I ran 2 miles this evening!
I've been doing squats lately, and they are helping. My legs feel like they can actually work and carry me. However, I am done at 2 miles though. Whew!
Squats and dips in the morning!
Man, it feels good to see results!
About Me
- SueBear
- “The moment inbetween what you once were, and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place.” ~ Barbara De Angelis "Nothing happens without personal transformation." I decided one day I wanted to change. I wanted more from life. I realized that if you want more, YOU have to make it happen. You have to go to it and create it. The most powerful weapon against a mediocre life is practice. And just like a fire, the human spirit needs to be lit again each day.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
OM Namah Shivaya Gurave
Last Friday night's hot yoga class, we discussed this first line of the Anusara Invocation.
This month, my friend and instructor, Dara Brown, is breaking it down line by line. Thanks Dara!
This first line of the invocation means: I offer myself to the Light, the Auspicious One, who is the True Teacher within and without.
OM means God is within you. "Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it"
Om is also a symbol of grace.
Namah Shivaya Gurave is actually a question. It asks, "who are you?", and it answers "You are the highest teacher."
This was important to me to learn this, not just b/c I have been singing the invocation now before classes for a couple of months, but b/c I want to be a teacher of sorts.
I want to help rehab persons in the near future, and I also want to be a personal coach or trainer soon.
The best quality of a teacher, is one who turns the mirror back on to you...to show you your best potential. To show you YOU! These are the ones who tear down your walls. They want to see you improve and do your best.
This is also the quality I am looking for in a soul mate. Someone who challenges me to be my highest self...never compromising my integrity.
Who are YOU i ask?
Do you line up with your highest teacher?
This month, my friend and instructor, Dara Brown, is breaking it down line by line. Thanks Dara!
This first line of the invocation means: I offer myself to the Light, the Auspicious One, who is the True Teacher within and without.
OM means God is within you. "Om is the one eternal syllable of which all that exists is but the development. The past, the present, and the future are all included in this one sound, and all that exists beyond the three forms of time is also implied in it"
Om is also a symbol of grace.
Namah Shivaya Gurave is actually a question. It asks, "who are you?", and it answers "You are the highest teacher."
This was important to me to learn this, not just b/c I have been singing the invocation now before classes for a couple of months, but b/c I want to be a teacher of sorts.
I want to help rehab persons in the near future, and I also want to be a personal coach or trainer soon.
The best quality of a teacher, is one who turns the mirror back on to you...to show you your best potential. To show you YOU! These are the ones who tear down your walls. They want to see you improve and do your best.
This is also the quality I am looking for in a soul mate. Someone who challenges me to be my highest self...never compromising my integrity.
Who are YOU i ask?
Do you line up with your highest teacher?
Stone Summit trip report
Well, I was wanting to get out to Whitesides in NC this weekend and follow Ben on the OR.
However, the forecast was crap.
It is my Spring Break after all, so I wanted to climb. So I went to the largest indoor crag called Stone Summit. It is located in Atlanta, GA.
I'm only a little under 3 hrs away from there. Most of the crags I go to outside are the same distance if not more. I figured, what the hell???
This place was awesome!
However, the forecast was crap.
It is my Spring Break after all, so I wanted to climb. So I went to the largest indoor crag called Stone Summit. It is located in Atlanta, GA.
I'm only a little under 3 hrs away from there. Most of the crags I go to outside are the same distance if not more. I figured, what the hell???
This place was awesome!
There was a little girl in there leading all of these super hard routes. She was only like 10 years old. She was awesome to watch.I took a pic of her coach belaying her. It was really inspiring to see these little kids in there with their coaches. The coaches were big time too I suppose b/c they had jackets on that read, "USA Climbing" on them.
This guy was pretty awesome too:
My friend, Paul.This place is freaking huge! It is the perfect, crappy weather place...literally, it is an indoor crag!!!
See why I want to lead? I really want to lead in this gym.It has tons of moderate routes I can lead at my grade ability. I could really learn to lead here.
Bouldering area:
My friends are down there somewhere:
There they are!!! Yay!
Of course I had to take a panoramic pic!
Paul leading:
There is a wall that moves too. They move it to make it incline, and the routes are set for speed climbing. They didn't have it set up though. I remember asking Paul about that wall. I asked, "What is that lady doing there?" He says, "Oh yeah, that's the speed climbing wall." Then we both looked at the route and looked at each other and said at the same time, "Um, well, she's not speed climbing..." LOL!!! (sorry)An adult's jungle gym:
Underneath that red carpet is the track for the lift that helps carry the buckets of holds up for the route setters. Really cool, heh?They have gym equipment here as well and yoga classes.
The kids climbing areas are awesome too! There is a dinosaur they climb on, and it has a slide too!
I had a blast climbing here Sunday!
I failed my lead test though. I'll get it next time. I really would like to start leading. It is very frustrating that I'm not. I mean, I have already led some stuff, even outdoors. I want to lead at this gym though. I just think it is a great place to learn.
