Supplemental Training

Grateful for challenging days. J

Today I am going to write about supplemental training and adding it to your main training. I have been doing some weight training and this week I will add Insanity in place of the supplemental training I was doing. The main reason I am doing this is to just keep my body guessing. I mean running is obviously my one constant, but I need some diversity though. So, to do this, I add it through my supplemental training.

Adding Insanity once or twice a week as cross training is beneficial in a couple of ways. The first way is to add some spice [see above] just so I don’t get bored. The second way Insanity is beneficial is because Insanity is a HIIT (High Intensity Interval) program. It will improve my endurance and help me keep on track.

Perfect!

I am not a coach for or affiliated with Insanity or other Beach Body products like P90X or Chalean Extreme. I just like working out at home and have found many quality DVDs over the years and Beach Body has plenty of them.  I have a lot of fitness DVDs as a whole. These keep me from getting bored.

The best advice I can give for training and adding additional training listen to your body. It’s okay to add supplemental training, but know your body and make sure you don’t over train.

Well that’s my subject for the day.

Train smart and enjoy your journey!

 

 

Meditation

 

I am grateful for insightful friends

 I had been struggling with getting quality sleep for a couple weeks now.  This in turn was affecting, not only me getting my mileage in, but also the quality of training I was getting. I had been talking to my friend Andrea about this during that time. She asked me to meet with her on a break on Thursday afternoon, because she had something for me. My friend Andrea is very much into yoga and meditation and she gave me meditation or mala beads. They are 108 beads that are in a necklace formation and help center you when you meditate.  You chose a calming mantra and go from bead to bead saying his mantra. She and her husband had made them for me. I was stunned. I am not used to others being concerned for me, and even with my anxiety and depression I am usually the strong silent independent type. So, to receive such a gift literally left me speechless. Which if you ask any of my friends so not like me at all! J

If I am being honest meditation is very hard for me. I have a hard time keeping my thoughts centered. Usually my mind is racing thinking about things I need to do an hour from now or the next day. Getting my brain to calm down is really hard. This is why I was having a hard time sleeping my brain won’t shut up. At this point I was taking a sleep aide and anti-anxiety just to get to sleep. This is fine as my doctor had prescribed it to me. I didn’t like doing it, as I didn’t feel like I was getting quality sleep.  So, when I received this gift I researched Mantra’s and came up with one that fit me.  Then 15 minutes before bedtime I took a half of a sleep aide only and meditated using the beads and my mantra.  What happened? I had the best nights sleep in probably a month. Woke up early feeling refreshed and did a short morning meditation and got a quick run in. Believe me when I say that rarely happens! When it does I am usually very lethargic and literally dragging myself out of bed. Today though felt completely refreshed and ready for whatever the day brought.

I may not know much about meditation but after today I am going to make a real effort to fit it into my morning and nightly routine. Thank you so much Andrea for this unexpected gift. I think it will help with my training but in the bigger picture I think it will help decrease my anxiety and my depression. Well, just wanted to share my experience with you all. Have a great weekend and enjoy the journey.

 

 

Fear

I am grateful for colorful nail polish J

 What you are grateful for day to day may change, but whatever you are grateful for write it down. Many times it will make you smile when you need to smile most.

Today I am talking about FEAR. This is a difficult subject for me since I have General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Panic Disorder. Fear, for me, is different.  Fear is a part of my daily life. I seem to be afraid of something all the time.  Fear for me is the root of all my excuses. These are just some examples.  I can’t run because potentially injuring myself. Insanity (high interval training work out DVD’s) looks too scary. What if it is to hard on my body and I have a heart attack? Seems pretty extreme doesn’t it? Hell even walking across a busy street my brain will go to the extreme. This is the way someone’s brain works when you have GAD. You are constantly taking a situation and thinking what the worse possible scenario is. Therapists call it Catastrophizing.  Looking at a situation and thinking something catastrophic is going to happen even when there is no basis for it.

 I don’t let it beat me though. I use deep breathing exercises to calm me down when I can feel myself starting to get anxious. I also use my Cognitive Behavioral Therapy instructions as a means to talk me down from my metaphorical ledge.  I have a much better hold on it than I did years ago or I wouldn’t even be trying to train for half marathons. There are those who have GAD and panic disorder much worse than me and it can be debilitating.  Thankfully with the therapy I have had this is not the case with me anymore.

 I will not allow Fear to control what I do in life. Life has not limits and anything you want to do you can do! As long as you don’t allow fear or excuses to derail you from what you really want to do. Have a wonderful week, and as always enjoy the journey.

.

 

P.S. Remember anything I talk about in my blog is my opinion from my own experience. I am not a doctor or trainer.  I am the same as you, fumbling along in life to make my life better because we all deserve that. I implore you though if you need help get help. You deserve it!

Failure is not an Option

I am grateful for days off and sleeping in

 

I decided to change my format a little. Before each of my blog post I will write something I am grateful for today. Gratitude makes every day better.

