Breakfast Time!

For those who know me personally, you know I am the antithesis of a morning person who just so happened to have the misfortune to grow up in a family of morning people. I remember being awakened by my aunt Virginia every morning, not clattering pots and pans in the kitchen, but BANGING them. With her radio blasting the local gospel station and her singing, I was eventually coerced out of bed whether I wanted to be or not. Her daughter carried on this tradition in our dorm room as she clomped around in our teeny room with heels (or something equally as loud!). As a supervisor for a unit for three years, my workers learned not to ask me anything important before 10:30am and we all got along better for it!

Despite my non-sunny dispostion, however, one of the habits I have tried diligently to maintain is that of eating breakfast every morning. My usual staple is oatmeal made with skim milk, blueberries, a squirt of honey and a generous dash of cinnamon. This is the kind of breakfast that sticks to my ribs! I have been known to throw a scrambled egg on top if I feel I need more protein. If I am running late, I usually grab half of a whole wheat bagel and glob some natural peanut butter on top. I chase this with a cup of skim milk with just a smidge of chocolate syrup (cause I have to have SOMETHING fun).

An informal poll among some of my friends revealed that breakfast is often given the short shrift, especially among busy parents. (They make sure the kids eat, but not themselves!) That's unfortunate because those busy parents need more energy than I do! Everyone hears all the time about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Unfortunately, many adults get their first calories from their morning cup of coffee or the sausage biscuit they picked up at the drive-through on the way in. Now, lest I sound preachy, I have certainly been known to a) skip breakfast and b) go through the drive-through myself. I always seem to regret this later, though not necessarily right away.

If you workout in the mornings, there are many differing opinions about whether you should eat before the workout or after. Though clearly, morning workouts will likely never be a part of my daily routine, my sense is that you should eat just a little bit (a banana) and drink a cup of coffee to get yourself going. (Hmmm.....I don't drink coffee. I wonder if that might be the connection between me and my aversion to sunrises...). After your workout, eating a more complete meal, particularly with protein and complex carbs should do the trick.

As I am primarily an evening workout junkie, something I realized was that if I did not eat breakfast in the morning, my workouts were horrible. I always seemed to feel less energetic and less "with it" than if I had eaten. Although conducted in a very unscientific way, it seems that eating a good solid meal about twelve hours before my evening workout seems to do more good for me than skipping breakfast, regardless of how well I eat the rest of the day. I still try to eat some type of protein and complex carb before the workout itself and I drink water all day long.

So, the bottom line is that breakfast should be the most important meal, but as it is so easy to prepare, it can also be the one meal that requires the least thought. Protein smoothies that you can drink on the way to work are a good idea. Greek yogurt with any type of dark berry is also easy. Although I love my oatmeal (for dozens of good ways to make oatmeal click here), my bagel or English muffin with peanut butter is a favorite and is totally easy.

Black Belt Spirit

Nothing pleases me more than seeing someone overcome adversity and be successful. This is especially true when it comes to individuals in my karate school!

We gave a belt test today to our queue (colored belt) ranks. Overall, all the students excelled and did fantastic, but one student in particular really stood out. This student is an 11 year old girl I will call "Amy." "Amy" has had many challenges and when the people she has been staying with asked her what types of activities she was interested in, since she had recently seen "Karate Kid" (with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan), she decided she wanted to do karate. So eventually they brought Amy in. She did very well from the start. Her first true challenge, however, came during her first belt test from white belt to yellow belt. That morning, she literally refused to step out on the mat. In fact, it was hard to even get her to enter the dojo. She was so anxious and upset that she eventually ended up watching the testing. Of course, you know, her very wise and somewhat sneaky instructors decided that we would "test" her without her knowledge at her next class. Unsurprisingly, she did quite well and was thrilled to receive her yellow belt. So, now she is used to the testing process, right? Nope. Every single test she has had has been a battle for her to walk out on the mat.

Fast forward to nearly a year later...she is a green belt going to her blue belt, which represents a huge step, as if she passes, she will be an "upper belt." Now, Amy, being a fairly gentle kid, is not all that thrilled about sparring. Unfortunately, this is a requirement for blue belt. In the past, she has sparred either myself or one of the other instructors. Today, she was asked to step out on the mat and spar another colored belt like herself. Initially, we were concerned that this would be the show stopper for her. She swallowed hard, put on her gloves, put in her mouthpiece, and...went for it! She sparred her little heart out! Afterward, despite the relief she must have felt, she had tears in her eyes. Not tears of joy, but tears of the kind where you put it all out there and do something you never thought you could do. Needless to say, she was promoted to blue belt!

I, for one, am humbled, as it is so easy to fall back into how difficult something is and then not even really try. A friend's blog recently had a quote from one of the "Rocky" movies about getting hit (by life) and continuing to move forward anyway(Thanks, Kevin!). That is the indomitable spirit. The refusal to accept defeat and the intestinal fortitude to not be overcome defines what it means to me to be a black belt, not just in karate, but in life. I think "Amy" earned her "black belt" of the spirit today and I can't wait for this to be a physical reality for her. I plan to be there to tie that belt around her waist.