In order to lead here, you have to fall on a lead test. It was frustrating b/c I was very nervous. Then I didn't want to let go and, just as usual. I mean, who really wants to fall? You fall if you have to sometimes. But who really just wants to be that careless and be falling all the time on lead. I don't! Others learn by falling and I respect that. I however, don't want to be that kind of climber that pushes that hard to where I take falls like that. I personally will never lead anything out of my grade level range. That's just me.
I screamed on the way down. It wasn't pretty. They failed me on my test for multiple reasons.
Oh well, not the end of the world. However, it is a little frustrating and disappointing.
I get so scared on lead...now you want me to fall on purpose? Wow!
I ran 1.7 miles tonight without stopping to walk! Yay! I was hoping for 2 miles. I'll get it next time. All of these squats I am doing are really helping I can tell.
:-)
I failed my lead test though. I'll get it next time. I really would like to start leading. It is very frustrating that I'm not. I mean, I have already led some stuff, even outdoors. I want to lead at this gym though. I just think it is a great place to learn.
In order to lead here, you have to fall on a lead test. It was frustrating b/c I was very nervous. Then I didn't want to let go and, just as usual. I mean, who really wants to fall? You fall if you have to sometimes. But who really just wants to be that careless and be falling all the time on lead. I don't! Others learn by falling and I respect that. I however, don't want to be that kind of climber that pushes that hard to where I take falls like that. I personally will never lead anything out of my grade level range. That's just me.
I screamed on the way down. It wasn't pretty. They failed me on my test for multiple reasons.
Oh well, not the end of the world. However, it is a little frustrating and disappointing.
I get so scared on lead...now you want me to fall on purpose? Wow!
I ran 1.7 miles tonight without stopping to walk! Yay! I was hoping for 2 miles. I'll get it next time. All of these squats I am doing are really helping I can tell.
:-)
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Train Harder - Gain More Results? Err… Maybe? by John Colver
Train Harder - Gain More Results? Err… Maybe?
As I am "training" for my life...just want to be fit for life's upcoming events so I can participate in them...I am reading this blog by John Colver.
This is a really good blog post!
As I am "training" for my life...just want to be fit for life's upcoming events so I can participate in them...I am reading this blog by John Colver.
This is a really good blog post!
Pain Makes Couch Potatoes
I have FMS and PFS, not major conditions...they are not degenerative nor will they cause death. However, it causes a lot of chronic pain.
Another reason I want to help others...I have chronic pain, so I know what it feels like.
Pain makes couch potatoes! I know, b/c I used to be one. I've had my days from laying around.
I mean, I walked and jogged a little back in the day and as I got into my mid 20s, I was able to afford to go to the gym, so I did. But I was always in pain.
Even in high school, I was in pain...all the time. My body was never the same after I had a terrible bout of MONO my junior year of high school.
Growing up, my sister and I were always so active...we even did basketball camps, etc. in middle school. I loved track and field when I was in the 6th grade. Our parents had us in tap dance and acrobats, etc. They took us camping and hiking all the time. We were always camping at the beach too. They even let us take swim lessons and join the pool membership every summer! We rode our bicycles around everywhere as a kid! I even remember one summer when Mom enrolled me and Gayle (my twin sister) into an aerobics class...it was a summer long class on the weekend.
In high school, it all stopped. I got lazy or got in the wrong crowd.
My freshman year of college, i lived on campus and had no car. I had to walk everywhere! I even worked out at the campus gym and even took body sculpting classes. I went camping and hiking that year some. After that, I turned 21 and could legally drink and party. So I did. My exercise turned into going to raves and dancing from 11pm to 11am the next day! I was really good at dancing. Glow sticks and all! Hahahaha Seriously, I was good at it. It was aerobic too. I always remember my knees hurting all the time from dancing. My favorite room was the break dancing...and drumb and bass. I always wanted to learn how to break dance but never did. I was also not taking care of my body though...eating terrible back then and not getting enough rest!
At age 25, I was settled down by now, out of college and working. I was sort of a couch potato, but i still liked to power walk and go out occasionally to club. I started meeting some people who were active, and I wanted to get out more. But I would hurt all the time. It would make me just want to lay in bed. I finally went to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with FMS. He told me that most people with FMS are usually disabled by their 30s. He wrote me a prescription for some Flexeril and told me to take advil.
When he diagnosed me, I didn't even understand FMS. No one did. They still don't really. At least they know more about it now. I started my own research. That was when I joined a gym for the first time. I was 26.
Another reason I want to help others...I have chronic pain, so I know what it feels like.
Pain makes couch potatoes! I know, b/c I used to be one. I've had my days from laying around.
I mean, I walked and jogged a little back in the day and as I got into my mid 20s, I was able to afford to go to the gym, so I did. But I was always in pain.
Even in high school, I was in pain...all the time. My body was never the same after I had a terrible bout of MONO my junior year of high school.
Growing up, my sister and I were always so active...we even did basketball camps, etc. in middle school. I loved track and field when I was in the 6th grade. Our parents had us in tap dance and acrobats, etc. They took us camping and hiking all the time. We were always camping at the beach too. They even let us take swim lessons and join the pool membership every summer! We rode our bicycles around everywhere as a kid! I even remember one summer when Mom enrolled me and Gayle (my twin sister) into an aerobics class...it was a summer long class on the weekend.
