Impromptu Yard Sale!

....happening NOW!
clothes, books, etc...you now, yard sale stuff! come get that treasure you didn't even know you needed!
Adanac at Woodland, Vancouver
proceeds to Canadian Diabetes Association, of course!

I LOVE MAY!

Waterton National Park, AB, in May
My absolute favorite month is May (might have something to do with it being my birthday month...gifts and surprises are two of my favorite things!)
Other things I love about May-in no particular order:
Biking around Van with Minnie (my black cruiser with pink trim; and a basket, of course!) to visit friends in the sunshine
drying clothes on the clothesline
Patio hopping
Spectacular sunsets
Garden parties
Yoga and pilates outside on the deck
The Drive comes alive and the city comes out of hibernation
People are excited about hockey--(AND it's almost over...even better!)
After dinner runs--it's still light out!
And green and yellow have replaced blue as my favorite color (for the moment!)
Most of all, it's a very hopeful month. Energy is high and anticipation is in the air.
Feeling very grateful!

Sun Run

Pics from the Vancouver Sun--the crowd and the winner of the men's race, Kip Kangogo.
Beautiful day!

Off the couch

Received the info for my online running clinic today. It came with these inspiring words of wisdom:
Even if I come in last, I’ll always be ahead of the person who didn’t get off the couch. Unknown

In other news, "A Streetcar Named Desire" will be performed in our backyard from May 19-22nd by Leaky Heaven Theater Group. They've been rehearsing for days now, and I am occasionally startled by random cries of "STELLA!" and apparently truck drivers have stopped in the street to come to her rescue...oops...
Anyways, it should be a great show so if you're in the 'hood, come on by!

A smile for you!

watch it all
and smile!
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/bobby_mcferrin_hacks_your_brain_with_music.html
*with thanks to Michael for passing that along!

Vancouver BMO Marathon

Hope everyone is recovering happily from the rainy run yesterday!
Way to represent locally--Jason Loutitt from Squamish finished second with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 47 seconds; 9 minutes back of three time winner Thomas Omwenga, a Kenyan runner based out of Florida.

http://www.theprovince.com/health/Squamish+runner+finishes+second+behind+three+time+marathon+champ/2978362/story.html#ixzz0mtaG4pih

IF you need a reason...

'Green' exercise quickly 'boosts mental health'

Green space is important for mental health

Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim.

There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being.

In the latest analysis, UK researchers looked at evidence from 1,250 people in 10 studies and found fast improvements in mood and self-esteem.

The study in the Environmental Science and Technology journal suggested the strongest impact was on young people.

The research looked at many different outdoor activities including walking, gardening, cycling, fishing, boating, horse-riding and farming in locations such as a park, garden or nature trail.

The biggest effect was seen within just five minutes.

With longer periods of time exercising in a green environment, the positive effects were clearly apparent but were of a smaller magnitude, the study found.

Looking at men and women of different ages, the researchers found the health changes - physical and mental - were particularly strong in the young and the mentally-ill.

Green and blue

A bigger effect was seen with exercise in an area that also contained water - such as a lake or river.

from BBC online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/

NOW GO PLAY OUTSIDE!