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Clara Showalter

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Clara Showalter

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Acts of faith- religion and fitness

13 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Current events

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365, clara k.showalter, faith, fitness, lent, life, Musings, religion, workouts

Before I started working out, I’d look at pictures of bodybuilders and figure competitors and cringe. How on Earth could someone do that to his body? Who could find the tight skin, bulging muscles, and prominent veins attractive?

jay_cutler

Jay Cutler, Mr. Olympia

After I started my own fitness journey, I started to understand just how much work it took to get to that point. It requires discipline, dedication, and a boat load of patience to get yourself to the point where you can compete, to say nothing of win a bodybuilding competition. Dropping your body down to single digit body fat percentages is incredibly hard. I grew to admire the tenacity of the person who could push her body to that point.

Yet when I say this to people outside of the fitness world, I get a look that says, “Girl you cray cray.” It’s hard for people to understand that you can respect and admire the work, without wanting to push yourself to that extreme level.

As I walk the path of a returned to the fold Catholic, I get much of the same vibe. From my non religious friends I get incredulous looks, and scathing comments.  How can I participate in something that sucks the brains out of normally intelligent people? How can I condone the actions of the Catholic Church hierarchy regarding abuse, gays, women’s rights, and the list goes on. How can I as a sane, rational person listen to the tripe spewed out on Sundays?

stt

Change it around and the questions are remarkably similar to questions I got while losing weight. It boils down to a discussion of faith. When you start a weight loss journey, it’s an act of faith. The research shows that there’s no predicting who will maintain weight loss over time. Almost 90% of the folks who lose weight, regain it within five years. So stepping out and making the changes is an act of faith. You believe, without concrete proof, that you will be successful. It’s really not that different from a willingness to believe in a higher power without concrete proof of existence.

Faith is an exercise in fidelity to your own promises, and that’s something that is vital when you are working to improve fitness or lose weight. There are many different ways to lose weight. In the same way, there are multiple ways to look at the world around you. At some point in time, you select systems of weight loss and fitness which work with your lifestyle and personal values. Religious faith is similar.

In both cases there are things you may not like or agree with. I don’t have to like the fact that cardio is an element of my fitness program. However if I want to do a half marathon, I do need to accept it. I may not like parts of Catholic doctrine, but I do need to accept that it’s part of the system. In both cases I struggle with integrating various elements into my life.

Notice how both religion and fitness talk about practice? I can look at a bodybuilder and admire the work it takes to get there. I can look at a religious and admire the oath of obedience, even if it’s something I’m not at a point where I’m willing to tackle it.

Life isn’t perfect. If you look to live a perfect life in any aspect, you will be let down. Fitness and religious faith are good reminders that life is not perfect, and that you can be perfectly happy learning to live with that imperfection. Learning to let go of a constant desire for perfection is one of the keys to finding a happy life.

Admire those who have skills and strengths you don’t. Accept that you don’t have to have those skills and strengths to be happy.

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Still work to do- Martin Luther King Jr, the Presidency, and pro football

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Current events

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365, america, barack obama, clara k.showalter, election, equality, faith, inauguration, justice, liberty, life, martin luther king jr, nfl, president, rooney rule, white house

It’s a day with some pretty amazing symbolism. 150 years ago this month, the Emancipation Proclamation came into effect, freeing slaves in the Confederate States. Today is the observed holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr, noted American civil rights advocate, and this year it’s the Inauguration of Barack H. Obama for a second term as 44th President of the United States. For the second term, Americans elected a president of African American descent. It’s a sign of how far we’ve come as a nation.

flags-M

 

It’s easy to think we don’t need affirmative action, and that everyone is treated equally. I was reminded this week that we still have work today. The reminder came from an unexpected place.

The National Football League has a rule known as the Rooney Rule. It’s designed to ensure that minority candidates are given a fair chance to get interviewed for head coaching jobs. Each team must interview at least one minority candidate when there’s a head coaching job. Since 2007, only one minority candidate has been hired for an NFL head coaching job. This year it caught the attention of the media, and it looks like the NFL may be taking steps to try and address this going forward.