In high school, it all stopped. I got lazy or got in the wrong crowd.
My freshman year of college, i lived on campus and had no car. I had to walk everywhere! I even worked out at the campus gym and even took body sculpting classes. I went camping and hiking that year some. After that, I turned 21 and could legally drink and party. So I did. My exercise turned into going to raves and dancing from 11pm to 11am the next day! I was really good at dancing. Glow sticks and all! Hahahaha Seriously, I was good at it. It was aerobic too. I always remember my knees hurting all the time from dancing. My favorite room was the break dancing...and drumb and bass. I always wanted to learn how to break dance but never did. I was also not taking care of my body though...eating terrible back then and not getting enough rest!
At age 25, I was settled down by now, out of college and working. I was sort of a couch potato, but i still liked to power walk and go out occasionally to club. I started meeting some people who were active, and I wanted to get out more. But I would hurt all the time. It would make me just want to lay in bed. I finally went to a rheumatologist who diagnosed me with FMS. He told me that most people with FMS are usually disabled by their 30s. He wrote me a prescription for some Flexeril and told me to take advil.
When he diagnosed me, I didn't even understand FMS. No one did. They still don't really. At least they know more about it now. I started my own research. That was when I joined a gym for the first time. I was 26.
I found that exercise really helped me feel better!
An old friend of mine and I used to work out together every day at the gym. We power walked together too. We were really motivated and exercising all the time too. I started feeling really good all the time. I even starting getting muscles. I remember she got a second job at night and worked out less and less and then we never worked anymore together.
I still went to the gym, but it wasn't the same w/o a partner. It was really hard to get motivated. Then my boyfriend (at the time) and I got a puppy. Needless to say, my working out came to a hault. I would come home from work to let the puppy out and feed him....and then never went back out. I was also in school at night as well at this point too. I sorta stopped working out. I was studying a lot.
When I hit 30, my aches and pains started coming back again. The boyfriend and I weren't together anymore after 5 years, and I started going out and staying up late...leading an unhealthy lifestyle. It felt similar to college, except not as crazy! I laid around a lot feeling sort of down and in pain a lot...probably depressed. I slept a ton too.
I was tired of hurting. I was tired of the way I was living and tired of my boring life! I was existing and that was it.
I was tired of hurting. I was tired of the way I was living and tired of my boring life! I was existing and that was it.
I started reading a lot of books. I wanted to be a different person and change my life. Life to me, had no meaning behind it.
I joined back up at the gym again in 2006. This is when I started doing yoga a lot. Trying to work out again. The same gym where I was doing yoga classes has a climbing wall. In 2007, that is when I tried climbing. I was scared of it at first and wasn't sure if I would ever go back. But I did. And I ended up loving it! Now I climb a lot, and it is something I could not imagine never doing anymore.
Unfortunately for me, climbing is really hard on your body. Having FMS and not being previously conditioned for a sport like this, later on, I started having issues with pain again. My knees mostly...and shoulders and neck. I figured out that you have to train your opposites with any sport...and that you have to condition your body as a whole. I've learned so much since I started climbing about my body! And I have also learned it from Anusara Yoga. Most folks would probably already know all of this, but not me. I had never been into sports. I wasn't aware of how bad I was treating my body.
I sought physical therapy in Spring 2010 for my knees. I learned so much. And I also found that what I was learning was so interesting. I wanted to know more. I also wanted to feel better and do more and push myself in ways that I've never done my whole life. Fear, anxiety and pain had constantly held me back for so long.
I have also in the course of several years sought some therapy. Getting to the root of emotional issues also helps. A lot of pain is brought on by emotional problems.
I used to just lay around all the time, because it hurt to move. Now it hurts when I lay around. I want to move constantly. Hell, if it is gonna hurt on a couch, why not just get up and move? Moving is better.
I have also in the course of several years sought some therapy. Getting to the root of emotional issues also helps. A lot of pain is brought on by emotional problems.
I used to just lay around all the time, because it hurt to move. Now it hurts when I lay around. I want to move constantly. Hell, if it is gonna hurt on a couch, why not just get up and move? Moving is better.
Regular exercise is key for physical and mental health. It also helps keep muscles strong, and your bones need strong muscles. They help support each other. I also don't want Osteoarthritis and other things as I get older. Strong muscles help make your bones stronger!
I have gone back through and read a lot of my old blog posts here. Wow! I sure have come a long way. I also found some old posts where I wrote about how I didn't know what my purpose was here in life and how I felt confused as to what my calling was.
I can look back at all the people I have met along this journey since I decided to change my course, and I have met some really inspiring people. People who inspired me to want and go get a better life!
Oddly enough, here I am going back to school now. Wow!!!
I doubt that pain really makes couch potatoes! I am quite sure it is the other way around now!
I have gone back through and read a lot of my old blog posts here. Wow! I sure have come a long way. I also found some old posts where I wrote about how I didn't know what my purpose was here in life and how I felt confused as to what my calling was.
I can look back at all the people I have met along this journey since I decided to change my course, and I have met some really inspiring people. People who inspired me to want and go get a better life!
Oddly enough, here I am going back to school now. Wow!!!
