28 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 Stay Healthy Continued from p 27 the “Race for the Roses” benefiting Albertina Kerr. We find when we work and workout together, we are stronger (and happier) together. Form a habit Though he works more than most of us, Randy Pickett, our longtime leader and mentor, is usually not in his office around 3 p.m. He’s usually grabbing a smoothie and working out. He’s like clockwork and our whole team knows it. Generally speaking, those are the hours he’s taking care of himself. In our Health & Fitness Room we have his words written on the wall: “The pain of discipline or the pain of regret — you choose.” We read them as reminders to stick with it, because taking care of yourself is always worth it. McCall has modeled her relentlessness to Pickett’s in her pursuit of a steady, regular, healthy habit, one that she and her team can rely on. Her hour just happens to be closer to 4 p.m. But she didn’t come by this habit overnight. It took many years of studying her own rhythm to find what works best in the balance of it all. That her team mentally blocks that time out makes the habit more doable. It’s a steady anchor to her day that keeps everything else flowing smoothly. Though, of course, it’s not so militant that it works every day — because depositions and trials, right? She’ll never forget the day her assistant knocked on the tiny gym’s door to discuss a statute of limitations issue while she was still sweating. Rest and retreat As we are writing about our health, we are preparing to go on a three-day winter yoga retreat together in Depoe Bay. It feels like an impossible amount of time to spend on ourselves, to be away from our work and our families given the responsibilities we feel we bear. But this isn’t the first time we’ve gone on a retreat, so I think we’re getting better at preparing and readying ourselves to be away, because we need it, because we deserve it. About five years ago, McCall went on a yoga retreat to a California hot springs, invited by a friend, as a way to rejuvenate from the stress that is being a new mother. The retreat format was exactly the break she needed for healing and for a renewed sense of perspective on her life. It became clear that this form of organized retreat could be essential for the rejuvenation of the trial lawyer’s parts of our mind and soul, as much as the mother’s. She invited Valenzuela for the next time, and together they retreated. They quieted their minds, pushed away the pull of everyone else and practiced being calm. They are repeating it this year, with a sense of it being overdue because of COVID. They are grateful they have learned to make this kind of space for themselves. Celebrate victories Recall Valenzuela’s “struggle bus”? It’s real stuff. It’s restarting a six-week program for the third time because of an injury, an illness, stressful life event or a trial. It’s finally dressing down into your running clothes, only to discover you forgot your sneakers, so you settle for some floor work in the fitness room instead. It’s clipping into the bike and being halfway through a ride when suddenly you get a phone call that your carpool fell through and now, you’re late to pick up the kid and their three friends, but, hey, you finally figured out how to quickly clip out! It’s walking half your mileage in Hood to Coast Relay because you’re just not in “running” shape this year — but, hey, you’re out there and, news flash, — it’s the same mileage walked or ran! (True facts re: Valenzuela). Big and small, it’s good to celebrate daily. This, we think, is a key to maintaining a positive attitude that keeps our healthy habits intact. You deserve to smile, to celebrate, no matter how small the victory is, and you’ll be better for it. Maybe you simply drank eight more ounces of water today or perhaps you finally made it through that 20-minute Peloton ride and hit all the metrics! Or maybe today you chose to walk around the block or take the stairs because that client meeting ran longer than expected and spilled into your workout time — celebrate that. You did something for yourself! Drink more water When everything else seems impossible, drinking more water helps everything flow more smoothly. To be specific, drinking water carries nutrients and oxygen to your cells, flushes bacteria, aids in digestion, prevents constipation, normalizes blood pressure, stabilizes your heat beat, cushions joints, protects your organs and tissues, maximizes your physical activity, and improves energy level and brain function. A general recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces every day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 oz. On a hard day at work, sometimes McCall stands up from her desk, where she’s been sitting since 8 a.m., for the first time at noon. That’s four hours without peeing and without walking. Not good. She’s hungry and irritated. She quickly microwaves yesterday’s meal and gobbles it down. And then sits back down at her desk. Valenzuela walks into her office. Valenzuela and McCall are work and workout partners.
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