 So, I was going to write about fear today, but on my day off I had an epiphany. This came during a moment when I was cleaning my office. I was going through all of my books and I noticed how many I had on fitness and nutrition. I also noticed I had put together binders with schedules for running, losing weight, or training in general. Normally I would look at this and say “Crap I am such a failure look at how many times I tried to do something and how many times I quit!”  Then probably run to the nearest gas station and buy donuts, gummy bears, and other fat and sugar laden foods. Then sit in front of the TV eating everything blindly switching channels until a sugar coma commenced. LOL oh dear, that is kind of embarrassing. but remember I said I wasn’t going to sugar coat anything.

 Today, though, I looked at it and went hmmm yes I have tried training before only to fail. I have bought numerous books on the subjects of running and nutrition and they sat in my office collecting dust. This wasn’t my first though. My first thought was running, fitness, and nutrition are important to me and something I feel passionately about or I wouldn’t continue to try and fail, and try and succeed. The first time I failed I would have just quit taken all these books to a local used book store and never given it any thought any more. But I haven’t I am usually always thinking about running and fitness. Even in my darkest days when I could barely drag myself off the couch let alone go for a run fitness has always been on my mind. For me it is not just a passing fancy that I will forget about in a week. It is something I feel strongly about and I know this will never change.

 So my question to you is what do you feel strongly about?  What is something that you have perhaps failed in the past but you are constantly trying to achieve? Something you think about all the time.  Don’t get down on yourself for the times you have failed or not done it  pick yourself back up and get back at it. When you do achieve it you will feel like you just won the lottery. Well have a great weekend everyone, and enjoy the journey.

 P.S. any comments on my blogs or suggestions you would like to see me write about it greatly appreciated. Just let me know in the comments section or email me at paula.applen@gmail.com.

 

Excuses

Yesterday I was sick and decided not to push myself and I didn’t get my run in. It was the right decision but that will be 2 days since I have run, and that is where excuses come in for me.  I take to many days off and 2 becomes 4, 4 becomes 6 and before you know it a week has gone by and I didn’t get any training in. This has happened to me in the past and it all boils down to excuses and how bad you want something.

I was the QUEEN of excuses… “Oh I am depressed today, work was crappy, didn’t get enough sleep, it is too late”…. Any of these sound familiar?  When a friend of mine suggested doing a half marathon in November I really thought about why I wanted to do it. What it came down to was I had to quit worrying about being slow or what others thought of me; I am not competing with anyone but myself. And in reality excuses for me boiled right down to fear. Fear of being to slow. Fear of people mocking me.  Fear of embarrassing myself.  So, excuses were easy to make.

 Well the more excuses I made for myself the worse I felt.  Which in turn triggered my anxiety and depression which made is SOOOO much easier to sit around and do nothing. I had the best excuse of them all. I was going thru a clinical depressive episode. Now please don’t think I am making light of this I am not, but for me, someone who is very aware of her depression and anxiety episodes, I was using it as an excuse.  I knew what I needed to do to help me thru this episode, but I would take the easy way out.  No more! Life is too short to not do the things you want to do just because of excuses and fear. So, the next time you cannot do a run really think about your reason to do your run. Is it an actual reason or an excuse? Be HONEST with yourself. It is not easy to do but in the long run you will be thankful.

 We delved into fear a little tonight but with my next post I will talk about that more. Until then enjoy the journey… excuse free.

What you think matters

This is just going to be s short write up today since I am beat. I got my long run in today, 6.5 miles. So I am halfway to the half marathon mileage.  Was it hard? Yes, am I glad I did it? Hell yes. It means I am making progress, and I am feeling more confident about being able to do the half marathon on 11/30.  And confidence and mind games are half the battle when it comes to running and doing races or anything for that matter. If you think you cannot do it well then you are right. You more than likely can’t. I have to remind myself of this daily, since I am my own worse enemy.  Other people can tell me, I am crazy for doing a half marathon in November in MN. They are not the ones that matter. What I say and think matters.  

So, remember that when you are contemplating doing a endurance sport, writing a blog, writing a book,  or any other goal that seems out of your reach, what you think matters.  If something seems particularly crazy or scary remember anyone that has done anything worth doing was scared at some point. They believed in themselves and kept trudging away at it, and made it to their destination. These people are no different than you  or I they believed in themselves and we can too.  Well, I am going to rest and chill the rest of the night.  Again enjoy the journey.

 

 

Thank you

I just wanted to say thank you to Trish Blackwell for pushing me to do this blog, and for mentioning my blog on her podcast. When I was unsure about doing it, she was always 100% confident in me. I am eternally grateful

If anyone wants a wonderful website to help with confidence and being comfortable in your own skin http://www.trishblackwell.com/ is a wonderful resource. Her weekly podcasts are inspirational and motivational.

Enjoy the Journey

Sleep

The importance of sleep in your daily life has been written about to the point of exhaustion (no pun intended). Today though, I am going to write about sleep in relation to training for a physically demanding endurance sport such as running a half marathon.

