Category Archives: Body

Hell On High Heels

Posted by

5


photo-49

 

“If I hadn’t been a woman, I’d be a drag queen for sure. I like all that flair and I’d be dressing up in them high heels and putting on the big hair. I’d be like RuPaul.”

-Dolly Parton

Hell on high heels. That used to be me. Pretty red ones. Black and white lace Manolo Blahniks. 4-inch stacked platform boots. Yes, I was hell on high heels. I loved being able to instantaneously transform myself from an average height of 5’4” into a taller, more willowy version of myself. I loved seeing the world from a different, more elevated view. The ability to look someone in the eyes and not up their nostrils is a highly underrated phenomenon. I was always shocked when taking off my heels after a night out at the difference in height that a heel can make. A shoeless Cinderella, transformed back into a vertically-challenged pumpkin.

Lately, however, I’m less hell on high heels and more hell on ballet flats and Super Feet orthotics. Not sexy, but neither is the air cast I had to wear for two months last fall. After a failed attempt at stuffing the air cast into a pair of pumps, I dug deep in my soul and found the strength to follow my doctor’s no heels policy while my leg was healing. Believe me when I say I asked him repeatedly to confirm that heels were in fact, not an option.

The fall and winter months passed and I did nothing more than look lovingly upon my favorite heels as they sat on the shelves of my closet, pleading silently with me to take them out for a night. I said no, time and time again, but suffered a relapse the night of the Nashville Triathlon Club holiday party in December. I paid the price in pain for the next few days. Worth it? I wonder.

As much as I love heels, I am coming to understand that they actually pose a real threat to my bone and muscle health. I came across an interesting New York Times blog post written by Gretchen Reynolds, alleging that women who walk in heels are much more prone to strain injuries. Not to mention the potential for actual breaks and more serious injuries that could result from a night of dancing on table tops with the cute groomsman at your cousin’s wedding. I myself will admit to taking many a footwear-related nosedive. (Click here to read the full blog post. If you are a wearer of heels, it’s a must-read.)

Imagine my surprise last week when I read a news item regarding Bethenny Frankel’s recent promotion of her Skinnygirl Daily Stiletto workout at an NYC fitness studio. As an arbiter of all things healthy, wealthy and wise, I was surprised to see her endorsement of something that seems so, for lack of a better description, bat-shit crazy. Working out in heels? Call me old-fashioned, but I can say with complete certainty, that my participation in Bethenny’s class would have landed me in traction. My extreme clumsiness makes daily demands on my body and I can only imagine what tragedy would ensue while doing squats in Choos.

Ironically, I’m back in that air cast for a few weeks after a minor reoccurrence of the stress reaction that developed in my tibia while training for the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon last year. Just when I thought I might be able to treat my favorite heels to a romantic dinner and night out on the town, I’m back at zero heel tolerance for the foreseeable future.

To all my stiletto-loving friends out there, safe heeling!

For an interesting read on the history of high heels, read RandomHistory.com’s article, Dangerous Elegance: A History of High-Heeled Shoes. 

14 Days To Go Until…….

Posted by

39


“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” -Walt Disney

Until what, I’m not sure. Until this past Monday, I thought a “stress reaction” meant diving head first into a cake during hard times, or having an uncharacteristic moment of road rage after being cut off by a particularly bone-headed driver. Bad hair day? Throw a brush across the room. Forgot the one thing you went to the grocery store for? Curse the Kroger for not putting the milk in a more obvious location.

Apparently parts of the body can have hissy fits and stress reactions of their own and in this case, my tibia is pretty darn pissed off at me for running on concrete and, most likely, not stretching enough. In fact, it’s more than likely that my tibia is down there in my leg giving me the bird.

Why? Last week I wrote a post about a trip to the doctor and an MRI I had scheduled as a result of that visit. So how did the MRI turn out? Not great. I was going to cancel the MRI and I honestly thought it was going to be a waste of my time, but a little nagging voice somewhere in my gut said to go. It’s a good thing I listened. I suppose I’ve been a run or three away from a nice little stress fracture as the bulge in my tibia is the result of swelling and fluid in the actual bone marrow. Ewww! There is also fluid building up on the outside of the bone and to top it off, shin splints. The doctor I’m seeing for this issue, one of the best in Nashville, dealt me a one-two-three punch on Monday. “You’re bone is injured.” POW! “No running for six to twelve weeks.” POW, POW! “Here’s an air cast I want you to wear for the foreseeable future.” POW, POW, POW!

