Tag Archives: injury

It’s about time

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Nah, I’m not talking about my race time from tonight’s Go the Distance race, but I do feel pretty content with my 41:36 8km time. I also feel good knowing that the money raised from the event went to such a good cause. I saw quite a few familiar faces at the race, including one friend who raised over $1000 for Hope’s Garden. AMAZING! She ROCKS.

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They sent home the age group winners (2nd and 3rd too) with gift cards for Runner’s Choice (a running store here in London) so I have $10 to buy…something. Suggestions? I felt pretty sick during the race. My stomach is off and I found the chest cold I thought was pretty much gone. Things were clicking and snapping and hurting so you better believe I have a date with my foam roller and I think I need to rededicate not just to doing those awesome strength workouts I’m so fired up about (I started a box of WODs and ripped out routines from magazines and posted a teaser about bootcamp on Facebook today) but also to stretching, foam rolling, wearing my compression socks, and doing the little muscle work that I know is important for injury prevention. Promise!

I’m not sure what was up with my stomach. Nerves? I found myself nibbling all kinds of things this afternoon–I’m definitely one of those stress eaters. I did a pretty good job of fuelling today though, I’d say. I went to yoga this morning. I blogged. I sort of cleaned. My mom came for a quick visit and ran some errands and read some magazines with me (I’m a sucker for this month’s fitness mags since they’ve all got Olympic specials in them!). I sat around. :)

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Now I am so glad to be done for the day. I’m pooped and my stomach feels off! Must be a combination of a busy week, weird eats, the race, and everything catching up to me but I just want to foam roll and face plant into bed. Laundry can wait. Dishes can wait. Sleep is essential! I just had some chocolate (dark–bring on those antioxidants) so cravings are satisfied. I am thinking cough syrup and bedtime are in order. Not going to get sucked into Facebook, into another Jillian Michaels podcast (I think I’ve heard 5 today–catching up on old ones!), or into reading blogs (sorry guys). I am hoping to go home for a bike ride in the morning tomorrow and then come back for some fun with friends in London tomorrow. Somewhere in the next 4 days I’ve got a lot of studying to do…gonna worry about that later! :) I’m preoccupied with how excited I am for finishing the tasks on my summer bucket list, having time to read non-school things at my leisure, for the opening of the outdoor pool (sweet one piece tan, let’s go), and for starting bootcamp<–especially this, but I guess if you’re going to be distracted it might as well be distracted by awesome.

How do you unwind after a long week?
Have you ever raced an 8k? What’d you think of the distance? - For me, I prefer 10k because it’s a bit more comfortable. Or maybe just familiar and I wasn’t sure how hard to push, or maybe it was the cold, or maybe I’m over thinking this! I had a good run and I was on the edge of my comfort zone and those kinds of workouts are important so I’m going to call it all a success. :D
What are you doing this weekend?

  

Checking in

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Pennsylvania has been good to me. Sunshine, quality time, shopping, a run…

I started the day off with a bowl of Kashi and Fibre 1 with a banana and soy milk (just like home).

Then my mom and I headed for a bit of shopping/errands! While we were out, we naturally ended up at Target, so we had snacks in the Starbucks there. I chose a greek yogurt with honey and then added a bit of my mom’s coffee cake crumble to make it delicious.

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I also played the crane game :) … and won!

Sorry for the tummy shot!

When we got home I was ravenous so I whipped up a turkey sandwich. Best part of this bad boy = spicy mustard and american cheese. This is home sweet home!

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Here’s my haul: a fedora, anklets, a bunch of headbands that were 10 for 10 at Claire’s, pyjamas (the wild zebra shorts — I don’t believe in boring PJs), and that flannel shirt that screams lumberjack for the low low price of $1.99!

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After lunch, I headed for a run along the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail. My description is scenic but flat :)  It was uber hot and I felt really slow. Partway through my trek back, I turned my iPod off (there were so many birds to listen to and farms to look at, I figured I’d better enjoy it if I wasn’t distracted by my latest obsession (thanks Angela)!)

and I noticed my knee was clicking. It wasn’t bugging me, but that was a bit weird. When I got back to my car, I wasn’t feeling too hot. I went to the washroom and stretched/did some abs/pushups under the trees, and headed home. My foot started to hurt when I got out of the car, which blows. I’ll just whine: I don’t want to be injured! I already dealt with a yucky one this year and am just starting to trust my body again–this is scary! That being said, I’m not stupid. Ice, stretch, rest, etc. etc.

