Piedra de Agua

Tags

Ecuador, Self Care, Travel

One of my favorite things I did while in Ecuador was spend an afternoon at Piedra de Agua, right outside of Cuenca. My host family was spending the afternoon, and I was invited to go along.

We first had lunch at the restaurant that is right there at the spa, and it was delicious! I started out with some french onion soup, and while it certainly looks different than when I’ve had it in the U.S., it was wonderful! I followed this up with some garlic chicken and tea.

Following the lunch, the others in my group went through all the steps in their relaxation package (it looks amazing, doesn’t it?), which took maybe 3-4 hours. While they were doing that, I ended up getting a half hour massage (that’s all the time they had free since I hadn’t made an appointment ahead of time).

Such a cool setting!

The massage was a bit different than any I had received before. First of all, the massages took place in a cave in the side of a volcano. Amazing, right? The setting alone made the money and trip there worth it. When I walked in, the massage therapist stayed in the room as I undressed, which is something I have never experienced before in the U.S. It was a little strange, but it was fine. The massage itself was good, and the entire experience was a lot of fun!

After the massage I spent about 30 minutes laying out by the pool in the sunshine. The view looks up at the Andes Mountains, and it’s gorgeous. I then walked around the facilities for about an hour or hour and a half and just enjoyed the view. Once my host family was done with their package, they invited me to join them for their fruit and chocolate platter, which was amazing!

The Red and Blue Mud Pools

The entire experience from the time we left Cuenca until the time we returned was about 5 hours, but of course it wouldn’t need to be that long if you were to just go for a meal or a massage. The trip is well worth it, and the setting is gorgeous.

14 Challenges in 2014

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2014 Challenge, Barre, Biking, Exercise, Mental Health, Pilates, Plank, Planks, Race, Racing, Relationships, Running, Self Care, Walking, Wellness

I’ll be back tomorrow with another post about my trip to Ecuador… 

Last year I set 13 challenges for myself for the year, and I loved having these to push myself throughout the year. Why challenges? I want to give myself the freedom and room to take new paths for myself that may arise throughout the year. I like the freedom as well as determination that a challenge gives. So, because I loved it so much last year, I am setting 14 challenges for myself this upcoming year:

1. I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Again, I shoot very low, knowing that I get injured easily. I would love nothing more than to have 500+ mile years, but I know this isn’t practical for myself.
2. I challenge myself to walk 275 miles.  I enjoy walking, and used to walk much more than I do now. 275 might still be high, depending on how my fitness plays out throughout the year. I refuse to give up what I WANT to do just to meet a certain number.
3. I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. This would solidly mean the highest biking mileage I’ve ever done in a year before, so we’ll see if I can make this happen. I would be solidly happy with 700+ miles for the year.
4. I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. This is pretty much hardly over an hour a week, which I think is reasonable. I’ve never kept track of how many hours I’ve done pilates in a year before, so we’ll see how this one goes! I love pilates though and think that it’s incredibly beneficial for life. (I’m counting reformer, mat, and barre pilates here)
5. I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. I chose 250 minutes of planks last year, and I felt like that number was pretty reasonable. Instead of trying to go up (because…why?) I decided to keep it at a number I was happy with for the year.
6. I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person!
7. I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. Just like the books I read in 2013, I want them to be a mix of fun, health, and educational.
8. I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. I almost feel like I’m cheating with this one since it was on my list from last year, but making it a challenge somehow made it more fun (and a little easier to part with clothes). I want to continue to make space in my closet for the clothes that I really wear.
9. I challenge myself to continue to be present. I talked about the benefits of being present last January, and I felt like it was really healthy for me throughout the year. This one is a huge priority throughout the year for me.
10. I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). I will write down at least once a week what I am thankful for (I’ve officially started a specific gratitude journal for the year), and will continue to hunt throughout the week for the things I’ve been provided. I really feel like this makes a huge difference in mental health.
11. I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I’m pretty sure that I’ve read it all in bits and pieces, but I’ve never read the entire thing in a condensed amount of time. This one will be an average of maybe 15ish minutes every day, although obviously there will be somedays that I’ll have to play catch up for other days that I’ve missed. This one has already been interesting so far.
12. I challenge myself to publish an article this year. 
13. I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. This is something that I have really done in the past 3 months, and I want to continue to make this a priority in my life. This involves both keeping up with a few close friends from my past, current friendships, and maybe making a few new friends as well!
14. I challenge myself to be brave. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, that’s it-my 14 challenges for the year. Obviously, like I mentioned on my final update for my 13 challenges, I am giving myself the freedom and space to take the year however it comes. I have no idea what the upcoming year holds, so I don’t want to make my goals to rigid. So- here’s to a great 2014 for my own personal growth, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all turns out!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s a challenge for yourself for the upcoming year (or month or week- you can choose!)?

