From my favorite website: tinybuddha.com
“If you have made mistakes, there is always another chance for you. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose for this thing we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down but the staying down.” -Mary Pickford
We’re never out of the game until we decide we are. Even if circumstances don’t appear to work in our favor, even if we have an uphill climb, even if we’ve fallen, we can get up and keep going until we choose to stop.
Happiness is in the going itself–the choice to keep doing what we love, even when disappointments and hurt pride make it challenging to give up.
Until the day we stop breathing we have limitless chances in life.
If one approach isn’t working, we can try something new. If we don’t have enough support, we can reach out and ask for help. And if something doesn’t feel right, we can wipe the slate clean and start all over in a completely new way.
We set the rules. We get to choose who to be and what to do from day to day–but we have to believe that we deserve and can create happiness.
How can you create happiness today by empowering yourself to keep going?
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
FFF Diva Song of the MOment: "Christmas is All Around"
"Christmas is All Around" by Billy Mack from the movie Love Actually
I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
Christmas is all around me
and so the feeling grows
It's written in the wind
It's everywhere I go
So if you really love Christmas
C'mon and let it snow
You know I love Christmas
I always will
My mind's made up
The way that I feel
There's no beginning
There'll be no end
Cuz on Christmas
You can depend
You gave your presents to me
And I gave mine to you
I need Santa beside me
In everything I do
You know I love Christmas
I always will
My mind's made up
The way that I feel
There's no beginning
There'll be no end
Cuz on Christmas
You can depend
Cuz on Christmas
You can depend
It's written on the wind
It's everywhere I go
So if you really love me
C'mon and let it show
C'mon and let it show
So if you really love
C'mon and let it
If you really love me
C'mon and let it
Now if you really love me
C'mon and let it show
Friday, November 12, 2010
FFF Diva Accomplishment: Morgan Hill 1/2 Marathon 11.7.10
The Inaugural Morgan Hill Full and 1/2 Marathon was sold out with 1,000 racers. I ran with some fantastic ladies of Operation Boot Camp! This race was the first time in a week that I was back to cardio or ANY type of running after a week of chest congestion and a double ear infection. Dumb move--should have walked. In the end had to walk 5 miles of the race, but after a major hill ran the rest of the way. Ended with a 3:39:45 finish time, and my previous PR for a 1/2 marathon was the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon a couple weeks back at 3:28:17. I know next time I can do better! Below are some photos:
Below is an email from one of my Operation Boot Camp Instructors regarding INTENSITY:
good morning campers! I hope you all enjoyed the extra sleep on Monday. It will be awesome having a bit more light in the morning now as well! Congrats to the half marathon runners this weekend - Mo, Lakshmi, Alex, Karen, and Julie. We had the privilege of running a beautiful course through the countryside of morgan hill - lots of trees and vineyards. I was gorgeous! Great workout and good fun together. Running 13 miles is DEFINITELY outside of my comfort zone - which is precisely why I do it :) We have to train our weaknesses. And the satisfaction of finishing something so daunting, is fantastic!
When you are working out, ask yourself if you are comfortable. If so, you probably aren't pushing yourself enough! Intensity is, in my opinion, the biggest factor MISSING from most people's workouts. Why? Cause it doesn't feel good during an intense workout - it feels good after. And it feels good to be fitter!! The "talk test" is super useful. If you are running during Long Run, and you are having a full easy conversation with your fellow camper, you aren't pushing enough! You should be able to talk, but it should be a bit labored and require some effort. Something like "...ya...I love long run....it is.....so....great....my favorite thing....to.....do at 6am is...run 4...miles....with all...of...you..." with some gasps of air between words would be perfect! If you get through a set of 10 pushups, and rep 10 felt like rep 5, maybe it's time to add an inch of depth! These are the changes in intensity that will keep you progressing and not let your body become comfortable in your routine. Routine is the enemy! That is why our workouts are so varied at camp. Who wants to do the same workout every day anyways?!?
Keep up the good work this week campers. We have some short weeks ahead, so do your very best to get to camp every day.
