running

Why the Whole30 didn't meet my expectations

This week I finished my Whole30. In fact today is considered to be Day 34. Overall I am super pleased I took on the challenge and got to the end without any major slips. I would say ANY slips but on the last night I acccidentally ate a mouthful of cheese.  And whilst if that occurs at any point on the W30 you are supposed to start from day 1, that is not on my agenda 29.7 days into the job!

At the end of the 30 days I was a bag of mixed emotions. I found that while I had some wins (my blood pressure was the best I've seen it in years), I also had some losses. The biggest being my running stamina. It was off from the start and yet even when carefully following the pre and post work out directions, it never righted itself. Yes there is the theory that I just need some more time for my body to kick into fat burning mode. Maybe that's a reality. I'm just not convinced. My other issue on the energy front is that my bar is so high. I have never lacked energy. So asking for some 'tiger blood' to come forth was maybe setting myself up for failure?! Do I feel energetic in general after the Whole30? YES.  Do I feel more energetic after the Whole30?  I don't know!

Soul Food week two challenge

Firstly quick update on week one.  Did you manage to go to turn your electronics of 30 minutes before bed time? I did....just not every night.  While I believe in this concept to promote good sleep, seems for me at least the cancer fighting medication I take has other ideas. Sure I was able to fall to sleep quickly, but my wide awake night sweat 10 minutes later meant overall no improvement. I believe in a mere 6 months time when I am finally off said drugs my sleep will go back to normal.

How to see obstacles as opportunities

There are a lot of parallels when I think about training for a marathon (or any distance) and the journey of life. You start out with a dream or vision of what you want to achieve (be that just finishing, enjoying the event or a specific time). You set a course of action to get you there that is not just physical but emotional, strategic and that requires continual course correction along the way. And then you move forward, sideways, sometimes backwards, gaining experience and growing along the way.

Look inside yourself for buried treasure

I believe being your happiest self is one of the most important jobs you have in life. I call it a job for a reason. It doesn't come automatically, it requires work. I'm all about finding those behaviours, character traits, beliefs and thoughts that position me for happiness. Sure I get off track at times (guilty of being human) but the key is getting myself back on again. My mantra of embracing the good stuff helps me stay the course. I think adopting something of a mantra yourself is a good way to stay focussed.