Sore Running Shoulders & Couch to 5K Week 6 Update

I've put my running shoes back on, which I'm so happy about. It was tough trying to get back into a fitness routine since I fell sick, but I believe I'm there again. I'm a bit miffed that my running performance seems to have suffered. I'm running a lot slower than what I was doing pre-sickness, but I did take about 3-4 weeks off exercise altogether so it was inevitable. Such a bummer though considering I was going so well! 

Something I noticed while running was how tense and sore my shoulders would get. I always made conscious efforts to release tension if I noticed it, but yesterday, my shoulders were aching so much that I had to do shoulder rolls while running just to release tension! It was quite difficult to continue running but I completed my 4km. 

I warmed down with some shoulder openers but I think I might need to keep doing some more just to loosen them up a bit. They are still sore today. I'm thinking keeping out the shoulder stands but bringing in threading the needle, and cow-face pose. Simple shoulder rolls help too. #andthisiswhyeveryrunnershoulddoyoga

Threading the needle
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Cow-face pose
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Part of the reason why my shoulders get so sore is poor running form, I think. I noticed that while I don't hunch my shoulders up like some runners do (I make a very conscious effort to drop them), I've developed a habit of craning my neck forward while running and that puts extra tension on shoulder and neck muscles. I don't even know why I do it! Maybe I think it helps me run faster if my head is in front of my body? :P I'm trying to stop doing this but it's a lot harder than you would think! 

Before I fell sick, I completed my Couch to 5K Week 6. The program varied day to day, but built up to a straight 3.6km run. At this stage, my pace was a good 6 min/km, which is probably my best speed running long distance yet. I did this way back in May though, and I've only just managed to start Week 7 now. 

Damn you cold virus!

I think that's all for today. Do you experience any tensions while running and what do you do to alleviate this? 

5 Ways to Reduce Stress

Anyone who has reached adulthood has to deal with stress at some point in their lives. I know I do on a daily basis... in fact, a little bit of stress is good for you to keep your mind sharp and your muscles ready to go thanks to the good ol' fight or flight response. Gotta love our sympathetic nervous system!

Sometimes though, we become too overrun by stress to properly function. So, how do we keep life in the balance? 

1. Just breathe 

Sounds too easy? It really is! Yet, it's the most effective relaxation tool out there. Taking in deep breaths from the belly calms your nervous system, reducing the production of adrenalin and keeps you sane. We often forget to breathe deeply, so set little reminders in your day. Try taking three deep breaths every time you stop at a red light the next time you're in a car! 

2. Make yourself a hot drink 

It could be chamomile if you wish, but I've found that any non-caffeineted hot drink does the trick. Even hot water with a squeeze of lemon. 

3. Go for a walk 

Step outside, breathe some fresh air. Walking is a good way to clear your head, and a nice way to spend time with family and friends! 

4. Don't pack out your day 

I'm guilty of biting off more than I can chew. Allowing yourself plenty of time to get things done takes out the urgency of daily life. Perhaps a little hard to do at work if you have little choice over your workload, but definitely something to keep in mind for home life. Always rushing to get to places? Try leaving a little earlier so you have more time to get there. It may mean that you might have to take a prior activity out so you have more time to get ready and leave, but it's worth it. 

5. Smile even if you are having a bad day 

Think this sounds ridiculous? It might be, but it definitely works. Try faking a smile and I'll be damned if you don't start genuinely smiling at the how silly you feel. Want to take it a step further? Try some laughter yoga sessions! 

How do you deal with stress? 

The other side of your childhood favourites

I had a pretty typical childhood for a child of the 90s. I watched my share of Disney and more, and had the staple collection of Barbie dolls (sure, I didn't use them the conventional way... unless throwing them around the room at the ceiling fan was the conventional way...). Lately, there have been a few images making the usual social media rounds like this.

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Excuse me, I watched a ton of Disney, and I think I turned out just fine. Ok, not entirely fine :P but no better or worse than any other regular Josephine who hadn't watched Disney. I'm going to be honest, I never once thought to define any man that I'm with now with any Disney prince. 

