If we're Facebook friends, you must be wondering what all my HEAT Bootcamp check-ins are all about. See, the end of 2011 proved to be hectic with holiday parties, new friends, and what I decided was too much imbibing of my favorite cocktail – the sidecar. More than the over-indulgence, it seemed that not focusing on the things that I wanted for myself invited personalities and philosophies that also took me further away from my goals. I felt sluggish from going out too much. I wasn’t getting enough sleep. I put on some pounds. And I was spending too much money. That’s not me. I wanted to change, so I vowed that 2012 would operate under one word - simple.
I hit the trail hard as 2012 started, and kept a mindful watch on what I was putting in my body, but I knew that if I was to achieve what I had in mind for myself, I needed to find something that pushed me to do more. I found a deal soon after for an outdoor bootcamp with unlimited classes that was an astonishingly low $40 a month. I slept on it. The idea of getting up at 5:30 AM every morning seemed….impossible. And I tried to recruit some friends to join me, but their reactions were similar to what I would expect if I were asking them to cut off a limb. Screw it. It was only $40. I’ve accidentally spent that on an overly indulgent lunch on more than one occasion. Maybe there will be hot boys in class (a motivational thought). I geared myself up, grit my teeth, and set my alarm.
The first week was unbelievably hard. My muscles were incredibly sore, I was exhausted by the time 11 AM rolled around, and I was hungry. Really really hungry. Another tough thing was that going to bootcamp wasn’t/isn’t just about going to bootcamp. It also meant that everything else took a backseat because in order for me to successfully show up to class, every decision I made throughout the day had to keep bootcamp in mind. I had to dig deep to finish the workouts, and get passed the disappointment when certain exercises made it apparent just how not in shape I was.
But 4 weeks later, getting up that early stopped feeling so hard. I had a regular sleep schedule, I preferred not to drink alcohol because I didn’t want it slowing me down, happily went home early to get in bed at a reasonable time, and noticed that my bank account had some padding. Those sidecars at The W are not cheap (my favorite)! Not to mention my abs were coming out of hiding. In the middle of week 6, I went to the beach and got some admiring looks due to my increasingly perky behind. In fact, I was walking to the bathroom and walked by a group of guys cat calling at someone, but I didn’t realize they were talking to me until I heard “Asian with a booty”. By week 8, I had put on 13 pounds of muscle while SHRINKING down a size to a fit 2. Showing up 4-5 times a week was paying off!
Last Saturday marked the end of week 12, and the last class of the outdoor bootcamp. I kicked my own ass all of last week and went to 5 days of camp where I won a pushup contest, a plank holding contest, and the ultimate challenge – 100 pushup burpees, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and a 2 mile run in 52 minutes. As someone that was mid to the low end of the pack when I started, my achievements during week 12 blew me away. I was a beast in camp (a sexy beast I mean). And winning on Saturday definitely had me walking on cloud nine. I loved how strong I felt while I was plowing through that challenge. It was proof that I transformed myself physically, but more importantly, I now know just how hard and far I can push myself mentally. I wanted it for myself. For just the pure satisfaction of knowing I could.
I am different today than I was 12 weeks ago. I am much more fit. I’m stronger. I have less body fat. I can do real nose touching the ground pushups that actually look good. I can flip tractor tires bigger than me. I know that waking up sucks, but it only sucks for the first couple of minutes. I know that pain is temporary. I know that I can push past it. I know that if I put in the work, I get the results I want. And I know what I want, so I know that if I make what I want a priority, I WILL get it. Bootcamp provided an environment where I routinely achieved things that I didn’t know I could do. It empowered me to believe that I could do seemingly impossible things. It empowered me to embrace the pain, lean in to the discomfort because I can push past it. Love it even.
