HUNGRY....

Due to heavy rain, I had to opt for training at the gym on the "dread-mill".  One of the many things I dislike about the "dread-mill" is that you're stuck facing a mirror, staring at yourself while you watch all your unflattering areas jiggle around.

As I stared at myself in the mirror in front of the "dread-mill" to my surprised, I wasn't focused on how bored I was or how time literally stands still on a "dread-mill." Instead, my only thought was how "hungry" I was to hear these 5 words; "Lily, you are an Ironman."

Oh how much I want it, it makes me ache. The thought consumes me. The 'want' consumes me.

During my workout, I didn't care about how heavy the weights were. I didn't care how my sweat burns my eyes. I didn't care how tired I felt. I didn't care how my lungs burned. My only thought was, 'everything I will endure, will only make me that much closer to my goal.' It makes me feel so alive with such passion. I love every moment of it.

Be Hungry..

Earn the right to shower

Commonly, we "treat" ourselves after we accomplish something. Often we say, if I run 5 miles, I'll get to eat that cookie. Instead of making the reward a treat, make it something you want to/need to do, like shower.

For me, it first started off as laziness. I didn't want to shower twice in a day, (do you know how long it takes long hair to dry?), so I'd make sure I'd schedule my workouts before I needed to shower. And if I showered before I worked out, I knew I wasn't going to "work out" later on that day, no matter how much I told myself I would. So in order to make myself workout, I wouldn't be able to shower until I did. Subconsciously, I've made my "treat" the right to shower.

if you're having trouble keeping up with your workouts, try to make you treat the right to shower. You'll be much more inclined to get it done, or face you family and friends being really stinky. :-D

Lots of people practice this in their own way. What's your treat?

happy showering :)

Travel and Packing Tips

I love the thrill of packing light, as odd as it sounds. I love to have a goal of making weeks worth of necessities fit into a carry on, with room to spare. If not a carry on, then a regular size piece of check in luggage.

Tips: 

1. Plan your outfits
•  This is the best way to save space and not carry extra outfits. How often do you come back from a trip and think, "I didn't even wear half the stuff I brought"
•  I know this is tough for girls who are more indecisive about what to wear.. So ladies.. try to make some "tough decisions" and pick an outfit. 
2. Bring easy mix and match items
• Pants - If you think about it, normally, we wear the same 2 or 3 pair of jeans repeatedly for months. So why change it? Bring 2 pair of jeans, (1 that is darker so you can use it at a fancy restaurant), and wear 1 on the plane/bus/train/car, etc. (if your traveling during the winter, bring 1 more pair so you can rotate if 1 gets wet from rain. 
• Tops - bring a different shirt for each day, shirts are easy and thin enough to pack. Bring 1 fancy shirt in case you go to a nice place for dinner
3.  Shoes
• Shoes take up the most room. So wear your biggest pair (ex running/tennis shoes) and pack your dress shoes or flipflops that take up less room. 
• Ladies - look for fancy sandals that can double as casual everyday/walking shoes but can also be worn to a fancy restaurant. 
4. Wear your biggest items
• examples - wear your sneakers, jacket, sweater, etc that your plan to bring. It will save you space in your suitcase. 
5.  Reuse Old Contact Lens Cases
• This is my favorite tip that I learned from another friend. Since you're only gone for a week or so, you dont need a WHOLE bottle of bathroom amenities. Just squeeze the amount needed into the lens case. Lens cases are dishwasher safe. 
• Also you can grab small sample containers at Sephora.
6.  Use Samples
• often samples will last you enough for a weekend trip.
7. Unless your camping or away from civilization, buy things when you get there. ex. Buy toothpaste. You don't need to pack it. 

Now putting it all together. 

1. Roll your clothes
•  Biggest/heaviest on the bottom, smaller/lighter/thinner items on the top
2. Put items that take up more volume (shoes) on the bottom because you can squeeze smaller things in-between spaces. 

Happy Traveling! 

8 Weeks of Master Swim

Today was my last class of Master Swim.

I never participated in a swim class before so I didn't know what to expect.
For the 8 weeks, classes @ 530am, Mon- Thurs, and Sat&Sun. Classes were not mandatory, (since we are paying adults), and I was able to go Mon - Thurs. In the first few weeks, I went everyday Mon - Thurs, but then as the weeks went on, I would go miss a day here and there. I made sure to go at least 2 times a week. On average I went to 3 out of the 4. (Most Monday mornings were just too hard to wake up.)  I didn't really know most of the "swim lingo" terminology, so the Coach always had to dumb it down for me, hehe :)

For 7 weeks of the class, we swam the Width of the Olympic pool which was 25 meters. We did drills and were able to have a lane to ourselves the whole time. Coach Louis knew that I was training for Open water Triathlons, so he would give me different drills to do which would help me in Open water. The 8th week, because its summer vacation and high school kids train at the same pool, the lanes were switched to lengthwise @ the 50 m Olympic distance. I really like swimming the longer distance, 25 just seems so short.

A few random weeks, Coach had us swim on the deep end of the pool without lanes to simulate open water swimming. He also had us practice diving (which I've never dived before). I didn't belly flop, but my hips and thighs took a bad beating hitting the water. We dived about 30 times. After that session, my hips and thighs were all bruised.