From Crisis To A Reminder

Tags

Biking, Health, Mental Health, Self Care

I had a good reminder about exercise on Monday. I had dealt with a 3 hour crisis at work, followed by a few more hours of work without a break. I was so completely focused on handling the situation that at 4:30 pm I realized that I hadn’t had anything to drink since 9:30 that morning- yikes! I had been planning on biking when I got home from work (using my new bike trainer!), but after the crisis I was pretty wiped out.

That’s the thing with adrenaline inducing events. It allows you to focus in the moment, but leaves you pretty drained and tired afterwards. I had about an hour of thinking that I wasn’t going to bike because what I really wanted to do was sit on my couch and eat a warm bowl of soup (I did that later on in the evening anyways).

Instead, when I got home, I made a decision based on what I cognitively knew was healthy, not based on what I really felt that I wanted in the moment. After 40 minutes of spinning my extra energy out, I felt much better. I was able to relax the rest of the evening and I slept pretty well. I don’t think I’d have been nearly relaxed without spinning it out.

It was a good reminder to me how much our mental and physical health is connected. There are plenty of things in our life that happen that make us want to sit instead of exercise at the end of the day. While sometimes that definitely is the right call, for me the decision to bike even though I didn’t feel like it at the moment was the best decision that I could’ve made.

Taking care of ourselves mentally means taking care of ourselves physically. I biked, took a shower, ate a warm bowl of soup, and watched a few episodes of NCIS… because really, what goes better with a mental health crisis than some murder? I mean- fake, scripted murder. Not real life.

Motto of the story- go ride a bike, or run, or do pilates, or swim- just move, even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. It’ll be good for you physically AND mentally.

Little House On The Prairie {and the importance of reading for fun}

Tags

2013 Challenge, Health, Self Care

This post has both absolutely nothing and everything to do with health and wellness.

I mentioned in a previous post that this summer was fairly challenging with a few things, but these were all things that I had no direct control over in my life. Because of this, I knew that I needed to be extra proactive about engaging in healthy behaviors so that my mental and physical health stayed high. One of the things I decided to do back in May was to choose a book series I read when I was little to enjoy once again. I figured that reading for fun along with having something that brought back lots of fun memories would be the perfect thing. Yes- I read other books as well, but I wanted something that would be fun and peaceful to escape into from time to time, and the Little House On The Prairie series fit perfectly!

I read these books over and over while growing up, but it had been at least 15 years since I had last opened a book from this series. For those of you who haven’t read the books, this series follows the Ingalls family through their adventures traveling around the midwest in their covered wagon. In each new location, the Ingalls family had to connect with new neighbors, build a new cabin or house, figure out how to get goods from town, and deal with prairie fires, pests consuming the food they planted, snow storms, and illness in the 1800’s. While these books are certainly written for younger children, they’re definitely interesting to read as it gives a glimpse into life back in the pioneer days.

The stories are interesting and mostly light-hearted, and they provide a great little escape from real life. If you haven’t ever read this series, run to your library and check them out ASAP 🙂 Regardless, I think that reading for fun (as well as educational purposes), is very helpful in striving after living a healthy and balanced life. In the busyness and stress of the day it’s something that is easy to look over, but can be a great benefit. And so, regardless of which book you choose to pick up, consider adding reading for fun to your regular health regimen. It’s good for the mind and the heart!

