Fitness – Cup and Quill

Wine & Words 2019 Comes to an End

January 5, 2019

Today Sara, Shannin, and I head home from our Wine & Words Writing Treat in Branson, Missouri. We’ve had a lovely and productive time since we arrived on Wednesday. Each of us tackled a range of writing and work related projects ranging from a scholarly article on “Pretty Little Liars” to freshman composition syllabuses. We “pommed” religiously, more or less, in keeping with the practice we’ve established through our Facebook writing group called Write-ins for Academics. “Pomming” is the term we use to describe our way of keeping our butts in the chair when writing. It’s a tried and true method of

Running Hills: Why We Should Do Things the Hard Way

May 7, 2018

Hill Training Sometimes doing things the hard way is good. Any runner will tell you this. In junior high and high school, I ran on a city track club called the Edmonton Huskies–if you’re from Alberta, there is no connection to the football team, if you’re wondering. Hill training was a big part of our program. As I recall, we usually ran hills on Wednesdays or Fridays during outdoor season. Sometimes we did “30 X a hill” on a long, moderately steep grade. Other times we did “6 X a hill” on a very steep grade, usually made of grass

Why We Should Tell Others What We Think About Them

April 18, 2018

I was reminded this morning that it is a really good idea to tell others what we think about them when what we think is positive. There’s a woman at CrossFit who started coming to the 5 a.m. class a while ago. I’ll call her Ali because, well, that’s her name. I’ve watched Ali work out with both fascination and admiration. Ali is often the last person to finish the WOD. I’ve been very impressed by how precise and patient she is as she executes the various parts of a work out. Ali’s focus seems to be on maintaining good

Food is Not the Enemy

April 15, 2018

We’ve got to stop seeing food as the enemy. Let’s stop beating ourselves up and shaming others, consciously or unconsciously, about what and when and how much we eat. Let’s just do our best to put good fuel into our bodies so we can use them to do things we want to do.

We owe it to ourselves to find ways to be active. We need to feed our bodies what and how much they need to do the things we ask them to do. Being active and eating well are ways of being nice to ourselves.

Why We Should Measure Success on Our Own Terms

April 8, 2018

As an undergraduate student, I did not start university with any goal other than to do my job to the best of my ability. I followed three rules from day 1. Rule number one was “never miss a class.” Rule number two was “go to class prepared.” Rule number three was “begin assignments and/or study for tests well in advance of the due date.” I used my grades to measure success. I printed those rules and they were posted in my home office throughout my university career. I followed them religiously and they paid off. I was, and am, proud

Finite Players vs. Infinite Players: Which are You?

March 27, 2018

This is a fantastic motivational talk by Simon Sinek. I’m certain it will resonate with everyone who takes the time to watch it. “The goal isn’t to be the best everyday. . . . That’s a finite construction. . . . Infinite players play to be better than themselves. . . . The joy comes not from comparison, but from advancement.”