Tag Archives: Stress

June 11, 2014 · 6:45 am

Moving Past Mountains: Your Attitude Is The Key

It’s HUMP day, mi amores, and I couldn’t be happier!

I’d like to share some Spartan wisdom with you today. Truth is, I’ve been letting a work stress get over my life lately a tad too much. Not only I became grumpy, my ‘complaining levels’ have also gone up… And I’m not liking that too much… Why would I? Wasting my life in a bad mood is definitely not what I envision for myself.

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*Yah, thanks, but no thanks! Haha!*

I know I’ve been bringing up Spartan Up! quite often lately, but it’s just too good not to want to apply it to your life *and I promise, nobody paid me for this!*.

In one of the chapters, Joe de Sena was trying to explain why the Spartan Race involves so much running in the mountains, and I couldn’t agree any more with him: “Life is much the same way. Poor genetics is a mountain. School is a mountain. Heartbreak is a mountain. Divorce is a mountain. Obesity is a mountain. Layoffs are a mountain. A blown disc in your spine is a mountain. The death of parents is a mountain. Chemotherapy is a mountain. Multiple sclerosis is a mountain. They come at us one after the other. Some seduce us slowly, some scare the shit of us immediately, but they never stop coming. That’s why every Spartan race demands that you climb hills and overcome obstacles – because life does this to each of us.”

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His suggestion on how to overcome obstacles is to change attitude: “The way to improve your attitude is to push through adversity. Once you have seen the dark side, you push through until the dark phase comes to an end, and everything after that appears brighter, more hopeful. I have a saying I use whenever I’m uncomfortable: ‘It could be worse. I could be freezing in Alaska or surrounded by sharks.’ whatever is bothering you in that moment suddenly doesn’t seem so bad. This too shall pass.” Genius, simply GENIUS!

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My solution to this tiny hiccup?

Here it goes!

Cross-train: Dynamic Warm-Up

5-minute general warm up

25 yards each:

High-knee walk
High-knee jog
Butt-kickers
Lateral shuffle
Straight leg march
Skip
Straight leg skip
Cross-over step
Carioca
Duck walk

Cross: Mr. Clean

Repeat 3 times:

Swiss ball knee-tucks for 45 seconds
Push-ups for 30 seconds
Swiss ball triceps-dips for 45 seconds
Plank for 45 seconds

Run: Super Spartan Tempo Run

Warm up 2 miles with heart rate in zone 2;
Run 4 miles with heart rate in zone 4;
Cool down 2 miles with heart rate in zone 2.

Ab 500/ as a part of 30 sit-ups for 30 days challenge

I was obviously tired, but FELT ABSOLUTELY AH-MAZING!!!!!!

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How do you deal with work-related stress in the after work hours?

xoxo
Olena

23 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health, Motivation

Tagged as 30-day challenge, abs, cardio, Cross training, fitness, health, motivation, Spartan Race, Stress, weight loss

April 8, 2014 · 6:45 am

Dealing With Stress At Work, Reebok Shoes For The Spartan Race, And ‘Sleep Like A Baby’ Workout

Hiya!!!

I apologize, but I will take a few moments to nag. *Please, bare with me!* It was a really stressful day at work yesterday. You know, that kind of a day when things are out of your control, and no matter how hard you try to do the best for your clients, it’s somewhat pointless.

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I was trying really hard to act more energetic/happy, but my thoughts were focused on the negative aspect of the situation. Normally, I would be looking into one of the following ways to de-stress.

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However, this time around, the solution was much simpler: All it took to feel better was a hamburger, fries, coleslaw and BEER! I don’t even drink beer, but I’ve got to tell you, it did hit the spot. I am a happy person again! *Please, don’t judge! lol!*

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*Sorry, couldn’t resist! But I really didn’t have much!*

Moving on to some fun stuff, when I was shopping for gifts for my family last Sunday, I FINALLY got myself shoes for the Spartan Race. Buying proper running shoes can definitely be challenging; but I finally settled on this pair.

They are super cute and light, with water drainage system. But the selling point for me was definitely the duragrip!

Can you tell I am a happy camper? Can’t wait to try them out to tell you more!!!

On the other hand, I paid attention to the issues this shoe has. According to one of the reviews, the ankle cap is somewhat high and can cause blistering, so I will definitely make sure to wear higher socks. Here is a product review by one of the ambassadors who participated and won some of the Spartan Races.

*Just in case: I bought these shoes on my own. I was not approached by the Spartan Race or Reebok to review or advertise their product.*

My workout today is going to be intense! *As always, taken from the Spartan Race guide.* After taking a look, I dubbed it ‘Sleep Like A Baby’ workout haha!

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Dynamic Warm Up

Start with a 5-minute general warm-up with a brisk walk, slow jog, easy cycle. or easy row. Then perform the following exercises two times for a distance of 25 yards each:

High-knee walk
High-knee jog
Butt-kickers
Lateral shuffle
Straight leg march
Skip
Straight leg skip
Cross-over step
Carioca
Duck walk

Mr. Clean

Repeat three times:

Swiss ball knee-tucks for 45 seconds
Push-ups for 30 seconds
Swiss ball tricep-dips for 45 seconds
Plank for 45 seconds

Super Spartan Run: 8 miles

AB 500

30 push ups for 30 days Spartan challenge

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Do you ever eat junk food for a sake of making yourself feel better? What are you favourite trail running shoes?

xoxo
Olena

33 Comments

Filed under Fitness, Health

Tagged as Cross training, fitness, health, Reebok ALL TERRAIN SUPER, running, Spartan Race, Stress, trail running shoes, weight loss

February 4, 2014 · 6:45 am

Forgetfulness & Health Benefits Of Meditation

I think I’m getting old. No, for real! I’m not sure what this Monday was all about but I’m forgetting things, like IMPORTANT things. Don’t believe me? Well, you tell me!

I couldn’t remember where I put my wedding and engagement rings during our trip up north. *Okay, fine, I knew that they were in my purse, but then I couldn’t find them there because they fell out from a pocket I put them in. I made my hubby to do a detour to come back home to check pockets of my sweater, only to find them back in the car in my purse.*
I forgot my Ipod at work which is a MUST have when I run. *As a result, I had to use my phone as a replacement. But then I had to ask Justin for his headphones because I couldn’t remember where I out mine.*
I completely forgot *or maybe simply didn’t realize* that my gym membership expired last week… and forgot to bring my wallet with me *on the day when my hubby dropped me off there to top it off*. Thank goodness, a guy was nice enough to let me in to work out.

Isn’t forgetfulness a sign of aging? Or could it be a sign that I’m stressed out and mentally tired? In all honesty, I’m hoping it’s the latter! Haha!

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Alright, my day looks nothing like that. But I’m sure you know what I mean!

So what do I have planned for a workout today?

Run 4 miles and perform 15 burpees every 15 minutes (If you can’t do 15 continuous repetitions, do 3 sets of 5 with 30 seconds in between each set).

Afterwards, I decided to have my first meditation session ever to get my stress levels under control. I find that the following Infographic provided me with the important basics to get me started. What do you think?