Below is an email from one of my Operation Boot Camp Instructors regarding INTENSITY:
good morning campers! I hope you all enjoyed the extra sleep on Monday. It will be awesome having a bit more light in the morning now as well! Congrats to the half marathon runners this weekend - Mo, Lakshmi, Alex, Karen, and Julie. We had the privilege of running a beautiful course through the countryside of morgan hill - lots of trees and vineyards. I was gorgeous! Great workout and good fun together. Running 13 miles is DEFINITELY outside of my comfort zone - which is precisely why I do it :) We have to train our weaknesses. And the satisfaction of finishing something so daunting, is fantastic!
When you are working out, ask yourself if you are comfortable. If so, you probably aren't pushing yourself enough! Intensity is, in my opinion, the biggest factor MISSING from most people's workouts. Why? Cause it doesn't feel good during an intense workout - it feels good after. And it feels good to be fitter!! The "talk test" is super useful. If you are running during Long Run, and you are having a full easy conversation with your fellow camper, you aren't pushing enough! You should be able to talk, but it should be a bit labored and require some effort. Something like "...ya...I love long run....it is.....so....great....my favorite thing....to.....do at 6am is...run 4...miles....with all...of...you..." with some gasps of air between words would be perfect! If you get through a set of 10 pushups, and rep 10 felt like rep 5, maybe it's time to add an inch of depth! These are the changes in intensity that will keep you progressing and not let your body become comfortable in your routine. Routine is the enemy! That is why our workouts are so varied at camp. Who wants to do the same workout every day anyways?!?
Keep up the good work this week campers. We have some short weeks ahead, so do your very best to get to camp every day.
FFF Diva Advice: 5 Things I want you to do TODAY for your health
I received an email from one of my instructors at Operation Boot Camp that had some grrrreeeeaaaat advice that I just had share!
5 Things I want you to do TODAY for your health:
1) Eat more green veggies. Carrots and beets are good too for sure...but green veggies need to be a staple for us. Think broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, collard greens, asparagus... No they aren't the tastiest things on the planet. Eat them anyways. It's a fallacy that everything we eat needs to taste good.
2) Get more sleep. Whether its getting to bed 1/2 hr earlier or making it a priority to get a small nap midday, it will help your health, period. Sleeping is like recharging your battery. Think you're good cause you've trained your body to function on 5 hrs? I would argue that your performance would be even BETTER with more shut-eye. Not to mention the fact that hormonally, lack of sleep stimulates fat storage.
3) Squat instead of sit. Like we did at yoga today. Get low, and get back up using your legs, not your back. We have comfy chairs, couches, desk chairs...and bad backs!! Learn to squat with good form. Then learn to squat deep. Then find ways throughout your day to squat (seriously, not that hard..) and then do it. You know those sticks that older people use to grab stuff off the floor that they've dropped? Ok, let's try to put off using those as LONG as possible.
4) Laugh more. I don't mean this tritely at all. Laughter is scientifically proven to literally "turn up" our immune system via stimulating T cells and antibody immunoglobulins which attack dysfunctional cells and respiratory infections! It reduces at least 4 hormones known to be associated with the stress response, such as cortisol and epinephrine. Doctors recommend laughter for cancer patients- and not just to help them feel better! It actually stimulates healing. Plus guys, it's free and there are no negative side effects!!
5) Spend a little more money on experiences with people you love, and a little less on material things. It's a good reminder, especially this time of year. No one can ever take away the awesome memory you have of that time you almost died laughing with your best friends on that trip to _____ (fill in the blank). It doesn't even have to be expensive. Go anywhere- just go with people you love and have fun. It's shown that people have more lasting positive impact from special experiences than from our stuff. Our stuff is gonna go out of style, get dented, get outdated....
5 Things I want you to do TODAY for your health:
1) Eat more green veggies. Carrots and beets are good too for sure...but green veggies need to be a staple for us. Think broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, kale, collard greens, asparagus... No they aren't the tastiest things on the planet. Eat them anyways. It's a fallacy that everything we eat needs to taste good.
2) Get more sleep. Whether its getting to bed 1/2 hr earlier or making it a priority to get a small nap midday, it will help your health, period. Sleeping is like recharging your battery. Think you're good cause you've trained your body to function on 5 hrs? I would argue that your performance would be even BETTER with more shut-eye. Not to mention the fact that hormonally, lack of sleep stimulates fat storage.
