Mental Game & Ear pain

For this week, I thought I'd dive deeper into the issue of mental toughness when training and also fill you in on my ear situation...

Mind Over Matter

After a quick second of research, I stumbled across an article from Runner's World online discussing exactly what I struggled with on Monday's run - the mental aspect of running.

Noakes suggests, “If you want to be competitive, you have to learn how to deal with the discomfort. A lot of the heavy, good physical training is about training the brain to cope with discomfort.”

Coping with discomfort is an idea that I'm interested in.  Most behavioral scientists will tell you that humans tend to exert more energy to avoid discomfort that to gain pleasures.  Someone who's starving will work harder to get anything to eat that someone who's already full will work towards dessert.  This makes sense from a biological standpoint -- one doesn't need dessert, but needs a proper meal.

Apparently, the brain has its own type of governor - a mechanism that doesn't really allow you to work to the point of complete exhaustion.  You'll feel like you're giving the full 100%, but it's probably closer to 70%.  This is a survival tactic for the body and the brain.  After all, if you were able to push to the full level of complete and utter exhaustion every time you hit the gym, your ambulance bill would be sky high!

For each person, this is different - of course -- and with training you can push yourself to use up more and more of your energy.  One does this by essentially ignoring the body's "stop it" signals and pushing even more.  Ignoring the pain, cramping, or negative talks is easier said (typed) than done.  See the brain is smart (duh) and knows ways of making you quit, so it takes serious mental fortitude to make this happen.  It also takes lots and lots of practice.

I've found that when I'm distracted (by music, a book on tape, or my own thoughts) the runs go by easier and with less noteable exertion.  It's when my head's all over the place that I really feel I have to force each step.

Runner's World magazine recommend various tactics to occupy your thoughts while running including; replaying your favorite movie in your head or listening to it play on your ipod and imagine the scenes, do math!!, make up a story, play the alphabet game (or any road trip game really, especially if you don't run alone), making a to-do list, organizing your day/week/month, or even try meditation -- allowing the thoughts to come and go as they please without forcing the issue.

Ear Pain

Randomly, I woke up this morning with ear pain and a sore throat -- but all on my left side.  There are no other signs or symptoms, nor have I had any symptoms in previous days.  I'm concerned that it's an ear infection or something sinister, so I'm up and ready to call my Primary Care physician to hopefully swing by today.  I really don't like this feeling!  It is definitely worse when I lay down, so I tossed and turned most of the night away.  

I was scheduled to run today, but I definitely feel my body could use an active recovery day (pilates and stretching later) since I'm upping my mileage.  This will allow my ear and throat to recover too.  I was WIPED OUT yesterday after the 4 mile training run (in the 85 degree heat and 95% humidity), so I'm glad to recover!

For today, I will be happily recovering and hydrating while nursing my sore ear and throat :(

How do you handle the mental aspect of running/training?

Do you ever have a negative inner voice?  How does it affect you?  How do you handle it?

What makes you keep going?

Let me know in the comments below ^_^

Thursday's Thoughts & Things

This week, my mind has been on MOVIES!!!  It's super hot outside, which means I'm happy inside with my AC... and NETFLIX, AMAZON, and YOUTUBE!

Sugar!

I watched That Sugar Film -- which is essentially a documentary a kin to SuperSize Me only the narrator eats 40 teaspoons of sugar per day instead of binging on McDonald's.

Damon is the star of the film as well as the sole participant in this one man experiment.  He and his wife live off of "clean" foods -- a somewhat Paleo diet that's focused around lean proteins, healthy fats, and fresh produce.  This starting point, so the movie claims, will be a stark juxtaposition to what a "normal" diet would consist of.

The rules were simple, he's supposed to consume no more than 40 teaspoons of sugar per day while consuming only "healthy" foods; things labeled as low fat or a healthier option.  He stayed away from "junk" foods; milkshakes, candies, etc... and focused on "hidden sugars" or sugars that you wouldn't suspect a food to contain.  Foods like pasta sauce and crackers are full of these hidden sugars, but so are lowfat yogurt options.

Apparently, as foods are lowered in fat they are also raised in sugar to keep them palatable.

