Just Do It!

Yesterday, I had some free time in the afternoon.  It was a magnificient summer day in Manhattan; the robin's egg blue sky and low humidity just made me wish I were somewhere on a golf course, by a lake or stream, or anywhere other than the city.  I had already done the P90X Plyometrics workout in the morning, so I had playtime at my disposal.  I dumped my work clothes and got into my shorts, t shirt and sneakers.  Mountain bike and me was all I needed.  I took a rapid but easy pace up the beautiful West Side Highway bike path and stopped off at 97th St to sit on a bench and just take in the sailboats, waterfowl and atmosphere of the park.  I could have gone up over the GW Bridge, but the objective was to go for a leisurely bike ride and enjoy the afternoon.  Sitting on the bench allowed me some mental detox time; the physical exercise was just a nice stretch of the legs.  At the end of the afternoon, I felt refreshed and so happy that I was able to just 'go out and play' on a nice day.  Even though I didn't get out of the Big Apple, the river view, the park and the silent solitude was like a mini vacation.

Here's Your Healthy Tip of the Day:  If you have time to get out and play, then just do it!  Do it because you physically can participate in the activity and because you never know what tomorrow will bring.  We hear everyday so many stories about people becoming victims of terrible accidents, hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural or man-made disasters that we should do all we can to make today the best it can be.  So, don't say to yourself "I'll do it tomorrow" when it comes to play (save that for cleaning the house or the garage), go out there today and JUST DO IT!

Trepidation and Self Intimidation

Yesterday, I took my first run in Central Park for the first time in about 2 years.  It started off not so good....uphill, downhill on the bridlepath.  What was wrong??  My stride was off, I was having difficulty breathing.  My head was running, not my body!  All I kept thinking about was "maybe I shouldn't do the hills - not good for the knee, maybe I should change my stride from toe strike to heel-to-toe, maybe, maybe, maybe.....".  There was so much noise going on in my brain, I couldn't hear my Crystal Method song blasting through my headphones.
.....so, I stopped and started to walk.  I realized I was afraid to run; afraid to damage my knee; intimidated by the trail I have run thousands of times.
Trepidation and Self Intimidation can sabbotage our best intentions.  When this happens, it's time to stop, take a few good deep breaths, and shut the noise off in your brain.  Quite often, that 'voice' in our heads makes up the most incredible stories why we can't do something.  In the end, we self-annihiliate hook, line and sinker.  All in the fabulous little skull we call a brain which is supposed to be intelligent.  Self Intimidation is counter intelligence and self terrorism.
Having thought about all this while walking up to the reservoir, I decided to adopt the Nike slogan and 'just do it'.  Shut off the brain, listen to my music, look at the beautiful reservoir and just run.  There was a man in front of me who was taking a good pace:  about a 9.5 minute mile.  Slow, but steady, I followed him.  I looked at the cherry trees, the clouds, the birds and before I knew it, I had done a loop around the reservoir.  It's approximately 1.3 miles.  Not much at all, but a victory after not being able to run around the block for 2 years.  As I walked through the park back down to 59th Street, I took in my surroundings and appreciated the fact that I have 2 legs, I CAN run, and I tried my best.  Today is another day.  I'm a little sore because I'm not in running condition, but that's o.k.
....I'll be back!
and I'm gonna leave the self terrorism home!!