One benefit to running.....

I have now been running since July of last year and there have been many benefits to adding running to my daily routine. Today I am going to only talk about one of those benefits; its ability to teach you how to handle discomfort more gracefully. 

On any given run one comes across killer hills, sudden leg cramps, even slight discomforts that may come, yet, within just a few blocks all is back to normal again, this may happen several times in a run and at the end of each discomfort everything always feels just fine....a few blocks later. Similarly, in my daily life, I have noticed that when I come across annoying, uncomfortable and mood-altering situations in I now react to them much differently than I did before running entered my life. I know that with time, anger, moodiness, contempt will all pass and I'll be fine. All that's required is full, unquestionable acceptance of the negative mood (not fighting it) and patience. 

Last week I woke up moody, I went through the whole morning with this added heavy cloud hanging over me. Typically, needing to rid myself of the discomfort of this bad mood, I would have either started a fight with my loved ones, or would have turned every situation to some negative result where I would have to later dole out apologies of all sorts. This time though was different, I chose instead to simply allow the dark mood to live in me as long as it needed to be there, that I would not fight it. I treated the negative feeling like a ball of bad energy that would soon fade to nothing and leave my body. Sure enough by the evening I was fine, the cloud had lifted, the mood had left my body as trusted it soon would. I felt so incredibly proud of myself for I came out of one of these moods unscathed. In the past I would have surely done some damage along the way in my attempts to rid myself of the discomfort of the bad mood. Not this time. This time, I had not gotten into any fights with anyone, I did not snap at anyone, I did not even negatively react to the many normally annoying situations that popped up on any given day. 

I see running as the Universe's gift to me this year; I simply cannot imagine my life without it. The benefits that running have brought to my life in just 6 months are so numerous and so amazingly life-changing that I cannot help to want to try and convince everyone of them....

New Running Goals and some tips for long-term weight loss....

                   I have been again inspired by amazing people to change my life for the better. This time I have challenged myself to run 1,000 miles in one year and I am so excited about this new challenge and I know I can do it. This one challenge is inspired by a FB buddy, Heather Anderson (you know you rock). To complete the challenge I would have to run a little less than 20 miles a week for 52 weeks..... 

                  I have learned that I do much better with small and incremental changes to my daily routine and to not adopt new changes until I can adapt to the initial changes completely first. Over one and half years ago I started juicing daily and I now do it daily without a blink of an eyes. I wake up 1/2 hour early to make my drinks for the day and take them everywhere I go with me. This routine has become so part of my life that I could not think of having one day without my vegetable/fruit drink. This summer I began running in July and I now cannot think of a week going by in which I don't run at least 14 miles/week. 

Royalty Free Image 

                  This change in approach to bringing change in one's life is so easy and so manageable that I would absolutely recommend it to anyone trying to bring some positive and permanent changes to their lives. Yes, the changes to your body are slower than perhaps a crash diet might be, yet, the changes are longer lasting. Because I was able to take my time to implement each new initiative I was able to make sure that each small change was fully implemented BEFORE I brought in a new addition to my routine. 

                  When people first hear about me running, the first thing a non-runner will say to me is, "I can't run at all.", or claim, "running is not for me." Running was not for me either when I weighed 200 lbs. Not at all!! But, after juicing for a year and losing all that extra weight, running became lots more possible, suddenly I saw myself doing it in my imagination. I did not just start running while grossly overweight. That would have surely caused an injury and surely I would not have been able to continue this for long at all. We all grew up with these TV shows where grossly overweight people are being militaristically trained to do excessive amounts of exercise. But I truly believe that if you are going to run, the extra weight needs to come off first in order to make it safe for your feet and your knees and your heart....and the fastest, safest and tastiest way to do this is through juicing. A juice fast is not abusive to your body, cleans you out. It's an ultra-healthy way to lose weight compared to all other unsafe methods out there. 

                      This might not be the way most people would choose to go about becoming ultra-healthy, but it's done wonders to my life, my energy and my outlook of the world. I am glad I listened to my inner voice.....would love to hear how you changed your life around for the better. 

Running, and why I love it so much.....

