Happier

Things that make me happy? Hiking, dog smiles, and dog hugs!

Have you heard about Happier?  It’s a social media website that focuses on positivity – not a bunch of ads, political rants, or inflammatory comments.  Like any other social media site, you can create a profile, and then post about moments that make you happy.  You can also read happy moments shared by other users and “smile” at them (as opposed to Facebook “likes”).

I joined a few months ago, and I love it.  I definitely don’t use it as often as I would like, but I’m trying to change that.  When I’m stressed, a dose of positivity from other people can really help.  Plus, research has shown that focusing on small happy moments instead of chasing after an ideal of happiness can actually improve overall mood and life satisfaction.

I’m not affiliated with the site at all – I just love the idea of focusing on positive thoughts.  One of my favorite features of the site (and the iPhone app) is that it reminds me to be grateful for the little things.  Since I’m feeling so busy/overwhelmed right now, taking a few minutes each day to use the app gives me just the pick-me-up that I need!  Check it out!

Prioritizing

She keeps an eye on me!

Continuing on my thoughts about having realistic expectations for myself…

I’ve realized that I can’t do it all (at least not within the confines of my current commitments)!  I suppose we all come to this realization at some point, but I’ve spent a lot of time working on work-life balance over the past few years, so I’m a bit frustrated that things have gotten SO unbalanced again.  This frustration is not conducive to productivity – if anything, it leads to more stress and I find myself in that vicious spiral where I can’t seem to get anything done.

So, instead of stressing about this, I need to break things down and figure out the best way to maximize my time.  School and work are obviously top priorities, so those commitments have to pretty much stay as they are.  I also need to keep sleep and exercise as a priority.  However, instead of trying to drastically improve strength or speed, I think I should focus instead on maintaining my strength and building my running endurance.

Of equal importance (though certainly less tangible) is my family time, both with Jeb and with my parents/sisters/niece.  The time passes so quickly and I sometimes forget (during my marathon homework sessions) how much time has passed since I spent time with my family.  I’m much better about this with Jeb than anyone else, but that might be largely because he lives with me! 🙂

Then, I have to allow some time to enjoy life and recharge my brain.  As hard as it is to find the time, I’ve learned that I actually am more productive if I’ve set aside time to take a complete break.  This downtime includes time with my dogs (which has the added benefit of being motivating on its own – I feel a responsibility to make them happy and, in doing so, I get a little recharge).

So, in general, my priorities are school/work, family, sleep, REALISTIC workouts, and downtime (with dogs).  Now, I just have to figure out how to fit all of that into a 24-hour day!

On being realistic…

Yes, I know it’s winter right now, but this shot reminds me of a fun and relaxing day before my life got nutty!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a WEE bit busy (read: overwhelmed) right now.  As much as I’ve tried juggling everything, I think it is time to reassess and re-prioritize before I return to school.  In an ideal world, I would like to continue to do well in school and at work, lift 3x a week, run 3x a week, sleep 7-8 hours/night, and still have time for photography and cooking/finding new recipes.  Clearly, this is unrealistic.  

Obviously, I will continue to do well at school and work – these are non-negotiable, and will set me up for future happiness.  Lifting and running should be happening – for both my mental and physical health, though maybe the intense programs that I’ve been trying to follow are a bit much right now.  My schedule makes it tough to get out for a run, especially since I’m not home during daylight hours.  Plus, I need some downtime to give my brain a rest!  Normally, running or lifting can help with this, but it’s not cutting the mustard right now… 🙂

So, what to do?  It’s hard to not feel frustrated and ineffectual when I can’t seem to fit everything into my schedule.  I worry that I’m sabotaging something, and don’t want to look back on this time of my life and feel like I’ve wasted opportunities.

Being realistic about my time and capabilities is really hard.  But, so is overcommitting and feeling completely overwhelmed.  I’m on break this week, and plan to use this time as an opportunity to start to figure this out… (and to recharge!)

Stay tuned…

Do I need a goal race?

Since I started running regularly, I’ve always had a goal race – something to focus my training and keep me motivated when life got busy, the weather got crappy, or I just started feeling a little burnout.  For lifting, I can keep on track if I choose strength goals or simply latch onto a progressive program.  Right now, though, I’m wondering if I need more – at least for running.

And, don’t get my wrong – my workouts are going well.  I’m stronger than ever (including before my injury) and enjoying my runs.  But, I’m getting an itch.  I feel like I need a running program.  It keeps things fresh, and helps me push myself.  Without a program, I usually run 2-3 miles on specific routes in my neighborhood.  WITH a program, I am forced to progress (and also to find new and interesting places to run!).