It made me stop and think a bit about the work that still needs doing. The US is one of the nations which has never had a female head of state. What’s interesting is when you see some of the nations which have had female heads of state, they aren’t nations you may think of as progressive when it comes to their ideas about women. It makes you think.

The President said in his address that, “History tells us that while these truths may be self-evident, they’ve never been self-executing.” I’ve grown up believing the spirit of the words, “all men are created equal.” But I agree that those truths have not been self-executing. Liberty and justice for all isn’t automatic. It hasn’t been since that day in July, 1776 where a group of men stepped forward and told the King of England to go jump.

100 years ago, I was not considered intelligent or responsible enough to vote. Without women who were willing to fight, I wouldn’t have been able to vote in this past election. 50 years ago I would have been eating at tables that said. “whites only”. Have things changed? Yes. Is there still room to improve? Absolutely.

When we forget our history, we are doomed to repeat it. The wonderful thing about being American, is that I have faith that we will continue to move forward, one step, and one fight at a time. In the words of Doctor King:

MLK #1

 

I still believe in the American dream. God Bless the U.S.A.

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Wordless Wednesday- Archbishop Residence, Freiburg im Briesgau

10 Wednesday Oct 2012

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clara k.showalter, Freiburg, germany, photography

20121010-135621.jpg

Posted by Clara K. Showalter | Filed under Photography, Travel

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Reflections on thinking small and Saint Therese of Liseaux

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Zen and the Art of Clara

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catholic church, clara k.showalter, faith, fitness, life, saint therese of liseaux

To marks the feast day of Saint Therese of Liseaux, a Carmilite nun from France who lived during the turn of the century and died from turberculosis at age 24.  Therese is often considered the originator of the idea of the Little Way. She believed that she was never destined for great things in her life. She focused on doing small things and doing them well. She was the inspiration for Mother Teresa’s idea of doing small things with great love.

A lifetime of small things ironically set Therese up for a legacy of greatness. She’s inspired millions around the world through her actions and writings. In a day and age where we are bombarded by people looking to make a big impact, it’s a valuable thing to be reminded that small steps have just as significant an impact.

When I try to go for big, grand gestures, I often land flat on my face. Yet when I focus on small steps, small acts, I make greater progress. I don’t go out every day looking to change the world. I look to make a positive impact on the life of one person, just one. If I’ve done that, it’s a good day.

What small things do you do every day which make a big impact on the world around you?

 

My favorite missed shot

27 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Photography

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clara k.showalter, life, photography, vietnam war

Missing the shot is the photographer’s equivalent of a fish story. We all have stories about the one who got away. You miss the moment, or the focus shifts, or you had the wrong shutter speed, or Martians landed and stole your subject.

There’s a mindset that if a picture isn’t perfectly in focus, it’s a loss. Over the years I’ve learned that sometimes those missed shots can be the most valuable shots you have. That missed shot could be the last image of a loved one. It could capture a special moment. Even when blurred, the photo will evoke memories.

One of my all time favorite images is a miss. While at the opening of the World War 2 Memorial in Washington DC in 2004, I fired off a quick shot of this Vietnam Vet.

Image

 

Auto focus caught the shoulder of his buddy behind him, throwing him out of focus. I didn’t realize it at the time. As was and is my habit, I walked up to this man to thank him for his service. With tears in his eyes, he pulled me into a hug and said, “thank you.” Then he walked away. His friend hugged me as well. “Thank you. You are the first person who’s ever told him thank you for his service. It means a lot.” Then he walked away.

I was rocked by that simple statement. Nearly 30 years after the war, this man hadn’t been recognized for his sacrifice. He was just starting to heal from the war. I hit me hard. So hard that I forgot to get his contact info to pass along a copy of the image I’d just snapped.

I got home that night and started going through the images. I groaned when I realized that one of my favorite moments was less than perfect. Great, just great, I blew the focus. I stared at the image a while, hoping it might magically shift into focus.

It did. The more I looked, the more I realized how much this image represented what happened post Vietnam. Thousands of veterans, moving through life on the edges, just out of focus.

For a moment, I pulled this man into focus. Then lost it again. Lost, but not forgotten.

