  This past weekend I participated in the Red Ribbon 5k on October 21st, 2023. This was my 2nd race!
The event is located in Hollister and was the 33rd annual celebration. Like many races it was meant to raise money for a cause. This was for drug free awareness and the slogan was, “Be kind to your mind. Live Drug Free.” The medal logo was cool and had a heart and brain hugging. All finishers received this medal. Competitors raced at 8:30 am. The weather was nice, in the 70s, and sunny skies. Thankfully it wasn’t rainy and super cold. The race started and ended in town, which was cool because the scenery kept changing. You weren’t just looking at the same street over and over, or the same track loop. We made sure to take photos before and after the race to be able to reminisce. I prepared by having a protein bar before the race. I didn’t want to get too full but wanted food in my stomach. I brought water and chugged it after the race. I didn’t want to have to pee during the race. Getting ready for a race takes balance, with your food and liquid. I added salt to my water also to give me some electrolytes. The sodium can also help with muscle cramps. We warmed up our muscles by stretching. Stretching helps bring oxygen to the muscles which will help you with your energy and recovery. It was also important for me to get new running shoes to have better support. When you use your running or exercise shoes a lot, like I do, it is vital to trade them out. I came to the race in shorts and a tank top. I raced with a friend. I want to give a big shout out to Joan. I didn't need to have someone run with me but it made it more enjoyable. It was nice to know I wasn’t the only one struggling. There were lots of people behind me. Only two people were in front of me. But they were “Super Saiyan”. If you know Dragon Ball Z you will get the pun. After the race they provided a race day T-shirt as a souvenir to go with the metal. I just threw it over my shirt and was super sweaty. When I got back to the house I strutted around without a shirt on for a while. I knew I was going to be sore because my legs were burning during the race. So I pushed through and kept going, taking time to walk when needed. I was so sore on Sunday but was feeling better by Monday. I drank a lot of water and stretched to reduce soreness and promote recovery. I also do ice baths often which I attribute to supporting my recovery time. I want to reiterate that getting oxygen to the blood is great for the brain. Weather that is if you run, jog, or walk. This is why I do things like this as often as I can. Even though there were lots of times I wanted to give up, I kept going. I believe that it will increase my endurance for next time. I continue to get stronger the more I work at it. Like they told me, I will never walk again, but here I was competing in my second race. From a wheelchair to today…. BOOM!
0 Comments
The personality test I recently took indicated that “morning types” tend to reach their goals resolutely and to plan their steps. They prefer to be precise, tidy, punctual, and trustworthy. They have a sense of duty and responsibility. These are traits I am proud of having. The following characteristics don’t fit me. They are also less original, less open to culture and novelties, less curious, conformists, and traditionalists. I feel like I am “traditional” in the old sense, but not a traditionalist. I consider myself an old soul and I attribute those traits to my mother’s teachings. Honestly, I don’t agree completely with the personality test. I am a morning person but I am always energetic. So I don’t know about that part. I am mostly a morning person. That’s when I tend to be more active and creative, but I do have energy at other times, too. I have strongly advocated to my team to do most of my intellectual activities in the morning or early afternoon. This way when I am working on my projects I am not so “blah”. Blah to me in this case is low brain power. The misconception is that when you feel this way, you should grab a cup of joe. However, this will only fix the crash for a short term. I suggest getting outside and being active. Go for a walk, bike ride, or run to increase the oxygen in the blood. Go outside to get some much needed Vitamin D. Run, do push-ups, squats, or some calisthenics. A few suggestions from Google:
The main fix is to get oxygen to the blood. So when you are feeling “blah” due to low brain energy the oxygen to the blood is like an energy push. Much better than a cup of coffee.   So… This morning I just wasn’t feeling it. I had a meeting but I was just super tired. I couldn’t think of why. But now that I have had time to think about it, after kickboxing I reflected back. So, my thought process was that I needed something like kickboxing to get my blood circulating to increase my energy, or oxygen to the blood. After getting oxygen to my brain it allowed me to wake up.
In the morning, if I feel this way again, I need to do some kind of exercise to get the blood flowing again. Things that may help you if you feel this way:
Noticing the things that I can do differently helps motivate me. Nowadays, people are, like, I am so tired. So they look for a quick stimulant like coffee. They aren’t looking for ways to get oxygen into their blood. They need ways to get their blood flowing. Getting up and walking around can provide that help. After you walk, make sure you replenish yourself with good nutritious food. One more thing to remember is to not overeat because that will affect your blood sugar which affects your energy. If you eat too much you will get tired again. Remember that your stomach is the size of your fist. Some ideas of what to eat:
After I have my energy up, I need to keep it up. Instead of having heavy meals I snack throughout the day. I also make sure to drink water all day. I even add Liquid I.V. to my water. That provides extra electrolytes. Electrolytes give you energy without the “crash” you get from stimulates. The key thing is not to settle. Keep going. Walk. Run. Do something. I know as Americans we like to sit and watch tv. If you want to watch tv, move while you’re watching, or stand. Put your tv in front of your treadmill. While you’re walking, you can watch tv. If you have physical limitations, you can still find ways to do something. For example, if you can’t get up on a bicycle anymore you can use the stationary pedal exerciser from any couch or chair. Click here to purchase for yourself. Being tired is a state of mind so by moving and getting and eating well, you are deciding to change things. You are giving yourself the opportunity to get blood flowing and be able to conquer your day. This reminded me of what keeps me going. Not only my faith but reminding myself it is up to me to keep going. You don't get the opportunity to give up when life gets you down. This is the time you have to get up and keep going. The thing is life has really taken a sh#t on me. I have been dealt hands that no people can come back from. But in all things He will allow me to persevere. |
Come back soon for new blogs weekly!I will be writing about my TBI recovery tools, favorite healthy recipes, work out ideas and encouragement, and ways I stay engaged during a pandemic. Archives
October 2024
Categories |
RSS Feed