Good news: You don’t have to be emaciated to be happy
Bad news: Majority of women still unhappy with their bodies
Interesting study. “Girls [women! --ed.] who wear the dress size rated their general happiness higher than any other with a quarter saying they were extremely happy. More than 43 per cent of size 14 women also said they were as happy as they could be with their career, while almost a third say they couldn’t be more content with their love life.”
I don’t know what size I’ll end up — we’ll see. But I’m not going to let it determine my happiness. I’m happy and grateful today and I expect to be when I’m fitter, too.
Catching up on my online reading a bit today — was pretty much a Luddite last week, reading books on paper and stuff! Comments on those later this week.
Came across three interesting posts today:
5 Best and Worst Addictions to Cultivate in 2009 — All 5 of the “Best” ones are already in play for me (blogging, exercise, work, hobbies, religion/philosophy), so I guess I’ve got a headstart! As for the worst: I don’t drink, use, or gamble. I don’t go to the doctor excessively (especially with our current insurance plan!). I’m not much of a shopper EXCEPT when it comes to books. I use the library for fiction and light reads, but most of my interests are around nonfiction, which is pricier. I will use the library more for those items, too. Especially when they can’t make it any easier — I just look up the books online, reserve them, and go pick up the pile with my name on it! Almost like Amazon
Do people’s memories about their life history follow a predictable pattern? Interestingly, most people have the bulk of their memories around their teens and 20s. I personally found I have more later. (But then, my teens and 20s were pretty much a blur for a number of reasons and none of them good. Plus, I had some major identify-forming events happen later in life. So, my exeriences are different, but support what the study suggests.)
Fasting may equal calorie-restricted diets You may have seen reports about people who eat severely restricted diets to live longer. Looks like fasting periodically and eating normally the rest of the time works just as well. (Not that I ever ate a CR diet — but I was fascinated/horrified/envious in a weird way.)
So do chocolate covered espresso beans count as a Best or Worst? Hmm…
Well, Saturday I ran 5K for the first time! No walking, no stopping. With hills, even!
I started fairly fast (for me) and made myself slow down just a bit and I was glad I did because I had the energy to run up a endless long mountain goat grade fairly steep incline (for me) at the end.
I ran with a lot less stuff — no iPod, no jacket, no fanny pack, etc. Shorts, shirt, cell phone stuck in my bra (insta-pockets!), keys hooked on my waistband. That was it. It was freakishly warm for December and I felt light and free. (I think it will seem like a breeze to run with 100 pounds less one day!)
I really enjoyed being by myself and being outside. It’s not something I experience often these days!
I am starting to see a pattern in my running now, regardless of distance:
I start enthusiastically, for the first ten steps or so.
For the rest of the first quarter, I’m a hypochondriac whiner. (What’s that pull in my knee? What’s that pain in my shin? Why does my foot hurt? Why am I going so slow! Why is this so hard!? How am I going to do [whatever distance]???? ACK!!!)
Suddenly, I realize I feel good and it’s easier. For the second and third quarters, I shut up and stop thinking so much and enjoy the run. Sometimes I listen to music. Today, I didn’t, after having read Running the Spiritual Path: A Runner’s Guide to Breathing, Meditating, and Exploring the Prayerful Dimension of the Sport last night. (Review to come later next week.) Instead, I experimented with different contemplative prayers from my religious tradition and found one that really worked well for my running rhythm (In English phonetics, “Doxa si, Kyrie, doxa si”.)
For the last quarter, I just want it to be over. I am not tired or out of breath. Am I bored? I have to be aware so I don’t just start walking out of habit. I have to stop myself from negotiating myself into stopping early. (I don’t really need to go around this block again to make the 3.2 miles, 3 miles is close enough, I can always try again next time, blah blah blah.) Now that I’m aware what I’m doing, I can tell myself to quit it and get back to business.
On finish, I feel great and think, gosh, I just feel warmed up, I could go forever!
I did laugh today when I took off my sneakers and socks because what I thought was a pebble in my shoe turned out to be one of my daughters’ stick-on princess jewels. How did I not feel that until the last 1/2 mile of the run? I felt every facet at the end, trust me.
