I am not invincible

I like to think that I am, especially when it comes to running. But, no, it's not true and this past week proved it to me.

Monday & Tuesday

These two days rolled by without incident. I went to the gym and did what I usually do and felt great. Even though I did have a scratchy throat at work all day Tuesday I wasn't too concerned. I got home and had some tea with honey and lemon and some orange juice. It didn't matter because an hour later I had the sniffles. They lasted the rest of the night. I slept horribly.

Wednesday

I woke up feeling absolutely horrible! Yes, I had to admit it to myself: I WAS SICK! I couldn't even go to work. I was so delusional that I planned on going to the gym later that day. The only reason I didn't go was becasue I didn't have enough energy to get out of the bed! I did all the typical things to take care of myself but I just had to let this cold run its course. I also slept horribly.

Thursday

My younger brother's college graduation. I was in NO shape to go but I wasn't missing it! So I took tons of pills, put tons of tissues in my purse, and put on a little makeup so I didn't look completely horrible.

Me and my mom.

There's 3 siblings missing (at work and out of town) but there in spirit.

I survived. I had lackluster energy but still managed to scream and yell as he marched.

Friday

I'm feeling a bit better and have to go back to work. So, again, I take my pills and tissues and put on my game face. We also had our holiday lunch that day so at least I didn't have to be in the office all day. My ear was seriously hurting though. I thought that maybe I had an ear infection. Either way I was in pain and just rested the rest of the day.

Saturday

I agreed, like a crazy person, to go with my mom and older sister shopping. My mom is still on crutches from her little accident so I decided to come along and help out. We left the house at 10am and didn't get back until 430pm. I was exhausted, my ear still hurt, and I was miserable.

Sunday: I am not invincible

Taking all the above into account I still believed that I was ready to run my 18 miles. I had taken a short hiatus from the gym because I was sick so I figured I was healthy enough. I had slept fine and my ear didn't hurt anymore. So I woke up and got dressed. Chema and my youngest brother came with me on their bikes because we mapped the route the night before. I was feeling really good, on my pace and everything.

Around mile 9 I start to feel queasy. I mean REALLY QUEASY. I have never felt like this before, Sure, I've had cramps before or weird muscle spasms but nothing like this. I keep running, like the crazy person I am, pretending that all is well.

I stop at mile 10 (1 hour 20 minutes) because I am about to vomit. I fight it back down but some comes up and I cough on it. Chema gives me a GU and I munch on that thinking I'm dehydrated or need some energy. I walk for about 10 minutes and my stomach starts to normalize. These were super agonizing 10 minutes.

I start to run again and then have to stop at 15 minutes. I mean I was about to COLLAPSE! Chema has to ride me on his bike because I couldn't walk. I eventually get off because it was hurting my legs.

Meanwhile we are far from home, it's extremely cold outside, and I need to sit down. We walk for 20 more minutes and then I run for about 6 more minutes. I do it because I'm freezing and just want to get home a little quicker. I stop, defeated, I just can't go on. Luckily, my mom and brother were coming from the post office and see us once we make it to a main street.

At home I could barely shower because I had no energy! I was sipping on Ginger Ale the rest of the morning and in bed. I felt better though around the afternoon and even managed to eat something.

Disclaimer: I care about my health and my body. This was not me thinking: I don't care if I'm sick, I'm going to run anyway. I honestly felt better. But I should have listened to those around me. My mom told me not to run, to give myself some time to recuperate. Even though I was feeling better that did NOT mean I was ready to run. I could have really hurt myself.

So, it's important to know (and respect) our limits.

So this week I'm taking a break. I plan to go to the gym on Thursday and Friday and then try my 18 miles again the Monday after Christmas. Lesson learned.

What are some lesson you've learned the hard way in running, exercising, life...?

Debate/Discussion: TV makes you fat

Googleimages

"Nearly two-thirds of Americans watch over 3 hours of TV per day"

The article where this handy statistic came from had nothing to do with the health and fitness aspect of this trend. But it got me thinking. This is an issue that I see around a lot on health and fitness sites and in magazines. 

