Gym classes

This weekend, since I had no orienteering I made it to the step class on Saturday. When I first started, the instructor told me, after an hour of me having two left feet and being terribly uncoordinated while the rest of class stepped in unison, that it takes about ten classes before you get the hang of the routine. I wasn't too bothered as I knew it as just part of my brain that hadn't been wired that way...yet. 

Last time I did the class, I did pretty well.  Still a few missteps but generally I was getting the hang of the routine. But this weekend, I felt like I had gone back in time and was more uncoordinated than ever. What happened?!  I realized, as I was trying to stay in step, that I hadn't been to a step class for a few weeks, between orienteering and being out of town. And that its like a language - you gotta use it or you lose it. And as I was trying to be in step, it dawned on me, it's good that I'm going to the gym and taking these classes, because not only a, I working my cardio (good for hearts and lungs), and weight routines (good for the bones and muscles) and sweating (good for getting a better chemical balance emotionally), it was also good for me mentally - retiring parts of my brain and irking out that important muscle at the top of my body. So I held on to the idea I was working my brain muscle as I stumbled through the rest of the class. It was good I was doing something my brain could do in auto-pilot. And I realized, as I was thinking all this, that I was thinking a lot more during the class. My mind as wandering and making these connections but also not really focusing on the routine which also hurt my coordination. I kept trying to tell myself to focus at the task at hand but for some reason, that morning my mind was all over the place. I like the discoveries my mind s making right now. A lot of aha moments all of a sudden and I'm trying to capture them. And it wasn't like I was ruminating or worrying, but I want focusing where I needed to. I need to figure out if there is something I can add to my morning routine that will help me focus and then release later and let the mind wander for the creative stuff, but then focus again. It almost sounds like an exercise: focus and then wander, focus and then wander. I'll have to figure that one out and get back to you. 

Oh, also have to mention I just went to my first barre class. I've been meaning to go and finally made it to the class.  A little early so got my cardio in for the day too. I thought I'd like it since I liked the ballet fit, but I was presented with a jarring start of the class. The instructor was nice but then she cranked up the music - modern rock and proceeded to do some really fast aerobic, quasi ballet (but barely) moves all while yelling at the class over the loud music. A stark contrast to the ballet class which was calm and quiet classical music. Just not what I was expecting. I almost wanted to step out after 15 minutes but I've started thinking of ways to do more experiments and thought of this as an experiment - to test out if barre classes are a good fit for me. By the end of the class it quiets down, but she kept yelling at us and was more like a drill instructor than I had experienced before. At first I was thinking this isn't for me. But then I questioned myself, was it really just because the class was hard - I really could feel my core muscles and my arm and leg muscles were like "what the hell ya doin' to us?"  So it was a good work out in that sense. I did feel like it easily put strain on your lower back if your form wasn't right.  And I wasn't always getting the form right - a lot to focus on right from the start - no easing in. By then end I was happy I stuck it out throughout the class. But I came away from the class feeling quite anxious. I just don't like yelling, especially when the person is yelling at me. I might make it to the class again now and then, but it's not making it onto my regular workout routine. However, there is one other barre instructor that offers a class in the vending that I was also interested in. And I'm going to not discount barre completely and try this other class to see what the atmosphere (and music) is like and see if it might be a better fit. Who knows, the class I went to today might be good fit for me later, but just not right now. I'm still new to exercising and I respond better to warm hugs than drill sargents. 

Flashback to being five

I feel like I'm off my habit. As I mentioned earlier I haven't really clearly defined what the habit is I'm trying to create. I think I'm finding exercise every day is too vague and doesn't create the habit. Or maybe it's actually the best way to enter into the habit. This morning I woke up extra early and was supposed to have visitors (they canceled later in the morning) so I got up and tidies and cleaned.  And by the time the gym opened up at 5, I was on a roll with cleaning. I have to say it's so nice resetting the house to clean and tidy. I need to remember to do these resets more often. 

By the time I ate breakfast I found out my plans had change for the day and I kept going with work projects.  I did see that I could go to a 4 pm ballet fit class. I meant to get out the door earlier to run errands first and get some cardio in. Instead I ran late but knocked off some dragging to-dos which really felt good. And the class was a nice surprised. Very relaxed and not what I was expecting.  Basically it was laying of the floor stretches/Pilates and the second half was your classic ballet routine at the bar. And oh my goodness, I had a vague flash back to my younger days of doing ballet. I think. I was pretty young and the memory was pretty vague and if I'm honest the memory might have been from a movie I saw and not really my memory. But anyways it was a nice feeling. Ballet is so simple and yet difficult. I was focusing on so many different things but at the end of class I did feel taller which is one of the main benefits the instructor shared. I think I might do a little YouTube research and practice before next weeks class. I have grand visions of becoming and elegant and graceful person in how I hold myself and float across a room. From someone who is a tripper - it's a goal. 