Obviously, my first question was, “Can I still do the triathlon?” His answer, “Um, no.” SERIOUSLY? Firstly, I’m not a cryer. As I’ve said in posts past, I only cry over the Olympics and stories relating to dogs and our military. So when I started crying in front of the doctor, the weight of my disappointment was startlingly heavy. Thankfully, I simmered myself down and was able to cap off the waterworks. Secondly, I was able to maintain perspective and reminded myself of the other races out there and the bigger problems in the world. I understand the moral of my own story, but the yin to that yang is that I’ve worked hard and have been so excited for the Santa Rosa Island Triathlon. I’m bummed, but it’s ok. I have a plan.

My first thought while driving home from the Dr.’s office and before calling my coach to break the bad news was that I could try to put a last-minute relay team together and just do the swim. Then I thought, no. Maybe this is a sign that I’m not supposed to do the race? Is it really that important? Just last week we had a family member still on life support after sustaining critical injuries while doing a triathlon and I was crying about having to wait a few months to compete in one. Perspective. I’ll do what the doctor says, be thankful that I didn’t actually fracture my leg and continue to work towards my goals. Do the next right thing.

I’ll be meeting my coach for coffee soon to discuss my next step (I’m still swimming and biking on my trainer) and what race I will train for next, once my leg is all healed up. In the meantime, I’m waiting to hear the SRIT race director’s response to an e-mail my brother-in-law sent in regards to allowing a last-minute relay team entry. He and my sister, who are signed up in their age group, are willing to bow out and do a relay so that I don’t have to stand on the sidelines. I had no idea he was trying to make that happen for me until I read the e-mail today. The waterworks went off again. I am blessed to have family like that.

Next: Grant’s Gang, a fund-raising effort for the widow and children of Gary Grant, an amazing human and fellow triathlete.

(Photo Source: My co-writer for the day, Maddie, 9-19-2012)

25 Days T Go: Say what, Doc?

Posted by

14


“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” -Robert Frost

Short and sweet update: I saw a physical therapist this morning and he identified some alignment issues, a bit of scoliosis in my lower back and a potential stress injury in my right leg. He seems to think that most of my left hip, backside and leg issues are related to my lower back. I was able to get a same-day appointment at Impact Sports Nashville to get an x-ray. (Note: I bribed them with cookies and had just enough time to make a batch and bring them with me.) There is no visible fracture, but there is a bump on the tibia, which may or may not be the start of something.

I’ll be having an MRI here in the next few days to get a definitive answer. I feel pretty strongly that the result of the MRI will be nothing more than a confirmation that there is nothing big-time wrong with my leg and that I will still be able to participate in the Santa Rosa Tri. Until then it’s alignment exercises, biking, swimming and no running.

Today’s date is a good reminder that little things like this crop up here and there in life and are so tiny in comparison with the bigger tragedies and true losses others experience.

(Photo Source: A random picture from my iPhoto album)

Weekly Workout Round-Up #2

Posted by

4


“You want me to do something… tell me I can’t do it.”  -Maya Angelou

Yes, be patient. Last week was a bit less successful than I had planned. I was hoping to tell all of you that on the 22nd I was going to be participating in what I was referring to as a pop-tri (a triathlon pop-quiz, if you will.) I was hoping to compete, for practice, in the Nashville Triathlon’s short course, but decided not to, because of the issues that started on Wednesday. (See below.) My ultimate goal is the bigger Santa Rosa Island Triathlon, at which I will be racing with a lot of friends and family, so I decided to forgo the pop-tri in order to not hurt myself and derail my training. On that note, the SRIT will still officially be my first triathlon. For now, my transition practice will include watching YouTube videos  and some run-throughs in my backyard.

Monday July 9th:

AM: 35-minute run

PM: Hill Drills: 10-minute warm-up/3 sprints up the hill/10-minute run back home

*I decided to get in an extra small workout because my AM run wasn’t great. You’ll read why in a moment.