I doubt that pain really makes couch potatoes! I am quite sure it is the other way around now!
Monday, February 28, 2011
6 AM this morning: Running = Fail
However, I managed to:
10 push-ups
4 sets of 20 dips
3 sets of 50 scissor kicks. My scissor kicks were the ones with opposite arm reaches for opposite toe.
50 squats where when i squatted, my arms came up in the air kind of in front of my face and then lowered them as i came up out of the squat, and I did them relatively fast. These are great...I should do these more often!
Update this evening at 7:00: I ran at 6:00. Yay! Got 1 mile in and a bit of walking this evening...
10 push-ups
4 sets of 20 dips
3 sets of 50 scissor kicks. My scissor kicks were the ones with opposite arm reaches for opposite toe.
50 squats where when i squatted, my arms came up in the air kind of in front of my face and then lowered them as i came up out of the squat, and I did them relatively fast. These are great...I should do these more often!
Update this evening at 7:00: I ran at 6:00. Yay! Got 1 mile in and a bit of walking this evening...
Saturday, February 26, 2011
best full body workout ever!
I have no clue what my body is going to feel like in the morning!
I did a mud run 1 hr. training class this morning, even though I am not doing the Mud Run this year! Why would I torture myself like that? Because it is fun!!!
It was a pretty large group there this morning. And I learned how to do Burpees this morning! HARD!!!
I can't even begin to explain all of what we did.
I performed better on the running part than I thought I would.
I'm getting stronger holding planks. We had to hold a plank then lower into elbow/forearms planks w/o bending the knees. I did it! You have to keep switching it back and forth until she calls time. And if anyone dropped or sunk, we all had to start over!
I did push-ups again. I still have to do them on my knees though.
I had to run up and down a hill carrying a really big rock until she called time.
My pull-ups sucked! I couldn't even get one unassisted! :(
(These were true pull-ups...not like little iron gym things I do at home)
My lunges are getting better!!! :-)
My jumps are too.
We had to do squats and jump squats. The trainer, Virginia, told us to "make sure your knees don't come over your ankles guys". As she said that, I was thinking, "Jeez, I hate it when trainers say that! What does that really mean? It doesn't help me squat better!" Right as I was thinking that, she says, "dig your heels into the ground...get heavy in your heel folks and come off your toes a little and stick your butt out". I did what she said, and was happy! I now know how to do a squat. Guess what? My knees didn't hurt!!! Even my physical therapist didn't even tell me that! I hate it when trainers think that by telling you not to put your knee over your ankle means that you should know how to squat properly.
I was really good at crab crawls and bear crawls.
I'm used to doing low dips. As in....like on a park bench. We had to weight our palms and then dip hovering over the obstacle with feet off ground. I couldn't even feel anything in my triceps (I really need work there) My shoulders ached doing it. I really don't like those.
We did Burpees!!! They are hard, but not that bad.......I am slow at them. But I did them all though so...
We had to get into plank pose and keeping our legs straight walk with hands across the parking lot. Then when finished, you had to go backwards. Really pushing into the hands.
Note to self: I SUCK AT JUMP ROPING!!! MUST GO BUY JUMP ROPE NOW!!!
I was great on my scissors and my crunches.....i hate doing abs. I always pull muscles in my neck when doing ab workouts! I already have really bad issues with tension in my neck. When I do abs, I cannot for the life of me, relax my neck and just use my chest to pull up. My chest is so weak. But I did really good today, but i could tell my neck was stressed. We will see how it feels tomorrow.
We had to push a tire over and over and over.....you get the picture!
Then James and I had to grab a tire together. I carried one side and he carried the other. We had to run with it across a big parking lot and then back. I noticed some folks were bending at the elbow using their biceps to carry the tire. Basically, they were locking off! I know as a climber, you shouldn't lock off like that. I don't even carry my groceries that way! LOL I kept my arms straight, not hyper extended though. I only had to use my finger tips. I did ok, but it was towards the end, so my endurance was failing.
Wow, I can't even remember what else we did to blog about it. It was a really tough workout this morning! And they serve protein shakes there. So James bought me a banana/peanut butter, sugar free shake!!! It made me miss Jamba Juice in Cali.
Ok, I have stretched, and now I'm off to read about the rest of the integumentary system and about bones.
See ya.
I did a mud run 1 hr. training class this morning, even though I am not doing the Mud Run this year! Why would I torture myself like that? Because it is fun!!!
It was a pretty large group there this morning. And I learned how to do Burpees this morning! HARD!!!
I can't even begin to explain all of what we did.
I performed better on the running part than I thought I would.
I'm getting stronger holding planks. We had to hold a plank then lower into elbow/forearms planks w/o bending the knees. I did it! You have to keep switching it back and forth until she calls time. And if anyone dropped or sunk, we all had to start over!
I did push-ups again. I still have to do them on my knees though.
I had to run up and down a hill carrying a really big rock until she called time.
My pull-ups sucked! I couldn't even get one unassisted! :(
(These were true pull-ups...not like little iron gym things I do at home)
My lunges are getting better!!! :-)
My jumps are too.
