So, I saw this story on Facebook today. It's actually 2 years old, but it's worth looking at if you're obese and think you shouldn't run for fear of injury. Here's the story. It's about a woman who may have been told she shouldn't run...because she may injure herself. She ignored that advice and shared it on her blog, which at the time seemed to have the same intention as the one you're reading now. It gained attention and now, 2 years later, it's a pretty interesting resource for anyone who's overweight and is interested in running.
I read the article because it recently came to my attention that shin splints aren't the result of a lot of body weight pressing down on a particular part of the body. They are only the result of a weak muscle. The muscle behind your shin bone. I can't say that's the only reason, but body weight isn't really the reason you may get shin splints.
That's what someone told me a few years ago. They lied? Maybe they didn't know. I was foolish enough to listen to them, though. They may have meant what they said in a different way. A year ago, I never thought I'd be running a 5k. Now, once or twice a week or more, even, I run 5k+. But things have changed between last year and now. I've lost several pounds and some inches! With the help of my trainer, I've conditioned my muscles and work on them weekly (if not daily). I've also improved my core and my ability to balance. My body has, and is still, changing.
Does that mean that a year ago I could have started running? Consistently? Without putting myself through agony? No, not necessarily. I don't know, really. But I do know that starting out with intense exercise and not just easing into it hasn't worked for me in the past when I've tried to lose weight and workout more. So, there's that.
Anyway, the point is that I can run. And maybe you can, too. Maybe a little bit of prep work and a little bit of knowledge might help you. Go to the About and Starting Out pages of this site. It's a UK site, so the resources and spellings of words are British, but... at least you can read it and maybe get something out of them. :)
Once you're reading that and all ready to run, you should check out my friend Laura's review of Melissa McCarthy's movies (e.g., The Heat, Bridesmaids, Tammy, etc.) and how they continue to carry the stereotype of fat females as being desperate, foolish, and less deserving of love. She thoroughly sums up why I hated Bridesmaids (hardly funny) very well. I think you might like it, too.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
What's in a name? Everything.
"If women’s last names are consistently absent from history, never passed down, then where is their—our—value?"
That's the most profound question (that shouldn't be profound at all) I've ever read. It's from this essay about a couple who gave their first daughter the wife's last name instead of the husband's. In her essay, the author questions why children taking the husband's last name is always a given in our American society.
This entire idea is something I had never thought about before, even though I've hemmed and hawed over a decision on changing my own last name once I get married. I even assumed that any potential future children may have my soon-husband-to-be's last name. It was never even a question. I had never given it a second thought, even...up until now.
I'm not saying with absolutely certainty anything except that I think this author is right: it shouldn't be assumed that children will take their father's last name always and forever. It should be a decision both parents make together, provided both biological parents continue on to be that child's actual parents.
Furthermore, while reading or just after reading this article, I got to thinking about lineage and how historically, men have held positions of power for centuries upon centuries of time. How did that come to be, that men have always (or at least primarily) been 'on top' and 'in charge'? Why is it that no women are aloud to be priests in the Catholic church, and have just barely been able to hold authoritative positions in government and large corporations? Why has this been the case for so long? How have we as a species made trips to the moon but we haven't managed to level the gender playing field?
Maybe what I'm about to say is completely foolish and fictional, but I thought it earlier and I'm going to put it out into the ether anyway. First, what lead me to this thought was the passage in the essay about "birthing"and how a woman should claim the rights to that process, since it's an active one, not a passive one. If a woman carries a child for 9 months inside her and basically opens herself up to let the child out into the world, how is it that no one considers that maybe the mother's last name should be the child's, too?
I do realize that men have a major role to play in child bearing and the process could not be done without their sperm, at the very least...but seriously... the woman carries the baby for 9 MONTHS. The man spends a maximum of, say, 15 minutes doing his part and the woman spends 394,462 minutes doing hers, and that may not even include the minutes spent in labor! And she doesn't even realize that she can question the child's last name and make a case that the kid share her last name? That's crazy.
Back to the foolish and fictional. I got to thinking that maybe, deep deep down, just maybe men feel threatened because women hold most of the power of procreation. And it's because of that threat that men felt the need centuries ago to overpower and oppress women, starting a deep lasting patriarchal trend of gender inequality.
Anyway, this essay has definitely made me think a bit differently about my own future naming decisions. I haven't favored hyphenation or blended options, but I know that I'll absolutely consider them more and more if and when the need arises.
That's the most profound question (that shouldn't be profound at all) I've ever read. It's from this essay about a couple who gave their first daughter the wife's last name instead of the husband's. In her essay, the author questions why children taking the husband's last name is always a given in our American society.