   I have been trying to figure out why it is that I love running so much. In my attempts to unravel this small personal mystery I have been watching all these movies about running and following people online who run, read articles, magazines...on and on. In one of the movies, I don't remember which, one runner hit the nail on the head. She mentioned how in today's world, there are very few true feelings of triumphs we get to experience on a daily basis and she added that to her, running a long run and actually completing it brings out that feeling of triumph each time. After hearing this, it all made sense and I was then able to clearly understand why I love running.

          To me, running is a metaphor for life, yet, one that's encapsulated in a tiny microscopic hour's run. Life in a bottle is you may. No doubt the run somewhat begins as a struggle. At almost 40, my knees complain as I begin my runs, my ankles take a few blocks to adjust and not feel so achy. Yet, the feeling of triumph experienced after the run has ended far surpasses any struggle experienced during the run that it makes it all worth it 1000%. This feeling has been so incredibly powerful that I don't see myself ever not running again. This thing, this habit, this tool is now mine and I am keeping it as part of my life as long as I live. In fact, the other day, I had gone two days without running, things got busy and life took hold of all free time. I did not worry for I knew it was not gone. Soon, I began having this incredible urge to run that came from deep inside and would not let me off the hook. The feeling could only be likened to a nagging craving for something you can almost taste it. This craving won't go away unless fulfilled. It's become a bit of an addiction I'd dare say, for it only takes for me to even see another runner to again feel the need to go out there myself and feel the pavement beneath my feet. I have never been happier and more balanced than these few months of (almost) daily running and most of it has to do with the benefits running has brought forth in my life. I feel strong, healthy, awake, alive.....who would want to go back to anything else?

Update on my daily running routine

                   I have managed to carve a half-hour daily running/jogging work-out routine for a month now. I am in disbelief that I am able to find the time to accomplish this daily, and without fail. For years I have been making excuses after excuses to avoid having to really work out. Yet, here I am at a point in my life where I know in my bones that this is not going to roll back to some form of lazy complacency. All it took was a clear decision not to hear the excuses, not even for a minute to entertain them in my head. Despite my day's tiredness each night, despite my daily inner resistance I went out that door and did it and I could not be more excited.  A few months back this would have seemed like a huge undertaking, yet, after a few days it was a breeze walking out that door and hitting the pavement. The amazing feeling one gets from sweating, from feeling strong and fearless is worth every bit of effort. After just several days, the routine no longer feels like a struggle. It begins to feel more like a lifeline, a pure necessity to maintaining total well being. 

             Although the routine has become quite simple to accommodate into my days nowadays, I did have quite a bit of setting up work that needed to be established at the beginning. I got new sneakers, I got a heart rate monitor, I set up all my running clothes, sneakers and socks in one place in my closet so I can quickly access them and head out the door.  Last but not least, I had to adjust and time when I ate at night in order to be able to run on an empty stomach once my two kiddies went to bed. Last, I even created fun mixes and uploaded them along with inspiring books onto my iPod Touch to give my workout that extra fun kick. 

Women and feeling strong, why we need it....

                   

                  I use to run 6 miles a day as a teen, and in college I also ran, though not as much. Forward many years later, I stopped working out all together as years progressed. But, inspired by a friend, I have begun to run daily again. Not much mind you, just 1/2 hour daily running, raising my heart rate to over 140 beats per minute, 6-7 days a week. As a result of this new change in my life,  I feel the strongest I have ever felt in a long time. In fact, looking back, the last time I felt this strong was before I had my first child; that is about 8 years ago. 

                 In reflecting on what it was exactly that changed 8 years ago that 'weakened' me, I can immediately say it was the c-section births of my son, then my daughter 3 years later. For both births I was shooting for natural births with a midwife, doula and all. No matter how much people comforted me about this, something in me was telling me I had somehow failed, failed as a woman; the feeling and confidence I had in my own body was zapped out, shut off completely. As silent and quietly personal as these toxic messages which resonated within me were, the toll of such negative views of my own body and my own strength and abilities began to shift my self-image. Until one day I believed that I could not achieve much physically, and as all self-fulfilling prophesies work, I did not achieve much for years. 

