How do you define "healthy?"

Madelyn recently asked Patrick and me how we define healthy.  What a great question!  It's easy to say that healthy is defined as eating the right foods, exercising, getting proper sleep, and avoiding drugs and alcohol.  However, I think that, while all that is good, a person's emotional health really shapes their overall health.

So, what does that mean for me?  Well, it's really quite simple.  My emotional health is good when I feel good about myself and the relationships in my life.  Relationships can make or break you, I think.  There are the close relationships you have in life - spouse, child, parents, siblings - and then there are the friendships in your life.  We spend so much of our lives creating, maintaining, and/or abandoning friendships which is why they are an important piece to our overall health.  Most of us have those handful of friends that we have carried with us since childhood, but it would seem that the vast majority of our friendships are those created in adulthood.  It is these friendships that can wreak havoc on your emotional health and remind you of your high school days.  Your "old" friends are clearly lifelong friends because they know you inside and out and have endured the ups and downs of youth.  Your "new" friends are often made out of convenience.  What do I mean by that?  Well, you become friends because your kids play on a sports team together, you go to the same fitness class, or you work together. Take out that common element and the friendships rarely withstand that change.  But in the moment, we think those friendships are solid.  We invest in them and get our feelings hurt.  Why?  Wouldn't you think we would learn our lesson after seeing how disposable they really are?  Apparently not.  Those relationships make us feel good until they start making us feel bad.  You start seeing cracks in the foundation.  You start seeing that your position on the totem poll of friendship changes depending on circumstance and availability.

See, here's the thing - life is going to disappoint you and that really stinks, but should the people you choose to have in your life disappoint you, too?  I think not.  So when you develop friendships, develop them with honestly and integrity and then when you maintain friendships, maintain them with the same.  It goes a long way.  And if your friendships, old or new, start wreaking havoc on your emotional health then perhaps it is time make a change.

A Big Fat F

I must preface this post by saying that I am not intending to offend anyone by what I am going to say. 

Breakfast is an important meal and I do try each day to eat a healthy one.  This morning was busy at our house even though I was the only one home.  After getting ready for work, I threw chicken in the skillet with a little cononut oil and salt and pepper, put diced onions, green and red peppers and a tiny bit of sausage in another skillet with a bit of coconut oil and then let all three dogs out, fed them, gave them their water and put them in their proper locations for the day.  After I came back in, I washed and shredded romaine lettuce, cut up a cucumber, diced more peppers and threw that all into a big bowl.  I then made an oil and vinegar dressing before adding a couple of eggs to the skillet with the peppers, onions, and sausage.  I also added shredded spinach to the eggs, cooked it up, and then put it in a plastic container.  I took the chicken off of the stove, boxed that up, and then packed all of the above things in a basket along with a small container of raspberries and a boiled egg.  I refilled my coffee and was out the door.  Sounds like that took a long time, huh?  Nope, just 15 minutes.  In that small window of time, not only did I get my sweet little pups taken care of, but I also made not one, but TWO healthy meals for the day.  Not bad, huh?  Well, when I got to work and walked to the kitchen to put my food in the refrigerator, I saw someone else preparing their breakfast.  This "breakfast" consisted of a 6-pack of powdered mini-donuts and a 20-oz Mountain Dew.

With this being said, it is no wonder why Indiana ranks 15th in adult obesity and 27th in childhood obesity.  As a general population we tend to eat what is convenient and quick.  Too bad so many people do not fully understand that their convenient and quick choices are slowly killing them.  And what is even more disturbing to me is that doctors at bariatric surgery centers are rolling in the dough because of these choices.  Quick and convenient choices "fixed" by quick procedures.  Well, not really.  Did you know that it is not rare for someone to go back for a second bariatric surgery because they gained back their weight?  I don't know about you, but that tells me that surgery isn't the answer.  How about a change in what is consumed?  I can tell you this, my breakfast this monring was delicious.  I am not just saying that.  I tasted really, really good.  I eat that several times a week and sometimes I have a little fruit on the side and I am not usually hunrgy again until well after the traditional lunch hour.  If there is anything that I have learned by trying to follow a Paleolithic eating style it is that healthy food tastes GOOD when we detox our body from the garbage that is out there (donuts, ice-cream, soda, chips...). 

So, I dare you to change up one meal a day to all healthy choices (whole, REAL foods) and then tell me how it makes you feel.  If our 15-year old can tell a difference after eating REAL food, then I bet you can too!

One thing I do know...

An interesting question was raised by a 9-year old this weekend - "Where will you work out?"  Of course our 15-year old responded with a sarcastic remark - "She will fly to Brownsburg every day."  Well, if things go as planned I WILL need to find a new place to work out by the end of the year and I WON'T be flying to Brownsburg every day. 

I love PR Fitness.  It has really changed who I am in a positive way and pushed me in ways I never have been pushed before in my life.  I never thought I would be able to do pull-ups by myself or deadlift 227 pounds, but I can.  The trainers at PR Fitness are amazing; you would be hard pressed to find trainers out there quite like them.  They don't just care about you in the gym; they care about what you do outside of the gym.  I have had countless text messages answered outside of "gym hours" that did not have to be answered.  That is what makes our gym special.  And then throw in the athletes that come each day to have their lungs bleed and their muscles scream - they are in a league of their own.  I do not know many people who would show up to run, do burpees, do air squats, and beat a tire when it is close to 100 degrees outside, but these athletes do! 

