I was cleared for take-off the end of August and had the toe situation. I did try to run after that healed, only a quarter mile though. My breath wasn’t labored or anything but my legs felt crazy heavy, probably because they are heavier than they were back in the spring and because I hadn’t done any running. However when I stopped running, I felt that thing, that tingling from my butt down to the foot and the foot started going numb. I wasn’t ready to run but thought, if I lost about 10 pounds or so, I shouldn’t have any problems, you know the old self-diagnosis. I didn’t try it again though, I wanted to find out from my doctor, how I can approach running again. I had a physical in November, this is how it went down:
I ran my first 2.65 miles with my father in 1983 at Shady Side Park/Aqua Gardens. He left me of course because that’s what dads do, but it didn’t matter, I fell in love with running anyway. I didn’t run much during college, only on summer breaks but after graduation into adulthood (yay/boo) I ran everywhere that I lived. Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, the streets of this little suburb called Addison IL, Audubon Park and City Park in . New Orleans the streets of Doraville Georgia and downtown Atlanta and the many fine parks of Gwinnett County where I currently live. My first race was the Peachtree Road Race in 1995 and subsquently completed 16 of them. I ran for diabetes, alzheimers, AIDS, breast cancer, churches and various charities and I ran just for T-shirts. One of my bucket list items was to run in all 50 states, I had 44 to go. Yet even with the bucket list and racing, those things were never front of mind because running for me was a matter of health, physical certainly, but mostly mental and most of my running was done alone.
There’s been some solitary miles spent working out problems in my head, grieving and crying and at times experiencing physical pain, but in all those years, the vast majority of the those runs were beautiful. Seeing some amazing birds, playing squirrels, rabbits, turtles frogs, deer all manner of bug and once a few years ago a snake. I’ve seen everything bloom and die and bloom again. I’ve seen buildings demolished and new ones built and I have looked at the sky and everything around me on many mornings and thought, wow look at God. Given all that, 31 years of it, this transition has not been easy.
It’s hard sometimes to listen to my friends talk about their training and races and such, it seems that ERRRBODY is running now, but I know that everything has a season. My running season has passed and things are changing, my life, my body and everything around me is changing. I could sit on the sidelines and lament it, and for a while there I did, but now I’m entering a new season. I have no idea what it looks like, but whatever it is, you can believe I’m going for broke.
I don’t know any other way to do it.
Until next time, see you somewhere out there… where I’ll be trying something NEW.
Stressin’
Let’s talk about you for a minute. Where are you right now? Are you sitting at home, zoned out in front of the tv watching some reality debacle, the news, or sports? Are your co-workers, customers, or boss on your last nerve? Is your phone ringing, email chiming, doorbell ringing? How was your drive today? Easy peasy or bumper to bumper? Is your home quiet or are you kids/spouse/pets driving you crazy? All these questions are about people, things and events that are all tugging on you, draining you and stressing you out.
What is stress?
In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the “fight or flight” response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems. In the long-term, stress can cause the following health problems.
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Heart disease
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
- Memory and concentration impairment
What can you do to make stress more manageable?
It may not be realistic to believe that we can live life in the 21st century free of stress. Individual wiring as well as environment play a role. There are a number of ways in which you can manage stress. Begin by identifying what your stressors are, commit to managing them and employ the techniques that are right for you to do so. Techniques for managing stress can include:
- physical activity
- better eating habits
- talking with someone
- some form of spiritual practice
- getting quality sleep
or any other number of techniques.
One thing that has been helpful for me during the last few years has been Tai Chi. Currently I’m learning the 24 form Yang style from Jim Hamilton, a real technician who cares about his students understanding the form, practicing it correctly and reaping the mental and physical benefits of its practice.
Photo MsThorns
However I owe my love of the practice of Tai Chi to my first teacher Jan Stittleburg from whom I learned the Yang 8 form. Her Patience, kindness and sense of humor helped ease my nerves on many days.
