Monthly Archives: December 2010
Be Healthy, Start a Revolution!
| December 31, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Health News |
All of us have a certain core set of beliefs that shape who we are and how we interact with the world. These beliefs drive our relationships, our career choices, and even many of our mundane everyday decisions. They are things we hold so dearly that they will not be shaken, no matter what happens in life.
I’m not just talking about things like faith and religion here (don’t worry, I’m not suddenly going down that road on you). There are many other beliefs and values that give us a lens through which we look at the world. For me, one of those beliefs is this: health is a basic human right. With all that is in me, I truly believe that every man, woman, and child on this earth has the right to a healthy life.
Unfortunately, however, we live in a world where this right is not a reality for many people. Health problems are rampant and it seems as though a smaller and smaller percentage of us are actually “healthy.”
In a recent article in the Huffington Post, Dr. Mark Hyman argues that health is a right which has been taken from us. The article is a great one, and I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes to read through it. But some of his basic argument is as follows (emphasis added):
Our social, political and economic conditions support obesity and disease. Habits and the default choices in our society are built into the fabric of every segment of our society — families, homes, schools, workplaces, and places of worship, our government institutions and health care centers.
Our current food, social and community environments make it hard for us to make healthy choices. In fact, staying healthy has become almost impossible, which is why almost three quarters of Americans are overweight and one in two Americans have one or more chronic diseases.
I’ve written before about how our environment is making us sick and I’m not going to dwell on it now. Instead, I want to bring your attention to a movement Hyman highlights in his article; a movement born on one principle, that in today’s world being healthy is a revolutionary act. As Hyman so eloquently states:
No single change will help us take back our health. It is the hundreds of little choices we make every day, a hundred small revolutionary acts we can control that will transform our collective health.
(Source)
The website RevolutionaryAct.com was started by a woman named Pilar Gerasimo as a way to spark a health revolution. The movement is based on 10 revolutionary truths, which are available in the free downloadable manifesto (Being Healthy is a Revolutionary Act: A Manifesto for Thriving in a Mixed-Up World) and are also printed in the Huffington Post article. I encourage you to download the manifesto (which also includes 101 revolutionary ways to be healthy — how’s that for inspiration?), but a few of my favorites include:
- The way we are living is crazy
- This is not about six-pack abs and skinny jeans
- Inaction is not an option
- The best defense is a good offense (i.e. it’s time to give up diets and focus instead on nourishing our bodies)
The field in which I work is focused on obesity prevention. And in that field, we talk a lot about how the solution to the obesity epidemic (and yes, it is a crisis of epidemic proportions) will be from a multi-pronged approach. That is, attacking the issue at all angles — changing the environment, coming up with new policies, and of course, inspiring more individuals to take responsibility for their health and behavior. The same is true for health as a whole. Not only do we need to change the environment to be more supportive of our health, but we as individuals need to work on making changes for ourselves, our families, and our communities that will help make this world a healthier place for each and every individual.
As the new year approaches, it’s time to set new goals and look ahead toward all the promises and the possibilities 2011 holds. There’s truly no better time to start taking back control of your health, and to work to improve the health of others.
So what are you waiting for? Join the revolution today and be a part of the movement that aims to take back something we all have a fundamental right to: our health.
Running Through the Holidays
| December 28, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
This Christmas, I did a lot of baking, cookie decorating, eating, present unwrapping, chatting with family, and sitting around in my pajamas until after lunch.
What I did NOT do a lot of, however, is run. In fact, during the entire week of Christmas, I ran a grand total of 10.5 miles — less distance than my scheduled long run. Any other year, I wouldn’t really stress about this at all. My dedication to running naturally ebbs and flows, and Christmas has always been a down-time for me. But this year was different — this year, I’m supposed to be in training. And when you’re in training for a marathon, you’re supposed to run.
So why didn’t I?? It’s not that I’m not motivated to do well in this race. National Marathon is a flat, fast course, and I’m gunning for a PR. I’ve told lots of people about my goal, discussed training plans with blog friends, family, and pretty much anyone who would listen. And I knew going in that keeping up with the plan this week would be tough, but I figured I could set aside a few hours of my week to get in the runs. After all, I am no stranger to the fact that training requires making sacrifices.
Sometimes, however, all the motivational tricks in the book aren’t enough to get myself moving. Even though I have a plan to follow and a race to run whether I’m ready or not, the desire to train was the furthest thing from my mind last week. Because the deep dark truth of the matter is – I don’t always love running. It’s true. Even though running and I have a relationship that has stood the test of time, it doesn’t mean that it’s always been a peachy one.
I realize this confession may come as a bit of a surprise. Not only have I been running seriously since I was 14 years old, but my blog has the word run in the title and I write about running all the time. But having a deep-rooted love for something doesn’t mean that I always love doing it. There are times in my life when other things have taken priority over running. And I’m okay with that. In fact, I think that’s one reason I’ve been able to stick with running for so long. Being able to cut back on running (and sometimes take breaks from doing it altogether) is a key part of how I’ve stayed motivated all these years.
