Well, another Tuesday has passed and I have weighed myself again. No changes, but I am remaining accountable and tracking my food as well as working out and giving my all. So, maybe next Tuesday I will see some change! :)
I had my first Triathlon practice this past Saturday and I was pretty pathetic. Not physically, but mentally. I was beating myself up the entire bike ride, telling myself how bad I was doing, and asking "why are you even doing this, you suck!"
However, the moment my run was over and the workout complete I said to myself, "look at what you just did! Who else gets up early on a Saturday morning to push themselves this hard? Go you!"
I can't fully explain the why's of my negative self-talk. Yet I know part of it stems from my hunger driven desire to do SO much better than I did last year. Yet, with my first push out of the gate, I felt like I was performing way worse than how I started my training last year! This aided my obnoxiously defeating self-talk to seem perfectly fine and deserved. Even though I know damned well that negative self-talk simply drains your energy and manifests itself into reality, I simply couldn't push past it.
So, this Saturday I WILL NOT beat myself up. I will enjoy the ride, I will enjoy the run, and I will tell myself, "you can do this!!!" Because, no matter what my time is, I can do this and that's what really counts.
Barbie Feet, Physical Therapy & My Love of Coffee
My feet are shaped like a Barbie dolls. Seriously. My toes are constantly "up" and ready to be slipped into a pair of high heels. As it is however, heels suck ass, they are genuinely uncomfortable on my feet - pinching and not having any padding in them what-so-ever (might as well be barefoot walking on your toes all day), they tear up my feet (literally) - leaving blisters, torn skin, and bruises, and, by the end of the day, my lower back feels like some little person has been continuously socking me in the kidneys all day.
With that said, I don't tend to wear heels - ever. Yet my feet appear to display characteristics as if heels are my shoe of choice.
My feet as well, have this little game they like to play called - "Muhahahahahaha! CRY! WIMPY GIRL! CRY!" As they cramp and contort all on their own without any real prompting or warning activity to lead them to do so.
This occurrence of my feet torturing me use to be less frequent and a lot more manageable. However, in the past few years, as my activity has increased and my demand on my feet has probably quadrupled, well, it has become a constant in my life.
As this triathlon season began I decided that I really need to figure out if there is something, (anything), I can do to make this better. Hence my recent trip to the physical therapist where I learned my damned Barbie feet are the culprit of a lot more pain than just the pain in my feet.
In fact, I developed this crazy huge muscle in the front of my leg I never even knew existed in the body because of my Barbie feet. (I still don't know what that muscle is called.)
That muscle pulls and tugs directly on my knees, quads and hamstrings. Which indirectly pulls on my glutes. Which directly pulls on my back. Which then pulls on my shoulders.
Yes, Barbie is ruining my world in many more ways then simply being an impossible body shape girls of America strive to achieve.
So, thanks to my physical therapist, I am now informed as to what is going on with my feet - and body aches overall. I am also armed with a few stretches and strengthening exercises to do daily that should help relax my toes, stretch that muscle, and hopefully provide me with some overall relief. As well, I am adding some old lady arch supports to my shoes, since my Barbie Feet also cause me to tilt inward. This happens due to the fact that my big toe is always up in the air instead of flat on the ground offering me support. So my body adapts by tilting inwards to force the toe to support me, only kind of incorrectly, like a kickstand on a bike or something.
The physical therapist also talked with me about my nutrition and suggested I add a magnesium/calcium supplement to my diet. Low magnesium and calcium in the body can cause the types of cramps and sudden muscle flexing contortions I suffer from.
Yet, so can dehydration - or in my case a game my body plays kind of like rock, paper scissors except in this version it is coffee steals water, muscles lose.
I drink what is equivalent to about 10 cups of coffee a day. Too which my physical therapist said, "that means you need to drink about 16 glasses of water a day. So, when your boss asks why you are in restroom so often ... well."
So begins my return to monitoring my water intake and ensuring I drink at least three (shooting for four) of my water bottles full of water a day (the equivalent of 12-16 glasses).
Coffee, while it has many, many, many (and I mean many), health benefits, is a dehydrator (and a diuretic - yeah more urine!) and can help steal water from your body. If you are already dehydrated it will steal it from your muscles. This can cause intensely severe cramping especially when you are working out and causing your body to shed even more water through sweat.
