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Can we talk about those Debbie-Downers?
Negative people in your life. Chances are someone specific came to mind when you read this title. We all seem to know those black clouds ready to rain on our parade!
This is not an advice column. I’m just sayin’. Not everybody is an optimistic and pleasant human being, and when you encounter these people it might not be worth the energy to give them attention. In fact it might just be better for your health & sanity to let them go…
Physics is coming in handy. As I learned in 10th grade from Dr. Krumbein, “All actions have an equal and opposite reaction.” Sometimes being a healthy & happy person attracts like-minded people. Great! Instant friends. Other times the “reaction” is doubt, skepticism, and negativity. Not great. Buh-bye!
All actions – eating healthfully, being active, smiling, sharing- have a reaction in our bodies. They make you “healthier” but that’s so vague! What’s going on inside EXACTLY?! Well, when your body has nutritious fuel with vitamins and protein and calcium and fiber and probiotics and amino acids, it runs more efficiently. Your system isn’t working so hard to fight out garbage and you just feel good. Physical activity (especially outdoors) releases those feel-good chemicals. Endorphins! But aside from diet and exercise, being a consciously-POSITIVE person makes a world of difference.
Why I think it’s necessary to avoid Debbie Downers:
- Complaining is exhausting. It focuses on negative aspects. Complaining usually includes “victimizing” yourself. Why would you want to be a victim?
- If you do not want my help in finding a solution then please don’t bring me your problems.
- Negativity breeds negativity. If you are constantly exposed to a pessimistic attitude, you may unknowingly begin to adopt the same perspective. It’s like a disease. I’m prescribing a healthy dose of get-out-of-my-ear.
- Negative people point out others’ flaws. What benefit does it bring to discuss someone elses’ faults? Oh right, NONE.
- Hearing girls critique someone’s hair/outfit/pictures/beliefs makes me self-conscious about my own hair/outfits/pictures/beliefs. And I have enough insecurities as it is.
This weekend I took another trip down to Sedona. The drive is almost my favorite part….it’s absolutely gorgeous. I had brunch and wrote a paper. In no hurry, I turned the opposite direction of home when I got to the offramp. 6 lonely miles later, this came into view.
I like looking at pretty things. I like enjoying beautiful weather and taking pictures and sitting on my car and listening to country music and eating clementines. I think it’s important to step back from how “stressed” or “exhausted” we are and do a little reality check. Life is pretty damn good. I was happy. :)
It may seem like a contradiction to be a happy and positive person who alienates certain people. True, we are supposed to “Love thy neighbor.” But I can love my neighbor enough to respect the fact that our lifestyles are incompatible with my health.
Surround yourself with happy people and you will inevitably be happy. :)
Be the sunshine not the cloud! :)
LiveFit: A New Goal
Settle in, this is going to be a long one. I’ve got a lot to say about my recent fitness-enlightenment.
This amazing thing happened two days ago while I was purusing some health and fitness blogs, like I tend to do when I’m procrastinating my finance homework. I found my new fitness goal. I have been aimlessly searching for a new source of motivation for the past month when my marathon training came to a (successful) end. Some days I would run laps around the field outside my apartment. Other times I would complete a few rounds of strength circuits. Weekends are full of hiking and biking. But there was no PURPOSE. I had no specific goal to reach for, and that really affected my overall mood and fitness.
One fateful link led me to Jamie Eason’s LiveFit Program from Bodybuilding.com. (The 15-minute introductory video had me instantly hooked. Which I subsequently sent to my mom, who was instantly hooked. Which I’ve now shared with you. Prepare to be hooked.) Jamie Eason is gorgeous, her body is incredible (I will sacrifice peanut butter for those abs), and her attitude was completely inspirational.
What had me sold: it’s not just workouts. The “3×3” philosophy includes Workouts, Nutrition Plan, and Supplementation Plan. My intial introduction sent me into hours and hours of research on supplementation, meal prepping, clean eating, clean recipes, weight training and muscle recovery. THIS IS THE STUFF I LOVE. Learning about metabolic functions/nutritional science/macros is pure fun for me. A lot of this information was not new to me, however I’ve never experimented with supplementation, meal prep or complete 100% clean eating.