Photo: Jan Stittleburg
What do you do to manage stress? Does physical activity bring your relief? Getting enough Zs? Have you considered Tai Chi? Let me know in the comments, on Twitter or Google+.
Until next time may your chi be well and your stress be minimal.
Powered By Soul Spotlight – Damon E. Johnson
My work group moved to a new office and it wasn’t pleasant. I had this big file cabinet that the movers just plopped down into the new office and it was too heavy for me to move it on my own. In pops, Damon to save the day and move that big thing in one fell swoop. Being his next door office neighbor we had plenty of good times and plenty of laughs as he is a great teller of tales and jokes. Did I mention that he is also a published poet? Yes he’s that, a father, husband and a Kappa (I’m surrounded by them I tell you) and a great friend. Introducing Damon E. Johnson in his own words.
You are?
Damon Johnson, I’m 47 years old and was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I currently work as a Public Outreach Specialist however, my passion is poetry. My first book, Rhythm in My Blues was published in 2011. I am presently working on my second book and hope to have it published by January 2015.
Tell us about your fitness routine.
My fitness routine consists of working out 3 to 4 times a week at Planet Fitness in Stone Mountain using machine weights and riding the stationary bike. I also like walking a few miles in the evenings when the weather is cool.
Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?
As far as nutrition goes, I have a few food restrictions due to being a dialysis patient. I have to limit my dairy foods and liquids as well as cut back on fried foods. Lately I have been eating more salads, fruits and vegetables.
How long have you been following your fitness and nutrition program?
As an ex football player I have always been somewhat of an active person. However, I realized that over the last few years or so I had not been as active as I once was. So after putting it off for several months I decided last summer that I was going to finally get it together. That’s when I started making the necessary changes to my lifestyle.
Do you have a success story or testimonial you wish to share?
Since I changed my diet and exercise last summer I have lost over 100 pounds. I can’t tell you how great I feel and how much more active I have become. Life is Good!
What motivates you to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
Every time I look into my 9 year old daughter Sydney eyes I am motivated to stay on the healthy track. I need to make sure that I am around to watch her continue to grow into the beautiful young lady she is becoming.
Do you have a personal motto/philosophy you wish to share?
A motto I try to live by is… Good things come to those who wait. But only the things left behind by those who hustle…
Powered by Soul thanks Damon for sharing his successful health transformation with us and we wish him continued success is maintaining his lifestyle and in his artistry as a poet.
If you our someone you know would like to be featured in the spotlight, drop a line in the comments, Google+ or Twitter.
Photos: Damon E. Johnson
Yogi? Who Me?
Not quite but I do make an attempt to practice daily. Injury wasn’t what initially brought me to yoga though it was a contributing factor, my head was giving me more problems than anything when I started practicing two years ago.
If 2010 was bad, 2011 was worse and 2012 was the tipping point. I was white knuckling through depression and failing. I thought that yoga might be helpful since everything else I was doing wasn’t working. I signed up for a yoga class at Kaiser and it was TERRIBLE. I go to the first class and it’s packed to the gills so I had to set up in the front. The teacher, lawdamercy was muscular, tan, pretty and blonde and was going through the poses so fast (I thought) I couldn’t keep up. Feeling like a total failure, I vowed to NEVER return again but didn’t keep that vow thank GOD. Barring any ridiculousness in my work schedule or being out of town, these days I don’t miss a week. As for my instructor, Michele Jackson I’m thankful to have taken my first instruction with her as she is the BOMB. She is so bomb that she has left the program for bigger and better things. Congrats Michele.
In terms of at-home practice I turn to the fabulous instructors of YouTube, one of which is Ekhart Yoga whom I’d written about previously. My current favorite, who got me through the “summer of back pain”, is Yoga With Adriene I really dig her because she isn’t all yogified. What I mean by that is that she doesn’t say a lot of stuff that a beginner wouldn’t understand. She has a practical, yet joyful style of teaching and is often quite comical. She also has a really good series of videos called Foundations of Yoga in which she breaks down single poses in a way that makes it easier for the student to approach and practice. I also really like Ali Kamenova whose greeting “namaste beautiful yogis” is a great way to start the day and Lesley Fightmaster who has a very calming style of instruction, even on poses that I find difficult.
