Did too much?!?
17 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: injuries, overdoing it, pain, rest, running, spin, stress
Well, I had been booking along with my exercise plans, adding in a few different classes over the last month, just to keep things interesting. My running was great, mileage was up since we’ve had a fairly mild winter so far. Monday morning I got up extra early for a Spin class I had been considering (6am start). Well, that particular morning, there was a sub and I was the only participant. While the idea of a private Spin class was appealing at the start, it wore off. There were no breaks, couldn’t hide in the back and sit down for a sec, and so on. As a result, later that day I noticed my left knee stiffening up. By that night it was sore and swollen.
Being the stubborn person that I am, I was up early again on Tuesday (after all, I had set a goal for the week) to run. Despite the knee I cranked out 3.2 miles and felt great. However, my the time I got home, I could not bend me leg and had to ice it before getting upstairs. UGGGHHH!!! Needless to say, I skipped that night’s Zumba class. I hate being injured, especially when I do it to myself. So, I’ve been doing more yoga and upper body weights stuff. I’ve definitely been a cry baby about this, knowing that I’ve probably set back my training a good week. Live and learn…I hope. How do you handle injuries? Does it bum you out when you can’t get your workout in? Send me some tips to read while I ice this week.
Cooking more…
04 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: cooking, lunch, meal planning, saving money
One of my goals for this year is to save money by eating lunch at home or packing) at least three days a week. Since my DH and I work less than a mile from home it just makes sense to go home rather than a fast food restaraunt. So, today makes the third day this week that we had lunch at home. Pros: easy, cheaper, less fat and sugar. Cons: I do all the cooking and cleaning. Must plan better so I can relax a bit during lunch. For some reason, there are not a lot of leftovers at our house outside of holiday time. I will work on planning ahead more and cooking ‘double’ when possible.
Starting the New Year!
02 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
Welcome 2012! Last year I bought a book “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin that I just started reading. This gave me the idea to use this blog this year as my own Happiness Project. So, while the title will remain the same, the focus this year will be practicing various ways to make my own life happier. In my work, I assist people with their goals and outlining ways to make positive changes. Here, I will do the same with myself.
The first step is to outline your personal goals, and I am breaking mine up over the 12 months of the year. For January, I want to work on: clearing clutter & getting organized, eating clean and making meat-free meals two days/week, and eliminating negative self-talk. I’ll post how I’m doing and add to mu list each month. Let me know what you are doing for yourself to make this year a great one! Of, yeah, in the book, there are several lists of tips for various subjects. On exercise, I love the first three:
1. Always exercise on Mondays
2. Never skip exercising two days in a row
3. Don’t link exercise to weight loss. Exercise for sanity, not vanity.
Looking ahead to 2012
01 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: goals, health, marathons, new year, resolutions, running, self-esteem, training
Well, here we are, at the end of another year. Looking back over my journals, I see that there were ups and downs, but definitely more good than bad. That was reassuring. I hope that you find that your year was more positive than it felt. I don’t believe in resolutions, but I do plan goals for every year. This year I’m considering making monthly and weekly goals to keep me focused. With that, I am considering changing the title of this blog so that it is more representative of what I’m focusing on in my life. Anyway, here are my big plans for next year: PR in the half-marathon, run a new full marathon, try a duathalon (bike/run), and continue my small garden. Blogging has been difficult, but I am going to post once a week, sharing my training, challenges, and successes. Happy New Year!
Catching Up…
29 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: goals, holidays, marathon, nanowrimo, race, writing
I can’t believe that it has been six weeks since the marathon! The race went well and I’m glad it’s done. I actually took 30 minutes off my previous time. My DH ran with me the whole time (he’s a sweetie) and he has already decided that we will do another next fall. I can’t say that was my plan, but we will see…So, life goes on and I feel like I’ve been out of the loop. Taking a break from all the running let me read, cook, and sleep later on Saturday mornings. Then, November came and I got involved in NaNoWriMo (if you want to write a novel, check it out nanowrimo.com). I will not complete my novel this month but I learned a lot during this month, including how to refrain from throuwing my laptop when it lost 10 pages of single-spaced text! We both survived.
