We Rise...

The Phoniex resembles re-birth- to put in a better way, it is defined as an animal that rises from its own ashes, meaning that it can always pick itself up after falling down. We fall down because that is just what happens in life but good things always come out of downfalls...especially when we rise from them. When we rise, we gain wisdom.

Wisdom is valuable because it is gained through life's experiences- it is something that can only be learned if we go through something. Wisdom is timeless so once you gain it you can never lose it and are better able to navigate through life's obstacles. If you are anything like me, you learn once you have fallen a couple of times, that patience and time are the two most pertinent elements to gaining wisdom. Nothing good has ever come quickly or easily in my life and I am guessing if you look back on the best things/experiences in your life that they weren't quick or easy either.

Shortcuts are dangerous because they are an imposter to the genuine experience you gain from waiting and being patient. By this I mean, if you cheat, do something unhealthy, or step in front of someone else- your experience in whatever you are trying to achieve will be satisfying... but only for a short while. You WILL pay the consequences for doing the wrong thing but you will always reap benefits if you are patient.

Giving up on yourself is just as bad as taking a shortcut- usually people give up on themselves because it is taking so long for them to get what they want. The sad thing about this? Most people give up RIGHT before the light; thus, they royally screw themselves because what they want was right around the corner. You and I both know that we have the capability to withstand waiting- whether it be in agony or not, we all have the capability to rise above like the phoniex...Its just a matter of toughening up and committing yourself to WAIT. Your time will come....it will come.

Oh Mother Where Art Thou?

 -      

Once a month we females all know whats coming...Mother Nature seems to throw a little curve ball our way at her own time and convenience...yes, you guessed it- our period. The menstrual cycle is vital not only for reproduction but also for proper hormonal balance and bone health. But sometimes being an athlete, we lose our cycles. This is a topic that I have been asked to address several times so here it goes....

According to research done by Mount Sinai School of Medicine, loss of cycle is the body's way of telling an individual that the body's intake of  nutrition is inadequate. The term is also known as,

Amenorrhea, which is defined as an energy imbalance when caloric expenditure of activity exceeds how much an athlete is consuming.

People need to understand that usually, this energy imbalance is unintentional and not always a case of a disorder. Sometimes, individuals get so caught up in trying to balance all that they have to do in life like: train, work, school, family, etc. and just use more energy than they put in their bodies. Or, it is especially common when an athlete increases the intensity of her training and is not educated or does not know that she needs to consume more calories to meet her new training demands.

It may feel like you are eating enough or that your weight is fine but if you are missing your cycles for more than 3 consecutive months or if your cycles are sporatic, this is your body telling you that somewhere in your diet there is an imbalance and there needs to be a correction. It is simple to change and only you can determine what you can do to help yourself. No one has to tell you that you are underweight or that you are not consuming enough- your body is its best doctor and it knows when to alert you when something is TRULY off.

Many girls are forewarned about the "health consequences" of missing their periods but rarely are these warnings explained, and as a result, a girl focuses on the present (which is running) and is not motivated to change. Well, let me quickly show you some present and future health consequences:

1. Your estrogen levels decrease which means that your bone density will decrease which increases your chances for stress fractures/reactions and premature osteoporosis. (This is because bone resorption exceeds bone production)
2.  Hormones in your body become disrupted- one in particular is cortisol, This is a  stress hormone which rises when you are malnourished- you do not want this because it takes protein away from the muscles for energy which can cause higher blood pressure and weaken the immune system.
3.  You increase your profile for maternal risk. If you plan to be a mother in the future, it is CRUCIAL that you strike a nutritional balance that maintains normal cycles and body weight. Women who have an caloric imbalance, have trouble with cycles, and who are underweight are at risk for delivering a low birth weight baby. This is because her own body is in competition with the fetus for available nutrients in the body and both will suffer. Or worse, women may become infertile because there were not enough calories (especially fat calories) to support the reproductive system.

Some girls are on birth control and thus their bodies are forced to have periods- This is where it gets confusing because the body's alarm system of ceasing the cycle is silenced. So, girls might think that they are fine because they are getting their periods. However, if you are on birth control, know what is a HEALTHY weight for you and if you significantly drop below that, than again, your body is trying to tell you something.

This is something that is so important- do not ignore what your body is trying to tell you. I understand that if you are running well and not getting your period that it is hard to make yourself believe that you need to change what you are doing- however, if you make slight adjustments to your diet whether that be adding more healthy fats, consuming more snacks, etc than I think you will be really surprised at how it will IMPROVE your running even more.
 
Please read this article for further information- its good: http://www.canyons.edu/offices/health/nutritioncoach/concerns/reseat.asp

Since this is a hard topic and can be talked about forever, contact me if you have any further questions or if you need help.

alexadanielle7@gmail.com

Also refer to the GIRL TALK link on the right for more information!

Tri to a Bi

Today I found out that I will have to change my aspirations...Even though being a triathlete was something I really wanted to accomplish I have to step down from that goal for right now. Swimming- as much as I have grown to love it, has caused me some lower back problems... sometimes the pain is so great that I can barely sit without experiencing a headache.

