A love like no other

Sometimes there is a friend, early on, say, in high school, who writes in your yearbook. Pages and pages, continued here and then over there, with a message that defies time and space. Dispensing with the cursory, superficial gibberish, this friend heads straight for the truth with words so profound that, at 17 years old, you actually transcribe them so […]

Collective Joy

They’re out. All twelve boys and their soccer coach are free. What is it about that news sends me to the verge of tears? I’m a soccer coach. I have taken my teams on excursions as team building opportunities. None of these have gone badly wrong, but they could have. I’m a parent. I cannot possibly […]

Don’t let me interrupt

Don’t let me interrupt. I’ll wait. When there’s a lull in the conversation, I’ll speak up. How often I patch the hole in my day, the opening in my calendar, even the moment between my bites with something to do. Something to keep my mind occupied. Something to entertain me. Or with just plain filler. […]

Lead ME not into temptation

The Lord taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” ~ Matthew 6:13. It’s the oddest of requests really. Why in the world would God ever lead us INTO temptation? Do we really need to request that God not? Yet, I have been feeling a bit tempted lately. For me this […]

Nutrition for the Serious Endurance Athlete

Good nutrition is just not that simple. But there is good research and there are reliable recommendations available. If you’re an endurance athlete, here is a comprehensive article from researchers at UCDavis on Energy Availability, Macronutrient Intake, and Nutritional Supplementation for Improving Exercise Performance in Endurance Athletes.**  It is a detailed look at today’s science for endurance performance. […]

Got that feeling in my body*

Ugly words hurt.Clashing colors make me nauseous.Stripes with plaid make me dizzy. Grim news turns my stomachLoss twists my heart.A word stabsA look penetratesCriticism batters. Thoughts and experiences are, for me, physical.I quite literally feel your pain. Yet,Accept me and my heart bursts!Kindness enfoldsCaring caressesEyes that listen warm meEars that see startle me. My body […]

Dear Graduates, chart your own course

Caps and gowns everywhere! Smiling faces. Proud parents. Adoring Grands and even congratulatory hugs from siblings. It’s a great occasion and we mark it with well-deserved fanfare. Pomp. and. circumstance. So many graduates! I imagine each of them bouncing on their own personalized trampolines, springing giddily into the air, paying no heed to the creaking complaints […]

16 Action Items for Healthy Sport, Fitness and Life

The world’s leaders in exercise science and sports medicine met in Minneapolis at the 65th annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. The result: BIG news and reliable, evidence-based recommendations for physical activity, health and the reduction of injury. Here are my top 16 headlines with news you can use. Knee Injury Prevention ACL injury […]

The Brain: Wired for What?

The brain is an amazing organ, a one-of-a-kind instrument, a magnificent work of art. If you doubt it, just look at how it’s protected: a bony skull, liquid cushion, and multiple selective membranes all combine to prevent anything from damaging our Central Command Center. We may risk our other body parts for a good cause, […]