Anything is possible- it’s about more than the bike

24 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Current events

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attitude, clara k.showalter, doping, impact on me, lance armstrong, life, Livestrong, Tour de France, USADA

Seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong will be stripped of all his victories since 1998 including his seven Tour de France victories. This after Armstrong decided to stop fighting allegations of doping, brought by the US Anti Doping Agency. There will be a lot of back and forth in the next few months about what his refusal to accept arbitration means, and the impact on cycling.

Sometime in this last year, I stopped caring about Armstrong doping or not doping. I stopped caring about the constant back and forth. When USADA announced during the Tour de France that they were going to pursue charges against Armstrong, that was the final straw. I quit following the story. It no longer mattered to me.

It’s a similar story with most sports doping at this point in time. The practice is so common, I’ve just stopped caring about it. When they go to strip Armstrong’s Tour titles, they will go to the second place finisher. In all but 2 cases, that finisher is an admitted doper. The technicality of erasing the records from the books won’t change the impact of those races. Lance Armstrong crossed the line first. Every time he did it, he made me believe in impossible things.

That belief has allowed me to push forward in my own life. No matter what Armstrong did or didn’t do, his impact on my life can’t be measured by his wins. Stripping him of his titles doesn’t eliminate a second of the joy I got watching him pedal up the French Alps.

It doesn’t erase the memory of “The Look”, a moment where Armstrong looked into the eyes of fellow rider Jan Ulrich and decided Ulrich had nothing left.

It doesn’t change the energy that moment gave me, the desire it sparked in me to keep pushing myself forward, no matter how hard it was.

It doesn’t change the impact his words had on me as I fought to get in shape and take control of my life.

It doesn’t take away the power of the moment of victory.

I’m not a cancer survivor, but Armstrong’s words and actions have impacted me just as deeply. I’m eternally grateful for that. He’s not perfect. Then again, I’m not either

Understanding technique- stepping into HDR

18 Saturday Aug 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Photography

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clara k.showalter, dynamic light, instagram, iPhone, iPhone photography, photography, snapseed

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. It’s a photographic technique that involves combining multiple images to boost the visual range of an image. At the extreme ends of the spectrum, it can produce hypersaturated images that border on fantasy. It’s a technique I’ve been interested in for a long time.

As I get set for a trip to Europe, I’m researching HDR. Like many post production techniques, it requires that you understand when to use it. Not every image benefits from the technique. So I’ve been fiddling with some of the HDR software in my iPhone so I can better understand when it’s going to look best.

A few weeks back my friend Kerryn took this picture with her camera phone. I saw it in my twitter feed and started playing with different filters

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Original image, courtesy of Kerryn Woods. Interesting, but lacking in pop.

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Adjusted in Snapseed. Boosted contrast, and upped color saturation.

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Took the image from Snapseed and ran it through Dynamic Light. Now it’s getting where I like it. Notice the increased detail

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Final version, run through Instagram, with application of the Lux filter. Nice borderline surreal look, and the look I wanted.

Each image will appeal to different groups. What’s important is that the end result appeals to me as the artist. I love the freedom that my iPhone is giving me to experiment and see the world differently.

Random thoughts on the need to win

29 Friday Jun 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Musings

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clara k.showalter, lose, politics, win

As the election season heats up, the rhetoric increases, and the bile and vitriol start pumping. I’m watching people go back and forth about politics with the same level of fervor that they follow sports. This includes the same type of mocking and belittling behavior.

It’s symptomatic of a deeper issue in my mind. We all know that there’s a loss of civil discourse in politics. It’s not just politics where you see the loss. All over the internet you see examples of people trying to shout at the top of their lungs to prove that they are right and you are wrong. It’s not enough to know that a friend’s sports team has lost, you’ve got to mock them and point out to everyone that you were right and they were wrong.

What’s the point? You win? Okay, what precisely did you win? It’s not like you were the one competing? Not to mention as soon as that game was won, it means it’s time to focus on the next one. The cycle continues to repeat. In the case of politics, okay your position is right. That means what? Are you doing things to help improve the lives of others as a result of your political position? Are you contributing to dialogue or are you just jumping up and down and screaming to prove that you can be right longer and louder?

One thing you learn doing fitness is that there are multiple ways to get people healthy and in shape. There’s no perfect 100% right way. I find that’s true in most things. Except bomb disposal, because obviously cutting the wrong wire is a bad thing.

