My new year started off at the wee hour of 6:30am, after a short 3 1/2 hours of fitful liver-toxified sleep. I quietly went downstairs and re-greeted my grungy yoga mat and scratched am yoga DVD. Like true friends, they were still there, ready to greet me. I am incorporating sit-ups into my post-yoga moments as well. I remembered why I love to start my day with yoga and renewed my commitment to my weekly yoga class.
My new year's run did happen, but it was a quiet, solo run along the North Shore rather than with a bunch of folks at Bloedel Donovan. I actually preferred it, as I was able to tune into my own inner dailogue rather than try to head out of the training gate pacing myself against the crowd. I suppose I could push myself to run 5k right now, but I really want to be confident as I run my first 5k, not afraid (afraid mostly of hurting myself!) I think by the end of the month, I can confidently run a 5k race - now to find one and hope it doesn't snow!
In conjunction with my renewed commitment to exercise, I'm back on the elimination diet. For the first time in my life, I did a 2 day "fast", with only smoothies, water and tea for 2 days. What a difference! Not only did I feel like I was actually getting a jump on my detox, but it reset my "food-o-meter". It was easy to say "I'm not eating today (at all THREE of the parties I attended and the get-together I had with my sistah) Those get-togethers also made it really clear to me how I use food to soothe myself when I am over-stimulated or feeling nervous or insecure. I chose to have my first meal last night - a fresh salad and soup with recipes from Tom and Alissa's book. I sat quietly at the dining room table, with myself and my textbook and ate with intention, gratitude and appreciation.
Today's run will be 3miles on the treadmill downstairs at work. No specific time goals this week or next week. These weeks are just to get back in the habit of healthy eating, daily exercise and self care, and daily studying for school.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
January 1, 2011 ... and here we go!
I've been waiting for this day for the last two weeks. A fresh start, and the adoption of a healthier lifestyle. I had intended to start my weekend with a cleanse, but for various reasons have decided to postpone that until later in the month. I am, however, taking the next day or two to "fast", with only filtered water and green smoothies for the next 24-48 hours, followed by a 3-4 week revisiting of the elimination diet I did right before Thanksgiving.
As for my running training, I think I have settled in on a training plan that will get me to 10k shape by spring. The trick for me is that there are two 10ks in my future; one in March (I think) and one in July. My trick will be to keep up my running regimen after the first run. They do say you should have your next race lined up before your do the first race. Something akin to Post-partum depression if you don't. I do recall the last 10k I did, I was at the top of my game and felt fabulous, but about a month after that, it all went down hill and I'm still trying to pick up the pieces, so perhaps this tactic is what I need.
There was a rumour started by my husband that we were going to head to Lake Padden, where I would participate in the run, and he would participate in the polar bear dip. He thinks I'm crazy; I think he's crazy, but we apparently make a good team. This fun event will likely be followed by a nap and/or a trip to our friends' house to play "Dance Dance Revolution" or some such craziness. It should be interesting.
Stay tuned for my thoughts and insights as I climb that hill again to be a 10k runner.
Relevant links:
http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/10Kadvbeginner.htm
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/01/elimination-and-detoxification-diet-its.html
As for my running training, I think I have settled in on a training plan that will get me to 10k shape by spring. The trick for me is that there are two 10ks in my future; one in March (I think) and one in July. My trick will be to keep up my running regimen after the first run. They do say you should have your next race lined up before your do the first race. Something akin to Post-partum depression if you don't. I do recall the last 10k I did, I was at the top of my game and felt fabulous, but about a month after that, it all went down hill and I'm still trying to pick up the pieces, so perhaps this tactic is what I need.
There was a rumour started by my husband that we were going to head to Lake Padden, where I would participate in the run, and he would participate in the polar bear dip. He thinks I'm crazy; I think he's crazy, but we apparently make a good team. This fun event will likely be followed by a nap and/or a trip to our friends' house to play "Dance Dance Revolution" or some such craziness. It should be interesting.
Stay tuned for my thoughts and insights as I climb that hill again to be a 10k runner.
Relevant links:
http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/10Kadvbeginner.htm
http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/01/elimination-and-detoxification-diet-its.html
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
2011 Goals
Just posting a quickie to let any who are interested in following or communicating with me about my goals.
