Category Archives: Health

Summertime

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I’m a few weeks into “summer break” and already feel the positive effects of my simplicity and tranquility summer mantra. There are many more changes I intend to make over the course of the summer. However, reminding myself of the commitment to de-clutter physically, mentally, and emotionally has allowed me to make choices that fulfill this focus and I’m noticing shifts in certain areas of my life as a result. Here are some updates:

I wake-up in the morning feeling refreshed. I’m sleeping better than ever. I’m sure this is due to having less stress, less clutter, and being more consistent with when I go to bed and wake up.

I wake-up excited and ready to greet the day. This has not always been the case. I truly believe that I have managed to create a life that I’m excited about, which trickles down to being excited for each day. I love my job at UT, I love having structured time to work on my dissertation each week, I love having time to run in the mornings and visit with friends throughout the week. Its all awesomeness!

I have time to focus on my health. I’m training for another marathon and LOVE that I have time set aside each morning to get my run in before the summer heat really turns on for the day. Before, my time spent exercising always seemed like a luxury, or that I should be doing something more productive than running or yoga. I’m excited that finally, I have structured my life so that its a part of my day and has just as much of a priority as anything else in my life.

Cocktail Hour! I’m bringing it back, baby! Happy hour and having a cocktail at 5 or 6pm is when I get to spend time with friends, or just relax when I get home from working. It reminds me of a time when slowing down to relax and mingle with family and friends was more of the usual in our culture, versus exception. It brings a vision of sipping mint juleps out on the veranda, hearing the cicadas start their evening symphony, while putting my feet up on the porch swing. OK, I realize I don’t live in Savanna, GA in the 1950′s but if I did…this is what I’d do.

Eating clean. I’m doing pretty well with this. During the week I’ve been organized and I’ve planned ahead for breakfast and lunch eat day. I never eat out for these meals and it feels great to know that I’m fueling my body with healthy, organic, natural foods. I’m still learning how to keep this going during the weekend.

Therapy. I’ve started seeing my own therapist and so far its been wonderful! I’m still getting used to being the client versus the clinician, but I love that this is a time when I’m not the one in charge. I get to do this for myself and I’m so excited for breakthroughs and de-cluttering emotionally and spiritually.

GoodWill. This isn’t just about bringing 7 trash bags of clothes to Goodwill this past weekend in my efforts to de-clutter my closet. Its also about giving GoodWill to everyone I interact with during the day. My intention is to bring just a bit more lightness, love, and gratitude to everyone I see and talk with during the day. I’m noticing that I have more energy to do this now that I’ve simplified my life. I don’t feel frazzled and rushed anymore. I’ve slowed down and can fully be present when I interact with people.

Lastly, I want to recommend a short blog post, “7 Ways to Find Happiness through Simplicity“. This is one of my favorite blogs and wanted to share with ya’ll!

Simplicity and Tranquility

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Hello my long lost friends out there on the interwebs! My blogging time got away from me towards the end of the spring semester and it didn’t make my list of priorities. I now have some breathing room and wanted to share a few thoughts.

Firstly, I wanted to share the crazy roller coaster of thoughts and feelings I experienced leading up to my dissertation proposal. My inner critic (yes, it was back with a mission) was loud and clear in the week leading up to the meeting with my committee. It was telling me, “I will fail and they will find out I have no idea what the f#ck I am doing.” At some point in the days leading up to this event, my inner machinery got tired. Similar to a baby getting tired of crying and finally going back to sleep, its voice became quiet. Once this happened, I was able to relax and feel my confidence grow. I trusted that my committee had my best interest in mind, even if that meant having to go back to the drawing board with my dissertation. This was a pivotal realization. I was (for at least some of the time) able to get some distance from my inner critic, and I could observe its voice just as thoughts, not as the truth or my reality.

Secondly, as life is starting to slow down I’ve had time to reflect on this past year. My energies have been scattered between many different responsibilities and commitments (clinical rotation, 2 GA positions, research lab, dissertation writing, friends, fitness, relationship, etc.). I’m clear that the majority of this fatigue is from the challenging clinical work I did with military sexual trauma survivor clients, and the huge build up of proposing my dissertation to my committee. The result is that I’m left tired; its more than a physical drain but also an emotional and spiritual depletion, if you will.

Lastly, as I look ahead to the hot summer months here in Austin, I’m elated to create the possibility of ‘simplicity and tranquility‘. My friends know that I’m big with the mantras, it helps me to remember what I’m creating and what’s possible. To me, this mantra represents de-cluttering my life: clothes, books, notes, kitchen stuff, shoes, etc. It also means letting go of this past year on an emotional and spiritual level. The tranquility part means that I want to spend my time doing the things that are good for my soul, activities that bring me peace, rejuvenation, and clarity. Running, yoga, friends bring me this but I want to get back into reading and finding new things in Austin. There is so much of this lovely city that I have yet to experience, this is the summer to make it happen!

