Category Archives: Running

Sep 23 2016

Run Happy, Run Smart!

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I just knew I was on to something when I declared that the practice of
Running
 ought to be packaged and marketed as a glorious idea producing machine!

According to an article on Medical Xpress, a study was just completed by the Psychology and Biology Departments at the University of Jyväskylä which reported,  

“It may be possible to increase the neuron reserve of the hippocampus – and thus improve preconditions for learning – by promoting neurogenesis via sustained aerobic exercise such as running.

Aerobic exercise, such as running, has positive effects on brain structure and function, for example, the generation of neurons (neurogenesis) in the hippocampus, a brain structure important in learning.”

The article goes on to detail how the results of the study were collected and to explain that the findings are significant because,

Continue reading »

Sep 4 2016

Lace Up To Shape Up: How To Begin a Running Program or Start Again Now!

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The other evening, a friend I grew up with in Palm Coast contacted me to ask my advice on getting back into running. He explained that, although he had been in peak physical condition during active military service, the demands of work and the responsibilities that come along with raising a young family have made settling into a predominantly sedentary lifestyle a subconscious decision for him.

“I’d passively let it happen to me,” he explained. “But now I have a baby on the way and I don’t want to be a ‘fat dad’.”

While I don’t believe in providing running advice in the context of weight loss, I understood the implication was that he wanted to maintain an appropriate body mass and thus reclaim cardiovascular health, theoretically extending his life.

He’s making positive changes because he wants to stick around for his kid.

In regard to his former relationship with exercise, he said:

“I loved my long runs, I lived for the sprint at the end of a 10 miler. How do I get back into loving running where I need it all the time, the energy, the quality of life?”

Here’s my response (could be applied to anyone running to a running regimen or beginning one for the very first time): Continue reading »

Jun 29 2016

10 Effective Post-Workout Foods That Aid in Recovery

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There is something that is just so incredibly satisfying about that delicious soreness we all get in our muscles in the day or two following a challenging workout. That little bit of “hurts-so-good” feeling in our triceps, glutes, and hamstrings tells us that we owned that workout! There was no “phoning it in” as Jillian would say.

We put in the effort and expect to see results, right?

Well, results come with consistency, and consistency is only going to happen if we can make it to our next workout. We don’t want to be so sore that we can’t get out of bed…or lower ourselves onto the toilet seat.  Yeah, you ever been there? I know I have! Squats, baby! You gotta love ‘em.

One way to prevent being quite that sore is to pay close attention to what you eat immediately following a workout. What goes into your body can significantly reduce inflammation, repair cells and tissue damage, build muscle and guide protein synthesis. It’s pretty amazing!

Here are top 10 post-workout food choices and what each will do for your awesome bod:

1. Berries, Cherries & Dark Colored Fruits

Antioxidant rich foods like berries, cherries, and darker colored fruits help reduce inflammation and decrease muscle soreness. You can drink tart cherry juice, or go for the whole fruit, like these freshly picked muscadine grapes, or black raspberries. When possible, organic is best.

Whole fruit provides fiber and keeps you feeling fuller longer, but juice is great if you’re on the go and trying to rehydrate quickly.

2. Fruits & Starches with a High-Glycemic Index

Right after your workout, your muscles are going to be dehydrated and depleted of energy (or glycogen). Eating starches or high-sugar fruit 10-15 minutes after your workout will help your muscles bounce back and also provide the following:

  • An increase in insulin which will reduce inflammation.

  • A rise in blood antioxidant status, which can help with pain and inflammation.

Bonus: The antioxidant factor in many of these foods can aid in tissue repair and cell recovery, getting you back in the game faster.

3. Eat Your Greens!

Dark, leafy greens and cruciferous veggies like broccoli and brussels sprouts help rid the body of an overabundance of estrogen, which can slow down the recovery process. These veggies are also full of water, so they’ll help improve your hydration right away. Foods like collard greens will eradicate free radicals that can slow down healing. Potassium can be easily found in protein-rich foods and leafy greens; consumption of these foods should be seen as a preventative measure for muscle cramps.

4. Salmon, Cod & Other Fish

Salmon is rich in fish oil, which is better known as omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3s eicosapentaenonic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are involved in several anti-inflammatory processes. In those processes, EPA and DHA give rise to anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. They play a significant role in reducing inflammation and decreasing production of inflammatory cytokines.

Note: It’s recommended to consume 1.25-1.5 grams of protein per pound of goal weight. Fish is an excellent source and can work overtime as an anti-inflammatory and protein food source.

Vegetarians/Vegans:

Ground Chia Seed is an excellent source of Omega-3s!