Looking forward to next year, I have to get back to running. Somehow, every year I fall off my schedule in November and December and feel like I’m starting over again in January. Don’t want that this year. I had set a goal to cover 750 miles this year and it is still possible. I believe a lot of my success with running this year is from the Herbalife 24 products I’ve been using. As an athlete I do try to fuel my body well and this stuff rocks! Well, I hope that you had lots to be thankful for last week, I sure did. Now, just hoping that it doesn’t snow anytime soon!
Marathon Day is almost here!
13 Oct 2011 1 Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: athlete, exercise, John Bingham, marathon, running
I cannot believe that in just three more days, I’ll be trudging along the marathon route! After the hottest summer I can recall for sometime to the sudden cool fall temps and colors, time is flying by. I am excited, nervous, and eager to get it done.
For the past two weeks, we have been in ‘taper’ mode – shorter runs and a big decrease in cross-training activities. I find this pretty difficult because I really like my routine and if I don’t workout, I don’t relax as well.
To help occupy my mind, I read “The Accidental Athlete” by John Bingham (also known as ‘The Penguin’). This book truly describes me because I never had the goal of becoming ‘an athlete’. I just wanted to be as fit and healthy as possible. I now realize that I have become an athlete – WOW! I get excited thinking about planning next year’s races. I’m looking at traveling to special locals, and I pack my running gear even on weekend trips. When did this happen/ I really can’t say but I’m liking it. 
Check back for a race report next week!
Slowing Down to the Speed of life
07 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: connection, contact, exhaustion, phones, pressure, rushing, stress, time
In the book of Ecclesiastes, the third chapter opens with the words “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven” (NIV). What has happened to our understanding of the fact that the Lord GOD, who made heaven and earth, wants us to enjoy His creation. I have become painfully reminded that since the 1980’s, the decade of materialism, we have lost our ability to notice and appreciate many of the gifts given by the Lord. We have bought into the lie that we must work harder, in order to get more stuff; to work faster and longer to avoid being overtaken by the ‘other guy’. No matter what we have accomplished, we’re being told that we should be striving for more.
Everyone has an e-mail address (some of you have several), cell phones (many people have more than one), call waiting, call forwarding, text messaging – there is no time that the average person should ever be out of reach. But is that reasonable? Even on vacations and short holiday trips, we carry our cell phones, laptops and utilize hotel computers to ensure that we don’t miss anything important. I’ve noticed that many churches have posted signs asking members to turn off cell phones and pagers before entering the sanctuary. Worship time should be a point where we let everything else go, and focus solely on the Lord.
Now, while I do appreciate the benefits of our advanced technology, I can’t help but question our dependence on it. Because e-mail is so convenient, we don’t seem to converse face-to-face or write letters to friends any longer. We find ourselves too busy to sit in our yards so we put a picture of a garden on the computer screensaver. I am concerned that we are allowing our lives to be consumed by the ever present drive for MORE – the next raise, a bigger house, more luxurious car, the newest gadgets. Having the desire for a better lifestyle is not the problem. Our spending so much time and effort on gaining these material things, when we don’t even have the time to enjoy them because we are continually working for more, is the problem.
We have all seen ads and commercials where a woman is drinking instant soup at her desk while working because she can’t take time for lunch. Somehow, we have accepted the notion that we should be constantly working, even to the point where a real lunch break is no longer acceptable. We carry paperwork home at night and try to do it while helping our kids with their homework. We read books and articles while watching television so the time is not wasted. I have even heard people say that sleeping is not a good use of their time. Does this make any sense at all? Of course not – but we are seriously putting our health and our quality of life at risk as we continue on this treadmill. If we cannot slow down enough to connect with family members and friends, what do we really value as a culture?
I challenge you to take a risk and focus on one thing at a time. Let go of that immense “to do” list you carry around in your head. Look around and really focus on something that the Lord has put in your life. It may be your child, a beautiful view outside your window, or a lovely piece of music playing on your stereo. Just slow down, take a deep breath, really see, hear, and touch what is near. And before you get back to work, remember to thank the Lord for His wonderful creation and all that He has provided for you.