Disney gave me so much more than just entertainment. Disney spurred on my musical interest, my love of art, and made my childhood dreams real (Who didn't want to meet a talking meerkat? Be honest :P). Disney taught me to not worry way before Bobby McFerrin ever did, to whistle while I work, and that bookworms are cool. 

I have noticed that children nowadays don't really watch Disney much anymore, and that makes me slightly sad. My favourite songs from my childhood days were Disney songs, and I could recite lines from favourite Disney movies from start to end, almost the same way as I do with Les Miserables now. A skill I picked up from watching Disney, no less :P So if you are ever looking for a career as a thespian...

Most of those "lessons" above are way beyond a child's imagination anyway... Political worth? What child even understands what that means? I see those images as adults reading way too much into a children's movie, and giving it adult values, that might potentially affect an adult watching Disney, just as I am reading too much into a silly little graphic meant for comedy. That said, if you were fully grown, and felt that you could be dead and still get some princely action as long as you were pretty, you may have some other kinds of issues that you may need to deal with more urgently. 

The person who did the Disney Princes' image obviously didn't watch the movies anyway, because the whole point of Aladdin was to show that lying didn't work. Pft, he obviously needed to watch more Disney :P 

Another image that caught my eye today... 

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I don't really like Barbie very much, I don't agree for what Barbie stands for and I didn't like Barbie at all as a child. I could never work out what to do with her... This artist's impression of Barbie without makeup though definitely made me pause and reflect. He chose to portray her with braces and wrinkles... I do think that this is beyond just Barbie without makeup, this is Barbie before cosmetic surgery, unless Barbie's got access to some miraculous wonder wrinkle-filler that all of us need to get our hands on! 

What do you think about these images? Did you grow up with Disney and Barbies? 

Eating the ayurvedic way

I've developed an interest in ayurvedic diets. I have always been intrigued by ayurveda, but was always slightly skeptical of its benefits. I had previously added it to my list of pseudo-sciences, along with homeopathy, chiropractics, and colonic cleansing (eek!).

Yet, there is a lot about ayurvedic doshas that paint me accurately. I am a pitta-vata. Pitta-vatas are normally medium-light build, sensitive, productive, and prefer hot and humid weatlher (if vata) or cold climates (if pitta). More information on your dosha type can be found on the Body and Soul website. If you need to identify your dosha, try doing this quick and easy quiz on the Yoga Journal.

The three different doshas that could affect your diet.
(Source)

Recently, I've been experiencing some pitta imbalance - feeling hungry, but experiencing frequent digestive problems, and vivid dreams. The foods that I need to avoid are anything sour and anything hot/spicy. Both are things that I love, so I am slightly distressed. Then again, there is no getting better if I don't take the first step. 

From a non-ayurvedic perspective, it makes sense to cut down on those foods anyway. Sour and spicy foods are generally very acidic, which can't be helpful for digestive issues! I'm also supposed to eat moderate amounts of dairy, which I am doing, one cup of yoghurt at a time.

This will be a hard diet to stick to when I'm on my trip to Asia (homeland of Spicy, oh no!). 

Has anyone else tried any ayurvedic treatments? I would love to read what you thought. 

Getting some weight off my shoulders

When I was a not so little girl, I grew up thinking that I was fat. For most of my high school years, I was 160cm, and 53kg. That's a BMI of 20.7 people (nowadays, even BMIs are not an accurate depiction of health). Back in primary school though, we had to go for physicals every year, and on the back of our physical examination book was a little chart which told you what ideal weight you should be at. An adult female of 160cm should weigh 46kg, a number which has stuck in my mind for many, many years.

It's hard being the fatter kid in Asia. Shopping for clothes was never flattering... I always had to shop for Large and Extra Large sizes. At most boutiques, they would only ever have one or two sizes for clothing, and most would not fit me. This was in the 90s - I do believe, and hope, that times are different now.

Moving to Australia was probably one of the best things to happen for my self esteem. For one, I was a size 6, before vanity sizing was even around! I was also away from some people who would constantly remind me of how "large" I was. In college, when my depression hit hard, one of my few joys was that my weight had plummeted to 48kg, only 2kg from my ideal weight!

