Friday, May 18, 2012

Mid-life Athlete:Exercising in the heat

Editor’s Note: Midlife Athlete will publish on the second Friday of every month

By Jennifer McDonald

With May here, it’s starting to get hot and humid. I went for a couple of runs last week that were very warm and sweaty, and I was reminded of all the strategies that runners need to implement when exercising during the hot months, so as to avoid heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Here are some quick tips:

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink plenty of water before you go out and then carry water with you. I find it inconvenient to carry water during runs, but I think I’d find dying of heat stroke even more inconvenient. Take water with you and sip from it throughout your run.

Run (or walk or bike) early. Get out there before the sun has risen very high and started baking central Virginia into an inferno. Just after dawn is the best time to run for the next few months. Even running at 9 or 10 a.m. can be too late on steamy July days, so try to schedule your outing early.

Don’t push yourself, especially on the hottest days. If you do run later in the day or it’s especially hot in the early hours, consider canceling your run. If you can’t do that, at least scale back on your speed and/or distance and give yourself a little break.

You should also know the signs of heat stroke: headaches, dizziness, nausea, and/or extreme fatigue can all be indicators. If you experience any of these, stop your run and seek medical attention.

Those are the most important things you need to think about when you’re running in the heat. There are some other practical considerations related to summer running that you will have to deal with.

Stinky feet and sneakers. Sweaty feet will smell bad and your expensive running shoes will smell worse. You can’t toss sneakers in the washing machine because it ruins the interior padding. Luckily, there’s an easy fix and that is to wear SmartWool or other performance socks that will wick the moisture away from your tootsies. In between wearings, don’t toss your kicks in a closet – let them air out for a day instead. 

Stinky running gear. Performance gear can really reek. The first thing you need to do is NOT throw your sweaty stuff in the laundry hamper after you strip if off. Let it air out first. Then wash your gear in cold water and let it air dry – hot water and hot dryers help odor-causing bacteria breed. If that alone doesn’t do the trick, add non-chlorine bleach to the load. Works like a charm.

Stinky body. Honestly, there’s not a lot you can do here, but switching to a clinical strength deodorant and showering right after a run will help.

Chafing and other skin issues. I’ve had problems with my own sweat burning my skin, so now I rub Aquaphor on those spots to protect them. I also lip balm with me for mid-run chafing fixes.

If you follow these tips, you should still be able run safely and comfortably this summer. Happy trails!

If you have any questions for me, feel free to leave a comment here or go to my website to find my contact information.

Jennifer McDonald is a freelance writer and running enthusiast. You can find more from Jennifer at her blog Jen On The Edge and Jennifer McDonald writes.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Women We Love: Anna Murphy

By Amy Baugher

Anna Murphy, agent/owner of the Murphy State Farm Insurance Agency, learned early in her career that it isn’t “just about business, but about developing relationships and protecting your customer’s needs.”

She began her career with State Farm by handling Catastrophic Claims for large scale natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. It was during those times that she was able to meet “many amazing agents … and see first hand how the agents truly care about their customers and communities.”

Murphy’s biggest reward comes when she is able to hand a customer a check that she knows will help them begin rebuilding after a loss. “Early on in my business, I had a life insurance claim for a family that had lost their father. During one of the hardest times in their lives, I was able to get their father’s life insurance benefit to them within a few days and met with the funeral home director for them to arrange the payment of the final expenses. Coping with the loss of a loved one is hard enough on its own, so I was willing to do anything I could to help the family through the experience. Knowing that I helped ease just some of their burden was thanks enough!”

In addition to managing her business, attending various sponsorship events and networking within the community, Murphy’s typical day-to-day routine consists of meeting with customers either in her office or at their home. “It’s easy to let your business consume so much of your life,” she says, “so you have to remember to step away once in a while.” Murphy’s secret for balancing work life and private life is taking time for herself, whether it is golfing, taking her dog for a run, cooking for friends and family or relaxing with a good movie or book.

Staying mentally and physically healthy are also important to managing stress, she says. “I try to surround myself with a diverse group of family and friends that help me bounce ideas around, take my mind off things, or just let me vent when I need to get something off my chest.” In April, she is doing her first mud run called Stick Man Mud Run (http://www.stick-manmudrun.com). A portion of the proceeds benefit an organization she works with called I-6:8 Foundation. It provides support for the survivors of law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty.

There is a wide variety of challenges presented to any small business owner, but for Murphy the constant challenge of being pulled in many different directions has taught her the “importance of prioritizing, organizing and delegating in order to turn your challenges into opportunities. Plus, I have a great team of four amazing women that back me up and look out for me.” As a team, they focus on the things that can be controlled rather than the things that cannot be controlled. Maintaining that focus helps them see what they can do to see the positive in any situation.