But then the questions start – should I sign up for a race?  If so, what?  I would love to run the Nike Half in October, but I’m not sure if finances will allow for travel to San Francisco.  I could also run the Rock and Roll half in Providence with my sister.  Or, I could try a 5k or 10k – there are appealing options (read: fun) for each distance on October 4.  So, what to do?

This is something I will be turning around in my head for the next few weeks.  On one hand, I love having a race to keep me honest.  On the other, it is nice to not be stressing about a race!  In the meantime, I’ll keep training.

Oh, and good news – Jeb has decided to start running.  We run together, which is great for me.  Even though my endurance is much better than his, he is naturally faster than me so my runs with him end up being great workouts (almost like a speed session)!

 

So, what do you think?  Race, or no race?

I missed National Running Day! (and other random thoughts)

What kind of running blogger misses National Running Day?  Whoops!  When I planned my workout schedule for the week, I had a full rest day scheduled for yesterday, which means NO running.  I did go for a walk and did some stretching, so that counts, right?

I’ve been really enjoying my cross-training lately.  I’m following the program in “Strong Curves” by Bret Contreras and Kellie Hart Davis.  The program itself is great.  It focuses on glutes/hamstrings, and is challenging and fun.  Plus, it includes a lot of the work I have to do to keep my piriformis healthy (i.e. avoid injury).  To be honest, the book itself is just ok – the research is good, and it does give a basic overview of muscle development, etc.  I found the tone of the writing to be a bit off-putting (chauvinistic, maybe? – definitely generalizing what he thinks women want).  However, the book is worth picking up simply for the program and the exercise descriptions/photos.

I’ve been dragging a bit lately.  Lots on my mind (that I can’t write about here).  Suffice to say that I am working through it, and choosing self-care (like insane baking and tough workouts) to pull myself back up.

We made grilled pizza the other day.  It was amazing.  Yes, I know that “amazing” seems to be the most overused word lately, but I feel like the pizza we made was what Bertucci’s hopes to be.  I’ll post some pics later this week.

 

 

Keeping it Simple

I’m keeping it simple.  After following a pretty strict training plan for the last 6+ months, I needed a break.  The structured training was great for recovery from my injury, and gave me great confidence with my running progress.  However, since I don’t have any races scheduled, I’m taking it easy.

I’m lifting pretty hard, so I’m taking it easy on the roads.  Over the years I’ve learned that I have to listen to my body – the times when I haven’t is when I’ve gotten injured.  Wendy and I are enjoying our runs, and they are restorative and fun.  It’s nice to not stress about times or distance.

But, my little sister is running the Rock and Roll Half in Providence in September… and I’m starting to get the itch…  we will see what happens…

Still Alive

I can’t believe it has been almost 3 weeks since my last post!  Life has been crazy lately.  Between all our homework for our kitchen remodel, my sister’s bridal shower, and an obscene amount of homework, I just haven’t had time to get on here.  So, some updates:

• I (finally) found out that I was accepted into my top choice for graduate school!!  I have spent the last academic year completing prerequisites, and I will start my new program in the fall.  I’m excited, and a little nervous.  It will be hectic, but SO worth it when I’m done.
• My running has been going fairly well.  My speed is improving a little bit.  I’m still not as quick as I would like (need) to be for my goal race in a month (!), but I’m getting there.  I have to keep reminding myself that it is ok to have slow progress – I’m not even fully recovered from my injury yet, and it would be dumb to push too hard and set myself back.
• My sister’s shower was beautiful.  We had a good turnout, and, although life got pretty crazy during the last couple weeks leading up to it (as is usually the case with these things), it was perfect.  My sister is one of those people with a positively effervescent personality, and it is so nice to watch her have fun.
• The kitchen project is coming along.  We are still getting quotes and trying to figure out the best way to maximize our budget (any tips are welcome!).  Unfortunately, our kitchen is small, and we’ve found that some vendors tend to take us less seriously once they realize that we won’t have to spend $40k on cabinets.  Progress is slow, but it is moving in the right direction.

Moving forward, I hope to post more consistently, though there still might be sporadic periods over the next 6 weeks or so.  I hope everyone’s training is going well!