The instructor was super friendly and after class she shared more about the exercises and we got talking about lifestyle and food and just generally a nice overall positive boost. I did still hop onto the treadmill but only ran a bit before I realized I needed to head to the bathroom (too much water) and then I figured I should run my errands and get home for dinner. So not a full cardio workout today, but I did make myself do a bit. 

I pulled out my old Fitbit (first generation, it's that old) and charged it up last night. I was supposed to go to a museum today and was curious how many steps I'd walk. I put it on first thing this morning and even though I was sitting and working for a bunch of today, between the running around tidying the house and the ballet class and the treadmill, I ended up close to 7,000 miles which isn't too bad. 

I think I'm going to try wearing the Fitbit for a few days and see how my exercise routine each day contributes to my overall steps for the day.  And tomorrow, I've steeled myself to make into the gym early (before 6 am let's say) and try to get the morning routine again.

Oh, and to follow up on the previous post, the orienteering results from my day out with sharing the trails with the horses, I placed 4th. So my run of top 3 has ended but it was a pretty good run. I'm on the fence if I should go this weekend. There are no local orienteering events, but because this is New England, going to a meet in Conneticut isn't that much farther than usual. It is two hours though. Maybe I can piggy back another trip on it too. We'll see. 

What's the Etiquette with Running around Horses?

I think I mentioned yesterday, I had the rare treat of two orienteering meets in one weekend. This Sunday morning, I was admittedly lazy and stayed in bed an extra hour (or more). Webster was very upset since he had gobbled down his wet I had fed during my bathroom trip and he wanted his dry which I dole out later in the morning after I've made my breakfast but was being delayed since I was still in bed.

I had a morning of chopping, cooking up a ton of green peppers and sweet potatoes. I also experimented with new spice combos for mini sausage patties.  A good way to use up older spices. By the time I sat down for breakfast it was already 10 and I didn't get out the door until twenty minutes later. 

I'm doing this new thing now. Instead of just plugging in the address into my gps and blindly following directions. The night before I looked online the route, studied it drove on memory how to get to the place. I think it's a good warm up for orienteering since one skill to develop is to remember your route with minimal map checks. I did it yesterday and again today and it's a good way to exercise the brain. So strange to say it, since this is how we used to drive anyways, pre GPS. I'm starting to notice ways technology can make us (me) lazy and lose skillsets unconsciously. 

I checked in and was off by 10:50 am. This is the second time I thought I was being lazy and getting a late start but accidently (subconsciously?) did the right thing. Usually meets are 10 to noon for check in. And I like to be there right at the start. You're less likely to shadow someone else on the same course. But it turns out today's event was 11 to 2. So I was early, but they were open for business so it all worked out. Same thing Friday. I was on a role with some projects so didn't get into the gym first thing in the morning and by the time I finally got around to it, it was lunch time and I had a hint of guilt it was so late. Except my gym was closed Friday morning for construction work and didn't open until 2. So I ran the rest of my errands and came back. I had known about the scheduled delay for two weeks. The notice was on the door I went through every day. Except I forgot, but maybe my subconscious remembered. Anyways, two times I felt bad I was running late and it turned out I was early. 

Today's meet was another gorgeous perfect fall day. Again not too cold that my nose is red but cool enough that when I was working up a sweat and then got to place I could run, the breeze created from running felt really good. The meet was in a DCR park that had a strong smell of manure when I arrived. I kept checking my shoe because I thought I stepped in something. Not sure what the park was about since I didn't check it out, but there was a farm and I heard mooing near the start of the course. 

I started off right behind someone else who I thought at first was on the same course, but we just had an overlap of the same control at the beginning. Which I used to my advantage to test out a question. Is it faster to cut through the brush and go a direct route, or take the longer route around, but on trails where you can run faster. We were at control one at the same time and he headed off on the hypotenuse of a right triangle and I ran the two legs of same triangle. Longer distance but we got to the same place around the same time. And I think he was probably more tired fighting through the bush.  So I filed that lesson away for later. Just after he popped out of the woods and we were both looking for control number two, along came two ladies on horseback down the trail. By then I was heading off trail in search of my landmark. But it was a nice addition to the fall day. 

Fast forward to about control 8, and I'm running along a path and see two more horses heading my way. I had a moment of deliberation in my head. Can I keep running? Or should I slow down and walk so as not to upset the horses?  I had no idea, but figured they must be overlapping with other runners so I kept running but tried to provide as much distance between us as possible. And I slowed down a little. 

Overall I did ok. I didn't have any one control like yesterday that I really struggled on.  But I did have a bunch (around 3-5) where I didn't find them straight away and had to self correct. I did remember having trouble with marker two and thinking, why do I always have trouble with the second control as that was the one that tripped me up yesterday. This time, I was thrown by the guy that started just before me.  He pops out onto the trail just before me and I'm distracted with my experiment I think so although I think I'm paying attention, I missed a stone wall and head off trail later than I should. I was definitely influenced by the other runner.  It turns out his second control was near mine on the same side of the trail, but several hundred meters farther along. Once I figure this out, I run back and find mine right away. I really need to learn to block out the other competitors because usually they are on another course, or more lost than I am. 