I already knew this part though and have been telling myself for a few months now that I HAVE TO get my water consumption back up to par. Seeing the physical therapist and having her reaffirm it just added to my gusto to do so.
Although the day is almost over and I have yet to pop the top on my water bottle yet!!! Boo!
*chugging water break*
Okay, that's better.
~TigressSky~
 |
| My Precious |
I had my first Triathlon practice this past Saturday and I was pretty pathetic. Not physically, but mentally. I was beating myself up the entire bike ride, telling myself how bad I was doing, and asking "why are you even doing this, you suck!"
However, the moment my run was over and the workout complete I said to myself, "look at what you just did! Who else gets up early on a Saturday morning to push themselves this hard? Go you!"
I can't fully explain the why's of my negative self-talk. Yet I know part of it stems from my hunger driven desire to do SO much better than I did last year. Yet, with my first push out of the gate, I felt like I was performing way worse than how I started my training last year! This aided my obnoxiously defeating self-talk to seem perfectly fine and deserved. Even though I know damned well that negative self-talk simply drains your energy and manifests itself into reality, I simply couldn't push past it.
So, this Saturday I WILL NOT beat myself up. I will enjoy the ride, I will enjoy the run, and I will tell myself, "you can do this!!!" Because, no matter what my time is, I can do this and that's what really counts.
Barbie Feet, Physical Therapy & My Love of Coffee
 |
| When my feet are flat on the ground my toes are still raised up! |
With that said, I don't tend to wear heels - ever. Yet my feet appear to display characteristics as if heels are my shoe of choice.
My feet as well, have this little game they like to play called - "Muhahahahahaha! CRY! WIMPY GIRL! CRY!" As they cramp and contort all on their own without any real prompting or warning activity to lead them to do so.
This occurrence of my feet torturing me use to be less frequent and a lot more manageable. However, in the past few years, as my activity has increased and my demand on my feet has probably quadrupled, well, it has become a constant in my life.
 |
| That crazy muscle bulging in the front of my leg is caused by a condition I like to call "Barbie feet." If you would like to develop this muscle, just start walking and running with toes pointed up all the time! |
In fact, I developed this crazy huge muscle in the front of my leg I never even knew existed in the body because of my Barbie feet. (I still don't know what that muscle is called.)
That muscle pulls and tugs directly on my knees, quads and hamstrings. Which indirectly pulls on my glutes. Which directly pulls on my back. Which then pulls on my shoulders.
Yes, Barbie is ruining my world in many more ways then simply being an impossible body shape girls of America strive to achieve.
So, thanks to my physical therapist, I am now informed as to what is going on with my feet - and body aches overall. I am also armed with a few stretches and strengthening exercises to do daily that should help relax my toes, stretch that muscle, and hopefully provide me with some overall relief. As well, I am adding some old lady arch supports to my shoes, since my Barbie Feet also cause me to tilt inward. This happens due to the fact that my big toe is always up in the air instead of flat on the ground offering me support. So my body adapts by tilting inwards to force the toe to support me, only kind of incorrectly, like a kickstand on a bike or something.
The physical therapist also talked with me about my nutrition and suggested I add a magnesium/calcium supplement to my diet. Low magnesium and calcium in the body can cause the types of cramps and sudden muscle flexing contortions I suffer from.
 |
| Those coffee cups are emptied everyday. That water bottle is just there for looks! |
I drink what is equivalent to about 10 cups of coffee a day. Too which my physical therapist said, "that means you need to drink about 16 glasses of water a day. So, when your boss asks why you are in restroom so often ... well."
So begins my return to monitoring my water intake and ensuring I drink at least three (shooting for four) of my water bottles full of water a day (the equivalent of 12-16 glasses).
Coffee, while it has many, many, many (and I mean many), health benefits, is a dehydrator (and a diuretic - yeah more urine!) and can help steal water from your body. If you are already dehydrated it will steal it from your muscles. This can cause intensely severe cramping especially when you are working out and causing your body to shed even more water through sweat.
I already knew this part though and have been telling myself for a few months now that I HAVE TO get my water consumption back up to par. Seeing the physical therapist and having her reaffirm it just added to my gusto to do so.
Although the day is almost over and I have yet to pop the top on my water bottle yet!!! Boo!
*chugging water break*
Okay, that's better.
~TigressSky~
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