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And just because I like to share everything about myself, I’ll add in that while I was on my run today (mile 5 I think), my Aunt Flo came for a visit. Love her–it’s been five long years. But seriously. I must be relaxed! Might be thanks to the chocolate I devoured in the last 24 hours. I think all that remains in my treat bag is yogurt pretzels, nuts, papaya, and pretzels!

Anyways, besides chocolate, I’ve been seeing a lot of pretty countryside and a buttload of COWS!

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I had a normal snack–peanut butter and an apple–when I got home. The afternoon went quick and some thunderstorms just rolled in along with an epic dinner (we collaborated on this one — me veggies and a salad, mom meatballs and pasta, uncle bob bread <— omg bread)!

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Consider me carbed up and ready to go for a bike ride tomorrow. I am really nervous about the traffic around here–does anyone have tips for how to find SAFE routes? I know Map My Ride might help…I bookmarked a page with some suggestions. I also found some maps from a nearby town that I might check out tonight! I’m planning on going late morning/early afternoon tomorrow (provided the weather is cooperating) so the traffic shouldn’t be awful. :)

So far, so good!

How’s your week?

 

Girl talk resources

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Since I’ve been getting some feedback that people can relate to the post I made earlier about my issues with athletic induced amenorrhea, I thought I’d share some resources that have helped me out with the whole question of whether or not it’s really an issue, why it starts, how to get back to a healthy, normal cycle, etc.

It’s all over the place. These are just the articles I came back to tonight!

And now for some insight…Stuff that I think (my opinion on what I’ve read and my own experience):

  • You can still train, but the motivation should be right.
  • If it’s about energy balance, you’ve got to be willing to work through some experimenting and see what works for you. In my case, this also means accepting that in order to get my period, I need to be in calorie balance. Which means I cannot be losing weight, which I think for the last bit while I was trying to deal with my amenorrhea, I kind of didn’t accept. Recall my epiphany about always thinking with a weight loss mindset? Maybe now that I recognized that and I can move on to living healthy, I’ll be better able to fuel myself and to stay in balance. Once a doc suggested that even if I was maintaining my weight but it was sporadic eating (i.e. mostly at night after dieting during the day, ditto for the weekend after being “good” all week, etc.) my body would still be out of whack. Another suggested that it might have to do with refueling around workouts specifically (and promoted eating more immediately before and after, etc.). All good theories, if you’re willing to accept that your body has a weight that it wants to find and will find, if you let it.
  • Patience is key–this issue didn’t come around overnight and it won’t go away really quick either. For me, this means accepting that I spent a lot of time abusing my body and accepting that it’s not going to snap back right away. To be honest, I think this extends. My mind is recovered, I am making huge steps forward, etc. but it’s been interesting to see the effects of how much I put myself through (too much exercise, not enough eating, bingeing, purging, all the stuff that came along with ED) in their physical manifestations. Thyroid disease runs in my family, but not usually this young. None of my family members have issues with migraines, their periods, etc. I had low bone density at the age of 17, a time when I should have been building things up, not tearing them down. My heart took a beating and I have to go yearly for tests now to check in because of a scare I had in the height of things. It’s all pretty scary, it might not be due to ED, but it’s related and it’s also REAL. I’m also not blaming my injury issues on ED, but it’s true that I put my body through a hell of a lot of workouts and didn’t give it rest or love or so many of the things it deserved for a long time. I can’t expect it to bounce back perfectly — this struggle is just part of recovery!
  • The stuff associated with the Female Athlete Triad is really similar to ED and I see it in so many of my friends who I would never think of as having disordered eating. The compulsion to train, the thought that you can kind of be “proud” that you “work so hard” that you don’t get your period, etc. is kind of rampant and really sad once you step outside and see that it’s not actually healthy at all. This is a topic I know I want to work with when I’m a dietitian (sounds cool to say that!) because I am so passionate about it.
  • Maybe personally I spend too much time working out too hard. This might also be related to the awesome spin class that I went to this morning where the instructor talked about why recovery (within a class specifically) is so important. I’m kind of a balls to the wall person and even though I’ve been working with a coach, I find it so hard to tone my workouts down and to keep my heart rate in a happy zone. No wonder I’ve been so tired and exhausted and injury prone in the past, I know, but seriously! Maybe this has something to do with it…bring on the long, somewhat leisurely bike rides! :) Variety is the spice of life.
  • Maybe I just am not in the place to have a baby. Emotionally, mentally and therefore physically.

