Cleaning up Your Life...

Why is it that we often keep something in our lives that we know is not good for us?  This could be bad food in our house, a bad habit that affects our health mental or physical or a friend/lover that is no good for us.  It is fascinating how you know that severing ties with this thing will bring you to a whole new level of health, but each time the thought crosses your mind you find an excuse to keep it around.  You don't want to experience life without this thing, but is it really making your life better.

Most people would look at your situation and see how easily it can be changed.  They would think you are so silly for keeping it in your life.  Just get rid of that food that you know will hurt your weight loss. Stop visiting the corner bakery that has those donuts you can't refuse, even if it is a family tradition.  These things probably even seem trivial to others.  However, when you are sit down to contemplate life without some of these things it just does not seem right.

Everyday is a step further in the journey of life, and my trip to better health.  I am beginning to look at more regarding my mental health.  That is where the above analysis comes into play.  I am looking at bad habits and people that don't enhance my mental and physical health. I feel my mental health can have a huge impact on my physical health and my success on the weight loss portion of my journey.  Sometimes it is not easy to say goodbye to things that have been a part of life, but it can open doors to things you never considered.

Set out today to start new healthier traditions, build up the relationships in your life that make you stronger, let those that hurt or weaken you fade and build new healthier habits.  Whether it is your mental or physical health enhanced by these changes you will feel better, stronger and refreshed.

May your life be full of love, happiness and strength.  

Frustrated!!!!

I have recently become very frustrated with the exercise portion of this journey.  I have been very deligent in exercising six days a week.  The cardio has become a normal part of my life.  I don't get up as early as I once did with the excitement of another workout, however, I get the exercise in before the day is through.  This is important to me because I find exercise makes me feel better, look better and eat better.  If I put in a good 45 minutes in the gym, I am less likely to eat bad food for fear of erasing all that hard work.

Lately I have a lot of questions about what cardio I should be doing, what strength training I should be doing and what foods I should eat to fuel these workouts appropriately.  I have read a few articles, talked to people in the fitness field and I don't feel much closer to the right answer.  The articles are most frustrating because one will say keep your heartrate low and another will say to do intervals, which raise your hearrate. 

At this point, I want someone to write a plan for me.  I need a list of what I should do and when for the best results.  Of course I have also learned that what works for one person may not necessarily work for me. 

My main complaint is this:  I work pretty hard each week to eat right and exercise.  I want to make this time as worthwhile as possible.  Therefore, I want to make sure I am getting the most results from every moment of exercise I put into a day.  So I will keep researching and looking for the exact right recipe for success.  Until I find that magic mixture I will just keep doing what I am doing.  As long as I am losing weight and building muscle the frustration won't get too bad. 

Do You Have a Mount Everest?

I wonder how many people have the sort of goals and dreams in life that drive them to stop at nothing to achieve them.  I can't say that I feel like I have ever had that kind of determination to reach something.  Certainly I work hard at this weight loss and health thing, but I am talking about the type of determination where you will stop at nothing short of the desired goal.

Recently I became very fascinated by the psychology of human motivation and determination. Equally so, I want to learn more about the mental part of me that hinders my success in certain areas. I have thought at times that it might be attributed to self concept.  I am not fully aware of all the impacts being overweight has had to my self image, confidence and self esteem.  More than likely I could benefit from really exploring that area.

I am reading a book about a man's experience while climbing Everest.  This book definitely feeds my interest in human dreams, goals, ambitions and what someone will go through to achieve them.  Never having known anything about climbing Everest I did not realize the length it takes, the horrible circumstances they must endure and the physical discomfort that comes along with it.  This is a great example of a goal or dream that someone will risk anything to achieve.  You have to want with all of your being to climb Everest to endure these things.  So how does someone get to that point...

It seems like a silly thing to risk your life for, but for a lot of these people it is a matter what they feel they live to do.  They can't get it out of their head until it is accomplished.  Of course my other thought is...what would be next???  If you have this life long goal and you finally reach the summit, what's next???  Do you go and find something else or is the satisfaction from that enough to last a lifetime?

I definitely don't understand all the goals that mean so much to others, but that does not make them crazy or stupid.  If someone has a dream or goal that they want with all their being, I say go for it.  It is worse to look back and wonder then to go and conquer your Mount Everest.

Sometimes You Just Have To...

I have been doing great with my eating and exercise.  I have not had a cheat day for a long time, and today felt like a great time for one.  I think I might be taking it to an extreme though.  I have not eaten a healthy thing today, unless you consider the green peppers on the pizza.  However, can you really count a vegetable as healthy when it is on top of hundreds of calories of cheese and bread.

We were busy cleaning the house this morning, and I did not take the time to make breakfast.  Therefore, I grabbed three sugar cookies.  For lunch we had Domino's new handmade pan pizza and some parm bites.  Surprisingly I am not feeling totally disgusting yet, but I would assume that feeling will be here before too long.  The little things my body does to help remind me this is not a way to eat, EVER.