Today's forest had a ton of stone walls. I can't remember having another meet where I used stone walls so much as guides for finding the markers. There was one water spot, near a stone wall that I was so happy to see. I really need to invest in a small water carrying device. I was getting thirsty today. And yesterday. 

Overall, I had a lot more energy and didn't feel as sluggish or groggy legs. And I could feel I had a better energy source with my hearty breakfast in my belly. I do think I still need to work on my endurance since I did take a bunch of bigger trails I could run on but did a combo run and walking. I couldn't run the whole distance. I did push myself to run most of the last leg home. My eye has pretty much cleared up. But to be on the safe side I wore my glasses again today - no contacts yet. I didn't mention before, but it took some adjustment yesterday. I don't wear my glasses outside ever and this is an older pair so I had to get used to going from looking at something up close to something in the distance. I'm definitely putting glasses on my list of things to save up for once I have an income again. This pair is from pre 9/11, so over 16 years old. Crazy how fast time has gone by.

And when I sprinted to the finish and downloaded my results, I walked around to the screen and saw... I was first again!  Again, first out of one competitor - just me competing so far. As I say, take your wins where you can. So I'm enjoying first for awhile. I'm not sure I'll place this time since I think i did decent, better than where I was at last year, and I ran a bunch.  But I also walked a bunch since a lot was off trails and I wasn't always spot on finding the controls. There was one control that was by a bunch of rocks, right by the trail.  Should be easy, but there were a bunch of trails in the area and it was tricky figuring out which trail you were on. Trails are useful until they are deceitful - usually when they are the tiny ones and not all of the trails are marked on the map, so you think you are on one trail, but you're on another trail. Anyways, I'm learning to keep cross checking the map with the terrain to ensure I'm where I think I am. And I'm standing by these bunch of rocks thinking, wait, maybe I'm on this other trail and I need to head over that way, when I look up and notice the marker just to my left tucked behind the rock I was standing next to. I was right where I thought I was. Opps, that cost me an extra half a minute figuring that out. And I'm learning it's these moments that don't seem like much can add up. 

Oh, also, I've been practicing the advise from a fellow competitor a few weeks back.  We kept overlapping, doing the same course and he advised me to "always plan my exit."  Meaning, you are planning how to get to the marker, say marker three but as you are getting close, also start figuring out what route you are taking to the next marker, marker four. That way, as you come upon marker three you know which way to head without having to stop and take time to figure out what next. It's more graceful, helps with your time and is good etiquette since you standing by a marker gives away the location to other runners. I found myself practicing, "planning my exit". And started thinking that's a good lesson to take to the world at large. Head towards your goal but plan what's next too. I'm not sure of any particular examples in real life yet, but am going to practice planning my exit this next week and will report back. Also no results posted yet, so will have to report back if I placed. 

Well Webster is meowing for dinner.  He's like my alarm clock, always telling me when 6 am and 5:30 pm are. He really has taken after Winston. Which makes me realize I somehow have inadverntently trained this behavior since I'm the common denemonitaor with the two cats. 

Overlapping Passion Update

I posted earlier how I have discovered orienteering and last time I was out, it was pouring down raining and I found I could run a lot more than I thought I could. Nothing like an incentive like rain. It looked like my endurance was being built up. I also noticed that I had placed in the top three at the last several orienteering meets. I started thinking maybe I'm not only getting better at orienteering skill wise, but also I'm getting in better shape. Orienteering is a sport after all.  It's known as the thinking mans sport. Well, I was waiting patiently for the next meet so I could test my theory. 

This morning (Saturday) I was contemplating going to my gym's basic step class in the morning and go from there to the orienteering event. I'm still trying to figure out if my habit is going to the gym every day to work out or is the habit just to work out in any form or location. I do want to try doing both the gym and the orienteering on the same day. I was planning for that day to be today and had gotten up and ready in time to go, but in the end decided not to which was a good move. I need to hit the grocery store (which I did on my way home today) and I got an eye infection last night, ugh. Which translates to, I'm not in top form since all I had for breakfast was an egg and toast (usually I have a ton of cooked veggies, several eggs and sometimes some meat - a nice hardy meal) and my body was fighting off the infection I had gotten. 

I did get to the event ten minutes early, and they had opened up early too. It was only two towns over so nice and close and man, is it peak New England foliage time right now. It was so gorgeous, a warm but not too hot but also not too cold, your nose gets red, kind of day. I figured the fresh air would do my body good. And not a cloud or drop of rain in sight. 