But there’s a lot more grey area to the issues we face today. Taxes, health care, economic growth, and other major issues don’t have a one size fits all answer. That’s where the ability to discuss calmly and rationally comes in. The goal shouldn’t be winning. The goal should be coming up with an agreement both sides can live with. Sure that’s not always possible. But if people are willing to discuss in good faith, often times you can come up with something that works.

That only happens when people are willing to put aside the need to win and focus instead on the need to work together. It saddens me to see people I know so focused on winning that they forget that the loser is their friend, neighbor, daughter, or son. Is that really a win?

You are not special

12 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Current events

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2012, achievement, clara k.showalter, commencement, david mccullough jr, free, generation, graduation, growth, helicopter parents, kids, motivational, potential, range, speeches, you are not special

spe·cial

adjective
1. of a distinct or particular kind or character: a special kind of key.
2. being a particular one; particular, individual, or certain:
You’d better call the special number.
3. pertaining or peculiar to a particular person, thing,
instance,etc.; distinctive; unique: the special features of a plan.
4. having a specific or particular function, purpose, etc.: a special messenger.
5. distinguished or different from what is ordinary or usual: a special occasion; to fix something special.

We live in a time where kids are being taught that they are all special and remarkable. In sports leagues across the US, every kid receives a trophy. Schools hand out merit awards for just about anything. Parents go over the top to ensure that their child is treated with kid gloves, to the point of calling college professors to complain about grades, and even trying to sit in on job interviews.

We’ve created a generation of kids who don’t understand that special means just that. It is not an all inclusive category. When kids aren’t allowed to grow into their own potential through failure, we cut their legs out from under them.

High school teacher David McCullough Jr delivered a great commencement address on this very subject. The last lesson he tries to give his students is clear. You aren’t special if you aren’t reaching for your own potential.

You have it easy

22 Tuesday May 2012

Posted by Clara K. Showalter in Trends in nutrition

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

body for life, clara k.showalter, fitness, life, motivational

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“It’s easy for you.” 

That’s a refrain I’ve gotten a lot over the years. I’ve been told that I can’t understand the difficulty others face. It was obviously easy for me to drop weight and keep it off. What I did can’t possibly work for others, somehow I’m special. 

Really? It’s easy is it? I wish I’d known that at the time. At the time I had 60 pounds to drop it was anything but easy. Breaking a lifetime of habits doesn’t happen overnight. It happens one brutally difficult day at a time. Making a decision to walk past the comforting foods, and pick vegetables I didn’t like was not easy. Eating those vegetables and not leaving them to rot in the fridge wasn’t easy. Telling my friends “no thank you” when they offered me fresh kettle corn was not easy. 

Getting up an hour earlier every morning to workout was not easy. On more than one occasion I ended up in tears because I was so frustrated. All I wanted was a donut and a Pepsi to make all the stress go away. I didn’t want to eat spinach, or drink protein shakes. I didn’t want to eat salmon every time I went out to eat. 

What I really didn’t want was to go backwards. I didn’t want to go back to being fat. I didn’t want to split my pants again. I didn’t want to look at fit people with envy and mutter, “I could do that if I really wanted to.” So I kept fighting. Every single day I made decisions that took me forward, even when it was easier to go back. If it was a hard decision, odds were good it was the right one. 

Walk past a fast food place when hungry:

Easy way- go in and grab something “healthy”, which probably wasn’t actually healthy.

Hard way- keep walking past and get a protein bar out of my car. 

 

Go out to dinner with friends:

Easy way- go wherever they want and hope I could find something okay to eat.

Hard way- tell them “this is where we are going”, then bail on the event if they refused.

 

Miss a morning workout:

Easy way- call the day a miss and try to make it up the next day.

Hard way- turn off the tv, and do the workout at 11 at night knowing I needed to be up again at 5:30am.

Gradually it did get easier. By forcing myself to do hard things, day in and day out, they got less hard. I learned how to make those hard things easy. That’s how this process works. You force yourself to do hard things until they get easier. It takes time, and it’s not fun. 

The rewards at the end of the day? Having people look at you and say, “man you have it easy.” 

I smile and say, “yes, yes I do. I got there the hard way.”

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