Challenges

"Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict." - William Ellery Channing

I had that feeling in the pit of my stomach walking into the doctor's office.  That feeling of impending doom that something bad was about to happen.  The pain in my foot had gotten progressively in the last three weeks; so bad, that after a short 3 mile run Monday morning I could put no pressure on it at all.  I had known something was wrong, and I ignored the problem until I no longer could.

The X-rays confirmed what I was already sensing was wrong.  A stress fracture.

As relieved as I was to learn this was not all in my head, it was a huge blow.  Six to eight weeks in an air cast.  No running.  As the doctor sat and explained everything to me I went numb.  Thank goodness he gave me a packet with all the information, because I honestly heard nothing for the last portion of my appointment.

I held it together in the office, just shook my head and promised to come back for a follow up in three weeks.  Then, with my brand new fashionable footwear, I hobbled out the door.

It wasn't until I got home that I fell apart.  Thank goodness for Tim.  He kept calm and reassured me I was going to be fine.  Still, all I could think was that all my hard work of the past several months was about to be reversed. 

The first place I wanted to go was the TA workout I would be missing.  I felt the need to tell them in person.  Then it was on to my parents (they had air conditioning and this stupid boot is hot!).

As a couple hours went by I calmed down.  This isn't as bad as it could be, and I'm not down for the count.  I'm just going to have to change what I'm doing.  I was really bummed that I won't be able to run in the 5k while on vacation next week (love running in new places) or the Half Marathon in August (what I've been training for).  Still, if all goes well I should be able to get back to training before the Beast on the Bay, and although I won't be at my best, I can still participate.  After going through two months of change for Challenge Erie I should be a pro by now, but the thought is scary. 

So now it's time to change things up a bit.  Instead of running, I'm going to try some other forms of exercise.  I found a great deep-water running plan written for runners with injuries.  Plus, I've been saying I want to get back into swimming.  I can still bike and a friend even suggested trying rowing.  I can still work on my abs and arms.  Luckily I have some amazing support through my friends.

So what DO you eat?

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well-Virginia Woolf

I love food.  There is no question about that.  Although as a child I was quite picky (think chicken nuggets and French fries every night for 13 years), as I have grown older, my tastes have also grown more diverse.  Unfortunately, I was eating WAY too much of all the wrong foods.  I was a sucker for sweets, addicted to salt, and even though I tried, I never knew when to quit. 

When I started Challenge Erie, I knew all of that had to change.  Lucky for me, I was given some guidance.  I decided to really step out of my comfort zone and go sugar free.  To clarify I wasn't 100% sugar free, I still allowed natural sugars.  I went sugar free in the sense that I was eating:

• No processed or refined sugars
• No artificial sugars
• No dairy
• No caffeine
• And for the first 3 weeks no alcohol (I've tried to keep the alcohol consumption to a minimum since then)

 

This was a daunting task.  I read somewhere (although I can't recall where now) that over 85% of foods at the grocery store contain some type of sugar.  On top of that, I am aware of almost 30 ways that sugar is listed on the label (and I'm sure there are probably other ways I am unaware of).  Needless to say, cutting out sugar cut out a lot of foods that I used to eat.  Now that I'm over two months in, things have gotten much easier, but the question I hear all the time is, "What DO you eat?"

My diet now consists mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables and protein. There really aren't too many processed foods that don't have sugar.  I've also noticed that I've really reduced the amount of carbs that I'm eating as well.  Eating out is tricky, so I really make an effort to make as much at home as possible.  In the coming weeks I will try and get some of my favorite recipes up so that you may use them as well. (I'm by no means a chef, so I can't promise anything spectacular...but we like them!)

So what am I eating now? 