It's obvious that I am in love with HEAT bootcamp, but it’s not about weight loss. It's about mentally pulling out your inner badass. In fact, I weigh nine pounds more now than when I started. I tell people that it’s my vice. A hobby. Something that I do entirely for myself. If you’re reading this, I hope that you have something that you do entirely for yourself. Something that makes you feel super human and brings out your inner badassery. I used to think I was giving up something to make it to class. Giving up social time with friends. Giving up sleep. Giving up happy hour. But what I’ve actually done is make myself a priority. Gain new friends that are on board with what I want to do for myself, and cut away from people and choices that brought a negative energy to my daily life. Get more sleep because my body needs it. I still go to happy hour, I just don’t get to the point that it takes away from what I want to accomplish. It has made it easier to make the choices that put me first. Bootcamp keeps things simple. Gives the choices that I make a purpose. That positive feeling infiltrates every aspect of my life. Not to mention get me ready for the Austin Climb!
I would love to hear about how you stay motivated and focused. What about you? What do you do to bring out your inner badass? What have been your biggest lessons?
And no, HEAT didn't pay me to write this. They don't even know about it. Yet, anyway.
Have you ever had the wind knocked out of you? Or almost drowned? Welcome to my world. When I was a little kid, I was in and out of hospitals. My asthma was bad, but it went away in my earlier teenaged years. For 13 years, I lived my life with hardly any reminders of asthma. When I was 21 years old, my asthma came back in full force, knocking me out of commission for almost 5 months. It hid itself behind what I thought was bronchitis, which quickly escalated in to pnemonia, and was then peppered by what seemed like random symptoms - anemia and erratically losing my vision. I barely had the strength to walk down the hall to the bathroom.
As terrifying and frustrating as this time period was, the worst of it was losing my active lifestyle. I am an outdoorswoman. I love to hike, run, backpack for days carrying everything I need, camp, rock climb, play sports, and jump off of cliffs. Losing my ability to take in air meant that not only was I unable to do those things, I was so exhausted from being oxygen starved that I lived on a bed for almost 5 months. I wasted away. I lost muscle mass. And not being able to take in the oxygen I needed meant I couldn't even go up a flight of stairs without losing my breath. I lived on the 3rd floor.
Today, my asthma is mostly in control, but every day is different. I love a physical challenge and go to H.E.A.T. Bootcamp four days a week. When Austin allergies are high, I am hyper-aware of it because I am unable to perform certain things, or exert myself cardiovascularly the way that I normally can. The limitations can definitely take an emotional toll because even though I'm "healthy", asthma at times can make the simplest of things difficult. Being able to take a full inhale is something that I don't take for granted.
On May 19th, 33 days from now, Team Stairanoia is coming back together for the American Lung Association's annual "vertical road race" - The 2012 Fight For Air Climb at the Frost Bank Tower. Climbers will navigate up 30 stories equaling 660 steps, challenging their lungs to the get to the top. Wanna see what it's like?
Team Stairanoia - 2011 Fight for Air Climb Video and Photos
It's a blast and you'll meet a great group of people! If you're involved, or want to become more involved in the Austin social media community, Team Stairanoia is the team to join. Have questions? Not sure whether you can do it? Let's chat about it! Reach out to me at @realaustin on Twitter or shoot me a line on Facebook.
"So here's a list of your contacts that I printed out from your Linkedin profile and a pen. Check off the names of the people that you think I should go talk to."
Huh?
Haven't you heard of social lube?
Social lube. That's a funny way to start this post, but that was the first thought that entered my mind. But before I get ranty, let's go back to the beginning. The week before, I received a cold call from Richard, who we will call Dick. Dick was in the insurance business and was trying to develop relationships with people in Austin. I was not a potential client since I'm already insured enough to make Justin a happy widow, but I agree to meet Dick for coffee the next week to chat about his business, who he works with, and the kind of clients he's looking for. Dick is already seated when I arrive, we shake hands, he tells me his last name, reminds me what company he works with, and asks me how long I've been with IT Freedom. As I'm answering his question, Dick reaches in to his briefcase, pulls out a few sheets of paper and slides them to my side of the table. It was a print out of my Linkedin connections.
