Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

Meet Becca Pizzi.

Becca was the first woman from the United States to complete the World Marathon Challenge - seven marathons on seven continents in seven days.

Let me repeat that. Seven marathons. On seven continents. In. Seven. Days.

That's 27 hours of running, 183 miles on foot, and 23,000 miles flown from Antarctica to Australia.

DAMN.

Now that you've probably picked up your jaw from the floor, you're probably thinking, "How the hell did she DO that?! I can't even run a mile!"

For Becca, there was no doubt, none whatsoever, that she would finish. Becca prepared for a year for this challenge. She ran 100 miles a week, and while that may not be surprising, what you're about to read next is:

Becca is a single mom who works two jobs.

This lady is freakin' Wonder Woman. And, I may add, my new hero. She may only be 5'1", but she has the grit to take on the world. Literally.

Becca is quite the inspiration for me and all the other whiners of the world who have an excuse when it comes to training or working out.

She says that from the very first day, she had to "get comfortable with being uncomfortable".

What does that mean?

It means training when you don't want to . Working out even though you're tired. Putting the cookies away and eating the apple. Running an extra mile. Doing 10 more push-ups. Kicking the bag an extra 10 times.

You get the idea.

The Spartans of ancient Greece did not lead a luxurious life. They disdained comfort, and held up as an example their rival city-state of Athens. How weak their army was, and how decadence permeated their society. Anything that caused the Spartans to be complacent was shunned. The Spartans believed that they were the direct descendants of Heracles (Hercules) himself, and as such, owed their allegiance to Zeus Almighty. They believed that complacency was the path to weakness. They disdained anything that kept them at home - cushions, pictures on the wall, etc. And they constantly trained. After all, the more you sweat in practice, the less you'll bleed in battle.

Now, I'm not asking you to throw out all of your comfy furniture, but, in order to not be complacent with your life, I am asking you to get off it once in a while. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

At the moment, I am experiencing this phenomenon.

Back in 2011, I earned my black belt in Shotokan karate, and then promptly quit. I told myself I needed a break, that I was bored, that I shouldn't train because I was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White (a rare heart disorder), blah, blah, blah. Excuse after excuse after excuse. I fell into complacency.

I lost a lot. Muscle. Stamina, My self-confidence. Everything I learned. Lately, my husband and I have been training in self-defense at the house. It's not as rigorous as what I learned in karate, but it's enough to make me hurt and exhausted. Take last night, for example. My husband and I had only just returned home from a visit to the Springs Preserve. It was a beautiful spring-like day, and we had lunch, walked the museum galleries, and did an easy three-mile hike. I was completely worn out, but trained with my husband anyway. Toward the end of our workout, I found it so difficult to execute a jab/reverse punch combo - a signature move for me. I started getting discouraged, my husband noticed, and we finished the training. I got so upset that I couldn't do the jab/reverse punch, I almost started crying. As my husband and I talked about it, I realized that I haven't trained for FIVE YEARS. Of course my techniques aren't going to be at the same level they were the last time I trained.

Now, of course, I have to relearn what I lost, and that means pain. It also means having the mental fortitude to work through the pain, and to throw five more jab/reverse punch combos. Or 10. Or however many I have left in me.

Getting back into shape, and training to defend myself will not be an easy journey. It will be painful, tiring, and occasionally discouraging.

But, at least I will be comfortable with it.

Click here if you would like to watch the interview Becca did with CBS news.

If you've never been to the Springs Preserve (and I highly recommend that you visit), you can check them out here.

Until next time,

Be beautiful. Be victorious.

Re-establishing My Relationship With Food

I have a love-hate relationship with food.

I love to eat, but hate to exercise. Wait...that's actually not true. I just don't exercise.

I love dessert, but hate that I have too much of it.

I love to binge on junk food, but hate the way I feel after. Honestly, it's kind of like a hangover after you've been clubbing all night. Not that I go clubbing any more, but you get the idea, right?

Mostly, though, I hate the way I feel about myself. About my body. The loathing I feel when I look at myself naked in the mirror. The despair I feel when I have to go up a size when trying on clothes, and the depression that weighs down on me as I walk out of the Ross, or the Kohl's or whatever department store I stepped into, empty-handed. It's enough to make one lose one's appetite, but the very next week, one (meaning me) is right back to the same destructive eating habits.

So...what's up with all of that?

