​Last week was the kind of week where I am under the illusion of youth. I think I can work a bursting-at-the-seams massage schedule, prepare my place for houseguests, run and teach Essentrics and strength-train - and do it all on very little sleep.

My parents, daughter and her boyfriend were visiting for the weekend to celebrate my mom’s 80th birthday (yay!). Squeezing four other people into my small living space was requiring a lot of organization and creativity. By Thursday night I was sleep-deprived and looney-tunes, hanging artwork in Charlotte’s room while watching the video on how to install those darn new-fangled picture hangers and standing on a memory foam mattress trying to use the tiny level to ensure the art was hung straight. (It isn’t.)

A noise caught my attention. It was dark out, and I thought maybe one of the family that I rent my place from was on the driveway. I walked to the hall and out of the corner of my eye saw movement. I looked toward the kitchen. One part of my brain computed “Bear!!! Big, Large, Huge Bear!!!!” while another part computed “but we are inside!” and it wasn’t until the startled bear was running back out the sliding screen door it had walked through that the two parts of my brain came together and I started screaming. I remembered that you should scare the bear off so I yelled “get outta here.” Pretty sure the bear called back over its shoulder, “I’m already outta here, crazy lady.”

Once I got up the courage I slammed the sliding glass door shut and locked it. The screen was pulled off the frame probably as the bear walked right through it. I’m guessing the bear didn’t even see the screen, just opportunity.

A kitchen inspection yielded nothing unusual - nothing taken, no damage - no muddy paw print or bad smell. It hit me how lucky I was.

In an effort to vent my freakout adrenalin, I texted some friends and wandered around my  apartment pretending to get stuff done. I decided some chocolate would help. I walked out to the kitchen counter and that’s when I discovered it. My bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips was gone! That rascal! Good thing I had a back-up bag. I snarfed down chocolate chips and eventually my anxiety ebbed a bit. I had a lot more work that night to do, so by the time I went to bed I was too exhausted to be kept awake by scary bear dreams.

The next morning I checked, and just outside my sliding door, in the grass off my deck, was the empty chocolate chip bag. That bear must’ve sat right there eating the chocolate chips, like it was enjoying popcorn at the movies, watching me run around my house freaking out. Sheer entertainment. I hope the bear enjoyed itself. 

*****
I was really so fortunate. The bear could have refused to leave or have been aggressive towards me. 
We have a higher incidence of bear activity this summer due to dry conditions in the higher country. Bears are smart and looking for food. Keeping car doors locked and car windows rolled up all the way, locking house doors and windows as well are crucial. If my sliding door had been closed and locked that night the bear wouldn’t have had its Ghirardelli fix. 

Please see this Steamboat Radio article for more info on bear activity and how we can help keep bears and ourselves safe.

​​Last weekend I drove to Salt Lake City to see my daughter. I arrived late afternoon in 100-degree heat, my cooler balanced atop a tacoed memory foam mattress under which were boxes of jumbled candles and lotions, and on top of which a heavy piece of furniture held it all down like a paperweight. We sweated and swore our way up the switchback stairs - grateful she lives on the second floor rather than the third.

This is a new location I haven’t yet seen, as Charlotte just moved in the week before. She’d been living in a shared apartment situation, now known as The Orc Palace or The Bad Place, mostly due to the two roommates who transformed from besties to a couple of Cruella de Vils, only meaner.

This studio has been a long time coming, as Charlotte’s been scheduling tours and applying for months. It is very small, very sweet, and it is hers. She couldn’t be happier. Well, she would be a bit happier if things were a bit more organized. So we get to work. She finds a used platform frame with headboard storage (every item must do its job of providing some form of storage) 30 minutes away. A couple more trips up the stairs and some assembly time, and the frame is perfect, with the bonus of its accommodation for under-bed bins. 

Sunday is my only full day there and we make it count. We’ve started the day with a long walk and then a homemade breakfast (Charlotte makes a delectable veggie-egg scramble). By evening we’re doing laps through Target and when the list is just about checked off, we head to The Front.

The Front is a “climbing gym.” This might not sound like much - when I first heard about it I pictured a tiny building with a small climbing wall. But there is nothing tiny or even medium-sized about The Front. It boasts a three-story climbing wall, a separate bouldering section, bluetooth climbing training boards, two separate gym areas, an upstairs eaterie, and an outdoor courtyard for events and just hanging out. 

Charlotte suits me up in a rented harness and a pair of climbing shoes and we walk over to the wall. There are over two dozen routes to choose from, made up of a huge array of holds for feet and hands that are different textures, shapes and sizes. The colors of the holds mark specific routes. Since I don’t know how to belay, she starts up a route with an auto belay (device that keeps the rope taut as the climber climbs so they don’t fall very far, should they fall). My daughter’s strength and grace is evident as she moves up the wall, her skill as a climber and problem-solver comes to the fore as she works out some stickier segments of the route.

Then it is my turn. We choose a beginner route. The last time I climbed was when I was 25, which was 33 years ago. I am afraid of heights, and wonder how quickly the shaking and fear will kick in. I figure I won’t make it very far anyway with my not-ready-for-prime-time-climbing arms and hands - but I’ll give it a go and see what happens.