Tuesday July 10th:

*Nada. Zip. Zero. I had a writing session. (Nashville lingo for sitting in a room with a co-writer, a couple of guitars and hopefully, a great idea. This session was less writing and more brainstorming about an upcoming project.) My afternoon schedule included a trip to the Doc-In-The-Box for some swimming-related ear issues. Hence, the ear-plug purchase outlined in my previous post.

Wednesday, July 11th: 800-meter swim

Thursday, July 12th: 40-minute run/hobble

*Hobble? Oh, yes. What I’m assuming, because I’ve talked to a lot of athlete friends and not an actual doctor, is that the super-sharp pain in my hip, which was radiating down into my leg is a piriformis problem. I’ve struggled with this since I began training. Read my previous post, My Hip Don’t Lie, for a little back story.

Friday, July 13th:

*Ibuprofen, a lot of cursing at my hip and a fair amount of stretching and Rumble Rolling

Saturday, July 14th: See Friday

Sunday, July 15th: 800-meter swim

*You’ll notice that I don’t seem to be sticking to any particular training plan. I know that the Ironman/friend who put my plans together for me, will read these workout “round-ups” and wonder what the heck I’m doing. So, on that note, I will be trying my best to get back to the more structured plan. 11.7 weeks to go!

What’s with the jersey, Girl?

Posted by

15


“I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and… I believe in miracles.” -Audrey Hepburn

The first time I ever purposely wore pink was for a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event, at which I ran in honor of my grandmother, a breast cancer survivor. But before then, I always hated pink. I never wore it. Nor did I wear bows, ruffles or pink frosted lip gloss. I was a seriously dramatic choir girl with a brooding and sensitive reputation to protect. Yes, I loved clothes and make up, but if the color was pink? Pass.

Flash forward to 2012 and chances are you will see me sporting some piece of hot pink athletic wear that I decided, at some point, I couldn’t live without. There is a theory floating around out there proposing that our tastes in pretty much everything changes every 7 years. For example, if you didn’t like tomatoes as a child, chances are you will begin liking them at some point in adulthood. That makes sense to me. I was never a fan of cheese or anything pink and now I seem to beeline for the cheese samples at Whole Foods and anything pink in the athletic-wear department. My Polar HR Monitor is hot pink. My reflective running gear is hot pink and now I can add a ridiculous hot pink biking jersey to the list. I tend to buy things based on how they make me feel. I’m a retail marketer’s dream consumer. I’m sure that mine isn’t the most efficient purchase-making process, but this jersey made me laugh. Who doesn’t like to laugh?

A Guest Blog With Friend and Barry’s Bootcamp Nashville Trainer, Megan

Posted by

0


Last week, in an effort to mix up my workouts a bit, I signed up for some classes at the new Nashville location of Barry’s Bootcamp and am looking forward to getting my ass handed to me by some of their amazing trainers. Last week I actually met THE Barry of Barry’s Bootcamp out in Nashville and let me tell you, he is fit. Like, absurdly fit and better yet, was super nice. It just so happens that my friend Megan will be starting her tenure as an instructor at Barry’s Nashville in July.

Megan and I met 5 years ago when her boyfriend at the time played in a songwriter’s round with me. We started writing together and something clicked; more with our friendship than our songs in the beginning, but as our friendship has grown, we’ve found our writing groove and its pop, baby! I mean get yourself out on the floor, POP!  (I may just share one or two of those little gems on here at some point.) Recently, I asked her if she would be willing to share some insight into her experience with all things fitness, including the art of training for a triathlon.

First, a little background into Megan’s creds:

In addition to being a songwriter, (check out “Save Water, Drink Beer” on Chris Young’s album Neon) she taught at some of the best gyms in New York City: Equinox, Sports Club LA, Reebok, Crunch, NY Athletic Club, Athletic and Swim Club and NY Sports Club. It Nashville she has trained at Vanderbilt, the YMCA and starting in July, Barry’s Bootcamp.

Here we go!

“I feel so honored as Robin’s self-proclaimed bestie, fellow triathlete and full-fledged supporter of all that Robin gets involved in, to be guest-writing this blog.  I thought I’d go ahead and just leave the questions that she asked me to cover because they alone are pretty freakin’ hilarious.

Everyone’s experience with this amazing sport is so different and unique, and I’m blessed to be able to share my own!”

Question 1:  Why did you get into the fitness industry, girl?