"So here's a list of your contacts that I printed out from your Linkedin profile and a pen. Check off the names of the people that you think I should go talk."
So, what IS social lube? Social lube is an integral part to business relationships. It's the process of building rapport and trust by getting to know the other person. Asking for referrals is a give and take situation, and can be a high pressure exchange since both parties are expected to deliver in some way. The referrer needs to trust that you will not act in a way that will tarnish their reputation. The referrer also needs to know who YOU are to qualify prospects and send referrals your way. Dick did neither of those things. And by ignoring the importance of social lube, I immediately saw Dick as a taker - someone that doesn't play fair, and a person that I need to protect my contacts from.
I have told a handful of people this story, one of the arguments that pop up are that I shouldn't have gotten my feathers ruffled since my Linkedin profile was on the web and free for the public to see. Public information or not, there is still a dance between the referrer and the person asking for referrals that has to take place. My point is that rapport and trust building must be part of the equation. Consider the scenarios below -
If someone that you're meeting for the first time like Dick came in to your office, grabbedyour rolodex off your desk, tossed it to you, and asked you to pull out the cards of peoplethat you thought he should talk to, would you do it?
Since I know your name and the county appraisal district is free for the public to search through, I can find out where you live. If I show up at your door and ask to come in, are you going to let me walk in the door?
My point is that relationships are built on trust, no matter the setting. Business relationships aren't any different. There is nothing wrong with leveraging another person's network or influence - as long as you have the permission to do so. Permission comes after rapport and trust has been established.
Just because I now know Dick's last name didn't mean that I trusted him enough to refer anyone in his direction. Honestly, if the meeting had gone well and he followed up with an email mentioning Linkedin, I would have been happier to oblige. But he didn't. Dick was all about him. Good thing I'm a nice person, I let him down respectfully.
"Well Dick, before I give out anyone's contact information, I ask them for their permission, so let me take this list back to the office and take a look at that."
A couple of days pass.
"Hi Dick, I apologize, but the people on that list either had an insurance policy in place, or weren't comfortable with me giving out their contact information. Best of luck!"
Be a person that people will be glad to know. Respect their time. Genuinely take an interest and care about who they are. Don't be a taker. And for god's sake, don't forget about social lube.
As always, play nice, use good judgement, and happy networking.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Since 2009, I have made it a point to always be conscious of the good things and acknowledge them every year. Some years are harder than others to find things to be thankful for, but there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. Here are just a few for me -
1) Family. They bring so much joy in to my life and I can always count on them to eat with, drink with, cry with, and laugh with. Grateful that there is a place that feels like home.
2) Friends. I am grateful to have found people that I can tell my deepest and darkest of secrets, and lucky to really know that they will never throw them back in my face. Thank you Javier, Alexia, Brenda, Wesley, Jenner, Aaron, Mike, James, Lesley, ML and Mindy for being the people that you are.
3) Justin. I have never felt more loved, adored, or supported by another human being, crooked toes and all. I am thankful that even doing something so simple as brushing our teeth together before bed is fun.
4) Resilience. I have learned to love the bad things that have happened in my life. I wouldn't be who I am without them, and has truly given me the gift of loving hard, living hard, and the confidence to know that I can land on my feet because I have already.
5) Clarity. Things aren't perfect. Decisions need to be made. Actions need to be taken. I am grateful that I know what I have to do to stay happy. I've found that often times, this is 66.66% of the battle.
6) Freedom. To have the luxury of pursuing the things that I love. To go to places that I want to go. To choose the job that brings me the most happiness. To be who I want to be. But there is no freedom without clarity.
7) Contentment. One of the hardest of states to achieve as a human. I used to have an adverse reaction to the word, but I now know the difference between contentment and complacency. Being content has allowed me to live and enjoy myself in life's great moments, instead of worrying and hurrying to the next thing.
