Because sometimes we tend to block things out...

"Maddy, since I'm going to have some down time before we go rock climbing tonight, do you think I should go for a run, start training for our upcoming stair climb, or do the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD?"

"Well, Jenny, you've said before that your Jillian Michael's workout involved a lot of arm workouts, so I would stick to that for today. You wouldn't want to kill your legs before climbing!"


Maddy was right on both accounts.


For her latter point, you really don't want to kill your legs before climbing. A common misconception about climbing is that it involves mostly your arms. People think that if you have strong arms, you should be able to pull yourself up a wall with ease. While it is true that the stronger you are, the more success you'll have on a route, people tend to forget what a crucial role legs play in the climbing process. Our friend Teddy Westside would take this to an extreme sometimes, when he'd ascend the wall using nothing but his arms... both legs flailing in the wind. While he may have made it to the end of a route on occassion, he would also have tired out his arms enough that he would have to spend the rest of the evening watching others. And complaining. Incessantly.

But ask any experienced climber, and they'll tell you just how important it is to use your legs. Your legs are significantly more powerful than your arms, and as a result are much more capable of propelling you up a wall (there is a reason that we walk on our legs rather than constantly doing hand stands... and only part of it has to do with head rushes). Everyone that has ever coached me up a route has always yelled something about trusting my legs and getting my feet up to the next hold. I never hear "ok, now kick off the wall and use just your arms to get to the next hold." In fact, I've had the most success when I rely entirely on my legs for vertical movement, and use my arms to mostly stabilize myself against the wall (which, granted, is still really tiring).

I'm not trying to downplay the role that arms play in climbing, but if you ever try a route with sore/achy/tired legs, you'll likely be in for a much more unsuccessful night.

For Maddy's first point, she is correct in that I have said that the 30 Day Shred involved a lot of arm workouts. Jillian Michaels has you do regular push ups, walking push ups, and traveling push ups. She makes you do punches while holding weights and you spend a third of the time holding plank position (not to be confused with planking). Then there are the bicep curls, arm raises, etc. But it seems that I had focused so much on the arm workouts, that I had completely blocked out how many leg exercises she makes you do. So while Maddy was right that I had said that Jillian Michael's workout was mostly geared towards arms, I had been incorrect when originally mentioning it. I was reminded of this fact yesterday when I was following along with the DVD and was told for the billionth time that we were going to do more lunges (not an exaggeration... we did literally one billion sets).

The point of the story is that in trying to find a workout that wouldn't tire my legs out before rock climbing, I ended up doing one that made simply walking or standing difficult as well as made me wish I had had a straw for the applesauce I ate with dinner (because lifting the spoon to my mouth was proving to require far too much effort).

On the bright side, I'm really sore today (but not detrimentally so), and it's pretty awesome.


When you rock climb, do you focus on legs or arms? Have you ever blocked something like my leg workouts out only to have it bite you later? Should I try working on not visibly wincing every time I stand up or sit down due to my achy legs?


P.S. Even though I was already really tired out before climbing last night, I did manage to make it up a couple new routes clean. It was pretty exciting!

I don't know what I was worried about...

While I may have dreaded the seemingly inevitable dangers and terrors that lurked behind every wall and up every route last month, now that I have finally made it back to the rock wall, I am happy to say that my concerns were completely unfounded. Actually, I disagree (with myself, apparently); my concerns, though exaggerated, were legitimate (but I am still happy to say it). Every injury, even one so minuscule as my thumb, should be taken seriously (I mean, not serious enough to go to a real doctor, but serious enough to whine a lot), and unlike Corbin Bleu, I had no intention to "push it, push it to the limit, limit."

Last month, when Maddy and Hannah invited me rock climbing with them after a 2 month or so hiatus, I was absolutely terrified. I was pretty much recovered from my thumb injury, but since I had never been given a go ahead from a doctor (mostly due to the fact that I never saw a real doctor), I was worried about how climbing again would affect my thumb. Rather than just Jump In (more Corbin Bleu references, anyone?), I decided to wait just a little bit longer (but also unlike Corbin Bleu, I didn't decide to spend that time practicing my double dutch skills). About a fortnight later, a couple people from my kickball team invited me to go climbing with them, and I figured that then was as good of a time as ever to try my hand at rock climbing again (yay for hand-themed idioms!).