                     I am back 8 years later and feeling stronger than ever.  I am again feeling in control of my own body after having literally given up on the idea of seeing myself in that capacity. I so intensely value what running  does for my well being, my self-image, my self-esteem that I am not worried about 'slipping back' to not exercising, or going back to viewing myself as unable to achieve much physically. This thing I now have, whatever it is, is mine baby, and it's here to stay, I know it in my bones; the benefits are too valuable. 

                    In further reflecting on running and its impact on my life, the impact of this current addition to my life reaches far beyond the obvious physical benefits. Like some magical domino affect, daily running is systematically affecting everything from my spirituality to my personal relationships, from my mood, to my patience level. Allow me to illustrate. Running has helped correct my posture for example. Now, you might think that's small and almost insignificant, but in fixing my posture, I now feel more at ease inside my own body, which affects the way I interact with others, which affects the way others see and interact with me, which makes for a more relaxed relationship, which makes for a more peaceful world, and the ripple affects go on, and on and on. 

                    Ones feelings about one's own abilities play an enormous role in how we related to other humans. The level of connectedness we feel with each other as human beings is inextricably connected with how we feel about ourselves, how we feel inside our own skins, what image we hold of ourselves. If we believe that we live in abundance and enjoy a life of emotional well-being, we are more likely to feel connected to people in positive ways and to other aspects of our lives in a way that reflects that level of inner peace and calmness. 

                     Your 'thing' might now be running, but I believe everyone has that special something that helps put all of life in perspective, it's our job to find it, cultivate it, grow it. Our bodies are great barometers of internal peace, if you don't feel right in your own skin it's time to start looking for that thing that will make it all fall into place....it's out there. 

Lead a Process Over Product Life

                                Being an art teacher I have always worked hard to make my teaching primarily about the importance of the process and less about the product. Yes, the product matters of course, but having a meaningful and fulfilling process is so important in making the product all the more beautiful. In other words, you must enjoy what you're doing in order to do it better. Sounds simple enough right? But applying that line of thinking to my own life has been a personal struggle and a huge focus of mine for this summer. When life gets too busy and overwhelming we begin by planning ahead and putting all our hopes on tomorrow and forgetting all the beauty of life that could be happening right here and now, under our noses.
                                 As summer comes to a close I begin to stress about the new school year for both my kids and myself and my way of dealing with all this rising stress is hunkering down and planning every bit of it so that all I have to do is look at my calendar and there my chaos will feel less disorganized, more controllable and life will be calm again. But, planning the future takes time, time away from the kids, time away from cooking, from working out, from eating healthy. So no matter what I do, chaos resurfaces. Ultimately, I have come to realize that some semblance to chaos in our lives, whether now or later, is okay. I have come to accept that life is inherently messy by nature, and that the real trick in life is learning how to live with this never-ending messiness; and not always trying to fix life or control it's flow.
           

         A few ways I am trying to 'enjoy the journey' and let go of the future or the product are:

1.  I'm turning off my cell phone and checking it only a few times a day.  I do not need to check my email every 20 minutes. Countries will not fall apart if that email is not answered within a day.


2. I am clearing my mind when I am with my kids and I tune in to what's on their minds for once, what are their hopes and dreams, what are their worries, etc. I am always surprised at what comes out of their mouthes when asked about their worries. Kids have some deep worries that we often find very trivial to us, but nevertheless, they are real worries that must be addressed seriously for them to go away.


3. I take the time to eat well. That means cooking, prepping my veggies, taking my vitamins, sitting down while eating, not eating the kids' scraps.


4. I take time to work out now, not tomorrow, not later today, just walk out the door.


5. Every time I find myself veggy-ing in front of the computer I make sure that I am not wasting it watching others having fun. In trying to convince my own kids about the possible pitfalls of television, I always tell them that watching TV is a lot like sitting very still and watching others have fun, that instead they should always try to be the ones out there having this fun for real. I am not a fundamentalist when it comes to TV, my kids have learned so much from TV, there are some amazing and wonderful, educational shows out there. I do think some shows are more valuable than others and that some kid shows even can even be hurtful.


In what ways do you lead a process-over-product life?

Free weights from home

I have begun to do free weights from home right before going to bed. Nora, being my right hand girl, of course also wants to do it too....so instead of free weights, she gets to use 2 paint tubes as weights. Here is her 'gear'.