Putting the Positive Spin on the "Blah Blah"

It's been pretty gray and rainy here off and on for the past several weeks. It's also been oddly spring-like warm, followed by more seasonal temperatures that tend to take me off guard. As a result, I've been feeling rather blah, despite maintaining my fairly regular training schedule. Since my exercise routine is what keeps me fairly sane, when it doesn't work as well as usual, I tend to get a bit....(insert appropriately descriptive word here...you know the one I mean...). Anyway, motivation has been lagging a bit and when I don't find myself enjoying my workouts, well, darn it, that just makes everything else seem just a smidge more difficult all around.

So what do I do to get over this phase (because I do know it is just a phase)? Good question. Even though my workouts have not been very inspirational lately, I have managed to just "stick to it" although I didn't really want to. I'm not patting myself on the back. Actually, since my workouts have become such a significant part of my life, honestly, it's gotten to be more the "path of least resistance" type of action. Needless to say, I am well aware that the (appropriately descriptive word) would be multiplied by a factor of 10 if I skipped them and did what my mood suggested and drive straight home after work and lie around like a slug.

There is a positive spin to having stuck to my routine that I discovered last night and tonight at the dojo. For the past several months, I have not participated in kobudo (Okinawan weapons) because using the different types of weapons caused me to develop "tennis elbow" (kobudo elbow?). Instead, I have been primarily working at the gym on strengthening my upper body, particularly my shoulders and upper back. I finally returned to kobudo class after this layoff and discovered that even with a layoff, the increased strength in my upper body has made the weapon manipulations easier! In fact, the lifting has also helped strengthen my forearms, as well, and for the first time in months, my elbow does not hurt after class! I noticed this especially after working with the sai (looks like a miniature metal sword with prongs) since this is what initially caused my elbow to begin hurting. While they are not especially heavy, after working with them for 30-45 minutes straight, they feel as if they weigh a ton! Tonight was the first time that my arms weren't shaky afterward!

Last night, I also went to the dojo for my workout to simply participate in one of the regular classes. As I was doing my kata, I noticed that the extra strength training has added a new dimension to my movements. I don't feel as if I am "forcing" the movements, but rather, my body is gaining more flow. And flow is exactly what I am aiming for! My stances seem more solid and my body, as a whole, seems to be more in sync with itself. It sounds weird, I know! But last night, despite my crappy mood, was much better than I had anticipated. Perhaps it is akin to the sometimes elusive "runner's high" or the "sweet spot" where everything just clicks. While I am not positive this is due to my work in the weight room, until proven otherwise, it is what I claim!

Another excellent women's-only karate class today! I always have such a good time teaching that class with my co-instructor, Sensei Linda! One of the really cool things we do is that one of us instructors in teaching the reasons for having a strong core and being able to kiai (or yell) is that we will punch each other in the stomach. It was my turn today and, let me tell you, I'm really glad that I tensed my core and gave a nice solid kiai, because my friend, Linda, can hit! Anyway, it's always really neat to see the wide eyes of the students after witnessing that demonstration!

So, what the heck am I talking about? Well, I am a true neophyte at this concept, but I can explain a little tiny bit about what the kiai is and what that has to do with me! At the root of the kiai is the Japanese term, ki, which can be thought of as the life force or energy. Without getting too metaphysical, it's really the energy that can be used to put essence into effort. We all use it without being too aware of what we are doing. You know one of those days when everything you do seems golden? The presentation you have to do at work comes out flawlessly, or suddenly when running a mile becomes easier? Not that practice and hard work aren't a part of the equation, but the bits of yourself that are invested impact the whole process. Just because Luke Skywalker had "the Force," he still had to practice with the little helmet thingie over his head with his lightsabre. Granted, even with all my ki, I will likely never be able to use the whole "these-aren't-the-droids-you-are-looking-for" Jedi mind trick, but I believe that physical pursuits still have connection to the mind and the will. Besides, who wants to try to hit a little ball of light blindfolded?....

So, that is pretty much the sum total of my knowledge! This is a truly fascinating concept and one I intend to learn more about. For me, at this point, there is nothing mystical about it. It's just simply a mindset that I try to have when I engage in physical pursuits. My advice: research it and go out and find it!

A New Kinda Workout

If you want to try something new, now is an excellent time to start! You don't have to wait for the beginning of February, the beginning of spring, the first snowfall, or whatever. Just start NOW.

It seems I like to ignore my own advice sometimes, but tonight, I said, "what the heck?" and jumped into a Metabolic Effect class. The instructor was very dynamic and, of course, pushed us to go all out. We did jumping jacks, pushup thingies, a million squats with and without weights, lunges, those stupid burpie things, and a ton of ab work. He also said something about, "your rest periods should....blah, blah, blah..." 'cause I wasn't really listening. I think he said something about the rest periods being equal to the periods we worked out (all out). Since, apparently, I don't follow instructions very well, I got tired. Fast.