As I started off, I started jogging but wasn't feeling in peak form. Plus a lot of the course was through the woods (versus on trails) and I try to be extra careful so no injuries occur. Twisted ankles are not uncommon. I did find that I was getting winded faster and couldn't really run long stretches much (although it does make a difference running down a slow incline versus pounding up the incline). 

It was strange too, as I was heading to the first marker, things felt off and I realized I had swapped what hand had my thumb compass and what hand had my epunch. How many times have I done this and I didn't remember this right?  It was like I put my watch on the wrong wrist. One sign my body is not in optimum form. I also found my legs were a bit draggy. This is not uncommon at each meet, but usually near the end after they are worn out and tired. This time, even in the beginning they were groggy. 

But I was determined to try to keep my role of placing on track. And kept jogging than walking than jogging than walking. And bam, control 2 tripped me up.  It was at the top of a cliff and I approached it at the right place I thought, but then couldn't find it.  Back and forth I went, I had my catch basins (features that triangulate your area). I finally found it, literally feet from where I climbed down the first cliff. I had read the map wrong and thought it was on a lower cliff.  Lesson learned, but I thought, man I need to up my game on the rest of the course after killing 15 minutes on marker 2. 

I hit some markers spot on which was a nice confirmation my bearing skill is getting better. But I also was off a few times, but recouped quickly and found the marker. Over all I didn't feel like I messed up too much but it wasn't spot on and I walked a lot of it. I was tired the whole time, yet envigurored by the fresh air and mental stimulation if that makes sense. My body was just groggy. 

Fast forward an hour and I finished. We are high tech now and there is a screen set up where you download your results and you can see right away where you placed within the different levels. And guess what - I was first!  Crazy, right?  Well, actually, because I got there early and did alright, I was just the first person to finish the course. I was first out of one person competing. 

I had thought, since I had gotten there early, I might try doing two courses. Some people do that and it's something I want to try out, especially as I am becoming more fit.  And although I'm spoiled living where I do and we have a ton of orienteering events, there still aren't as many as I wish there were. I want to get out there and do more. 

But today was not the day. I mean it was a perfect fall day so it was the right day, but my body just wasn't up for it. I swung by the grocery store (the parking lot was packed) and picked up food and  the pet store for food for the cats and then home. I had leftover chili in the fridge ready to go.  I'm learning to know my weaknesses and I knew I'd be hungry when I got back and not want to make anything. So I had taken the chili out of the freezer so it was ready to go. Although frankly I was still hungry after eating a big bowl of it and ended up finishing off my almond meal and coconut cookies. So good. And then...

And then I found two hours had gone by and I had accidently taken a nap on the couch. I was still tired so moved to my bed and slept another two hours. I was wiped out, so clearly this pink eye infection is stronger than I'm giving it credit and I need to let my body do its job and fight the infection off. It's looking better now.  It was like I was getting a cold, but through my eye - same mucus snot coming out of the eye. I had used a mascara last night that I hadn't used for awhile which I think might have gone bad. I therew it out. I've been drinking a lot of water and am going to go to bed early. 

But even with a "cold" and being sick - I placed!  I noticed Jim was running the computer and he's good at getting the results posted quickly (i.e. Same day). Usually it takes a few days. I went to the website and there were the results, and I scrolled down to my class, and there I was, no longer first, which I didn't think would last, but only down a few spots to third out of 19 people.  11 minutes behind first place and 38 seconds ahead of fourth place. My roll is still rolling!  

A rare occurrence, there is another meet tomorrow.  Two in one weekend. As I was driving home today, wiped out I was thinking I'd not go, partly because I was so tired and realized I should take it easy, but also because I thought it was at a location I had been to last month that was not my favorite and super steep hills. But now, after napping and seeing how well I did and seeing that the event tomorrow is actually at a place I haven't been to yet, I'm wanting to go. 

I'll make a big breakfast tomorrow - my favorite go to - sweet potato hash with peppers and spinach and eggs and homemade sausage patties. And play it by ear. Weather looks good and I really want to go. I'm going to go make myself drink some more water and flush this thing out of my system. 

Lesson: prepare

After the last post wast posted, I jumped out of bed got dressed and went straight to the gym. That was Tuesday. Today is Friday and I just got back from the gym and feel great. In between, not so much. This month was extra rough with the hormones. I've started thinking that the act of going to the gym and sweating out the hormones (like sweating out toxins). It doesn't work like that but that's what it feels like.  Wednesday I skipped because my period started. I made it Thursday and Friday but skipped Wednesday for the very reason I said I wouldn't. Looks like I need a better plan than just saying, "don't do that again".  

Here's what went down, my period finally arrived at 3 am, and by the time the gym opened, I was cramping and used that as an excuse. In reality, it was part the cramps but also, the hormones were raging and I was feeling really down. I figured I'd wait until the afternoon when the cramps should have lessened. Good in theory but by then my mental mood was in a rut and I just wanted to cuddle up and not leave the house. So I need to figure out a toolbox of things to have on hand when I'm heading into a slump. So far I've found the following are always small steps that help maintain or step me up:

1. Exercise.  I need to figure out if increasing the length or intensity have an impact.  It gives me a hit of happy.  The problem is how long it lasts.