It's scary, but true. I was a product of a weight-obsessed society. It's the same society that led to this girl losing 8kg to become 38kg, because at 46kg, she too, felt like the fatter girl in Asia. (See, it's not just me!)

A few things have changed for me this year. I'm not sure if it's because I'm just too old to care about body image issues, or if I really am older, but wiser, or if it came about from reading Nia Shanks' post. I began building up my fitness this year, initially wanting to lose weight. I mean, I was 50kg... that's 4kg overweight in my mind! At the start, I did lose some weight, but then the weight piling began, and the kilos weren't coming off. The last time I weighed myself, I was 54kg.

But you know what? I really don't care. I have never felt stronger, faster, fitter, and I like the muscle definition that I have going. I may be heavier, but I am leaner. I can do amazing physical things, and most importantly, I feel great.

Want to know why you shouldn't just weigh yourself?

Read the whole article on Tribesports

That's right. The TL;DR of that article is that weight is just a number, it can't tell you how awesome you are.

Clothes size-wise... I'm now a size 8, because my shoulders and chest are too built to squeeze into a size 6.
And guess what? I'm actually pretty proud of that.

Challenge: Handcream everyday challenge

I hate handcream. As a musician, I use my hands a lot. And as someone who suffers from hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating) on my hands, having moisturiser on makes it so much worse.

This would be fine if I wasn't predisposed to having terrible, icky cracked cuticles and super dry hands.

How disgusting are my cuticles and nails! 

It wasn't just superficial. My cuticles would really hurt when they cracked or ripped apart. And they would just do that, frequently, and become infected as well. How inconsiderate of them!

About four months ago, I decided to do this challenge.The aim was to apply hand cream every day, twice a day until they got better. I would also reapply in the middle of the day if my hands felt dry.

It took a good three months before I finally saw some results.

Same hand, cuticles are definitely healing, still a bit of peeling cuticles

Four months progress. My cuticles have healed and my nails look healthier.

No more peeling cuticles

Lesson learnt. Like it or not, I need my hand cream. Now that I'm used to it, I don't feel uncomfortable with it on, instead I feel dry and uncomfortable with no handcream on.

What products did I use?

Just the Garnier Intensive 7 Day Hand Cream (Shea Butter) and the Nivea Pure & Natural hand cream.

If you have problems with cracked cuticles, try this challenge. It may take awhile to work, but the results are worth the wait.

The Foundation Anonymous Report

In July, which is 4 months ago now (hooray math skills!), I decided to stop using foundation, after being a 9-year junkie.

Here is a recent photo of me now, still with no foundation - I'm only wearing some minimal eye makeup, and a tinted lip balm.

Yes you can even click on it for a larger image, because I know you want a close-up of my pores

Having my 4-month chip has taught me a lot of things.

1. My foundation was actually a few shades too light for my skin tone 
On the few occasions I decided to wear foundation (eg. to parties etc), I realized that I looked like I had a kabuki mask on. NOT a good look. It's weird how I never noticed this before.. I guess living in foundation, I  must have thought the kabuki mask was how my face naturally looked.

2. The difference between hormonal and environment caused pimples 
I can spot them now! I only get hormonal pimples now, and I know when I will get them. Recently, I trialled a few new beauty products and got different looking breakouts... they were more clustered, and were smaller.

3. All those little bumps on my skin were foundation caused 
I used to have tiny little bumps on my skin. They were not obvious, and always seemed to be there, so I just thought my skin was rough. They are now gone!

4. My face goes red when I drink alcohol 
This never used to happen. I guess the foundation masked it somewhat.

5. My face flushes/blushes easily 
When it's hot, my face goes bright pink. Also never used to happen.

6. I'm noticing more signs of aging now 
I guess I just never cared about signs of aging because I'd just slap some foundation on. I'm now noticing a difference in my skin texture... it's bugging me a little, but hey, we all have to grow old right?

7. I'm taking better care of my skin 
No foundation means the skin you wear is well... the skin you wear.

8. It was a huge self-journey
Part of the reason why I wore foundation everyday was self-esteem issues. Having to not wear it meant combatting these issues, and now, I'm quite comfortable going barefaced.


