Mindless Mindful Running

There are many people who run to clear their minds.  It can be a very zen-like experience.  I remember that  feeling well, getting in "the zone," mesmerized by the rhythm of your feet moving...but that was a long time ago for me when I was much younger. Starting over years and years later, running barefoot, trying to have correct form and avoid injury has made my runs anything but "mindless!"  Instead, I find my mind constantly engaged, focusing on the terrain and my body to make sure I don't hurt myself.  The entire time there is an internal conversation going something like this...

"Mind your posture.  No slumping.  Keep your core strong!"

"Careful with your stride...quicker and shorter."

"Drive your knees up a little more.  No shuffling!"

"Quiet, gentle contact with the ground.  No pounding!" 

"Don't push so hard.  This isn't a race."

"I know this feels good, but it's time to take a walk-break.  Remember, you are in this for the long haul and don't want injuries."

"Stop worrying about what those people must think of you and your bare feet."

"Make an adjustment on your foot strike, I can feel some friction.  No blisters allowed!"

"For goodness sake, smile!  This is supposed to be fun, not work!"

Now let me say, I'm not complaining.  I thoroughly enjoy my little runs.  I am trying to accept it for what it is at this moment.  Instead of bemoaning the fact that I can not skip out and run miles and miles effortlessly, I try to find joy in each step of my journey towards that goal. It is a great pleasure to get outside in nature, feel the various forms of ground (concrete, pavement, sand, mud, grass) under my feet, and work my muscles.  Right now, running for me is anything but tuning out.  It is much more a tuning IN.  No distractions like an ipod or monitoring device checking my heart rate and time.  No padded shoes to cushion and insulate my feet.  Just me listening to my body and trying to experience and enjoy the world around me.

My First BAREFOOT Run

The following is something I wrote on a barefoot running forum about my first barefoot run last week:

Let me explain something. I am NOT a runner. I used to run years and years ago. I loved to run. But running did not love me. Even in my teenage years, my track and cross-country career was riddled with shin splints and stress fractures. As an adult, every time I tried to pick running back up, the same old injuries would start to return. It was so frustrating. No shoe or insert seemed to help. I was beginning to believe that these flat feet just weren't made for running. So I walk...a lot! (And wish I were running.)

I've been reading about barefoot running. I've been walking barefoot as much as I possibly can around the house, yard, and during my frequent visits to the neighbor's house across the street. (Yeah, that may not sound impressive, but pavement gets pretty hot when the heat index is 112 degrees outside!) I've been searching and shopping for the "right" minimalist shoes so I could get started...but that idea seemed to be nixed by several of the more experienced barefoot runners I read. I still want some minimalist shoes...but I'll add those once I'm sure my form is good.

So today (July 3) was the day. I was ready to take the plunge. Once the afternoon sun had moved down a bit and it cooled to a nice, chilly 91 degrees or so I donned my flip flops, grabbed my neighbor's big dog, (bad guys don't bother ladies with big dogs as quickly as a lady alone,) and I headed for the paved greenway just a few blocks from my house. Once I was off the very bumpy, gravelly pavement that is in front of my house, I slipped off my flip flops and tentatively started to walk. It felt good! Then I broke into a run. It felt great! Even though the path was littered with debris (twigs, acorns, etc.) from the big storm a few days ago, my feet didn't hurt. Equally amazing to me was that I didn't feel as winded or wiped out as I have gotten lately when I've tried to add some running into my walk. It felt easy and natural. I did several intervals of running, forcing myself to stop and walk because I am determined to avoid injury!

I can not believe that I did nearly a full 2 miles walking and running barefoot! Needless to say I am quite thrilled and hope this is the beginning of a new journey for me and my feet!

Operation October Boot Camp -- THE RESULTS!

I've had a few folks ask me how my whole self-imposed "Operation October Boot Camp" turned out, so I thought I would share my results.