We had to do squats and jump squats. The trainer, Virginia, told us to "make sure your knees don't come over your ankles guys". As she said that, I was thinking, "Jeez, I hate it when trainers say that! What does that really mean? It doesn't help me squat better!" Right as I was thinking that, she says, "dig your heels into the ground...get heavy in your heel folks and come off your toes a little and stick your butt out". I did what she said, and was happy! I now know how to do a squat. Guess what? My knees didn't hurt!!! Even my physical therapist didn't even tell me that! I hate it when trainers think that by telling you not to put your knee over your ankle means that you should know how to squat properly.
I was really good at crab crawls and bear crawls.
I'm used to doing low dips. As in....like on a park bench. We had to weight our palms and then dip hovering over the obstacle with feet off ground. I couldn't even feel anything in my triceps (I really need work there) My shoulders ached doing it. I really don't like those.
We did Burpees!!! They are hard, but not that bad.......I am slow at them. But I did them all though so...
We had to get into plank pose and keeping our legs straight walk with hands across the parking lot. Then when finished, you had to go backwards. Really pushing into the hands.
Note to self: I SUCK AT JUMP ROPING!!! MUST GO BUY JUMP ROPE NOW!!!
I was great on my scissors and my crunches.....i hate doing abs. I always pull muscles in my neck when doing ab workouts! I already have really bad issues with tension in my neck. When I do abs, I cannot for the life of me, relax my neck and just use my chest to pull up. My chest is so weak. But I did really good today, but i could tell my neck was stressed. We will see how it feels tomorrow.
We had to push a tire over and over and over.....you get the picture!
Then James and I had to grab a tire together. I carried one side and he carried the other. We had to run with it across a big parking lot and then back. I noticed some folks were bending at the elbow using their biceps to carry the tire. Basically, they were locking off! I know as a climber, you shouldn't lock off like that. I don't even carry my groceries that way! LOL I kept my arms straight, not hyper extended though. I only had to use my finger tips. I did ok, but it was towards the end, so my endurance was failing.
Wow, I can't even remember what else we did to blog about it. It was a really tough workout this morning! And they serve protein shakes there. So James bought me a banana/peanut butter, sugar free shake!!! It made me miss Jamba Juice in Cali.
Ok, I have stretched, and now I'm off to read about the rest of the integumentary system and about bones.
See ya.
Friday, February 25, 2011
8:15 AM tomorrow...what will you be doing???
http://bodyshopathletics.com/saturday-workouts/
This is what I'm doing!!!
This is what I'm doing!!!
4 elements to success:
1. To be physically in shape
2. To be mentally focused
3. To have emotional balance
4. To be spiritually sound
Thursday, February 24, 2011
My eyes watered with joy this morning after I opened an envelope from my mailbox
"My Daughter,
What I Love About You:
I love the spirit of you...
the grace with which you welcome each challenge,
the childlike wonder that still colors your days.
I love the originality of you...
your willingness to stand out from the crowd...
your unique perspective on what's happening in the world
and in your life.
I love the wisdom of you...
the way you trust your intuition...
your unfailing commitment to doing the right thing.
And most of all, I love the heart of you...
the genuine compassion, empathy, and friendship
you offer everyone you know.
I guess it's pretty clear...
I love everything about you.
And on your birthday, I'm wishing
joy and blessings to you,
my beautiful daughter and friend."
Happy Birthday, Susan.
We Love You!
- Dad and Mom
What I Love About You:
I love the spirit of you...
the grace with which you welcome each challenge,
the childlike wonder that still colors your days.
I love the originality of you...
your willingness to stand out from the crowd...
your unique perspective on what's happening in the world
and in your life.
I love the wisdom of you...
the way you trust your intuition...
your unfailing commitment to doing the right thing.
And most of all, I love the heart of you...
the genuine compassion, empathy, and friendship
you offer everyone you know.
I guess it's pretty clear...
I love everything about you.
And on your birthday, I'm wishing
joy and blessings to you,
my beautiful daughter and friend."
Happy Birthday, Susan.
We Love You!
- Dad and Mom
Happy Birthday to me!
:-)
I did it! I ran this morning.
I ran 1 mile this morning at 6 AM. I also did 10 push-ups (the girly ones) and 15 assisted pull-ups.
I need to figure out a better pull up system though, b/c my heels rest on the back of a chair at the top of it. I don't push though just rest them there. So basically, I'm sort of laying down in the air pulling up. My arms are long though, I don't lock off, I go all the way back down...and I feel like my core is strong and working. I guess it is almost like I am in push-up pose but on my back in the air instead? Of course, my arms felt like they were gonna fall off. I remember a long time ago when I could do that for much longer. I'll get it back!
I'm going to do my daily dozen at lunch!!!
I did it! I ran this morning.
I ran 1 mile this morning at 6 AM. I also did 10 push-ups (the girly ones) and 15 assisted pull-ups.
I need to figure out a better pull up system though, b/c my heels rest on the back of a chair at the top of it. I don't push though just rest them there. So basically, I'm sort of laying down in the air pulling up. My arms are long though, I don't lock off, I go all the way back down...and I feel like my core is strong and working. I guess it is almost like I am in push-up pose but on my back in the air instead? Of course, my arms felt like they were gonna fall off. I remember a long time ago when I could do that for much longer. I'll get it back!