Oh, this is a loaded question, but one that I will gladly answer… I never grew up playing sports.  My parents preferred to watch TV, eat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese oh, and steaks – a lot of steaks…mmmm.  So, I was never introduced to sports and ended up falling into choir and drama instead.

In high school, I dated the all-state baseball, football, best-looking, class president prom king who was basically built of steel, and he introduced me to running in the hot Texas heat, and then I fell in love…with running.  :)   From there I ran more in college and eventually started teaching kickboxing at Baylor.  I was studying theater and decided to move to NYC after I graduated, so I figured teaching fitness would be a good source of income and keep me fit while I was out auditioning to be the next Meryl Streep.  Long story short – I ended up staying in Daytona Beach 2 months before leaving for NYC where I had nothing to do but workout, lay on the beach and workout some more.  When I left for NYC, I was in the best shape of my life, tan and blonder than blonde.  I marched myself into Equinox in midtown 5 days after moving to the city and landed a job as a personal trainer.  The rest was history.  I never did one audition in New York, instead I lived, ate, and breathed the fitness industry.  I ended up teaching all over the city – spin, weight-training and bootcamp classes as well as managing a gym and starting a triathlon training club.  I was a busy girl, but I learned and still believe that there is no better industry out there – it’s nothing but positive!

Question 2:  What inspires and motivates you to live an active lifestyle and to be awesome in general?

Haha!  I don’t know about being awesome, but after being involved in this amazing industry for over 12 years, it has become a HUGE part of my life.  I’m constantly inspired by others and motivated to become the best that I can through being active. From teaching bootcamp classes to doing a daily workout of my own…it is a lifestyle. The thing I think that mostly attracts me to being active is that there is nothing negative about being active (well, besides a slight risk of injury, but hey – you can twist your ankle walking down the street!) – it’s all good!  I used to tell people when instructing spin classes…seeing them pouring sweat and giving their all, I said, “THIS moment is making you better.  THIS moment is going to cause you to become better from the inside out.  You’re going to sleep better, eat better and grow as a person because of THIS moment.”  And I believe it to be true.  Being active only improves your life in every way – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  You’ll see things, feel things and learn things that you would have never known if you hadn’t been in THAT moment – whether it’s running around your neighborhood or hiking a mountain – every experience, every workout is unique, amazing and makes you better.

Question 3: When did you do your first tri and why did you do it?

I started out racing biathlon or duathlon as some people say – run/bike/run in NYC.  A lot of them were held in Central Park and right outside the city. After competing in a couple of these, I realized 2 things.  Uno – I was kind of fast and dos – I was super competitive.  After doing a few of the biathlons and placing in my age group, the next natural thing seemed to be to try a triathlon!  I did my first triathlon outside of NYC in my mid-20’s and found the sport to be amazing.  Instead of focusing on just one of the sports – like running all of the time and battling constant injuries – all three of the sports complement each other.  They work perfectly together and there is way less risk of injury.  This really seemed to make sense.

Question 4:  Why did you start the triathlon club and why?  Did you ever swim in the Hudson and did it turn your hair green?  I’m just curious.

I worked as the Group Fitness Manager/Program director of the Athletic and Swim Club in midtown, NYC for 3 years.  I discovered triathlon during this time and wanted to share it with others out there.  The joy, the work, the pain and the sheer accomplishment is unlike any other sport!  I knew there were a lot of people interested and intrigued by the sport – people who mainly focused on one of the 3 elements but didn’t quite know how to put them together…so – ta-da – Megan to the rescue!!  I was no seasoned triathlete but felt like I could help them enough to not die in their first triathlon. Because I was so inspired by triathlon, I decided to offer and implement a training program at my gym.  We had 17 people at a time in the program and it was a BLAST!  We would meet weekly to workout together as well on weekends and then the members would follow a training program – a combo of cardio and lifting for triathletes.  We then went and did a tri together!  It was really amazing watching some people train and finish their first tri – no one will ever forget that moment!

As for the Hudson River…. that would be a YES.  I did the NYC Triathlon and swam a mile in the Hudson…  It was…well…ummm…interesting.  Although my hair didn’t turn green, I did smell gasoline, rotten fish and my leg touched something……………..to this day I wonder if it was a dead body??  But overall, it was worth it – it’s a really well-run race, and you can say you lived through swimming in the Hudson!!

