What is this all about?

I started this blog to keep me accountable in my fitness and clean eating journey. My first post was in March of 2007 and I've been posting ever since. As you will see I've had many highs and lows...but this is all about the journey...not just the destination

Sunday, August 29, 2010

What's up?

So it feels like forever since I've blogged. I've been doing quite a bit of soul searching in the last few months.  What I've realized is that there is an inverse relationship between my weight and my happiness. When I am happiest I am thinner and vice versa. Looking at my current weight and the 2009-2010 chapter in my life, I think it is fair to say, I've been pretty unhappy.

What I've learned ....and more importantly , what I'm finally willing to admit:

 
1.I suffer from depression quite often... There I said it. As African-American women, so often we suffer in silence, believing we need to be strong black women.. My mom used to say " I can do bad all by myself, I don't need anyone" . She and others in my family were and are strong black women, who were able to deal with adversity and keep it moving.  I believe, they too suffered in silence.  Well, I decided to get some help....and it is working.  When I'm at my lowest ...food is my best friend. It allows me to continue to suffer in silence without having to talk to anyone. It allows me to continue to listen to others and be a good friend, while not admitting that I am suffering in silence. A grande caramel latte acts as my comfort and soothes me.. without asking any questions.

2.Depression doesn't come from God.... so where does it come from?   So many great scriptures to support my conviction that depression is a part of Satan's plan. Ephesians 6:12, 1Peter 5:8, John 10:10, Gen 3:1...  Bottom line... exercise, prayer and being open are all a part of God's plan.

3. Exercise = my anti depressant. I've written before about my need for exercise why I need exercise and how it helps me. The science supports this. As John Ratey notes in his acclaimed book SPARK, vigorous exercise has been proven to be just as effective as Wellbutrin ( a popular anti-depression medication).

So why have I been unhappy? I'm not sure... but I'm working understanding myself.  I'm working on seeking greater fulfillment in my life- through how I spend my time, greater significance through service, deeper connections to my family, getting the help I need and strengthening my relationship with God. and of course.... continue stop working out.
Posted by No comments:

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Sorry but.......

So today I went for a long bike ride with a woman I met a few weeks ago. She is a fellow cub scout mom and wants to get back in shape. She and I got to chatting on a cub scout camping trip and we set a date for walking and a date for a bike ride. I was super excited to have a buddy to go riding with me. I was responsible for scoping out the route....which was easy, because I had something in mind.

This was a tough week..I worked out 5 days this week before work and had been up really late each night at the kids play rehearsal. My body was exhausted but my mind was ready. I got up, prepped my bike and I was ready to go.

I met my friend about 1/2 mile from my house and we set off.  It was a beautiful morning..a bit overcast but beautiful nonetheless.  About 3 miles in,  we started up a killer hill. It was tough , but I could handle it. My friend struggled so I doubled back to walk with up the hill with her. In the end, she made it but walked all the hills. We ended up riding about 15 miles... with about 4 really good hills.

It felt so great to be back out again and on a really challenging ride. It didn't feel great to go on a ride that was perhaps too aggressive for my friend. I'll find a few less challenging rides for the two of us...or Maybe I will stick to walking with her and get in a few good solo bike rides..   Better yet, I may just join a riding club.
Posted by No comments:

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

relapse

help
Posted by 1 comment:

If it must be done...do it but why make it unpleasant

So I had a good friend visiting with me this week..and it was fantastic. She is the type of person that makes me feel comfortable and allows me to be myself. So I was sharing my frustration with running - (she, by the way is very fit and fabulous) and she said - Why do you do it if you don't like it?  hmm.. great question.  Well because I want to be better? "But why?" - she asked again?  Because ...I really  I told her that the reason I want to become a better runner is because I am not a great runner and I want to be better. The fact that I am not great is what is driving me to do more.  She said that was a little rebellious answer.  I thought about it and I have to agree with her. I am fighting against what I do well (cycling)...  I have knee issues, now ankle issues, but yet I still get out there and try to act like a runner.

Leave it to Di to have challenge my thinking...

My epiphany this week, was that I don't have to suffer so much. I found a way to run but not hurt Here is what I've done 3 times this week... I've gone to this  great park near my house and I run walk 2.5 times around (which is roughly 3 miles)... I alternate running and walking between the lamp posts. I'm not sure why this works for me but... I like it. The distances are really short ..like 1000 feet. So I run walk every 30 seconds. It looks a little crazy I bet, but it is working for me. Eventually, I'll run 3 walk 1 , etc.  If It must be done, I can at least make it less unpleasant....
Posted by 1 comment:

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Water.... the wonder drug

#1 - 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2 - In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. - Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4 - One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5 - Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6 - Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
#7 - A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
#8 - Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.