One of my main goals was:

--Do 30 days of the 30 Day Shred WITHOUT injuring myself.

Just about every morning I hung out with these three gals:




(May I say the move shown at the 50 second spot on the above montage is a KILLER!)

I am telling you, this workout is SERIOUS. It is very modifiable (is that a word?) to suit your current condition. If you are out of shape, don't use the weights and do the moves with less intensity. If you are already super fit, use heavier weights and give it all you got. And if you are like most women and your upper body strength leaves a bit to be desired, this workout is going to make you WORK!

Bear in mind that many exercise experts claim that doing demanding workouts which employ the same muscle groups to exhaustion every single day does not give your body sufficient time for recovery. For this reason, weight trainers will do upper body one day and lower body the next. I managed to do 28 days of the 30 Day Shred workout in the month of October. However, I would highly recommend that anyone attempting this program consider doing it every other day with some walking or running or other light cardio on the days in between. This is how I am now doing it.

So, inquiring minds want to know, did a month of The 30 Day Shred leave me "shredded" and looking like this:



IN MY DREAMS!

But on the bright side, I definitely achieved some significant muscle gains, my cardio and strength improved drastically AND I am now able to wear those jeans that had mysteriously "shrunk" and wouldn't even consider zipping up any more!

My other goals (and their results in parentheses) for the month were the following:

--Walk daily with hubby. (30/31) (It rained one day)
--Eat mostly vegan/raw with LOTS of fresh fruits and veggies daily. (31/31)
--No caffeine, sugar, chemicals or processed foods. (28/31)
--Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. (29/31)

And now we get to the nitty gritty. The part every woman worries about...that dastardly scale. The question on everyone's mind, "What about losing weight?" Well, to be honest, just before starting this escapade, I had lost 8 pounds in September by drastically adjusting my eating habits. I truly hoped I would lose more pounds in October. But the sad fact of the matter is that even with all that exercising and eating like a rabbit, I did NOT lose any weight in October!



BUT, and this is a really big "but" (pun intended), I lost inches!!!

--0.5" off my upper chest (measuring around the chest just below the underarm)
--1.5" off bust
--1.25" off waistline
--1.5" off around the abdomen 2 inches below waistline
--0.5" off my hips at their widest point
--0.25" off each thigh
--0.5" off each upper arm

That is a grand total of 6 3/4 inches GONE from my body without losing a pound!

How can that be? It is simple. While I was losing fat, I was also gaining muscle. Not only does muscle jiggle considerably less, but also a pound of muscle takes up considerably less space than a pound of fat.




If I had only measured myself using a scale, I would have been seriously discouraged at the end of October. The scale can not measure your muscle to fat ratio; and weight can fluctuate drastically from day to day simply due to water retention. Please keep this in mind if you are exercising hard and the scale is not cooperating. I HIGHLY recommend that folks trying to shape up take accurate measurements with an old-fashioned measuring tape which is a far better assessment of your progress. (That, and those jeans that somehow "shrunk" and you can't zip anymore.)

All vanity issues aside, the really, really important thing is a person's overall health. Not only did my strength and cardio ability improve, but the mostly vegan/mostly raw eating significantly reduced the muscle and joint pain I have been living with. My energy levels went up as well. So...

I officially declare Operation October Boot Camp a success!

What's on My Plate

I thought since it is Day 20 of my Boot Camp, an update would be appropriate. Above is a photo of my dinner tonight. Let me tell you, that is a HUGE honkin' salad on a dinner-sized plate. I can not believe the sheer quantity of food I am able to consume eating like this. In addition, I ate a baked sweet potato, totally plain. I am really thriving on this whole mostly vegan, mostly raw eating style. I occasionally indulge in some brown rice, or steamed kale, or a baked sweet potato, but the vast majority of what I am eating is raw.

Here's how I'm doing after 20 days of October:

--30 Day Shred Workouts? Yep, 20/20 days. Today was day 10 of Level 2. Level 3, here I come! I've also walked almost every day.