Question 5: You know me and you’ve seen me and my formerly fat ass struggle with my fitness endeavors in the past, so what would your advice be to other people in the world who are like me?

I never looked at Robin and thought “What a lardass!!”  But I do remember us doing a 5k together and it being a complete struggle for her.  I look at her now at think – “What a BADASS!!”  I’m so proud of her, seeing how far she’s come just in her cardiovascular abilities (not to mention the weight-loss!!) – it’s amazing.  I think that speaks wonders… ANYONE can do this sport – anyone.  It’s a sport that is well-rounded, and each individual piece of the race supports the next.  You don’t have to be “athletic” to do one either.  It’s not as hard on your body as it is focusing on one sport alone like solely running or biking, and each element of a tri works different muscle groups which truly complement the other elements.  If you train correctly and find a good program and support system – ANYONE can do this!

One thing that Robin did that I think is a great thing to do before you jump into a tri is to familiarize yourself with running, biking and swimming separately.  Once you have confidence in those sports (and you don’t have to master them – you don’t even have to be able to run a 5k without stopping!) – I’d say give a tri a try!!  It’s such a great sport, but one fore-warning – you might get hooked.  :)

Question 6: Any other thoughts you want to share that we didn’t cover?

One piece of advice that no one ever told me before my first triathlon happens to be in the swimming portion of the race…  I found myself in a wetsuit outside of NYC open water swimming with what seemed to be like 1,000 people but in all actuality was probably more like 150, having a panic attack in the middle of the swim.  I suddenly realized that I was out in the middle of this lake and I was going to have to SWIM to shore – ahhhhhhh!!!  I was so close to flagging a boat down and DNFing.  Instead – I just rolled over on my back and caught my breath.  I think this is something to remember in the open water swim portion as well as the whole race – heck, in life in general!  Just BREATHE and if you find yourself not being able to breathe, flip over and re-group your mind.  Focus on the end result and envision yourself crossing that finish line – there’s no better feeling!  Be in the moment and think of what you’re doing right then and there.  YOU ARE CAPABLE of anything and if you trained YOU ARE READY!!  Don’t doubt your abilities, and don’t give up. I’ll leave you with a quote that I always find strength in:

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- Andre Gide

Thank you, Megan!

Photo Credit: www.imgfave.com

Blog-O-Phrenia: The Weekend In Review

Posted by

15


“Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.” -Jimmy Carter

Blog-O-Phrenia? Yes, that’s what I mean. I have about 247 different thoughts in my head this morning after a particularly wonderful weekend and want to share them all, but will stick with just a few.

Number 1: It is hot as you know what in Nashville. It has been in the 90′s and will be for the forseeable future. Ugh. I went for my run this morning at 8:30 thinking that I would beat the heat. Wrong. I have decided that I will either have to run at 6:30 or wait until 7 at night to avoid heat exhaustion and dehydration. The bright side is that I only had to outrun one mean neighborhood dog this morning.

Number 2: This weekend I noticed that the bowl full of lemons I had in my kitchen were rapidly going downhill. What to do?!?!?! Lemon pie? No. I’m trying to cut back on the sweets, which on some days happens and on most others doesn’t. Lemonade? No. It doesn’t taste great made with Stevia, so I nixed that idea. I did however have a culinary epiphany and decided that I would slice them up, freeze them and use them as ice cubes in my water. Seriously brilliant and amazing. The frozen lemons, not me. Next on the frozen fruit as ice cubes agenda will be frozen limes and orange slices.

Number 3: I may have found a cure for my inability to control the urge to run to the Mexican restaurant down the street. In Kroger of all places, I found what I think is a great alternative to the fat minefield I run through every time I find myself in the El Stuffed Pepper two miles from my house. Even the salads are less than ideal in the healthful eating department. I found Amy’s Gluten-Free Organic Burritos in the frozen organic section and they are amazing.  Thank you, Amy, whoever you are, for saving me a boat-load of future calories and fat grams.

Number 3: I can’t live without guava nectar and Ranier cherries. Period. I know there is probably a nutritionist out there screaming, “Where’s the protein?” but I love smoothies and cherries and could subsist on them every day, if necessary. I make my smoothies with guava nectar that I ordered online from a company in Hawaii called Hawaiian Sun. I had the opportunity to visit Kauai last year and drank my weight in guava nectar, but couldn’t find it anywhere in Nashville; not Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s or the Turnip Truck, which were the best bets for having something like guava nectar in stock. Thank you God for creating the Hawaiian person who decided to can it up and sell it worldwide on the internet. The recipe, which makes two smoothies, is simple:

1 can of Hawaiian Sun guava nectar

1 banana

1 cup of frozen mango and pineapple

Done!

