Every once in awhile, you need to do something that makes you feel fully alive. Every Memorial Day weekend, I take an annual trek from Money Creek near Gold Bar through the Alpine Lakes and ending somewhere near Northbend in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie River area. Near as we have been able to guess, this trek is 14.5-16 miles long, depending on how lost we get. At higher altitudes, the trail is usually still under snow this time of year.

There is a craziness about this Adventure Run/Trek that seems like challenging death. Bears, hypothermia, broken bones, and dehydration are all very real possibilities out there. In the woods with a small group, we operate on a very basic human level. Survival is paramount, and as a pack we need to ensure we are all safe and strong. It’s fun and surprisingly restorative to break life down to it’s simplest - eat, drink, stay injury-free, get out alive. You unite and support your pack, use the experience of Alpha members to stay safe and on trail, and work consciously on our most fundamental goal in life - surviving. It is a time when cell phones, computers, work hassles and traffic fall away. The basics are the most important - fuel, community, safety, water. Rather than challenging death, it’s embracing life as a human in it’s most pure form.

I like using events like these to see what fuel my body responds well to. The more I experiment, the more tools I have in my athletic arsenal. I’ve done the Gu thing, the Clif and Lara and Odwalla bar thing and am now looking into fresher, homemade options for my long runs.

This weekend I decided to test out a recipe a colleague found as an alternative to refined, sugary sweets. I altered it by adding protein and changing the ingredients a bit to suit my own tastes - creating an incredible fuel for the trail. This was popular in taste, highly satisfying, did not fall apart in my pack and kept me well-fueled without stomach cramps or a cloying flavor common in some processed energy bars.

Behold - my Almond Oat Energy Bites! Present them at your next family function, bring them with you on a hike, or make a batch to have on hand instead of costly energy bars!

Aimee’s Almond Oat Energy Bites

2 1/2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds
1/2 cup Organic Raisins (very important - grapes are a highly sprayed crop)
1/2 cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 oz. Vanilla flavored Whey, Soy or Rice protein
1/2 cup Almond Butter
1/3 cup Agave Nectar (honey can be substituted)

1. Grind 1/2 cup oats and 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds in food processor until powdery.

2. Combine remaining 2 cups oats, remaining 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, raisins, chocolate chips and cinnamon in large bowl. Add oat/seed powder and mix well.

3. Stir in almond butter and agave nectar in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer to dry bowl and mix until soft dough forms.

4. Moisten hands, and roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place in freezer 20 minutes to set, then serve or store in the fridge.

This salad was adapted from a recipe in the June 2007 issue of Gourmet and originally found on Epicurious.com. Michael detests most fruit (at least he likes his veggies!) so we omitted the 1/2 cup dates the recipe originally called for and added more ingredients to make it a heartier, entree type salad. This would also be fantastic with steamed haricot verts and chickpeas or with flaked tuna a la Salade Niçoise.
Recipe alterations are italicized.

Dr. Joseph Mercola was one of the speakers in NYC this last weekend. He shared with us an amusing parody video on some of the pitfalls of conventional medicine.

Click here to view.

I subscribe to a variety of newsletters to keep a pulse on what is happening both in the consumer end and the professional end of my industry. This evening I received a newsletter for coaches asking to remember to celebrate. A timely reminder for myself and I hope my inspiration can be passed along to you. If you are in the coaching or consulting professions, I would encourage you to check out David Wood’s website, www.solutionbox.com. While the words below are mine, the inspiration for this article comes from him.

In our time-crunched, hyper-efficient society, we are always looking ahead to the next project, often even before we have completed what we are working with now. Sophomores in high school or college are focused on their senior year, completing a project at work is uneventfully finished as the next big item on the list is tackled. A completed To-Do list is a highly valued accomplishment in our society, but often the list gets longer faster than we can complete what is already at hand.

When we are so focused on the future and the next big accomplishment, we fail to savor the journey we are experiencing now. Life rushes by so quickly because we aren’t really living it - we have set our intentions on the future (or are stuck in the past) instead of today. Instead of the Now.

When we are entranced in the present, time is lost. Time goes forever. I recall when my high school boyfriend and I would spend a full day together, and the hours were slow and sweet as we enjoyed each others’ company. Often the last time we remember time being slow is as a child, when we had long summers that seemed to last for years. Children tend to be less preoccupied with the future and past. They haven’t learned to place so much importance on tasks, accomplishments, and progress for progress’ sake. They also aren’t asked to take on so many responsibilities.

While we can’t shirk the responsibilities of the adult world, we can stop and celebrate our accomplishments before rushing onward to the next task on the list. I’d bet all of us have accomplished something notable in the last three to six months. Maybe you overcame your fear and tried a new activity, spoke out for what you believe in, ran your fastest mile or your longest distance to date. Perhaps you entered a new relationship (romantic or not), cleaned out that closet that you’ve been meaning to get to for two years, or filed your taxes early this year. It’s never too late to celebrate the wonderful things you have accomplished! This is not indulgent behavior - gratitude for what you have done is a way of thanking the universe and allowing more prosperity in your life because you are acknowledging that great things do happen!
Gratitude and celebration also flood the brain with mood-boosting neurochemicals that fight depression, enhance immunity, and allow the creative side of us to awaken and find more avenues to happiness and success. You can’t go wrong by stopping to smell the roses.

Below are some examples of various accomplishments and ways to honor and celebrate them:

• Going to the gym regularly for the month –> buy a new workout shirt or tunes for the IPod

• Paying off a credit card –> Put the money you paid each month into an interest accruing account.

• Making a new friend –> Have a special lunch together

• Cleaning the office —> Fresh flowers for your desk

• Completing a major project at work –> take a “sick day” and do what makes you the happiest!

Write down every goal you have reached in the last six months - no matter how small it is. Which ones did you celebrate or acknowledge?
Choose ways to celebrate all the wonderful things you have accomplished in the last six months. Tell someone important to you. Support increases the potency of the neurochemical boost and inspires others as well. Share it with the VIBRANCE community by commenting on this blog or sending me an email. And inquire and encourage your friends, colleagues or clients to share their accomplishments. More celebration in the world is a beautiful thing!