I'm going to do my daily dozen at lunch!!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
the new challenge
Tomorrow is my 36 year birthday!
I start tomorrow morning off with 10 pushups and 10 pullups. Then I will run 1 mile.
Wish me luck!!! I've been studying all night for a histology exam that I have tomorrow!
My friend James and I have started a challenge to keep us both motivated. I am in school and cannot work out on a regular schedule with him like I used to. And my new schedule would mean going it alone. James has been putting off working out, b/c I'm not there with him. We usually do stuff together.
We have decided to do a 6 am challenge.
I start tomorrow morning off with 10 pushups and 10 pullups. Then I will run 1 mile.
Wish me luck!!! I've been studying all night for a histology exam that I have tomorrow!
My friend James and I have started a challenge to keep us both motivated. I am in school and cannot work out on a regular schedule with him like I used to. And my new schedule would mean going it alone. James has been putting off working out, b/c I'm not there with him. We usually do stuff together.
We have decided to do a 6 am challenge.
Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda...
I am not a morning person and never have been. It has always been hard getting up.
Even back in middle school and high school....I remember Mom coming in and waking us up, and I would just sit up in the bed under my covers not wanting to move. It seemed so hard to want to start the day.
In my 30's, I subconsciously hit the snooze button several times before it kicks in that "My alarm clock is going off"! And the only time I seem to never hit snooze and jump out of bed at the sound of the alarm is when I am getting up for a climbing trip! Imagine that!!! Or last summer when I started power walking tons of miles with my friend Anne. Knowing that she would be at my house, I would HAVE to be up and ready. Also, I started liking the way i felt to have walked 8-12 miles already before 10 am. I felt great and had the rest of my day to go still!
Anyway, now I have learned myself well, so I've started this new thing where I set my alarm clock for 10 minutes earlier than what I wanted to get up for. If I want to be up at 6 am, I set my alarm for 5:50. That way, I subconsciously hit snooze for 10 minutes, and then I suddenly realize it is 6 am and time to get up. It has been working.
However, I am still finding myself saying, "I really WANT to be able to go running at 6 am." I'm still not though.
I am no longer saying, "I wish I could get up at 6 am."; "I wish I could go run in the mornings before work."; "I wish I could run at 6 am."
No, I am now saying, "I WANT to run at 6 am." I started this for the new year 2011. I shall say I want versus saying I wish, or I should have, etc.
I have even taken a "sleep better" yoga workshop.
At the end of last summer, I bought a t-shirt from the yoga studio that reads, "I like who I am when I try." Some folks say you shouldn't try to do things just do. There is no try just do. Well, maybe in emergency situations where your life is at stake, there is no try...it's "must do". But for the rest of your life as it may be from day to day, if you never first try then you will never do at all. Right???
I tried eating Sushi again in 2007 and discovered that I really do like some of it. Now I am eating it. See?
I don't want to do things half-ass. How many things are you doing each day that are just half-ass? If you don't "try", it means you are doing it half-ass. You've got to really try! Really push yourself and want something. I really do like myself better when I try. It goes back to that old saying of, "How will know if you like something if you never try it?"
So every moring this year, I have "tried" to get up early to go run. It hasn't happened. But guess what? Other things have!!!
I snooze for 10 minutes, then get up at 6, and go to the bathroom. By then, my dog is barking to go out b/c he hears me. I go let him out and immediately go into the kitchen to grind my coffee beans and make a breakfast. I let my dog back in and feed him. It is now 6:15 or 6:20. Now I am awake. I still can't make myself go run. However, I load the dishes into the dishwasher or empty them, whichever. I put a load of clothes in the washer or take a load out of the dryer from the night before. Wow, I'm more awake now. The coffee is tasting good, and I find myself opening up my text book for school and I begin to study. It is now 6:30 or 6:45. I read and study until 8:00. I throw on clothes for work, and then I'm out the door. (Oh, I take my showers and stuff the night before...showers relax me, they don't wake me up)
Guess what? I have been getting to work on time. Wow! This never happens. I am always late to work in the mornings.
I'm getting all of this other stuff done in the mornings now, making some time for other stuff later in the day. I'm in a good mood at work when I get there and not still half asleep! My days are better...I get more done now than ever. I have more energy. And I'm falling asleep better and staying asleep. Feeling rested.
They say it only takes 2 weeks to get a routine in place. Mine was more like 2 months, but I'm getting closer to my goal.
I WANT to run in the mornings before work. It will happen.
Even back in middle school and high school....I remember Mom coming in and waking us up, and I would just sit up in the bed under my covers not wanting to move. It seemed so hard to want to start the day.
In my 30's, I subconsciously hit the snooze button several times before it kicks in that "My alarm clock is going off"! And the only time I seem to never hit snooze and jump out of bed at the sound of the alarm is when I am getting up for a climbing trip! Imagine that!!! Or last summer when I started power walking tons of miles with my friend Anne. Knowing that she would be at my house, I would HAVE to be up and ready. Also, I started liking the way i felt to have walked 8-12 miles already before 10 am. I felt great and had the rest of my day to go still!
