No Music Workout

For the past few weeks, I have been lifting without music. Now, granted, I am still plugged in during my runs, but that's about it.

It's no secret that there have been studies that cite the benefits of listening to music during a workout, and I'm not here to challenge them. However, I am saying that based on my personal experience with this little experiment so far, I've found that I am able to workout with greater concentration and at a higher intensity than before. Perhaps this is all in my head. Much of life is psychological - it's all a mental game. But, I cannot deny the improvements that I have made, especially in terms of the increase in weights I am lifting.  (Yes, girls lift. And yes, I will make a post about this another time).

So, I am challenging you to give it a try. Put your music player away, and really try to make a connection between your mind and your body. Concentrate on each movement -- the contractions of your muscles, your breathing. Focus your mind solely on your body without the distraction of having music blaring in your ears. Some of you are going to scoff at this and say that music helps to push you, to motivate you, to get you to do that final rep. But we all know that fitness is about more than your body. It's not just about having a strong body. It's also about developing a strong mind. There is no way you would have the discipline to workout consistently, or to eat healthily without mental toughness. Impossible. So before you decide to mock this music-less experiment, give it a shot. Let your mind push you, motivate you, get you to do that final rep. Work on improving not only your physical and physiological health, but also your mental health. Be in control of your own mind, and stop letting external forces be the driving force behind your progress. And like I said, perhaps the success of this theory is dependent upon my own belief in this system. If that is so, it means that my mind is the driving force behind this increased concentration and intensity. And if that's true, what's stopping you?

Try it. Give it two weeks. What do you have to lose?

Until next time,

C

The Importance of Rest

As much as I am an advocate of constantly working towards becoming one step closer to achieving your goals, I'm also a strong believer in finding time to recharge your batteries. It's impossible to keep going and going without eventually burning yourself out. Unfortunately, we don't run like the Duracell bunny. We're human. We can only go so long and so far until we hit our breaking point.

So, the point of today's post is to remind you to find time for yourself. If you don't have time, make time. Rest and recovery are as equally important as the steps you take in actively becoming a stronger version of yourself. Everyone has their own ways of recharging. Some meditate, or go for long drives, or hang out with friends. For me, it's all about finding complete solitude. It's about isolating myself and being able to hear myself think. I'm very much an introverted individual, and sometimes, it becomes overwhelming and draining to have to spend so much time around many different people. I guess that's one of the reasons why I love working out, and running in particular. It's just another opportunity for me to be alone, and to fully reconnect with myself.

Anyways, I'm going to keep this post short. Just remember that even when you feel like you have a million things to do, always try to make time for yourself. Nothing-- no goal, no accomplishment, no desire, can ever be so important that you need to sacrifice your own well-being.

Until next time,

C

The Lack of Motivation is an Excuse for the Weak

I often get asked how I stay so disciplined in terms of eating healthy and exercising regularly. The secret to this, which really isn't a secret, is my commitment to this lifestyle. I believe that one of the purposes in life is to become the strongest version of yourself-- mentally, emotionally, physiologically and physically. And because of this belief and my passion to achieve this, I am committed and dedicated to rolling my sleeves up and putting in the work. The key words here are "committed" and "dedicated."

Commitment and dedication to achieving your goals is the only way you'll ever succeed.

There is often a lot of talk about needing motivation, be to obtain it from people, events, music, you name it. And yes, motivation is important to get you started. You have to want it. However, motivation is not what keeps you going. Commitment and dedication is.

I frequently hear people complaining about having a lack of motivation to workout, or a lack of motivation to put in the work to reach their goals. But that's nothing more than an excuse to justify the reason they're failing. You don't need to be motivated 24/7. If that was the case, nobody would ever achieve anything. Rather, you need to visualize your end goal, and understand why you're putting yourself through this struggle. If you can't figure that out, there is no way you're going to stick with it.

For myself, I've always been a competitive person who strives to be better than everyone else. But about three months ago, something in me clicked and I realized that I wanted to be better. I no longer wanted to only beat others, I wanted to beat myself. I wanted to hammer the weak out of me, so to speak. This does not just encompass being physically fit, but also mentally, emotionally, and physiologically as well. I wanted to further challenge myself. I wanted to push myself beyond the realms of what I think I'm capable of and into what I never knew I was capable of. I want to become the strongest possible version of myself. That's the goal. That's the reason why I am committed to this lifestyle.