As far as the depression, I’m good now. Yoga played a part in getting me here and I’m thankful for that. It’s been a great way to reconnect with my body and bring some clarity to my mind. My hope is to continue the practice into my old age.
BUT…
If I ever turn into this chick, please snatch me by my yoga pants and tell me to snap out of it 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMC1_RH_b3k
Until next time, see you on the mat. Namaste.
Photo: MsThorns
Powered by Soul Spotlight – Kori Smith
As a member of a very informal social media group #TeamSexyPants, I met this young lady and quickly realized that she was a BOSS. She had a streak of like 10 bazillion check-ins at her preferred fitness facility. Adding to the intrigue was her means of getting and staying fit. Now I don’t want to give away what she does she can tell you herself, the Empress of #teamjazzypants, my Soror, Kori Smith.
You are?
Kori Smith.
Tell us about your fitness routine.
I am “old school” when it comes to my exercise routine; I Jazzercise. I am fortunate to have a wonderful location less than 3 miles from my home. I attend at least four times a week, depending on how fat I am feeling at the time or if I have an upcoming major event for which I have to slim down.
Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?
I do not follow a particular nutrition plan. However, during the summer of 2012, I participated in a 10 day “Boot Camp” sponsored by my Jazzercise location. During this program, we were instructed to follow a very restricted food plan, mostly eliminating carbohydrates. Because I was true to the plan two “life-changing” things happened to me: 1. I lost 10 lbs. in 10 days and 2. I learned that a large portion of my day-to-day diet consisted of carbs, so if I adjust my nutritional intake to limit carbohydrates and replace them with other things (mostly proteins for me – I am a carnivore at heart) that I could shed excess pounds.
How long have you been engaged in your fitness program?
I actually began my tenure with Jazzercise “on a lark”. In the Spring of 2011, some of my associates from social media formed this informal fitness support group called #TeamSexyPants ( because it is not official on the internet unless it has a hashtag). The members of this group encourage each other with exercise and fitness goals by posting words of support when members shared their activities in relation to these efforts.
I thought this was a great idea ( and peer pressure is a “motha”…), therefore I decided that I wanted to be a member of #TeamSexyPants.
At that time in my life, I was kind of obsessed with daily deal sites ( LivingSocial, Tanga, Woot etc.) and I came across a deal through Groupon for two months of Jazzercise for 29 bucks. I purchased the deal, but did not use it for several months. I finally redeemed it that September after returning from a family cruise for which I struggled to find appropriate clothes to wear on the ship.
I have to confess however, that I really did not get into Jazzercise until the beginning of 2012. I began to significantly enjoy not only the overall experience but the instructors and other classmates I encountered at my location.
What would you say has been your success story in terms of your fitness/health?
In 2013 through making better nutritional choices and increasing my commitment to exercise several days a week, I was able to lose over 50 pounds in 7 months. It was not the quickest timeframe for results, but it was manageable for my lifestyle.
My main motivation was that I promised myself that since I would be a bridesmaid for the first time during my middle sister’s wedding that October, that I would not be the “biggest thang” walking down the aisle.
Because of my weight loss, I had to get my bridesmaid dress altered twice and I still lost enough weight within three weeks prior to the wedding that my gown was too big. My mother and my sister’s future mother-in-law had to liberally apply safety pins so that I could avoid a “wardrobe malfunction”. I battled with the strapless dress the entire evening to make sure it stayed up and continue to cover all the important parts.
What keeps you motivated to stay on course and healthy?
I seem to be the most responsive to sticking to my goals of weight loss/exercising when my goal is marked by a significant event, like a wedding, reunion etc.
