HAWMC - Things I need

Today's Challenge -

"10 Things I Couldn’t Live Without. Write a list of the 10 things you need (or love) most."




So I'm trying to think about 10 things that I couldn't live without. I'm not going to say them in any order because I just honestly don't feel like it, so I'm just going to say them as I think of them. If you know me, these things could change depending on my mood or the season :)




1. The obvious thing would be my family - 


My husband and stepdaughters are important to me so duh!

my mother in law and my mom

my grandmother and I 

granddaddy

2. My Friends

I have some crazy friends that are hilarious and I would be really sad without them

3. Running

I really have decided that as slow as I am and as much as I fight it - I need running. If I have to give everything up (minus yoga), I would give it all up and just run. It's not about fitness or losing weight, it's about being out there, pushing myself and really, it's a meditative activity for me. 

4. Yoga 

If I had to actually give up everything, but one thing, I'd keep yoga. Running #2 :)

5. DESSERT!!

6. Coffee

the weird thing is that I like, love to get coffee in different places. My husband and I will seek out coffee shops in different cities we visit. 

7. Travel 


I LOVE to visit new places. I've been lucky enough to be able to do so and I have actually been to a good number of different countries. Next on my list - Rwanda!!




Actually, it's Seabrook Island, Sc but that's not as exciting, right? 

Boulder, CO

Savannah, GA

Cancun, Mexico

Malta

Rome

Ann Arbor (for you Jane)

8. College Athletics

What I should really say is College Football. And what I mean by college football is Clemson

9. My cat, Leggett

10. And to finish it off - I asked my husband what I should put and he said, "a hair cut"

So... that's ridiculous but that's what he said. 

HAWMC Day 12 - Stream of Consciousness

Today's challenge -

"Stream of Consciousness Day. Start with the sentence “This morning I looked in the mirror...” just write, don’t stop, don’t edit. Post!"




I almost didn't do this post because I just don't really know what to say about it - I don't really look at myself pensively (is that a word) in the morning - but I'll give it a go -


This morning I looked in the mirror and I plucked my eyebrows. For whatever reason, I have some issues with stray eyebrow hairs and I'm CONSTANTLY plucking my eyebrows. When I was in high school, I plucked them almost all the way away. I guess it's like a neuroses of mine. The other weird thing I do is bite the skin off of the inside of my lip. I cant seem to stop doing it. I also try to do too many things at once and get easily distracted. A major part of my job is talking to people on the phone and I tend to look at a million different sites while I do it but then I forget what I'm saying and get lost in thought and then I sound like an idiot. So my new goal has been to make myself focus on the task at hand. It's hard because I feel like I get bored so easily and I think it's probably because I have ADD. I can't really get on the medicine though because of issues Ive had in the past with medicine, so I'm wondering if they have a medicine that's natural that can help with attention issues. You can probably tell by this post that I have attention issues. This is not really how I like to write my blogs because I like to add photos and funny captions and I like my topic to be focused. I'm going to relate this to my health topic though since that's what we're supposed to be doing here. There are two aspects of health that I'm trying to blend and that's finding a healthy, nutritious diet that gives me strength but also learning to enjoy food and "wear life like a loose garment". I think everything in moderation is good or at least not bad and sometimes, I think it's important for us to live and eat. Last night, my husband and I went to this italian place and it was delicious. We had an appetizer that was ravioli with veal, truffles and a sage butter sauce. Not as healthy but so delicious. My main course was a pan seared tuna with a side of purple potatoes, spinach and cabbage. A little healthier option. Then we had dessert. I feel like that was a blend of enjoying the food and ourselves without making myself sick. That's my goal always. Maybe I won't look like Jillian Michaels but I can still love myself and my body because that's an unrealistic goal anyway. That's her job to look like that. My job includes me sitting on my fanny for 10 hours a day. We're going to have different bodies. And that's fine with me. My husband loves my body, so why shouldn't I? And why shouldn't all of us? 




That's where I'll end. I hope that was enjoyable to read because that's what my mind is like all of the time. It's exhausting. 




Namaste!

Training & O/B

This morning, our assignment was out & backs. I know I've explained these before, but now that I've experience several times, including twice this week, I'd like to expand.

First - let me remind you what they are -

Out & Backs - "the objective is to control your pace on the way out and then return 2-5"/minute faster on the way back. i.e. if you ran out for 2', then your return trip shouldn't be faster than 1:50. If so, then run out harder on the next set. The recovery is 60". "




Our first week, the time frame was 2 minutes, second week was 3 minutes, today was 4 minutes. 




Here is a picture of me doing 2 minute out & backs

Wiki

Here is a picture of me doing 3 minute out & backs

source, I'm on the left

Me doing 4 minute out & backs

source

The thing is, I can do anything for 2 minutes. I can keep up with the best of them for 2 minutes. Surprisingly, I did okay on the 2 minute out & backs, even though they were 4 minutes total because I did a pretty good job of pushing myself/pacing myself to come back quickly. 