In one scene, the first breakfast of the experiment, Damon reached 20 teaspoons of sugar in one meal.  This breakfast consisted of cereal, a glass of orange juice, and lowfat yogurt.  It shocked me to think that this is a "normal" breakfast for so many.  To start the day with so much sugar, but very few nutrients, is dizzying.

The film is set in Australia, but travels to the US for portions of the film.  One portion of the film discusses the plight of the aborigines as they struggle on the "Standard" Australian Diet.  As they were living completely off the land less than  100 years ago, their rapidly declining health is attributed almost solely to the shift in diet from whole foods to sodas, chips, and crackers.

I would definitely recommend this as a watch for anyone focused on fully nourishing their bodies... it'll start a habit of checking labels on foods & eating single ingredient foods with sunshine in them!

Ex Machina

This one was a recommendation from a friend and is a sci-fi meets thriller that'll leave you thinking.

Hubby and I discussed this during and after the film. 

Basically, this movie discusses Artificial Intelligence and how one computer might pass the Turing Test -- a way to gauge whether a computer has consciousness or not.

Caleb, a young coder, wins his company's contest to spend a week with the boss at his massive and very high tech estate.  The boss, a la Steve Jobs, is a weird and intense and slightly off dude with lots to share. 

At this estate/research facility, Caleb meets Ava -- the AI prototype developed and in need of testing.

Very intense... but super engaging

I recommend watching -- but maybe with your spouse or your friends, so you'll have someone to discuss it with!

Movies I'd like to see

Free State of Jones

Suicide Squad

Star Trek Beyond

Ghostbusters

Miss Peregrines School for Peculiar children

Doctor Strange

Rogue One

**Note, most of these will not come out until later this year -- but I'M SO READY TO SEE THEM!!   :-D

What movies are you watching this summer?  

Do you have a favorite film that keeps you thinking?

 What's your favorite movie genre?

Let me know in the comments below ^_^ 

Thursday's Thoughts & Things...

It's that day of the week again, where I share random thoughts and things from my life.  Do you like these types of posts?  Should I keep doing this?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Father's Day

With Sunday being Father's Day, I can't help but think about my own Papa.  We normally don't do anything crazy for our father's (my dad and my father in law) -- since they don't like the attention.  Well, at least they don't claim to like the attention.  Usually we'll do a card or a small gift.  If we're in town or nearby we'll do a meal either at home or at the restaurant of their choice.

I'm considering starting a new tradition... text blasts.

My parents are new to texting, but have really taken a liking to it for the past two years.  Really, since my mom got an iphone and discovered the pure joy of emoji's... and the ease of switching from an English to a Korean keyboard.  These things are much easier on an iphone than on the other phones they used.

My plan is to get out as many old photos as possible and just start texting them to him one after another starting as God-Awful-Early as I can.  There's a really good one where we both had awesome bedhead.  It's my #1.

Random Father Story

The story that best summarizes the relationship my dad had with my toddler self is how I woke him up from one particular nap.  

He was working nights at the time, so he was always asleep when we were awake and gone while we were asleep.  I wasn't more than 3 or 4 and must've been missing my daddy terribly at the time.

Usually, he would get home, shower, eat, and then head to bed.  He would always make sure the bedroom door was closed and the rule was no going in unless the door is opened.  Once he'd slept enough, he'd swing the door open and come on out to play with us and hang out.

My mother must've gone into the bedroom for something and forgotten to close the door after her.  The way my dad tells it, she did this on purpose when she decided he had slept enough.  Either way, the open door was the cue that it was officially, "daddy's awake" time.

As the ninja I have always been and definitely was, I stealthily launched into a full sprint from the end of the hallway to the foot of the bed where I proceeded to do a full tuck jump and land knees first into his back.

You see, my pop sleeps on his tummy (or did on this day), so he took both knees into his back as a gentle nudge to consciousness.

 It was awesome!!

If you ask him, it was debilitatingly painful.  So let's not ask him.... Awesome it is.

When Eminem is your hype man

I played this song on repeat -- Till I Collapse -- The first minute... motivates me!

Do you have any fond memories of your father(s)?  

What do you normally do to celebrate?  

Who's your hype man/woman?  