With that in mind, there are obviously times when I don't feel like working out, or when I would rather opt for unhealthy choices. But because I am committed to this process, and I am dedicated to constant self-improvement, I resist these temptations. There have been cold and rainy mornings where my body ached, and I couldn't mentally convince myself to want to get out of bed and to want to put myself through a gruelling workout that I know is going to be tough. But I do it anyways. When you're committed to something, it means doing it even when you don't feel like it. It means putting aside your feelings, and getting it done.

So yes, I think the cry for the need for "motivation" to workout, or to achieve anything in life, is an excuse made by the weak-- it is a cop out.

I hope you all have something you're striving for. But no matter what, don't give up. Don't cop out. If you're going to do something, give it your all. Otherwise, there's really no point starting in the first place.

Until next time,

C

Gluten-free Diet: Yay or Nay?

Hello again!

Someone asked me on twitter today about the benefits of the gluten-free diet/lifestyle that has gained tremendous popularity over the last little while. And of course, I thought it would be a good topic to blog about.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert. In fact, I am not even a science student. However, my knowledge about fitness, and in this case, evaluating the gluten-free diet is based on research, and my own experiences. With that said, there should also be mention that research on the health benefits of the gluten-free is still inconclusive. Nevertheless, there are indications of such benefits.

First off, what is gluten? Simply put, it is an ingredient in main types of grains that about 50-70% of the population are sensitive to. However, most people are not aware of this. An acronym to remember what contains gluten is BROWS, which stands for barley, rye, oat, wheat, and smelt. There are other products that contains gluten, but these are the primary ones.

Now, how does gluten sensitivity affect us? Well for most, it causes digestive problems. One example is from strength coach/strongman Elliott Hulse. Prior to eliminating gluten from his diet, he was a very gassy guy, which did affect his life. However, after doing some research and deciding to eliminate gluten from his diet he realized that the ill-timed farting stopped. And of course, Elliott is just one of the many who did not even realize they had gluten sensitivity.

Okay, let's talk a little bit about the health benefits of eliminating, or reducing the amount of gluten you consume. Let's say you are not sensitive to gluten, but are still interested in what this lifestyle can do for you. The main health benefit is that it is reducing/eliminating the consumption of a lot of the chemicals that are used in modifying most products that contain gluten. In particular, you would be avoiding many types of processed foods, which are not good for you. So from the health standpoint, it makes sense.

Another reason why some people choose to adopt it is to lose weight. Do note that there has not been enough research to back this claim. However, just from looking at the foods you are eliminating, which are mainly processed foods, and bad carbs, you're looking at an increase in the consumption of goods carbs, ie more fruits/vegetables. With that said, I am definitely not saying that this will help you lose weight. I am against "diets." I prefer "lifestyle." It is impossible to lose weight or to maintain a healthy body by merely adopting a temporary solution. It needs to be a lifestyle change. And of course, although fitness is dependent primarily on what you eat, about 20% of that is also dependent upon being active. But let's not go into that. At least not for now. Perhaps I'll write a post another time about my thoughts on fitness and healthy living, and what I do to become the strongest version of myself.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this very brief summary on the benefits of adopting a gluten-free diet, and let me know if you have any other questions.

Until next time.

C

Exercising through/with menstrual cramps

Question for the ladies out there, who here has suffered from serious cases of menstrual cramps while exercising? Be it running, using the elliptical, or whatever other cardio workout. I find that I experience these cramps about a week or a week and a half prior to my time of the month, which is really frustrating because it's really painful! I usually get them about 10-15 minutes into my workout, and most of the times, I push through. It gets tough sometimes because it hurts a lot, and the pain stays longer then it would if I just stopped and walked it off for a few minutes. The pain is right where my ovaries are, and it feels like normal period cramps. Sometimes there's this urge to use the bathroom, and that is troubling when you're on a long run and there are really no bathrooms to use.

I guess the "silver lining" with all this is that once the pain goes away, it doesn't come back for the rest of the workout. I've tried to do some research on it by reading numerous articles online, but there doesn't seem to be much on it. I have found that there are many other women out there who experience this, and it's all pretty much the same. It happens at a particular point in their cycle, and the pain starts about 10-15 minutes into the workout, and persists for however long. Also, with most of these cases, the pain doesn't return once the pain subsides.