The first night back was a little rough. Not only was I climbing in front of people I have never climbed in front of before (causing the self-conscious part of my brain to kick into overdrive), but I kept worrying that with every hold, I was breaking my thumb more and more (note: I never actually had it confirmed that my thumb had a fracture to begin with... it was only conjectured after looking a fuzzy x-ray). Also, it had been so long since I had been on a wall (or fallen off a wall) that it took me a while before I was comfortable with heights again (well, as comfortable as I used to be, which isn't saying much). Bouldering was especially embarrassing, as I would get scared and step down from basically every route I tried (and yes, I say "step" rather than "jump" or "fall" because I was usually still close enough to the ground to calmly step down (ha! calmly... that's a good one)).

Since then, though, I've gotten my climbing confidence back and I'm actually somehow less afraid of bouldering routes than I used to be (I even jumped down from the top of each route I finished last night rather than slowly climbing down as I'd been apt to do before). Even better, my thumb is feeling way better than I imagined it would! Since climbing again, it's been popping and aching much less than it had in the previous couple months. Jeff says that it's because I'm starting to work it out again. I say that it's because it has been a few months and time heals all. Regardless of the reason, I'm just pleased that I don't have to worry so much now (hopefully).


If I have had little to no issue with my thumb thus far since restarting climbing, should I call myself healed or should I still keep an eye out for trouble? Is Double Dutch really that difficult or impressive as Corbin Bleu makes it appear in his movie Jump In? Are my completely nonsensical and mostly Disney Channel Original Movie themed asides starting to get obnoxious?

Phew! That was a close one...

Yesterday, I narrowly escaped what was sure to be a disappointing, painful, and all around unpleasant experience. That's right, Maddy, Hannah, and I had plans to go rock climbing. usually, I would jump at the chance to go rock climbing... especially a few months ago, when we were climbing at least 3 times a week. Last night, however, I was wary. To be honest, I was terrified. Last time I went climbing was about a month and a half ago during labor day weekend. Looking back, attempting to climb that day was foolish enough.

You see, earlier that week, when climbing, I had made an egregious error, misjudged some distances, completely ignored the existence of some aspects of the wall, and as a result, bashed up my hand pretty bad (more specifically: my thumb). At first, it wasn't an issue. My thumb was bruised, sure, but it didn't hurt very much... hence why I saw no reason to forego climbing that weekend. After that, however, things took a turn for the worse (note: I tend to be a little over dramatic... in reality, it wasn't actually that big of a deal). About a week after the incident, my thumb (and by extension, the rest of my hand/wrist) started really bothering me. It was time to take matters into my own hands (take on my own hand matters? take my hand matters into my own hands?). I tried self treating the problem (at the suggestion of my pretty knowledgeable brother-in-law) by getting one of those wrist support/carpal tunnel friendly bracelets (which probably made things worse for my thumb, as it had the opposite of support for it; my wrist, on the other hand (not literally the other hand... it's just an idiom), felt better than it has in years). After 2 weeks of that brace having little effect other than making my usually impeccable penmanship look wonky, I decided to finally go to a doctor (or hand off the responsibility?). The lady at the Minute Clinic took an x-ray, told me my thumb was jammed, and put me in a splint to wear for a few days. Then she said, in no uncertain terms, that I was not to rock climb until I was fully healed (she also said not to partake in any other activities that would aggravate my thumb, which, to my dismay, included piano playing, X-treme thumb wrestling, and marbles).

About a week later, she called back to tell me that they took another look at the x-ray and discovered that I might have a chip fracture (they weren't sure as the x-ray was kind of fuzzy) and instructed me to go to an orthopedic doctor to have it looked at again. Needless to say, because my thumb was feeling better already, and I didn't cringe or angrily hulk out when typing anymore, I decided to ignore her suggestion and not follow up with anyone (I'm pretty good at both following directions and making smart choices in regards to my health). I haven't really had any issues, and the only times my thumb has really hurt were times when I was doing something weird that equally hurt my other, uninjured thumb.

Anyway, over the past couple weeks, my hand has been doing much better, so when Maddy invited me climbing last night, I figured that now was as good of a time as any to pick it back up. Then I got nervous. What if climbing would aggravate my hand? What if I'm not fully healed yet? What if I should have gone to the doctor, as I was instructed? Even best case scenario, I haven't climbed in so long that I don't have my callouses or my super toned arm muscles anymore (... yeah... no one is believing that I ever had super toned arm muscles... and with good cause). As excited as I was to finally get back into the swing of things, I was kind of flipping out (as I am extremely apt to do), so when Maddy contacted me to let me know that her flight back to town was cancelled due to debris on the runway, I was all too happy to put away my climbing shoes and head over to Hannah's to work on her Halloween costume (or more accurately, eat ice cream and watch Better Off Ted).