Is there a certain song that just gets you going?

Let me know in the comments below ^_^

Thursday's Thoughts & Things

Good evening all!

Here are some thoughts from my Thursday

Why does Pilates feel like so good?

After days of strength training and running, my dabbling in pilates today felt AMAZING.  The stretching and lengthening of my tight muscles make me feel relaxed (like I do after a yoga session) but working some of my minor muscles and my abs also felt like I was actually toning... Not that yoga or stretching isn't toning, it just doesn't feel like a toning/strengthening workout.

I really liked the feeling of engaging muscles that hadn't been worked in a while and will definitely include a pilates workout into my routine next Thursday!

"Rolls" & creases - NSG

NSG = "No Scale Goal"

I thought of this randomly today, but I wanted to set a no scale goal for myself.  Normally, fitting into my clothing or looking better in certain outfits is my loose goal.  Today, I thought a better goal, which is a tad more specific, should be to no longer have a belly "roll" or a crease created by my belly fat hanging over my waistband!

Maybe this is a bit too much info, but my belly is my absolute least favorite body part.  It's always been my trouble zone since I'm technically an apple shape.  Whenever I start gaining weight, you can immediately see it round my tummy.  Unfortunately, it's also the last thing that starts to shrink when I lose weight. 

Having a round tummy (a la Winnie the Pooh) limits me in certain yoga poses and pilates moves -- simply because my gut prevents me from bending all the way. 

I'll reach this No Scale Goal, not when I hit a certain number, but when my tummy shrinks to the point where there's no longer this "overhang" or "apron" of fat creating a crease where my waistband is.  (Does this make sense?)

Snap-Obsessed!

Relatively recently, since I'm not one of these young hip types, I've become obsessed with Snapchat!  The fun filters, disappearing chats, and daily stories have helped to fill the void that comes with summer time. 

I love using it as an accountability measure - snapping moments in my workouts or pics of my meals and sharing with all my friends makes me want to make better choices!

Also, the occasional pup pic -- because my doggy love is strong.

 

What are some of your thoughts from today?
 Do you set "No Scale Goals" for yourself?
 Do you have any trouble zones where you see your weight gain? 

Let me know in the comments below ^_^

Thoughts & Things for your Thursday

I have a few thoughts and things to share today -- most of which are centered around one gnawing fact:  I keep waking up at 3am and can't get back to sleep!

My issue of waking up at the Devil's Hour hasn't happened every night -- but it has happened often enough that it's becoming a problem.  It seems to only happen on days when I haven't had a run or a workout -- and it only seems to happen during the summer months. 

This struck me as odd, because I'm usually super stressed out during semesters and much more calm and peaceful during breaks (summer & winter breaks).

Some research

Of course I turned to Google -- I searched and searched and stumbled upon a few different theories:

• Something in chinese medicine associates this time period (2-3am) with the liver?
• Catholics associate this time (around 3am) with the Devil's hour and some have reported seeing doors close or dark figures lurking as they awake in a panic
• Adrenal gland issues?
• Low blood sugar -- due to spiking sugar throughout the day.

Which is it?

I'm not going to rule anything out -- but the Low Blood sugar option seems like the easiest place to start.  If it's something more sinister I'll need a medical professional or an exorcism!

What am I going to?

My main concern is that my body is somehow out of whack.  For me, falling asleep and staying asleep is the ultimate prize at the end of each day.  The more restful sleep I get, the more I'm motivated to do good works the next day.  The more tossing and turning I do, the more worthless I am the next day.

So my plan is three fold:

1. Workout or run each day - hopefully this will exhaust me enough to sleep all night
2. Watch my blood sugar - by watching what I'm consuming and limiting the bad stuff (ie. refined or simple sugars or simple carbs without protein during meals, too much snacking, lots of processed junk) I'm hoping to balance this blood sugar thing out.  I'm also going to try to have a small snack before bed of an apple and almond butter or carrots and peanut butter.
3. Track my nights of no sleep -- hopefully by collecting more and more data, I'll begin to see larger trends.

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night?  

What do you do to fall back to sleep?  

Do you watch your blood sugar? Any tips and tricks would be great!