This entire idea is something I had never thought about before, even though I've hemmed and hawed over a decision on changing my own last name once I get married. I even assumed that any potential future children may have my soon-husband-to-be's last name. It was never even a question. I had never given it a second thought, even...up until now.
I'm not saying with absolutely certainty anything except that I think this author is right: it shouldn't be assumed that children will take their father's last name always and forever. It should be a decision both parents make together, provided both biological parents continue on to be that child's actual parents.
Furthermore, while reading or just after reading this article, I got to thinking about lineage and how historically, men have held positions of power for centuries upon centuries of time. How did that come to be, that men have always (or at least primarily) been 'on top' and 'in charge'? Why is it that no women are aloud to be priests in the Catholic church, and have just barely been able to hold authoritative positions in government and large corporations? Why has this been the case for so long? How have we as a species made trips to the moon but we haven't managed to level the gender playing field?
Maybe what I'm about to say is completely foolish and fictional, but I thought it earlier and I'm going to put it out into the ether anyway. First, what lead me to this thought was the passage in the essay about "birthing"and how a woman should claim the rights to that process, since it's an active one, not a passive one. If a woman carries a child for 9 months inside her and basically opens herself up to let the child out into the world, how is it that no one considers that maybe the mother's last name should be the child's, too?
I do realize that men have a major role to play in child bearing and the process could not be done without their sperm, at the very least...but seriously... the woman carries the baby for 9 MONTHS. The man spends a maximum of, say, 15 minutes doing his part and the woman spends 394,462 minutes doing hers, and that may not even include the minutes spent in labor! And she doesn't even realize that she can question the child's last name and make a case that the kid share her last name? That's crazy.
Back to the foolish and fictional. I got to thinking that maybe, deep deep down, just maybe men feel threatened because women hold most of the power of procreation. And it's because of that threat that men felt the need centuries ago to overpower and oppress women, starting a deep lasting patriarchal trend of gender inequality.
Anyway, this essay has definitely made me think a bit differently about my own future naming decisions. I haven't favored hyphenation or blended options, but I know that I'll absolutely consider them more and more if and when the need arises.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
The stars are aligning!
So, in the past few months, I've had some ups and downs, but it's looking up right now and I wanted to share some good news. As of today, I've lost a total of 19 pounds since the fall!
I'm totally proud of myself for getting this far and looking back makes me motivated to keep going. It's a slow, slow process, though. I've learned that I average about 4 pounds of weight loss per 2 months. It slowed down a bit through a stressful spring, but I think it will pick up again if I keep on the Couch-to-5k program.
I started it 3 weeks ago. I run either around my neighborhood or at the park early in the mornings before work (and yeah, even on weekends). It's good to go early because there are less people to dodge. It's quiet and peaceful. Plus, as it's summer now, it's much cooler. (I learned the hard way this week when I went for a midday run...85 degrees is not fun to run in.) My guess is that pretty soon I'll need to get back on the treadmill, but I'm going to keep trying to run outdoors because I hate having to speed up and slow down the treadmill and also I'm starting to enjoy running outdoors.
The only issue I've come across is that I'm getting shin splints. A while ago, someone told me that a person that weighs as much as I do shouldn't run so as to prevent injury. But, I think now that I've lost some weight, have gained muscle mass, and have become more used to moderate to heavy cardio, I think I can ignore that advice. Just this morning I talked to my trainer and she gave me some good exercises to help me strengthen the muscles in my legs. She said shin splints are the result of a weak muscle... I think it's just behind the shin bone, but don't quote me! I'm going to start doing calf raises and using a stretchy band to work the muscle out so the shin splints will vanish.
Um, what else? Oh yeah! The fancy dress that I'll be wearing in September...I tried it on at my mom's house a few weekends ago, but it wouldn't zip up all the way. Without holding it closed, it appeared that I had 4 more inches to go...I was pretty disappointed about that! It did zip with some struggle back when I bought it in February, and I've lost weight since then! Soon after that, I contacted a seamstress in Ellicott City who told me that it would probably be a few hundred dollars just to alter the fit of the dress, not to mention altering the hem and cutting off the train! I was distraught because that's a lot of money to spend!
BUT THEN, I called this other seamstress in Arbutus (note the location change!). She is a straight-talking, down-to-earth lady who told me she's altered my dress for two other brides before. To know that she had experience with my dress was comforting to know! But then, she pulled the dress closed on me and said I really only had 1 more inch to go...not 4!! AND THEN, she told me the total alteration amount would be much less expensive than the other lady. If I needed to alter the fit at all, it would be $50. NOT SHABBY, right?