You can put whatever frozen fruit you like in the smoothie, but I found that any frozen tropical blend is pretty wonderful. Another kitch-piphany I had recently is to freeze the leftover smoothies and eat it like ice cream. In an effort to be more nutritionally balanced, I occasionally add a bit of protein powder or almond butter, but they are better with just the fruit.

As for Ranier cherries, I’ve eaten an entire bowl of them today already. Just saying. Here is the lone survivor of my cherry eating bender:

Number 4: I decided that if I’m going to eat ice cream, there is no better excuse than a 102 degree day to do so. Damn you, Maggie Moo’s! Of course I want M&M’s in my ice cream. What kind of person do you think I am?

Number 5: Here’s where the “phrenia” in “blog-o-phrenia” comes in. Thus far, this post has been fairly food-centric, but I will now share something with you that I discovered this weekend after a butt-kicking bike ride. First off, I never come home without bike chain grease on me leg. I don’t know how it happens, but I usually never see it until I’ve been out and about on errands, look down at my leg and realize that I look like I haven’t made the effort to bathe in a week. I usually try soap, water and an agave fiber washcloth to remove the grease, but it takes at least three washes to get the stuff off my leg. On Saturday I had an epiphany of the non-culinary sort and thought, “Why don’t I give my eye makeup remover a shot?” I put some on a cotton pad and the grease came off immediately. “Wow!” I thought to myself, “I am a genius! This is great!” Then I thought, “Wait! I put this stuff on my eyes! If it takes grease off this easily, what the hell is it doing to my skin?” I’m going to do some research on that and see if there isn’t a more natural alternative to my current eye make-up removal regimen. Until then I will be using it solely to remove the chain grease from my legs. And on a final note, if you haven’t ever used an agave fiber washcloth, go get yourself one. They are the best, natural source of exfoliation that I have come across.

Photo Credit: www.luckyvitamin.com

There you have it! Any thoughts? Smoothie recipes? Suggestions for removing bicycle chain grease? Have a wonderful week!

Next: Barry’s Bootcamp Nashville and an interview with a friend and trainer about her experience training for a triathlon in NYC!

The Rumble Roller

Posted by

2


“I really don’t think I need buns of steel. I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon.”

-Ellen DeGeneres

I mentioned in my last post that I recently purchased a Rumble Roller because I’ve been having some aches a pains related to running. It’s a great product and it accomplishes what it advertises, but is also a little like having a deep tissue massage administered to you by a sumo wrestler. I have a few words to say about it:

*It hurts like a b*%ch, but it is worth it. It’s around $75 but I’m happy that I spent the     extra money. There is no comparison between the foam rollers that I’ve used at the YMCA and this thing.

*If you have a dog, it will be scared of the Rumble Roller at first, but then they’ll be inseparable.

*Don NOT under any circumstances roll the upper back while rolling a hoodie or you will find yourself having the following text conversation:

Me:  Girl don’t wear a hoodie when using a foam roller. The hood WILL get caught under the roller and almost choke you. This may require more coordination than I actually have.

BFF: Girl yea – I never thought a foam roller could be dangerous but if anyone can make it dangerous it’s you.

BFF: Take that as a compliment

Me: I don’t know how that’s a compliment but I guess so.

BFF: Robin Grant: taking ordinary objects and making them dangerous.

Me: Sad.

Before I used the RR for the first time I searched the web for some instructional videos and stumbled across one on YouTube that wasn’t quite an instructional video, but it entertained me therefore I am sharing it. It just so happens that you can also watch it on the Rumble Roller website.  PG-13 

Source: YouTube xtranormal RumbleRoller by balljacket

Here is another video I found helpful. An introduction to the RR!

Source: www.rumbleroller.com

Now go get yourself one!

“What the–!?”

“We’re good.”  

“You against me, pal.”