She urges any woman thinking of pursuing a career in insurance to talk to other men and women in the industry who can provide feedback to help you make a decision and to remember that you need to be highly motivated and have an entrepreneurial spirit to succeed.

8 Things You Might Not Know About Anna Murphy…

1.  Who is your favorite author and why? Ayn Rand. She was very progressive for her time and circumstances and wrote about the importance of taking ownership for the decisions and choices you make.

2.  Favorite thing about Charlottesville? Everything! The scenery, people, food, wine, events and most importantly the fact that my mom just moved here!

3.  What is your favorite hobby/pastime? Traveling! I don’t think there is anywhere I wouldn’t go if given the opportunity.

4.  What is one of your hidden talents/skills? I can play a mean game of Horse on the basketball court.

5.  What is your guilty pleasure? A Philly Cheesesteak!

6.  What is your favorite movie and why? “Sixteen Candles.” I never get tired of watching it. And Jake Ryan … enough said!

7.  Where did you grow up? I grew up in a very small, rural, farming community in Central Illinois. It was a very simple way of life surrounded by good, hard-working people. I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but am glad I don’t have to live in Illinois winters anymore!

8.  What is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why? The Internet because it puts an unlimited amount of information at our fingertips. Maybe that’s not always a good thing, but it gives us access to so many new people, places, and experiences that we may never have known without it.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Simple Life: Why Simplify?

Editor’s Note: The Simple Life column runs the second Monday of the month

By Lisa Jones

I realized that stuff didn’t make me happy the day I got my brand new car. Of course I’ve always known the classic adage was true, but it always felt like stuff made me happy. I had waited forever for my car and when it finally arrived it was shiny and pretty and smelled like new car. I sat in the driveway for half an hour, playing with the seat heater and programming the stereo buttons.

Then something happened, or rather, didn’t happen. Nothing changed. I felt empty. There had been so much anticipation around this car and now there was only the morning-after-Christmas let down. All that money had bought me barely 30 minutes of joy.

I realized that I was not simply enjoying the car for what it was; I had expected it to fix something. I wanted it to fill in the parts of my life that I was not happy with. It didn’t work.

That’s when I started thinking about what was really important to me. I had this idea that simplifying my life might be the answer. I wanted to focus more on what was in my heart and focus less on what was in my driveway. I figured my happiness might last longer if it was about being, rather than having.

I slowly changed how I did things. I de-cluttered and donated ill-advised past purchases. I planted the vegetable garden I always wanted. I started eating better and cooking more. I got rid of all the chemicals in my house. I taught myself to sew and knit. I learned about meditation to help me with my panic attacks. Meditation led me to a daily yoga practice.

I didn’t make a concerted effort to quit my former habits, they were simply squeezed out by all the new things I was doing. The desire for the shopping and consuming just faded out. Simplifying seemed to just snowball in this slow, beautiful way.

The money saved from curbing my spending made me feel more stable and secure. I felt less moody and anxious. Cooking with my husband, doing yoga and focusing on my new priorities had a quality of happiness to them that even a BMW couldn’t provide. This was not the hopped up sugar-high of a shopping mall, but a deeper, calmer, longer lasting feeling of contentment and joy.

Everyone’s simplification path is different. Some simplifying steps just don’t work for me—it turns out that I like my cable and my hair gets gross when I wash it with baking soda. My path has taken unexpected turns but I’ve found a lifestyle that works for me and my family. I’m not perfect in my simple life; there is always more (or less) that I could be doing. However, every day it becomes easier to be present and embrace authenticity and real joy. I think that might be the whole meaning of life.

Lisa Jones is a freelance writer and a yoga fanatic with a serious travel addiction. You can find more from Lisa at her blog Just here. Just now.

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Women We Love: Jane Kulow

Jane Borrowman Kulow wears many hats in a day—writer, reader, talker, volunteer, mother, friend, wife—and she credits her ability to do that with her loving family. She says she has a “fantastic husband [Rick] who is willing to pick up the slack to allow me follow my interests.”

Her interests are quite varied. Kulow lives and works in Ivy as a communications consultant by day, as well as president of the Albemarle County Public Schools Parent Council, organizer for Build Crozet Library, year-round volunteer in programming for the Virginia Festival of the Book and a blogger about college search, admissions and finance at DrStrangeCollege. That’s on top of being mom to three children, Spencer, 17, Emma, 15, and Douglas, 13.

Kulow has a healthy respect for communications—as well as a master’s in Communications Studies.