Andddd enough of the girl talk (continued). It is SO past my bedtime it’s not even funny!

Can you relate?
Did you find any of these resources helpful?

 

Walk the walk

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Ya know all that good stuff about talking the talk and backing it up by walking the walk?

Let me tell you, it’s delicious.

After last night’s big realization, I made good on my plans to live and love life last night. Rachel and I chit chatted and then met up with some girls I miss far too much for fro yo! It had been a few hours since dinner so I had a hefty, awesome cup of chocolate/amaretto mix with chia seeds, granola, coconut, and a cherry on top. I think I have this fro yo thing down to an art…

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And it was so good to catch up with everyone. :) Fro yo or not, say yes to people when they ask you to hang out. Just go for the experience…when’s the last time you regretted hanging out with a friend?

When I got home I dove into bed and into the book I mentioned in my post — Do I Look Fat in This? Life Doesn’t Begin Five Pounds From Now and as I thought, it was just what I was searching for in my epiphany. There’s a whole chapter called “But I’m Just Trying to Be Healthy” and some stuff sticks out to me worth sharing…

  • “…to talk about health is to talk about more than just weight charts and fat counts. It is to talk about wholeness, wellness, and a sense of complete balance mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
  • “Have you been dieting for well over half your life? Has the fact that you haven’t been able to reach the size you desire masked any of the other accomplishments you have achieved in your life?…I wonder how many other areas of your life are not being honoured because you are so restrictive.”
  • “It’s time for the woman you are now to confront your inner dieting child and find out if this is a pattern you wish to continue. Being healthy is about having a well-rounded life. Moving your body, eating balanced meals, and working on your emotional and spiritual health. If you spend all your time focused on food and your size, you may be missing the fullness of your life that is available to you now, not five pounds from now.”
Amen to that!
There’s a lot of talk in the book about walking the walk and that is what I need — reassurance that I can do it and the reminder that actually living it is the important thing! I also came across a post on Body Love Alchemy about the need to use your A-ha moments to change how you live. So that’s what I’m doing…
This morning I woke up pretty early, fixed myself a bowl of cereal, and decided to get on with my day.
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good

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better!

I spent the morning doing what I want to — blog, send emails, getting things ordered and some plans set to get excited about for the next couple weeks (things suddenly look more colourful), and drinking coffee of course.

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And this afternoon I am going to run with Ellen and then head on my road trip to see Lisa! I am beyond excited and proud of myself for going there just on a whim, eating dinner out, and not worrying about getting home late/when I’ll work out this weekend, etc. It’s time to fake it til I make it, and I’m doing it.

At the end of the day, if all I did was check my workouts off my to do list, eat my fruits and veggies, and that’s it, that’s fine. What’s not fine is if trying to do those things interferes with me living and interacting and doing fun stuff. Because isn’t being healthy supposed to make life more enjoyable? So when did it turn into something that we prioritize at the expense of other fun things? Yes workouts are important. Eating healthy is good for you. Schoolwork and work are important. But so is having fun and making time for friends, eating junk food, and being able to sleep in every once in a while.

I feel a whole bunch of these rambling posts coming on…and a whole lot of fun straight ahead for me!

Theme song…

Had any good realizations lately?
What are you doing this weekend? 

TGIF on time

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After last week’s failed Friday post that ended up being on Saturday, I’ve made sure I’ve been paying attention to things going on this week and making some bookmarks to get this Friday post fired off for you guys!

Did I mention I love Fridays? And life?

5 inspirations

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

4 things I am adding to my summer to do list

1. Healthy Living Summit – With Chelsea, Meg, and I hope Bee, maybe Courtney, and whoever the heck else wants to jump on this awesome train. Takers?!