Maybe it didn’t seem too bad because I just watched this the other day (DON’T WATCH IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH! Be sure to have the volume up to catch the commentary. Hilarious!):
That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
So, now, I need to commit to a half-marathon and full-marathon and maybe a sprint triathlon by year end. I’m so excited — there are a TON of races. I’m going to peruse and choose later. Of course, most are in Spring and Fall/Winter, given this is a generally warm area and summer would be an AWFUL time to run. I think a shorter race (5-10k) is doable by March, but a half or full marathon will definitely be on my list post-summer.
(There’s even a 100-miler less than 15 miles from my house — who knew!? I had no idea! Maybe I’ll be running that in a couple years! Maybe I’ll volunteer this year!)
Well, the 3.9 is gone again. Phew! Back in business and feeling much better. This is the final weigh-in for the Biggest Loser Blog Edition, but I think my essentially maintaining through the holidays has eliminated me from the top competition. (If I yo-yo up and down a few pounds again over the next few weeks, call me on it!)
This weekend, I’m going to go run 5k on one of the Rails to Trails trails to prove I can do it (one of my goals for end of year). I like running there because it’s mostly dirt and pine needles and nice and cushy on my knees. If I can run the whole 5k, I’m going to come home and celebrate by picking a half marathon and full marathon to sign up for later in the year. (Yikes!)
Choosing Losing has a good post reflecting on the year and seeing what worked and what didn’t. I’ve got a similar one in the works, so stay tuned. It’s been a year full of great lessons and I’m very grateful.
I’ve really gotten hooked on reading about ultramarathons. (Stating the obvious, eh?) The stories are so inspiring, they just make me want to get out there and run! (And I do, I don’t just think about it ;-))
Reed makes some good points, but I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. This book brought out some of my own feelings of inadequacy in some areas, I think, which was one reason I couldn’t really call it an inspiring read. Reed seems to have mixed feelings herself about many things, including her battle with anorexia. For a number of reasons, I was really drained when I finished it.
Some random impressions:
Reed spends so much time during the book being defensive about things (like her intersections with Dean Karnazes), that it really is an energy-suck.
She seems to be very conflicted over her anorexia. She openly refers to herself as an anorexic, but she spends a lot of time and energy being defensive about not being “one of those” anorexics who lost control over it. I would say this is not necessarily a healthy book for anyone with a capital E-D Eating Disorder.
She doesn’t seem to think highly of others. Her ego is a little unbearable at times. She says things like, “In spite of my unhappiness with my teammates….” I think towards the end, she redeems herself for me a bit when she talks about her ultra coach and crew and clearly appreciates them.
I think she makes some really good analogies between ultrarunning and life, such as marriage. “I think it’s a matter of taking responsibility, of owning the commitment you choose to make, rather than anything you have to do…. To some, comparing marriage to a difficult long-distance run might seem like a bleak view. For me… it’s just every day reality.” (The end of her first marriage, however, was another one of the parts of the book that made me feel squicky inside.)
Ultrarunning taught Reed to break things down into bite-size pieces — a handy skill in life, generally. “Learning how to break down a long distance into a series of much smaller ones is really a key method for getting through any long journey.”
Several comments gave me the impression she thinks fat people are just lazy and undisciplined and less-than. I feel like I would get sincere encouragement from other runners, but I wouldn’t expect that of Reed. I might be surprised, of course.
On my way to the bookstore to grab another running book and to go for a bike/run with the family! Whee!
Jason, who stopped by the other day to offer some encouragement (thanks!), has a great blog about his 130 pound loss. He also started running along the way, is a believer in slow running, and has even done some ultramarathons (my current not-so-secret obsession). Jason and I started within a pound of each other if you count my blogging starting weight. I don’t think I’ve ever come right out and said what that was (308 pounds, 325 was my highest). Before now, Angie was the only one who knew. Now I won’t have to eliminate her because she knows my secret. (Kidding!)