Now it’s your turn to share! Did you ever read the Little House on the Prairie series? What are you favorite “for fun” books to read? 

Mental Health Monday: You Are An Investment!

Tags

Mental Health, Relationships, Self Care

One thing that makes being a counselor so very interesting is that I get to hear the inner thoughts of others; thoughts they may have never verbalized before. One thought I often hear is that they aren’t worth the investment of their time, care, of others’ love, etc… This can come to be a belief from a number of reasons. Sometimes parents have conveyed that message to them, sometimes lessons were learned that self care is selfish or unloving towards others, sometimes we’ve manufactured the reason ourselves- there are a number of reasons. I believe, however, that investing in ourselves is critical to our health and the love and health that others around us experience.

“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” – James Allen

“Take a coin from your purse and invest it in your mind. It will come pouring out of your mind and overflow your purse.” -Benjamin Franklin

Investing in ourselves and taking care of ourselves is a critical component of our personal health and the health of our relationships. So often I hear people say something along the lines of “I’ll care for others and give myself whatever is left.” The thing is, there are more people in need then we have the ability to give, so if we operate under that idea, we won’t care for ourselves much at all. When we invest in ourselves and care for ourselves, we fill ourselves up so that we have something to give to those in our life, and that something is healthy. Some thoughts on investing:

• When we invest in ourselves by exercising now, we create the opportunity to be active with our grandchildren later
• When we invest in ourselves by sleeping, we are more patient, loving, and healthy individuals to be around for our families, friends, and co-workers
• When we invest in ourselves by eating healthy, we have the opportunity to
• When we invest in ourselves, we set off a healthy chain reaction in the lives of children and grandchildren, and future generations after we are gone.
• When we invest in ourselves educationally, we become smarter and wiser individuals and citizens.

You see, this life is the one that you have been given, and it’s worth the investment! Without investing, we can’t truly become the loving, caring, healthy individuals we could be without the investment. And think of it this way, investing in yourself isn’t selfish! In fact, not investing in yourself is selfish! Investing in yourself is the best way you can love yourself, and therefore love and care for those around you as well!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s tough about considering yourself an investment? How do you like to invest in yourself on a regular basis? On a more lighthearted note, what is one thing you are looking forward to this week? 

A Year of 13 Challenges

Tags

2013 Challenge, Biking, Exercise, Family, Mental Health, Planks, Race, Relationships, Running, Self Care, Swimming, Thankful, Walking

This year I’m challenging myself to 13 different things. Why 13? Because it’s 2013, and it just seemed fitting. I sat down a week ago to start formulating some of the challenges, and I tried to hit a few different areas of health. One thing I did in 2012 was to track every run, walk, bike ride, elliptical, swim, and row that I did the entire year. It was pretty interesting to see the breakdown in these areas. I’m planning to challenge myself to do a bit more in these areas than I did last year! To be clear, I’m obviously planning to do more than what’s on this list, but these are some of the challenges I’ve come up with to complete this year.

