Where'd that come from?

When you're at the grocery store doing your regular shopping or swinging by to pick up some fresh produce, do you ever stop to think "Where did this come from?"  A simple way to make a positive impact on the environment is by buying items that were made or grown closer to home.  You really CAN make a difference by buying locally grown items over those shipped from miles and miles away. 

One of the easiest ways to begin doing this is by paying attention to where your produce comes from.  This is important for a couple of reasons.  Not only will it impact the health of the environment by supporting operations that expend less energy, it also impacts your own health.  If an item is grown locally or close to home, chances are you are buying that item at its peak of freshness.  This means you also get it when it is at its peak in terms of nutritious value.  Items that are shipped from thousands of miles away are more likely to be picked too early.  And, oftentimes, undergo chemical processes that make the item appear "ripe", fresh and in their prime.  But, this unfortunately is oftentimes an illusion, and in fact, much of the produce we buy is not really in season.  Sure, that kumquat might be in season in Brazil at the time but is it in season where you live or close to where you live?

Personally,  I like shopping at Central Market for produce.  They make this information very readily available by placing the location of where the item came from on the item's sign.  Right under "BANANAS", the sign may say "Mexico" for example.  Or under 'TOMATOES", it may say "Texas".  It makes it quite simple to buy items that I know were grown closer to home, thus minimizing environmental impacts and optimizing nutritional intake.

You may also be interested in checking out your local farmers market.  I recently took a trip to my local farmers market for the first time and was very pleasantly surprised by the produce.  It was a bit more expensive than Central Market, but I will say that the produce was certainly at its peak.  The oranges were juicy and the peaches nice and ripe.  There was no need for them to sit on the windowsill for a couple of days like they often need when buying from the regular grocery.  The produce at the farmers market was picked and delivered at the optimal time by local farmers.

If environmental impacts and nutritional value aren't of great interest to you, think about the added monetary cost of buying products that were shipped from thousands of miles away.  There are a lot of operational costs that go into getting that kumquat from Brazil to you.  Who pays for that? You do!  Lately, as I've been paying more attention to where my produce is coming from, I've noticed that locally grown items and items grown in the USA often tend to be less expensive than the items coming from far-off lands.

The point is that you can take a very simple step to getting the most bang for your buck just by paying attention to where your food is coming from.  In buying produce that is grown close to home, you can affect the well-being of our planet, your health and your wallet.  It also keeps things interesting.  Buying produce that is in season will bring about greater variety to your life and diet throughout the year. 

Most importantly, remember to have fun with it when you shop!  Try new things, make a Saturday out of going to the farmers market and feel good about supporting farmers in your area.

Sustainable YOU: Sharing. What's that?

Friends who know me well may recall my pack rat days. Let's be honest; they really weren't that long ago. Over the past few months, though, I've been working diligently on removing the clutter from my life and my home. I've realized it is extra noise that simply is not necessary to living a full life.

It was a few months ago that I read a very interesting article on clutter (I wish I could find it) which reaffirmed how I'd been feeling. The article was written by a woman who talked about how she had uncluttered her life and moved more toward a model of sharing. The main point of the article was: "Why don't we share more things?". If my next-door neighbor has a wheelbarrow and I have a shovel, why would I need to go out and buy a wheelbarrow. And, why would he need to go by a shovel? Can't we just share those things? Seriously, we live next door to each other! Let's let him keep the wheelbarrow in his shed, I'll keep the shovel in mine and we can simply borrow each others' items when we want to do a little yard work on the weekends. Why is it that for some reason we as human beings just feel better about it if we own that wheelbarrow ourselves?

"Stuff" gives us a false sense of security. In truth, we do not need all the "stuff" that we accumulate. We think we do. Perhaps, when other things are lacking in our lives. We buy things to fill the void or simply out of boredom.

My clutter used to fill my void, I guess. I'd look at that old pair of shoes in my closet, which I had not worn in over a year, and think "I may wear them with that dress some day. I don't want to give them away or sell them because I may want them one day five years from now." (I hadn't worn the dress in over a year, either). And, even with a closet full of too many shoes, I'd go shopping for more when I was bored. It was something to do. Something that made me feel empowered. I could buy shoes and it made me feel good. Really, it was silly.

As I have been removing the clutter, I've been thinking more about how that pair of shoes could be donated to someone who does not have any shoes. I've found that I actually feel more full now. And, less stressed. When I open my closet door, things don't come crashing down anymore. I have what I need (probably, still a little more than I need) but have gotten rid of the excess.

I used to laugh at my father because when he used to take me shopping as a kid, for anything, he would always ask "Do you really need that?" before he would let me buy something. It became a joke in the family, and because of it I preferred my mother to take me shopping. But, I get it now. So much of what we buy is really quite wasteful. And, just think...where is all of that stuff going to go when we're said and done? A landfill.

If you are looking for ways to unclutter your life and take some simple steps to eliminating waste and helping our planet, ask yourself these questions when you are at the checkout:
1. Do I really need this?
2. Is this something that I could purchase and then share with a friend, family member, or neighbor? Could I, then, borrow something of theirs in return for sharing this item?
3. Where will this end up in a year?
4. Can I donate or sell this when I no longer have a need for it?
5. Can I put half of the cost of this item into my savings account?

Now, of course, there are things you really need. Obviously. I'm not saying that you should never go shopping again or that you should share everything. That would be a little silly to assume or propose. I'm just asking you to stop and think a little more about frivolous purchases. If you are feeling bored one day and want to go shopping just for the hell of it, take a walk first, go for a run, play with your dog, read a chapter of a book. Are you still bored? Or, did you find that partaking in another, healthier activity left you feeling well.