/end report

If you've already tried going foundation-free, I would love to read about your experience. And if not, would you?

Body Fat vs BMI

I only just discovered this thing called a Body Fat Calculator.

I'm not really quite sure how it works, but I measured myself and did the calculation, (you can click on images for a bigger, clearer image)

Screen grab from http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/metric-body-fat-calculator.php

and it says I have 24.94% body fat, which just gets me into the fit category.

Screen grab from http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/body-fat-chart.php

Only just. Apparently, the body fat calculator works on some formula used by the US Navy. I've always just been using the BMI calculator, and have always been within the normal BMI zone. Using the above stats, plus my height of 160cm, my BMI is 19.9. The healthy zone is 18.5-24.9 using the regular BMI stats, and and 18.5-23.9 for Asians.

In both BMI calculations, my weight falls into the healthy category, but I am carrying more body fat than what I originally thought. I'm sure it is possible for some people to be in a normal BMI range, and yet be obese in the body fat calculator, or just in the essential fat zone.

My current goal is to keep it within the 21-24%, perhaps... I'm barely scraping the margins of that category. I've never been too hung up on weight before, because I've always been fairly light but body fat... now that's another issue! Ultimately though, my belief is that no matter what your body percentage or your weight is, as long as you are fit, and you are exercising regularly, numbers don't matter in the end.

If you do work out your body fat, do share your reactions to your result. Was it what you expected?

Running injuries

I've always been a short to mid-distance runner. When I was a school athlete, my events were 400m and 800m runs (and occasionally, the 1500m, and once, the 3000m, although that did not end well :P).

When I went back to running this year, I thought I'd train up for some fun runs next year. I think the minimum mileage for those runs are generally 5km, which my body isn't used to yet, hence the training. During my first run this year, I clocked 3km in 25min... not great, but I was pretty happy considering I hadn't been running since... well... since I was 17 (and I'm currently... 17 with 9 years experience). Now, I can do about 4.5km in 30min, which is getting close to my goal of 5km in under 30 min.

All I want to do is run free... and have great legs....
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Last week though, I started to feel a twinge in my knee. It's not painful, I'd rate it a 1-2 out of 10, but it is uncomfortably worrying, especially since my mum has a bad knee. Two years ago, I would have ignored the pain and kept running and probably ruin my knee, but after last year's struggle with my wrist injury, I know to listen to any body aches and pains, particularly joint ones.

So, for the next few weeks, until I'm satisfied that the pain in my knee has subsided, I will not be doing any high-impact running. All runs will be substituted with the dreaded crosstrainer. The problem I have with the crosstrainer is that I find it harder... all that resistance means I clock up less km (and I like my resistance up high), and therefore, am not sure if I'm meeting my goals of 5km under 30 minutes, although I guess if I can do 5km on the crosstrainer, I can definitely do a 5km run easily, possibly while carrying mini-weights.

My current plan to combat my knee injury is to:

• Substitute all runs with crosstrainer 
• Wear a knee support band 

Any other suggestions? I'm open... 

Review: The Rushing Woman's Syndrome

I have a habit of rushing through life and wanted to slow things down. I tried meditation, supplements, deep breathing... when I heard about this book through a women's magazine, I thought it sounded like something I could benefit from. 

Dr Libby Weaver has a phD in health science, majoring in nutrition. So, a lot of what this book is about is about the stress hormone, cortisol, and its effect on weight gain. While I haven't read her first book, Accidentally Overweight, which is a bestseller, I do believe that this is in most ways, its sequel. 

While there are a lot of things in this book that I agree with, most of which should be practised anyway, such as chewing your food slowly, reducing your caffeine and alcohol intake, not over exercising, etc, she does occasionally make some slightly weird assumptions, like Rushing Women (a term that she coined) have more masculine qualities. To sit and deep breathe is apparently a feminine quality... to be competitive at work is a masculine quality. In some ways, this takes me back to that Elephant Journal article that I was griping about. What are the defining qualities of feminity and masculinity? 