 Sleeping, for me, on a personal level, can be very difficult. If I get in 7 hours of sleep I count myself lucky. The primary reason is I suffer from General Anxiety Disorder or GAD and Clinical Depression. As I wrote earlier I won’t sugar coat anything when it comes to my training and lack of sleep is a big part of training. I’m not going to hide or talk around this, since that is part of the problem. People are afraid to talk about mental illness because of the stigma that comes with it, but by not talking about it you are just adding to that stigma. So, I will openly talk about GAD and clinical depression as it pertains to my training.  

 When it comes to GAD and sleep they are in direct contrast to each other. My brain won’t stop worrying about things therefore I am unable to sleep.  My brain won’t shut down for the day, and therefore I cannot get to sleep and am too tired to get up to train in the morning. When I don’t train in the morning I attempt to do it after work. This only works 50-60% of the time and I become extremely inconsistent with my training. So if you don’t get enough sleep you won’t recharge your batteries, you will hit a wall, and your training will get off track. This is something that has happened to me many times.

 There are a number of ways that I try to deflect this and “calm” down before bed time. These can be used by anyone whether you suffer from GAD or random insomnia.

 

1. Got to bed the same time every night as consistently as you can
2. 30 minutes before bed unplug for the day TV, phone, etc..
3. Meditation- which can be hard to do but if you work at it, it does the trick
4. Don’t train late at night it will actually wake you up
5. When you do go to bed make sure it is pitch black and there is no artificial light

These are just suggestions and things that I have learned over the years. If insomnia is something that has been going on for a long time do not hesitate to check with your doctor. Sleep is too important.

 So, make sure you get plenty of sleep that is on of the single most important things you can do for yourself and your body.  Happy training and may sleep be something that you have in over abundance. Until the next time enjoy the journey.

 

BONUS TIP: Drink 8 ounces of water just prior to going to sleep and it will help get you moving in the morning and be more alert.

 

 

My Journey to a Happy, Healthy Fit Life

            My name is Paula and I live in MN with my husband and 3 cats.  I like to write, read, train for races and I am constantly working towards improving myself. J I like sports and cheering for the Vikings as football is my favorite sport.   I also have an artistic flair to me.  It’s not uncommon to see me wearing blue nail polish, with a spiky, deep dark red haircut, and some dramatic makeup. Sometimes the drama is in the form of eye makeup, lipstick, or both. It all depends on the day and my mood.  I love to read an assortment of genres anywhere from books, to comic books. I like it all.

Now that you know a little about me, welcome to my blog. The purpose of this blog is primarily for accountability for me. If friends, family or some stranger stumbles upon it and you get any kind of motivation, inspiration or hell if it even just makes you smile, then that makes me happy.

Today I make a promise to myself that a year from now in 2014 I will be in peak shape, the best shape of my life so far. I added the “so far” because life is a journey of highs and lows and there is always room for improvement, so life therefore is a process, that we can constantly change and improve upon.

With my goal of getting in the best shape of my life so far, you may wonder how I will measure this…. No not thru weight or being the thinnest (I hate that word) I can be that will only get you so far… that will never be enough for me. So on November 30^th I am doing a half marathon (which I have done before but I am not going to think about the past I am working on the present) my intention is to run/walk this half marathon with the intention of finishing.  I don’t care how fast I am I just want to finish. Midway thru the years promise I plan on doing another half marathon and then almost at the one year mark I will do a third half marathon. At the end of my promise I anticipate my endurance will improve, my confidence will be high, and I will be strong both inside and out, and a new PR to boot for my half marathon. But in reality the way I feel inside will be how I measure my success. J

Many may wonder why am I starting with a half marathon when I cannot run a 5k straight.  Why not start smaller?  Honestly that is no my personality. Go big or go home is the way I have always been J  and in the process I am hoping to work on 2 traits that have never been my strongest, consistency and patience.  By spreading it out over a year I will have setbacks and will struggle with it and to be perfectly blunt I will want to quit faster than a bag of gummy bears disappear when I am depressed, and this is where my blog will come into play. I hope my reading and writing of this blog it will be a sort of meditation for me that will help me accept my struggles and continue with my training and work thru my impatience rather than quitting like I have in the past.

So, if you want to, come along on this journey with me or if not that is alright too. J  I’m doing it either way.  I will write two or three times a week.  You will read about me trying new healthy dishes the good and the bad J  You will hear of my ups  and downs of training (I won’t sugar coat it)  And other personal aspects of my life that make me who I am . This is a challenge for me because I am a pretty quiet person, who likes to help others, but I also have clinical depression which can stop me from doing things in life and spreading my wings and trying new experiences. I know I need o t learn to express myself better and this blog is my start of that. I do much better writing my thought down to work through them but I am terrible at writing in a daily journal hence the blog. Well, time to put some miles on my shoes.

 

Happy journey everyone.