America Peals

Hi All

I am getting ready for a short (very short) ride on a horse named, Sugar. I am in Connecticut at a horse farm where horses are trained for racing. Suffice to say my horse is a “pleasure horse” which translates that Sugar is reserved for kids wanting a pony show for their birthday. 

As this blog documents, my attempts at elite fitness, the doors of the world have been thrown wide open. With the greater endurance, agility and strength I procure my CFNE and its coaches, I find myself doing things I never dreamed possible. How the hell I ended up on a palatial horse farm is a long story for another blog, but the reality is the same: I am becoming the woman I wanted to be. And, maybe this women is a bit of a pioneer girl, like Laura Ingalls Wilder. As I grew up, my parents never took us kids camping. Upon being asked to do a camping trip, Nurse Jackie stated, “Camping is not a vacation for your father and I. A hotel with fresh sheets and room service is.” 

While the Beals did not camp, being outdoors was paramount to my parents. I played sports every season in High School culminating in being a captain of the women’s lacrosse team at Wellesley High. Fast forward to NYC (5 years ago), my relationship to the natural world etiolated in the absence of sun. 

Now, I am chopping wood, lifting weights, riding horses, delivering hay, rock climbing and I couldn’t be more fucking happy. The truth though is that its takes a lot of  effort to pursue that which truly makes your heart sing. However, it may just save your life. 

Enclosed are early a.m. photos I took on farm.

On a more somber note, I read this post on CNN about TWEENS who have breast cancer.  CNN reports:

Weiss, a breast cancer oncologist, suggested that everyday pollutants such as chemicals including bisphenol A and dioxins could bombard hormone receptors, causing abnormalities in the breast.

Another risk factor for breast cancer is obesity. “When it comes to breast cancer risks, the extra fat in obesity leads to extra estrogen production, which can lead to extra breast cell growth, including abnormal breast cell growths,” she said.

Additionally, being obese means a girl is more likely to get her first period earlier. The longer a woman has her menstrual cycle, the greater the risk of getting breast cancer, medical experts said.

With more children becoming obese, this could contribute to earlier breast cancer.

But these possible factors do not explain why someone as young as Taylor, who is not overweight and did not hit puberty early got breast cancer in her teens.

THOUGHTS???