I will probably hate this decision when I step on the scale tomorrow morning, but personally I think these days help me overall.  Eating right and exercising is something that I have to do for the rest of my life.  I give myself these days without guilt, and then tomorrow I will move forward and be back on track.  The going back to healthy ways is the key to these detours off the right path.

Here's to tomorrow that will include a great workout and healthy food choices.

Reasons to Keep Moving Forward

When I get out of a routine it is often hard to get the motivation to get back on track.  The race was a good reminder that I need to keep going because I still have so much more to accomplish.  I am not getting any younger, and I want to get to a certain place physically.  I don't want to look back and wish I had accomplished this goal.  Instead I want to be happy, healthy, fit and look back on all the goals reached.  I also want to run 5Ks, 10Ks, Mud Runs, etc.. with my kids as they get older. So getting back into the workout groove is important.

Today was that day when the workout was back to normal.  Last week meant slowing down in preparation for the Warrior Dash, and this week started out a bit slow while trying to recover.  Today was my first full workout in what feels like weeks.  And...... I feel GREAT!!!

There is something very powerful about a great workout.  Today was one of those workouts where you feel you can't push any further and for a while after you still feel a little wiped.  However, in no time the energy spikes, you feel great, your attitude is lifted and life feels completely perfect.  The feeling after a great workout is like being on a high, but you don't hurt your body or risk getting arrested.  This is one reason I feel drawn to work out.

In addition to this after workout high, I find exercise just makes me feel better overall.  My mental state is a bit more balanced, yes I hear some of your laughing now, and it definitely makes me look better.  Not to mention the unseen affects of the healthier heart and just better functioning body.  You really can't argue with the positives that come from physical activity a few times a week.  If you don't already have a regular exercise routine, I would highly recommend starting one.

Cherish The Great Things

Life is such an amazing journey.  Sure each day may not be perfect and everything we do may not always be considered the right thing.  However, this is our life, our chance to weave the threads we are given into a beautiful masterpiece.  As I look at the artwork that is being created for my life I see areas of sadness, joy, heartache and amazing love. I try to live with no regrets and make the best of what I am given.

Each new day is an opportunity for greatness.  The opportunity to start a new path toward a better life, helping a friend in need or reaching a once seemingly impossible goal.

I believe in loving without limits and experiencing joy in everything.  I also feel you need to let yourself feel pain and sadness.  Living life to the fullest includes experiencing every facet of it, good and bad.  To love deeply you take the chance of being hurt, but to live without the joy of loving someone with all that you are is a much worse tragedy.  If you love someone, tell them every chance you get.

My wish for you today is to cherish the great things about the day, forget the annoying and stressful things and move onto tomorrow.  

The Dash: The Detailed Account

I got a whole 5 hours of sleep Friday night.  I woke up at 5am Saturday and could not go back to sleep.  That was mostly due to the extreme pain in my left foot.  Kent and I left the condo about 7:30 to head over to Berkeley Plantation, the race location.

It rained most of the drive over to the plantation.  We encountered fellow racers in a slight traffic jam near the race site.  They had everyone parking in a field, which was more of a mud pit after the overnight rain.  Vehicles were getting stuck everywhere on the way in.  We got stuck once but made it out and got parked.  Then we headed to the race area, got registered and made our way to the start line.  It was a very festive atmosphere.  From where we were you could see the people finishing from the previous groups.  You could see the smoke from the fire, people climbing the cargo net and the beautiful James River in the background.

They counted down to the start of the race and then fire torches went off at the start.  We ran for .5 mile before the first obstacle.  The first one was barbed wire with mud.  We crawled under the barbed wire, got all muddy.  Next we were off to more jogging, but it was getting a bit harder due to the trail becoming muddier.

It was a while before the next obstacle, which was tires with a cargo net a few feet above them.  You had to go under the net and walk through the tires.  Then we were out and jogging again.  I should mention here that the jogging was in really, really squishy mud at this point.  Very difficult to keep control sometimes and VERY slippery.  Around a few corners I felt like an out of control car.

The next obstacle was where my injuries occurred.  I bruised myself pretty bad.  You had to get over walls that were about chest high.  I hoisted myself up and throw my knee onto the wall.  Obviously throwing your knee onto a wooden wall makes your body a little upset.  Anyway, you had to go over one wall and under another and this repeated six times.  I made it over all six walls, but Kent only had to help on a few of the walls. Since I had been very anxious about this obstacle, I left it with a great sense of accomplishment.

