You'll probably start to wonder why this post didn't make it under the "running" tab.. or maybe you didn't even think of that...or you don't give two shits.. honestly, I wouldn't blame you. However, I'll explain why anyways because I know you're all DYING to know. This post was categorized under the lifestyle tag on this blog because, I want to speak about how my lifestyle has been affected by this now month long injury (I know a month sounds like nothing to most of you...). You know the saying "you don't know what you've got until it's gone"?, I can't tell you how that statement currently embodies my life. I think for the longest time, I took running for granted. Sure, I was a proud supporter and appreciator (?) of the sport, but I think subconsciously I've always seen running as a job....or a duty, rather than a passion as much as I spoke about it... that is until now. I always felt like I HAD to run and I HAD to hit my mileage, I HAD to stick to my diet, I HAD to do 2 workouts a week because I HAD to race well otherwise i'd be disappointing people. Disappointing who though? In my mind, it was my coaches, my mom (who's my #1 fan), my team, the people who look up to me, my outside supporters, most importantly... I would be disappointing myself. I take a pretty hard beating on myself when it comes to my athletic performance - I like to think that stems from always feeling "imperfect" in high school. I didn't have good grades, I was the permanent bench warmer for both the basketball and softball team, my brother excelled in everything school related, I didn't know what I was going to do with my life when I graduated, I didn't have many friends.... I felt like a lost cause. I think I take a pretty hard beating on myself in "real-life performance" as well. I am ALWAYS comparing myself to other females mostly for looks & size, but skill level, how males are interested in them, intelligence, heck even on their diets as wild as that sounds. I am going to put 99% of the blame on social media mostly because I find that's what triggers me. I feel like too many individuals (including myself) spend far too much time invested in their cell phones and not invested in what's right there in front of them whether that's social media, texting, emailing, sports updates, dating apps, etc. So as i'm going on and comparing myself to these other females who are beautiful, skinny, have clear skin, eat this "perfect diet", have beautiful bodies, guys love them, are intelligent and amazing at what they do, I find myself slowly collapsing. ..and this injury has only made that worse. If you look back at my last couple posts - I've been in and out of a walking boot for a few weeks with a damaged foot that no doctor can seem to fix. I can't say I've been given any helpful medical advice from my doctors and no answer as to what the heck is going on - talk about frustration. I've been on this seesaw of emotions and pain for the last 4-ish weeks..just about a month(?). My mileage is down significantly, my first "goal" 5K race in Boston is in 3 weeks, and I've got close to no training under my belt - frustrating eh?! I think something I have always pushed aside though is the true mental aspect of my sport. I talk about mental strength and stability - but I don't always feel that I believe in, or practice what I preach. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone"....think about that...I didn't know how mentally stable I was (some people might disagree with this statement) with running until it was taken away from me. I'm honest when I say I don't really know who I am anymore (even as dramatic as that sounds), I can't feel like myself without this sport in my life. Running takes me to another world, to a place where I don't have to worry about stress, or drama, where I fit in, who I have to please / impress; it takes me somewhere safe and I don't think I've been able to realize that until now. All the therapy/ counseling in the world can't do what running does for me. Running is my perfect significant other; it pushes me, challenges me, supports me, doesn't break my heart, makes me stronger, doesn't cheat on me, keeps me happy, and it overall makes me a better individual (my opinion). It sounds wild but this injury and forced restraint from running has turned my world upside down. I don't think the same way, I find it hard to seek out the silver lining in every poor situation, I am paranoid about EVERYTHING, and honestly I'm just not happy. It affects my everyday routine, it has kept me away from my real friends - my running pals, it's taken away my motivation to move forward and to be a better version of myself. I find myself stuck in this awful depression that I just cannot break because I don't know the way out. Running is the best part of my life; being able to lace up and take that first stride onto the pavement, feeling the ground beneath me, wind blowing