When I first started the class, my 50 meter sprints were about 90+ seconds. Mid way through the course, my 50 m sprints dropped down to <60 seconds. My 100 meter sprints dropped down to <2 mins.

I definitely feel that I am a much stronger, faster and better swimmer, but I know I still need alot more training and practice. The ladies next to me, can do a 50m sprint in  <40 seconds.

I'm excited to keep training and to get faster and stronger. :)

happy swimming!

Ruptured Achilles Tendon - Physical Therapy Session 2

So far, for the next month, Kevin will got o PT 3 times a week, MWF.

Today, Kevin had a 5 min warm up on a station bike (the ones where the chair leans back). Then Aaron (the PT) did a massage to the injured leg, really rubbing into the thickened tendon.

(I get foot massages often, but I always hate when the masseur touches my Achilles, It scares me that they will snap it or injure it. So, watching Aaron rub the crap out of Kevin's Achilles, I had to hold back the squirms) 

Session #2-

2x10 - Seated Toe lifts
2x10 - Seated upright, foot inversion (foot toward the center of the body), eversion (foot away from the body), plantar (point down) and doris flexion (point up - toes to the nose) with a light resistance band.
* New - 2x10 - eccentric Doris flexion with a band.

• In a seated position, point toes downwards (plantar flexion) with a light  resistance band over the toes, and pull the band tight. Then Slowly bring foot towards neutral position, using the calf muscle to fight the resistance of the band. 

2x10 - Wood peckers

• Standing about 6 inches facing the wall, slowly lean towards the wall til your nose almost touches the wall, then slowly lean back. 

2x30 seconds standing on 1 leg.

2x10 heel raises while gently putting pressure on injured leg to come down. 

2x10 Clams

2x10 leg lifts

2x10 side step with medium resistant band. 

The Gout Attack

I'm not a newbie to gout, I've had it ever since I was in my teens.. the pain in your big toe.. it would come for a day or so, and then go.

So for the past few months, I've been having a sharp stabbing pain on the top of my right wrist.

I know its a ganglion cyst,  (which I named "my lumpy")  forming because I have one on my left wrist and went through about 2-3 years of pain. For my left wrist, I removed the cyst several times, but "My Lumpy" would always come back, and hurt more.. However, I started to realize when the lump was there, the pain was gone, and when the lump was gone, pain would return. So I learned to live with the lump if it would mean I would have no pain.

My doc said that because of the lump, the extra fluid has an area to escape, and not press on the nerve = no pain.

Now the same thing is happening to my right wrist. However, I can't ignore it. Being right handed, I can't go 2-3 years with pain. I am unable to carry things, and do certain movements. I can't flex or extend my hand in a 90 degree angle. (My workouts are suffering because I can't do burpees or pushups). If I fell on the ground, I can't even push myself up. Stupid right hand..

So I finally went to see an orthopedic surgeon, hoping that he could just do some magic surgery to make everything all better.

But his diagnosis was something much worse.. He said.. GOUT..
and what makes gout even worse, the remedy..... RESTRICTIVE DIET!

He said the build up of fluid, is getting trapped on the top of my wrist, and pressing on the nerves = pain.
So... reduce fluid = reduce pain..

I love meats, and seafood (purine heavy foods). To greatly reduce it, really sucks. :(

I've started to do some research, and a new theory, is that gout, isn't caused by the purines in food we eat, but instead by glucose and insulin = sugar and carbs.. AHH my other 2 favorite things..

I actually do believe the sugar and carbs would have a greater effect than just purine only in meats and seafood.. I'm still researching, but somehow it just seems to makes more sense than just purines alone. But I'll let you know what I find out, and what I end up doing.

So.. what will I eat now? :(
The doc said a restrictive diet for 2-3 months to reduce the pain.

I'm a sad panda..

Ruptured Achilles Tendon - Physical Therapy Day 1

First Day of Physical Therapy!

The Therapist, Aaron, did a 20 min evaluation on Kevin. Kevin has really flat feet, so he wants to work on the Tibialis Posterior muscle, to help give more support to the arch, and pretty much all his leg and hip muscles. The stronger his leg muscles are, the less his Calves will need to do the work = less work for the Achilles.

1 bad thing is that since Kevin wasn't wearing his boot (and immobilizing the heel) his heel is a little "over stretched". so the therapist will need to correct it. Oops.

Session 1:
Stretch the calf with foam roller
2x10 windshield wipers

• in a seated position with knees @ 90 degrees, swipe the feet left to right, keeping the leg stabilized and the ball of the foot and heel touching the ground. 

Foot Movements with the band for resistance. 

2x10 - Point/roll foot inwards

2x10 - Point/roll foot outwards

2x10 - Dorsiflexion (point toes toward nose)

2x10 - Plantarflexsion (point toes toward ground)

2x30seconds Balance on 1 leg

2x10 - Clam shells 

• laying on your side, with your hips aligned, bend knees to 90 degrees. Turn top knee towards to ceiling, so your legs look like an open clam. 

2x10 - leg lifts

• laying on your side with your hips aligned and legs straight, lift top leg up to the ceiling.