--Gluten free? I had one piece of my homemade bread early in the month. and 2 bites of a pizza that smelled amazing. That's all.

--Dairy free? I've had precious little in just a few things. I would guess a total of 2-3 ounces of dairy in 20 days.

--Vegan? I ate a little homemade tuna salad one night, but did not like how it made me feel. I also ate a few pieces of chicken in some stir-fry I made. Other than that and the small amount of dairy mentioned above, I've managed okay.

--Mostly raw? I would say I am eating 80-90% of my foods raw.

--Caffeine? Zero. Zip. Nada!

All-in-all, this month's Boot Camp is going well. I'm hoping to continue with the plan and finish strong.

Coming soon: knitting update! (I know you are all on the edge of your seats!)

A Letter

This morning I stumbled over my running shoes and workout clothes sitting in the middle of my floor. I don't remember putting them there. How did they get out of my closet?? Then I noticed a piece of paper sitting on top the exercise gear. Much to my dismay, the following words were scrawled across the page:


Dear Self,

You know, for a pretty smart cookie, you sure can act dumb sometimes! When are you going to learn that you just can't eat and act like "normal" people and feel "normal?" How many times do we have to go through this cycle of feeling totally crummy before you are going to get it? I know it doesn't seem fair, but face it, Honey, life isn't fair. So what if other folks seem to be able to eat junk and get along fine? I can't do it. I am special and you have to take better care of me! I'm the only body you've got.

Remember last year when you were eating clean and working out hard? Remember how great we felt? Ahhh, good times! Yeah, yeah. You hurt your back and that was a royal pain, but that's no excuse for totally throwing in the towel. Besides,that was months and months ago. What's your excuse now? Time to move on from that. I know I may sound mean, but I think it is time you had a little tough love and faced the facts:

--Notice how our clothes seem to be getting tight on me? Yeah, I put on weight when you don't make good food choices.

--And what's with the lack of exercise? Look kiddo' if you don't take me out and work me hard a bit, we are going to end up with a horrible middle-age spread.

--But let me be frank, gaining a little weight and our vanity is the least of our problems! Let's talk about allergy symptoms, muscle knots, sore joints, lethargy, muddled thinking, yadda, yadda, yadda...you know I am not functioning optimally. You know you can't get everything done when I feel like I have the flu. Don't make me use the "fibromyalgia" word!

Oh, please! Stop whining and feeling sorry for yourself! This is the way it has to be. You know the drill, but I'm gonna' tell you anyway:

--Get back on your mostly-vegan, mostly-raw eating regimen. It works for you. It isn't the easiest or most convenient, but put on your big girl panties and do what you know is right for you.

--Drink more water.

--Cut back on the coffee.

--Get plenty of sleep.

--Get up and get moving more. I don't care what you do, but since you haven't been behaving like the brightest bulb in the box, I will list here some ideas. These won't cost you a penny because you already have all that is necessary to do them:

Couch-to-5K
30 Day Shred
Tae Bo
Tabatas
The New Rules of Lifting for Women
Jumping rope
Walking
Biking

Or any combination of the above. As the famous ad campaign says, "Just do it!"

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm being hard on you, but these things needed to be said. We're a team and we've gotta' work together. With a little will-power and self-control on your part, and some hard work and sweat on my part, we could be so much better. Whaddaya' say?

Signed with much love and a swift kick in your ever expanding pants,

Your Body

Neglected...

Ah, Green Monster! Once we were such close friends. We communed daily. What happened to our relationship?

Okay, I know. It is really all my fault. I am the one who wandered away. But you must admit, you are rather raw and so cold! It was easy to lured away by warm, comforting drinks during this bitter wintry season. I was weak. I am sorry. But I would like to renew our ties. Whaddaya' say?


And as for you, Ms. Michaels...