“Effective communications can be extremely powerful—clear information can change lives, or even, the course of history,” she says.

Kulow’s most rewarding professional experiences stem from that ability to communicate effectively. “It’s when the client sees the solution to their problem and gets excited about what can be done—their ‘aha!’ moment. I love it,” she notes.

To take care of herself, Kulow gets together with friends, reads and maintains a positive attitude. She also walks regularly and works out with weights to help her stay healthy.

Kulow is not afraid of hard work. “I maintain a goal of positive resolutions and I try to always be learning,” she says. “I’m willing to do the dirty work to really become truly knowledgeable in an area—whether it’s visiting every Albemarle County school when I became president of the parent’s council; learning the issues, the statistics and the promises made for Build Crozet Library; writing about college admissions and finance issues to better understand the process; or attending school board meetings to get more information on the details behind the issues. To become truly knowledgeable takes an incredible amount of grunt work. I’m willing and able to do that when I care about something.”

She offers this advice to anyone interested in pursing a career in this field: “Be open to learning from every single person you meet—whether it’s the college intern you supervise, the CEO you watch from afar, or a neighbor. Don’t ever stop learning; otherwise you’ll open yourself up to making uninformed, or bad decisions.”

8 Things You Might Not Know About Jane Kulow…

1. Who is your favorite author and why? Tough question. Alan Furst writes historical spy fiction, most of it set in Europe between the wars. He beautifully conveys the conflict of honorable people making the best decisions they can under horrific conditions.

2. Favorite thing about Charlottesville? I have to mention two: First, the diversity of our community. Rick and I made it to Fridays After Five the first day we visited town and we loved seeing such a rich mix of people. Second, the Virginia Festival of the Book and everything about it.

3. What is your favorite hobby/pastime? Reading

4. What is one of your hidden talents/skills? Baking my Grandmother’s Burnt Sugar Cake.

5. What is your guilty pleasure? Watching “Project Runway” and dishing with our daughter.

6. What is your favorite movie and why? “Love, Actually” because it captures so many aspects of love—romantic, familial, newfound, lost—it’s got it all.

7. Where did you grow up? On a working farm two miles outside Nebo, Ill., a village of 250 people.

8. What is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why? The Internet. We moved from Boston to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1993—thousands of miles away from friends and family. My husband would travel weeks on end; pre-email, pre-cell phones, we would send each other faxes to keep in touch. Ha! Imagine that.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Charlottesville Crafter: Charity Work

By Karen May-Free

Sometimes as a crafter, it’s nice to use your skills for bettering someone else’s experience. Every handmade item given with good intentions spreads some good into the world.

A good way to take part is by crafting for charities or for people in need.

A personal favorite charity of mine is Halos of Hope. They accept caps and hats for people going through chemotherapy and distribute them to cancer centers around the country. They accept hats that are crocheted or knit or sewn. The only real caveat is that the supplies used to make the hat be soft, as the skin where the patients are losing hair is very sensitive. They will accept hats of all sizes and colors and distribute them as needed.

Project Linus provide blankets to children in trauma situations, whether it be medical or otherwise. Charlottesville has its own Project Linus chapter, serving Central Virginia’s children. You can help by making blankets, helping to put blankets together on Blanket Day or by donating supplies for others to put together.

Warm Up America collects knit and crochet squares to make into afghans to distribute to shelters, hospitals and to the less fortunate. This is a great idea if you don’t have a lot of spare crafting time. A simple 7- or 9-inch square can take less than an hour.

Another option for yarncrafters is to make baby hats for preemie and newborns. Tiny babies need to keep warm while they acclimate to being outside the womb, especially if premature. You can donate directly to UVA Hospital.

If you’re an animal lover, shelters always need bedding and toys for animals. Rescue shelters especially need bedding, and wildlife rescue organizations use rescue nests for small animals and birds. These are small little bowls of fabric or yarn that can keep small critters warm and safe while they’re getting strong enough to go back out to the wild.

How else can you spread the craft love? Craft with someone! There are probably many residents in area retirement communities and nursing homes that would love to have some company while they do their own crafting. You might even learn some good techniques from someone that’s been doing it a long time. 

You can always teach someone how to craft! I have a standing offer to any of my friends that if they want to learn to crochet or sew, I’m usually more than willing to show them. Kids especially love learning how to make new things.You could teach a child to crochet, and then help them make a simple baby hat as a first project!

One of the best parts about being able to make things is being able to make others smile.

Karen is a blogger and crafter who has lived in Central Virginia for 6 years after transplanting from the Shenandoah Valley. She blogs about her life at KMay.Net and about crafts at CraftyKix.

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