Progress Not Perfection

I have started this blog post no less than 5 times...and each of those times I have found myself getting part way through and then deleting it.  I just haven't been able to put into words everything that has been happening in my life over the last 6 months.  Even typing that out, 6 m-o-n-t-h-s ....makes it set a little heavier in my heart.  6 months is half of a year.

I guess I need to start at the beginning.  It started back in July with me just not feeling 'quite right' and by the end of August I was pretty sick which really isn't that uncommon with my having allergies and asthma. The only thing is that this time, even with doctor supervision and mediations I was not getting better.  In fact, I got significantly worse...and quickly.  Every time my heart rate would increase, I couldn't breathe.  I was set up to see specialists, and to have several tests run.  I had to significantly reduce and modify my exercising and all of the medications I was being put on were beginning to have many unwanted side effects.  After close to a month, it was discovered that I was having a severe allergic reaction to a medication and my doctors were able to make the needed adjustments.

This is when I really started to struggle...which surprised me.  All along I had been so laser focused on just trying to discover what was making me sick, that I had convinced myself that as soon as we were able to figure it out, that I would be better, and things would go back to 'normal'.  But that is NOT what happened.  My body was tired.  It had been working so hard to fight for so long that it didn't have the energy to just 'bounce back' like I had hoped to.  Even though I stopped taking the medication I was allergic to, it still took a couple of weeks for it to completely clear out of my system and for the side effects to begin to go away.

This left me frustrated on so many occasions.  In May I had been in the best shape of my life.  I was able to run a 1/2 Marathon and it was such an empowering feeling....and now, I could hardly walk around my subvision without getting winded.  I had lost most of my strength and endurance and a combination of medication, lack of ability to exercise and some minor depression I had gained back some weight that I thought I would never see again.

Talk about feeling deflated...defeated...BUT...I am NOT one to stay that way!!!!

So, over Christmas I went down to Florida like I do every year,  and did some serious soul searching, and getting my head back in the right place, and I was able to come home with a whole new sense of purpose.

I realized that it was/is going to be a process to get back to where I was at before I got sick.  I didn't have a choice in getting sick, but I do get to choose the attitude that I have during this time while I am getting back to where I was...and if it takes me a while to get back there, that's ok.  I am striving for progress, NOT perfection!!!!

Why do we tend to feel that we need perfection at the things that we do?  My goal for this week (and I challenge you to join me) is to find 1 or 2 things to make progress with in your life!!!  Drinking more water, making healthier choices with your food, Pushing myself a little harder in my workouts, keeping up with my dishes/laundry....not perfection, just progress.  If you join me, let me know how it goes for you.

Never Underestimate What Can Happen in 13.1 Miles

2 years ago I was driving around town and saw several people in my neighborhood out running.  I have to be honest.  I have NEVER been a runner.  In fact, I hadn't really done much running since my PE days back in high school.  But there was something about seeing those people out enjoying an afternoon run.

It got me thinking.  At that point I had been on my journey to become healthier for about 7 months.  I had lost quite a bit of weight and found a lot of self confidence in the process.  So in that moment I decided....I had 2 good legs, and figured, that was really all I needed to start running.  I set a goals to run my first 5K by the 4th of July.  I worked so hard and got sooo incredibly frustrated on more than one occasion....but I did it. (In fact, if I remember right, I was EXTREMELY sore the next day).

Over the next year I set my sights a little higher and during the summer I was able to complete my 1st 10K and my 1st 10 mile race.

Then this year I figured...If I can complete 10 miles,  then I should be able to do a 1/2 Marathon.

Well, last weekend that is exactly what I did.  

With the company of an amazing friend, I completed my 1st 1/2 marathon.  This is something that if someone would have told me 2 years ago that I would be doing this, I would have looked at them and told them there was a better chance of me growing a 3rd arm.  

It's AMAZING what a person can do if they decide and commit to it.  

I was not the fastest runner, in fact there were a couple times that I had to stop running and walk for a little while.  My asthma kicked in a little around mile 8, and my knee started hurting around mile 10...but because I had committed to finishing, because I had a friend right next to me encouraging every step...I DID IT!!!!!

During the 2 hours and 46 minutes that it took me to finish (and yes that is a LONG time to run) there were so many things that I thought about.