All of the experts SWEAR that TV makes Americans fat.

My opinion is this: TV doesn't make Americans or anyone else fat. Consuming more calories than you burn, being too sedentary, not having a balanced diet, thyroid problems...those are some of the things I believe make people fat.

I do, however, also think that the people who tend to watch the most TV are those that tend to be more sedentary than others. 

I make this conclusion based simply on those that I observe around me. If you are in superb health, can run circles around olympic athletes, watch tons of TV, and sit on your butt all day, then good for you. Oh, and please share how you do it!

That's probably not the case though. We all have shows that we like to watch. But there's a difference between watching something now and again and sitting on your butt all weekend long. Or sitting on your butt during the week as well, after a job where you sit on your butt all day, and then sitting on your butt until it's time for bed.

Mix that with eating horribly and engaging in other bad for you habits. Yes, there is a great chance that you will gain weight and maybe even suffer from other ailments.

Statistics like these sound sexy. They get people outraged and poised to act. That's fine, in my personal opinion. Most Americans don't eat right or do enough exercise. If they then spend all their free time watching TV, it will start to have an adverse effect on their health. I mean, that's strictly common sense.

 

With all that said I guess my opinion is not that TV makes people fat, It's simply that bad choices make people fat (or hormonal problems etc). 

Then again, there are a lot of people who are so tempted by TV like they're tempted by fried foods, chocolate, or smoking. Why? What is it about TV that makes the best of us forget about exercising and gobble up a bag of chips without realizing it?

Well, commercials are quite tempting. Most commercials are about food or toys (for kids and adults alike). Is that what makes us keep the TV on and eat and eat and eat?  

I don't have all the answers. Honestly, I'm not a fan of TV. There's no show that I watch every week or even everyday. When I was in high school I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer (still do!) and X-Files. 

The people in my family...they can't go a day without turning on the TV. Actually my mom and older sister sleep with it on. I don't know how they do it. I need it to be pitch black and absolutely silent before I enter my REM cycle.

For all those out there who can't live without TV I say be smart about it. 

• Don't eat while sitting in front of it because you will eat more.
• Put a limit on it. Watch only one show a day. Instead of having the TV on all night when you get home from work.
• If you're really adventurous, do some exercises between commercials. I always read this in fitness magazines. It sounds like good advice but I'm not sure how realistic it is. But try it!
• BE MORE ACTIVE! Duh!
• Eat better
• Go out more

 

What do you readers think? Is TV the devil or do we just not care about our health in general? How can we change this? Will it ever change?

Introducing My First Guest Post Ever! : Meet Shannon

I feel honored to introduce my first guest post ever! 

My blog is relatively new, almost 6 months old, so I didn't even dream of anyone taking much interest in it...not yet anyway. But I was contacted by a fellow blogger earlier this week who wanted to guest post.

As you all know my blog talks about my running, my training for a marathon next year, my hair, my life, and my food. Basically, my overall experiences with trying to stay healthy and injury free. 

So I feel Shannon's experience stays true to that. Plus, she is hilarious! I hope you all enjoy her post! Don't forget to comment and visit her blog!

Oh, and if any of you lovely people want to guest post in the future, don't be shy. Just shoot me an email at: nonataylor@gmail.com. I would love to hear any and all ideas!

Check out my guest post!

This seems to be the weekend of guest posts! I hope I get more opportunities to do so. It is so much fun!

Please check out my guest post on Stephanie's blog at Love Life Project.

She is awesome and her blog has ALL KINDS of interesting things about living a healthy lifestyle. Not just exercising and eating right.

So check her out and be sure to comment on my post: "Helping Mom".

(I seriously *heart* Stephanie by the way)

I'M FEATURED ON FITBLOGGER!!

Hey all, check out my post on Fitblogger today!

Here's the link:

http://fitblogger.ca/reto-recipe-for-health-staying-healthy-in-a-tempting-world/

Check me out and don't forget to leave comments!

