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Category: health

  • Why I Am Training For A Triathlon

    I’ve been an athlete my whole life, mostly playing soccer but there was a stint a couple years ago where I fancied myself a runner. Unfortunately, when I started my job almost a year ago, I had to quit playing soccer because of my crazy schedule, and I haven’t really kept up much of a serious exercise routine since then.

    I thought it would be enough to eat fairly healthy (which I do), have a physically demanding job (which I do), and occasionally supplement with yoga and bike riding (which I do). But despite all this, my weight continues to creep up ever so slowly. In talking to David about this last week, he told me, “Things change as you get older. You have to fight it.”

    Those words stuck with me. It would be so easy to just let my body go, but I don’t want to. I want to be in great shape before I have a child so that it’s not impossible for me to slim down again afterwards. I want to really take care of myself.

    I decided that training for a triathlon is how I am going to accomplish this. I’ve been interested in doing one for awhile now, and why put it off? I have running experience, so it shouldn’t be too hard to work up to 5k distance again. I already own a nice bike that I want to ride more anyway. I know how to swim, and will appreciate the variety it brings to my workouts. (Although I went to the pool for the first time yesterday and it was HARD.)

    After only a few days of training, I know that I will probably be in the best shape of my life when this is all over with. I love having a goal to aim for: The Austin Triathlon on Labor Day. It makes me excited to exercise. It also gets me outside, which I don’t do enough of. I’m nervous because there are a lot of technical things I don’t know about, and it will mean doing some kind of training almost every day, but I know it’ll be worth it.

    Anyone want to join me, even if it’s long-distance?

  • Favorite Gratis Activity

    Jenna at That Wife issues a monthly food, photography, and lifestyle challenge. April’s lifestyle challenge is to participate in your favorite free activity and document it. I haven’t done one of these challenges before, but I decided this would be a good one to start with.

    Today I had absolutely nothing planned, the weather was lovely, and I decided it would be a perfect day to do one of my favorite things: ride my bike. My new year’s resolution was to enter a bike race, and in order to do that I’ve got to actually ride my bike. I haven’t been doing much of it lately because I’m busy and stuff and blah blah blah. But I rode today! My shoulders and legs will be sore tomorrow, but no pain no gain, right?

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    My view of the trail

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    Just a picture of my bike because I love it.

    So there you go. I rode my bike! Really exciting, right?

  • Fat Burning Yoga

     

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    I’ve always been an active person, but throughout my life my main form of exercise has been playing soccer. Even after I graduated from college I continued to play on adult leagues, indoor and outdoor. But the games are either late on week nights or on Sunday mornings. I can’t stay up late anymore because of work, and I won’t miss church to play soccer. So this past year has marked the first time in my life that I haven’t played, and I am in significantly worse shape now because of it.

    Even though soccer involves a LOT of running, I’m just not a runner. I tried to be for awhile, and at times I do enjoy it. But I’d rather do other forms of exercise, like bike riding or even weight lifting. But one thing I’ve discovered that I love to do is yoga.

    A friend of mine introduced me to this yoga video (back when it was on VHS) in college, and I immediately liked it. I eventually bought it for myself, years later, on DVD this time. Lately it seems that it’s the only kind of exercise I can get myself to do.

    I like it because it’s only about 40 minutes long, and I can do it no matter what the weather is like. It’s not too strenuous, but afterwards I can tell that I’ve done something. It works my entire body, and includes strength-building with stretching. It’s fun, and you get to hear Sarah Ivanhoe mispronounce the word “forward” and say things like, “the light in me salutes the light in you.” 

    I’m still not in great shape at the moment, but David and I have once again told each other that we’re going to start being healthier AND save money at the same time. Ambitious, right? Do any of you have a favorite exercise video or routine? How do you get yourself to be active?

  • On Starting To Exercise Again

    When I first got Cleo over a year ago, I was running a lot. I would take her to the park and we would run 5 miles together no problem. (Well, no problem after I purchased her a choke collar having learned the hard way that she loves to chase squirrels.) I was in pretty good shape then, and it felt good. 