I think I'll give my thumb just a little bit longer to heal... then I'll be good to go. In the meantime, I'll stick to hands-free activities like tap dance!


When avoiding an activity due to injury, at what point does it shift from healing to stalling? If my hand has been feeling better, should I jump back in the metaphorical saddle and get back on the wall, or should I actually follow the doctor's advice and follow up with another doctor? Did you ever realize how many hand-themed idioms there are?

P.S. While I'm actually relieved that we didn't go climbing last night, I feel bad celebrating considering that it meant that Maddy was stuck at an airport for what must have seemed like eons. Sorry Maddy! Welcome back!

Sometimes, you can just be in a funk.

This past Wednesday was one of my most successful nights of rock-climbing. A couple of routes that had previously been difficult for me, I was able to get up without a sweat. One route that I have never been able to figure out how to finish, I solved (albeit after falling once or twice, but at least I discovered what to do next time and eventually got to the top). One route that I have always been too weak for, I am still too weak for, but at least I'm getting farther on it before tiring out. One route that I assumed I was too weak for, and as a result never tried, I got up with no problem whatsoever. And finally, one route that I have been too intimidated to even attempt bowed down before me (or well, kind of gave me a nod, as I only got half way up... but that's half way more than I thought I could).

I pushed myself to my limits, stepped out of my comfort zone, and tried harder routes than I ever thought I'd be able to do so soon. Even so, I was disappointed in myself and by the end of the night, none of these accomplishments mattered; I was drawn into a funk. The problem is that like so many others, I have a tendency to expect too much from myself. It didn't matter that I was pushing myself to try an entirely new difficulty level of routes; all that mattered was that even after a week of trying, I still fell. It didn't matter that over the past two months, my arms have gotten so much stronger than they have ever been; all I noticed was that my arms still tired out before hitting the top of this one difficult route in the corner. I couldn't kick the thoughts that I wasn't strong enough, talented enough, or graceful enough (yes, some people, such as Hannah, look extremely graceful when ascending a rock wall).

Objectively, I should have had an awesome time that night. I was climbing with some of my best friends. Some of my favorite rock wall personnel were on duty. There was a guy dressed as a zombie (typical Wednesday). Even when I fell on that corner route, I got to swing around in what I can only imagine was an extremely attractive way. Earlier that evening, I had gotten off of work earlier than expected which afforded me the opportunity to bike to the grocery store, so I was feeling pretty good about myself. But then I just kept getting hung up on every mistake or set back. I didn't take the time to enjoy what I was doing or realize how much I had accomplished; I focused only on my failures. This is not a good mind-set to have, but I know that it is something we've all gotten sucked into occasionally. For next time, I just need to keep in mind that the entire purpose of this is to enjoy myself, and that it is really easy to get disheartened when you have unrealistic, lofty expectations.

Have you ever expected too much only to be met with disappointment? What do you do to get yourself out of a funk? Should I be worried that zombies are apparently learning to scale rock walls?

The Cheese Head, the Time Traveler, and the Piñata: Adventures in Rock Climbing

I've always felt that nothing could quite brighten up your day like a good costume. Halloween, theme parties, Wednesdays... there is no bad time for a costume (except maybe for a wedding, job interview, court appearance, etc.). Even health nuts and fitness gurus recognize the amazing benefits of what the British call "fancy dress." In fact, one of my favorite bloggers, Charlotte over at the Great Fitness Experiment, is constantly talking about her plethora of gym-friendly tutus (of which I am extraordinarily jealous).


What I have particularly noticed lately is how many fitness events involve costumes. I mentioned before that one of my best friends, Kirsten, participated in the Warrior Dash. What I neglected to tell you was that she went dressed as Mario (unfortunately, her Luigi and Wario counterparts were unable to attend/dress up). That day we saw quite a few costumed warriors, my personal favorite being Henchman #21 from Venture Brothers. In addition, there will be a costume contest at the Firefly Run 5k next month (which I hope to participate in, more on that later!), as well as many other upcoming runs. Races and challenges all seem to be incorporating some whimsy in with physical duress, which I find to be absolutely fantastic!


Even the indoor rock wall I frequent is now hosting a monthly costume contest, which just so happened to take place this past Wednesday. Hannah, Kirsten, and I put on our "fancy dress" and competed with the best to win a highly  coveted one month free membership (which I thought was perfect timing, considering that my current membership is up this week). There was only one rule: contestants had to be able to ascend the wall in their costume... which is not as easy as it would seem.