I ran for 30 minutes today without stopping to walk at all — and I could have kept going, hills and all. My husband’s going to help me find a 5k trail this weekend and I’m going to put it to the test. It was my goal to be able to do it by the end of the year and I think I’m there! (And I just got a hint that I might be getting running shoes for Christmas ;-))
I’m reading another book by an ultrarunner (The Extra Mile by Pam Reed) and have very mixed feelings about it. More on that soon. Interestingly enough, I’m thinking I might end up doing an ultramarathon at some point. You might think that cheeky, given I’m just getting to 5k, but you never know… I’ll never be an elite athlete, but I like the challenge of the finish.
First, let me say: two people found me today by googling for “chances i’d eat my friends if trapped and starving.” Hmm. (I actually remember one of my early posts being a quiz of this sort, so that must be how they found me. Even so, it was pretty funny seeing that phrase listed on my blog dashboard this evening.)
OK, now, to the story. My husband came across this one today. (Thanks, honey!)
It’s a great ultramarathon story that takes place in Australia. A 543.7 mile (875 km) race over 5 days, normally run by elite athletes.
One year a 61-year old farmer named Cliff Young showed up. In overalls and workboots. Ran for five days. And won.
Turns out, he ran so slowly, everyone doubted he would even make it through a day. But his technique ended up being so efficient, he overtook the pack, and ended up winning.
My mother and I go way back with weight issues. She just left after a week here and, I have to say, it was one of our better weeks together. (We really only had one snippy point, when I couldn’t resist criticizing her beloved Lou Dobbs as a ridiculous conspiracy-theorist fear-monger. Oops! I quickly shut my mouth and found something nice to say, ending the incident, however.)
I don’t normally complain about my mother on this blog — I think it would be disrespectful and inappropriate for me to do so and it would hurt her feelings if she read it. Plus, I really just don’t have that much to complain about. She’s had a rough life and did her best for me. I came to peace with our relationship (for the most part) long ago. She has just as many, if not more things, to complain about that I did that drove her batty when I was younger.
But (you heard a “but” coming, right?) I feel the need to vent about the food stuff over the past week because it affected me in a big way.
OK, here goes:
She tells me I look great and asks how I lost weight. I said by not dieting. She said, no really, what’s your diet? I opened my mouth and she cut me off with “Oh, that’ll never work for me!” I should have stuck to my original plan of not saying anything.
She insists that she can only eat like 500 calories a day to lose weight and that she would try WeightWatchers but she just can’t eat all that food. She said to me in a hushed incredulous voice, “It’s just TOO much food!!!” Oh, please. Meanwhile, she eats 1000s of calories a day in secret eating. And I’m quite convinced she’s totally unaware that she’s doing it. I think she honestly believes she only eats a few hundred calories a day and that she can’t understand why she gains weight.
Every time she visits, she has huge volumes of sweets in her room and every time I knock to ask something, she has a mouth full of something. By the time she leaves, she finishes whatever it was and hides the evidence in the trash being sure to tie up the trash bag.
Food is either bad or good. We are either being bad or good and it’s all about what we are eating. If I hear one of the following again, I’m going to scream:
“I’ve been ::stagewhisper:: BAD today”
“Let’s try to be ::insincere/smarmy:: GOOD!”
Every time I am successful at losing weight, she brings unhealthy food around (or in college would mail it to me) for the ultimate mixed message: your worth is your weight, oh, but eat [fillintheblank]!
Every time she wants to eat something, she asks my kids, oh, do you want a treat? And of course they say yes. I caught her once this week telling my 4yo daughter to lie about having had 3 cookies when I walked in the kitchen and “caught” them. (This infuriated me. I didn’t give a flip if grandma gave her three cookies. It’s not normally something she gets often. Grandmas are supposed to spoil kids.)
Other than all that, we really did have a nice week. One of the best ones we’ve had in a while. I wish her happiness and to be at peace with herself.
Comments on those later this week.
last night. (Review to come later next week.) Instead, I experimented with different contemplative prayers from my religious tradition and found one that really worked well for my running rhythm (In English phonetics, “Doxa si, Kyrie, doxa si”.)
by Pam Reed.
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