Anyway, now I have learned myself well, so I've started this new thing where I set my alarm clock for 10 minutes earlier than what I wanted to get up for. If I want to be up at 6 am, I set my alarm for 5:50. That way, I subconsciously hit snooze for 10 minutes, and then I suddenly realize it is 6 am and time to get up. It has been working.
However, I am still finding myself saying, "I really WANT to be able to go running at 6 am." I'm still not though.
I am no longer saying, "I wish I could get up at 6 am."; "I wish I could go run in the mornings before work."; "I wish I could run at 6 am."
No, I am now saying, "I WANT to run at 6 am." I started this for the new year 2011. I shall say I want versus saying I wish, or I should have, etc.
I have even taken a "sleep better" yoga workshop.
At the end of last summer, I bought a t-shirt from the yoga studio that reads, "I like who I am when I try." Some folks say you shouldn't try to do things just do. There is no try just do. Well, maybe in emergency situations where your life is at stake, there is no try...it's "must do". But for the rest of your life as it may be from day to day, if you never first try then you will never do at all. Right???
I tried eating Sushi again in 2007 and discovered that I really do like some of it. Now I am eating it. See?
I don't want to do things half-ass. How many things are you doing each day that are just half-ass? If you don't "try", it means you are doing it half-ass. You've got to really try! Really push yourself and want something. I really do like myself better when I try. It goes back to that old saying of, "How will know if you like something if you never try it?"
So every moring this year, I have "tried" to get up early to go run. It hasn't happened. But guess what? Other things have!!!
I snooze for 10 minutes, then get up at 6, and go to the bathroom. By then, my dog is barking to go out b/c he hears me. I go let him out and immediately go into the kitchen to grind my coffee beans and make a breakfast. I let my dog back in and feed him. It is now 6:15 or 6:20. Now I am awake. I still can't make myself go run. However, I load the dishes into the dishwasher or empty them, whichever. I put a load of clothes in the washer or take a load out of the dryer from the night before. Wow, I'm more awake now. The coffee is tasting good, and I find myself opening up my text book for school and I begin to study. It is now 6:30 or 6:45. I read and study until 8:00. I throw on clothes for work, and then I'm out the door. (Oh, I take my showers and stuff the night before...showers relax me, they don't wake me up)
Guess what? I have been getting to work on time. Wow! This never happens. I am always late to work in the mornings.
I'm getting all of this other stuff done in the mornings now, making some time for other stuff later in the day. I'm in a good mood at work when I get there and not still half asleep! My days are better...I get more done now than ever. I have more energy. And I'm falling asleep better and staying asleep. Feeling rested.
They say it only takes 2 weeks to get a routine in place. Mine was more like 2 months, but I'm getting closer to my goal.
I WANT to run in the mornings before work. It will happen.
Monday, February 21, 2011
looking forward to the summer...
Advisement appointments for summer school start on March 1st.
I'm undecided as of what to do for summer.
I had thought about going ahead and getting my general psychology course out of the way. However, I'm thinking I want to go ahead and purchase my study materials for the personal training certification and take the NASM exam as soon as possible. Therefore, I may just study for the NASM all summer.
I could do personal training while I am in grad school for physical therapy.
Now I am just researching NASM v. ACE. Everything I have read so far says to go for the NASM. I'm a bit confused. I don't care if one test is harder than another. I'm not looking for the easy way out here. I want to get the best personal trainer's certification possible.
I'm leaning more towards Personal Trainer or an Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist (or both).
Right now, it is hard to study for anything else while working full-time and taking Anatomy & Physiology at night.
I also need to go ahead and get my CPR/AED/First Aid certification as well. I will need those to get into the DPT program at MUSC and to be a personal trainer.
I'm undecided as of what to do for summer.
I had thought about going ahead and getting my general psychology course out of the way. However, I'm thinking I want to go ahead and purchase my study materials for the personal training certification and take the NASM exam as soon as possible. Therefore, I may just study for the NASM all summer.
I could do personal training while I am in grad school for physical therapy.
Now I am just researching NASM v. ACE. Everything I have read so far says to go for the NASM. I'm a bit confused. I don't care if one test is harder than another. I'm not looking for the easy way out here. I want to get the best personal trainer's certification possible.
I'm leaning more towards Personal Trainer or an Advanced Health & Fitness Specialist (or both).
Right now, it is hard to study for anything else while working full-time and taking Anatomy & Physiology at night.
I also need to go ahead and get my CPR/AED/First Aid certification as well. I will need those to get into the DPT program at MUSC and to be a personal trainer.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
another post from Tinnybuddha.com
How to Accept the Moment & Still Make Progress on Your Goals
Feb 17, 2011 12:43 am | Cat Li Stevenson
Editor’s note: this is a contribution by Cat Li Stevenson
“There is little success when there is little laughter.” ~Andrew Carnegie
As a long-time, former night owl converting to a morning person, I’ve made a few discoveries about adopting a new routine.
Now that I wake up before sunrise, I experience a slow decline in my enthusiasm at around 10:00 a.m.
The other day, I realized that I had not yet poured myself a cup of coffee. Completely floored at how I managed to forget—but also grateful and proud that my energy stayed up naturally up until this point—I made my way to the office coffee machine.