Many experts suggest with the change of seasons or shifts in life, that its good to cleanse, detox, de-clutter, simplify, and/or edit one’s life. This can look many different ways for people. Many of us need a little ‘push’ to make these life edits. I’m going for it! I encourage you to examine your life and let go of that which does not serve you. 

A Love Letter to Running

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*Disclaimer* There is profanity in this post. Don’t read if you’re offended by bad words. I find that running marathons brings out the occasional F-bomb. Staying true to myself, I decided to keep them in the post:)

In the days leading up to the Livestrong Austin Marathon, I decided that I wasn’t going to play it safe. I wasn’t going to take it easy and then negative split the last 6 miles of the marathon like I’ve done for the four marathons I’ve completed over the past 10 years. Inspired by a TEDx event I attended a few weeks ago (you can read more here), I was curious about my limits. I thought I had a good idea about where they lie with my running abilities but I’ve never completed a marathon feeling like I’d given it everything I had. I’ve always had more left in the tank, so to speak, and have been able to sprint to the finish line with a smile on my face. I’ve never finished a marathon and wondered if I could take another step or question if I’d be able to finish. I did yesterday.

I approached this marathon wanting to find out where my limits are, and if I could run a sub 3:45. Meghan (an awesome person and runner who’s been training for the marathon with Rogue Running as well) and I started running at a decent clip and after a few miles, were right on pace to run a 3:45. I’m not a rookie marathoner so I knew this could be dangerous so early on, but I went with it and wanted to see how long I could keep it up. Who knows, maybe it was going to be for 26.2 miles? Maybe I could actually run a sub 3:45?!? I wasn’t going to know unless I tried. What if my limits aren’t where I think they are?

The old familiar creeping pain of lactic acid in my legs, which I know all too well from my rowing days and now running days, begin to knock on my cellular door around the 1/2 marathon mark. I decided to welcome it, respect it, and told the throbbing nature of its presence to just be gentle, at least for a little while longer. Around the 17 mile mark, the farthest point from downtown Austin, fewest spectators, and steady headwind, was where I really started to feel it. I started talking to myself a lot at this point. I told myself to just take in the experience, to take it one mile at at time, and take in the energy from the people around me.

Somewhere around mile 23, I started hearing spectators cheer for the 3:55 pace group. I knew they were behind me. I knew they were creeping up and about to fucking pass me. I tried so hard to envision myself pulling away from them. But alas, my legs were done. My quads and calves were absolutely destroyed from the 8:30′s I put in during the first half, and from the delightful hills that are a constant challenge during the Austin course. At this point I knew I could finish under 4 hours, but it wasn’t going to happen ahead of the 3:55 group and 3:45 was for sure not going to happen.

The last 2 miles of this race is a blur. Amy, another awesome Rogue runner, came out of the crowd to help ‘run me in’. All I could do was grunt at her as acknowledgement. I could tell that she was a bit concerned about my wellbeing because I was looking rough. All I could do was put one foot in front of another. Then, Bobby, Rogue Running coach extraordinaire, started running with me as I came to the final fucking hill of the course. My legs started buckling beneath me. I was done. I walked, something I’ve never done in a marathon before, and had to muster up one more morsel of energy to run the final 800 meters. I took a deep breath. I tried to tap into his energy. I somehow started running again, feeling as if my legs were detached from my body, and made the final turn to the finish line. Matt, the most amazing boyfriend in the world, hopped over the barricade for the spectators to stand behind, and started running with me down the final stretch to the finish line.

I did it. 3:57.22 of pure grit, determination, of finally reaching my limit. I did it. I found out where that limit was for me yesterday. Yes, I could have played it safe and I could have run smarter. Maybe my time would have been faster with a slower first 1/2, but sometimes you need to let go of strategy and race plans. Sometimes you just need to see what you’re made of, throw the elevation charts to the wind, and just fucking run.

I want to write a special thank you to my friends who were out there cheering. Drew, thank you for waking up so early and for making me such a pretty sign. I love that I get to be friends with such a brilliant and funny guy who is always there for me. Jenny, thank you for flying in from Miami to cheer me and your other friends on. Your cute smiling face lit me up as I saw you throughout the course. Lauren, you saw me at one of the roughest parts of that race. Thank you for being there cheering me along, along with everything else you have going on right now, love you Minuch! Mary, I love that we got to share another marathon experience! You will be my running buddy forever:) Matt, my amazing Love and man of my dreams, thank you for not just supporting me for the last 23 weeks of training, early mornings, early bedtimes, and weird eating habits. Thank you for being there throughout the entire race yesterday. You helped me find out where my limits are, and made it so much more bearable. I love that we get to experience our accomplishments and life challenges together with partnership.

I also want to give a HUGE thank you to my fellow Rogue Running Sole Survivors. Ya’ll are a blast to run with and so inspiring. What’s our next race? Finally, I want to thank Coach Bobby for being such an incredible person. You are someone who exudes love and excitement for life. Thank you for all that you’ve done and mostly, for the person you are. Your team of Sole Survivors could not have done this without you. You didn’t just help us run a marathon, you helped us form friendships, community, fitness, and a deeper love for running.

