Healthy Living Reality

Tag: mental health

  • My 30-Year Running Journey: How I Got Started

    I’ve been writing this blog for a while now and I haven’t really mentioned running. When you find out how much I run, you might think that it’s strange that I haven’t talked much about it yet. It may be because running has been a part of me for about 30 years. 

    Although I run six out of the 7 days most weeks, I don’t talk much about it in my daily life. If you ask me what I did today, I probably won’t think to mention that I ran. I probably also won’t explain that I brushed my teeth, took a shower, gave my son breakfast, and went to work. Those things just happen. 

    Here’s a short background on my running and how my running is now, with more sure to come in future posts.

    The First Run Around the Block

    I was always an active child, but my first memory of running for the sake of running was one time when I was being too active in the house and my dad said why don’t I go run around the block. I did.

    We lived on a fairly big block. One lap around it was about 0.6 miles. I remember getting very out of breath and feeling as though it was a very long way, but I finished. I don’t think I enjoyed the run, but it felt good to finish. I was probably about 8 years old. 

    I remember running in anything I was wearing, with my hair flying everywhere!

    Fifth Grade Presidential Fitness Test

    Back then we had to run a mile in fifth grade and our teachers timed us. We didn’t practice first, of course.

    I don’t remember why, but I didn’t run my mile when the rest of the class did. I remember watching them and cheering. I was probably lucky that I got to see how big of a mistake it was to start too fast. Students who did had a lot of trouble finishing. Since I had no experience, it was a good lesson for me to get before running my own mile.

    I ran it a day later, at the same time as a good friend. I don’t remember the running itself being too terrible. I remember finishing and being more out of breath than I’d ever imagined. (That became a more familiar feeling later on, as I began to race). 

    My time? 6:59.71. My teacher decided to round it up to 7:00 for his official submission. In my head, I always considered it to be a sub-7 mile.

    (I won’t bore you with many of my racing times. This one, however, is one that has stuck with me because it’s my first). 

    From Just One of the Sports to a Daily Pursuit

    By the time I got to middle school, I had been looking forward to after-school sports for years. I had a fabulous PE teacher in Middle School. Four days a week, she taught us organized sports if we stayed after school. Twice a week, we played the sport that was in season: volleyball and flag football during the fall soccer and basketball during the winter and softball in the spring. 

    The other two days, we ran after school. As with the other afterschool activities, running was a good experience. The older students were welcoming; I remember the ninth-grader that I was running with stating proudly (or kindly) that now she had a sixth-grade friend. It was an encouraging atmosphere. If you passed someone or they passed you, you both said or grunted something like, “good job,” or, “keep it up.” There was no competitive spirit; it was strictly supportive. 

    As with the mile in fifth grade, I didn’t enjoy much about the actual running part, but it felt very good to stop. I also felt very proud, including for the next two days when my screaming muscles reminded me of the two and a half miles through which they’d carried me. 

    I returned two days later for the next run after school, and I kept it up for all three years of middle school. I am forever grateful to my PE teacher for all she gave me and all of us in terms of her time, expertise, and love. Like many teachers, she was so selfless. She cared so much, and got the best out of us. 

    The Rest Is History

    I ran steeplechase once in college. I am sure it was good for a laugh for spectators. As a terrible steeplechaser, I didn’t find myself very funny.

    My running path was not atypical after middle school. I joined my high school’s cross country and track and field teams. In college, I ran cross country and distance races in track. I ran road races from 5k to marathons in graduate school. I ran a couple of marathons after that. Eventually, I had no more interest in racing, so I stopped. 

    Running After a Racing Career

    I may have stopped racing, but I’ve kept running. I still run 55-70 miles a week. I still run hard when I feel like it, but without looming race dates as deadlines for achieving fitness milestones, I don’t have to run hard when my body asks me not to. Running is both more pleasurable and less injury-inducing when my body dictates my training instead of the calendar dictating. 

    I appreciate having running as something that’s entirely mine. Very few people care whether I run. People rarely ask me how my run was, and I don’t have anything interesting to tell them anyway. I still find that every day is a struggle to get started, but by now, I know that the benefits will be worth overcoming the dread of getting started. 

    It’s important to appreciate yourself and your run. It helps you remember how much it benefits you, so that you can be motivated to do it again tomorrow.

    I hope that I can run for a long time to come. If not, I hope that I will find something else that makes my body and mind feel at peace. 