• the journey that I've been on that brought me to this point
• all of the amazingly supportive and encouraging friends that i have that have believed in my even when I have questioned myself
• the weather
• what new goal I'm going to set for myself next
• whether I was going to choose water or Gatorade at the next mile marker
• that if I put my mind to it, I can push myself farther than I ever thought I could with my asthma
• all of the friends that I have that also have goals/dreams that they deserve to see completed/accomplished, and what part I can play in helping that happen
• remembering to breathe....and then realizing what a simple yet vital put that is....not just when I'm running, but in all areas of my life.

If we take a little time to stop and think about it, we all have goals, dreams, hopes....things that we are almost scared to believe we can do.  That's the thing about dreaming big...there is always the chance that we have set our goal too high.  It can be scary to think that we might not achieve what we were hoping to.  Some of us let that fear of not being completely successful stop us from even dreaming those big dreams.

What I'd like to say (from personal experience) is, even if I don't meet my goals 100% the way I thought I would, I always find a way to accomplish it...and I learn SO much about myself in the process.  I have NEVER been sorry for setting a goal that is a little out of reach.  I have learned that is one of the things that has helped me to continue to grow as a person and in my fitness journey.

What is a goal that you have for yourself?  What do you need to do to start moving toward obtaining it?  Have you told someone else about it?  Asked them to help you or hold you accountable?

We all deserve to feel the joy of obtaining something that started out as a dream and enjoying the journey of getting to that place!

Embracing the Challenge

August 2012  --  CRIM Festival of Races

Have you ever done something so far out of your comfort zone that when you were done,  it was still a little crazy to believe you did it?  Well, that was me last summer when I signed up to run in the CRIM.  It is a 10 mile race in Flint,Michigan and is by far, the farthest I had/have ever run.

I have only been running for 2 years.  After I started my fitness journey and had gotten a little more healthy, I thought it would be something fun to try.  It was really hard for me at first, and still is at time, but I have kept up with it.  Last spring I ran my 1st 10K, then with the help of a friend, decided to try the 10 mile race.  It was probably one of the most challenging and at the same time, rewarding things I have ever done.

There have been so many times in my life that I have been too scared to push myself to do something that was so hard that there was a real chance that I might fail.  I thought that I was 'playing it safe', but what I was really doing was cheating myself out of the opportunity of facing a fear...embracing a challenge...moving forward to a new and exciting place.

It's never easy to do or try new things.  It's challenging.  It can be scary.  It takes commitment.  It takes believing in yourself...but it's in those moments that the magic happens.  It's in those times that we grow, and experience, and feel, and see things through a whole new light.

So, I have committed to challenging myself once again.  I have signed up to run my 1st 1/2 marathon at the end of May.  Am I nervous?  Absolutely!!!!  But I'm also really looking forward to seeing what amazing adventures come from this new experience.  I promise to keep you all updated as I begin training in the beginning of April.

Is there something that you have always wanted to do?  Something in your life that is currently challenging you?  Are you just 'playing it safe' or are you embracing the challenge?

Slow and Steady

  When I had made it to Christmas and hadn't gotten any respiratory illnesses for the year so far, I thought that I might finally make it through my first winter in years without a set back.  Unfortunately, my body had a different idea.  I have had to spend some time at the doctors, and pretty much go to work and come straight home and get the rest my body needs...but it's been in these 2 weeks of rest that I've really had a lot of time to sit back and reflect a little, when I haven't been napping :)

Even though at times I feel that things in my life might be moving forward at a 'snail's pace', they are still moving forward in a direction of my choosing; a direction that I have chosen with purpose and with intention; a direction that I have worked hard to continue on with the support of some incredible people in my life.  I have done and am doing things that I never imagined that I would or could do.  I am setting goals for myself that I would have never have dreamed of setting.  

A snail may not be fast, but it is strong and it has everything it needs...and I am learning that the more I am willing to look inside myself, lean on others for support when I need it, and faithfully continue to take the steps forward each day, I also have everything I need to be successful in my life.

Sometimes it just takes slowing down a little (or in my case getting sick) to remind me how thankful I am to be able to do all the fun things that I do on a daily basis.  Health and fitness plays such a big part in my daily life now, and I'm so thankful that my body allows me to do all the things that it does.

What is something you can be thankful for today?

I Beleive

It has been several months since my last blog post.  There are so many things that have happened since July and I can't wait to share them with you, but I have decided that this post isn't going to be the one for that.  I have spent the last couple of weeks really thinking about what I have accomplished in my life in the last 2 years and what I want out of the next year. 

FITNESS IS A LIFESTYLE AND A LIFE LONG JOURNEY

I hear it so many times in the circle of friends that I have and in the gym that I go to, and it is so true.  I have found successes in changing my mindset just to find those new thought patterns challenged.  I have lost weight and gained muscle and then gotten sick, or stressed, or overwhelmed and taken a couple steps backward.