Another unsupported claim she makes is that Rushing Women tend to have daddy issues. It would have been nice to have seen some evidence, but it looked as if she made it just purely on her observations of her clients and her own personal experience. 

She includes a lot of snippets for magazines that she had written over the years. A lot of it repeats itself, so I felt the book could have been condensed to half its size. There are some practical advice at the end, although not much of it were things I didn't already know. 

In a nutshell this is more of a book for weight loss, rather than to slow yourself down. Buy this if you're wondering why you are not losing that extra pound, but don't buy this if you think it will help ground you more. 

To purchase: I have not seen this book stocked at my local bookstore because it has been independently published. I purchased mine off her official website, it's AUD$29.95 before postage. 

Beating the bloat

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I'd been having some stomach issues, which was the reason why I had decided to become a flexi-vegetarian. While my tummy is better, I'm still struggling a lot with bloating and indigestion. I'd really rather not have to take any pills or antacids for it, rather just change my lifestyle to fix the problem because I feel that bloating and indigestion is symptomatic of bigger health issues, such as chronic stress.

Some of the things I've tried:

• Giving up meat most of the week 
• Trying to eat more slowly. This has been really hard, because at work, I get a 30 minute window to eat (work scheduling is strict... in the end, I have about 15-20 mins of meal time, which ends up being just gobble gobble gobble) 
• Doing yoga asanas that focus on the digestive tract, eg. supine twists 

Things I have yet to try;

• Seeing if I have a food allergy. I'm not even sure where I start on this... Google searches bring up tests that cost hundreds of dollars and I'm not really swimming in cash right now. 
• Drinking Peppermint tea 
• Giving up milk and dairy. I just love milk too much. Plus, there are days when I have milk and feel fine, so I don't think I'm lactose intolerant.  
• Eating 5 small meals a day instead of 3 main ones.

I still believe I'm possibly not eating slowly enough. I've read suggestions that you should put your fork/spoon down in between each mouthful, but I'm always time pressed. And now that I have invisalign, putting on and removing my braces take up about 5-7 minutes of my meal breaks.

Oh, what a first world problem... any suggestions?

The Vego Teething Problems

I know.

I said I'd do an update about my new flexi-vegetarian (it's a real word!! I found it on this awesome vegie site) diet a month after starting and it's only been 11 days. But, I thought I'd highlight some of the highs and lows of this experience (Yes, 11 days in and already I can feel a difference).

Some positive changes I've noticed

• I have lost or at the very least, maintained weight despite the odds... more on why I was really surprised at the end of this post. 
• My skin has improved! I don't get as many breakouts, it's kind of dewy... I'm quite pleased! 
• I know I'm getting enough fibre, and a lot more vitamins and minerals 

Now, onto the teething problems! Any future vegetarians out there, this is what you can probably expect! 

PROBLEM #1 I am having this TERRIBLE PROBLEM!

TMI?
Image from images.google.com

Sorry, someone had to put this out there to warn unprepared veggies who think it's all taking the high road and being a green hippy. Yes... a green smelly hippy. It's slightly embarrassing, and I really hope my body adapts soon.

Anyway, apparently having a sudden increase in fibre intake can cause this, especially when coupled with sugar. Which brings me to problem number two.

PROBLEM #2 I can't stop craving sugar 

Sweets, sweets, more sweets. Biccies, chocies, cakes! I crave them all day, at any time of the day. I have cake before lunch, cake after dinner, cake for tea. And biccies all day in between. I just can't help myself. Frankly, I'm amazed I'm not 100kg by now. Tonight, I'm going to bake myself a carrot cake. Just because I've been craving it all week.

Oh Brunettis, you are my Candy Mountain

Apparently, it's because I lack protein in this new vegetarian diet. But how can I, when I've been eating the beans/lentils/chickpeas/etc that have been giving me !@$#)!& Problem #1 in the first place?!

So, all you vegetarian n00bs, if you've been experiencing any of these, you are not alone. I just really hope I don't get stuck in a lift one day with a whole bunch of starting vegetarians. :P

Any tips on surviving this diet change?