2.  Finish a project. I stumbled on this one. Something switched inside of me and all these projects I've had for years I'm knocking out or calling it quits and getting rid of. I was surprised the other day that when I finished wrapping my books I felt really good. My living room gets a ton of sun and the books get bleached otherwise. Be careful of projects I can get stuck on or projects that take too long. It's the act of finishing not just working on the project. The joy of accomplishment. 

3. Reset Body.  This is obvious but often gets neglected. I've learned to go through my checklist.  Drink more water, eat more healthy food (I'll forget/not realize I'm hungry), take a shower, brush and floss teeth.  

4. Reset Rooms. I've realized that usually I'm ok with clutter but become more sensitive to clutter during down times. It adds to the negativity. The simple act of surrounding myself with a positive energy room instead of a negative energy room makes a difference. Weird. This time I found that resetting rooms that I inhabit the most made a difference. I started with my kitchen, doing the dishes putting stuff away and deal with the stuff that had been sitting around for awhile to be dealt with or bring down to the basement. The next time I entered the kitchen I got a little jolt of joy seeng a nice and tidy room. The surfaces were empty and clear other than my carefully curated vignettes.  It looked pretty and made me feel happy I had such a nice place/things. I did the same with my bedroom, and back sunroom.  Folding throw blankets, putting away unfinished projects. All surfaces were cleared. 

5. Go outside. I always feel good after gardening outside. I've been putting it off some days since I'm conscious to limit my time outside between 10 and 2 to reduce sun exposure. As a result I haven't been outside for awhile. I need to remember it's good to get out and since it's getting darker earlier these days, I need to try getting out in the morning after the gym. Maybe I'll try a different sequence. Instead of gym-breakfast-projects now I'll try breakfast-gym-gardening so I just garden when I get home. 

6. Have a cup of tea. I set out last year to enjoy tea, never being a big tea drinker but wishing I was. I never explored why I wanted to like tea other than being an Anglophile.  Now I realize, in the UK, anytime something goes wrong, you have a cup of tea. The act of making a cup and enjoying the drink basically helps you smooth yourself I think. Luckily I've been associating tea with comfort and coziness which carries through times I'm not. Plus it adds fluids to the body which is good. 

Avoid:

1. Refined Sugar. I knew this but still wanted something sweet and ended up making cookies. Ironically this was a mini boost for accomplishing a project (finishing up almond meal that I wanted to use up).  But latter felt icky after eating the cookies (I always end up eating a few more than I should). 

Modification:  my urge for something sweet is hard to ignore. Next time instead of using only will power, make some energy bites instead. They are sweetened with honey but overall give an energy boost and otherwise are healthy. 

2. Getting stuck on a project. I'm at the end of my very first sweater I designed myself. Except the button band isn't simple and I keep finding I do something and it's not quite right. This fine normally as I'm exploring the best techniques. But when I'm down, this is just discouraging and saps my limited positivity storage. 

Modification:  prepare projects by testing out making part of it or one of a thing when times are good and then package in a bag or box all the supplies to continue or make other items. Basically do the prep, exploration, creating and figuring out when things are good. 

Well, that's my list of things so far. I'll have to think and see if I can come up with more before next month hits. I'm resolved to figure this out - nothing like trial and error. I need to run - off to bingo!  I've wanted to go to bingo for five years now and am joining my friend and her mother. Hopefully it's not too expensive. 

Hitting the Wall

I noticed that in my early weeks, starting my exercise habit, I was going strong, getting to the gym every day... That is until I hit that time of the month where my hormones sometimes spike right before my period. I skipped a day and used my period as an excuse.  But then when I was looking back at my progress a few weeks later, I called myself out. It was a weak excuse and if anything, that's the time to get into the gym to produce the other types of chemicals in the brain to balance things out. 

I was determined to see if I could do better next cycle. And here we are.  Some months the hormones aren't that bad, but this month it seems extra strong. Which I find just amplifies what ever I'm feeling. And unfortunately I have a quiet anxiousness with the job situation/finances. In my good days I know everything is manageable and my life is nothing like what others face on a daily basis, I'm quite privileged and lucky to have the life I do. 

Yesterday I made it into the gym at 5:30.  One motivator was that we have a new class schedule at the gym. After a few months, they'll see what classes were popular and edit them down. So I was motivated to try things now in case they don't make the cut. I got in and found I was the only one there for the early class and they need three people to have the class. So I did the treadmill instead.I wasn't really in the mind frame for it, expecting to do something else that morning. I usually do two miles - combo walking, running and hills. But I let myself compromise and do 1.5 miles since I would be back in the evening for my balance/bones class. I sometimes get there early to get free parking before it fills up which then I spend the treadmill before the class starts.