5. Almonds & Other Nuts

Image via Pixabay

As a natural source of protein, a nutrient that aids muscle recovery, almonds are ideal. A handful of almonds (30g) contains 15 essential nutrients including 65 percent of your daily requirement of the antioxidant vitamin E; recent research published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition has gone a step further and concluded that snacking on almonds can improve endurance.

6. Eggs

The incredible edible egg! Eggs contain all eight essential amino acids needed for muscle recovery. They also have about 6 grams of protein, and minerals like calcium, zinc and iron–all of which build muscle and promotes workout recovery. Hard-boiled eggs are a quick and portable to boost these nutrients after a challenging workout.

7. Fermented Foods to Aid Digestion

Improved digestion equals improved immunity. It increases your B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, digestive enzymes, and lactase and lactic acid that fight off harmful bacteria. It aids in the preservation and creation of important enzymes.

 

If you aren’t eating fermented foods (What!?), you’re missing out. They are DELICIOUS and all kinds of good for you! Check out kimchi, these fermented sweet wonder peppers (pictured above), refrigerated pickles (not shelf-stable), refrigerated raw sauerkraut (not shelf-stable) and kefir. You can also check out my Balanced Gut, Balanced Mind post for more suggestions and resources, like Apple Cider Vinegar!

8. Ginger & Turmeric

Both ginger and turmeric are other sources of food high in antioxidants.

9. Cinnamon

Cinnamon spice contains anti-inflammatory compounds which can be useful in reducing pain. The explanation behind it is that it reduces insulin sensitivity and therefore helps speed up tissue repair after a tough workout. It also helps with glycogen replenishment. Glycogen is the “stored energy” in your body that your muscles use up to propel you through your workout. Cinnamon is delicious on basically everything: sweet and savory foods; it’s amazingly versatile. Any easy way to add it to your diet is through teas, smoothies, yogurt or coffee.

10. Water

This seems like a no-brainer, but if your body isn’t being hydrated properly before, during, and after your workouts, you’ll begin to experience problems right away. Issues like cramps, dizziness, and extreme fatigue are going to hit, and that’s going to make it harder to get motivated to workout the next day or the day after. Plus, all of these issues can contribute to muscle soreness! It’s recommended to drink 7-10 ounces of water every 10-20 minutes; even more if you’re exercising outdoors or in very warm conditions (like in a hot yoga class).

With a cheat sheet like this, you’ll have no problem stocking up on your next grocery run. Make sure to stretch after your workout, stay hydrated and keep post-workout recovery nutrition on point: you’ll have fewer “forced” rest days and significantly reduced periods of injury.

Simply choosing specific foods will help your body bounce back faster and it will thank you!

This post originally appeared on BlogHer.com on May 24, 2016

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Hey! Like my writing?  Do you wish you had access to all of my password protected posts and other content that isn’t available online?  I have other work!  I’ve published !  It’s nothing crazy; they are about 50-55 pages each and cost approximately $5 each depending on what country you are purchasing from.  Each ebook consists of a , mental illness, family dynamics, social anxiety, and other awkward shit that happens in my life.  It’s relatable, honest and raw.  Oh, and there are pictures in titles like  & .  You’ll probably like it.  Or not.  What the hell? It’s $5! 

***If you have previously purchased Amazon downloadable content, please note that the ebook content has changed.  Some previously available titles have been updated and contain more essays, pages, pictures, etc.  If you have specific questions, please email me directly @

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POLICIES & DISCLAIMER 

Jan 25 2016

Lara Croft & Writing

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Hold on for one second, can we all just acknowledge that some random Facebook App 

has deemed my countenance most closely resembling that of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider?  

Compared to…Mickey Mouse, I guess?

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I don’t care, I’ll take it. 

Please, and Thank you. 🙂 

Now that we’ve dealt with housekeeping matters most pressing, I’ll let you know what I’ve been doing, and that is not been preparing much new *quality* blog material unless you count my diatribe on Running! 

In the last 19 months or so, the subject matter of my writing has remained largely the same: organic gardening, fitness, running, eating disorders and mental health.  When I first began publicly sharing my life, the ratio of posts devoted to gardening and fitness was much more balanced.

Just as I explained in MY ECOTONE, the blog was launched to document my out-of-the-box gardening activities.  That wasn’t enough, so I began writing EXACTLY what I’ve been living.  It was real, raw, and mortifying.

It’s was also self-indulgent and woe-is-me.  Sorry about that.

Yes, my posts can seem redundant.  My subject matter can be tedious, monotonous, repetitive, obsessive, what-have-you.  You know why? Because not every reader has been following from Day One, and I have a message.

If I were pressed to state two goals I had for this blog, I’d have to say 1.) Personal Catharsis, 2.) Public Awareness. 

Writing privately is therapeutic.  Writing publicly–especially about the ugly, shameful, humiliating, terror in my brain, my head and my life is surprisingly restorative.