Breakfast - typically a smoothie of some sort paired with a piece of Ezekiel toast with organic peanut butter

Lunch - Piece of fruit, peanut butter sandwich or a wrap with chicken and veggies, blue corn tortilla chips with homemade salsa

Dinner - chicken or seafood, steamed or roasted veggie, occasionally some whole wheat or brown rice pasta or quinoa

Snacks - nuts, dried fruit (really need to read labels on this one), pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, blue corn tortilla chips with salsa

Just What I Needed

“If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.”  ― Roald Dahl

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not typically a morning person.  I can sleep till noon with the best of them.  However I have noticed that with the recent heat and humidity of summer finally arriving, waiting until the afternoon to get my workout in only left me hot, tired, and drenched in sweat.  Because of this, I wasn't getting my entire workout in.  Instead, I would do what I could, and then retreat to the cooler recesses of my basement to recover.  So, when it was suggested we run in the morning, I was intrigued (although not quite excited).

I've spoken before of the amount of peer pressure that has played into my running and exercise habits.  Groups are frequently getting together to complete different runs or workouts.  Pictures and comments are always posted, and you don't want to be the person left out.  I will admit, this was part of my motivation for waking up this morning at 5:30 to go run.

Once I got up and enjoyed the sunrise, it really wasn't so bad.  I was tired, but I would live.  I had a good feeling about this run, and I was looking forward to some new scenery.  I decided to stay positive, even if I really wanted to climb back into bed.

For breakfast, I kept it light.  I had eaten a lot the night before and was still feeling the after effects of my new obsession with Salt & Pepper potato chips.  I grabbed a banana and decided to try out some coconut water before the run.  My hopes were that this combo would help curb the nausea I still tend to experience after longer runs.  I had never had coconut water before, I can't say that I will ever willingly have it again.  It just wasn't for me (although I didn't get sick after running!).  With that, I was off. 

I was meeting a group of people to run around Findley Lake.  To get in some mileage we would be running around the lake twice, for a total of just over 10 miles.  Being so early in the morning, it was still cool enough that I could enjoy the run and not focus all my attention on wiping sweat out of my eyes.

The run, for the most part, felt great.  I did, however, have some issues with my left ankle and knee that kept me from finishing as strong as I would have liked.  I'm hoping that it was just a combination of less training than normal and the terrain, although I'll be keeping an eye on how they feel tomorrow.

This one is for you Eloise!  Thanks for finding my "good side"!

As always, it was the wonderful group of people that helped to make this run what it was.  I can say that there are very few people who can get me out of bed, much less exercising, before noon.  With such a positive atmosphere, it's hard not to feel good about getting out and moving on an early Sunday morning.  I will say it is something I'd be willing to try again.  The mood was contagious and spread throughout my day.

So I just wanted to say thanks ladies (and CJ), let's do it again some time!

Adventures in Life

 

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

 

It's been a while, (almost two months) but I am finally back.  The last two months have been quite busy, and also quite transformational.  During that time, I was unsure of whether I wanted to continue writing and I was unclear of the direction I wanted to go.  What originally started out as a journey towards health and fitness has instead transformed an entire being, me.  To recognize this awesome feat, I decided to change directions and focus.  Looking back, I was silly to limit myself so much in the beginning.  So now I'm starting new: new name, new look, new perspective. 

So where have I been?  What have I been up to?  I'm sure everyone is dying to know.  I haven't really gone anywhere, still in the same house on the same street.  Heck, the furthest I've driven in that period of time has been to the other side of town.  Still, in the words of Einstein, "I've been moving." 


My last post was fittingly the first day of Challenge Erie.  I can accredit this challenge for being the catalyst that started my movement.  There is far too much to go into detail but some of the highlights include:

• Sugar Free -  As part of the challenge, I decided to eliminate processed and refined sugars from my diet.  Along with this, I also eliminated all dairy and caffeine.  Until just recently, I had also eliminated alcohol.  That's a whole lot of elimination!  Daunting at first, I now think it has been one of the best decisions I've made.  I feel great.  I'm thinking clearer.  I have more energy.  And as an added bonus, I'm down almost 20 pounds.  Expect to hear a lot of about this in future posts.