Fights, Flights and a Rumble Roller

Posted by

7


“To keep from decaying, to be a winner, the athlete must accept pain–not only accept it, but look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it.” -Dr. George Sheehan

I run from pain. I run from people, places and things that make me uncomfortable. It is a primitive, automatic and genetically ingrained snap decision that I make when confronted with the choice to either fight or to fly off into the sunset with my feelings and body intact and my survival insured.  Is this a great thing? Yes and no. The fight or flight response exists for a reason and sometimes the best choice is to flee; if the threat is real and not a danger conjured up by an irrational fear. Have the triggers that send us running for our lives back into our caves evolved over the last one million years? Yes. Is running away from those fears and pretending they don’t exist always the best response to a challenging situation? No. Unless my neighbor has an exotic animal collection that I’m not aware of, I will not be forced to fight off a saber-toothed tiger that is hell-bent on meeting his daily protein requirement by adding me to his meal plan. In the modern world, we may not be running to save ourselves from big-toothed prehistoric man-eaters but face other, just as terrifying threats to our well-being. Work, relationships and expectations, in addition to the unique decisions we have to make every day in order to survive the currently frenetic pace of the world, all present their own fight or flight responses.

Aside from being more fit and wanting to present myself with a challenge, part of the reason I signed myself up for a triathlon was to continue the process of understanding both my own fears and the reasons why I sometimes want to fly straight into my safety net instead of facing them. I recently had an epiphany and came to the conclusion that I have a fear of being uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful, blessed life. I have more than I need, friends and family, and am doing what I love in life. I get to travel and experience life completely and fully.  But I’ve spent parts of my life being very uncomfortable. With myself, my circumstances and the expectations put upon me by me and the people in my life. Why now, when I’m clear-headed enough to experience and appreciate life as I think God intended me to, putting myself through the pain of this athletic pursuit, when I clearly will never be a part of the Olypmic triathlon team?  Isn’t that the point, though? Getting to experience things I never have before BECAUSE I’m living and appreciating the life God had in mind; and not to get all Bette Midler on you, but he gave me both the wings and the experience, good and bad, to know when to use them.

Last week my workouts suffered because I was in a fearful, excuse-making mood. In my experience, fear is not the best place from which to make a decision, but usually the most comfortable. “Yes,” I say to myself, “there are legitimate reasons for not getting a workout in.” The stuff of life happens. Projects pile up, families get sick, (in this case my beloved fur-son Buster) and the hits just keep hurling themselves over the net straight at us. Knowing that I don’t have to swing at every last one of them will hopefully get easier the more I practice. Unfortunately, I’ve let heartaches, pains and a full plate, both my schedule and the one on which I put my dinner, keep me from being consistent.

When I sat down to write this post, my only intention was to share my experience with the new torture device/Rumble Roller, a fancy-pants foam roller, that I bought last weekend to help me work through some of those minor, yet annoying pains. But in true ADD fashion, my thoughts leapt from one place to another until finally landing on the subject of fear and working through it. Something in me needed to write about this subject today. Probably because those little pains in my hip, foot and knee last week had me convinced that my dreams of finishing a triathlon were over and that I’m just not built for this kind of thing. You see, I have an un-superhero alter ego named Dame Doom who walks the streets of my life spreading fear, pessimism and drama wherever she sees a glimmer of progress. She’s a real B. I wouldn’t mind setting her out in the middle of a pack of saber-toothed tigers armed only with a foam roller. Here are some examples of her mind-numbing, progress-inhibiting chatter:

DD: “You waited too long to run, now it’s too hot outside. You and your sore hip will be found passed out on the side of the road.

DD: Your foot hurts. You must have some horrible foot-pain inducing disease that you don’t know about.

DD: You just over-ate again. If you go swim now you’ll definitely sink.

DD: It may rain. If you get out on your bike now, you’ll get caught in it and spiral out of control and crash into a stop sign when you brake on the wet pavement.

Yep, she’s a b with a capital B. With that being said, I’d like to make a side note and say that the past two weeks haven’t been all gloom and doom. I’ve had great moments with friends, good workouts and moments of profound gratitude for the blessings in my life. Maybe I needed to have a crap week last week in order to see God’s blessings more clearly and to learn something that I still haven’t quite figured out.