I'm looking for solutions, and I want to put these cramps to rest. It's hard to do a high intensity workout when for a week or a week and a half, you know that about 10 minutes in you're going to be experience some terrible stomach pains. So, I'm writing this post to see if anyone out there has experienced this, and if they have any tips/advice as to how to treat it. As mentioned, I usually do try to fight through it, but sometimes the pain is too much to take. So if you have any ideas/suggestions/etc please do make a contribution.

Thanks!

I'm Back!

I know I have been away from the blog for the past couple months, but I've just been really busy with other things and to be honest, updating this blog was the last thing on my mind. To address my ankle, it is feeling much better now and I am able to run on the treadmill with basically no discomfort. I have not tried running on the road yet, but I will definitely be giving it a try in the next couple days or so. I also ended up seeing a "specialist" a little while back, who works at the Running Room to help pick out some new shoes. He's a competitive marathon runner so he did give me a couple tips on the recovery process. He basically confirmed everything I've read about peroneal tendonitis and also suggested that I go visit a RMT and get a deep tissue massage so that it can get the knot out of the injury area. I have yet to do that, but I have been working on strengthening ankle so that it would prevent future injuries. I will probably go see a RMT after the Sun Run, which will be next weekend. I am pretty excited about that and it is a pretty short run (10K). I just hope I'll be able to finish it under my target time, which is within an hour.

Anyway, I will try to be more discipline in updating this blog more often and providing more detailed information about my runs and other running related things. The next thing on the agenda, after the Sun Run, will probably be paying a visit to a RMT and getting new shoes, so look forward to some new material!

Well, until next time! Run hard, run often!

Injury Update: Peroneal Tendonitis

It has been three days since the day I had to stop myself from completing my run because of my sore ankle. It seems that, upon doing a lot of research, I have peroneal tendonitis. I know many people would say, go see a doctor and find out for sure, but I'm one of those people who enjoy self-diagnosing myself. Apparently this is a very common injury among runners, but all I can really do is keep RICE-ing it. I've dealt with sprains before, and it's frustrating when you're restricted from doing what you want or from doing things you normally do without experiencing pain because of an injury. For those who do not know what it is, essentially it is caused by overuse, and has a greater chance of being inflamed/torn as a result of prior ankle injuries. Unfortunately for me, I have sprained this ankle (the right one) many times when I used to play basketball, thus, with the number of miles I was running and the lack of adequate rest, inevitably, I put myself in this position. I have no real background in health science, and I don't claim to be an expert, but I'm pretty certain that this is what is ailing me and I'm just hoping that, by doing the right things, I'll be able to walk again without pain. And hopefully, before long, I'll be running.

I've included a picture of the anatomy of the ankle to indicate where the peroneal tendons are:

As you can see, the peroneal tendons run on the outer side of the ankle. After 3 days, my ankle is still swollen and bruised, and it hurts a lot to stand, let alone walk. And I know that if it continues for another few days, I'll have to seek professional help, which I am hoping will not be necessary, but we'll have to wait and see. While I'm on my road to recovery, I'll be looking for ways to prevent this from happening in the future because it really is a pain to have to deal with and it's frustrating not being able to run.

Anyway, until next time :)

Day 2: The Unexpected Happens

I planned on going for a very long run today. I started at Cambie and Jacombs, and headed towards No.6 Road. I ran down 6Rd until I hit Blundell, turned right and kept going until I hit No.1 Rd, and turned right. I had planned on heading to River Road and then making my way back home. However, my ankle gave out. It started hurting a lot and I knew that with every step I took that was accompanied by pain, that something was not right. I eventually stopped, and ended up bussing home. The outer part of my right ankle (the one I've previously sprained and rolled several times in the past) is now swollen and bruised. I'm applying RICE and just hoping that it gets better so that I can get back out there and run again. I'm pretty bummed about it because I honestly wasn't to the point where I couldn't go on, my ankle notwithstanding. I wasn't super tired, so I really wanted to keep going. Unfortunately, sometimes these things happen, and you have to know when to stop otherwise it can end up causing permanent damage.

Although I was unable to complete what I set out to do, I still ran a fair bit
Distance: 13.91km (8.64 miles)
Time: 1:28:10
Calories: 831

I know I didn't perform the way I know I can. I probably could have picked up the pace a bit, etc, but I have to remember that my ankle was ailing me before I stopped, so that definitely hindered by performance. Regardless, I'm happy that I was able to still complete such a feat. Now hopefully I'll be back out there with my runners on soon.


"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run" - John Bingham