Debate/Discussion: Black women do not exercise because of their hair

Last month I was browsing the web for health and fitness news. I stumbled upon two articles, quoting two different reports, which stated that the majority of black women don't exercise because of their hair.

Meaning, that they choose not to engage in physical activity to avoid "messing up" their hair. The first article quoted that about 30% of black women use this as an excuse. While the second article stated that this is extremely detrimental to black women because 77% are overweight and 49% are obese.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not sure whether these websites are reputable or the organizations that conducted this research. 

However, that's not really my concern in bringing up this topic for discussion.

I want to know if people out there really believe this. I, personally, have heard fellow black women say they "can't" or have to "postpone" exercise because they recently "got their hair done." As a black woman myself, I frequently schedule my exercise around my hair. 

In fact, I'm sure a lot of women do that regardless of race.

As many may know I am dedicated to health and fitness. I subscribe to many newsletters and magazines giving tips and tricks on how to stay fit. Often there are beauty tips for women on how to take care of their hair before and/or after a workout. Why? Well, because looking good is just as important as feeling good. I think we can all agree to that! However, I never find these tips for MY type of hair. Never for a black woman's hair type. 

This is an issue.

Just like we need help on how to perform exercises correctly to avoid injury, so too do we need tips on how to maintain our lifestyles with exercise. Hair is important. There are numerous studies that explain the importance hair has on self image and others' perception of ourselves. So these newsletters and things are providing a useful tool for its readers. I just think there is a large group of women left out.

I don't engage in exercise to make a political statement. 

I go because I believe it is essential to my health and I love it! Then again, when I go to the gym, run, or look at these exercise resources, I can't help noticing how women who look like me are not represented. Or at least not as much as I would prefer.

Everyone is different. Everyone has to find what works for them, their body, their hair, and their lifestyle. I just think that everyone needs motivation. 

Maybe if black women were more represented in fitness magazines and articles about fitness, they (we) might be less "afraid" or "nervous" to exercise.

Bottom line: hair cannot be an excuse not to exercise.  

Heck, NO excuse is a good excuse not to exercise!  

(Ok, maybe if you have some sort of health issue...)

What do others think? What do you do to take care of your hair while exercising? How do you overcome excuses in general?

Fitness Tip: Do what you like

Taken from googleimages

Always do what YOU like!!

It sounds simple but many people engage in exercise programs out of some form of obligation. They may want to lose weight, get healthy, do a competition...which are all worthy enterprises. Nothing wrong with that. But you will not reach these goals if you don't do what YOU like! 

I always talk about running because that's what I like! Because I like it, I research a lot about it and want to get other people excited about it too. I know nothing about riding bikes, for example, so I don't write anything about bike riding. However, my husband loves riding his mountain bike. So he does that. I can't get him to run with me because he doesn't like running. I'm okay with that. I would like him to ride his bike more though.  

Whatever you like, do it and stick with it.

I have a student who bought a gym membership. He's trying to lose the 20 pounds he gained after leaving college. He goes out of obligation. Sometimes he goes running but he goes out of obligation. He hasn't been to the gym, or running, in more than 3 months! 

What he loves to play is tennis. Granted, tennis is an activity that's hard to do solo. But I say grab your racket and a wall and start hitting it around. Maybe do some sprinting on the court and some side shuffles to get your heart rate up if no friend is around. Join a tennis club maybe.

Bottom line: if you don't like it, you won't do it.

The most important thing is to be active. So play a sport or take a class and switch it up! Be proactive about keeping yourself interested. Boredom is an athlete's nightmare! Activities that you can do in pairs or a group are always more attractive. 

But deep down YOU HAVE TO WANT IT. Or you won't stick with it.

If this helped you leave a comment and let me know how it goes!

I hope you enjoyed your Fitness Tip and will add it to your Recipe for Health

Summer Running Gear Part 2

 

Just came back from yoga actually. It's great because it helps me relax, stretch and do abs! It is a beginner class but that's my level and I don't want anything else right now that is too demanding. 