I realize that to really benefit from efforts towards better fitness it is more advantageous to have a long term goal/lifestyle change. I hope to get to that level one day. But for now, I take on my fitness challenges one major event at a time. ( Next event is my line’s 20th Anniversary in October 2014).
Do you have a personal philosophy or motto you wish to share?
I think that the most important factor in being successful with your fitness goals is to “Know Thyself”. You can come across advice from millions of sources that will tell you what/what not to do. But I think when you allow yourself to experiment and discover what personally works for you, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.
Powered By Soul Thanks Kori for sharing her story AND wish her a FABULOUS reunion.
If you or someone you know would like to be featured in the spotlight, drop a line in the comments, on Google+, Twitter or email.
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Photos: MsThorns, Jazzercise tm
The Foot of Paranoia
Came home un-bandaged the toe to take another look. It didn’t look scary just red from walking on it. I re-bandaged it and started a little cleaning when:
Cleared for Take-off
It was one month to the day from my last run at Rabbit Hill Park. I entered the physical therapy facility on August 14th and completed all exercises, evidently with flying colors. As of now I can participate in all my prior activities with the exception of kettlebell training and running and I’m okay with that. I’m much too skittish about running right now anyway, especially since I’m not completely free of this radicular pain situation. The time off has been good because I learned a few things.
- It doesn’t take long for my body to get squishy. I stayed begging the therapist to lift because I was already behind the eight ball in my weight training having been focused on Peachtree training since may. A month off from nearly everything and I’m now close to marshmallow material.
- When my back is up against the wall, compliance is a non-issue. Everything that I was doing or not doing wasn’t working to improve my condition. As it stands with my back in the condition it is in all I can do is what the professionals tell me in order to maintain a good quality of life.
- I don’t miss the little bit of ego that I did have at all. Though I wasn’t laid up, though I didn’t miss any days of work, I was limited in what I could do. The piece of ego I used to have that said quitting is for whimps is gone. Quitting at least for a while was the best thing I could have done.
- I never thought I’d miss yoga so much. Having started a 30 day yoga challenge around the time of that last run. I was really looking for to the practice everyday and was making some strides in terms of flexibility and in my overall life outlook. When the therapist sat me down I was like noooooooooooooo!!!
Finally, let me say that I’m thankful that I still have a body that tells me when things are going wrong and to keep the going wrong to a minimum I need to listen to my body AND the professionals to stay healthy.
Until next time, see you at the gym, the yoga mat and even the trail, where you’ll find me WALKING with a purpose.
Photos: MsThorns
For The Long Haul
I didn’t want to go to the pain clinic. I have this vision in my mind of desperados milling around, chain smoking, waiting to be seen and get their meds. That vision is there because my allergy clinic’s former location was next to a pain clinic/pill mill that has since been shut down. Anyway those thoughts were absolutely unfounded at Kaiser. In fact my visit was pleasant even though the news was unpleasant.
She proceeded to have me bend and twist and touch toes and all sorts of thangs which I had no problem with. However I still had the the spasmatic butt-cheek thing and numbness/tingling going down my right leg. She prescribed meds, physical therapy and to maintain the current level of activity.
One week later.
I’m at the physical therapy facility. My therapist is late, I’m hot to death and about to leave. It was a scheduling problem and I’d been told the wrong time. Hmph. Anyway the therapist arrives. She’s nice, experienced and thorough. She explained everything that was going on with my spine and my hip. In addition to the arthritis in my back, it turns out that the right side of my pelvis is tilted forward. She prescibes one exercise for the right leg alone to be performed one zillion times a day. I push the envelope and ask what else I can do? Her reply? Definitely no running, walking (for exercise) nor biking and the killer NO YOGA. I’m like what????????? Yoga is the only thing I’ve been practicing and I have done so DAILY. What’s acceptable, strength training of the upper body only with a protective back brace/wrap on if needed, swimming and the one legged therapy exercise.