I have found myself getting frustrated and even a little annoyed with myself when I have these 'back step moments', but this year I have promised myself better.  I am a firm believer that when we know better, we do better....and I know better than to beat myself up over the little things.  I have realized that it's in those times that I take a few steps backward that I turn around and see how far I've come.  If I was always moving forward and I wouldn't be able to appreciate (in the same way) where I was coming from.  I know, for me, I need times where I stop and look around for a few minutes, or even days, and regroup and recharge.  It's what allows me to continue to move forward and to be proud of each step I take along the way.

The journey is not always straight.  It's is definitely full of sprints and times I have to slow down and catch my  breath, but I wouldn't change one day of it.

Where is your journey taking you?  Don't be too busy sprinting to the end that you don't have time to turn around and see where you've come from.  You may just see something beautiful!!!!!

                            A Weekend Full of Firsts!


"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it. " ~ Greg Anderson 

Last Sunday was a beautiful day, so after running a 5K the day before (Saturday) and placing 1st in my age division, I was feeling pretty invincible and decided to brave putting my kayak on the top of the new rack I had bought and installed on my SUV for the 1st time all by myself and spend the afternoon kayaking.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon and the perfect choice for me.  My laundry could wait to be folded and put away when I got home. The dishes in the sink could be washed once I got back.  All of my chores will still need to be done, but it was worth taking a little time for myself.  I've found how much I need to do that for myself sometimes

I have worked hard to remain committed to going to the gym regularly this summer because I want to make sure that I continue making forward progress on the fitness journey that I'm on, but with that said I have also been enjoying a lot of the outdoor activities that I can't enjoy during the other times of the year.  For me, two of those include running outside and kayaking.

So as I was kayaking today I was mainly going through well traveled areas.  Toward the end I was starting to get tired and was trying to get tired and and was trying to get back so I chose the most direct path.  This path was much straighter and required less ground (water) to be covered but had a lot of lily pads and seaweed that slowed me down.  It never completely stopped me...it just slowed me down at times.  I would paddle a little harder to get through it and then things would go great until the next patch came up.  I could have chosen to go the longer and more traveled route and probably ended up getting back at about the same time, but I didn't.  This is the way I had chosen to go today.

It made me stop and think about my fitness journey.  Is there really a 'right' way to be doing this?  As long as I'm going it in a healthy way, I don't think so.  I think there are a lot of roads that can lead to a destination.  Some people workout in the privacy of their own home using their own equipment and/or DVD's.  Others join health clubs and utilize the equipment there and/or group exercise classes.  Still others would rather hike, bike, run, ski or skate.  I think the most important thing is to put on a pair of shoes and chose the one the directions that feels right for you...and if you don't like it once you are on it for a while then get off and try a different one.

Girls on the Run

http://www.girlsontherun.org/

I spent the last 10 weeks of the school year volunteering with a program called 'Girls on the Run' that promotes self-esteem, self-confidence, health, fitness, and fun.  I was lucky enough to work with ten 3rd-5th grade girls two times a week.  We played silly games, learned a lot about about running and how to make healthy choices in the foods we eat and in the way we choose to exercise.  We also practiced running each day.  It was amazing to watch the girls grow and develop.  I loved watching their confidence levels increase and new friendships develop.  As fun as it was to watch them improve with their running, it was even more rewarding to watch them become more empowered as individuals; to see their value and worth and uniqueness for who they are as something to be proud of!  That was what meant the most for me.  The program ended with a 5K run to celebrate all of the girls' hard work.  I was so proud of all of them for all that they had accomplished.

It was during the 5K run that I was ale to allow myself to think back to where I was a year ago...and then 2 years ago.  Two years ago I was just beginning to get started on my fitness journey and I didn't even know it at the time, and a year ago I was trying to talk myself into running my 1st 5K.  It's crazy to think about all the things that can be accomplished in a year.  There have been times within the last year that I have gotten frustrated and other times that I have felt that I was completely 'stuck', but when I allowed myself to take a step back a really look at my life...I was able to realize that I really wasn't stuck as much as I have turned and headed in a slightly different direction.  It was still leading me to where I wanted to go, just in a different way...and along that way I have found that I enjoy running and a few other things I never would have known I liked.

I'm so thankful that the path my life seems to follow is never the straight, flat, paved one, but instead the one filled with all the twists and turns and hills.  It makes it so much more exciting!