Determination

by kelsey | May 30, 2012 | Goals

Watching my brother Micah run in the Buffalo Marathon was my second experience with cheering on a brother in a marathon. My oldest brother and his wife ran the Chicago Marathon a few years ago and we were there to support them as well. Both of these experiences have amazed me. Running a marathon or a half marathon is a huge accomplishment. For one it’s a HUGE time committment and of course involves a lot of determination, motivation, and strength to get through it! There are always going to be professional runners in these races, but there are also a lot of just every day people running for a cause, their own personal goal, or to just stay fit. One of the most amazing people we saw running was a woman in her 30s, who was pushing an adult male with disabilities in a stroller. So not only was she running herself, she was pushing the stroller! She was really amazing! Determination and motivation come from within and it takes some personal meditation and thinking to stay positive about your goals. Having cheerleaders and a support system are always going to help you be more successful but the first step is to believe in yourself and your capabilities. Self worth and a positive attitude are keys to being more successful. The easy way out is to give up or fall off the band wagon and in turn you start the cycle all over again. Staying positive with positive self talk and feelings will help you stay more determined and motivated.

As our STRIVE 2 Survive spring program wraps up next week, we will be celebrating with many of our participants, but at the same time, we’ll be coaching those who need a little more help to stay on track with their goals. Weight loss isn’t easy and the weight isn’t going to fall off in a day like we all want it to! Staying determined, motivated, and positive about your goals and your accomplishments will help you be successful in the long run. Celebrate each baby step along the way and before you know it you’ll be celebrating the bigger accomplishements!

Below is a picture of Micah just a few blocks from the finish line. He’s all smiles and giving us the thumbs up. This is what accomplishing your goals looks like and of course it takes a lot of determination to get there! In the end, the big goals like finishing a marathon or the little ones like reducing your pop intake, getting that 30 min of exercise in a day, or eating more fruits and vegetables are worth celebrating as well.

-Kelsey

The Reality of Goal Setting

by kelsey | May 29, 2012 | Goals

I have been trying to figure out how to write this post for about a month now. You have all heard from us about the importance of setting goals that are measurable, but what happens when you can’t fulfill them?! Usually that results in disappointment, giving up on yourself, and falling off the band wagon with wellness as a whole sometimes. Well the reality of goal setting became very real to me about a month ago. My older brother Micah decided to sign up for running the Buffalo NY marathon in January. His reasoning behind this big goal was that it was something he has always wanted to do, to help get him back in better shape, and of course (like many) to improve his health to be around a long time for his family. When I found out he signed up, it sparked my interest as I was needing a little kickstart to my exercise routine. I didn’t have much desire for running the full marathon, but I learned that the half runs the same course as the full and starts at the same time so I signed up for that.

I was super excited to train and bond with my brother during this experience. I was doing well with my training and celebrated many new personal records along the way, until I hit about 10 miles in my training and the chest pain ans shortness of breath came on. I have a congenital heart murmor that has never given me problems until now. Well I thought maybe it was the wind, the temperature, or the humidity, but everytime I tried to do my runs after that (no matter what the conditions were) the pain persisted and the shortness of breath would come on during the longer distances. I decided I better get checked out…and after many tests, Dr. Shah, PLH cardiologist politely told me, “what your mind wants to do and what your body is going to let you do are different.” At that moment, Dr. Shah confirmed I am never going to be able to engage in long periods of vigorous activity like running a marathon, biking long distances, etc due to my heart condition. Well it was an easy decision to not run because it’s really not worth going into cardiac arrest and dying from it, but it did challenge me personally as I was not going to meet my goal…and that doesn’t happen real often for me.

This last weekend, we cheered my brother on in the Buffalo Marathon and he did great! It was so much fun to be a part of his success. I have decided to adjust my goals and run in shorter races like 5 and 10k’s of which Dr. Shah thought would be better for me. This experience showed me how important reality is in setting goals. Even though I follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly, running a half marathon was not in my cards. This applies to many other goal setting principles. When setting goals, you need to think about what’s most realistic and achievable for you and your body and your capabilities. Many times, I’ll have patients look at the BMI chart and say, wow…the last time I weighed that was in high school and they are now in their 50’s. Well obviously that weight is not realistic, so let’s compromise and meet in the middle.

Life is about give and take and prioritizing…. and we are here to help you with that! Our whole STRIVE 2 Survive team really makes efforts to practice what we preach in efforts to be good role models for our patients and participants and we are human just like you which does include bumps along the way. In my next few posts, I’m going to discuss some other highlights of our trip. We took our 83 year old grandma with us and she continues to show us how to make the most of life….stay tuned!

Above is a picture of “Team Likness”. Tabby had shirts made for all of us to help cheer Micah on. They were all pretty comical! My shirt said, “that’s not sweat, it’s your fat cells crying,” my Dad’s said, “RELAX! You’re not going to win!”, and Micah’s said, “26.2…I need a new hobby!”

-Kelsey