Seattle Marathon 2012

I ran my 9th Seatlle Marathon in a row yesterday and the weather was spectacular- cold and foggy with no rain!!  The sun started shining about mid day.....yaaahhhhoooo~

It's putting one foot in front of the other, going forward and completing the task at hand. It's about personal responsibility and staying in the game of life. And it's about meeting wonderful, enthusiatic people and hearing their stories and making new friends.

As runners, we may choose to run alone, but we're never really alone. God is always with us and somewhere there is a runner just like ...you-giving it all she's got to make it to the finish line.

I run 26.2 because there was a time when the hardest thing for me to do was to believe in myself. With running I am moving under my own power and a marathon requires requires me to give it all I've got and to hold on because there's a fnish line right around the corner. It also keeps me humble and completely thankful for the life I have.  And errruummm, pretty grateful for food and beer ;P at the end.

SuperTroops, don't procrastinate......set goals....and go for what is yours in the universe~

Breaking Free from Emotional~Compulsive Overeating.....Part Two.....11.19.12

Pssssttt.......Have you ever woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and asked yourself any of these questions: How did I end up here?.......What have I been doing with my life for the last 5, 10 or 15 years?........This isn't what I had planned for my life-now what?

My soul, body and spirit started “waking up” on September 11, 2001.  I began to realize how precious life really was and that I may not live to see my daughter graduate from high school let alone graduate from college if I continued on the self destructive path with eating that I was on.   

Health issues could pop up at any given time as a result of of being well over 100 pounds overweight.

I’d always encouraged Ebonee to take care of herself, get an education and follow her dreams.  Sadly, I wasn’t doing the same for myself and was a terrible role model for her.   Quite honestly, I felt guilty and helpless-  like I couldn't do anything about it. 

It took another six months before I began to actively implement some changes that were necessary in my life to confirm that I was ready to start my health and wellness journey.

In March 2002 something stirred in me-  my spirit was restless.  Ron and Ebonee were away at a basketball camp and I felt absolutely miserable and empty inside.  And it wasn't because I was home by myself- but because I knew I had to get to work on improving myself and that  I couldn't afford to  waste another minute of my life.

My  path to breaking free from emotional –compulsive overeating was a scary, long, bumpy and emotional one.  I had to gather the courage to face my lifelong issues head on and accept responsibility for my life and health.   My husband and daughter were very supportive and encouraging but I knew that there were some demons that I had to face alone.

Life had knocked me down repeatedly and at 34 I had reached rock bottom. 

I was sexually, mentally and emotionally abused by my father from the time that I was 3 until  17 and that is the root cause of me eating into oblivion for years on end.  I not only endured the abuse that my father inflicted upon me, but also from my step mother and several relatives.   I was 10 when I understood that what was happening to me was not "normal".  I told my step mother and she didn't believe me and actually blamed me for what was happening.  I also told some relatives and no one did anything to remove me from the environment and basically ignored me.  I felt hopeless and ashamed.  Basically, I felt like shit and I thought that there was something wrong with me.

At 17, I ended up leaving "home" after I graduated high school and moved to Washington.  I met my husband Ron and we were married three months later.  I shared the details of my past with him and wanted to have a family.  I thought that by having a family right away and becoming a perfect wife and mother,  I could somehow erase my turbulent childhood and escape the pain of having lived through it.  I'd never have to think about the sexual, mental and emotional abuse again right?

I leave you with this- life is not the way it's suppose to be, it is the way it is, RR

p.s. I don't know how many "parts" it will take for me to completely share my story with you, but  will blog about it every Monday until it is complete.  

Breaking Free from Emotional~Compulsive Overeating.....Part One.....11.12.12

I watched the movie Flight last week with my husband even though I knew it was going to be  intense and hard for me to sit through because of the substance abuse scenes  that were going to be played out.  But with Denzel Washington playing the lead character- Captain Whip Whitaker -I had to go.

You see, I've never had an alcohol or substance abuse addiction and have never used drugs but I can identify with what it is like to have an addiction.  An addiction to food that is.

I can't bear to  watch people using drugs in movies or the big screen.  I always end up closing my eyes and plugging  my ears during them  because it brings me to tears to see someone abuse and jeopardize their health.  But also because  it reminds me of how I dealt with life by stuffing myself with food so I wouldn't feel the feelings beneath the surface.

I know why  a person would want to destroy himself instead of dealing with the root cause of the despair, pain, anger, frustration he  must be feeling.  Because the pain is to much to deal with.

But in reality, watching these kind of scenes  makes me take a look at the pain I have experienced and how I chosen to deal with it. From the time I was 3 until I turned 34, I was what you could call a food addict.  Food addiction simply put is .......compulsive eating.......binging........uncontrolled eating.  It is basically an obsession with food.  