2011 looms in the very near future and with it comes a myriad of changes. Two years ago, it was an impending wedding and graduation of my oldest child. This year, it's my own graduation, both kids graduation, a memorial run for a dearly departed friend, and a year without band commitments.
In November, I embarked on an elimination diet to try to get my body back in some semblance of working order after severely damaging it at my aforementioned friend's wake. After 2 1/2 weeks, I felt fabulous and although I felt like I lived in the kitchen, I had no complaints about completely changing the way I prepare and eat my food. However... US Thanksgiving rolled in, and then about half a dozen other celebrations of food and alcohol, and I am now almost exactly back where I was at the beginning of November. The one thing I have going for me this time is that I have been fairly consistent about my running, if nothing else.
Today is Wednesday, December 29th and I have 3 days to get my plan together and in place, ready to go by Sunday January 2nd. I do know this: January 1 and 2 will be dedicated to prepping for school and doing an intense "cleanse" of some kind. I have been suggested a gall bladder and liver cleanse by one, and I also have a 2 day smoothie cleanse I'm looking at.
For now, these are my fitness/health goals for the coming season(s) (because a year is just too much to plan for at this point in my life!):
2011 looms in the very near future and with it comes a myriad of changes. Two years ago, it was an impending wedding and graduation of my oldest child. This year, it's my own graduation, both kids graduation, a memorial run for a dearly departed friend, and a year without band commitments.
In November, I embarked on an elimination diet to try to get my body back in some semblance of working order after severely damaging it at my aforementioned friend's wake. After 2 1/2 weeks, I felt fabulous and although I felt like I lived in the kitchen, I had no complaints about completely changing the way I prepare and eat my food. However... US Thanksgiving rolled in, and then about half a dozen other celebrations of food and alcohol, and I am now almost exactly back where I was at the beginning of November. The one thing I have going for me this time is that I have been fairly consistent about my running, if nothing else.
Today is Wednesday, December 29th and I have 3 days to get my plan together and in place, ready to go by Sunday January 2nd. I do know this: January 1 and 2 will be dedicated to prepping for school and doing an intense "cleanse" of some kind. I have been suggested a gall bladder and liver cleanse by one, and I also have a 2 day smoothie cleanse I'm looking at.
For now, these are my fitness/health goals for the coming season(s) (because a year is just too much to plan for at this point in my life!):
- Lose 15 lbs (which will simply be a byproduct of all these other goals, but it is a goal in and of itself, so I post it) and keep it off.
- Train and run 2 5ks and a 10k - The first of these (the 5k) will be in March, I believe. The 10k is in the summer (the memorial run for Mahala)
- Cut out alcohol and sugar from 90% of my diet - This should be much easier now that I'm not in a band that gets free liquor everywhere they play ... So, you know, no more than 2 glasses of wine when out with friends, and then only twice a month AT THE MOST!!
- Streeeeeetch 5x a week - one of the things I have missed most in the last 2 months is my daily morning yoga and my weekly, intensive yoga class with the fabulous Heather Turner.
- Strength training 2x a week - I know it's crazy, but we got a shake-weight as a gag gift this holiday season, but I'm actually going to try using it from time to time. It's only 6 minutes... add on 5 minutes of ab work and you have a strength training session right there - see how easy that is?!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
How to Start Running So You Stick With It
I started running as a regular habit about 3 years ago, after getting motivated by my heart-sister, Darcy. She shared with me a fabulous Couch-to-5k program that got me started. Over the years, I have passed that program on to others. I will post that program in a separate post, but wanted to preface that program with the following article.
I submit this as an exact reprint from the following website, but without the ads and other unnecessary links:
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Start-Running-So-You-Stick-With-It&id=5034156
Running is a great habit to develop. While the health benefits of running are often touted, the mental and spiritual benefits are just as important. Running is a great way to all-around condition your entire life, and while it isn't necessarily easy to get in to, it is simple enough to start today. Forget all the fancy clothing, shoes, running videos, magazines and gurus- beginning running is as simple as stepping out your door and starting today.
I submit this as an exact reprint from the following website, but without the ads and other unnecessary links:
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Start-Running-So-You-Stick-With-It&id=5034156
Running is a great habit to develop. While the health benefits of running are often touted, the mental and spiritual benefits are just as important. Running is a great way to all-around condition your entire life, and while it isn't necessarily easy to get in to, it is simple enough to start today. Forget all the fancy clothing, shoes, running videos, magazines and gurus- beginning running is as simple as stepping out your door and starting today.