Thankfully, as I head into the weekend, I’ve armed myself with my new foam roller so that I may properly take care of myself; a more organized schedule that will allow me to accomplish everything I want to do; a restored resolve to live life on life’s terms; and a recovered senior beagle who has been there for his mom through all the fights and all the flights. This weekend I think I will stay in the game and fight so that when the time is right, I will fly.

The Best Medicine

Next: Less distraction and self-evaluation. More thoughts and a REALLY funny video about the Rumble Roller.

Nutritional House Cleaning

Posted by

4


If you’ve read any of my past posts, you know that I struggle daily with maintaining a clean diet. It’s not unusual to read about me getting in a great ride on the bike or a having a great run then coming home only to fall face first into a pile of chocolate. After being down on the Gulf Coast last month and demonstrating zero diet accountability, I decided to hit up a nutrition and lifestyle counselor who I met at a brunch here in Nashville. One enormous  ham and cheese omelette and four coffees with cream into that brunch, I decided that maybe I should take advantage of the chance encounter and get her contact information.

I met with Shauna Bryan two weeks ago and let loose all the gory details of my struggle with maintaining a diet appropriate for my goal of finishing a triathlon. For example,  I’ve been out-swum by 80 year olds in the YMCA pool because of wicked food hangovers. Another example: I recently had a going away party for a friend of mine who is moving to NYC and I found myself unable to leave the side of the butter cream cake. The inscription on the cake read, “Good luck, Melany. Don’t fall on your face!” It should have read, “I’m just a cake, Robin. P.S. You have icing on your face.” One of the guests at the party is a vocal coach here in Nashville as well as an accomplished mixed martial artist. I’ve known him for quite some time and wasn’t aware that he and I both share the same sugar struggles. Hovering over a cake like it’s the last one you’ll ever have the pleasure of eating is a little less tragic when you have company.

I was very honest with Shauna about all of this and we talked at length about changes that I could make to tidy up my diet. If you live in or near Nashville, I would suggest booking a session with her. In addition to being a great counselor, she’s an interesting, accomplished and motivating woman.

 

I was inspired after our meeting to make the necessary changes even though I had enough self-awareness to know that it probably wouldn’t be an easy task. She suggested a 7-day detox diet that I jumped into with the best of intentions. Armed with my food list, I spent an afternoon in Whole Foods and left an hour later with two bags of very expensive organic vegetables. I started the diet then promptly fell off the wagon, so-to-speak, after 3 days, but in the process concocted some clean recipes using the vegetables that I purchased. Even three days of clean eating made a tremendous difference in the way I felt in general and during my workouts.  I have made some good changes in the last two weeks and will give the old 7-day diet another whirl here soon. In the meantime, I’ve been trying to replace a lot of what I was eating with foods from the food list.  Here are some clean recipes I threw together using the vegetables and fruit on Shauna’s food list (Use all organic if you can):

Detox Soup

-Vegetable Broth

-Zucchini

-Sliced Carrots

-Cabbage Cut Into Strips

-Canned No-Salt Added Diced Tomatoes

-Sea Salt, Herbs de Provence and Pepper

This is about as easy as you can get. I’m putting no specific amounts by the ingredients b/c I literally just threw a bunch of stuff in a pot and let it cook. Add whatever vegetables you have in your fridge.

Zucchini and Tomatoes

-Zucchini

-Onions

-Garlic

-Tomatoes (Fresh or Canned, No Salt-Added)

-Tomato Sauce

-Vegetable Broth

Sautee the zucchini and onion in the vegetable broth, add the rest and simmer. Use a little salt and pepper if you like.

Cabbage Stir-Fry

-Broccoli

-Green and Red Peppers

-Cabbage Cut Into Strips

-Chicken (opitonal)

-Whatever Additional Vegetables That Float Your Boat

-Vegetable Broth

-Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Cook chicken in vegetable broth. Set aside. Saute vegetables in the same pan using vegetable broth and low-sodium soy sauce. Add chicken back to the pan. The cabbage will be the last thing to put into the mix.

Baked Pears and Dates

-Chopped Pears

-Chopped Dates

-Organic Pineapple Juice (No Sugar Added)

Put pears and dates in a baking dish. I sprayed the dish with cooking spray before putting the fruit in. Pour a bit of the pineapple over the fruit and bake at 350 degrees until the pears are soft.

Please share your own clean recipes. I would love to have them!

Next: The bike doctor, a new running drill and my first brick workout.

*Photos by Me.