I got home, had good energy and got stuff done.  But as the day progressed, my energy dwindled and I found myself needing an afternoon nap. By 4 pm I was up but still not great energy. But I was resolved to make it to the evening class.  I really just wanted to snuggle in bed and enjoy a good book. Did I mention it was a dreary, rainy day yesterday?  All I wanted was cozy but instead I put the gym clothes on and off I went. 

I was cutting it close so had to up my speed on the treadmill to get in the half mile before class. And I was so happy to see that I could run for a half mile solid (well almost, I did walk for a minute first to warm up). It's so rewarding to see progress, isn't it?  I wasn't getting winded and even had my workout jacket on while running - I wasn't getting to hot. 

Anyways, I was glad I got to the gym, had my cardio and my class. And in the evening went home and had a good meal. I'm really learning to be good about always having some healthy leftover already made in the fridge, ready to go. I know it's obvious, but sometimes when you've reached the tipping point on your energy you can't make dinner when it's just for you. And putting good food in the body makes you feel good and vice versa. I really wanted some chocolate chips when I got home for the gym (I stocked up on a sale of ghiradelli chips - only $1.50 - usually they are $4). I've learned this was because, one I was thirsty.  When I'm thirsty I crave sweet. And two, I was hungry. When I'm hungry I crave sweet and usually by this point I need to eat something before I cook - I don't have enough energy to push through. No thyself. I've gotten rid of almost all my "fast food" snacks, since they have no nutrional value. The one I exception is I now have jars of nuts in the fridge. My go to is raw almonds. I used to look sideways at friends and family who ate nuts, even the salty ones. Not high on my list of foods. But now, I can't imagine not having them stocked. Sometimes (most of the times) I'll throw in a dried fruit or two like prunes. 

I digress though.  It's 6 am and I'm trying to get going and go to the gym. Again, I wish my period would just come so the hormones would reduce but that's why I need to go instead of rolling back to sleep. Ok, this post has helped remind me why I can't not go. I have to go and get my dose of energy for the day. I'm going to see how long I can run for. It's crazy that I'm not getting indeed after two minutes. That was where I was at the beginning, only six weeks ago. I'm off, wish me well. 

Overlapping Passion with Habit

Last weekend, I went orienteering.  And unlike the weekend before, when there was drizzle and a chance of rain, so I wore rain pants, jacket and brought a change of clothing and foot ware, this weekend, I ignored the rain forecast. Why?  Because the week before it never rained, it threatened to, but not a drop when I was out there and I was overheating from all the gear I was wearing. I figured, it's just water and the tree canopy would help dissipate most of it. And frankly, I don't look at the forecast much these days so didn't realize the drizzle was going to turn into pouring down rain. 

The point of this long winded ramble is that last weekend, I went out to do something I love, orienteering in the woods, and because of the pouring down rain the whole time I was out there, I was super incentivized to go quickly. Like, instead of mostly hiking through the woods, finding the control points, I ran. I ran mostly the whole course. And you know what is crazy rewarding? I could run!  

I'm not a runner, never have been, even when I ran track in high school to add to my credentials for getting into college (I had the academics, clubs and extracurriculars but no sports). I can run for a bit and then walk and then run a bit more (like a minute). And this is where my habit of going to the gym, working out and building up endurance is nicely paying off in my orienteering world. 

As rain was dripping down my nose, and I was cursing I didn't bring a hat and wore cotton clothing instead of the quick dry stuff I have, I was pleasantly surprised I could keep just jogging along. I'd pound up hills and watch my footing on slippery roots on the way down hills. I actually had to slow down to a walk sometimes to read my map since I'm not skilled enough to run, read a map and not run into trees or trip. 

I ended up coming in a close second in my group level (I'm orange). And in under an hour too. Some times it will take me up to two hours when I'm just enjoying being out in nature, walking the course and getting lost here and there. 

When I was running through the woods feeling like a top athletic performer I was getting a hit of dopamine or whatever internal reward for really doing well. The working out was paying off in ways other than what I mainly focused on - energy boost and mood stabilizer. It felt great. And I really didn't mind the rain.  As someone pointed out before I started, it was a warm rain - mid-70s.  And as another person I met along the course pointed out, wearing eyeglasses was torture - they fog up constantly so you can't see where you are going nor read your map. I was happy I was wearing my contacts. And don't ask me why, probably out of a well established habit, I had lotioned up with sunscreen on my face and neck before I headed out, even though it was overcast - you never can be too careful. I quickly figured out I better rub it all off with my sleeve, while I was out in the woods, before it ran into my eye and burned. I had an incident a few weekends before on a hot sunny day where the sweat carried it to an eye and it hurt. A lot. Lessened learned, and preempted.

