Reclaiming Wellness

On The Road Again...

Have you ever wanted to participate in an athletic event that you knew would stretch the boundaries of your bodymindspirit?  The thought of doing so brings about many feelings...anxiety, excitement, curiosity and many big question marks.

I don't know how it would be for you, but when I first thought of riding a century (yes, a 100 miles on a bike in one day) to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 1999, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do it.  Up to the time that I started training, the most I had ridden in a single day was 30 leisurely miles, far different from a focused 100 miles in a single day.  Yet, with training, focus, support and commitment to raise money for a good cause, I was able to achieve that goal.  What a high that was!

Now, I'm on the road again, except this time it is with my feet, not my bike.  I have signed up to walk a half-marathon - 13.1 miles - in the Baltimore Marathon on October 13, 2007 to raise money for the LLS.  I must give my daughter, Carrie, credit for getting me involved with the LLS again.  She had decided to do the half-marathon, and I decided to join her. 

So, we are now walking regularly during the week and training with our team on Saturday mornings. LLS does a wonderful job of organizing training and teams, one reason why I am happy to be a part of their mission again.  They also do a wonderful job with the funds that are raised: over 75% of the funds raised go directly to research or support for families.  Equally amazing is that since 1988, more than 300,000 volunteer participants have raised more than $700 million with the Team in Training program!

I'll be writing regular updates about my training and experiences with Team In Training and LLS, including my progress toward reaching my fundraising goal, which is $2500.  And, I am boldly going to let you, my readers, know two ways that you can contribute if you wish:

• Online donations are gratefully accepted at http://www.active.com/donate/tntmd/tntmdJmeacha
• Checks made out to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society can be mailed to Terra Enterprises, Inc., P.O. Box 397, Laurel, MD  20723

Please feel free to send this message to at least 5 friends/associates/family members.  All donations are accepted with great gratitude and are fully tax deductible.

Have any of you had experiences with similar events?  If so, are you willing to share your feelings and experiences?  Let me know at reclaimingwellness@gmail.com.

I wish you peace, joy and many blessings,  Jana

Keep thinking 13 on the 13th...

AWOL and Stress

Oh yes, I have been AWOL and for that I do apologize.  Somehow the weeks have flown by and even with the best of intentions, I have not submitted any new postings.

The past few months have been a reminder to me of the consequences of too much stress: not sleeping well, not eating as well as I should, not scheduling my time well, not focusing well, not always following up the way that I should...not a good way to live life.  Even the health coach sometimes has to take a step back and re-evaluate her response to life.

Hans Selye, M.D., Ph.D.,D.Sc., was one of the first researchers to study the physical consequences of too much stress and as such is known as "the father of the stress field".  The simple explanation is that Dr. Selye found that when we are overly stressed, our bodies maintain a constant "fight or flight" state with all of the accompanying hormonal and physical changes.  This "fight or flight" response is essential to our survival as a species!  It prepared our ancestors to run away from tigers and other predators, and while our stressors are different today, we also need “fight or flight” in order to survive significant threats.

What is important to know is that our bodies are not meant to be in the "fight or flight" state constantly.  When that is the case, our bodies never enter a vital rest period and over time, our bodies will exhaust themselves.  While reading Dr. Selye’s research is very interesting, it is not required in order to understand that being constantly stressed is not a good thing.

So, what to do?  There are countless resources available today that can help with stress reduction; the key is to find what works for you.  I can share what I have done and perhaps it will help you also. 

·        I absolutely love classical choral music and have been listening to it a lot. 

·        I am exercising more.

·        I am eating better.

·        I make sure that I laugh out loud even if I don’t always feel like doing so.

·        I make sure that I stay connected to family and friends, especially those wonderful grandchildren!

·        I take slow, deep breaths whenever I start to feel stressed (especially when I am in traffic…)

·        I take quality supplements.

·        I am reading more, both fiction and non-fiction.

So, where are things now?  Our house is on the market, I am still in Maryland and David is working in Virginia.  Other than being apart during the week, things are more stable than they have been for some time and that is a good thing!

A favorite saying of mine is “Let me live as a child in the sun”.  Imagine a child playing outside on a beautiful, clear day; this child has no cares or worries and is truly present in this moment.  May all of us be blessed to live our lives as that “child in the sun”.

I wish you peace, joy and many blessings,  Jana