#9. Drinking 5 glasses of water decreases likeliness to die from a heart attack by 41%.

Almost 2/3rds of our body IS water:
• Blood is 83% water
• Muscles are 75% water
• The brain is 74% water
• Bone is 22% water

Water - The True Fountain of Youth and Wellness

Simple water -- when it's pure and free of contaminants -- is truly a "wonder drug." Without chemicals, additives, or anything unnatural, a steady dose of 8 glasses of water a day (ideally ½ your body weight in ounces of water):

• Improves Your Energy
• Increases Your Mental and Physical Performance
• Removes Toxins & Waste Products from your bod
• Keeps Skin Healthy and Glowing
• Increases our Metabolism and Helps You Lose Weight
• Reduces Headaches and Dizziness
• Allows for proper Digestion
• Helps to keep you more Alkaline
• Aides your Kidneys, Joints, Back, Brian and is important for Pregnancy

The 2 Great Mistakes
#1 - Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink water. By the time your body feels thirsty you have already suffered the consequences of dehydration and have the reverse effects of the list above.
#2 – Do not turn to sodas (diet ones especially!), coffee, teas, beer or sugar laden synthetic juices to cure your thirst. Many of those options will actually only dehydrate you further (coffees and teas are a natural diuretic and many sodas and beers are made to keep you thirsty) or be a Trojan horse for other stuff you don’t want to ingest.

reposted from Darren Hardy Successcast
Posted by No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

About Me

My photo
West Coast, United States
I am a christian woman, wife, mom to 2 great kids, a member of Delta Sigma Theta, A Jack and Jill mom, sister, daughter . I am also incredibly fit but wasn't always. I am a recovering fat girl - who takes it one day at a time.

Alonda the Triathlete!

Alonda the Triathlete!

The backstory-----How did I become a triathlete...

