Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I hope you were able to get out there and get some sort of run or workout in before the cooking and family traditions commenced.  Normally, I'm able to get a run and walk in before breakfast, but this year is a bit different... I have to work today, but we're having our own potluck there.  Work for me also involves a lot of walking, stair climbing, and lifting various heavy objects so my workout today will be coming in spurts.

I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving and has fun with their family and friends!

Finding The Will

Let's all admit one thing... there are definitely days that we just do not want to work out.  We want to stay hidden in our blankets or just keep moving on with our day.  Working out on a daily basis is really not that easy to do.

I'm having just one of those options, but that's where cross training comes in handy.  Not every day has to be blood, sweat, and tears hard.  So today instead of a run (like I was supposed to do), I've decided to get a nice peaceful morning of yoga in instead.  Yes, it's another Jillian Michael's video so it won't be completely easy going, but it will still be more relaxing than doing a circuit or running a few miles.

So today I only gain 2 HBBC points, 1 for the 20 min of yoga and 1 for 20 min of stretching... Still, 2 points is better than 0.

Cross Training and Looking Ahead

I've gotten back into cross training recently, partially thanks to my roommates who have been hitting the gym at different times than me.  They've inspired me to go a second time during the day and I'll just use whatever machine is open so the cross training is coming pretty easy right now.  I've gotten on the stationary bikes, done some uphill walking (I even kept the pace pretty fast), and I've been working on my pull ups and dips.

All this working out has made me feel great about myself.  I love being sore and I've been really, really sore the last few days.  I just feel good.  I don't know if it's the endorphins that have been released with all the working out or if it's just me finally feeling good about myself again, but I'm really not going to question it, I'm just going to enjoy it.

Looking ahead, I've decided to look for some 5 and 10k's to do.  I think it would be a great way to get out and explore the city a bit more, support different charities, and a great workout push.  The first one I'm looking at is the Jingle Bell Run 5k in December.  I've worked 5k's before (I attended the Salmon Run in Ventura CA for the marine mammal rescue I worked for in college), but I've never been able to actually run at one.

It's funny, I jumped straight into half marathons, I never built up to it from the 5k to 10k to half marathon. So yes, I might be doing things backwards, but I've never been one to do things the normal way anyway...

I'm still looking for more races, I'm thinking I might want to try finding one race a month.  It would be a good escape from life and would keep my training focused.  Now I just have to find the races and possibly some people to join me...

Weekly Report 11/19

This week has been tough in every sense of the word... My runs were tough to get through and my knees were not happy at all, both on my runs and in day to day life.  Still, I got through them.  I almost turned around early on my run today, but I stopped myself and kept going.

Part of the problem is that I wasn't stretching as much as I was last week and my muscles were just getting tights and pulling on me knee (a long standing problem).  So my goal for this week is to make sure I keep stretching (plus 20 min of stretching = 1 HBBC point!).

I've also bought some chicken and hamburger meat to make tacos and chicken pasta and whatever else I decide to make... Should be interesting.

HBBC Point Count for today:
3.5 mile run= 3 points
6 miles on bike= 2 points
20 min of weights= 1 point
20 min of stretching= 1 point

total point count= 7 points

Relaxing and Balancing Crazy Lives

As I mentioned in my weekly report, life will be getting busy very, very soon.  The holidays are always big in the Disney parks and in all honesty are one of our busiest seasons.  So, I'm already preparing myself for some longer hours, as well as later hours (I work almost to midnight on New Years Eve!).

Then there's just the craziness of life.  I've been able to buy a house with the help of my parents and they should be breaking ground within the next week and a half to two weeks. Then it should be built in 6!  I'm trying to find a permanent job.  And of course there are always little things like cooking dinner and running errands.

Life's crazy... which I'm guessing goes for a lot of people.

