Since I’ll be in Seattle for two weeks, I’m taking the opportunity to get some good speed work at sea level. Also, with so many wonderful friends and family to visit with, I’m extra grateful for this blog to keep me on track of all the little things I’ve committed to continuing (e.g. daily meditation), even if they require more effort and time management.
Morning Stats
Yang/firing up:
high-five in the mirror
stood on one leg while brushing teeth, to activate glutes
cold shower
motivational video https://youtu.be/60PbNFY2NHw
Hour and a half run/interval workout
Yin/cooling down:
morning mantra: “Today is a gift, and I will use my time well.”
8 minutes of dynamic stretching
6 minutes of feet up the wall with cupping and scraping
A rushed morning led to me forgetting to my my meditation in the morning. During my run, I found my mind picking up an old habit of grabbing onto a worrisome thought about a potential scenario in the future that will likely never happen and throwing it into my mind’s spin cycle, taking energy and focus away from my run, causing my running pace to slow down and my running form to suffer. Halfway through my 90 minute run, I caught myself and made a somewhat-successful conscious effort to shift my mindset from the anxious thought to awareness of the world around me – the green grass I was running on and the beautiful lake I was running around. Lesson learned – remember to meditate before your run, Rose!
Morning Stats
Yang/firing up:
high-five in the mirror
stood on one leg while brushing teeth, to activate glutes
Every once in a while, I find myself about to slip back into an old habit, such as heading straight to social media first thing in the morning, after I pick up my phone to turn off my alarm. Rather than beat myself up, I simply catch myself, put my phone down, and say my morning mantra. Same with seeing myself in the bathroom mirror each morning – the old habit is to look over my face and body, accounting for any new wrinkles, muscle striations, sunburns, or love handles. The simple act of looking at myself in the eyes and smiling reminds me that I’m so much more than what my body or face looks like that day. And giving myself a high-five serves as a reminder that me and myself are on the same team, that my mind can help my body do spectacular things. (Plus, the high-five to myself feels so silly that my smile turns into a laugh sometimes – another great reminder, to not take life too seriously.)
Morning Stats
Yang/firing up:
high-five in the mirror
stood on one leg, to activate glutes
cold shower
45 minutes on a spin bike
30 minutes of strength training
Yin/cooling down:
morning mantra: “I’m responsible for my own happiness.”
Incremental progress adds up over time, so today I’m celebrating small victories, such doing one more pull-up, three more pushups, and one more minute of meditation.