In February 2006, I went on a ski trip with my new colleagues from work. On the way back, I sat next to a girl named Wendy - a really friendly woman who talked about her experience as a newcomer to Seattle. She told me how her main source of making friends was through her workout buddies. She also mentioned that many of her friends participate in triathlons and that (get this) I should consider doing one too. I thought she might have been delirious from all of the skiing. I assured her that I was not the one. She obviously had mistaken me for someone else. Perhap my heavy coat prevented her from seeing what was underneath (50 lbs of extra weight and lots of evidence of no exercise). She continued with this crazy talk, speaking of how fun it is and how supportive the Danskin Triathlon is. I wanted to be sure that she and I were thinking of the same thing... Triathlon (swim bike run -some huge number of miles -all on the same day right after each other). Yup this was it. I chuckled and told her to have fun.
A few weeks later at the office, she mentioned it again. Now at this time, I had been contemplating joining my company sponsored health club (PROCLUB) and in particular the weight loss program called 20/20. After all, I had really packed on the pounds. I arrived in WA 50lbs overweight and pretty unhappy with myself. I actually started to think that completing triathlon would be a good goal...impossible but a good goal. I decided to go for it. At the same time I also decided to join the weight loss program. My first meeting with my trainer ..Anthony Parker was on 3/14/06. I told him ..in all of my fatness, that I wanted to do a triathlon. He looked at me and said hmmm, ok.
I began this really intense workout and nutrition program and began building my endurance. My first meetings with Anthony consisted of walking on the treadmill for 20 minutes and then doing stairclimber or eliptical for 15 minutes. Followed by a bit of strength training. I did this 3x a week (between 6am and 7:30) and then worked out on my own 2 other days. I had absolutely no endurance and could not run for more than 1 minute. Over the months, my endurance grew ..slowly at first then more rapidly. I also figured that I needed to improve my swimming skills if I was going to swim for 1/2 a mile. I took a Total Immersion Class.. which teaches swimming efficiency. Let's set the record straight here... I could swim well enough to save myself if I was thrown off of a boat. I was a decent (not great) swimmer. At the start of the class, I could do 1 (that's right ONE) lap and then I started breathing heavy. At that point I new the triathlon was totally out of reach. After all 1/2 mile was equal to 20 laps. I left the 1st day of class feeling scared and dismayed that I was too aggressive. Maybe I should have set my goal for 2007.
The next week's class, I asked the teacher what I needed to do to build my endurance. He said just keep at it, it will come. You know what, it did. Each week I got better and better. 4 weeks later I was able to swim 9 laps. I then started swimming before my workouts with my trainer (a little crazy but hey). My trainer was pretty impressed. I also started biking on the weekends. In fact in May I did a 30 mile bike ride as a part of the Tour De Cure for Diabetes. I really love biking...:)
Ok so I still had not tackled the most difficult part, the running. Not only could I not run but I absolutely hated it. I started adding running to my treadmill work. Anthony suggested intervals. We started with 2min run 2 min walk . I did this for weeks extending the time and the speed. I was up to running at 5.5 and walking at 4.0. Then Anthony said ..let's see if you can run a mile. I thought he was kidding. I did not think I was ready for that. This was May 5th (a day after my birthday). Guess what I did it. And I didn't feel like I was going to die. I was on top of the world. All day I had a little extra spring in my step. I just kept replaying in my head the "goal attained" message on the treadmill. I just could not believe it.
I kept it up, continued working out 5x a week. I took another swim class "Triathlon Swim Training" to help even more. This class was filled with drills and specific swim workouts. I really saw progress. By the end of the class, I was able to swim 28 laps. Now the challenge was to swim in Open Water. That's right. The triathlon was going to be in Lake Washington.
I finally felt like I could really do it. I didn't have a specific time goal , my goal was to finish. The week before the race I was sooo nervous. I was doing mini triathlons with a few really good girls. I kept up with them during the swim but one bike ride was particularly hilly and....they left me in the dust. I felt so bad and really began to rethink whether or not I should do the race. I spoke to one of the girsl about my bike performance , and she said that my bike was holding me back. That day, I decided to retire my 35lb mountain bike for a 19 lb feather light road bike. Boy what a differnce. This was a risky thing to do so close to the race but it worked for me.
The other thing to mention is that I met up with a wonderful group of women called the Soul Sistas. They are a group of African American Women of all ages who participate in triathlons and bike races. They are so awesome.We (the soul sistas) took pictures the day before the race... I'll post when available.
So the day of the race..... Everybody in the house is excited and up. My kids and my nieces - who were visiting from NJ are all up and ready to root me on. I left early so that I could get ready.The goal was to meet me by the swim finish. This was alll pretty tricky because there were 40 waves of swimmers starting every 3 minutes. All I can say about the swim is that it felt much longer than 1/2 a mile. I kept focused and didn't get nervous. I focused on keeping my breathing relaxed. It worked ...and by the way I wasn't the last swimmer in my group YEAHHH. I don't know how it all worked out but as soon as I finished my swim, I saw them. Byron , Tyler, Paris, Ahlia and Ivy were all waiting there for me with the most beautiful handmade signs saying GO MOMMY, Go AUNTIE, I love you. It was so terrific. Once I saw them I was energized.... Now on to the bike.
The bike was the best part of the entire race. I love my bike and I love to fly down the road. The entire 14 miles of the race was closed to traffic. Our longest stretch was on the express lane of one of the largest highways. Imagine flying down a highway with nothing in your way (but other riders on your right). It was so amazing. I was going pretty fast but could have gone faster - but wanted to save my legs for the run.
Now the run... I hate running and I am really bad at it. I am slow and not terribly efficient. After biking hard for 40 minutes, your legs are really worked up. During the after bike run, your legs turn into "bricks". They are heavy and hard to move. If you push through , you can get over the feeling and get into a stride. Well I also felt pains in my knee. So instead of running the entire 3.2 miles I decided to walk run. In the end it was actually fine - but while doing it I was a little disappointed. Danskin is great because there are so many supporters on the way. Cheerleaders who are yelling "go for it" from their back porch. It was just what I needed. In fact I heard Destiny's Child Im a survivor , on my way and that was what I used in my head to keep me going.
So when I realize I am about 1/2 mile from the end, I start getting super excited and very emotional. It is all coming together now -- all the training, the visualization of actually crossing the finish line and my waiting family. I got on my cell phone to cal my husband, just to make sure he was at the finisth line. He cracked up that I called:)
When you come close to the finsih line, there are all these spectators lined up waiting for you. It is so great! I ran through a narrow entry to the wide finish line area. And there they were.. my family (My hubby, kids and neices) - with signs and smiles. When I crossed the finish line, my name was announced and the official put a medal around my neck. Well I just lost it and started crying. I could not believe that I had just completed a triathlon. I was officially a triathlete.

Followers