Did you watch BigSexy?
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: bigsexy, fashion, plus-size, relationships, self-esteem, women
Okay, I heard about this new show starting this week on TLC and I was curious as to what they would present to empower plus-size women. Well, it was not at all what I had hoped. It may get better but I don’t know if I will bother watching again.
I was bothered that the presentation of the women being showcased did not focus on their career success or interests, but rather emphasized their fanatsy to be part of a fashion show. Many insecurities and examples of low self-esteem were shown and I can’t imagine how they felt after being so emotionally exposed (not my idea of entertainment). The repeated instances of rejection and humiliation (from family and strangers) made me question the reason for this program. Anyway, if you saw it, let me know your opinion.
A,B,C’s to handling criticism
19 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: criticism, rudeness, self-esteem, weight
One of the problems plus-sized women run up against is the usually loudly voiced criticism and/ or unsolicited advice from others. I have found this to be irritating because it indicates that the other person either doesn’t believe that I have healthy goals and am trying to reach them or just enjoys trying to embarrass me.
As a psychologist, I give presentations to various groups on many different topics, including managing stress and establishing healthy habits. Recently, I met with another health care professional about the possibility of us working together on some presentations. I was quite surprised when he made a big issue about my weight and suggested that I wasn’t a good example of being a healthy woman. Of course, he then presented his sales pitch for a weight loss product that he uses with clients. Despite my responses describing how active I am, my lack of interest in trying to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks, and my focus on working with other plus-sized women, he suggested that I change my presentation and leave the ‘health’ stuff to him.
Being plus-sized does not make one less intelligent, less knowledgeable, or incapable of relating to an audience. I understand that there are people who place a lot of importance on looking a certain way. But that just doesn’t work for me. I am a real woman who happens to be a tall size 16. I am working on losing weight but not so that others will accept me. I firmly believe that there are women who are dealing with weight challenges and would appreciate hearing from someone who has walked in their shoes.
So, what do we do when faced with this type of criticism? For many of us, our anger precipitates our response. Maybe we snap back a rude retort which we will certainly regret later, especially if this is a person with whom we spend considerable time such as at work or an organization. There are some better ways to prevent these criticisms from putting us in a sticky situation. Here are three. I call them my A,B,C’s.
A= Answer back as honestly as you feel comfortable. For example, you could say something like “Thank you for your concern. I am involved in making some healthy changes.” And leave it alone. I don’t suggest giving too much information to people who really are not trying to be helpful or encouraging.
B= Be firm in your resolve to avoid further references to your weight. Get back on track or change the subject completely. However, if this person is a friend from whom you would like some advice, feel free to ask for help. Schedule a convenient time to discuss food plans or exercise routines. You could plan to take a walk together or try a yoga class.
C= Cool down. Critical comments that blindside us do hurt our feelings. It is quite easy to blow up but that rarely solves anything. And, holding on to that anger may cause you to forget any healthy plans you had and send you straight to the snack isle at your local grocery.
Becoming healthy is a journey that will take you to your goal. However, your goal may not be a size 2. Finding your own path will help you stick with it.
10 things I love about summer!
23 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: activitoes, fun, garden, healthy, relax, summer, sunshine
Summer has arrived and it is my favorite time of year! Even though it seems that we only have three seasons here in the midwest (icy winter, wet spring, super hot summer), this week has had the best weather so far. I enjoy the laid-back feel even though I still have to work. So, here are my favorite things about summer:
1. Free vitamin D – during my long runs I’m sure I get enoigh for the rest of the week.
2. Farmer’s market time. I discovered this last yeart and love to shop for really fresh fruits and veggies and try new recipes.
3. Wearing white – it just feels lighter and fresher, but I must be very careful at Starbucks .
4. Flowers in bloom.
5. Planting my own little garden. I do container gardening, just some tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.
6. Lighter eating, simpler meals.
7. Waking up with the sun. Gets me before the alarm goes off.
8. Sitting outside to read and pray in the quiet of the morning.
9. No school bus traffic.
10. Amusement parks – I love roller coasters!
So, what do you like about these warm, sunny , sometimes stormy months? Share your favorite activities.