13 Challenges In 2013

1. I challenge myself to run 250 miles. I ran 215 miles in 2012, and this gives me a little room to grow. I get injured really easily, so I’m hoping that I can realistically accomplish this.
2. I challenge myself to walk 500 miles. In 2012 I walked 395 miles, which is a fair amount. I plan on increasing my mileage by almost 100 miles, which I hope won’t be a problem. Between January and February of 2012 I only walked 10 total miles, so this shouldn’t be too hard to complete.
3. I challenge myself to bike (either road bike or indoor cycling) 300 miles. I biked just over 200 in 2012, but I definitely picked up cycling much more the 2nd half of the year. This is something I’d like to make a bigger priority.
4. I challenge myself to swim between 15 and 20 miles. I like swimming, but I don’t have easy access to a pool many months of the year. That being said, I think I can manage at least that many miles.
5. I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This past year I did 170 minutes of planks (not counting my pilates classes!). I unfortunately didn’t do any of my plank challenge from April- the middle of October, so this should be reasonably easy to achieve with a little dedication.
6. I challenge myself to go through all the clothes I own. I get really attached to clothes (or memories associated with those clothes) so I have a hard time parting with them. While I’ve gotten rid of a few bags over the last few years, I’ve definitely brought in more clothes than I’ve let go of over the past 4 years. My drawers and closets are stuffed, and it’s time to clean them out!
7. I challenge myself to finish the article I started in 2012. I started an article in September of 2012, and other more important or pressing writing and speaking projects came along and this article got pushed to the side. I would like to finish this at some point this year.
8. I challenge myself to finish typing up all the letters from war. In 2012 I started to type up all the letters my grandpa sent home during World War II. These letters are fascinating, but they span almost 4 years, and he wrote at least weekly. That’s a lot of handwritten letters to type up! I plan to finish this in 2013!
9. I challenge myself to write down what I’m thankful for at least one time each week. Thinking positively and living from a place of gratitude is something that I’ve tried to embrace in 2012, and I would like to continue to do this in 2013!
10. I challenge myself to run 13 races this year. I’m a little hesitant on this one, knowing that I struggle with injuries. With these races I’m counting all running distances, both “in person” and virtual races, as well as any triathlons I might do.
11. I challenge myself to read 12 books this year. I’m not sure I’ve read 12 books in one year in quite some time. I was given 5 books for Christmas, and I’m itching to read them. I desire to get back into reading, so I will try to read one book each month!
12. I challenge myself to begin to write my book. Ok, this one is sort of a far fetched dream. I have this idea for a book and I would love to write it. I challenge myself to dream big and start to write this book that I’ve already formulated in my mind!
13. I challenge myself to be present. (I wrote an entire post on this topic here). In high school and college I was always making count downs for the next big thing in my life. Somewhere along the way in college I learned that it’s really about the little things. The little things are what makes life beautiful, and I want to embrace them. I can’t do that if I’m only focused on “to dos” and the next big thing in my life. I want to be present and enjoy the times I have with my family and friends. I want to enjoy where I am at currently and notice the little things.

So there it is. 13 challenges for 2013. Some of these will likely be fairly easy to achieve, and I think some of these might come down to the wire. I tried to write challenges that would push me in a number of areas- physical, mental, relational, academically etc… Like I said, I of course plan on doing other things. I want to invent some new recipes, continue to each balanced meals (including dessert!), and having fun!

Here’s to a great 2013!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have any challenges for yourself in the coming year? What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish? Do you also struggle with staying present in life? 

Reducing Stress During The Holiday Season

Tags

Family, Holiday, Relationships, Self Care

I’ve decided that on Mondays I’ll often be doing a “mental health monday” post. I’m a counselor, but tend to talk primarily about the physical aspects of health on this blog. I’m trying to get more of a balance of the physical and mental/emotional aspects of health. So, in that vain, and because it’s finally the Christmas season (!!), I decided to do a post on decreasing your stress during the holidays.

I know that the holiday season can be really stressful, and the important thing to remember is that you are in control of yourself, and you can make decisions to decrease that stress. Here are a few tips to help you decrease you stress during the next few weeks.

