday in our household where Derek and I are trying our best to get the house stuff done - cleaning, fixing, cooking, etc… The kids are mostly on their own.  Earlier in the morning, Ela came up, right when I was cleaning the kitchen, and told me that she would like to paint with me.  I looked at all the dishes then thought about one of my earlier blogs about the importance of “5 minutes”.  I decided to give myself the gift of time to spend those precious minutes with Ela.  The kitchen was cleaned a little later, when Ela wanted to move on to a separate game that didn’t involve me. :)  

Now with all that said about time, where do you place “getting/staying fit”? 

1. Necessary (so there is always time for it)

2. Necessary but hard to find time for

3. Unnecessary (so easy to eliminate)

I am jealous if you picked option a.  And if you picked option c, let’s chat. :) For me, it is certainly b.  No matter how organized I am about my schedule, it is always challenging to carve out 15 minutes to strength train.  That being said, I have realized if I create routines that I look forward to then it is actually easier to make time for those 15 minutes.  I have my favorite tools - weights, rollers, household items from our Train and Smile sessions, etc.  I have my favorite moves - jumping, lifting, standing, etc. I have my favorite muscles - legs, glutes, arms, etc.  With all of that, I have my routines…. Some of my routines ONLY include my favorites and other include just one move/muscle/tool that I don’t like as much.  That way, during tough days, I can pick my “favorite” routine and during good days, I can challenge myself with a routine that might include moves to push me.

Here is a quick example:

1. Jumping jacks (for 30 seconds - make sure you hear your hands clap over your head)

2. Criss/cross leg jumps (for 30 seconds - like a ballerina switching feet fast while keeping your hands at shoulder height and parallel to the ground)

3. Scissor jumps (15 second on each leg - make sure to keep a perfect lunge position)

• Do 1-3, take a one minute break, continue for 2 more sets

1. Upright row to overhead push with a dumbbell (10 counts - during upright row, make sure to being elbows over shoulders)

2. Alternating Hammer Curl (10 counts)

• Do 4-5, take a one minute break, continue for 2 more sets

1. Elbow plank hold (30 second hold)

2. Side elbow plank hip pulses (15 second on each side - if the balancing is challenging, drop your upper leg FORWARD)

• Do 6-7, take a 30 second rest, continue for 1 more set

I hope you will enjoy this routine as much as I do!  Give yourself the time to at least try it out.  If you have kids, just have them join you. :)

Big high five to you all for making the time to read my blog!