Next was more jogging in mud.  Maybe next time I should train in the rain on dirt trails.  Onto the next obstacle we went.  This one turned out to be my favorite.  We had to wade down into a creek and there were 3-4 logs floating between us and other side.  We had to either go over or under the logs.  I chose to go over them.  I found that to be the easiest way, but looking at the videos it seemed some people had a really hard time with that.  I got to the log, which was pretty high considering we were in chest deep water.  I put my hands up and dove over it, going under water on the other side. I reached the other side a little before Kent, he chose to go under the logs.  Once he was out, we did some more mud running.  This was even more challenging now, because we were soaking wet.  Try it sometime and you will see it is a good workout. 

Soon we were approaching signs that said swimmers and non-swimmers.  Well, I can swim so I headed that direction.  I realized quickly that swimming fully clothed is a bit different than in a swim suit.  My shoes felt like weights being pulled behind me.  We swam out into a lake to a floating pantoon thing, had to pull ourselves up onto it, jump back into the water in the middle and back up onto the other side.  Then it was back into the lake to reach the other shore.  That was not too bad, but swimming in tennis shoes is pretty darn hard. 

The next obstacle was where the race turned a bit sour for me.  It was a large wall you were to climb.  It was angled and had a rope to hold onto.  I attempted 3 times, but I did not make it anywhere close to up the wall.  Therefore, I had to go around it.  I was sooooooo mad!!!  I can even picture myself now stomping off like a 5 year old that did not get their way.  

The next obstacle was a balance beam of sorts.  You walked up a plank, over some boards and then back down on the other side.  It was about 6 feet off the ground.  I crawled across some of it, but did get the courage to stand and walk the rest.  Yes I am scared of heights.

The next obstacle was yet another darn wall which I attempted unsuccessfully.  Therefore, I went around it too.  After the walls were done, we got into the James river and waded for about .125 to .25 of a mile.  Once we were out of the water we were almost to the finish line.

The next obstacle was a cargo net you had to walk over and then a cargo net wall to climb.  It was not too hard.  I made it over that and then on to the fire jumping.  The fire was awesome.  Obviously an obstacle that is all about fun.  It was a lot of fun.

The final obstacle was the mud pit.  Of course when finishing an obstacle race you must be completely filthy.  There was barbed wire again to make sure you stayed as close to the mud as possible.  

After the mud pit was the finish line.  Once we received our medals, it was back into the James River for some mud removal.  It is amazing how getting in a river is nothing to you at that point.

After the race we went to have a free beer.  I have never wanted the free beer following a race before, but this one deserved a beer.

Now comes the unexpected workout of the day and one of the highlights for me.  On the way back to the car, there were vehicles stuck in the mud everywhere.  We helped push a minivan all the way to the exit.  That was a great post race workout, and I felt great for helping someone.

After that we finally made it back to our car.  We were parked on some fairly dry ground, but there was a series of mud pits between us and the exit.  I told Kent I would stay outside the car to help push.  The guy told us to head for the tree line and just keep going toward the exit when we got there.  Well, we seemed to have a great plan, and I was there in case we needed some pushing.  Kent did exactly what we said and took off.  What we did not plan for was the fact that he actually made it the full half mile to the exit.  This was great, but there was a problem…. I was not in the car.  Here enters the second post workout.  I had to run from where we parked to the exit, just a half mile in the mud again.  I passed all sorts of people that were amazed that Kent had made it all the way through the mud.  I was telling them as I ran past that it was great that my car made it out, but that it would have been better if I was in it.  They thought this was as humorous as I did.  I finally made it to the car all covered in mud, hitchhikers and pretty darn happy.  Not only had I completed most of a Warrior Dash that day, but I had followed it with two pretty impressive workouts.

There were times that I was insanely disappointed, but overall it was a lot of fun.  Now to start thinking about what I want to do next.  Got to keep myself motivated.  

A Trip Outside of My Comfort Zone

This past Saturday I took on a new challenge.  I don't think this was something I ever saw myself doing, but the past three years have been littered with accomplishments I could say the same about.  Three days ago I completed my first Warrior Dash.

If you are not familiar with this event, it is a 3.5 mile obstacle race.  This particular one was in Charles City Virginia. The finish line was on the shore of the beautiful James River. One of the obstacles even involved wading in the river. I can't imagine a prettier place for such an event.

Each Warrior Dash has a slightly different set of obstacles.  This one incorporated 12 obstacles, 10 of which I was able to complete. After a few frustrating tries at the other two obstacles, I gave up and went around. I had told myself that true completion of the race was doing all the obstacles. Therefore, skipping these two made me upset.

In the days following the Warrior Dash I have watched videos of the race, looked at pictures and feelings of pride, joy and accomplishment have replaced the feelings of failure.  It was a great day and I accomplished a lot more than I have before.  It was my first attempt, and I now know things I can work on to get better.  

I am starting to think about the next event/challenge.  I hope to continue finding fun ways to get out of my comfort zone and grow stronger mentally and physically.