I’m not looking to be told I am brave, strong or virtuous for sharing unattractive and embarrassing details.  I’m weak and sick.  I’ve done such incredible damage to myself and much more to my family.    I’m that nasty fault line under my parents’ and siblings’ homes. The structural damage reaches it’s treacherous, spiky thorns across the country, insidious, cracking foundations, separating lives and relationships.

*There I go again.*

Not everyone has the time for (or interest in) reading every last Mental Health or Eating Disorder Related post in chronological order.  I don’t even want to do that.  Some of my posts are horrifyingly self-indulgent, narcissistic and just plain garbage.

With that being said, the Blog is still Here.  I am still writing and am still passionate about the message.

But, for the heavier writing about mental health and eating disorders, I am realizing a blog is simply too disjointed a forum for the subject matter.

I want to write on this Comprehensively, Provocatively, and Articulately.  Hence, the project.

So, what I have been up to recently, besides deluding myself into thinking that Angelina and I might share some facial features? 2

Writing, writing, writing.

Running (about 3-4 times a week).

Gardening (Yep, it’s already started…I planted a new Pomegranate Tree today and I am in the process of transplanting 9 (Little) FIG TREES).

So, coming up, you will be seeing a great deal of gardening and fitness related posts, with some light discussion on mental health issues.  🙂

POLICIES & DISCLAIMER

 

 

 

Jan 21 2016

All-Inclusive Sporty Staycation: Running!

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The main impediment to my own pursuit of recreational

“tri-athleticism” has always been reticence.

That’s it.  I’m shy; unsure of myself.

I don’t have the “proper jargon” down for the swim/bike portions of the program.  I don’t have the right gear or proper technique.  And you have to know a lot of stuff.

Source

Additionally, I’m patently uncool.

I’m always doing massively lame things like forgetting to refer to my bicycle seat as a “saddle”.   I ride a slow, heavy bicycle from Walmart which I’ve no objection to using, in fact, I think a heavier bike provides a more challenging workout, but I wouldn’t dare bring it to a Bicycling Meetup Group.

I can just hear the (imaginary?) elitist snickers now.

I couldn’t clock a respectable 100 yard freestyle swim because I’d be doggy-paddling halfway through.  I couldn’t demonstrate a decent butterfly stroke for $1000 tax-free dollars.  And I can’t do the cool flip turn at the end of the lane, although I really, REALLY want to.

So what if I could eventually work past these hurdles? In my mind, approaching my local Tri Club would result in my being laughed straight out of Florida.

Someone might respond to my declaration of (irrational?)fear like this:  “Kristen, you were new to running once,  you got over it, and now you are natural and relaxed in that environment.”  No one has, but that would be a reasonable assertion to make in this context.

My Response:

Running is Unique.  One thing I’ve observed, and this is just my opinion, is the vast difference in permeability between running and other sports.  Unlike everything else, running is wide open.  I’ve always taken pride in being part of the running community; for it’s all- inclusiveness and ease of transition between other recreational sports.

Want to be a runner?

Ok, Go Run. boom.⇒   You are one.

It’s that simple.

It would break my heart to know that someone felt that their body type, running style, disability, etc could or would exclude them from being part of this fantastic, amazing, rewarding, addicting, All-Inclusive Sport that’s an All-Inclusive Resort for Your Mind and Your Troubles.

Running’s a Staycation that’s only a pair of shoes (or not) away.  That’s it.  There’s no stopping you.  Except maybe, injury.

9 times out of 10; I’d be willing to bet, they are over-use injuries.  Why?

Because Running is just that good.

So forgive me if I get a little defensive about the sport that I’m so proud to be a part of.  As far as mainstream exercise goes, it’s the simplest, most accessible, and most welcoming of communities.  I’d be very sad to hear that someone might be deterred from the happiness of running because they felt alienated by their physicality.  There’s simply no room for that nonsense; figuratively and literally.

And as far as organized racing goes, there have been some additional divisions created to broaden the competitive field and encourage participation by all runners.  The new divisions are by-weight categories: Athena, for women, and Clydesdale, for men.  Runner registration is completely optional; the purpose is to give more runners an opportunity to “place” in different categories and,

I don’t know about you, but my fondness for accolades and medals has held pretty steady since childhood.

So don’t worry about having all the right gear or the ideal runner’s physique, because there is no such thing.  Don’t worry about having a clumsy or awkward-looking stride, because running shouldn’t be about judgment.  I’d like to think that running is the sport that’s closest to being free of elitism, or at least, has the capacity to be.

 Running is All-Inclusive.  Everyone Willkommen.

Source

***Disclaimer:  I know many triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, and other athletes who are not elitists in the slightest.  I used other sports as illustrative comparisons and to demonstrate my personal experience with the way running has made me feel included (relative to other sports).