Fast forward to an 8 full minutes of essentially running at a faster pace, I struggled. In addition to the challenge of that, I had to figure out how to adjust my pace to go up hill. Our out was up hill, and our back was downhill. The difference between your out and back can't be more than 5-10 seconds per minute out so it's not like I could just chill going out and kill it on the hill coming back. No - I had to actually push hard up the hill, but not too hard that I pooped out before the top of the hill and not too hard that I couldn't punch it coming back so that I would beat the 4 minutes. AAAGUUUUGHHUAHGUAHKLHAUHRJEDFUAHG

But I will say that if this doesn't make me faster, nothing will! 

Have you ever done out & backs? 

Do you like tempo/speed work?

WILW - Church Style

Thanks Jamie!

So for whatever reason, I have been really wanting to go visit a Catholic Church for a while. I have a pretty strong prayer and meditation practice, but for whatever reason, have really been thinking about Catholic Church. I talked to a couple of women in my life that I really look up to (both of them Catholic) & they recommended a church in Greenville, St Anthony's of Padua. 

source

What better time to visit a church than during Easter!!! It was so awesome!! Turns out, this is the first African American Catholic Church in Greenville. The priest, Father Pat, is a wonderful man. He has taken a vow of pverty and has done extensive work with the homeless. In the last year, he has raised $4.2 million dollars for their catholic school. What makes this so important is that in the area of the Greenville the school is located has a graduation rate (elementary) in the 30 percentile. But St Anthony's school's graduation rate is in the 90 percentile! What a wonderful opportunity for children in an area where school doesn't seem as important!! 

Also, the had a gospel choir that was amazing. The church just felt so alive and I really actually felt like I was home even though 1) I'm not catholic and 2) I've never been there. I DEFINITELY want to go back (maybe this weekend). 

As we left, there was a little booklet that we grabbed that has a daily prayer for 30 days after Easter. I have been reading it daily and it's been really interesting. It tells of stories of the disciples and Mary Magdalene, etc. In the reading today, it was talking about the invisible disciple and that the invisible disciple's greatest asset was how much he loved Jesus. Then it said that we don't have to have faith, but if we just love God as much as we can, the faith will come. That really made an impression on me! And of course, it said it more eloquently than I'm saying it. 

Anyways, that's what I'm loving today!!! 

What about you?? 

HAWMC - Day 11 - My Theme Song

Today's Health Activist's Writer's Challenge is to write our own theme song.

"Theme song. Imagine your health focus or blog is getting its own theme song. What would the lyrics be? What type of music would it be played to?"




Since I'm not singer/songwriter, let's just find a theme song that fits my personality :)


Let me think about the criteria first - 


1) I'd like it to be upbeat - Although I love a slow song, instead of being so serious, I'd like it to be fun and have a lot of energy


2) It has to have a positive message. 


So let's see.....




 I started looking at songs by the Judds because I'm really into the Judds right now, but as much as I love them, they don't necessarily have the "theme" I'm looking for. I also tried to find something by Randy Travis, but can't seem to find that either 




BUT I FINALLY FOUND THE SONG!!!




drum roll please....

"Unwritten"

source

I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Oh, oh, oh

I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten

Oh, yeah, yeah

I just feel like it sends a message that we should be ourselves and make our own decisions without influence from others because it's about all perception. What one person perceives as bad may be great for someone else! 




So that's my theme song. Love it! 


If I were going to have another song that had nothing to do with anything, I would do 


Grandpa, Tell me bout the good ole days by the Judds - just because I love hearing about stories from older people about times in the past :)




What would be your theme song? 

HAWMC - Day 10 - Letter to my 16 yr old self

To be honest, I did not want to do today's challenge. But since I missed Saturday and Sunday's topic, then I figured I'd go ahead and do it.

The challenge for today is to write a letter to my 16 year old self.

"Dear 16-year-old-me. Write a letter to yourself at age 16. What would you tell yourself? What would you make your younger self aware of?"




Again, to go back to the Superpower post, I wouldn't tell my 16 year old self anything. 


1) I wouldn't listen. People much wiser than I was tried to tell me many things during my teen years and I simply wasn't having it. I am strong willed. I like to learn things the hard way. I didn't believe anyone else could ever possibly understand me and therefore, didn't know what they would or should be doing. So the idea that I could have even been effective seems impossible to me. 


2) While I've many plenty of mistakes in my past, and have done lots and lots of bad things, every single one of those things was necessary for me to get where I am right now. Who knows how different I might be had I not experience everything I did. I am a very big believer in the idea that everything in life happens for a reason and while I don't necessarily believe that every thing is predetermined, I do think that the universe is always working in our favor to support us. So - good, bad, and the ugly, had a purpose. 




So if someone offered me an opportunity to talk to my 16 year old self, I would turn it down. 