As per the program’s requirements: cutting out processed foods, NOW. I am giving up my beloved Luna Bars, Clif Bars, and even the emergency Nature Valley Bars. (And replacing them with Quest Bars! Much more expensive but a much cleaner alternative.) I’ve decided to replace my powdered coffee creamer with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Jamie made it very clear that her abs are made in the kitchen. You could have abs of steel, but if they are hidden underneath a layer of “cushion” then no amount of russian-twists are going to expose them. Plus, the chemical and preservative content of most processed foods leads to bloating and retained water (mainly due to high sodium content). So I solemnly swear that by committing to the program, I will follow a clean-eating lifestyle. All natural, whole, unprocessed foods. Fortunately there are SO many great natural foods.
I’m also exceptionally excited to try out clean-eating and protein-packed recipes from bodybuilding.com like the sweet potato protein pizza crust, which I found on Pinterest. *Naturally I’ve followed Jamie on Pinterest and Facebook. We’re basically friends now ;)
Another minor problemo…
Jamie does not support cardio in Phase 1 of the training. She believes we are solely focusing on building muscle and supporting our physique through weight training and diet. She also admits that she HATES cardio and can’t stand running. Guess what? I LOVE CARDIO. RUNNING IS MY FAVORITE THING TO DO. I do it for fun. I need to run. I am grumpy and unpleasant if I don’t. Running makes me feel confident and fit, and the endorphins are my drug.
Needless to say I will continue my cardio exercise because I believe that it is an important part of my life and I can sustain enough energy to follow both the weight training program and cardio.
Now that I’m typing this out, I realized I am going to break it up into multiple posts. Next I will cover my thoughts and experience with supplementation, meal prepping, workout routines, clean recipes, and other goodies like carbs, alcohol, & cheat meals. (<—- including that list just made me accountable for keeping up the blog posts!) I’ll also share my progress and thoughts on the program :)
Fitness, for me, is a way of becoming confident and happy. I love the feeling of accomplishing something. Exercise gives me the opportunity to feel this every day.
Oh and I should note that I am in no way trying to become a “body builder.” My goal with this is to achieve a completely clean diet, commitment to build muscle, and see how my body transforms in 12 weeks. I will never be perfect, I know. I’m just trying to be the BEST I can be. I want something to give all of my energy to and see the pay off.
Keith Urban put it perfectly. And I have no shame (see what I did there? Listen to the song & you will..) that I played this song exactly eleven times during my run last night. You should turn the volume up way too high for this one:
Follow Your Arrow —–>
Today I should be studying for a very important final but I had to get this post up.
This past year has been revolutionary for me and my outlook on life. One year ago I was in New York, undergoing my second surgery at the Vascular Birthmark Institute of New York. I had overly-optimistic expectations of the outcome and had to accept the fact that “perfection” is not realistic.
In the past year I have learned something.
** Disclaimer ** This is more of a reminder to myself, more than anything. I know everyone has their insecurities and I’m sure other girls can relate in some way though.
So BASICALLY…..self-confidence (even if you have to fake it), a positive outlook in most situations, a sense of humor, and genuine compassion for other people will override any flawed features. There are so many people out there who look beyond physical imperfections. I spent a good deal of time trying to cover up my scars and only show my “good side” but was amazed to find that true friends love the WHOLE you.
This year brought a lot of “firsts” for me. I stepped out of my comfort zone, tried a lot of new things (some better than others) and had a more open mind about a lot of situations. I became a lot less judgmental of different lifestyles, even if they were not suitable for me. This song comes on my iPod at least once a day and I sincerely love it. You speak the truth, Kacey Musgraves :)
Got a hard decision? Guess what. YOU WILL ALWAYS DISAPPOINT SOMEONE. So you should make sure that person is not yourself.
I’m not embarrassed of the fact that I will go to a party and stay completely sober. My arrow points to avoiding hangovers the night before a long run ;) I’m also not a huge fan of social media, hard boiled eggs, or leggings as pants. But if that’s your thing…you follow that arrow, girlfriend. No judgements. :)
I guess what I’m trying to say is..
Your moral compass will point in you the right direction.
And just one more because Pinterest is just so full of wisdom ;)
Smile, beautiful :)