Though it was pretty cumbersome, Kirsten was able to manage climbing in her giant cheese head for at least a few routes.

Hannah at least chose a costume that allowed for free movement (time traveler from the 80's), although the leg warmers did make for pretty warm climbing (hence the name, I suppose).

My costume, however, was not able to survive the experience. I went as a piñata, and by the end of the night, my ensemble had been ripped to pieces (to the left is the "before" shot, I couldn't bear to take an "after shot). It kind of works out, though, considering that that is kind of what happens to piñatas, but on a smaller scale (yes, I am extremely grateful that no one pummelled me with bats to the point that I literally broke in half). People did attack me in hopes of receiving candy, as can be seen on the right [Kirsten and Teddy Westside - who was regrettably bereft of costume - were lying in wait with brooms as I rapelled down the wall), but I was prepared with an entire chalk bag full of snickers (yum! chalk residue and chocolately goodness!)

After some steep competition (you can see all costumed climbers below), I was victorious and won a free month of climbing!

However, I cannot say the same for my race with Kirsten and Hannah, during which I was clearly in rock-bottom, belly-draggin', dead last place.

All in all, it was a successful night. Now what should my costume be next month?






Have you ever participated in a costumed athletic challenge? Should we have informed that apparently hungry competitor in red that Kirsten's hat was not actually made of cheese? Can't Hannah totally pull off time traveling? Have you seen the movie Piñata Survival Island?

Motivation

Staying motivated is one of the most difficult obstacles for most people trying to get in shape. Sure, we can picture where we want to be, and we can plan for how we are going to accomplish our goals, but follow through? That's a completely different story. I know in my case, I can have the best game plan (I use the term "best" very liberally), but sooner or later (usually sooner) I will see something shiny and get distracted, forcing me to yet again start from square one. This could potentially stem from the fact that I love the mere planning of it. In fact, during the Great Fitness Competition of 2010 (so dubbed just now, by me), I took a week long break from both the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred and my running program (the first time I attempted it) so that I could create a planner and corresponding spreadsheet that would track my progress. To be fair, it is a fantastic planner that is the subject of much admiration, but still. I don't know how many times in the past year I have embarked on the same running program, always starting from the beginning, but never reaching the end (actually, I do know, it has been 3 times). How many times in the past year have I started the South Beach Diet never to finish (also 3)? If I could just stay motivated, think about how much I could accomplish!

Which brings me to my next point: how to stay motivated. According to fitness magazines, blogs, and common sense, people use a number of different motivators in order to stay on track. Some people put pictures of when they were fit on their fridge. Others hang a dress/jeans/bathing suit they wish they could fit into on their door as a visible reminder of their goals. Sometimes, after people make progress, they keep around some of their larger clothing as a reminder of where they don't want to be again (I, on the other hand, relished throwing away my big jeans and never want to see them again).

Personally, there are only two things that really keep my focused: competition and camaraderie.

Competition:

When I moved to San Antonio, I did not have much camaraderie. I didn't know anyone in town, and as a result, had a hard time making myself be active. I am pretty shy, and was nervous about joining classes, going swing dancing, or even using the gym at my apartment! It probably didn't help that it was the middle of June in Texas, and all I wanted to do was sit comfortably in the air conditioning while eating ice cream (which is strange considering that I don't particularly like ice cream all that much). Knowing that something had to change, my friend back home and I started the Great Fitness Competition of 2010. Because I am extremely competitive, I was actually able to find the beans to get up and do something! Of course, it didn't hurt that we had some pretty high stakes on the line (if I lost, I had to read Tek Wars by William Shatner and tell everyone how much I loved it; if she lost, she had to read the Last Song by Nicholas Sparks and tell everyone "wow, I thought the movie with Miley Cyrus was great, but the book is a million times better"). I started the South Beach Diet, did Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred at least 4 days a week, and went running regularly. My competitive side took over, and since I didn't have much in San Antonio to distract me, I was able to keep my focus.

In October, the 90 day contest ended, and so did my progress. I was still doing the occassional workout, and not eating nearly as many chicken nugget meals as before, but I was pretty much at a motivational standstill.