    Now I look at Cleo, and there is a reason we call her our little sausage. She even has a couple of back fat rolls. And yesterday, my nurse mentor/friend Pat said to me, “I’m not saying this because you look like you’ve put a single pound on your body, but have you gained weight? I’m only asking because most newlyweds gain weight.” And later that day, two OTHER women I work with told me I look like I HAVE gained weight. Maybe it’s because I was wearing my pink scrubs for the first time in awhile, but still. Aren’t women supposed to know that we don’t say that kind of thing to each other?

    Truthfully, I’ve probably only gained 3-4 pounds since I got married. I don’t eat badly, even though I really REALLY love having chocolate after dinner. But ever since my indoor soccer team disbanded a few months ago, I haven’t been exercising. It’s thanks to my physically demanding job that I haven’t gained more, I think.

    I’m really getting the itch to be more active again. My new year’s resolution is to ride my bike and do a race at some point. I’ve decided that I don’t want to ride outside the neighborhood alone, however. My friend Sara said she’d ride with me, but I’m waiting for her to get a new bike. Until then, I’ve got to start doing something. I asked for a Wii Fit for my birthday, so maybe that will help on days I don’t want to get out of the house, but I need more than that.

    So, Methodist is sponsoring the annual Stride4Stroke 5K in March, and I signed up to be a part of our unit’s team. I’m going to run it. I used to be able to run a 5K in my sleep, but not so much anymore; I’m going to have to train.

    Which is really the point of this post, to tell you about a great website that I found to help me: www.djsteveboy.com. On it are free podcasts that you can download to listen to while you run. I chose the one called “First Day to 5K.” The podcasts have upbeat music that you listen to, and then there is a chiming sound that lets you know when you switch from walking to jogging. They are designed by a coach, and you just need to run to them 3 times a week for 9 weeks. I’ve found that running at intervals like this is really the best way to get started. It’s not too overwhelming, you feel good, and it helps you ease into running shape again.

    Cleo and I ran week one today, and although I’m not too winded, my legs are definitely tired. Poor Cleo was huffing and puffing right alongside me. Hopefully we can find time to complete the program together.

  • Thankful

    I’m sitting here at a computer in the hallway of my unit, Methodist Main 8 Northwest, finishing up my shift. I’ve had a sore throat since Sunday, swollen and tender glands since Monday, and a hacking, persistent cough since yesterday. It gets worse throughout the day, and by 8 p.m. I’m passed out in bed. I’ve had to be very careful to stay sterile here at work, although I don’t think I’m infectious.

    Although I don’t feel very well, I want to say that I am thankful for my health, and the health of my family. Yesterday, a patient of mine died on my shift. This was a man who we all knew very well around here, because he has been with us for a few months. He loved the University of Texas. Just a few weeks ago, he was depressed not because of his condition but because UT lost to Texas Tech. He had a very supportive wife and grown children about my age. When he was assigned to me yesterday, I was scared because I knew he didn’t have much longer. He was gasping for breath all day long. Right at the end of the shift, they told me they thought he was gone. I went into the room, and although I knew it was true, I felt for a pulse anyway. His wife was looking at me expectantly. I whispered to her, “I don’t feel anything,” and she just nodded and put her head down. His lips were white. His hands were cold. There was no more struggle in him.

    As I watched their family console each other, how could my mind not jump to my own family? To my own new husband, who I love more than anything in the world? I immediately wrote him an email to tell him that I will love him forever, and the most important thing is that he always knows that. There is a friend of a friend whose blog I read who lost her husband in a boating accident two years ago tomorrow. Today, she reflects on their last moments together. It is a beautiful and sad story, and it makes me want to hold onto my husband forever, but mostly it fills me with love for him.

    My job is a calling and a ministry, but sometimes it is a very very sad place to be. But I am grateful that every day it gives me perspective, and I pray that I will never forget this first death, and how my heart broke and I cried, and how tightly David held me when I got home.