1. Set a budget for yourself and stick to it! There’s no reason you need to go into debt during Christmas. Spending can get out of control, and this will only increase you stress levels in the months following December. Set a reasonable budget for yourself and buy accordingly. This also goes for holiday decorations and clothing.
2. Release the expectation that you can be the perfect superhero! Sometimes we feel pressure to do everything perfectly during the Christmas season; provide the perfect meals, the perfect parties, the perfect gifts, etc… Humans tend to crack under pressure, and of course we can’t be perfect even if we try! Check yourself to see if you’re struggling with the “superhero complex”, and work on releasing that.
3. Set realistic expectations for participation in activities. Does anyone else get overwhelmed with the amount of activities that are presented to you during this month? Between parties, concerts, gift exchanges, work events, family activities, Christmas movie viewing, caroling, cookie decorating, house decorating, and everything else in between, it’s one packed month. We can’t do everything without feeling stressed and overwhelmed. To be honest, how fun is an event you’re going to out of obligation while feeling stressed? If you can prioritize your events, and maybe say no to a few things along the way, you can limit your stress due to a busy schedule.
4. Limit the people that you buy for. I think sometimes we feel pressure to get everyone in our life a little something. Remember what I said above about sticking to a budget? This is what I’m talking about. It’s just not practical to buy something for everyone in your life. You don’t owe it to them, and shopping for so many people can just get stressful. Limit the people that you buy for, and give out of generosity, not obligation. It’s ok to tell someone that you would like to buy for them, but you’re tight on money, for example.
5. Implement the strategies for surviving the holidays with your family. Last Monday I devoted an entire post to this. You can read that post here.

More tips to come soon! The important thing to remember is that you get a choice as to how you choose to handle your stress over the holidays!

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you feel pressured to buy for lots of people in your life? How do you decide who to buy for and who not to buy for? 

Surviving The Post Race Blues

Tags

Half Marathon, Race, Racing, Relationships, Running, Self Care

Coming off a race that you’ve spent hours each week training for, visualizing, and preparing for is tough. The post race blues are definitely a real thing, and I’ve been fighting hard to not let myself feel too down after running the Indy Monumental on November 3rd. This being the start of the holiday season, it’s definitely given me something to focus on and work towards. I don’t claim to have the perfect way to deal with post race blues; I think everyone needs something a bit different. Here’s what I’ve done to survive the post race blues.

Engage in other types of exercise. Yes, I certainly miss running, but running isn’t the only way to break a sweat or get some endorphins. I’ve started biking again, and I’ve walked quite a bit each week, as you can see from my weekly recaps here and here.  Yoga has been great, and I’ll be doing lots of Pilates around Christmas time.

Find a new race to work towards! I’m planning to sign up for the Indy Mini again this coming May. While it’s still a ways away, it motivates me to keep a good base throughout the winter so that I can be strong when I go into training in the winter!

Plan other fun activities. On the weekends I’ve scheduled out my time a bit to keep me busy and focused on what needs to be done. I’ve spent a lot of time doing other non-exercise related activities with friends, and the laughter and fun I’ve had helps to mitigate the post race blues.

Re-focus on relationships. Race preparation can take a toll on our family and friends, and the time we spend with them. Focus on rebuilding some of those relationships again!

Focus on building up other areas of wellness as well. Sometimes those last weeks before a race we’re so focused on the race that other areas of wellness seem to decrease a bit. The post race time period can be a great time to work on other areas of our wellness as well!

Engage in self care! Recovery takes time, sleep, stretching, and good food! Make sure you’re giving yourself what you need!

Spend time remembering the race! Finding people you can talk to about the race! I keep my medal out for awhile and look at pictures! I think it’s helpful to think about everything I accomplished while on the course! Just don’t ruminate on it so much you can’t enjoy anything else.

Now its your turn to share! How do you deal with the post race blues? 

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or personal trainer. I am simply sharing some of the things that have helped me get over the post race slump. If you feel that you are really struggling or feeling depressed, please contact a doctor or professional counselor. 

Surviving the Holidays With Family

Tags

Family, Holiday, Mental Health, Relationships, Self Care

Holidays can be really wonderful times, but they can certainly be stressful. Through a bunch of people who are a little more stressed than normal in a house together, and chaos can ensue! I’ve certainly had my share of stressful moments of holidays, so I thought I would pass on a few pieces of wisdom I’ve gathered over the years, both from personal experiences and through experiences as a counselor.