Charlotte is well-versed in climbing safety, with many courses and years of experience under her belt. She is going to belay me. She shows me the proper set-up with my harness and the climbing rope. I use a little chalk from her bag to give my hands a bit of extra grip. She teaches me to say “girl on rock!” and she responds “rock on, girl!” as a safety that we are on the same page. And I start to climb.

At first I don’t think I’ll make it beyond the first foot or two. But as my feet find their holds, and my shoulders, arms and hands continue to do the work, sweat dripping down my back, I find that I am moving up the wall. Charlotte keeps the rope taut and I feel that security. If I go for something and can’t make it, the rope will catch me and I won’t go anywhere, just hang in the air. I notice that this sense of complete safety is new to me. I have explicit trust in Charlotte, and the rope and harness are like an extension of her support. I am almost two stories up and I don’t feel afraid.

There is a small overhang that is my goal, about two-thirds of the way up. When I get there, I don’t see an obvious way to get over it, and I let Charlotte know I’m ready to descend so she can ease me down with the rope. She asks “are you sure you don’t want to give it a try?” I look at it again, and give it a try. Lo and behold, I make it over and up to the top of the climb. She lets me down and when my feet hit the floor I fall over. Guess my legs were more wobbly than I thought. My forearms are pumped so tight I can barely move my fingers. Charlotte is grinning hugely. I look up at her and say “I can’t believe I did it!” 

She climbs another route, making it look so easy. Then I climb again, doubting I’ll make it very far due to my fatigued forearms. And once again I find that my body delivers and I make it to the top. Wow! 

I watch Charlotte climb a few more routes. It is like a form of dance, this movement that is now all limbs reaching out wide, now narrow and vertical, now almost horizontal, adjusting her body to the whims of the holds and available surfaces. Sometimes she briefly studies her next move, but mostly she moves effortlessly up, elegant and powerful, at home in this colorful facsimile of nature’s rock face. I know that watching her climb outdoors would be even more beautiful.

Later, as we enjoy our picnic dinner on my tailgate and gaze at the golden-orange sunset silhouetting the city skyscrapers, I think about how our roles were reversed and how that opened my mind and body to do something I doubted I could. I was so sure of my safety with Charlotte belaying me that I was not distracted by my typical fear of heights. I was physically supported by the harness and rope so that I was confident to reach for holds that were a little out of my reach zone - and was able to grasp them. I was mentally-emotionally supported by Charlotte, who did not doubt me. Her belief was a game-changer - because of that I kept reaching and kept climbing all the way, even when I didn’t think I could.

When we’re back at her place, tired from the long and demanding day, the overwhelm of the remaining stuff needing to be organized gets to her. I find myself providing moral support and realize we’ve switched again. This is the depth and breadth of what is between us, mother and daughter, friend and friend, that we can move from the one who offers support to the one who receives it, back and forth, in an exquisite, unique and beautiful dance of our own.

What does Essentrics® mean?
It is a play on the word “eccentric.” An eccentric contraction is a muscular contraction in which the ends of the muscle are moving away from one another, like when you lower your arm with  the weight at the end of a biceps curl. The actual biceps curl is a concentric contraction, where the ends of the muscle are moving towards one another. 

What makes an Essentrics workout so effective? 
Eccentric contractions are more efficient in building muscle strength than concentric contractions. Joints are decompressed with eccentric contraction, and tendons and ligaments are strengthened leading to injury prevention.

In an Essentrics workout, we focus on movement of all 640+ muscles of the body. This results in the rebalancing of the entire body, rather than just focusing on one specific group or chain of muscles. We gently move within a stretch rather than hold it in one spot, because the myotactic reflex kicks in with a held stretch, causing the muscle to tighten. We also move and articulate the joints throughout the body, for example the hands and feet, which helps increase mobility and energy. If you don’t think tight hands and feet drain your energy, try flexing your feet stiffly and walking a few steps that way, or grip your hands tightly and try opening a doorknob. 

The music and movements of Essentrics help us to move fluidly and rhythmically, and the focus throughout on pulling up our posture, using specific muscles in specific movements, and the reasons for doing each move (yes, every movement has a purpose), enhance body awareness and brain engagement. In fact, one of the most effective things you can do for brain agility is combine physical exercise with brain-work, and I start each of my classes with a few minutes of brain-work to get that ball rolling. 

We don't use weights in Essentrics. Rather, we work against our own resistance which allows us to work as hard (or as loosely) as we want to, supporting gains in strength without injury.

Did I mention that we have our arms up overhead for a good portion of our workout? This is how we really strengthen our back and improve posture. One of the things that consistently grabs my attention is the amazing participants in my classes, and how over time they have developed the strength and flexibility to have their arms reaching for the sky like pros. 

What might you expect to notice after an Essentrics workout?

• Improved energy because you’ve released tension throughout your body. 
• Increased range of motion in your hands, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and feet.
• A sense of ease in your body as you move through your day.
• A brain that is alert and aware.
• Over time, stronger muscles, improved posture, and better balance.
• A decrease in chronic pain.
• A decrease in developing injuries.

Learn more

• The science behind Essentrics®
• My Essentrics® classes

Originally published June, 2022