Share your experiences & let me know in the comments below ^_^

  

Thursday Things

Hello!!  Here are some things from my Thursday

Hubby lost 8 pounds!!

Randomly, my hubby weighs in and sees an 8 pound loss!  How amazing!  The only things we've been doing are (1) cooking foods he likes & trying out new recipes and (2) strength training together.

To see such a huge weight loss is super encouraging -- especially since he wasn't "really trying".  Meaning he's not on a strict diet or weight loss program and he's not on a strict workout regiment.

I think the key for my hubby's success is to lean into the fact that he's not super strict with himself -- He likes to go with the flow and do what feels right in the moment.  Maybe this will work for him?

As for me, I prefer schedules and routines -- it's an anxiety thing.

Anxiety

I've written about my anxiety in the past, but today I stumbled across an article that says children/people who bite at their lip skin or bite at the skin around their nails (both of which hubby and I do) are really showing symptoms of an anxiety disorder.

No duh!  Nail biting & nibbling on my fingers has been a coping mechanism for me for years -- I can't remember not doing it.

As of right now, my nails look the best they've looked in a while.  I have them done as much as I can, so I keep my teeth away from them otherwise they'll get destroyed and I'll have wasted money.

Strength training

Hubby and I have this agreement -- He'll strength train with me if we can watch his shows while we do it.  It was an easy agreement, since I usually zone out while working out anyway.  It doesn't matter what's on the tv or radio or whatever as long as there's something in the background.

Anyone else hate hearing their own panicked gasps for air while working out?  No one... just me?

-_-

Lazy days and transitioning to summer time!

My husband loves his TV shows and when their season is over he experiences a sort of minor sadness -- he calls it his "show-hole".  A sort of emptiness that he feels when there's no good shows to watch.

I experience something similar every summer -- it's like a show-hole but with teaching/work.  Fall - Winter - Spring I have the same routine, since I teach at 8:00AM on the dot.

Summers don't mean I don't work -- in fact I teach year round via online classes, it's just that I get to work from home on my own schedule.

This flexibility and freedom is what's jarring -- in a good way.  I can wake up when I want, go where I want, and as long as my work is done by the end of the day I'm fine.

The challenge here is that without the strict routine I'm used to, I just kinda hang out all day.  I get everything that must is important done, but then I watch junk tv/movies, or play video games, or play with my dog, or just have fun!

I feel so guilty about this laziness because I know not everyone gets this chance... but at the same time it's the most amazing thing ever.  Maybe I should "treat myself" to relaxing while I can and take advantage of the summer to do things I can't do in the fall-winter-spring.

What are some things from your Thursday/week?

Do you have any triumphs you'd like to share?

Do you have any productivity tips for me to use this summer?

Let me know in the comments below!

Thursday Things

Here are some things I'm thinking about this Thursday (and this week)...

Thirsty Thursday

I'm focusing on hydrating today!  Starting with coffee and water, then moving on to ensure I drink a full 96 ounces of water today...

Diet Pop has been creeping into my life again.  I know it's terrible for you, but it's SO GOOD and that's bad...

Other people's marriages

Our dear friends have been struggling in their marriage for as long as we've known them.  While my own marriage is by no means perfect, I can see (from few glimpses I have had and from the outside looking in) errors that I've made myself.  I feel compelled to help -- but it's coming across as meddling and inserting myself where I don't belong.

This morning, I woke up from dream arguments I'd like to have with her -- to get her to see his point of view.  That's when I decided, it's not my marriage so it's not my fight.  She's entitled to feel the way she's feeling and so is he.  Who am I to butt in??

My folk's marriage was far from perfect.  They literally didn't speak the same language from the beginning, so miscommunications happened and they happened frequently.  Now, after 30+ years, communication -- and assurance of understanding -- is a huge priority with the two of them.  They make each other a priority, which is really sweet to witness.  

My own marriage is far from perfect, but hubby and I have adopted some of the same priorities as other successful marriages -- or just things we liked.  This includes putting each other first, not going to bed angry, and making sure we are actually understood.

To be a good friend means to listen and be available -- I've been selfishly/arrogantly trying to "fix" their mess, which is not my job and not my prob.

New plan -- pray and listen.