Camaraderie:

In February, my company transferred me back to my hometown. Now, I am surrounded by family and friends galore! The best part is that when I moved back, my friends were all itching to get active again. I was worried that we would end up spending our free time watching movies and eating junk food (much like when a few of us lived together in college). Instead, we started up the running program again and we've started rock climbing nearly every other day. Maddie taught us how to slack-line, Kirsten just participated in the Warrior Dash, and Hannah is teaching me how to boulder! We've made plans to go kayaking, yoga-ing, and swing dancing. This also means that I now have partners that will hold me accountable when I want to do a challenge. Kirsten has motivated me to sign up for the Warrior Dash next year. Maddie and I will be participating in the Official Stair Climb next February. We're even doing our first 5k in the coming weeks! I know that without the encouragement, enthusiasm, and accountability of each other, none of us would be nearly as active as we are today.


The only way this could be better, would be if we could somehow combine the comraderie and competition... What do you say?


What do you do to stay motivated? How likely is it that my kayak will flip over, considering my lack of experience? Have you read Tek Wars by William Shatner, or any of his other post-Star Trek, pre-comedy books?

Burns So Good

Sometimes, I really like being sore.

On Monday, a few of my girlfriends and I went rock climbing at an indoor rock wall in town. They were re-working most of the roped courses due to the upcoming competition season, so only one section of wall was available. Fortunately, it was the section of wall where the beginners can climb. I was able to make it up 3 of the routes I've done before, but without falling this time! I also tried a route much harder than I thought I could do, and was right... but I think I might have a better shot next time.

Because most of the roped courses were closed, though, we ended up doing some bouldering. These are the routes where you don't go as high because you aren't attached to anything. If you fall, you actually fall (onto a bunch of mats). Needless to say, I was terrified, and only tried one really easy route. When I jumped down at the end (much easier than climbing back down), it was much less scary than I thought it would be, so I might try some other routes next time.

What I love about rock climbing, though, is just how much it works your arms! I don't even feel like I'm lifting weights, because it is so much fun, but I am, in essence, lifting a large portion of my body weight. Sure, my legs do most of the work, but have you seen how scrawny my arms are? Note: the answer to that question should be no, as I haven't posted any pictures of myself on here... creeps

Last time I went climbing, I had worked my arms really hard, and definitely felt it for the next couple days. I was having trouble opening my car door. It was borderline unpleasant. This time, however, I am still sore, but it is one of those aches that burns so good. It doesn't impede my daily activity, but only reminds me of what a great time I had on Monday!

... kind of got me in the mood to start weight-lifting again...

(Note: not body-building weight lifting, just trying-to-get-less-wimpy weight lifting)


In the event that I get to the point of unpleasant muscle aches again, does anyone have any suggestions for remedies?

You've got to push it to the limit

Who knew that attempting strenuous physical activity after years of couch potato-ing would be so difficult?

Last night, I went rock-climbing. Not outdoor, cliff-side, if-I-misstep-I-fall-down-miles-of-jagged-rocks climbing, but rather safe, indoor rock wall climbing. This was only my second night climbing ever (if you don't count that one time my Girl Scout troop went to a rock wall in the 6th grade). I was actually able to reach the top of four separate routes! Sure, I gave up on one and had to go back to it later, and I kept repeatedly falling on another one... but I got to the top eventually! Thanks to the encouragement of everyone that was with me, and their determination to not let me give up, I pushed myself pretty hard to do my best. It was very exciting and I can't wait to go again. I think Corbin Bleu said it best in his work of cinematic genius, Jump In:

You've got to push it, push it
To the limit, limit
'Cause we're in it to win it, in it to win it
Aw yeah!

At least, that was what I was saying while we were still at the rock wall. Shortly after leaving, I realized that my hands were positively burning. I have extremely soft hands, which have been the subject of admiration by many a friend and acquaintance. Trying to hoist myself up a wall proved to be too much for my soft hands, and they've been torn up. On the bright side, I am starting to form calluses, but too little too late. In addition to my burning hands, my arms have not been under such duress in a while. Sure, I've dabbled in weight lifting, but I am weak, so it usually ended up being extremely light-weight lifting at best. I, however, am much heavier than the weights I usually lift. Even the assistance from my legs wasn't enough to save my arms from the agony of having to lug a 115 pound** mass up the side of (fake) mountain. My arms are so positively useless today, that I had difficulty climbing up into a co-workers giant truck (in all fairness, it is extremely tall).

Fortunately, my hands will heal (they already feel almost normal today), and my arms will grow stronger. I feel confident that these injuries will not be prolonged, and I will live to climb another day... probably next Monday.



**Note: All weights have been altered to preserve the ego of the author**