Peace Be The Journey

So, my life kind of revolves around food, and I REALLY enjoy eating. I spend hours a day either eating, thinking about what I'm going to eat, cooking, eating some more, searching for recipes, packing more food to eat while watching cooking shows. I could watch Cooking Channel and Food Network for hours, just ask my friends. I will watch and dream of eating all that beautiful food and wonder aloud how I can become a guest judge on any of these cooking competitions or food travel shows. If you know, you must tell me! You think I'm joking? I never joke about food. Ok, sometimes, but I'm really serious about my food. I have to plan my day around eating. Here's what a normal day looks like in my life this summer: Wake up and eat breakfast. Pack up all the food I will need before I leave the house for the day. Workout Second breakfast Get ready and go to work Mid-morning snack Work Lunch Work Mid-afternoon snack Work Late-afternoon snack Drive home Cook su...

Here's a question I'm sure you've asked yourself: If I had to pack for 6 months of travel in a winter sport, what would I take? Well, let me tell you, it's not an easy task, but I believe the last 5 seasons have helped me become a packing master. Here are the problems I regularly encounter: 1. Winter clothes are heavy. Why didn't I play a summer sport? 2. Baggage fees are stupid. The money I paid to get on this plane wasn't enough to get my clothes on board with me? 3. Motorcycle helmets don't fit well in bags or overhead compartments, but they do act like a secret compartment for snacks as a sneaky third carry-on. If anyone ever questions me, I can always carry my snacks and wear it onto the plane like a hat. That wouldn't cause a panic at all. 4. Bobsled requires way too many shoes. I typically travel with 10 pairs: 2 pairs of bobsled spikes, track spikes, weightlifting shoes, winter boots, waterproof shoes, tennis shoes, casual shoes, casua...

How is it already September?! This off-season has flown by. I've been in Dallas and working full time since April and training at Performance Vault since early May. The last week of July, I headed to a week long push camp in Lake Placid, NY. Other than that, I've been putting in the hours at the office and the gym, and now my pre-season bobsled events have begun. I am looking at the calendar and seeing my life in weeks instead of months, which means summer is over. I skip fall and go directly to winter. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. This happens every year, just like summer break did when I was in school. The beginning of the off-season is great. No training. Just rest and recovery from beating my body up for the past 6 months of the season. We don't report back until October, so the next 6 months seem like they stretch on forever. About 2 weeks in, I start getting antsy. I'm ready to get back in the gym and start prepping for next season, but thankfully I h...

Body fat. Those two little words probably made you cringe. I think that's most people's reaction. Your mind probably went to that one area of your body you're particularly unhappy with or the part of you that is always on your mind. As I have progressed as an athlete, I've become increasingly aware of my body and all that I put it through. I now pay much more attention to what I put into my body nutritionally and how I feel during training. If something hurts, I'm more likely to speak up and see if we can change the exercise up a little. I can articulate how I feel and what I think my body is doing, which helps my trainers and coaches know how to help me improve. I spend more time helping my body recover, so I can push myself harder the next day during the workout. I have learned so much about my body, but I had never accurately had my body fat tested. I really wanted a benchmark, to know where I was starting from this off-season. You can't get where you're...