POLICIES & DISCLAIMER

Jan 14 2016

Leveling Out

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Everyday! is an emotional roller coaster in The Bipolar Mind, but yesterday seemed just a little more level than in days previous.  I’m taking this as a good sign and trying not to give in to The Ever Present Anxiety tapping me on the shoulder, helpfully reminding me that it’s not okay to enjoy any degree of relief, because, rest assured, the hammer’s coming down, oh yes indeed, it’s only a matter of time.  **Rubs hands together evilly**...oh wait, is that Purell? 

I wrote until I reached the point at which time everything was sounding contrived, so I knew I needed to work out.  Exercise has always helped me with brainstorming, but Running is especially effective.

During my run, I was thinking about how the activity of running itself  is like this Amazing Idea Machine:  I’m picturing something similar to Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches’ Star Removal Machine, but instead of Sneetches with or without stars on their bellies, the machines are producing millions of good and bad ideas for a runner’s brain to process, accept or discard.

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The nostalgic imagery of The Sneetches had prompted me to research the story when I got home.  A few of the websites discussing Dr. Seuss’s publications claimed The Sneetches story has a shockingly anti-Semitic undertone, which I believe was completely unintentional and really reaching.

Honestly, I think that if you examine something closely enough and for long enough, you are certain to find something to which you object.

Anyhow, Dr. Seuss is amazing.  And most definitely not anti-Semitic.

Source

ALSO, my run was amazing and quite productive as far as brainstorming is concerned.  It was 62 degrees when I left the house and very sunny.  I couldn’t find my gloves today.  Because I haven’t really been running outside much lately, I don’t have extreme weather gear “at the ready”, so when I decided to impulsively go for a run, it was socks on the hands or get frostbite and potentially lose some digits.

I looked outstanding and definitely not crazy.

Joking aside, I do have Raynaud’s, but that can flare up when I’m inside my house and at any time of the year, not just outside, during the winter months.

Running is really hard on my body; but it is so good for my mind.  I dread the time when my body finally breaks down and no longer tolerates running even a handful of days a month.  I’m not freaking out in an eating disordered, poor body image way (although I don’t deny that being a problem); this is purely chemical.  This is me needing running for emotional and cognitive regulation.  

It’s like rebooting a computer.  You don’t know why it fixes the problem; it just does.    

Yoga’s been suggested countless times, and still, I remain skeptical.  I just don’t see it working for me.  I can’t be calm: I will worry.  I can’t be still: I will fall asleep.

It’s hard enough for me to sit down long enough to type this.  If I am having a particularly bad OCD day and I want to focus on writing, I literally have to lock myself in my own bedroom so that the rest of my house won’t distract me.

I’ve seen what yoga can do, and I know one needs to be made of some tough stuff to do it, but I’d prefer to be less “present” and more “checked out”.   And I already know what my yogi friends are going to say here: that doing yoga will keep my body healthy to give me more of the running days that I want.  😛

When it comes down to it, the activity that my brain, my emotions, my psyche collectively need to “reset” is not in strength asanas, flexibility, breathing or balance. I need something with a steady cadence; to just get up and go.

Cycling is a close second, and that’s where the resistance trainer comes in.  It’s nice having it, because when I do get a little light bulb over my head, I can grab my voice recorder, pretend to be House, M.D., and record whatever random idea comes to mind.  And between doing that (Words), taking my (Meds), and working on my garden (Plants), I am Leveling Out.

Thank you for indulging me and please enjoy a short clip of Sneetches being Sneetches:

POLICIES & DISCLAIMER

Jul 18 2015
104_1962

Science, Shoes & Sanity

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For the past week, I have been exceptionally tired, both physically and mentally.

Days and nights have blended together.

I’ve slept between 14-16 hours at a clip, getting up only to use the bathroom, eat, check on my plants (when I remember them), exercise (on the days I have the will) and think obsess (when I can’t prevent the ruminations).

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Having taken rest from any physical activity for three of the last four days, I assumed that my Depressive Downswing was the main culprit to my utter exhaustion.  While my poor mental health is likely 99.999% to blame, I awoke today with an itchy, sore throat, congested nasal passages and an outstandingly painful sinus headache.

Which came first, the sadness or the sickness? Continue reading »

Jul 15 2015
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Returning to Running: A Simple How-to Guide

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The other evening, a friend contacted me to ask my advice on getting back into running.

He explained that although he had been in peak physical condition during active military service, he’s recently settled into a predominantly sedentary lifestyle.

Wanting to reclaim cardiovascular fitness, he’s motivated to make some positive changes.

In regard to his former relationship with exercise, he said:

“I loved my long runs, I lived for the sprint at the end of a 10 miler. How do I get back into loving running where I need it all the time, the energy, the quality of life?”
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Here’s my response:

Continue reading »