fears – Making The Effort…

Making the effort ……to use fear as a motivator!

October 14, 2019October 15, 2019msdesertwellness

Fear can be a tremendous motivator, and for me that is definitely the truth. Whether it is fear of regret, fear of the unknown, fear of failure or success, you have to admit we spend a ton of time with our fears. But if you look to find the positive those fears can drive you to results. At pivotal points in my life, when I am tired of being afraid, I have had to face my fears.

Facing fears can be addictive once you start and you have success. For me facing my fears even if I fail feels as if I have somehow conquered it just a little bit, taken some of the bite out of it. Now that doesn’t mean that fear can’t rear it’s ugly head again at the craziest of moments but if you look at the fact that you have already addressed it, again it just doesn’t have the same weight. I can remember being so very afraid leading up to my first running race. I came there alone, not knowing where the registration table was and not wanting to look stupid in front of the runners that were there (I didn’t consider myself a runner..). Nothing is better than that feeling of setting out to do something and knowing that I did it. Now at the next race I still felt uncomfortable but I knew what to look for and the more races I did the more comfortable I felt.

Have you heard of FOMO? I did chuckle a bit when I heard this but do recognize the truth in it. I do fear missing out the older I get or maybe I should say my wanting to ” live more”. I will be 53 yrs old in a couple of weeks and I would be lying if I didn’t say that I look to the future and try to see all the things I still want to still do. One thing I always see is a runner, running a comfortable pace down a tree lined trail with the sun not too high in the sky with a smile on her face.

Fear

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”

Henry Ford

“Do the thing that you fear and the death of fear is certain.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold.”

Helen Keller

So speaking of facing fears… some very exciting things happened this weekend. Kipchogeeluid broke the men’s WR and the 2 hour mark for the marathon- 1:59:40 and Brigid Kosgei also broke the women’s marathon WR and came in at 2:14:04.

Exercise- Another good week of training. 25 miles total including a weight day, hill workout, speed workout, a trail and a long run

4 week hill workout- each week add another hill

Meal Prep- Cherry & Blueberry Cashew Yogurt Parfait, Broccoli Soup, Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini, baked Chicken Breasts and Sweet Potatoes. Also made some Black Beans to use later in the week for Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

Yummy Broccoli Soup recipe- Steam broccoli and put in a blender with bone broth and salt to taste. Blend until smooth and add water for desired consistency.

Have a Happy and Healthy Week!!!

Making the Effort to face our fears!

July 1, 2019msdesertwellness

Hi All! First things first- Another busy, active week with temps reaching the three digits. What does that mean? It means I took that as an invitation to head up..up to Big Bear Lake again today. Last week my extra training was a run/hike with elevation gain (vert) and this week there needs to be some altitude. Palm Springs is just about 500 ft above sea level so basically I can drive anywhere to get to higher ground…lol! Big Bear Lake is just under 7,000 ft and so beautiful. I also will be heading up to the Tram- Mt San Jacinto soon but more about that later.

My training for this week included arm/leg weights, easy run (trying to keep my heart rate under 140), a long run ( 10 mile run) and then time spent running at higher altitude. Total miles was just under 25 , not much but happy with the effort I put forth.

As I was running this week thinking about Western States (of course!) I began thinking about my blog entry and knew I wanted to talk about Fear. My Fears and yours because yes we all have fears and we have the opportunity to conquer them.

FEAR

Noun/Verb

an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful or threatening.

Guess what we all have fears. You and I may have different fears due to many factors but they still are with us. I had many fears as a child and young adult but I credit Running for my growing up. The act of Running has given me the tools to have self confidence, courage to face my fears, discipline, work ethic, to have acceptance and to honor my self worth.

Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you .

William Jennings Bryan

The inherent nature of life is constant change. To fear change is to fear life itself.

Jonathan Lockwood Huie

I still struggle with fear, whether it is as simple as trying to boulder up some rocks, going on a new trail, signing up for a college class or looking into my future but I will keep moving forward and so will you!

Meal Prep- Baked Chicken Breasts, Zucchini Pizza Boats, Broccoli Soup and I made up some Cherry snack bags to take to work.

Baked Chicken Breasts – Lemon Herb and Garlic

Make different flavors so that you will not feel like you are eating the same leftovers for days:) and to save money buy bulk and freeze what you cannot use now. I will be making the Lemon Herb Chicken into a cold Chicken Salad with Grapes and Walnuts later in the week.

Zucchini Pizza Boats and Freeze some for smoothies. A dear friend gave me these Zucchini from her garden.

Steam Broccoli for about 4 min in Microwave . Blend with about 2 cups of water, and two tablespoons plain yogurt add salt to taste.
Keep and reuse glass bottles for easy work lunches.

Broccoli Soup – Broccoli is a very good source of Vit K, C and Fiber.

Kale …Schmale… Just Kidding!