1. Do something together. Too much time sitting around aimlessly can lead to an increase in awkward conversation or useless bickering. Sometimes getting out of the house for a set activity can be really helpful. Plus, it can cut down on forced conversation!
2. Exercise and find some way to move everyday! Go for a walk, head to a local gym, or do a workout video. Remember, as Elle Woods says in Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy…” Get your daily dose of endorphins to help decrease some of the stress (plus it can give you a break from your family)!
3. Use your “no”. Remember that just because you share genetic material, it doesn’t require that you share all sorts of personal information. It’s ok to not share information you aren’t comfortable sharing. Maybe your family member isn’t safe or trustworthy, and it wouldn’t be healthy to share with them! If they continue to badger you, it’s ok to walk away!
4. You can’t control other people. You CAN control yourself. We can’t control those around us, but we can control ourselves, and we are responsible for ourselves. We get control of our behaviors and thoughts, which means that we’re not completely helpless! Don’t waste energy trying to control others (that just leads to frustration and stress), but don’t allow others to control you either! Just because someone, for example, tries to make you feel guilty, it doesn’t mean you need to accept the guilt.
5. Engage in healthy living behaviors and coping. When we get stressed, it’s easy to use alcohol, food, sleep, or something else to cope. While it might seem to help at the time, it’s not really all that healthy. Engaging in healthy behaviors to cope will keep you healthy!

These aren’t the only things to do, of course, when tough situations arise with family members. However, these are a few things that help maintain overall health when we encounter certain stressful situations! I’m planning to do another edition of this before Christmas, so stay tuned:)

Now it’s your turn to share! What do you do to stay sane when you’re around difficult family members (immediate or extended)? 

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to take the role of a mental health counselor. Sometimes we get into unhealthy patterns with our family, and it’s important to get help so we don’t continue that pattern later in life. If you feel like you are stuck in an unhealthy pattern, please seek out someone like a counselor who can help you with this! 

September Recap & October Goals

Tags

Exercise, Half Marathon, Health, Plank, Race, Running, Self Care, Training

Happy October! It’s time to fully embrace all that is fall in my life and enjoy this season for what it is! It seems like a long time ago that I sat down to type my August Recap. September was a very full and busy month, and October is looking like it will be even busier and crazier (including a trip to Europe!). Here’s a look back at this past month:

• Training is now well underway for my 2nd half marathon. This is what my training looked like: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5!
• I celebrated Labor Day by resting and having fun!
• I had to work through a stressful situation. While I can’t go into details about it on the blog, I talked about one of my favorite ways to help decrease stress: by exercising!
• In September we hit the 11 year anniversary of September 11th. I talked about my trip to the 9/11 memorial this past April and how that changed the day for me.
• I became a Sweat Pink Ambassador!
• I talked about two fantastic runs I had: a 6 miler and a 7 miler.
• I celebrated my 1 year blogiversary!
• I talked about the benefits of having an exercise partner.

September, while the weeks seemed to fly back, actually seems like a long month. Like I said, I’m really looking forward to October. I get to see my family, I’m attending Homecoming at the college I attended, I’m going to Europe, and it’s my final few weeks of training before my second half! So much excitement, but it will also include the stress that comes with being busy and actively on the go. That being said, I want to stay as healthy as I can this month. Here are a few goals:

• Get back to doing planks regularly. I used to do them almost every time, but I got out of the habit this summer. My goal for this month is 30 minutes of planks.
• Sleep! While I can’t always control this while I’m traveling, and I can’t force myself to sleep at night, I will try to be as healthy with sleep as I can. This will involve being in bed for 8 hours a night, even if I can’t sleep.
• Staying healthy and feeling good while traveling also involves staying hydrated. I will drink 8 cups of fluid each day, more if I’ve worked out a lot that day.
• Enjoy Europe and focus on living in the moment!
• Ice, foam roll, and stretch after every.single.workout.
• Avoid injury, take rest days, and be smart about training for my half marathon.

There you go: a look back at September and looking forward throughout October! This month is all about balance and health for me as I train and travel throughout these weeks.

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one accomplishment you had from September? What are you most looking forward to in October? How will you try to maintain balance this month?