I felt a sense of panic as I searched for the coffee bean bag on the counter—nowhere to be found. I looked in the grinder to see if perhaps the leftover grinds from yesterday could somehow fill my mug today. It couldn’t.
I finally looked in a cabinet nearby and—tah dah!—a whole stash of coffee beans ready to be ground! A sense of calm came back instantaneously. What I realized between 10:00 a.m. and 10:11 a.m. while searching for coffee is this:
I’m deeply fond of the comforts of my routine, whether I choose to admit or not.
I’ve fought it for the past few years. I’d come into the office sluggish and frustrated, and it was written all over my face to the point where co-workers would avoid me. I didn’t find a sense of purpose in my 8–5, and since I was a transparent person, I justified that it was okay to show it.
I was miserable during many parts of 2009 and 2010. I thought if I embraced my routine, I would somehow be settling.
I was afraid to allow things to make me happy in the present because I was trained to look forward. I was accustomed by my upbringing to continually outdo my current situation.
I felt that if I took life more seriously than everyone else—which included resisting anything that didn’t align with my personal opinion of success—I was a step ahead. I craved constant achievement. I was a serial improver and it made me unhappy.
Eventually, I came to a point where I straddled the line of giving up and settling versus fighting and improving.
I straddled for a year—immobile, lost, and scattered.
Fast forward a year later, and I’ve found that we don’t have to be torn between being in the moment and creating the next one.
Instead, we can carry both ambition and happiness with us on our daily journey. The goals, the destination, and the visions we have for the future are only worth accomplishing if we can be present and appreciate the ride.
Appreciating doesn’t have to mean settling. It just means to be here now and be a part of the ride, instead of on the sidelines fighting it.
Here are three ways to happily achieve:
1. Live your life one small improvement at a time.
Do not overwhelm yourself with pressures. Simply take it one step at a time. It’s easy to become stressed and enslaved by something we’re diligently pursuing. In the process, we only see the prize—the “someday,” the end—while missing out on the many amazing, little moments that could bring us happiness.
Embracing our current routine doesn’t have to mean to succumbing to it or becoming complacent, but instead to take growth one day at a time. Commit to a small adjustment each day that corresponds to your overall goal. The power of consistency will be transformational.
In The Compound Effect, Darren Hardy talks about the monumental improvements we can make in daily disciplines that compound over time to create results:
Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = Radical Difference
Be consistent, be patient, and stick with it.
2. Rearrange the current routine.
Some of the most brilliant, accomplished, present people I know have a routine that they’ve tailored to their ambitions. They’ve created a daily, weekly, and monthly way of living that suits their grand purpose or goal.
In order to achieve without feeling imbalanced, treadmill-bound, or overwhelmed, it is crucial to create new enhancements to our daily routines.
Take an honest assessment of your day. Play with time; turn your day inside out.
Figure out how to puzzle in step number one—whether that’s going to the gym during lunch three times a week instead of chatting with colleagues; or waking up 20 minutes earlier each day to begin that inspirational book; or winding down an hour earlier at night with a podcast or your journal for better rest and your overall well-being.
Place all excuses aside and simply be open to redesigning the day. Give it a chance. Let it settle in for a few weeks before judging it.
I was a night owl for many years—I loved rebelling the midnight hour. Illogically, I thought I proved something by staying up extra late, just because. Come morning time, I felt fuzzy because I couldn’t move quickly enough.
Over the past few months, I’ve formed new priorities that required me to move writing and working out to the morning. I’ve found that my creative thinking at 5:00 a.m. is something completely different from what it was at 11:00 p.m.
The workout routine—despite my excuses about how I could never do the morning thing—has given my day a tremendous face lift. Jump-starting the day with extra time and wellness has set the stage for a more meaningful schedule to follow.
Find a way to puzzle in the enhancements for a better routine. Your happiness and productivity depend on it.
3. Become a source of time.
Once you rearrange your routine, the final key to empowerment is a small adjustment in the perception of time.
The biggest complaint I often hear from co-workers, family, and friends is that they are unsatisfied because their routine does not offer time to accomplish what they want. Because we feel there’s “no time,” we often think our routines create our reality instead of realizing we create our lives.
In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks proposes:
“Begin with time itself. Do whatever it takes to get yourself in harmony with the reality that you are the source of time. A simple way to begin is put to yourself on a radical diet: complete abstinence from complaining about time. When you stop complaining about time, you cease perpetuating the destructive myth that time is the persecutor and you are its victim.”
We are the source of time. While this conceptually may make sense, it takes practice to integrate.
Recently, I removed “I have no time” from my vocabulary—and after two months of doing pretty well, the benefits have begun to feel both incredibly productive and enlightening.
Our days are too precious to fight. Take the time today to contemplate how to customize a more balanced path to happily achieve by reflecting on your own unique situation.
Acknowledge how far you’ve come to be who and where you are. Then brainstorm ideas to creatively redesign the day to bring more value to your routine. Find a way to grow a little bit each day, while being patient and present.
Carry these two ideas with you on the journey, savoring each moment with awareness, gratitude, and laughter while consciously creating the next.
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