Skip to main content

Winter woes and wonders-Winter 2016

Winter in the Mid-Atlantic states can be both a curse and a blessing. The days can be bright and crisp or dark and long. The choice is how do we use this the time.

Since my birthday is in the winter, I decided to use it as a time to re-assess and re-evaluate  my triathlon/fitness goals. So I thought, now is the time for you to do WORK.

I signed up for a virtual Ironman in a month Challenge. This gave me the freedom to complete 140.6 of swimming, biking and running over one month. Since I don't like races, I found this challenge to be perfect for me. I made a workout schedule/training program to help me successfully complete the challenge.

I posted everyday on the Ironman Challenge FB page and saw how much progress I had made each day. The support of the participants was amazing. Perfect strangers encouraging each other along during the challenge. I loved that. The positive energy was infectious. I did this challenge in November 2015 and January 2016.

I learned there is power in a common goal and purpose. Also, I learned that internal feedback is the best feedback. In those dark moments, when I thought I can't swim, bike or run anymore; I  learned I can. 

Mind shift:  Think you can and you will.

Photo:  Thanks to all of my virtual teammates.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grit- Road to Chicago Olympic Triathlon

Definition  Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's passion for a particular long-term goal or end state, coupled with a powerful motivation to achieve their respective objective. This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challenges that lie within a gritty individual's path to accomplishment, and serves as a driving force in achievement realization. Commonly associated concepts within the field of psychology include "perseverance", "hardiness", "resilience", "ambition", "need for achievement" and "conscientiousness".  This is who I am. Stacy the Grit.  Yes, I could spend a lot of time talking to you about my finish time and what I could improve upon yadda yadda yadda but anyone who reads my blog knows that I rarely focus on the outcome.  I focus on the process. I focus on how did I arrive at a specific point and time. I focus on the jour...

Just the Facts…Only the facts.

  General Health Facts. According the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of three U.S. adults or 31.3% has high blood pressure. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, Diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages 8.3 percent of the U.S. population. A 2011 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found the following: ·       The average male consumes 175 calories a day from drinks containing added sugar (like soda). ·       The average female consumes 94 calories from these drinks ·       About half of the population drinks a sugar-sweetened beverage on any given day. More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from 23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as ...

Goals: A healthy lifestyle has no finish line

As a coach, I get many questions on exercise, weight loss, running, etc. All are great questions. However, I find myself asking clients the same question. What is your goal? General health and performance goals share many commonalities. To meet healthy lifestyle or performance goals, both require the following: ·       Defined goal ·       Nutrition balancing ·       Exercise ·       Consistency However, there are some key differences between general health goals and performance/sport specific goals.   ·       Goals- Is your goal to “get healthy” What does that mean?   Does it mean lose a few pounds or run a marathon? Be specific. How do you plan to measure your success? This is important. Why? Some people say they want to “get healthy” without defining what that means for them. Define what healthy means for you. Write it down. If ...