2. Canyon to Coast Jasper to Banff 500 Cycle Tour - Click on the link! This is my grad gift and I am freaking excited. 106 days (but who’s counting?). The description is good — “This tour for serious cyclists features the incredible beauty and diversity of British Columbia’s interior and coast. On this 520k / 320 mile tour you will not only get to ride the entire Icefields Parkway from Jasper to Banff, but you will also get to see some of the hidden and less visited gems in the Canadian Rockies and ride all of the amazing climbs to stunning vistas. This tour is geared toward ambitious intermediate to serious road riders and features 5,300 metres or 17,500 feet of elevation gain.” but the picture of the bear is funny. So long as I’m faster than one other person on the trip, I’m going to be good.

3. Yoga Slackers Adventure Summer Camp - This one I’ve not signed up for and think I might be jam packing my August a bit too much but I want to do it so I thought I’d share! A girl can dream…of slack lining, doing yoga, and trail running like a kid for a week, can’t they?

4.

including but not limited to: biking anywhere and everywhere in Ontario, trail running our faces off, kayaking, jumping in the river, eating copious amounts of fro yo and ice cream, hanging out on Barney's patio, doing ropes courses, going rock climbing, going to as many concerts as possible, signing up for races galore, etc. etc. etc.

3 blog posts you should read

1. Angela’s “An Injury Update & Finding the Silver Lining” : ”When things happen in our lives that take us off our planned course (and they will), it’s a great time to stop and think about what other doors have opened. It can take time to figure out, but that’s ok too. Do a bit more of what feels good to you each day, and a bit less of what doesn’t.”

I think she was speaking to me! Injury or not, it’s a good message! Look at the opportunities, not what you might have missed out on. An injury blows, yes indeedy! But my own injury taught me a lot, got me back in the pool, and I’m not going to lie and say I’m not SCARED of getting hurt again, but I do know that I am bigger than letting my ability to run or bike or do whatever determine my happiness or self worth. Yeah, it blows not being able to do what you want to do. But if I’d been down in the dumps for the last 3 months because of my hip, I think I’d have missed out on the best semester of my life. An injury doesn’t stop you from living your life or give you an excuse to be miserable—it took me a lot of tears and being miserable to realize that, but life is too freaking short! You could be in the best shape of your life and die tomorrow, and if you spent your whole life working out and controlling things in order to be that fit, what do you have to show for it?! Toned biceps in your casket? Yeah…I’m seizing the day!

2. 7 Essential Steps to Giving Up the Fight with Food and Your Body  at Body Love A- The steps are awesome but so are the questions she asks of you at the beginning. And she ends things with “Your thoughts are creating your reality,” which sounds kind of familiar to a little epiphany I had this week, doesn’t it?

3. Tina’s Motivational Musing: This Is What It’s All About  post – her message = “Don’t let life pass you by. Take care of your body so you can live life abundantly. View a healthy lifestyle as a blessing to help you get the most out of life, instead of an obligation or obsession that robs the life out of you.”

And that’s a good message worth checking out! Did I mention I love her blog?!

2 things that made me drool this week

1. boys

2. Leanne’s 20 Healthy Gluten-free Power Snacks post filled with tasty looking eats I really want to try! Gluten or no gluten, they look good. Yummmmm.

1 new blog I found/loved this week 

1. Medical Marzipan – Learning to Love Your Body One Day At A Time - check it out. “Medicinal Marzipan is a blog about learning to love yourself a little bit more every day – to the best of your abilities and without any regrets.”

Sounds like a good goal to me!

Happy weekend!

What’d you stumble on this week worth sharing?

How much is too much?

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So, looking back on my eats, one thing stands out. I am loving the high fibre cereal right now.

Last night, post-spin, I had yogurt with All Bran Buds.

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This morning, I combo’d more of the buds with Kashi and berries and soy milk for breakfast before swim.

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I had a snack that was not cereal–an apple–and after swim I ate a big salad with turkey, sweet potato, maple vinaigrette, dried cranberries, and pecans.

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I also did some core work and stretching with my swim because I’m nervous about my back of the knee pain. I thought it was in my hamstring, but now I think it’s in my calf. And I had calf pain last year similarly, so I know I can get through it. Nonetheless, blasting these songs is necessary:

And I’m moving on. I had a snack of more All Bran (but the original kind, so there’s the variety I know is important) with you guessed it, yogurt when I got home from texting and reading blogs at Starbucks  studying. Tomorrow’s exam is worth 20%, is open book, and is a Writing exam. I’m not sure what to expect because I’ve never had one of these before! So I’m studying a bit, staying calm, and trying not to worry (recall epiphany?).