(normal pelvis)
(ye olde broad’s pelvis)
That’s it.
My fitness program has gone straight to the sh****r, but I have to get well. I will absolutely comply as much as I hate it because I want to be active going forward. Reduced activity in the short-term is truly a sacrifice, but who know I might end up a master swimmer after all this is over. Just don’t tell my current instructor that, she would beg to differ.
Until next time, see you in the living room, where I’ll be doing a zillion reps of one exercise AND at the gym, thank you JESUS!!!!!!!
Photos: MsThorns
Listen Up Hard Heads
- In the last year there’s been at least three times when physicians have said stop running , heal completely, then return at a slow pace. What I did? Stop running until I felt good and went right back to full steam ahead.
- There have been at least two physicians that have said lose 10 pounds. I would lose 5 get some good labs and start eating whatever I wanted to again accompanied by wine of course.
- Two times physicians have instructed me to perform stretching and strengthening exercises for the back, legs and feet. Again once the pain was gone I resumed my usual level of activity which involves pounding the treadmill and pavement and making the move from the Barbie weights to the big girl weights the prescribed exercises are filed away in a folder.
I can’t afford to be hard-headed anymore. I’m older, diabetic and in perimenopause. I have learned, the hard way I suppose that the body will always tell you when something is wrong. Even though society says push through it, grind it out or at this one gym I used to go to, “go ahead and throw up” this is something I can no longer do. Listen, comply and modify is my new mantra. It’s what I have to do to maintain a decent quality of life as I age. As of this writing I am forbidden to perform:
I know I’m not the only hard head out here. I’d love to hear your hard head stories, what made you stop being hard headed and the results of the change. If you care to share please do so in the comments, on Google+ or Twitter.
Photos: MsThorns
Powered By Soul Spotlight – Michael Wilson Jr.
Oh how I can go on and on about this guy. The Burpee Champ, the Big Tease Chef who tempts the internets with his food porn, the music connoisseur, the politically astute, the wry humorist and the boxing expert. That’s just the stuff I know about. He also happens to be the first person that I EVARRRRR “hungout” with in a Google+ Hangout. Introducing my “food husband” Michael Wilson in his own words.
Vitals
Michael Wilson Jr., 38 creator and host of the Pound 4 Pound Boxing Report, podcast, blog and YouTube channel and regular contributor to Ringnews24.
Tell us about your fitness routine.
I workout at home 5-6 days a week primarily P90X and Neila Rey’s no equipment workouts. Once a week I practice yoga to maintain flexibility.
Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?
My diet is my weakness. I do drink 64 oz of water a day and try to eat as healthy as I can. I eat salad 3 days a week and lots of fish and grilled chicken. My main weaknesses are Reese’s Pieces and Snicker bars.
How long have you been practicing your fitness and nutrition programs?
Around 2004-2005 I was heavy, around 250 pounds and my blood pressure was at dangerous levels. I started out by walking at a local park and lost 30 pounds which was cool but I wanted to tone up. Around 2008-2009 I saw the P90X program and started it and have built muscle on the program.
Do you have a success story or testimony you’d like to share?
I no longer take blood pressure medicine and now keep it in check through diet and exercise.
What motivates you to continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle?
There’s an aspect of fear on my part. I don’t want to go back to the days where I was 250 pounds and my blood pressure was at dangerous levels. Now if I go 3-4 days without exercise I get restless and have to do something.
Do you have a personal motto or philosophy that you subscribe to?
Take care of all aspects of your health, physical, mental and spiritual to maintain balance in your life. This works in a general sense and for me personally.
Powered by Soul thanks the man of many talents, Michael Wilson for sharing his story with us. Be sure to check him out all over the internet by clicking the links in the Vitals section.
If you or someone you know want to be featured in the Spotlight, drop a line in the comments, on Twitter or on Google+.
Photos: Michael Wilson collection
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