I have a book where I have drawn all the exercises using stick figures. She then insisted on drawing her own stick figures copying the poses found in the book above. These are hilarious. Notice her depiction of a dumbbell.
Do you recognize any of these exercises?

Visit to EL BOSQUE (The Forest)

Near where my mom lives there is a nature preserve. It's a fairly small one but once you are in it, you feel like you are in a deep forest and it's a wonderful place to bring the kids and just let them loose. Unfortunately every time we go we find tons of cans all over the ground...

You will also find those colorful drug bags that are left behind by teens who also like the forest...but for other reasons.
Here is my hubby picking up trash..

Luke found a huge rock to stand on..

Nora on a wooden bridge path
They love hopping over this missing piece on the path....
This is so beautiful!!!

What baggage?

I was at the DCPS office getting fingerprinted and this man in his late 50's, who was also there for the same purpose, starts up a conversation with me.

He says, "You don't need to be carrying all that junk around......" and proceeds to talk loudly and tell me about how he teachers Tai Chi and can make me very strong. I just assumed by "junk" he meant my backpack.....although it did not really make sense, I was too busy to stop and make it make sense. But I've lived in cities all my life and there are plenty of people among us who don't make sense....so I just chucked it thinking, this guy's a bit off.....beware!

I am a generally polite person and as he describes what he teaches I am slightly interested although he hardly responds to my responses to his comments....making me aware that he's not really listening......he's one of these people who just want to talk.....and talk...and talk.....and make sure everyone around hears how cool he is....

My name is called and I go to the desk. His name is called and he comes behind me....and again repeats, "You don't need to carrying all that junk". Again, thinking he's referring to my backpack I answer, "I need this JUNK, It's my certification documents." He then clarifies as if we're talking about the weather, "No, you know what I mean, the one you're carrying on your body."

This man was referring to my weight!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME! ARE....YOU...KIDDING...ME!!!

In my mind I am amazed and say to myself, "My husband even knows not to mention my weight".

All my life I've never been a quick-witted person. I generally trust that people will be courteous and am frozen in panic thoughts when people become something other than polite. To my envy, my younger sister, on the other hand, is much more quick-witted than me. She will put a person in their place before they are even done being rude to her. I wish I was more that way, but I am not. On this day, I was not at all expecting this man to be so outrightly rude .....The old me would have been embarrassed and cowardly and maybe even depressed to have a stranger call me out on my weight, but I did not allow this socially disabled man to shake my sunshine...not even one bit. I am blessed with a wonderful husband, two amazingly smart and healthy children and I am going to be working the job of my dreams.....nope, no shaking me off that tree.

I felt sorry for him actually. To have gone 50 plus years not knowing how to be around people must be rough. I would not be surprised if he's had a rough time with women.

What would have I said, have I been quicker?

I would have said, "I might be carrying around a lot of body junk.....but I'd rather have have that any day than carrying around all that extra EGO. "

I love how life has these little ways of showing you just how lucky you are!

Been Doing Weights....Getting Ready for Summer

I have been doing free weights now for a few weeks and I love it!!!! I cannot afford a gym membership  and have very little time anyway, so this works out best for me. 

When I use to do weights before a few years back, before the babies came,  I was very comprehensive about it.....doing EVERYTHING, from my shoulders all the way down to my calves. Yet, now, I am just working on parts I want to improve such as my posture, my shoulders so I can wear tank tops in the summer and my chest......and what woman does not want perky breasts.....

Oops, I just realized, this might not be a good post for men. My husband is a bit squeamish when it comes to women topics....so be warned....this is "woman" topic. 

So here is how I do it.....I made a fun dance mix.  I love dance music with a passion, reminds me of my club days and going to "gay" night at clubs and watching the men dance in such amazing ways....

Back to what I do.....Every other day I get all my materials, 

* 2 sets of varying hand weights (I use a 6 lbs. and a 12 lbs. set) and 

* those stretchy cords with handles on each side and 

* put on some very comfy clothes. 

In a journal, I had pre-drawn all my routines from a women's weight training book I borrowed  from the library and I open it up to the page for whatever I will be focusing on that day. I do abdominals every every time and with it I choose one or two other concentrations.  It might be shoulders, back or chest. I do 3 sets of whatever reps I can do on the spot. I do not keep track of any of this.....too busy, and not that important at this stage in my life. 