Why am I telling you all this? I’m not trying to make excuses for my lack of running last week. Even though I don’t regret my decision, it doesn’t mean that I didn’t stress over how this was going to affect my training. Or spend time scheming about how I was going to tweak my plan to make up for what I didn’t do. And I also know there are other dedicated runners out there who were able to make sacrifices and get in their training despite the commitments and distractions of the holidays.
No, I’m telling you this because I know how hard it can be sometimes to motivate yourself to do the things you know you should. Whether it’s exercising several times a week, eating more fruits and veggies, drinking less soda, or spending more time off the couch — sometimes the things that are the best for us are the hardest to do — even when they’re things we typically enjoy.
And you know what? I think that’s okay. Living a life that makes health a priority doesn’t mean being perfect all the time. Sometimes you might slip up, and some days you might choose cookies and movie watching instead of the gym. Sometimes you may even lose sight of your motivation altogether. It doesn’t make you a bad person, and it doesn’t mean all your health goals are shot. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — life is about balance. Sometimes the pendulum will swing more in one direction than the other, but all that matters is that you’re able to get yourself back on track.
The only catch is, I haven’t really found a magic solution to getting your motivation back. Today I knew that I needed to get back on the training wagon. Instead of trying to squeeze in the miles I missed, I decided to count last week as a wash, and start all over again this week. Which means just picking up where I left off in my training plan, and re-arranging my weekly long run to make up for the fact that I didn’t go long last week. But even though I knew all this, I still didn’t really feel like running. All the days off had pulled me into a running slump — a slump that was going to be a challenge to climb out of. I went for a cold walk with the family, and was so tempted to just call that my workout for the day. Instead, I forced myself to get up, get dressed, and lace up my shoes for an easy 5 miles. And while the run wasn’t my best ever, it did end up being the push I needed. Finishing that run made me feel stronger and more motivated than I have in a week. It helped put things in perspective, and it started the week off on a good note. Sometimes getting out the door really is the hardest part. And the simple act of willing ourselves to put one foot in front of the other might be all the motivation we need.
So if you find yourself stuck in the exercise doldrums like I’ve been, don’t despair or get down on yourself. It’s not the end of the world if you put exercise on hold for a few days. The important thing is that you don’t stay there forever. You’ve got to just pick yourself up by the running shoe laces and get out there. I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll feel better once you do!
Happy Holidays!
| December 23, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Misc |
This week, I have traded carrots for cookies, and training for time with friends, family, and loved ones. Although I had great intentions about keeping up with my training through the Christmas holiday, once the week started all of that fell a little bit to the wayside.
But to be perfectly honest, I’ve decided not to stress about this fact. After all, Christmas only comes once a year and it’s an extremely important holiday to me and the entire HOTR-family. I have made a vow to myself that instead of focusing on the missed runs, I will choose to focus on spending time with family I rarely see and celebrating the reason for the season.
And of course, getting excited about my fur-baby’s very first Christmas.
So as we enter into my two favorite days of the entire year, I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Health on the Run! I realize not all of you are celebrating this weekend, but to those of you who are, I wish you a happy and healthy holiday filled with lots of cheer, laughter, great company, and of course, delicious food. And even for those of you who are not celebrating — I hope this last weekend in December is a great one for you, and you are ready to usher in a new year and all the new possibilities that brings!
Have a wonderful holiday!
Good Idea, Bad Idea
| December 20, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Misc |
It’s the week of Christmas! A time when all I want to do is sit by my tree with the family, telling stories, eating cookies, and drinking hot chocolate. But alas, there’s still a few more days to go until we get there.
It’s also a time for last minute preparations and holiday traveling. With so much to do this week to prepare, these last few days leading up to Christmas can also be a bit stressful. So today, all I have for you are two quick little nuggets of wisdom I discovered over this past weekend. You can thank me later.
Good Idea
Although gingerbread is a holiday classic, I have to admit I’m not the biggest fan. I like it well enough, but give me a choice between gingerbread and chocolate and I’ll choose chocolate any day of the week.
However, I may have discovered a way to eat gingerbread that could actually rival a chocolate cookie. In the midst of rolling and cutting a batch of Jenna’s Old Fashioned Gingerbread on Friday night, a friend and I were hit with a stroke of brilliance. Instead of continuing to roll out this dough that kept getting drier and drier, why not just roll it up into a ball, frost it and enjoy? Enter Iced Gingerbread Cookie Dough Balls.
Good great idea!
I followed Jenna’s recipe exactly, but we used egg beaters instead of regular eggs. Egg beaters are pasteurized, so it’s safe to eat them in the raw dough. But if you really want to play it safe, you could probably just leave out the eggs altogether.
These were bite-sized pieces of heaven. Cookie dough is usually better than the cooked version anyway, and gingerbread is no exception. The dough is not very sweet, which made the icing the perfect complement. You can store these little guys in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
Bad Idea
While the iced cookie dough balls might have been a huge success, this weekend I also had an extremely huge fail. A fail that not only made me change my plan for my long run, but will also end up costing me money.
