March 2009

Did You Know?

Heart Desease is this country’s #1 killer.A sobering thought for a Monday morning. Heart disease, not cancer, is our biggest threat. Even more sobering is that a lack of physical activity doubles your risk of heart disease. Once again, sitting around and doing nothing is not an option!

I received a a silver aspen leaf to wear around my neck as a special thank you from the women on the Breckenridge trip. (Thank you ladies!  It was my pleasure to be with you!)

What do you do to choose life right now for yourself?  Have you been hibernating all winter waiting for spring to rouse you from your winter slump? Are you ready to put away the winter toys and get out with your bike and nordic walking poles? Whatever part of the activity spectrum you’ve been on for this winter it’s time to choose life, choose health, and get outside to play. You might even consider putting on your rubber boots and walking in a few puddles, just don’t splash your friend!

I know that many of you walk all year round and that some of you have been walking indoors this winter, but it’s time to get back outside. April kicks off the season with our first walk out at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on April 1.  It might be risky to plan an outdoor event for April Fool’s Day, never know what mother nature has in store for us, but I will be leading walks at both 1pm and 6pm that day, rain or shine.  (I’m just not going to include snow, ok?)

 As always, we’ll bring the demo poles along so you can try them.  Come experience for yourself the joy and benefits of walking with poles.  If you’re not a member of the Arboretum you can get in free for the day by using the password “nordic walking” with the gate keeper.  Be sure to ask for your membership for Mother’s day so you can go out often to walk. 

After the first we will be walking on Tuesdays in April, Mondays in May and Wednesdays in June.  We decided that alternating the days each month would give everyone a chance to come with us.  Locations for the walks are on my calendar here or you can also see them at www.hoigaards.com. 

 I have also scheduled lots of Community Ed classes throughout the western suburbs.  If you would like to learn more about nordic walking and have some more intentional coaching on technique the schedule for these classes is also on the calendar. 

 I hope to see you out on the trail soon!

I’m in Big Sky Country enjoying some family time on the mountain.  One last ski trip to end the season.  I traveled with my husband, son, and brother and met my 2 neices here in Big Sky.  It’s one of my favorite mountains, maybe because we’ve spent so much time here.  It was the first mountain my kids skied 20 years ago and the one that called to Sam a few years ago.  But I think Lone Peak calls to us all and I always look forward to our time share weeks here.

 Today was a special day for me.  Sam, my youngest, is an incredible skier and this morning he went back to the beginning and allowed me introduce him to telemark skiing.  We freed our heels to  make bended knee turns.  My daughter Laura gave me my first lesson at Solitude many years ago and I was immediately hooked by the rhythm and flow of a tele turn.  It was my pleasure to pass it on and it was especially fun to be the instructor and be able to be the first at the bottom of the hill, at least at the beginning of the day.  Typical of Sam he quickly caught on and by the end of the day we were cruising the blues from top to bottom and once again he was in the lead. 

Sharing the joy of learning something new, challenging oneself to stretch out and risk failing, to be clumsy and unsure as a beginner and celebrate new skills and experiences…it was a very good day!  And the best thing, we still have 2 more days of skiing before we head back to “flat land”

Did you Know?

When you combine 11 women, 4 sunny days on the mountain, 5 fabulous dinners and endless stories shared you come up with the HOW trip to Breckenridge last week.

I’m fond of saying that my job got a whole lot better when HOW was created. (Thanks Todd!)  Traveling with a group of women is a wonder filled adventure and I must admit I didn’t plan many “women only” outings before HOW. Of course I had my daycare mom’s, my sisters, and my soul mate Gail, but we don’t make our time together a priority. It’s hard to find the time to get together for a cup of coffee or a simple dinner, letting family, spouse and work take the main stage in our lives. 

But choosing to spend time with women, choosing to spend time being nourished and cared for, choosing to allow yourself to simply be who you are for a bit of time, choosing to just go and have fun, that’s the gift of traveling with women. You always have permission to do what works for you;  Nordic skiing or snowshoeing instead of downhill, stopping early to shop or take a nap, skiing greens instead of blues. It’s different from any other family or business trip you’ll ever take!

And it’s all about the food!  The kitchen, also fondly called the mess hall, was the center of our “off hill” activity.  Julie shared her Betty Crocker expertise, Jean was in charge of morning coffee, and Laura was constantly taking pictures of what we were eating.  From our “traditional” pasta bar to apre skiing at the mountain base to the funtastic carriage ride on our way to dinner at the Steak and Rib our last evening it was delicious! 

We return to our real lives refreshed and recreated from our time on the mountain. Thank you to all the women who joined Julie and me on this adventure!  We’ll provide a link to pictures as soon as we get them organized.