Vegetarianism Doesn't Have to be a Full-Time Job

Right now, I'm still running strong in my full-time vegetarianism (with no immediate plans to stop) but I just across this recent TED lecture by Graham Hill (founder of TreeHugger.com) giving an illuminating speech on being a "weekday vegetarian"



For the most part, I agree -- the choice to eat meat vs. not to eat meat shouldn't be so mutually exclusive, and the choice of what to put on your plate doesn't have to be a full-on battle between the tastebuds and the environment/animal rights/good health every single time. Nonetheless, it is worth the effort to make better choices whenever possible--whether eating less meat overall, choosing meats from sustainably-raised sources and/or favoring the generally healthier white meats of fowls and seafood over red mammalian variants.

As for me, I'm taking my everyday-vegetarianism one day at a time, but I'm leaving the possibility open for eating animals should the craving strike (it hasn't yet.) And if and when I ever get back into omnivore mode--I'll know I can consume meat without feeling guilty over my body or my planet.

And I love Graham Hill's parting final food for thought... "if all of us ate half as much meat, it would be like half of us becoming vegetarians."

Back on the 'board at Baldy

Thanks to the El Nino weather, the slopes and lifts were still operational last weekend -- so I decided to get back on the horse again and give one final go at snowboarding before the thaw, hopefully ending my season on a good note and not with the painful memories of a swollen and bruised bum from Mammothing.

Since Groupon offered reduced price lift tickets for Mt. Baldy, that's where I went. And I was surprised by the quality of the snow for late April, not nearly as slushy/icy/compacted as I would've expected -- though that could've been attributed to the recent storms that probably laid down some fresh powder.

And I definitely love how uncrowded this mountain is, definitely a great place to learn without worries of being run over or barked at by the more experienced.

As for the run itself, I finally re-taught myself how to link turns and carve (albeit with all the grace and speed of a turkey.) And I still took a few tumbles and falls but they're nowhere as hard as ones at Mammoth. But at least I ended this season on a positive note.

Let's see how much I retain come next season . . . in the meantime, I'm definitely looking forward to hitting those end-of-season sales for some protective padded gear and, if the prices are good enough, my own board and bindings!

Maybe, Possibly Another Hike This Weekend?

And this time I got more than lack of trails to worry about!

Still recovering from my snowboarding injuries of this past week (where my red and swollen buttock is now bruised and swollen) but I'm pondering on whether to join my friends for a 22-mile hike at the Monrovia Peaks this weekend. One part of my brain is craving for some real activity, and another part is telling me not to be a dumbass and exert so much energy when I'm still very visibly injured.

One one hand, I can walk OK, even though I've given up double-stepping when going up the stairs. On the other, my buttocks and hamstrings is not a big melon-sized blotch of black and blue -- and I don't have complete range-of-motion in my right leg yet (putting on socks is still quite a feat every morning!)

And while I am hiking with friends at a steady, leisurely pace this time around, goodness knows how much help they can offer should I become incapacitated in the wild.

So... to hike, or not to hike? That is the question (and let's hope for the former that I don't wound up like Yorick!)

Putting RICE on my bun . . .

Icing down my bruised, swollen butt on the Mammoth slopes;
photos on this post courtesy of Hungry Hungry Hanh (her flickr here)

This weekend I had an amazing trip up to Mammoth Mountains (my first time there), long slopes, cool little village and, of course, great company in the form of fellow blogger/twitter folks Hanh, Caroline on Crack, e*star LA, Mattatouille, Gourmet Pigs, Sam Kim, Roycifer and others.

The not so good news, while practicing/relearning my toe-turns and edges, I fell on my right butt cheek quite hard -- repeatedly. The result, a bowling-ball sized glute that makes me look like Beyonce or J Lo from one side.
Note the two buns for comparison, I can't even snap the button shut on the right back pocket of my pants! (and I've been asked, repeatedly, whether I stuffed anything into my back pocket-- nope, that's all me!)

As such, I figured it's a good a time as any to talk about recuperating after injury. Being no stranger to bruises, cuts and scrapes - I'm well acquainted with the R.I.C.E. method of recovery. Namely:

1) Rest (which, of course, means no exercises that requires glute work)
2) Ice (applying cold packs or chilly ointments to reduce pain)
3) Compress (to reduce inflammation and promote healing)
4) Elevation (also to reduce swelling)

It's no surprise that #4 is the hardest to do around-the-clock (imagine someone walking into my office and I'm at the computer or on the phone with my butt hiked up in the air!) but I do keep my behind slightly elevated, and sleep backside up, when I go to bed.

And of course, when my butt recovers enough to exercise, I'll ease back into my routine gently with yoga and some pilates work before going for the likes of cardio-kickboxing, plyometrics and running.

In the meantime, I'm being a bit more vigilant about my food intake since I'm not as physically active, and focusing my workouts on upper body exercise that wouldn't put strain on my glutes (e.g. seated bicep curls, tricep extensions, push-ups, chest fly, shoulder press/raise.)

And while I don't think this is a serious injury (already the swelling and soreness went down a little) if I don't recover in a few more days I'll definitely get an appointment with my physician. And if you're ever in doubt about the severity of your injury, do go to the doc first and let the expert decide.

Four lessons from La Brea Urban Hike and Eat . . .

Even if my Urban Hike and Eat didn't go as planned, I'd still consider it a fun success; but did learn a few takeaways for next month's walk.

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1. Checking the route beforehand! Alas, I entrusted my hike path to Google Maps, only to discover that a stretch of La Brea along Baldwin Hills is not made for pedestrians. And so, my almost-12-mile affair turned into a 16-mile roundtrip hike (noted in above map) as I made my way back to the starting point (and beyond)

2. Being flexible - of course, I could've easily cut my hike short and just bussed my way back after ~7 miles. But since I had the time and energy, I decided to hike my way back. On a similar note, I gave myself lots of eating/drinking options and set a pretty loose, open-ended schedule -- which worked in my favor when I found out my 1st and 2nd breakfast options were not opened yet, and I still got very delicious nosh at my 3rd stop. And of course, the choice of always hopping on a bus if I feel too exhausted, which leads to...

3. Being safe - especially important when hiking alone. On Urban Hikes, I try to pick routes where I'm always within a few blocks of a busstop, so just in case I can't hike anymore (either out of exhaustion, dehydration, or even plain ole laziness.) On this particular La Brea hike, I was intent on paving through Baldwin Hills on an improvised hiking path after the sidewalks have ended, but quickly turned around upon observing broken beer/wine bottles, used syringes and a vial of testosterone along that "trail."

4. Have fun & relax - In a recent LA Times article about marathon motivation, they found that people with intrinsic reasons for running (inner sense of accomplishment, reveling in the sheer joy of activity) are more likely to complete the entire 26.2 miles than those with extrinsic motivators (weight loss, getting a medal, etc.) In many ways I feel the same way during my urban hikes, it's a time for me to de-stress, observe the scenery, check out interesting sights... and even check myself out! And taking pleasure in the journey itself means the time and distance flies that much faster to get to the destination, if it even matters at all.

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And, on that note, I've already decided on the route for my third Urban Hike and Eat slated for April 18, going past the Orange Curtain via the entire length of Beach Blvd. from La Habra to Huntington Beach. It comes out a little over 20 miles so it will be a full-day affair, but I'm really looking forward to the sights and sounds I'll encounter (and of course, the eats and drinks too!) Hope you can join me!

And here's the post on the eats I had on my La Brea Urban Hike and Eat, or click here for more photos.