Are you giving back to the earth and others what you are taking from them? Together, let's take a pledge to share a little more, give a little more and take a little less.

I think we'll find we feel less empty.

Sustainable Sense

(First, I'll start with...Wow, blog...you've been neglected lately. Hello again. Hello world!)

A lot of life has been happening since my last post. Is it really July? I've done a couple of big events in the earlier half of the year, having run my first half marathon and also competing in my first Olympic tri. The CowTown half marathon was a great event! The weather was perfect, it was well supported and the route was great. The triathlon that kicked off in 50 degree water in Lake Pflugerville, not as much fun, but I learned a lot from the event:
1. Swimming in freezing cold water in a wetsuit that chokes you is not a good time.
2. Yes, there is now a lake in Pflugerville. Who knew?
3. Do not underestimate the Olympic distance.

The training has slowed down quite a bit since those events. I guess this whole "there's a human growing in my stomach" thing has that effect. It's made it a little harder to do things like run and go aero on the bike. Been doing a lot of walking, though, and a lot of thinking. And, that time is good, too.

With less training hours and extra time to sit back, relax a little and think has opened up my eyes to health in a different way. It is not only about fitness and exercise. While those things are great, important and still a part of my life, I've also started focusing more on creating a healthy environment and eating healthily. I've known how to eat healthy before, and am aware of what is good and bad in terms of diet. But, I'm talking about "healthy" in a little bit of a different way than I thought about it before. It's not necessarily about what is low in calories. Sure, a diet soda has no calories and I'm not going to wreck my diet from it. But, is it really healthy to be injecting that into our bodies? Chemicals? My focus lately has been on eating more naturally, getting back to the basics.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how we humans can get back to the basics, in an effort to save our planet and ourselves. There's just so much engineering in every facet of our lives these days. Now, I don't want to sound like a bleeding heart. I'm not bringing this up because of some "liberal agenda". I'm actually pretty politically apathetic these days. The thing is that it is not a political issue like so many make it out to be. It's a common sense issue. We simply cannot keep pumping our atmosphere and our bodies with all of these pollutants and expect to go on without any massive consequences.

Maybe it is the new mother in me, but I feel compelled especially lately to start doing something about environmental and health issues. I do not want to see our kids growing up in a world composed of plastic and soot. It's time to get back to the basics. So, here is my start to that, to a new era. I'll still be writing about cycling and fun stuff. But, I'm also going to be adding some new things to this blog. I'll be doing a bit more investigating into our systems (food, eco, etc.) and will be providing helpful tips on how you can make a change.

The point is, that you can make a difference by starting with simple things at home and by setting an example. The changes can start small. It would be unrealistic to think that we're going to go back to horse-and-buggy days. And, I'm not suggesting that at all. But, we need to wake up a bit and start practicing more sustainable habits. It's common sense. It's sustainable sense. It's about a sustainable you, and me and we.

Stay tuned.
TK

Moving bricks

This morning we had our first official brick workout of the season out at Texas Motor Speedway. As our training is ramping up in the new year, we will be doing more and more workouts that simulate a triathlon. A brick workout is when you ride and then run immediately following. The reason it is called a brick is because after transitioning from the bike to the run your legs literally feel like bricks. It's an odd feeling; you know you're body is going forward because you pass things on the road but it does not feel like your legs are moving because they are so heavy. It is almost as if they are filled with sandbags or cement.

Today we rode 15 miles and ran three miles. And while it felt like my legs were hardly moving at all on the run, my watch was good indicator that I still kept a 9:30 pace. As we continue our training, the bricks will get longer and longer in preparation for the 56 mi ride/13 mi run we'll be doing in Galveston come April.

This weekends workouts have proven to be intense. Gearing up for the CowTown half marathon, I ran 9 miles Saturday morning and followed it with our team's swim workout. In the pool we were timed for a 300m race swim and I was pretty happy with my results, finishing under 5 minutes at 4:49 two times in a row. That swim time is an improvement over my October tri, where I did the 300 in about 5:30. I guess I'm doing something right and my work is paying off! Seeing such time improvements motivates me to continue the hard work and keeping aiming high.

Fighting the winter blues

I did something this afternoon that I haven't done much of lately. I rode my bike. With all the cold weather we've had and the short winter days, my poor bike has worked more as a dust collector than a training tool. I've also been focusing a lot of my winter training on running and am gearing up to run my first half marathon at the end of February. I realize my event is fast approaching, however, and I don't want to let my cycling muscles go into atrophe. So this afternoon I decided to get in a ride before dark.

It was great - just me and the wind. Just like old times. It brought back memories of my afternoon rides that I took often in the summer, the ones where I had no one on my tail telling me to slow down and no one in front telling me to go faster. I love my solo rides. They are a great time to focus on speed work and building my base all while being able to just enjoy the smell of crisp air, the sound of silence and forget about any of the days worries.

Training in the winter has proven itself to be more challenging than I suspected. It is hard to get out in the cold and additionally it is hard to avoid all of the holiday goodies and good times. But with my Half Ironman just four months away and all of the Christmas treats eaten, I have re-focused and am ready to get back to business. The challenge that I'm finding with triathlon versus cycling is finding the time to get in all of the training. Focusing on one sport is much easier than trying to be good at three. However, the training is also more fun because of the variety. I find myself getting less bored which makes it easier to push myself to get in my workouts. I have a couple of events that I'll be participating in before the Half Ironman - the Cowtown Half Marathon and the St. Patty's Day tri. With more work, a few more solo rides and a little less chocolate I'm determined to make it across the finish line.

Why am I doing all of this? I'm raising money to fight cancer for those who cannot. Make a donation today and make a positive difference in someone's life.