Another interesting thing is that I didn't need any water. At one of the control points there were jugs of water and I decided to skip it, wasn't thirsty. I've never skipped drinking water. Maybe because it want so hot or maybe all the water reduced my sweating. Frankly I really couldn't tell if I sweated at all. My clothes were soaked through to my underwear. Usually I'm very focused on the course but my mind did wander a bit planning what I'd do when I got back to the car. Interestingly I was just reassessing the stuff I store in my trunk, specifically a nice black fleece blanket.  It can be used as a picnic blanket (but when's the last time I had an impromptu picnic), more often I end up wrapping my Christmas tree in the blanket to reduce needles and sap getting all over my car when I put the tree in my back seat. But now, as I was wet through and through, I was so happy I had such a nicely outfitted car. I ended up stripping off the wet shoes and socks, pants and shirt and wore the blanket as a long skirt.  I had a workout jacket I had left in the car (I.e. It was dry) and opted to drive barefoot. I put all my wet stuff on a plastic sheet I kept from last Christmas tree haul and felt pretty smug about it all. When I got home I tip toed across my driveway, shoeless, carrying my stuff in, took a hot shower and then caught up on my laundry. The only thing that took forever was for my shoes to dry. They are still not dried out, three days later. 

Today I went back through all my orienteering results over the last two years to see how I placed overall.  I found that I did consistently about the same for the last year and a half - bottom third. I'm a walker and still honing my orienteering skills. Plus, I didn't really care about my placement, I just loved being out enjoying nature and finding the control points, eventually.  But the last three events I placed in the top three for my group!  I think I'm getting better at orienteering and not getting lost, but these all are events occurring since I've started my P66D challenge. So I'm guessing it's a combination of my skills improving but all my physical ability to go faster.  I'm curious if there is a correlation. I know I'm running a bit more but other than last weekend, I still mainly walk most of the course, I think. Maybe I'm running more than I realize. 

I can't wait to test whether I'm actually doing better or its just a fluke based on other factors, like who my competition is, etc.  I'll have to wait two weeks before the next event but now I'm reenergized to train more at the gym. I have a deadline to keep my improvement going. I think I'm going to do more of the dreaded Jacobs ladder. Imagine something like a stair master, but on an incline and it's a moving ladder where you climb the rungs with both hands and feet. It should be easy but man, I get super winded after 3 minutes. I don't know how people do it for 30 minutes. But I think it's building up my endurance more than other pieces of equipment. Back story on the ladder, all the fire stations across the state got one as part of a grant a few years back. Except it turns out the last thing firefighters want to workout on is the ladder so it got donated to my gym. 

Well, I'll hopefully report back on how future orienteering events go. There aren't that many left this fall which is a bummer and a few got canceled.  I think there are 4 or 5 left before winter.

I just popped over to the Internet and did some quick research. Earlier this year, I was out at my moms in Ohio for the month of May and was able to catch the one orienteering event near her town.  I've done a few events up in NH and of course a bunch in MA. All quite different due to different terrain and forest types. NH is the most challenging - super dense and tons of mosquitos. Well, thinking about who reads my blog, I just searched, and both northern Texas and the Phoenix area have robust orienteering clubs. Florida is a bit more sporadically spread across the state. And you know what?  No winters so the clubs don't shut down over the winter months, actually, I'm guessing that's when they are in full swing since they probably shut down in the summers too. So now I've put orienteering in AZ, TX and maybe FL on my bucket list - specifically in the winter months when my club is shut down - I can travel to get my orienteering fix. 

At first I was super excited but we'll see what I think once I've slept on it. I mean, here in New England there are nice furry animals, the snakes are mostly always harmless, spiders are your friends (they eat the bugs - I name mine George and have three living in my house at the moment) and the worst bugs we have are mosquitos and ticks which frankly aren't scary, just dangerous because of what they might be carrying. But out west, I mean, my uncle fred last summer said they shot a half dozen rattle snakes when clearing out the brush in their back yard, and that's just their suburban backyard. And their spiders are furry, but not in a good way. And scorpions and those are just the popular stuff, what about all the B-list celebrity wildlife that are probably just as dangerous, if not as scary looking. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a snake that isn't dangerous out west. Maybe I need to do some homework first and figure out how an out of towner would fare at one of these orienteering events. Hopefully I can talk a family member into joining me for an orienteering excursion - no running necessary unless it's for your life!

P66D Findings

Ok, having been about a third of the way into my experiment (I think), I'm staring to notice some things and have a few hypothesizes (is that the plural form?). Here's what I've got so far in stream of consciousness form:

1. Hypothesis 1: it might have helped that I dabbled in the habit I wanted to form before jumping into the deep end. All my gym visits throughout the year were a warm up for this marathon. Or it could be me just wanting to feel ok with my earlier poor performance.  Next step: for a future P66D project, pick a habit I've never really tried before (so flossing is out since I keep trying to be better). And see if it is harder to start up. 