I'm also considering whether to run again tomorrow, instead of Friday, and do my long run on Saturday. I just signed up for a race today! Ok, it's really nothing special, only 2 km or 1.24 miles, which I can run in like 7 minutes. But the shirt was cute and it was only 5€ ($7) and I can use it when I do my exercises! Yay for cheap gear! It's early on Sunday morning and I'd rather not run again in the evening (especially if I try to win). We'll see. I probably won't take pictures only because it will be finished before the pic is even taken! Maybe I'll take one with my number and the shirt.

Tonight I plan to start my daily FIT TIPS. This should be fun and informative for everyone. I will post a new tip everyday related to either exercising, eating right, and general all around health. Also, be sure to take a look at the websites posted at the top right hand corner on the blog. These are websites that I frequent because they have useful exercises and/or interesting health facts.

Introduction: past and present

Training for the full marathon initially began on July 27th 2010. I looked online and found a pretty reasonable training schedule that was for 26 weeks. Perfect, as I planned to run it in February and the schedule terminated on January 23rd 2010. However, I was overzealous. I didn't listen to my body and I suffered an overuse injury right after I ran a half marathon on November 28th 2010 (photo above). I started feeling tension in the lateral part of my left knee around the first week of December but I kept ignoring it. I was sure that it was only normal soreness from running and that once I took a few days off I'd be back in shape. 

On December 12th 2010, after a 10-day hiatus from running, (and a few days after suffering from a cold), I hit the trail again. It was a long run of 18 miles. Yet, just a week ago I had pain in my knee. I had to stop at mile 16 because the pain became unbearable. I actually felt the pain at mile 12/13 but I didn't stop. I told myself that it didn't hurt enough for me to stop running, although the nagging pain was still there. The next day I woke up with a stiff, painful knee. I could barely walk to the bathroom! I was only able to sit on the toilet seat with help from my husband. Even so, I rode my static bike for 10 minutes and did a lot of stretching. At that point I figured it was time to do some research on how to heal this injury. I was still convinced that I'd be fine by February to run my marathon. 

I found that I was suffering from Iliotibial Band Syndrome. It's a lateral pain in the knee. The ligament rubs against the bone causing irritation and pain. Normally there is no swelling (which I didn't have) and the only "cure" is rest. It is an overuse injury. It typically takes 4-6 weeks to heal, meaning, I had to hault my marathon training for four weeks. Looking back, I was so sure that after that four weeks I was going to run the marathon and finish. Now I know that even when the supposed healing time is over that doesn't mean I would have been well enough to run 26 miles. 

So, on December 9th 2010, my denial now over, I stopped training. It was incredibly hard. I was down, depressed, feeling fat, and I even thought that I would never recover. To cope, I started incorporating visualization techniques into my life. Basically, you run in your mind and visualize the route, your breathing, and the feel of your feet on the pavement. It's a kind of therapy that helps athletes in recovery. 

That January 2011, I started including weight training and the static bike after the six weeks were up. I started running again on January 13th 2011, for 15 minutes. I would run three times a week for 15 minutes. If my leg felt healthy the following week, I'd increase the time by five minutes. I didn't reach 30 minutes until February 2nd 2011. I am now running 1 hour and 40 minutes, three times a week, and I feel great! I plan to start my training again the second half of June.  

This has been a learning experience. I have learned to relax, breathe, and take my time. Most of all I listen to my body now. If I need a break, I take one. If I need to stretch more, I do. I even do yoga twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays to help me de-stress and maintain my flexibility. I hope to use this blog to keep me honest. I am doing all the right things right now and I want to keep up the motivation. Maybe I can even help someone else.

As for the hair journey, that is recently new. I've been natural since my sophormore year at college (2004) but I feel newly natural. My goal is to take better care of my hair to I can maximize my own growth potential. I will include my regimen, products I use, hair styles and things that I learn from the internet. Including things I've learned on youtube or from other blogs by naturalistas that I follow. I measured my hair May 22nd and so my three month update on length will be at the end of August. I can't wait! (Look for more photos soon).

I look forward to sharing my Recipe for Health.