What about you? 
What would you say to your younger self? 

Workouts & a Bonfire

Last weeks workouts were this -

workout 1
5 x 45 strides
4 x 1/4 repeats at mile TT minus 5 seconds

workout 2
4 x 3' out & backs

workout 3
40-60' alternate 1 mile easy, with 1 mile sub 5k goal 2-3x


I was supposed to run tuesday, thursday and saturday. But I got messed up so I got workout 1 done on thursday and that was it. Yeah, not great. So yesterday, I did workout #2 and today started on this weeks' workouts which are

workout 1
5 x 45 strides
4 x 1/4 repeats at mile TT minus 5
I did this workout this morning


workout 2
3 x 4' out & backs
I will do this thursday


workout 3
easy 30-40' run
I will actually be doing the Greenville Mud Run


I will work in workout #3 from last week into wednesday of this week probably & will be caught up :)

This morning's run felt so so so good! It was hard, but it was good.

This weekend, we had a bonfire and made smores, yum!!

that's me making smores and my husband doing something, I don't know. 

the photo was taken with a phone camera, so not as pretty

I also made a lemon cake this weekend from a recipe I found on Pinterest

it was a recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart via Marsha McComas

And finally on Sunday, I got to relax and read my new book!

I probably should've been working on workout #3, but oh well!

How was your weekend? 

Did you do anything fun for Easter? 

Namaste y'all!

HAWMC Day 9 - Keep Calm and Carry On

Today's Challenge -

"Keep calm and carry on. Write (and create) your own Keep Calm and Carry On poster. Can you make it about your condition? Then go to (

http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

) and actually make an image to post to your blog."

make your own

This is a simplified version of all of the life lessons I've learned throughout my thirty one (almost thirty two) years I've been alive. I'm trying to figure out the best way to sum up why I've chosen this mantra for today. I really could list all of the experiences I've had that have lead to this conclusion, but that would take FOREVER. So here is my attempt to make it brief and interesting - 

All of my life, I have had this quest to be perfect. For whatever reason, I have always had this thought that to make a mistake is completely unacceptable. Having this mindset has helped to set me up for some major disappointments considering I am human and humans make mistakes. The way this seems to have manifested itself into my life over the past several years has been through body image & money. 

Body Image - 

Here is my cycle when it comes to food/eating - I try to "diet" because I think I need to lose weight (FYI - I have ALWAYS thought I needed to lose weight, no matter what size) because when I lose weight, and I'm at ________(insert number here) lbs, I will be happy. The diet I choose is to difficult to maintain, I cheat on my diet, insert guilty feeling because I can't seem to "control" myself and eat healthy, so I'm destined to be overweight since I can't control myself. I am somehow inherently bad. 

Money 

Take the paragraph above, remove words with food and diet and replace with money and budget. Remove the word overweight, replace with the word unstable financially. 

I am reading this book right now called "It's not about the Money" 

order it on amazon

So far, I'm in the beginning where it talks about "The Wanting Mind". It says that having a wanting mind has served us through the years because it helps us survive. We are predisposed to "want" things such as a more secure place to live, food, etc. This can also create a sense of dissatisfaction in our lives. This is where the "I'll be happy when I achieve this _____" comes from. 

When he started discussing this, I laughed to myself because I can think of so many examples. I told myself when I started saving money that once I achieved a cash savings of 6 months salary, I would feel secure. But when I achieved that goal, which I did do, I thought to myself, "Oh, that must not be right, I really actually need _____ amount". It's the same with weight, job, everything. 

How this applies is that, I can never seem to accept my current circumstances and be proud of where I am. Knowing that it's in my genetics to think I should always want more makes me feel a little better about myself, simply because it explains why I'm always feeling that way. 

The other piece of this - 

I am human. Everyone makes mistakes. When I make a mistake, I don't need to beat myself up about it. I will give you an example. I am one who used to love to gossip. The more I've tried to become a better person, the more I realize that gossiping is not something I want to do. It's hurtful to the person I'm gossiping with and the person I'm gossiping about. So I try very hard not to do it. The other day, I found myself falling into that old habit once again, gossiping about someone and IMMEDIATELY, I realized what I was doing. I apologized to the person and explained, I'm gossiping. I don't want to gossip. I apologize for gossiping. Then, I continued to beat myself up about it for two days. I was talking to another friend about how bad I felt for gossiping and why did I fall back into that old behavior. Then, she mentioned, 1) at least I noticed it in the middle of what I was doing and 2) that I apologized immediately. Can I just notice that's growth because before, I would've just kept gossiping. 

I'm going to make mistakes. We all are. That's why we are human. If we were all perfect, nothing would ever be wrong in the world. BUT, if I get up on a daily basis and make a promise to myself that 

1 - I'm not going to overreact 

and 

2 - I'm going to love myself no matter what happens

then I can get through anything. 

Namaste, y'all!