Other people's kids

Hubby and I only have our fur baby --  no human children, yet...   But we do have strong opinions about how we would raise our own children, because of my anxiety about it.  We've had long and detailed discussions because it's one of the steps I've needed to feel better about it. (I've gone from "never ever" to "maybe").

Lately, our dear friends have been more present in our lives (due to my above mentioned arrogance, and butting it...).  This means we've spent more time with their kids -- who are being raised differently that hubby and I were raised.

To be completely fair, all kids are raised differently because we are all unique.  Even in the same house with the same parents, individuals will be individuals.

My mother was strict as F*** with me as a kid, more so than with my siblings.  Our household maintained some more traditional aspects of Korean life including respecting elders, being seen and not heard, and being very afraid of your parents.  While this is not an ideal parenting technique, it meant that we were far from "brats" -- at least in public space.  

I know this because my mom was constantly complimented in public (grocery stores, salons, doctor's offices, schools, etc...) about how well behaved we all were.  It was fear -- to this day I don't want to make my mom angry EVER!   Our soldier like behavior was a point of pride to my mom, so OH BOY did we get it on the very few occasions where we acted up and "embarassed" her.  [If you've never seen the Joy Luck Club, it provides some insight into this.]

The exposure to other people's has really been helpful in allowing me to know what I absolutely don't want in my own family -- and what I absolutely do want.

Resting/Healing and Impatience

I haven't been running due to my side healing -- wearing my favorite running sports bra would mean pressure/friction right in the middle of the injury, so I'm supposed to wait until it is completely healed (or two weeks, whichever comes first).  This Saturday marks 2 weeks and I've been so impatient!

In the meantime, I'm incorporating walking, weight lifting, and yoga (things that don't cause me to sweat or wear running sports bras...) to keep me from going stir crazy!

What are some things you're thinking about this Thursday?

Do you react to other people's marriages?

 What about other people's kids?

Are you impatient like me??

Thursday Things

Here's a few thoughts and things for your Thursday:

Thirsty Thursday -- DRINK UP!

Going around social media right now are all these tags to Stop Drop and Chug... I think if you're reading this, you should drink up!

No Scale Victories

To battle some of my more negative self-talk, I've been trying to think of No Scale Victories throughout the week.  These act like a mental pat on the back every so often.  Today's NSV came at breakfast.

I was eating this week's breakfast of choice

 -- a slice of spinach & cheese egg white frittata, low cal toast, and homemade unsweetened applesauce --

and halfway through I felt full.  Normally, I'd clean the plate and ignore how I felt.  Today, I put my fork down and pushed the plate away!  #Winning #NSV

Fit-spiration

Is anyone else obsessed with Instagram & Snapchat??  Just me?  Ok... -_-

I love scrolling through and getting ideas for meals, workouts, or just for motivation!

Accountability

This is something I'm really honing in on this month.  Holding myself accountable is important to my process because I tend to try to cheat or hide and that's what helped me gain all this weight!  Honesty and integrity are important to me and to my process.

Fidelity

Fidelity to the plan -- This week I'm really trying to not go over my weekly points.  It's been hard, because my ability to do activity is limited, but I've been creative with high volume/low points foods (hello fruits and veggies).

What are some of your things/thoughts this Thursday?  Share any comments below! I'd love to know what you think!

Thursday Things

Here are some things for this Thursday...

1.  I like BBQ's!  Hubby made burgers on a charcoal grill for the first time yesterday!  I completely forgot how much I love burgers cooked on a grill.  Yum!
2. Water is the best.  After waking up with part of the Sahara in my mouth, I'm reminded of this very fact.
3. The end of the semester grade freak out is real!  So many students coming to me with last ditch attempts at passing.  Let the lesson be learned... waiting until the end of the semester is a mistake!
4. I love Chocolate Cake & Pizza!  I definitely overdid it  yesterday (in honor of my special day) --and now I'm bloated!! -- so I'm counting it as a wash and starting fresh today!

Also -- Board games are the best!  We had fun playing some classics like Clue yesterday.

What do you have going on this Thursday?

Charcoal or gas grill??

What's your favorite board game?

Let me know by leaving a comment/reply :D