It is a bad idea to keep your new hydration bladder next to where you rest a hot iron in between uses. A very very bad idea.
I guess I’m in the market for a new drinking tube. Although I’ll admit I’m currently thinking about just trying to duct tape the hole shut — good idea or bad idea??
Virtual Motivation vs. Peer Pressure
| December 16, 2010 | Posted by Lauren under Marathon Training, Running |
To be perfectly honest, I am not a hardcore runner, although I sometimes pretend to be by doing things like crazy all night races with a bunch of strangers. And while I’ve been known to run in my fair share of snow storms, and have had runs that’re so cold my camelbak freezes, most of the time I don’t actually take delight in being extreme. On nights when it’s cold and dark and windy, I admit that I often find myself retreating indoors to face an old familiar friend: the much dreaded treadmill. It’s not the best option, but it’s a tool…and a means to an end when you plan on training through the winter.
And this winter, I have big goals. I am currently training for the National Marathon in Washington, DC on March 26th. This race is exciting for several reasons:
- I am going for speed. I’ve been running marathons in the high 3:20 range for too long and I think it’s high time to get below (watch out Dad, I’m gunning for ya!)
- My awesome family will be there to see me do it. They haven’t all come to see me run a marathon since my very first one.
- A big group of bloggers will be running the same day, which will definitely be a lot of fun.
A few months ago, Becky suggested signing up for the National Marathon because of its destination and supposedly flat, fast course. Pretty quickly Jen, Evan, and I all jumped on board. Not only was I excited about the course, but I was also thrilled to have the opportunity to run a race with some pretty cool people. Even though we all run different paces and don’t actually run together on a regular basis, we would be virtual training buddies, keeping each other motivated through the long, cold winter.
And now it appears as though many other bloggers have decided to race that weekend as well. A large group of us will be descending on the city to run the half marathon the same day. Never before have I experienced this sort of accountability when training for a marathon! Running a race with so many bloggers and training with these three marathoners will give me the chance to swap training plans, winter horror stories, and training victories. To know that we will all be facing the same ups and downs of running through cold and snow is extremely motivational.
I think this sense of support and connection is a pretty amazing thing that the blog-world has to offer. Whether you’re a blog writer yourself or simply like to read, being able to share experiences with individuals who are going through something similar is invaluable. When you know that you’re not facing a challenge alone, it can be much easier to overcome obstacles and stick with it. I know this winter I’m going to be a lot more likely to stick to my training plan just knowing that these guys are doing runs right along with me. Motivation (or positive peer pressure) at its finest!
(Source)
But — can there also be a negative side to all this? As with anything else in life, when we see a bunch of people doing something together, our natural tendency is to want to be included. While I realize that not everyone is going to think a marathon/half-marathon sounds like fun no matter who is doing it, I do fear that there is a chance it may encourage people who really aren’t ready to train for a race of this distance to sign up anyway. As a runner, a weekend race with a bunch of bloggers I admire sounds pretty exciting — and could definitely pressure me into signing up even if I didn’t really feel as though I should be doing it.
To be honest, I’ve done my fair share of friendly peer-pressuring. I’m currently trying (in vain) to convince a co-worker and a super fast runner to jump on the bandwagon and do the full. And I think I might be making headway in convincing my own mother to run the half. When it comes to running, I usually tend to think “the more the merrier!”
But I know this approach shouldn’t be taken lightly. Training for a marathon is a huge undertaking. One that requires commitment and a whole lot of time. It can be especially challenging during extreme weather, and rumor has it this winter is going to be a harsh one. Furthermore, running a marathon isn’t exactly fun. There, I said it. The marathon is a challenge, an accomplishment, and a potential source of great pride. But it certainly isn’t a bed of roses (don’t believe me? Read about my experience running Cape Cod, or read about Jen’s heartbreaking DNF at Asbury Park.). I continue to sign up for these races because I enjoy the structure of the training, and I love being able to push my body and my mind to new limits, finding strength I never knew I had along the way. That doesn’t mean I actually enjoy every step of the marathon itself.
I say all this not to discourage anyone from running a marathon. If you have your heart set on doing one someday, I think that’s pretty amazing. But not everyone has to run a marathon. And you certainly shouldn’t do it because all your friends are.
So if you ever find yourself in a situation like this, my only caution would be to take a step back before signing up and evaluate if this is something you truly want to do. Because otherwise, you might end up resenting it when the training gets tough and the weather gets rougher.
And then if, after doing this, you still find the thought of running a half marathon or a full incredibly exciting and you want to do a race with a great company, then I encourage you to sign up for the National Marathon in DC. It’s a great course, and is really shaping up to be a festive weekend!
–
I’m curious, have you ever signed up for a race because a friend/friends (real life or virtual) were doing it? And did it end up being a positive experience?
Recent Comments