Now, there is an immediate disclaimer. When most people start a new habit, they get very excited and emotionally engaged in starting it. They do a whole ton of research, they talk about it every chance they get, they feel that it will fix all of their problems and they wonder what took them so long to get started doing it in the first place. While it's good to have that initial burst of enthusiasm, energy and emotion to start with, it's more important to temper your excess passion to make sure you stick with the habit. After all, what's more common then deciding on a change in your life, riding the emotional wave for the first month or two, then getting frustrated and stopping after that first wave crashes?
Because you want to start a long-term running habit, you need to start out in a similar manner to what you'll be doing in the future. Let me clarify that statement. As I mentioned earlier, once you start a new habit you're likely to go 'all in' with it. However, no one goes 'all in' on anything perpetually for their entire life. We have peaks and valleys of energy and enthusiasm, and a life-long habit is developed when you know how to follow it regardless of where you are on the enthusiasm wheel.
Because of this, it's best to start well below the level that you really want to engage the new habit with. When you start running, all you want to do is go out there and run three times a day, until you're completely worn out and just can't run anymore. Nobody who runs long term does this day in and day out. Instead of going all in to start, consider setting small, easily attainable goals. Instead of deciding you're going to run 3 miles a day, every day, make it your goal to run 1 mile a day, every day. Instead of running every day, consider running every other day. Whatever you want to do with the new habit, cut it in half. This will help you develop a realistic expectation of what the habit will be like in your life, and it will ensure that you aren't running purely on enthusiasm.
Then, as you condition your self to running, you want to very gradually increase your participation. Don't start, feel good, then decide to train for a marathon starting month two. Ease yourself into the habit and grow at a reasonable pace. No one who has run for three years suddenly decides to double their running time every week. Future pace the habit, think like someone who has been doing it for years, think like someone who has already achieved what you're aiming to achieve, and do what they would do. Instead of trying to sound committed to your new hobby with bravado, act like someone who is committed to the running habit.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Back on the Wagon
As many of you know, I took a little hiatus this last month. I had some relationship things to work out, and then my grandmother passed away after a long "run" of 96 years. The trip back to be with the family was an odyssey in and of itself, as was the trip back home, and the impact of her passing left me more melancholy and emotionally depleted than I had anticipated.
I spent the last month reconnecting with my husband, getting back in touch with my inner voice and basically being very gentle with myself. I also had a 4-day camping event wherein I, along with many other stellar folks, assisted our friend with stage 4 cancer to "enjoy" her last SCA (living history, medieval reenactment) event ... for now, anyway...
The last week, I have been thinking about running; remembering what it feels like to be strong, flexible and rested, to have reserves of physical and emotional strength to draw upon. I have been imagining my days starting off with a run as part of my morning routine. I am imagining how my body vibrates when I'm eating lots of healthy vegetables and grains and limiting my fats and especially animal products.
So last night, after a few prior attempts to motivate myself, I set my running gear on the dining room table. Why there, you may ask? It's not as convenient as the bathroom, not as obvious as the kitchen counter... it is the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen in the morning, AND the first thing I see when I open the door after coming home from work. I missed the hook first thing in the morning (bypassed the shoes for a morning yoga session and breakfast and a chat with my son), but at work, I thought of those clothes sitting there on the dining room table all day, knowing I would see them when I came home. And just like that, I started planning my after-work afternoon - quick car trip to the college for my ID and bus pass, then pick up necessitites at Costco (that whole trip only took me an hour!!), and then home. I walked in, picked up my shoes and clothes, found my iPod, fresh with my latest favourite tunes (GLEE!!), instructed my boys to unload the car and .... okay, well, I fiddled and procrastinated for another 10 minutes, but THEN! .... I walked out that ever-lovin' door.
Today's lesson was not about how far I ran, or how fast I pushed myself, what my time, distance and/or heart rate was. It was about getting. out. that. door. Yay me!
I spent the last month reconnecting with my husband, getting back in touch with my inner voice and basically being very gentle with myself. I also had a 4-day camping event wherein I, along with many other stellar folks, assisted our friend with stage 4 cancer to "enjoy" her last SCA (living history, medieval reenactment) event ... for now, anyway...