I am not sure if you are really my good friend. After our get together on Tuesday, I limped around the house in much agony for two days. Yeah, I know. Once again, that is all my fault. If I had been working out for the past few months, our visits wouldn't be so painful. Do you remember our glory days?? Remember the times when we felt so strong that we would do Level 1 and Level 2 back-to-back in one day? Good times!

Do you think we could recapture the magic? I hope so.

It is often said that bad company corrupts good morals. I know that is true. I fear I have been running around with the wrong crowd, spending too much time hanging out with empty carbs, coffee, comfort foods and the sofa. Oh, they can be a lot of fun in the moment, but I hate myself later for the way I behave around them. They are a bad lot and I have allowed myself to be led me astray.

Do they care about me? No!

Do they make me a better person? No!

Do my jeans feel tight? Yes!

Something's gotta' change. And it is gonna' start now!

My Current Workouts

The following was originally written 2/6/2009 in a "fitness blog" I had elsewhere. However, that software is lousy and I will be posting here instead! For continuity, I want all my older posts available.

Almost every day I start with a 30 minute bellydance work out. It is my wake-up, losen up, get ready for the day thing. To be exact, I am using the Veena and Neena Bellydance Fitnes for Beginners Basic Moves and Fat Burning Video. I do the Basic Moves portion. It does a nice job of working my core and arms. I have seen a drastic improvement in my posture since I have started this workout. I think that it is helping to strengthen and losen up my core and it has some moves that are really demanding on my shoulders.

After the 30 minutes of bellydance I usually do either 55 minutes of TaeBo Advanced or Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout. TaeBo has a lot of squats, kicks, punches, and a full 25 minutes of floor work doing abs and glutes. It is a killer. The 30 Day Shred works my upper body well. There are presses and rows and in level 2 there are lots of exercises in the plank position.

In addition to those things I walk regularly. I was doing the Couch to 5K schedule, but indications of shin splints made me set that aside for a while. I also find myself throughout the day randomly doing things like push ups, planks, wall sits, etc. I think this exercise stuff is getting addicting!

Whine! Whine! Whine!

The following was originally written 2/6/2009 in a "fitness blog" I had elsewhere. However, that software is lousy and I will be posting here instead! For continuity, I want all my older posts available.

Today, I feel frustrated. There are two issues getting me down.

One--I am wishing for more "instant" results. Yeah, yeah. I know that I am getting fitter, and I am thankful for that. But after a month and a half of eating carefully and exercising hard, I just wish I would shrink a little! Why is it that some folks seem to drop pounds and inches at a time, and I am working like a dog to stay the same size?? Whine. Whine. Whine.

Two--I am having a hard time eating enough calories! Yeah, who ever thought that would be a problem??? I changed my weight goal at The Daily Plate to be just 1 lb. a week because 1.5 lbs. is more than 10% of my current weight and I read you should not try to lose more than 10% per week. What a laugh! Who's losing any weight around here?. I figure if I am working out hard -- and I am -- that I need to give my body adequate nutrition. Truly, truly, I am not depriving myself. I am not going hungry. I am just trying to eat healthy, and I am consistently eating at less than 1500 calories a day, which is not enough. If I was losing weight, I would not worry about it. BUT, I am not losing weight, so my fear is that my body is holding on to the extra fat because I am not taking in enough calories. Some folks call that "starvation mode." What's a gal to do? I refuse to eat junk just to increase my calories. Many calorie-dense foods are high in carbs and/or bad fats. I am eating nuts daily. I have added cheese and meat to my diet again to add more protein. I don't know what else to do.

Come on, body! I am feeding you healthy food. I am giving you good exercise. Now shape up!!! (((I think I will just go take out my frustrations with some push-ups and see how you like that!)))

EDIT: Well, I DID go do push ups, and timed my wall sit which gave me the best time yet! Then I worked out on the step for 10 minutes to get the heart pumping. Then I shut myself in my room with some happy music on my ipod and danced my heart out for 15 minutes. Have to say that made me feel MUCH better!