For Beautiful Back and Awesome Posture

I put the stretchy thingy on the door and then close the door so that it does not move.

 

I use the 12 lbs. pound weight and lean over the couch. 

For Defined Shoulders

I use the 6 lbs. weights to do this and do 3 sets of about 14. I find that in time I can do more in each set. 

I use the 6 lbs. weights for this.

I do not look like this....I only use the 6 lbs. weight for this. 

For Perky Breasts....Instant Lift!

Okay, so they are "girl" push-ups....but you have to start somewhere. 

I use the 12 lbs. weights for this....and they work!!

I use the stretchy thingies for these.  I stick one half behind the door, lock the door and voila!  you have your own home gym. 

Tighten Those Abdominals

These are very hard.....but my husband told me it has to be just little lifts...nothing huge.....take it easy. 

These look funny, but they work anther part of your abs.....I do not reach my toes like this guy. 

I do 3 sets of all 3 of these.....and believe me I take my time.....

MY list of Healthy Weight Loss Habits..

As an attempt to get my eating in order I used some online sources to make my own list of some weight loss habits I will try to follow for at least a week. Would love to know about any weight loss tips you find helpful.1. Cleaning up your home in order to increase your physical activity level. 

2. Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. 

3. If you are going to school (I'm a teacher),  go for a walk in between classes. Try to walk for at least 10-15 minutes. Taking these short walks on a daily basis adds up.
4. Park your car farther away from your destination. 
5. Workout for 30 Minutes Twice a Week

6. Do workout DVD with Nora (she loves yoga-ish poses)

7. Walk my dog more often. 

8. Do pushups during commercials

9. Listen to my favorite music. Adjusting your eating habits is important for losing weight. Let’s face it, all those extra pounds are the result of foods that were consumed at one point or another. Starving yourself certainly doesn’t work and isn’t practical, instead here are some tips to help you eat smart and lose weight.
10. Read the Nutrition Facts food labels. Eat within the serving given. 
11. Eat 5-6 smaller meals per day instead of the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner.  12. Decrease your consumptions of bread, rice, fried foods with breading, cereal and pasta.  
13. Drink lots of water. 

14. ELIMINATE fast food restaurant visits. 

15.  Track your weight loss progress daily. 

16. Take Before Photos.  

17. Take a nap or a shower when feeling strong cravings. 

18. Book your next beach vacation. 

Jogging Again!

I am very excited to announce that I have started jogging again. I have always loved exercise and the way it made me feel afterwards. When I was younger I would run 6 miles almost every day. In college I also jogged, although not as obsessively as in my teens. Yet, come motherhood and after two c-sections something changed in the way I saw myself. The reasons behind such changes are too tangled and deeply rooted in my subconscious to bother going into in great detail, yet I generally felt a disconnect with my body, particularly my lower stomach muscles where the cuts were made and no matter what I felt weak.  Feeling strong and able is one of those feelings you naturally get when you exercise regularly, and I did not feel that anymore. It's not a feeling you can just turn on or off apparently. I just could not think of myself as strong. I felt fundamentally weaker to the core.

Interestingly, these days I feel the beter living in my body than I ever had than I did in high school where I weighed 120 lbs. (which would be a dream come true now). In high school, I felt just  miserable about my weight. I went to a high school in NYC where fashion and super-skinny was the fad. If I could only go back and actually enjoy my body then I would do it just to see what it would feel like to be there and feel fine. As a 35 year-old I do not intend on feeling bad about my body now no matter what I weigh. The me inside will shine through regardless. 

I am reminded of a woman who once posed nude for a drawing class I took in college. She disrobed and revealed a beautiful overweight figure and did it with pride. This blew me away. I then knew instantly that what one felt about themselves had nothing to do with weight....but what was going on between your ears; your thoughts. Since then whenever I revert to my self-deprecating thoughts,  I'd invoke her image and imagined myself as her, proud and just loving my curves!

Having a daughter I will make sure she knows she is whole and perfect in her body. I will also work on my personal body issues so that she does not ever have to grow thinking she's lacking anything as I did in my body. 

Gotta go jogging.....