I Quit Weight Watchers

I haven’t really talked much about my specific diet strategies on here much.  Normally, I try to eat appropriate amounts of healthy foods.  That has resulted in some nice body recomposition, and consistent progress.  But, when I got hurt last summer, I needed something more structured to help me maintain my weight (or even lose some) while I was unable to exercise.  I wasn’t (and, frankly, still am not) able to just intuitively eat to maintain my weight.  I wasn’t really sure how to figure out my expenditure and make a good plan, so I decided to join Weight Watchers.  I had heard good things, and I really wanted someone to tell me just how to do things.

It worked too, while I wasn’t exercising.  Once I started exercising, though, it was very difficult to follow their points system and see results.  I think it overestimated my activity when I tracked it (sometimes a run might count for 30 points – which is more than some people eat in a whole day) and then I tended to be more lax with my diet – since I had the points.  Or, if I ignored the activity points that I earned, I found that I felt completely depleted and underfed.  My recovery started to suffer.  It just wasn’t working.

My other issue was that it focused so much more on QUANTITY rather than QUALITY.  I think they try to get people to focus on healthy choices, but I don’t know that having that much freedom of choice is good for me in a deficit.  I tended to gravitate toward a cookie rather than a granola bar or greek yogurt if they were the same amount of points.  I have a way to go in resolving all my food issues, and I think I make better choices overall if I am focusing more on eating good, healthy foods to fuel my body, rather than just focusing on staying below a target.

So, I decided to quit.  A part of me felt like I was giving up, but I am getting back to basics with my diet.  I’m re-embracing all the strategies that I used before (with success).  I shouldn’t have let so many of them go – I don’t feel as healthy as I used to, even though I am at a smaller weight.  I went to the grocery store today, and re-stocked on all my old staples, and am ready to hit it hard tomorrow.

Recovery

This week is a recovery week, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  I’m beat, and starting to show signs of overtraining.  For me, that usually means sleep disturbances (can’t sleep soundly, no matter how tired I am), achy bones and joints, increased susceptibility to colds, and exactly ZERO motivation to work out.  The motivation thing isn’t a typical, “Oh, I don’t feel like it” but more of a “I just don’t have it in me” kind of feeling.

I’ve been watching for the signs, and noticing how they have been gradually piling up, for the last couple of weeks.  I started a new semester a few weeks ago.  My classes have forced me to change my sleep schedule quite a bit, which is a huge struggle for me (I have a lot of trouble with sleep, and adjusting to a new sleep schedule is a challenge).  Plus, I attend a very large university, so I’ve spent a lot of extra time walking around a very cold campus.  On top of those logistical things, I have a lot of homework and am also planning my sister’s bridal shower.  I’m having a little bit of trouble turning off my mind, and the stress and sleep deprivation is affecting my recovery.

Since this was a recovery week anyway, my runs have been shorter.  My long run this week was only supposed to be 6 miles.  Since we are expecting the snowpocalypse on Friday, I probably won’t run this weekend.  So, I took today off, and will do a lot of yoga and foam rolling for the next 4-5 days – and will likely avoid running and cross-training altogether.  I will also try to get this sleep thing under control – I’m no stranger to insomnia, and I know enough of myself to know that it can be a slippery slope.  I don’t want it to get worse than it is.

I needed to take care of myself a bit, so I took a short detour on my ride home today to play photographer.  I will post them soon.  Then, next week, back at it.  I will probably keep my long run next week to 6 miles, and then continue to ramp up from there.

Sometimes it is good to take a break.

Must.Stop.Grazing

Seriously.  I have been eating healthy meals (mostly), and have been super-consistent with my workouts.  I was starting to get really frustrated that I haven’t been dropping weight like crazy.  The rationalizations were out of control – building muscle (in a deficit??), retaining water, etc.

Then, I took a hard look at my diet.  I realized that I have been grazing… and not just a little bit.  I’m talking antelope-in-the-grasslands levels of grazing (i.e. ALL day long).  I’ve had a lot of homework and, oftentimes, only take breaks to refill my water glass.  What I realized, though, was that I have developed a tendency to also grab a handful of some kind of food while in the kitchen.

This is not good.  It is time to re-frame my actions and focus.  I try really hard not to get overly crazy and obsessive about food.  For me, it creates a pretty nasty cycle of binge eating and negative self-talk anytime I start become very restrictive.  I find moderation is very important for me, even more when I am busy or stressed.  However, having a more moderate approach to food can also slip into complete diet complacency…which leads to NO weight loss.

So, for now, back to basics.  If I eat something, I will first measure out a portion and track the food.  I will have to be more mindful.  But, I can do this.  I’ve done it before.  I just have to get back on track.  After all, I have a goal race coming up!