It's been an eventful spring and summer for me. Where to begin?
Oh, for starters... I did really well on the 10k MN AIDS Walk. I was the team's top fundraiser, bringing in something over $400. Our Geek Physique team ended up raising over $1300 for the Minnesota AIDS Project. Wow! We seriously rock.
In the months of training to prepare for it, I'd set a goal for myself, to maintain a 20-minute mile (or better) pace. The day of the big walk, I actually managed something closer to a 17-minute mile, despite really terrible weather that day. Several other Geek Physique members walked with me at various times throughout the walk, providing encouragement to keep going. Crossing the final bridge merited a bit of the music - and dialogue - from the "Bridge of Khazad-Dum" scene in LOTR, which was surprisingly (and ridiculously) inspirational. Kind of like this:
As I approached the finish line, with my sister encouraging me every step of the way, I found my eyes welling with tears, my throat tight with emotion. A couple of years ago, I would never have been able to do a walk like this. And yet here I was, near the very front of the pack for the walk, having pushed and worked really, really hard. What a tremendous moment for me, and for those walking with me. They have been an invaluable support system for me, and I'm so grateful.
Geek Physique and YogaQuest were participants in CONvergence, the local nerd convention celebrating sci-fi and fantasy, July 5-8. We put posters up everywhere, and offered a well-attended and well-received YogaQuest class celebrating the "Women of the Whedonverse" that Friday evening. We also hosted a Geek Physique "Pre-Party Preparedness Training" party in the Geek Partnership Society cabana room that Saturday evening. It gave us a great opportunity to chat with a variety of CON-goers, and being planted in one spot for a while allowed me to scope out some really awesome cosplay. I'm still geeking out over the Bill Nye cosplayer we met. Ha! I do love me some creative geekery. And I'm already looking forward to CONvergence 2013, and a variety of smaller cons between now and then. (And don't get me started on RenFest...)
Since CON ended, we've achieved a couple of amazing milestones. For starters, in the wake of our participation at CON, we've passed the 300 member mark on Meetup. On top of that, we had our 100th Meetup event this week. And the kicker? That event coincided with our first Xena-inspired YogaQuest event. It was also the record-setter for RSVPs and attendance! We'd bumped up the cap on the class to 40 RSVPs, figuring there's always a few people who don't show up. We ended up with 36 of us in that room. It was wall to wall geeks doing the Xena battle cry! I have never been so proud. I love writing the scripts for YQ, but writing the Xena scripts is near and dear to my heart, and seeing this particular script meet with such approval was deeply gratifying to this Warrior Princess.
Earlier this spring, when I went in for my annual physical, my doctor and I had a conversation about the "numbers" we're looking at for me... blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid panel, and so forth. We looked at the comparison of where I was at two years ago, and last year, versus this year, and frankly, it's amazing to see how far I've come. Compared with my more sedentary past, I'm not borderline diabetic, I'm not on the verge of needing high blood pressure medication, and my cholesterol and triglycerides have responded beautifully to the changes in diet and activity levels.
After reviewing all that, my doctor's response was simple. "Whatever you're doing to accomplish this, keep doing it. It's working." And really, I didn't need to hear that to know it was working. I feel better, being active. I sleep better. My asthma is in better control. And I have such fun with the things I'm doing. But it is tremendously encouraging to get that kind of feedback from a health professional. I used to hate going to the doctor for my exams, but I've reached a point of making peace with the whole process, because if nothing else, it's an opportunity for me to go in and brag about the awesome things I'm doing with Geek Physique and YogaQuest.
In the months of training to prepare for it, I'd set a goal for myself, to maintain a 20-minute mile (or better) pace. The day of the big walk, I actually managed something closer to a 17-minute mile, despite really terrible weather that day. Several other Geek Physique members walked with me at various times throughout the walk, providing encouragement to keep going. Crossing the final bridge merited a bit of the music - and dialogue - from the "Bridge of Khazad-Dum" scene in LOTR, which was surprisingly (and ridiculously) inspirational. Kind of like this:
As I approached the finish line, with my sister encouraging me every step of the way, I found my eyes welling with tears, my throat tight with emotion. A couple of years ago, I would never have been able to do a walk like this. And yet here I was, near the very front of the pack for the walk, having pushed and worked really, really hard. What a tremendous moment for me, and for those walking with me. They have been an invaluable support system for me, and I'm so grateful.
Geek Physique and YogaQuest were participants in CONvergence, the local nerd convention celebrating sci-fi and fantasy, July 5-8. We put posters up everywhere, and offered a well-attended and well-received YogaQuest class celebrating the "Women of the Whedonverse" that Friday evening. We also hosted a Geek Physique "Pre-Party Preparedness Training" party in the Geek Partnership Society cabana room that Saturday evening. It gave us a great opportunity to chat with a variety of CON-goers, and being planted in one spot for a while allowed me to scope out some really awesome cosplay. I'm still geeking out over the Bill Nye cosplayer we met. Ha! I do love me some creative geekery. And I'm already looking forward to CONvergence 2013, and a variety of smaller cons between now and then. (And don't get me started on RenFest...)
Since CON ended, we've achieved a couple of amazing milestones. For starters, in the wake of our participation at CON, we've passed the 300 member mark on Meetup. On top of that, we had our 100th Meetup event this week. And the kicker? That event coincided with our first Xena-inspired YogaQuest event. It was also the record-setter for RSVPs and attendance! We'd bumped up the cap on the class to 40 RSVPs, figuring there's always a few people who don't show up. We ended up with 36 of us in that room. It was wall to wall geeks doing the Xena battle cry! I have never been so proud. I love writing the scripts for YQ, but writing the Xena scripts is near and dear to my heart, and seeing this particular script meet with such approval was deeply gratifying to this Warrior Princess.
Earlier this spring, when I went in for my annual physical, my doctor and I had a conversation about the "numbers" we're looking at for me... blood glucose, blood pressure, lipid panel, and so forth. We looked at the comparison of where I was at two years ago, and last year, versus this year, and frankly, it's amazing to see how far I've come. Compared with my more sedentary past, I'm not borderline diabetic, I'm not on the verge of needing high blood pressure medication, and my cholesterol and triglycerides have responded beautifully to the changes in diet and activity levels.
After reviewing all that, my doctor's response was simple. "Whatever you're doing to accomplish this, keep doing it. It's working." And really, I didn't need to hear that to know it was working. I feel better, being active. I sleep better. My asthma is in better control. And I have such fun with the things I'm doing. But it is tremendously encouraging to get that kind of feedback from a health professional. I used to hate going to the doctor for my exams, but I've reached a point of making peace with the whole process, because if nothing else, it's an opportunity for me to go in and brag about the awesome things I'm doing with Geek Physique and YogaQuest.
you are an inspiration to us all!
ReplyDeleteLikewise!
ReplyDeleteHoot.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful and positive things are happening for you! YAY! Well written blog, I enjoyed the read :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are an inspiration!
ReplyDelete