Fitness, Not Vanity

The following was written 2/3/2009 and was published in a "fitness blog" I had elsewhere. However, the software is lousy and I will be posting here instead! For continuity, I want all my older posts available.

You know, I keep telling myself that my focus is on fitness and strength and endurance. This is not about numbers on the scale or jeans size. And yet, I keep weighing myself and feeling just a little sad when the scale does not reflect all my hard work. Soooo, I think I will take a break for a while from the scale and the measuring tape. That way I can truly focus on what is really important...that is, not how I look, but how I FEEL. Funny thing is -- I am pretty certain that if I can keep eating healthy and working out hard, eventually it will be reflected in the measurements.

Some Amazing Math!

The following was written 1/29/2009 and was published in a "fitness blog" I had elsewhere. However, the software is lousy and I will be posting here instead! For continuity, I want all my older posts available.

I just started logging in my eating and exercise at The Daily Plate on December 28, 2008...that would be 32 days ago. So, on a lark I went back and added up all my minutes of exercise and the grand total is 2583 minutes. Yes, that equals 43.05 hours of activity for 32 days...in other words, 80.72 minutes per day. WOW!!!

Here's just a little break down of the majority of what I have logged:

25-30 minutes of belly dance almost everyday...a great warm up, good for flexibility and my core.

30-90 minutes of brisk walking almost daily

55 minutes Advanced TaeBo workouts 2-3 times a week

25 minutes of torture, ahem, I mean Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (usually 3 days a week)

A little running as I have begun doing intervals ala "Couch Potato to 5K" and "Podrunner Intervals" workouts.

I have to admit I am proud of myself for working so hard...especially when the scale refused to budge for days at a time. I'd say that deserves a pat on the back and a celebratory glass of wine!

Progress Report

The following was originally written 1/30/2009 and published in a "fitness blog" I had started elsewhere. However, that software is lousy and I will be posting here instead! For continuity, I want all my older posts available.

One month of working out and eating healthy and here is my progress so far:

-Clothes are fitting better.

-I am sleeping better at night.

-Joint and muscle pains associated with fibromyalgea are almost nonexistent.

-More energy.

-Muscles in legs and arms are visible.

-Flatter tummy.

-Workouts that were almost impossible are now enjoyable (in a sweaty, work-my-tail-off sort of way.)

Statistics below do not show any sort of drastic, miraculous progress, but I know that I am gaining muscle and losing fat. And, the scale and measuring tape can not measure determination and the sense of satisfaction and well-being that comes from pushing myself and working hard. Would it be nice to go from flabby to fantastic in one month?? Yes! Of course it would, but that is so unrealistic and would require drastic measures that would be unsustainable. I've said this before, I am in this for the long haul and I am "okay" with the fact that this will take time.

I will end this with something that ballcoach67401 posted on the fitness forum at The Daily Plate:

There is truth in the old adage, "It is the climbing that makes the man. Getting to the top is the extra reward.'"

The benefit is in giving your best to this lifestyle change. It is in the self-discipline that we learn. It is in the numerous private victories that we have each time we exercise or eat clean. Remember, private victories must precede public victories, so if we concentrate on chalking up those little private victories (eating intelligently, working out when we don't feel like it, choosing our snacks wisely), eventually we will see a very public victory (desired weight loss or body change, i.e. smokin' hot body).

Note to Self...

When it has been months since you have even thought of working out with your TaeBo videos, it might be wise to think twice before popping in the ADVANCED video and doing 55 minutes of torture, ahem, I mean vigorous cardio, upper body and lower body workout. Also, if you are going to be stupid enough to jump right in and "Just do it" as a famous sporting goods company says, you might want to "just do it" to your upper body or lower body on that first day. Choosing a workout that does cardio plus targets the arms, legs, abdominals and glutes may not be so wise. Unless, of course, you enjoy that painful day-after feeling of not being able to move any muscles but your eyebrows!