    What do you do for yourself that is “right?” Is it exercising, doing a hobby, or something else?

  • Reflections from the Fourth: Balancing Family, Fun, and Physical and Mental Well-Being

    Reflections from the Fourth: Balancing Family, Fun, and Physical and Mental Well-Being

    Holidays like the Fourth of July can be tricky for anyone trying to make healthy choices, so it’s important to balance your choices. Some choices – like grilling skinless chicken instead of a ground beef patty – may help you make progress towards your health and weight goals today. Other decisions – like staying out later than usual to watch fireworks – may seem like a short-term physical setback, but they can strengthen your foundation for longer-term success. 

    Here’s how my Fourth of July panned out – and it wasn’t entirely healthy!

    Promises and Challenges of a Summer Holiday

    The Fourth of July can feel so promising because of a day off of work, a general good mood around the household and neighborhood, and the prospect of attending local events. Our local opportunities include a pancake breakfast fundraiser in a community center parking lot, a local parade in which anyone can march or ride, a gathering at a park with doughnuts, watermelon, and community police who let children go into their cars, and a block party that includes a potluck, raffle, and kid-friendly activities. We’re lucky to have so much nearby!

    It’s not all positive, though! First, most parents will tell you that holidays are challenging. There’s no school or summer camp, which means children are at home. Their company can be a delight, and they can inject excitement and joy into a holiday that may otherwise barely be a blip on the radar, but there’s no denying that it takes more energy to have a child at home than not. 

    Food is another July 4 challenge – it’s everywhere from parades to day-time and fireworks-watching potlucks and gatherings. You can easily consume thousands of calories from standard fare like the following. 

    • Fatty steaks, burgers, and hot dogs, and cheese and buns that come with them
    • Potato salad, pasta salad, and coleslaw
    • Mayonnaise, guacamole, hummus, and salad dressings
    • Pies, cupcakes, brownies, and doughnuts

    That’s before adding in calories from lemonade, sodas, and alcoholic beverages. 

    Other challenges to pursuing your health goals can include disruptions to your routine such as sleeping in instead of exercising, socializing instead of cooking, and watching fireworks instead of starting your bedtime routine. 

    Independence Day Food Opportunities and Strategies

    Throughout the day, you’re likely to find nutritious or low-calorie choices like watermelon, corn on the cob, grilled chicken or veggie burgers, and raw vegetables. Load up your plate with these types of food!

    Limit creamy salads like coleslaw and mayo-laden potato and pasta salad. Look for green salads, cowboy caviar with beans and vegetables, and other vibrant options like caprese salad or other light, vegetable-based dishes. Use Dijon or yellow mustard and a small amount of ketchup on burgers or veggie dogs. 

    If you’re going to a potluck, bring a dish or some components that are healthy. 

    • A fruit or vegetable platter, or berries, watermelon wedges, or baby carrots
    • Skinless chicken or a package of lean ground turkey patties or veggie burgers to grill
    • Light condiments like mustard and vinaigrette dressing
    • A package of whole-grain hamburger or hot dog buns, or whole-grain tortillas or wraps

    Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Bring your own full water bottle if you’re not sure that there will be water available. 

    More Tips for Better Physical and Mental Health on Independence Day

    I had a wonderful Independence Day. A good deal of it was due to being a lucky parent. My parents were willing – as always when they’re in town! – to watch my son while I took time to run, shoot some hoops in the park, and have a few thoughts by myself. 

    Another stroke of luck is that my son is a marvelous child on special days like holidays. He is excited about events, and engaged and interested. That makes it easier to hang out with him, exhausting though it can be. 

    Another suggestion might be to keep perspective. It didn’t seem all that important to start food fights with my son; instead, we appreciated the special food. My hope is that he’ll learn to enjoy special food without guilt. I also want him to grow up without a sense of desperation to eat it all, as some adults develop because they’re afraid they won’t have another chance. 

    It also seemed more important to enjoy the block party with the neighbors than to worry about whether he was eating a doughnut. Everyone looks forward to it every year; we do, too. The abundance of food may not be the best for weight management in the moment, but the friendships and a sense of community come in handy throughout the year as we depend on each other during life’s ups and downs. 

    So, I would say this July 4 was a great time, I’m ready to eat healthy tomorrow, and I am grateful for all that I have – family, friends, and my neighborhood. 

    How do you find balance on July 4 and other holidays?

    fireworks on July 4