I  grew up in a dysfunctional home and unconsciously dealt with it by constantly eating.   I used to be skinny and my family would joke that I had a "tapeworm" and "ate like a man".  I ate all kinds of food without thinking because doing so brought me comfort and throughout my teenage years I picked up the habit of eating several king sized Snickers bars everyday and that stuck with me for years.   After spending 15 years weighing 300 pounds, yo yo dieting, eating out of control, taking diet pills and exercising to no avail, I decided to take control and responsibility for my life and health.   Up until this point, I had blamed everything and everyone for the way my life was turning out and my excess weight. 

This is a 1 pound Snickers Bar!!!!!

Several things that can contribute to being overweight are psychological causes, not being physically active and dieting.  Overweight can stem from emotional problems that have not been addressed.  Eating can be a defense mechanism or a retreat from reality.  

My behavior began with a choice.  Initially it was an unconscious choice.  Even when I realized that the choices that I was making pertaining to food were jeopardizing my health I still continued to eat into oblivion.  I can recall when I was about 23, I had been having some indigestion issues for several weeks but wouldn't go see the doctor.  I was throwing up, and when I'd lay down to go sleep, I'd wake up coughing up oil from the food that I had eaten for dinner.  One night it got so bad that I ended up going to the emergency room and had to have emergency surgery to have my gall bladder removed.   When the doctor asked me what I had eaten.......how much and when- I rambled off "two fried pork chops, rice, gravy, bread, cabbage" like it was no big deal.  Ha!  After surgery and staying in the hospital for a couple of days, I went home and proceeded to carry on like nothing had happened. The one thing that I did change though was drinking up to 100 ounces of water per day.  I somehow thought that this would remedy the situation.

I found out the hard way that if you ignore the truth about something you are really hurting yourself. 

When the behavioral choice that a person makes- be it  drugs, alcohol, food, television, exercise etc......reduces stress, it is likely that the same behavior will be used the next time that stress appears. 

I was  always told that "what happens in this house, stays in this house".  And although I had some positive role models growing up, they were few and far between.  
I didn't realize that I was actually depressed until some years later when I began to see a therapist.  Even when I would go to my counseling sessions, I would often show up late and with food in hand to eat while in the session.

Depression is a common health condition and isn't a weakness.  Which is what I though it was.  You can't just snap out of depression because it is a health condition that involves the mind and the body and affects how you think and behave.  Depression can also cause some emotional and physical problems and sometimes it may make you feel as though you are not able to go on with your daily activities.  Symptoms of depression vary from person to person and include but are not limited to: overeating, loss of interest in your normal activities, sadness, unintentional weight loss, fatigue and irritability.  Please seek professional help if you need it.

I broke free from emotional......compulsive overeating by accepting responsibility for my life and health and realizing that it would be far better for me to really, really try to win.

Stay Tuned for Part 2, RR

It's your life- don't wait until 2013 to change it

SuperTroops,

With the holiday season right around the corner, it can be difficult to stick to your fitness goals or create new ones.

Unfortunately a lot of us may choose to wait until the new year before beginning an exercise program. 

But wait a minute........there's 59 days left in 2012 and I say why not begin today?   It's said that it takes about 6 weeks to drop an unhealthy habit and to pick up another one.........that's 42 days you can bank if you start today.   A lot of ground can be covered during this time and you'll be that much further once 2013 shows up on the scene.

The best gift you can give yourself is health and fitness and the workout that you are considering skipping today WILL show up tomorrow........ 5 minutes today can easily become 10 tomorrow. So lace those shoes up and go get to it!  

Tips to get started on fitness routine today:

1. Explore the reasons you want to begin exercising (weight loss, feel better, sanity/vanity).

2. Schedule your workouts into your daily agenda until it becomes a routine.

3. Start out slowly and recruit family and friends to join you when possible.

4. Vary your activities until you find a few that you'd like to do on a regular basis.

5. Set reasonable goals.

6. Believe in yourself, be consistent and do activities that you enjoy.

7. Most of all, have fun!!

8. Whatever you do, never, ever give up.

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don't spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it. ~Priscella Welch

New to running?

Running on a treadmill is an awesome way to start.   In fact that is how I started.  However, choosing to run outdoors, on concrete, uneven surfaces, gravel, grass, hills etc. which can be a challenge initially will help you to become stronger in the long term.  Because when you run on a treadmill, everything is smooth and you actually have the belt assisting you with your movement. But when you run outside it is all you because you apply the effort 100 percent!!!   Big difference.

Set a goal realistic-attainable goals like completing a 5k. With a goal in mind, you can accomplish your goal of crossing the finish line safely and injury free and then move on to longer distances. 

Mix your running  workouts up.  Like run/walking on a treadmill one day and run/walking outside  the next day and gradually build up to doing all runs outdoors. Allow yourself time to become stronger and set weekly daily/weekly goals........such as running 3 minutes/ walking 5 minutes and gradually increase the running time and lowering the walking times.  Be sure to incorporate cross training and rest days in your program.

I am on fire for running/fitness, because with fitness we have the power to change our live and the lives of others, RR