2. You have to sweat for it to count. This one I might refine later, but basically I'm finding that the days I come in and work up a sweat, I get more energy for the day.  It got me questioning if earlier months, where I would go in and walk on the treadmill while reading a book really did much. Maybe, but the best bang for the buck is to sweat. I'm still trying to figure out what my minimum time that counts. So far I try to do at least 20 minutes. Take-away: Define your minimum requirement to qualify. Otherwise you can talk yourself into 'I did enough' but you really didn't for it to stick. 

3. Have two levels of go-to work outs. Some days you just aren't up to doing a full intense work out. The idea of it is just daunting. It can be good ammunition for daisy in her fight to keep you from going to the gym. The other day I was finishing my period and feeling sluggish. I told myself, bring your book and do the recumbent bike. Except, instead of doing the super easy course from previous months, I upped my level. It took some experimentation, but now I know what level pushes me, with rolling hills, that lets me read and sweat. Take-away: have a fall-back level in case of emergencies (day of weaknesses). 

4. Name your nemesis. Mine is daisy. Lazy Daisy. Words are powerful and I've been learning to be mindful of what I say. Not just to others, but especially to myself. That internal critic, and perfectionist and excuse maker has been too loud and bossy over the years. Prepare arguments against Daisy ahead of time, in your times of strength, so that in your times of weakness you are still on point. Mine right now is that 'I want to know my number'. It seems so insignificant but I have this belief that the number exists and because of that I really really want to know it. It's like that wrapped gift in the corner. You're just itching to find out what is inside. 

5. Practice parenting practices. This is crazy but sometimes I'm finding that techniques I've learned to manage kids are working on me. I'm dipping into my toolbox and using anything I can find. One practice I was doing was giving options to myself before bed. With kids, they don't want to go to bed and you can spend hours in the fight head on.  Or instead, you offer two options which both end in bed, but now they feel in control of the situation. For me, I was saying after I brushed my teeth (which is usually where I ended my nighttime routine) that I could either floss or wash my face. I'd end up doing one each night for about a week (mostly flossing). So strange that it worked since I knew what I was doing but it helped.  For the gym, Thursday morning I had woken up super early, like 3 am early and ended up getting up and working on projects. By the time my gym opened at 5:30, Daisy was working her magic - 'I'll just finish what I'm working on since I've been really focusing on finishing projects instead of leaving a lot of open projects'. By 6 am I had finished the project and Daisy was trying to talk me into other stuff to do instead of the gym, 'I had the afternoon class I was going to go to anyways, so might as well just go a little early before the class and do some cardio then and then you only have one trip and then.... ENOUGH' I interrupted. I knew I'd be even weaker in the afternoon since I didn't get a full nights sleep and less likely to go (which I ended up not going since I was taking a nap). I ended the bargaining, shut it down and marched myself into my bedroom to get changed and said to myself, 'that's it, you're going to the gym right now'. I felt like I was reprimanding an argumentative kid that you just can't reason with. You sometimes just have to shut it down and be firm. Just thinking in terms of parent/child helped me be strong. And you know what, I got an energy boost from my workout that got me through most of the day. 

6. Use the same routine - same time every day if possible

7. Reward yourself - new shirt - felt great wearing it for the first four times - careful of retail therapy habit. 

8. Stack your habit. Built on my routine of getting up, making bed, going to the bathroom, drinking a glass of water, giving the cats water, feeding the cats, insert new bit here: dress and gym. 

9. Prep the night before. I don't know why but setting out my workout clothes really seems to help. One less decision to stump you and exhaust you. 

10. Variety - same morning routine, different workout routines.  Depends on mood and energy level.  I have the treadmill, side elliptical, bike, rowing machine. 

11. Bonus days - getting better so do more. Morning visit and afternoon class. Class doesn't count since not much sweating - mostly weight strengthening and stretching/balancing. Or the ladder for three minutes - super winded. 

12. Name your immediate benefit. I go to the gym because it's good for me. I think of it as preventive maintenance but it's so hard to think of the delayed reward that is 10, 20, plus years out. Instead I've been focusing on the other more immediate rewards, mainly my energy boost and mood stabilizer. Last week, I was chatting with Larry, the owner, while working out, and stumbled upon an analogy. The workout is like my morning coffee, my caffeine boost. I don't do coffee or caffeine but am surrounded by people and society who can't function without their morning hit. Now I could be like everyone else and have my morning pick-up too. Saturday morning I was sluggish but I told myself, 'you just need your morning coffee' and off I went to the gym class. Daisy was like, 'but...' And didn't even get an argument in. 

First two weeks: ok if not exactly same routine. Get in the door and do your minimum and it counts. Let's you refine your optimal routine to be most successful. 

Second two weeks: build on momentum and add bonus. Extra workout - the ladder or a class (two visits). Stick to the routine you zeroed into your first two weeks