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Growing up in Oregon, I constantly heard wise words from my mother like "lets recycle that," "you can walk," "don't use too much water," "whole wheat is better than white," "no dessert if you don't eat your vegetables," "dark lettuce is better for you than light," "paper over plastic," "don't leave anything behind" and so much more. Her healthy ways got me into many sports and helped turn me into a record-setting track athlete. In 2006, my mother lost a 3 year battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease; something nobody would have ever expected. That was right around the time I joined the Surfrider Foundation in San Diego and had my first child, whom she never met. Now 10 years have passed since losing my mother, yet volunteering for the Surfrider Foundation, and becoming a mother, I've noticed her words have come through clearer than ever. In addition to personal training and triathlon coaching, I have done some blogging to help our planet, and improve lives. I hope you enjoy my content, and join me in my journey for a cleaner planet and promoting happier, healthier lives!

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Happy 4th!

Woohoo, the 4th of July, Independence Day; many Americans FAVORITE holiday as most get the day off in celebration of our freedom as a nation. What do we do? Party!
Shoot fireworks, dress silly,
hold 4th of July races, parades, 
barbecue, eat American favorites, 
drink, make noise, and be ridiculous...
Yep, we always pick
a fun run or bike race...



Here is a homemade carrot cake I made with cream cheese frosting, sliced strawberries for the stripes and blueberries for the stars (sorry, couldn't quite fit the proper 50!)
So much fun, but one "tiny" little problem, all the celebrating around the country makes a horrible mess!   (And you probably noticed I did not show the ADULT ridiculousness!!!)  I've been trying to find some stats, but between the noise and garbage from fireworks and people, the 4th of July may be the worst holiday for our environment.  (New Years and Halloween are definitely up there.)  BUT, not everyone makes a mess, and those who tend to be the least messy tend to be the ones volunteering to clean up the next morning. Thank goodness for organizations like the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coast Keeper, many coastal areas have organized volunteer beach clean-ups. We try to attend every year. Here is us from this morning...
Yes, by the time my husband took the photo, we had already been working a couple hours along with many other volunteers, so now the beach looks pretty clean, yipppeeee! You may have noticed we're using reusable gloves and bags to avoid extra unnecessary plastic waste. Yes we found lots of nasty stuff, a couple things we won't mention, but mostly cigarette butts, styrofoam, plastic wrappers, straws and lids. Plus some burried sandals and a couple stray socks. It is always clear there is a TON of plastic waste on our beaches and in ocean.

All that said, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July, were mindful of the environment, and help clean up the leftovers.  Thank you SO much if you did!
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