So how do we relax?  There definitely needs to be some balance in our lives and so we need to get a break from everything.  Here are the ways I have come to relax:

1. Stretching- It's good for your muscles, it's good for you mind.  You can get a few minutes or longer just to yourself by going into your favorite spot and working out some of those knots.  With the cooler temperatures I've been thinking about moving my stretching outside so I can keep getting fresh air.
2. Lazy Days- I've been having days were I just sit on the couch and really don't move.  This is my day and I plan on relaxing.  Usually I watch some of my favorite movies, get a nap in, and just completely not care about doing anything.  It really works well when I've already cooked for that day and can just throw in some left overs for dinner.
3. Relaxing Activity- Even if I'm watching TV, I like to be doing something.  So I have different activities that are mind-numbing and relaxing.  I'm either writing something, anything, on my computer or I'm cross-stitching.  These activities even let me feel like I've accomplished something even though I've just been relaxing.  I shared the picture of the cross-stitch I finished before the Disneyland Half Marathon and here's the one I finished yesterday

So that's how I relax... Now balancing everything is easier to write, but a bit trickier to actually carry out.  I'm a HUGE fan of time keepers and I tend to write down things I need to do and by when.  I make sure I'm aware of all of my "to do" items before committing to something.

The biggest help to both relaxing and making sure my life is in balance is that I'm also always getting a decent amount of sleep.  I don't get less than 6 usually, and more around 8 hours.  I'll take naps on my days off and even sometimes when I come home from work.

So that's how I try and keep my busy life to a manageable level of craziness...  Amanda and RunToTheFinish as asked the same question in her blog post here (and it has a giveaway bonus!).

Weekly Report 11/12

This was another busy, but good week.  My work schedule is back to being somewhat normal, but this is really the calm before the storm.  With the holidays coming up, things are about to get crazy!  I am actually going to talk about keeping life in balance and control in a separate article so check that one out after this.

I was able to get a 6 miler in this week, as well as a 2 mile hard up-hill treadmill walk, 2 mile walk on the beach (part of a volunteering activity).  I also got back into my circuit training and it made me sore again.  Once more, Jillian Michaels is back to kicking my ass.  Luckily, I know she'll kick my ass back into shape.  It's a cruel cycle isn't?

I have also been stretching a lot which helps a lot.  I know I'm not nearly as sore as I could be and it's been nice to have a chance and just decompress after a workout.  I not only get to relax from the run or circuit, but I also get to decompress from day to day problems.  While I'm rolling out my quads or calves, I'm also rolling away stress.  It's nice when things work out that way.

My Weekly HBBC Count (officially starts NEXT week):
2 mile walk- 2 points
20 min stretching- 1 point
2 mile beach walk- 2 points
40 minute circuit- 2 points
20 min stretching- 1 point
6 mile run- 6 points
20 min stretching- 1 point

Total for this week: 15 points!

Now, let's see if I can't make that my average...

Weekly Report 11/5

The good news... I was able to run more than last week, even with a harder schedule!  The bad news... I wasn't feeling the best while I was running, but I didn't feel my worst either so I'm not quite sure if it really is bad news.

One thing that really struck me this week, well actually this morning was diet.  I know I've talked about it before and I've said I'm "calorie aware", but I've fallen off of that and while I haven't been letting myself completely go, I haven't been strict with what I should and shouldn't be eating.

One of the biggest things I realized is that I really do need to drink more water.  It would help 3 things.  First my diet since water has no calories.  Second my running because it should cut down some of the dehydration cramps I've been having lately.  Third my budgets because I don't really have that much money since I recently bought a house with the help of my parents.

It's amazing how small things can help so many things.  I know it's going to be hard because I really like having the fizzy carbonation, but I will start to resist!

On good news, I have started stretching more (thanks to the motivations from HBBC) and my calves are feeling a lot better during my runs.  My knee hurt a bit today but I'm blaming the heels I was walking around in most of the week.  Luckily I'm back to wearing tennis shoes again next week for work (I'm back in my normal office and area).

HBBC Weekly Report:
Monday- 2 mile run +1 mile walk + 20 minutes stretching = 4 points
Thursday- 1 mile run + 1 mile walk + 20 minutes stretching = 3 points
Saturday- 3.5 mile run + 20 minutes stretching = 4 points

Total points= 11 points