I spoke with a doctor and he said that this can happen- swimming pulling on the back to cause a bulging disc which causes nerve problems. This was kind of dis-heartening because I am so tired of getting injured but I realized that at a high level of training injuries/pain is inevitable. The best thing to do is take active measures to prevent them as much as possible and or take extremely good care of myself to heal to get back out there. And yes that means either taking time off or stopping the activity all together. I have learned to choose health over exercise.

Sometimes it is hard to take a break from things that you love- its easy to be prideful or ignorant and continue to push through the pain just because we don't want to stop doing what we love but if we do this, the pain can become unbearable... sometimes to the point where you cannot do the activity that you love anymore because you pushed it to the extreme. 

I had a plan and it was to train for a March Triathlon- For those of you who know me, you know that I am a strict planner and always have every step mapped out. However, I have realized in the real world that plans CONSTANTLY change. Daily, I get derailed from my plan for the day. My back pain has derailed me from accomplishing this plan. It sucks because I have put a lot of effort into this plan but at least I can still do other things- I am blessed to still be able to run and bike. So... Tentative Plan B? I will become a duelathlete.But this time I will not be so planned- I will have a "map" drawn in pencil and I will carry an eraser for this map because many things can and will change.

Warriors are always prepared to handle derailments- they have the ability to bounce back even when it hurts to change the course of action. Weak people wallow in self pity and refuse to take the new course set before them. They never accomplish anything great because they are holding onto a plan that no longer is in action.

So what are you today? A warrior? Or a weak individual? Take your pick and run with it.

MISTAKES

Yup...This poster was made for Alexa Rogers! I literally screw up every single day. It can be something silly like tripping over nothing, running into a twirling door with a cute guy when I was supposed to wait my turn, farting in public, hugging the wrong person, etc. The list can and will go on forever. I am cursed.

Today at my job I made a pretty bad mistake- one of my bosses asked me to coordinate a meeting for her and one of the big Vice Presidents of our company. For some reason, I thought she meant that she wanted me to meet with him...Ya I know, i'm an idiot. So I set this meeting up with him- just him and I. Then, she found out about it and was like, "Why would you do that? Are you a recruiter?" I replied "No" she replied "And what exactly would you have talked to him about in that meeting?" My face turned red and I shook my head- not knowing what to say. She replied, "Ya, let's save each other from looking stupid." Gosh! I almost died! I made a bone head move- she did save me though because seriously I don't even know the guy and would have walked into his office and been like, "so what's going on here?"  Anyway- I learned to ask for verification when I don't understand.

Then, if things couldn't get any worse- I was in a conference call with some of my other team members in another state and we were waiting for a person named Jeri to attend our team meeting. And I, on the other end of the line, asked, so what does Jeri do? does she work in hr? Then a man's voice on the other end said, "Ya this is Jeri, I'm a guy and I don't work HR but I work for the union!"

Ha- its funny though. I have actually come to enjoy making little blurps because sometimes they provide for a good story and because I learn something from them. Some bigger mistakes I have made are not so funny- they are things that hurt me and hurt others in the past but I am still glad that I made them because I learned from them and am a better person today and hope that others can learn from me and avoid the mistakes that I have made. One thing that I have learned is to make a change after your mistake- bounce back and show the world that you will get back up. AND forgive yourself- you can't be perfect, can't win them all, can't exceed every test, workout, race, or job duty but you can always overcome.

Run Washed

BRAIN WASH DEFINED: A form of indoctrination that forces people to abandon their beliefs in favor of another set of beliefs by conditioning through various forms of pressure or torture

Synonyms for Brainwash: Mind control,coercive persuasion, mind abuse, thought control

We have all heard of this term before- we all know the implications that being brainwashed has. If you notice the key words "torture" "pressure" "abandon beliefs" and "abuse" you can see how harmful being brainwashed can be on an individual.

The sad thing is- is that most people brainwash themselves. It does not necessarily come from others, rather it comes from within. Many athletes, especially female athletes, experience what I can Run Wash. This term basically has the same meaning as brain wash but it applies to how a female can create a place of torture in her own mind because of her desire to be the best in her sport.

There are times when we "abandon" or own standards and values as a person to become something we want or desire. For example, we may think that in order to be the best that we have to change our diet- While it is true that an athlete must strike a healthier diet than regular people, sometimes female athletes take it to the extreme and totally imprison themselves. They "Run Wash" themselves to the point where they may feel guilty for eating a cookie or guilty for eating more than their friends at dinner.

It does not just pertain to food- sometimes females run wash themselves into thinking that they HAVE to train for hours- and if they miss a workout or don't squeeze in a double- all of a sudden their whole day is ruined. Or one may feel guilty if they don't get exactly eight hours of sleep in or if they go out with their friends.

We have all been through this at one point- where we let something we love become an idol and something that we live for. You see, when we run wash ourselves, we end up spending so much guilty or corrosive time in our heads that we miss what is going on outside of ourselves. Run Washing is selfish and harmful to the self. Shoot for the stars, dream big, and work hard but make sure that you do not live for running or that it becomes an idol in which you chase and revolve your every activity around.