But this post isn't about my wedding plans. The point is, I only have 1 more inch to fit into my dress! And as of today, I only have 7 more pounds to lose before I reach my 10% goal. And if I keep up my new running routine (which in the past 3 weeks has led me to lose 5.2 pounds), I think that I can reach my 10% weight loss goal and fit into my dress at about the same time! See, the stars are aligning. (And if they don't, that's ok, because I'm on the right track anyway!)
There are a few obstacles ahead, though. There will always be parties to attend, for one. I have a few coming up this weekend, in fact, that I have to plan ahead for. And at the end of this month, I'm going to the beach with Dave's family. I'll have to be extra careful there, making sure I work out and track my consumption. Alcohol always gets me into trouble (the four beers I had at Camden Yards [tall beers, mind you] definitely led me to indulging on more food), so I may have to enforce a 2-drink limit for the next few months... I'll only break that for special occasions. :)
Okay, I think that's enough for now. I'll try to check in again in another few months. Between healthy life planning, work outs, wedding plans, volunteering, and work, I rarely have time to blog any more. :(
I'm totally proud of myself for getting this far and looking back makes me motivated to keep going. It's a slow, slow process, though. I've learned that I average about 4 pounds of weight loss per 2 months. It slowed down a bit through a stressful spring, but I think it will pick up again if I keep on the Couch-to-5k program.
I started it 3 weeks ago. I run either around my neighborhood or at the park early in the mornings before work (and yeah, even on weekends). It's good to go early because there are less people to dodge. It's quiet and peaceful. Plus, as it's summer now, it's much cooler. (I learned the hard way this week when I went for a midday run...85 degrees is not fun to run in.) My guess is that pretty soon I'll need to get back on the treadmill, but I'm going to keep trying to run outdoors because I hate having to speed up and slow down the treadmill and also I'm starting to enjoy running outdoors.
The only issue I've come across is that I'm getting shin splints. A while ago, someone told me that a person that weighs as much as I do shouldn't run so as to prevent injury. But, I think now that I've lost some weight, have gained muscle mass, and have become more used to moderate to heavy cardio, I think I can ignore that advice. Just this morning I talked to my trainer and she gave me some good exercises to help me strengthen the muscles in my legs. She said shin splints are the result of a weak muscle... I think it's just behind the shin bone, but don't quote me! I'm going to start doing calf raises and using a stretchy band to work the muscle out so the shin splints will vanish.
Um, what else? Oh yeah! The fancy dress that I'll be wearing in September...I tried it on at my mom's house a few weekends ago, but it wouldn't zip up all the way. Without holding it closed, it appeared that I had 4 more inches to go...I was pretty disappointed about that! It did zip with some struggle back when I bought it in February, and I've lost weight since then! Soon after that, I contacted a seamstress in Ellicott City who told me that it would probably be a few hundred dollars just to alter the fit of the dress, not to mention altering the hem and cutting off the train! I was distraught because that's a lot of money to spend!
BUT THEN, I called this other seamstress in Arbutus (note the location change!). She is a straight-talking, down-to-earth lady who told me she's altered my dress for two other brides before. To know that she had experience with my dress was comforting to know! But then, she pulled the dress closed on me and said I really only had 1 more inch to go...not 4!! AND THEN, she told me the total alteration amount would be much less expensive than the other lady. If I needed to alter the fit at all, it would be $50. NOT SHABBY, right?
But this post isn't about my wedding plans. The point is, I only have 1 more inch to fit into my dress! And as of today, I only have 7 more pounds to lose before I reach my 10% goal. And if I keep up my new running routine (which in the past 3 weeks has led me to lose 5.2 pounds), I think that I can reach my 10% weight loss goal and fit into my dress at about the same time! See, the stars are aligning. (And if they don't, that's ok, because I'm on the right track anyway!)
There are a few obstacles ahead, though. There will always be parties to attend, for one. I have a few coming up this weekend, in fact, that I have to plan ahead for. And at the end of this month, I'm going to the beach with Dave's family. I'll have to be extra careful there, making sure I work out and track my consumption. Alcohol always gets me into trouble (the four beers I had at Camden Yards [tall beers, mind you] definitely led me to indulging on more food), so I may have to enforce a 2-drink limit for the next few months... I'll only break that for special occasions. :)
Okay, I think that's enough for now. I'll try to check in again in another few months. Between healthy life planning, work outs, wedding plans, volunteering, and work, I rarely have time to blog any more. :(
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