The last week, I have been thinking about running; remembering what it feels like to be strong, flexible and rested, to have reserves of physical and emotional strength to draw upon. I have been imagining my days starting off with a run as part of my morning routine. I am imagining how my body vibrates when I'm eating lots of healthy vegetables and grains and limiting my fats and especially animal products.
So last night, after a few prior attempts to motivate myself, I set my running gear on the dining room table. Why there, you may ask? It's not as convenient as the bathroom, not as obvious as the kitchen counter... it is the first thing I see when I walk into the kitchen in the morning, AND the first thing I see when I open the door after coming home from work. I missed the hook first thing in the morning (bypassed the shoes for a morning yoga session and breakfast and a chat with my son), but at work, I thought of those clothes sitting there on the dining room table all day, knowing I would see them when I came home. And just like that, I started planning my after-work afternoon - quick car trip to the college for my ID and bus pass, then pick up necessitites at Costco (that whole trip only took me an hour!!), and then home. I walked in, picked up my shoes and clothes, found my iPod, fresh with my latest favourite tunes (GLEE!!), instructed my boys to unload the car and .... okay, well, I fiddled and procrastinated for another 10 minutes, but THEN! .... I walked out that ever-lovin' door.
Today's lesson was not about how far I ran, or how fast I pushed myself, what my time, distance and/or heart rate was. It was about getting. out. that. door. Yay me!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Saturday, July 26, Week 2, 8 wks to Race - Crosstrain Day
Amongst all my other things I have to do today, I have to get my training in somehow. Today's tactic is biking down to The Taylor Dock, then back up to the Farmer's Market and then back to Boulevard park for our gig. It's almost 7 miles for the entire trip. It seems like it's not a lot, especially since I'll be stopping at the Market to see my friends and have lunch. However, I will also be gigging, which means a lot of jumping around and possible dancing in between. I count all these things as "cross training".
Whatever you do that gets your heart pumping is good, but when training or focused on a goal (like weight loss), it's important to find at least one stretch of time that gets your heart rate in your training zone for at least 20 minutes.
Also, having mapped this route, I can see this is a possible long training run prior to the big race. Either way it's a beautiful day to get out in it.
My goal is to post daily, but I will be offline from Tuesday through Sunday. I will try to post something interesting when I get back. Until then, whatever gets you out there, hang onto it!
Whatever you do that gets your heart pumping is good, but when training or focused on a goal (like weight loss), it's important to find at least one stretch of time that gets your heart rate in your training zone for at least 20 minutes.
Also, having mapped this route, I can see this is a possible long training run prior to the big race. Either way it's a beautiful day to get out in it.
My goal is to post daily, but I will be offline from Tuesday through Sunday. I will try to post something interesting when I get back. Until then, whatever gets you out there, hang onto it!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 23rd - Week 2 - Race day in 8+ weeks
Okay, well, I started training about two weeks ago, but knew that the race was far enough off to not get too serious. However, as is typical with me, if I go more than 2 days without working out - especially running - my mental energy begins slipping. I get antsy, angsty, angry, and generally not that fun to be around. I also have learned in the last few months that I grit my teeth when I haven't gotten my daily endorphin kick. I have been futzing all day whilst the clock tick-tocks away to my deadline that I MUST get out the door or call it another lost opportunity. My jaw is killing me and I can't seem to sit still. It's a beautiful day out and this a perfect "run day" in the grand scheme of my workouts. So, why am I not out there?
Fear.
Really, that's all it comes down to. Fear of being fabulous and fear of success. So... yeah... its 1:16pm. I have to be showered and ready to head out to a gig by 3:30. I should run 4 miles, but even getting out there for 3! GO, damnit, GET OUT THERE! ... Okay, three miles... I know the route to get me my 3 miles. Out and back. Then I can take a shower (because I stink!) and put on my new make-up.
Also, I really want my jaw to relax, so... I know where my shoes are... It's 1:35... be back in 30+.
Fear.
Really, that's all it comes down to. Fear of being fabulous and fear of success. So... yeah... its 1:16pm. I have to be showered and ready to head out to a gig by 3:30. I should run 4 miles, but even getting out there for 3! GO, damnit, GET OUT THERE! ... Okay, three miles... I know the route to get me my 3 miles. Out and back. Then I can take a shower (because I stink!) and put on my new make-up.
Also, I really want my jaw to relax, so... I know where my shoes are... It's 1:35... be back in 30+.
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