I'm an introspective and self-analytical person by nature. I want to know why I act a certain way or behave in a certain manner. Am I overreacting to someone's comment on my Facebook post? Did I make the right decision when I signed myself up to tutor after school? Do I have the right qualities to be the department chair for my grade level at work? That's just a fraction of the self-analyses I do on a regular basis. Most of the time I figure it out and accept the situation and sometimes I adjust my behavior accordingly. I just haven't figured out my issue with food, especially junk food.

I have this photo of me as a baby eating an Oreo cookie. It's smeared everywhere; on my face, on my belly, on the high chair tray. And that's how I picture myself as I'm going through a binge. I have figured out that I am a stress eater - shit happens and food makes me feel better. It doesn't explain, though, why I feel the need to eat in between meals. Being the analytical person that I am, I started looking for patterns of behavior, and this is what I found:
              1. If I come home and don't follow my normal routine (doing chores, or relaxing by reading) I will turn on Netflix and binge.
              2. I'm more likely to binge on the days my husband is off of work (I'm off on weekends, he's off on Tuesday and Wednesday). **Note: I am not blaming him. I'm just more likely to binge, especially if we don't make any plans.
              3. If there is junk food in the house, I am very likely to eat it.

After all this analyzing, what I have come to realize is that I have to change the way I see food. You see, I am using food to fill a void. There is something missing in my life, and food is the way I feel better about myself.

No.

Food is the way I medicate myself.

I only feel better temporarily. Then I have to find something else to eat.

I. Am. Addicted. To. Food.

There. I've said it.

I have a good idea what is missing. In no particular order it's martial arts, working out at the gym and having a life.

So how do I make this transition in my relationship with my food?

First, I must view food as fuel, not medication. Wholesome (meaning homemade), nutritious food is essential to make a body run efficiently. Stuffing it with sugar and fat is not. As a teacher, I have one of the most stressful jobs on the planet, and I need to be on top of my game. Optimal fuel is imperative to counteracting stress. Which means I have to own my choices when it comes to food. Sure, I can have that A.1. Peppercorn Burger with bottomless steak fries and a salted caramel milkshake. If I'm okay with that, great! If not, then I may want to second-guess my choices.

Second, we all know that engaging in physical activity is good for us. It helps lubricate the joints, keeps us flexible, and makes us happier. It's practically a no-brainer. What if I don't alter my eating habits? Sure, I'll still be working off the junk food, but I'll have to work like a fanatic at the beginning in order to see any results. Any good trainer will tell you that to achieve optimal results QUICKER, a proper diet in combination with exercise is the way to go.

Finally, I am in need of a life. Right now, my life consists of work - teaching during the week, working on lesson plans on the weekend, and doing housework when my husband isn't home. Work, work, work. How did my life get this way? One word: balance. I am so scared of living a chaotic life. A place for everything, and everything in its place is my motto. I was home sick today and I stayed home sick yesterday, too. While I was home, I watched movies all day, and one of the films I watched was Eat Pray Love (if you haven't seen it, you must, but to really experience Liz Gilbert's journey, read the book!). I am reminded of the scene where Liz (played by the lovely Julia Roberts) tells the medicine man she's in Bali to learn from that she broke it off with Felipe (her love interest, played by the dreamy Javier Bardem...yum!). The medicine man, whose name is Ketut, tells Liz that "to lose balance for love is part of living a balanced life". How I interpreted that was: you have to make room for fun in your life, and everything does not have to be perfect. Control is good. Discipline is good, but not to the exclusion of everything else. So what if instead of cleaning the bathroom, I go watch a movie with my husband instead? Does it mean the end of the world? Not really. I can always clean it on another day. And, BONUS! I won't be sitting around the house binge eating. Now what I eat at the movies is a different story, but remember, I own my food choices. And if I want to feel good about myself, I won't eat the whole container of Dibs, nor the whole bag of popcorn. Or I'll do the smart thing and smuggle my own treat in. :) The point is, I'm not home making a dent in the sofa, and I'm out having a life.

I was inspired to write this blog because I read a blog article from Precision Nutrition regarding weekend overeating. If you're not familiar with Precision Nutrition, you can visit them here. I like PN because the contributors there use a common sense approach to diet and exercise, and acknowledge that a "one-size-fits-all" mentality to fitness is just not plausible.You can also find their podcast in Apple's podcast app as well. As the months go by, I will be keeping you updated on my relationship with food, as well as any progress with weight loss, plus fitness tips I have gleaned during my journey to wellness and happiness.

What is your relationship with food like right now? Enter your response in the comment section below. Until next time...

Be beautiful. Be victorious.