Me & Jenny at the finish line

Matt keeping me standing at the finish line.

Rogue Runners post-marathon bliss

2012 Week 3: Detoxing and other life musings

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Today is the start of week 3 of my detox cleanse! I’m feeling great. Most of my cravings (mostly bread & sweets) have subsided, I’m sleeping better than I have in a long time, and I’ve lost about 5 lbs. The last 2 weeks have been both easy and challenging. I’m learning that being on a cleanse (eating clean and simple foods), involves preparation, planning, and controlling my environment.

One way I’ve done this is to ask friends who come over to please drink all of the beer in our fridge! I made a healthy pot of chili for football game day, instead of ordering pizza. I placed healthy snacks, tea, supplements on our kitchen table so that they are the first thing I see when I enter the kitchen. They are also easy to grab, which prohibits me from evening considering opening the cabinets to graze on unhealthy stuff. I’ve also thought ahead and packed my little cooler of healthy snacks, especially if I know I’m going to be gone all day. Also, all of my friends know I’m cleansing so they are helping to hold me accountable. I love this and I love the support.

I had a big realization this week that my social life revolves around happy hour, food, and meeting friends out for dinner. As a result I’m finding it difficult to maintain a social life while doing this cleanse business. Thankfully, I have friends who are willing to go to Casa De Luz with me! I’m realizing that if I want to break this habit of wining and dining (which I cannot afford to do anyways), I need to get creative and initiate plans with people that go beyond meeting up for dinner. I bet this will save me both money and calories.

Today (thanks to Matt’s amazing mom, Nancy) I was able to spend an afternoon at the Viva Day Spa as an early birthday present! I left the spa glowing, blissful, and utterly relaxed (I still am by the way, so please excuse any typos). While sitting in their infrared sauna before my massage (rough life…I know), I had the chance to just sit in stillness. My thoughts traveled to this being in the first month of the new year, and knowing deep inside that I feel closure on 2011. All of the stress, self-doubt, and self-criticism I experienced the last year was melting away both mentally and physically. I was left with Peace. Love. Tenderness towards myself.

This detox is not just about nutrition and clearing out the clutter and toxins I physically put into my body over the past year. Its also about letting go of the past year. Letting go of what I managed to accomplish and did not accomplish. Letting go of the baggage. This month of detoxing brings an intention to having as much love for myself as I do for others. This is the year of clarity, loving myself, and being unstoppable.

2012 Week 1

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DETOX 2012 – Week 1…Here we go!

Its a new year…well hello there 2012! The holidays were amazing and filled with family, food, booze, sweets, indulgence, and so much fun!

Homemade apple pie for Thanksgiving

Some people probably think I’m crazy but I’m starting the new year with detoxing or a cleanse, if you will (not to be confused with fasting!). For me, the month of January means having more intentionality with what goes in and out of my body. Today is day 5 of eating ‘clean’, which to me means cutting out alcohol, gluten, processed sugars, flour, fried and packaged foods. This means no beer while watching football, no cookies, chips, bread, french fries, etc. I’m adding in lots of water with lemon, herbal tea, fresh organic veggies, fruits, eggs, fresh water fish, and eating natural meats sparingly. I’m also supplementing with lots of healthy vitamins, minerals, and detox tea to flush out the toxins. Finally, I am going to run or go to yoga each day to aid in detox and I’m sleeping at least 7 hours a night.

Falafel and avocado salad

Blueberry superfood protein smoothie

In addition to the physical benefits of detoxing, my intention is to cultivate mental clarity for not just the month of January but for the year ahead. I reach mental clarity when I bring more mindfulness into my life. With the challenges that lay ahead in 2012 with graduate school, I’m certain this will help buffer some of the stress and anxiety that many people experience.

I hope that blogging about my experience this month will help me to stay accountable to my commitment of physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. I also hope that it may inspire some of you to set an intention for this first week of the year, first month, or even all of 2012!

Many people say that choosing a new years resolution will not work — that those silly fools who join the gym to lose weight are just destined to fail. I think this is probably true for people who don’t incorporate realistic goals, and they don’t have the support or accountability to help them stick to their guns. So if you’re game choose a goal(s) that is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Share your commitment of changing this area of your life with people who love you and have your back! Make it fun and get your friends together for a little competition. I am so inspired by the friends in my life who are using the new year as a catalyst for change. We are helping each other create new habits that will hopefully be life changing and life lasting!

I’ll be sure to post about my experience this month – the good, the bad, and the ugly. I hope this will be somewhat of interest and maybe even a bit motivating. I wanted to end this post with a beautiful and inspiring quote by Debbie Ford.

“In this beautiful first week of January, you are called upon to begin 2012 by allowing a new dream for yourself and the world to emerge. It’s not enough to write out a short vision or list a particular goal. In order to step into the next greatest expression of your soul’s highest desires, you must dare to dream. You must allow a dream that already exists in your soul to come to the front of your conscious awareness…”