Week 3

My goal this week is not to snack after dinner - roughly 8 pm. I know I do a fair amount of late night munching, even when I'm not that hungry, and it's usually junk food. I notice that I tend to get heartburn at night when I've ate a lot late in the evening, or had a Coke after dinner. So, I am hoping this is a good step toward both feeling better and eating healthier.

Weekly goals

Hey family,

Figured I'd see about getting the blog going again.

I'm planning to set some weekly goals that I'll try to implement throughout the year, but will focus on one week at a time. The first week was cutting out soda/pop, coffee, and alcohol. I've been doing water and tea instead. This is the second week, and I am trying to run 4 miles during the week. I'll let you know what new pieces I add each week.

By the way, the water and tea thing is great. I was really tired the first few days as my body withdrew from caffeine, but now I feel great. Less heartburn, same amount of energy with less crashes throughout the day, and I feel a lot less bloated, even after big meals. So I recommend that one to all of you.

Caleb

Sugar: A Break Up Story

Back off sugar, I am kicking you outta my life, again. It is probably going to be really hard considering my deep love for anything sweet and Chile´s affinity for you, but I am going to do it. You will be out and I shall be sane.
Love,
Hannah


Here are the things I have been thinking about while stuck in a hotel in Southern Chile. Awesome, I know. Anyone want to join me?

2 months

Another year has come and gone and tomorrow will be the 8th (!) anniversary of Dad's passing. I don't know what to say about the significance of it. I know that it still hurts to think about that day 8 years ago, and many of the moments since. I think about how different all of our lives are, and that makes me incredibly sad, even though I think most of the changes were great ones. I really have a hard time thinking about how life would be these days if he were still here.

Anyway, the point of the blog today is to say that, as I posted last week, I've been really trying to recommit to fitness, and to make some positive changes in my life, but am having a hard time following through on them. I've decided today that one thing that might help is to have my own physical/spiritual/mental journey from Feb 16 to April 16, a couple of days it is easy for me to mark. It also nicely coincides with Lent, which I don't really observe anymore, but maybe it will make it easier to cut out the Coke and chocolate when everyone else is doing something similar.

So, Dad, I normally mark your passing with a Coke, some Dots, and usually some other treats that remind me of you. I don't think there is anything wrong with that, and will probably go back to that routine in years to come. But this year, I'm going to honor you tomorrow by starting a couple months of total-body wellness.

Reclaiming Health

Hello Family,

A lot of things have been coming together that have collectively convinced me to start blogging a bit again. Hannah's awesome travel blog, Paulette and Kristi's health issues, my weight gain, an onset of rare self-doubt...

I was going back through some of these blog postings this afternoon and thinking that we all accomplished quite a bit while we were blogging. Our motivation came in waves, and blogging wasn't always that easy or exciting. But I think we all did some positive things over the course of the year and a half that we kept this thing going.

Law school has been hard on my health. There are some great things about it, and I'm happy to be here in Berkeley surrounded by so many brilliant minds. But, the stresses and demands of law school have meant that my exercise routine and diet have suffered. I don't want to focus on pounds, but all the weight I had lost since we started at the end of 2007 the blog is back. Weight is only a very small part of health. But sometimes it can reflect the bigger picture, and I would say that is true right now.

What I've been trying to figure out, and need to keep working on, is how to become healthier, despite the stresses of school. Last time that I started blogging, I set goals for myself, some that I followed through on and others that I didn't. What I'm not sure about is whether those were good in the long run. I think I do better exercising or eating right when I give myself a goal, or some restriction. But I would really like to find the way to make positive choices in my health that are lifelong.

No answers yet, but I'm going to try to use this blog again as a tool to figuring out how to reclaim my health.

Family!
I cannot believe that Caleb and Jaime will be running a marathon in 5 days. That is nuts. Way to go guys! Also, I am wholly impressed by Heather and Ben and their dedication to this half marathon. I am lacking some of that dedication, but today I forced myself to run up Mount Sentinel and then run 3 miles, not quite the 8 or 10 that team Sather put in, but it was an attempt. A great thing happened on the run, I fell in love. Okay, that is a lie, but I did meet my friends mom on the top and we ran together and it was so fun to run into some random person, know them in a roundabout sort of way and then be able to run with them too. It was very fun.
I can't wait to see you guys this weekend. Love you all.

In Praise of Ben Sather

Ben, in sports terms, you have been an amazing mid-season pick-up of a brother. I thought a lot about family around the time that you and Heather got married. One of the things I thought about was how each person adds a unique piece to the functioning of a family. When a family is together but one person is missing, well the family functions differently. And when one gets added, who knows what is going to happen? Call it family chemistry.

Well, the point is, it has been amazing how much our family's chemistry has been changed, for the better, because of you. We were never a nickname family until you came along, but now we all have several (KWeb, Ciesel, Ozzman, Hannibal to name a few). We've all seen more concerts, and had much better seats at them than we would have otherwise. We've been introduced to great music.

But those are just a few of the things that are easy to name. There's also the ways that you add humor and friendship to our lives. The way you helped get us all through Dad's death, and preserved your new marriage to Heather through such a traumatic event. The way that Ben Webster found a best friend and a musical ally in you when he needed both. And, the fact that you have, along with Heather, introduced to the world one of the most precious people it has known.

Ben, you're a great brother and I'm glad to have you as one. I can tell you are a great husband and father too. Thank you for wearing all these hats so well. Thanks for adding so much to our family and making it what it is today.

Way to go on training through a bad knee, on committing to run the half marathon this June. I know you can and will do it!