I enjoyed the class a great deal. I got my sweat on. I rocked the house (in my own mind, anyway). I will likely take this class again, but you know, those blah-blah rest periods? Maybe, just maybe, I need to incorporate just a bit more of that next time. I have a feeling rolling out of bed in the morning will be it's usual challenge times three or four. Thank God for ibuprofen! And good stretching.

Inspirational People

One of the people I look to for inspiration is none other than my cousin, Sandra. Now, first off, she was a pain in the butt when we were teenagers because she HATED the thought of sweating and messing up her magnificently dried, feathered, and hairsprayed hair-do, thus she would not do ANYTHING fun (outside, anyway). Oddly enough, this was probably our only real battle the time during my angsty teen years while living with her, her older brother, and her parents. In fact, we got along well enough to repeat the living together experience in college as roommates. Even then, we each had our own lives with our own friends and did our own thing. This was probably what saved us, as we could come back to the room and chit chat about our days without being totally enmeshed.

After college graduation and marriage for both of us, we still did our own things, but got together frequently. She eventually had a baby and then, tragically, her mother passed away. Our family is tough…we can handle it, right? Well, we did, but not long afterward, she and her husband went on a cruise together and she contracted mono. Still no real big deal…except this mono went on to develop into Guillain-Barre, a syndrome in which the body’s immune system attacks the central nervous system. Most sufferers have difficulty walking and get very weak. Some actually have to go on a ventilator because their diaphragm won’t work right. Fortunately for her, she suffered the milder version and mainly her extremities did not work well. She still managed to work as a charge nurse at her job at the hospital, all while caring for a small child. She very, very gradually got better and a bit stronger. The end result was that she gained a great deal of weight and had no real strength overall. My cousin and her family had a couple of VERY stressful years.

One year, after being tired of being overweight, she took matters into her own hands. She joined Weight Watchers and lost over 50 lbs…and most importantly, she became an “Adult On-set Athlete”. Not only did she train to walk a marathon (26.2 miles), but she began training in tae kwon do, eventually earning a third degree black belt. In addition, she has managed to stay very active and trained to run a half-marathon, as well as numerous 5Ks. She also helped out with the program Girls On the Run to help young girls run through their first 5Ks. Now, she is pushing me (in a good way!) to train for our first ever triathlon. She accompanies me on most of my own madness (such as running a very long fun run New Year’s Eve) and cycling in what must have been a wind chill of -5 this past weekend. She’s also managed to maintain a healthy weight all of these years. From what I can tell, she has no lingering after-affects from her bout with Guillain-Barre.

Being active is relatively “easy” for me, except for the occasional struggles with motivation. To develop into an athlete at an age when most people are giving up their activity in favor of the sedentary life, is to me, more admirable. In Sandra’s case, she had to fight extra hard to even take the step, first by getting past Guillain-Barre, second, losing weight and finally, by not being afraid to try new things.

Bravo, Sandra!

Goals

More of the great outdoors today! I just about froze, but it was really nice to be out in the sunshine and (mostly) clean air while riding bikes with my cousin for the beginning stages of our triathlon training. We both agreed that we will need to get a base and then work on hills, and despite a bit of soreness in the derriere, it was a blast!

As far as the triathlon itself, we have until August, as we are doing the Ramblin' Rose Women's Only Super Sprint Triathlon. We have several advantages in attempting this race. For one, it is a women's only race and, during my experience volunteering one year, I noticed that, although it was competitive, there was such an energy amongst the competitors! Secondly, as we keep reminding ourselves, "We have until August!". So when we feel that we haven't performed well, that reminder helps us keep things in perspective. Finally, the distances are not horribly long...a 250 yard swim, 8-9 mile bike ride, and a 2 mile run. Additionally, we will have the summer to train, hopefully with lots of excellent weather! I'm super-jazzed about this new goal and hope to make the most of it!

Setting goals has always helped me get places and I have always needed a goal, whether it be completing my first 5K or making it to my next belt level in karate. Some days, I don't know how I would function without a goal. For some, however, I am keenly aware that taking care of oneself is not the first priority, not for lack of desire, but life's struggles and issues tend to take precedence. It's really difficult to focus on a goal of doing body weight pullups when one's electricity bill needs to be paid.

Sometimes, though, being able to set a goal and accomplish it can be energizing and instructive. While training for my black belt in tae kwon do, I managed to lose my focus because my aunt (who took me into her home when I was a stupid teenager) was lying in the hospital battling a rare form of leukemia. I did not pass my test the first time I tried and I was devastated. I was less devastated about not passing, I realize now, than I was about her death, but I totally lost perspective. I finally vowed that I would pass the next time and that I would remember her fight with a vicious cancer that she never really gave up on. If she could fight that hard for her life (and she always fought hard for everything she did), surely I could fight to get past my own weaknesses to gain a simple rank in a sport. I did pass eventually, but I always felt that I learned more about myself and whether I had the will to do something I really wanted. Later on, her inspiration helped my cousin and me set a goal of completing a marathon (walking!) to raise money for leukemia research. We finished that goal too and several others afterward in her memory. I miss her greatly, but I like to think that maybe she knows that I would not be half the person I am if it were not for the example she set.