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I’m just about to gear up for a ride. I hope my calf cooperates but I’m ready to do whatever I need to to take care of this/nip it in the bud! I think there’s a massage in my future and I’ll be stretching extra with all my spare time, rather than compulsively googling “back of the knee pain” etc. etc. and freaking myself out. Tonight I’m planning on seeing some friends, perhaps eating some fro yo, and on making sure I don’t eat All Bran for dinner! My fibre intake for the day is already over 50 grams, which is double the recommended intake. Yes, I am regular, thank you very much!

PS On my walk home today, I had time to slow down and notice some pretty flowers. Sometimes I get so in the zone and have my headphones on and my mind racing, but today I tried to walk and enjoy it! And tah-dah, look what stared me in the face!

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Do you ever get in food ruts?
Do you know if you eat enough fibre? 

Home stretch

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In 3 days, this semester will be over! I only have one exam this semester and then I’ve got time off before summer school. Can’t wait is an understatement.

Yesterday was a productive day which didn’t feel much like Easter, except for the mini eggs I treated myself to for dessert. The Easter Bunny (my mother) delivered a family size bag on Saturday, so I put a decent amount in a container to last me a while and will take the rest to the Gazette office tomorrow to share with all the people who couldn’t make it home to obtain junk food from their families in the name of studying.

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Things started off with a pretty mundane breakfast.

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Then I spent a few hours at Starbucks (my version of the library), where I wrote Bonnie’s birthday post  and did a bit of homework while drinking copious amounts of coffee and snacking on an apple with nut butter.

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When my butt was numb, I headed home to go for a run. Of course I managed to time my 30 minute run for the middle of the hour when it rained…but running in the rain doesn’t bother me as long as I’m warm, and warm I was.

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Yeah, the point of the picture is to show off my new shoes–which match my running jacket! I love it when life coordinates itself. I also love wearing brand new shoes on a muddy trail. Liberating!

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After my 30 minutes of bliss, I got greedy with giving myself permission to have awesome breaks and went to yoga for an hour of sweaty awesomeness. The class was a power class but luckily for my shoulder, which came alive during the class, it wasn’t that tough but was more of a stretch.

I did manage to catch the lyrics to one of the instructor’s songs I love. I proceeded to google it, download it on iTunes, and listen to it on repeat for the rest of the day.

When I got home and showered, even though I’d had a second apple in the car on the way to yoga to tide me over after my run, I was ready for lunch so I tossed together leftover turkey, sweet potatoes, and a salad with cranberries and pecans.

It hit the spot! I went back to Starbucks (I have a problem) and I got down to work on my assignment due today. I finished most of it using plenty of decaf coffee as fuel. I also mowed down on a Kashi bar when my tummy started to talk to me.

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When I got home, I wanted something quick for dinner so I threw together stuff I had kicking around the fridge. I cooked beef and mushrooms and onions (oh red meat, I missed you…I felt a twinge of guilt but again, I’m trying to be more conscious about my meat choices and definitely am grateful to this cow), kale chips, and added some  leftover mashed potatoes to make a meal. Yum.

I finished up my assignment last night and headed to bed, expecting to fall asleep immediately. Instead, my mind raced until I let it all out in my journal. Lots on my mind…but at the end of the day I realized all I can do is do my best. Yes, it’s cheesy, but spending the day with me myself and I yesterday was awesome. It gave me the fuel I needed to write a personal essay about that topic—realizing that you come home to you at the end of the day and that you need to learn to be okay with that person first and foremost. Epiphany much. I’ll share that essay ASAP, as soon as it’s done serving it’s scholastic purposes.

And now it’s later than I thought it would be and I’ve checked breakfast and submitting my final portfolio for my writing class off the list. One of my courses is officially done, so that’s kind of a big deal.

Now I’m debating whether or not to head to the pool to attempt a swim with my shoulder. It’s fine but it I’m a bit anxious to swim since it likes to wake up during the middle of the day or a workout. Decisions…

How was your Easter?
Is school wrapping up for you?