With all that being said, it is easy to say that PR Fitness would be near impossible to "replace" and I don't know what we will do if changes take place and we can no longer come to PR each day.  One thing I do know, though, is that I am better equipped to come up with my own workouts now using my body and random objects such as tires, logs, park benches, jump ropes, etc and I learned that from PR Fitness.  So, while it won't be the same if I am working out somewhere else, I will carry a piece of PR with me each time I flip a tire, do a box jump, or flop down for burpees.  PR has definitely changed the way I view fitness and for me that is huge! 

Change

Change is inevitable.  It happens to everyone.  Some changes are small, almost unnoticeable while other changes are huge and impact many people around us.  We don't always want the change that comes our way, but what about the change that you chase?  Is that type of change any less difficult just because you went looking for it?  I suppose it depends on who you ask.

The last couple of years Patrick and I have found ourselves looking for a change.  Last year, while in Charleston, South Carolina, we made our four-year plan.  That plan involved moving to Charleston upon Madelyn's graduation from high school and my completion of my Master's program.  We were keeping our eye on our goal and spoke of it often.  Then, out of nowhere, our plans may have changed (I won't elaborate just yet on those changes as they aren't 100%.  Yet!) 

The change on the horizon is exciting and scary all at the same time.  The fear is not that we might be making the wrong choice; it's more about the unknown.  Will we like it?  Will we make new friends?  Will Madelyn adjust to the change? My stomach has been hurting just thinking about it and I know much of that is a result of things not being 100% right now.  On my drive into work this morning, I began to realize that, even though I have lived in nearly the same location for 35 years, I have not really set roots here.  Sure,our families lives here and all that goes along with that, but I am not really invested in my community like so many others and, honestly, we really don't see our families all that much anyway.  That thought makes change a little easier.

There is that old quote that goes something like this - You don't usually regret the things in life you did; you regret the things in life you didn't do.  I suppose you never know what could be if you don't go for it and this is an opportunity that fits our goals and dreams almost perfectly.  Will it require some adjustments by all of us?  You betcha, but some things are just worth it!  It may require each of us to sacrifice in some way, but, in the end,  if we are happy and healthy then it was a sacrifice worth making. 

First Sprint Triathlon Is In The Books - 1:24:43

Today I completed my first sprint triathlon.  While there were times when I was uncomfortable, I really enjoyed it!  I had a great friend by my side the majority of the time and that made a huge difference.  The water temp was perfect today considering 5 days ago the pool we used was really cold.  My bike, once again, proved to be worth every penny it cost.  Having a good road bike makes a huge difference during the bike; just ask Aimee!  The run was my most challenging evolution and even that was actually okay.  It was great to have Aimee's husband, Shane, there supporting us the whole time since Patrick had Navy duty this weekend.  I understand even more now how much of a difference support makes at events.  I missed Patrick like crazy, though, and was excited to text him when it was over.

I will definitely do another sprint triathlon.  Next time hopefully will be with Patrick!

Spartan Race

I loved the atmosphere of the Death Race and the people there.  I loved the race organizers and their philosophy of wanting to push people to their limits while not coddling them like "other races" do to their participants.  I have spent over a week telling stories of our experience and how awesome Spartan Races is so what was left for me to do?  Sign up for a Spartan Sprint, of course!  And that is precisely what I did on Friday.  I guess you could say I put my money where my mouth is.  How could I rave about a group yet not participate in their madness?  I emailed Any Weinberg, one of the Death Race creators, and told him I was signing up.  He was excited and told me that Joe, the other creator, would give me a free entry.  Nah, I will pay for my first Spartan Sprint.  So, on October 15, 2011 I will drive to Marseilles, Illinois to compete in the 11 am wave of the race along with my favorite friend, Aimee (REGISTER NOW, AIMEE!)  I can't wait to be an official part of an awesome organization.

Comfort Zone

Anyone who truly knows me knows that I am not a big fan of running. Don't get me wrong; I have completed the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon 6 times, but I cannot recall any of those times being enjoyable like it is for some runners.  The last time I completed it was in 2009.  My training consisted of running about 2.5 miles three times per week.  I planned on walking it with a friend who had never done it before and was not a runner.  However, we got separated before even crossing the start line so that left me with no choice, but to run and get it over with.  My plan was to run as far as I could without walking.  I completely anticipated that being about 3 miles.  However, I made it past the track before I allowed myself to walk.  I finished the Mini that day and said that was my last run! 

Fast forward two years.  I just registered for my first sprint triathlon; 500 yard swim, 10 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run.  As I was running 800 meters last night at the start and end of our workout I was questioning my sanity, but then I thought about our past weekend and the people who were out on the Death Race course and my run got a little easier. 

It feels good to challenge your own comfort zone and it feels even better when your comfort zone expands.  My goal for the sprint triathlon is to have fun and to finish.  If you aren't having fun then what's the point, right?