Now, it's Saturday night, and I don't have anything to do except make a spicy sausage arrabiata, listen to Justin sing Keith Whitley, and polish off this bottle of Rioja. There are so many moments and people to be thankful for. Yes, including the bad ones. As one of my best friends would say, without the bitter baby, the sweet ain't as sweet.
Find someone that has positively impacted your life and thank them today. Happy Thanksgiving!
The Sustainable Food Center hosted their 5th biannual Chef Series dinner at La Condesa Sunday night, and it was such a treat! I have been dying to go to this series, but my calendar never cooperated in the past. As Justin and I we're wrapping up our afternoon of East Austin Studio Tour stops, Chelsea Staires called trying to unload her tickets. Chelsea and her husband Jerry were driving in from Houston and weren't going to be able to make it. We did have dinner plans, we were JUST walk out of Live Oak BBQ for a meaty snack, but how could we pass this up? It was 5:20 PM, cocktails started at 5:30, and seating for dinner was at 6:00 PM. We raced home, made a fifteen minute attempt at looking presentable, and walked in to La Condesa with two minutes to spare.
The Sustainable Food Center is one of my favorite nonprofits in Austin. They empower people to make healthy food choices and promote participation in the local food system through the local farmer's markets, and programs like The Happy Kitchen and Sprouting Healthy Kids. Their Chef Series is an incredible event that showcases the area's most talented chefs, creating dishes from locally sourced ingredients. As a foodie, an event with chefs of this caliber, one with a James Beard award, is a must attend.
It's always a gamble when you go to a dinner where you will be seated across from strangers. Will they like you? Will you like them? Is that five hours going to be awkward? Yes, you read that right. Five hours. We were whisked away to a four top where a couple already sat waiting. Maddie and Webb, foodie fanatics from San Antonio shook our hands and immediately, I was relieved. Webb talked Justin in to adding bee keeping to his list of ridiculous hobbies, Maddie just passed the bar and was specializing in oil and gas law, Justin just worked on an oil lease for the ranch, Webb's family are long time cattle ranchers, I used to work in commercial real estate, Webb is a commercial broker in San Antonio, both boys are dabbling in making their own beer, wine, and whiskey, we were all in Colorado at the same time seven weeks ago, and both couples were a house divided - the boys were Aggies and the girls were Longhorns. We really enjoyed their company and wished that they lived in town! We oohed and ashed over the menu and ate and sipped every bite.
On the menu
Todd Duplechan, Lenoir
persimmon salad, marinated seaweed, pine nut butter, chili
Overall, the meal was fanstastic! Dishes were perfectly timed, drinks always came first, and our dinner companions really made the meal. Our table loved the aperol aperitif, thought Tyson Cole's sous vide cobia was perfectly cooked, gobbled up Jason Donoho's amazingly succulent quail, lapped up Andrew MacArthur's whiskey concoction, debated what makes an egg coddled, cracked smoked water in to the duck consomme, and loved the savory pistachio dessert by soon to be open Uchi Houston's Monica Glenn. We were also incredibly impressed by how delicious each drink was, especially when they're being made for a hundred people. The only thing that didn't go over as well was the venison liver. It tasted good, but it was the texture that we couldn't get passed. Probably because it was raw.
For anyone that has ever debated going to the Chef Series, I would highly recommend it! I loved the anticipation of each course, not knowing what to expect, but confident that we were in capable hands. The five hours flew by and left me with names of farms that I will be looking up this weekend.
December is an amazing month for food. Eat Local Week benefiting SFC and Urban Roots starts Saturday, December 3rd. I encourage you to check out the eight events that are happening that week, discover the joys of being a locavore, and participate in our local food system. Oh, and for those that have never had Waco born Balcones Baby Blue Corn Whiskey, grab a bottle at Spec's. It's good stuff. Thank you Chelsea and Jerry Sun for the great evening. We owe you two an out of this world dinner.
*** Pardon the grainy photos, low light is a bitch.