 
M loves taking pictures, especially of me.  I just happened to have a picture of me on the zoo carousel at the beginning of my journey and recently, I think I look a lot happier!

• The runner in me - I've continued on with my running.  We had the big finale to the wine run series and have even moved on to running for ice cream.  To date, the furthest I've run is just under 13 miles, just shy of a half marathon. 

• Focus on me - I've always been the type to put others before myself.  There were times I would tear myself up over a project or go way over the top to make sure others were comfortable.  That perspective has changed somewhat.  I still get satisfaction from helping others, but I've also learned about the importance of helping myself.  For the first time in a very long time I've been given the chance to focus on me.  I struggled with this at first.  I felt like the more things I did for me, the more I was taking away from my friends and family.  Then I was giving others an improved version of myself when I took some time for me.  I don't feel as burnt out all the time, and find myself enjoying more of the little things in life.  I'm happy, and I can say that with 100% assurance. 

• Self-confidence - I've written about how I'm awkward and unsure.  I've never been completely confident in the decisions that I've made or things that I've done.  I constantly second guessed my worth.  Throughout this challenge that has changed.  I have done things I never imagined I could do and learned that I'm pretty awesome.  Just like everyone, I have things I can improve on.  But I've learned to celebrate the things I've done.  I'm comfortable with the fact that I am not as strong or fast as those around me.  I've come a long way, and I know that with continued effort I'll keep moving in the right direction.

So here is to a new start.  I'm excited to share this journey with you!
 

Day 1

"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect." -Alan Cohen

Yesterday marked quite the beginning for me.  As the first day of Challenge Erie, I began my own 10 week journey towards wellness.  It is one of those things I always said I should do, focus on me, yet never did.

Up until now, I was really good a finding excuses.  First, I had a newborn, I didn't have time to bathe let alone focus on my eating and exercise.  I told myself that if I did it before my wedding, I could do it again and didn't need to make it immediate.

Once M grew a bit, I found new excuses.  I was going back to school.  Between working, being a mom, AND being a student.  I certainly didn't have the time for being healthy!

After I started classes and got used to how busy I was, I just found more excuses.  The holidays, upcoming events, other people.  For three and a half years I waited for the "perfect conditions" and instead just made excuses, until yesterday.

Starting Challenge Erie just marked another milestone in my journey.  Although I have been working out with Team Adrenaline for a couple weeks now, starting the challenge is giving me the perfect change to focus on more than just exercise....I get to focus on me.  (And I can assure you, the conditions now are less than perfect!)

To kick it off, we spent the morning at a ropes course.  It was a fantastic way to get to know all of the other people involved.  Here I was, flying down a zipline, being caught by people I barely new.  Although normally being in that close of proximity with strangers would make me nervous, I knew everyone else was going through the same thing.  I could be comfortable, and nobody would judge.

After looking through the binder of information we were given for the Challenge, my first step was to choose what type of nutrition plan I was going to follow.  I wouldn't say that I've ever eatten "bad,"  I'm just not the healthiest all the time.  With that in mind, I decided to go for it and eliminate sugar from my diet.  Anyone who knows me, knows that this is going to be a HUGE challenge for me.  Still, I figured that this was my opportunity to make a big change and have the support and encouragement needed to do it.  Even if I failed, I could still say I tried.

So Day 1 and no sugar, I began to think I was crazy.  Still, as I write this at the end of Day 2, I'm surprised.  I haven't melted, gone into shock, or turned into dust.   Is it easy?  Absolutely not!  Especially when your husband lovingly eats cotton candy the whole way home from the grocery store.  Are the conditions perfect for me to succeed?  No, they are no different than yesterday, but now I have the motivation to change what I need to and make them perfect.  I figure any change worth making isn't easy at first.  I'll keep you updated with how this goes!  If you have any suggestions on what to eat, they'd be greatly appreciated!