Run because it is a part of your life- not because it is your life.

Pumping Iron

Iron... I think as female athletes most of us know what this is because a lot of us have, or have had in the past, been diagnosed with low iron. Before we get into all of that, let's determine the importance of this little trace mineral. Iron is an essential component in blood hemoglobin- its main role is to transport oxygen throughout the body. The result of low iron is reduced bodily endurance and decreased energy efficiency- this causes muscle fatigue. Insufficient iron means less red blood cells in the body. This is why female athletes feel, "tired" or "sluggish" or "not themselves in a race."

According to Runners World (2010) about 10-20% of female athletes are iron deficient. Researchers from Cornell University found that female athletes are more prone to low iron at the beginning of the season due to a heavy pre-season training. In addition, most females are unaware that they have low iron at the beginning of the season and or do not take the necessary steps to increase iron levels and have a poor season as a result. Women are more prone to iron deficiency because we lose quite a bit through our menstrual cycles and on top of that lose an additional amount through sweat, urine, and pounding from running.

One of the most potent discoveries from scientists is that they are discovering that women are particularly susceptible to iron deficiency because women are more concerned with their diet and may not be consuming enough iron rich foods or may be consuming foods that inhibit iron absorption (Runner's World, 2010). So, what can we do to avoid this mess upfront before the season starts?

Balance your diet. If you are a heavy consumer of coffee, tea, and fiber than you need to figure out a system in which you increase more iron rich substances and decrease inhibitors. You do not have to eliminate a good cup of coffee or those delicious salads, veggies, and fruits but you do need to concentrate on adding a couple of snacks or meals in your day where you concentrate more on iron rich foods. Iron rich foods include: lean red meat (bison meat, sirloin steak, roast beef) oysters, clams, spinach, egg yolks, Total cereal, prunes, apricots, beans, nuts, lentils, bread, chicken, turkey, and raisins. Pair these sources with foods high in vitamin C and it will increase the rate of absorption. Foods high in Vitamin C are:bell peppers, kiwis, strawberries, oranges, broccoli, cauliflower, and kale.

Make sure that you understand that the body more readily absorbs iron from MEAT sources- in fact, the body absorbs iron from meat sources 5x faster than from plant based sources. So, be sure to have lean read meat at least 2-3 times a week, have some meat based source every day in addition to fruits and veggies. Also, you may have to get a supplement- get tested by your athletic trainer or doctor and figure out your iron levels ASAP. If is too low, they may prescribe liquid iron or an iron pill- if you are a coffee drinker, consume this iron at night before bed with a large glass of orange juice. Do this EVERY DAY- if you get lazy than your season will suffer. This is serious girls, let's prevent a frustrating season by taking care of the little things now.

Here are some examples of how to incorporate iron if you can't live without the iron inhibitors: try to cut back on coffee and tea intake- if you have 2-3 cups a day, go for 1. If you have to drink more- try to do it earlier rather than later in the day- in the latter part of the day focus more on iron.

AM- coffee/tea and whatever breakfast you eat
AM Snack- 1 Cup Dried Total Cereal with raisins and almonds
Lunch- Lean red meat or another protein source with your choice carbs and healthy fat
PM Snack- High Vitamin C fruit with Peanut butter
Dinner-Meat iron source paired with veggies (lentils, bell peppers, spinach, and beans), and a carb
IF NEEDED: IRON SUPPLEMENT WITH 100% ORANGE JUICE OR STRAWBERRY JUICE (strawberries are actually higher in Vitamin C than oranges)

The Essense of Time

 As we all know, life is busy- period.  I just got a job at a wonderful company- however, the building is located downtown Denver and I either have to commute for about an hour and half each way or drive for 40 minutes, pay for parking, and walk 5 blocks each way and then work for 8 hours. I'm sure most of you are in the same boat or have school that takes up just as much time. On top of this- we are all juggling time for practicing our sports, appointments, and other commitments. We also have to be prepared for the random car break downs or alarms not going off. 

Sometimes it can be a lot and we get into this routine of just getting through our day- This routine is good for efficiency but it kills goals and relationships. For example, today I looked around and found reminders of good intentions for my life but I never followed through to reach that goal. On my way to work I saw my bike that I wanted to learn how to well before the winter season- I saw a Spanish book on my nightstand...unread. More importantly, as I scrolled through my phone to check my email I rolled past contacts in my phone- important people who are waiting for a phone call. 

To tap into potential whether it be through your goals in sport, academics, work, or relationships takes intentional, concentrated effort. It just DOES NOT HAPPEN.  We are given each day as a gift- 86,400 seconds, 1,4440 minutes, and 24 hours. It is up to us how we choose to spend it- either way it will be spent but we have the power to spend it well and not be consumed by "busy" or "I don't have time." We are all competitive people- that's what a sport does to you. 

So get competitive with yourself and accept the challenge of juggling all that you have to do PLUS achieving your goals. When you have to do something like an appointment, ride the lightrail for an hour to work, or have 20 minutes to spare before practice MAKE IT COUNT! Make it an adventure to take time to listen or learn.