3) Squat instead of sit. Like we did at yoga today. Get low, and get back up using your legs, not your back. We have comfy chairs, couches, desk chairs...and bad backs!! Learn to squat with good form. Then learn to squat deep. Then find ways throughout your day to squat (seriously, not that hard..) and then do it. You know those sticks that older people use to grab stuff off the floor that they've dropped? Ok, let's try to put off using those as LONG as possible.
4) Laugh more. I don't mean this tritely at all. Laughter is scientifically proven to literally "turn up" our immune system via stimulating T cells and antibody immunoglobulins which attack dysfunctional cells and respiratory infections! It reduces at least 4 hormones known to be associated with the stress response, such as cortisol and epinephrine. Doctors recommend laughter for cancer patients- and not just to help them feel better! It actually stimulates healing. Plus guys, it's free and there are no negative side effects!!
5) Spend a little more money on experiences with people you love, and a little less on material things. It's a good reminder, especially this time of year. No one can ever take away the awesome memory you have of that time you almost died laughing with your best friends on that trip to _____ (fill in the blank). It doesn't even have to be expensive. Go anywhere- just go with people you love and have fun. It's shown that people have more lasting positive impact from special experiences than from our stuff. Our stuff is gonna go out of style, get dented, get outdated....
Thursday, November 4, 2010
FFF Diva Quote of the Day: Self-Belief
"Each time I think about who I am - I look forward to the person that I am becoming." -A fellow Tweeter named Eleesha (you can follow her on Twitter @Eleesha)
Awesome. Inspiring. Win.
Awesome. Inspiring. Win.
FFF Diva Life MO-ments: A Time for Reflection
Maybe I should have gotten that flu shot after all. Haha. Sigh.
I have been bed ridden since Tuesday. For someone who lives a busy lifestyle like me, it's actually not so fun. Long story short I thought I could hack the world with one day of rest but that kicked my ass: I ended up with a double ear infection, chest congestion, and a high fever that just broke early this AM. It's the afternoon and I am starting to feel okay, but it's only after hours of napping on and off throughout the day. I am nowhere near to perfect, but it's an eye opener about making sure I take care of myself. I run myself ragged more than once and to be forced to be homebound from grad school, work, the gym, and Operation Boot Camp really reminds me: HEY MO SLOW DOWN! Anyways the last time I was bed ridden like this was back in March when I had to stop all exercise and training for two weeks right before my LA Marathon race. Sigh.
Anyways...I will spend my time at home resting, reflecting, meal planning, reading, blogging, and writing my novel. Yup novel. I am participating in something fun that happens every November: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). 50,000 words in 30 days. It's a doozy, it's about my crazy weight loss journey and everything else touched by it. I'll keep you posted. I promise.
But shhhhh, don't tell my doctor but I am signed up to run the Morgan Hill 1/2 Marathon this Sunday. Don't worry, if I still feel off I'll just walk it. It's only 13.1 miles. ; )
Ok, maybe the whole "Do as I say, don't do as I do" would be applicable in this scenario. My bad. I'll try.
<3 FFF Diva Mo
I have been bed ridden since Tuesday. For someone who lives a busy lifestyle like me, it's actually not so fun. Long story short I thought I could hack the world with one day of rest but that kicked my ass: I ended up with a double ear infection, chest congestion, and a high fever that just broke early this AM. It's the afternoon and I am starting to feel okay, but it's only after hours of napping on and off throughout the day. I am nowhere near to perfect, but it's an eye opener about making sure I take care of myself. I run myself ragged more than once and to be forced to be homebound from grad school, work, the gym, and Operation Boot Camp really reminds me: HEY MO SLOW DOWN! Anyways the last time I was bed ridden like this was back in March when I had to stop all exercise and training for two weeks right before my LA Marathon race. Sigh.
Anyways...I will spend my time at home resting, reflecting, meal planning, reading, blogging, and writing my novel. Yup novel. I am participating in something fun that happens every November: National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). 50,000 words in 30 days. It's a doozy, it's about my crazy weight loss journey and everything else touched by it. I'll keep you posted. I promise.
But shhhhh, don't tell my doctor but I am signed up to run the Morgan Hill 1/2 Marathon this Sunday. Don't worry, if I still feel off I'll just walk it. It's only 13.1 miles. ; )
Ok, maybe the whole "Do as I say, don't do as I do" would be applicable in this scenario. My bad. I'll try.
<3 FFF Diva Mo
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