through my face, that weightless kind of feel with adrenaline pumping through my veins - it's a feel unlike any other (runner's high DOES exist). Everyday I try so hard to be optimistic, I try to see the brighter side, but every day I find that the brighter side is moving farther and farther away from me. It's always one step forward and six steps back...to square one. Maybe I sound dramatic, but to go from running every day, 7 days a week to not being able to run a SINGLE DAY of the week, is f*#king hard. Mentally and physically; it's f*#king hard. I'm fighting a mental battle with myself that I fear I cannot win, my only option is to hope. Hope that there will be an answer, that there will be a solution, that I can reconnect with my muse. My heart physically hurts as time ticks down for Boston, and I find myself struggling to put myself at ease... only time will tell what's next to come.. "You don't know what you've got until it's gone". Until next time.... Stay Green, Amanda
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Mental health. What is mental health? Am I mentally healthy? ... Have you asked yourself this before? Take a look in the mirror and watch your own reaction or even listen to your thoughts. Are you smiling? Observing? Complimenting yourself? Or maybe you're pointing out all these flaws... When you set a goal or toe the line, do you encourage yourself or talk yourself down? Are you excited? Nervous? Maybe a little bit of both...maybe you feel overwhelmed. Why do we question ourselves as individuals as well as athletes constantly, why are we judging ourselves instead of taking ourselves up? Have you ever thought of this? I know that's feels like 50 questions at once, but if you were to be inside my head every time I am in front of a mirror or when I'm toe-ing the line...you'd think I'm some crazy woman. I've spoken about this before on my blog and I'm going to bring up the topic of mental health once again. It might be a little bit of a triggering post for some of you so I advise that you stop yourself if needed - it would never break my heart, I want you all to be safe. However, I am going to tell you a story, and speak of mental health from my perspective as both a young female and an athlete. I look at myself in the mirror, I would say easily 10 times a day on average. Before leaving the house for any time of event or occasion (even the gym) I will change my outfit 4 times at the least. When I toe the line at a race I question my even decision that led up to that very moment, and honestly I have talked myself down quite a bit during races and it's hurt many of those races resulting in not only an awful race but a rush of emotions afterwards. For those who may not be aware I had an interesting childhood and teen years. I was bullied quite a bit even by "best friends" in high school and quite often I was the target for rude comments, snarky remarks, and occasionally physical pain that was considered a "joke". I grew up in a household with a little bit of a rocky marriage. Constant yelling, arguing, lack of love. I grew up with a huge lack of confidence in myself, I was constantly judging my body and comparing myself to every single female I laid my eyes on. In 2011 I "behind the scenes" developed an eating disorder, and oddly enough counselors found this to be traced back to when I was in elementary school where I would dispose of parts of my lunch without even thinking twice. I say my disorder was behind the scenes because I kept it to myself, no one had a clue. I abused myself physically, and I have scars on my body that I'll forever be left with and I wouldn't be surprised if my body never functions "normally" because of the way I've abused it in the past. I found out in later years that I wasn't the only individual in my family to have an eating disorder; my own mother had one in her 20's. From 2011 until 2014 I did it all. Judged my body, talked myself down, starved myself, purged my meals, hid food, you name it and I've probably done it. Now I look back on those times and ask myself....why? Why did I get enjoyment out of searching for "Pro Ana" internet accounts? Why was I striving to be a "size 0"? Why was I thinking about this stuff every second of every day. The answer is simple I thought. I had a body disorder....right? Well it was much more than that. Mentally, I was extremely unstable. I thought about burning calories and not consuming over 500 calories every single day of my life, I cried when I couldn't workout, I cried when my jeans didn't fit right, I truly hated myself. I was taking a ride on the worst emotional roller coaster of my life... I thought I was insane. I didn't look awful a my "normal size" why did I think I was? Who was judging me besides...me? The biggest issue the world has is we are constantly judging other individuals. On their size, eating habits, jobs, characteristics, values, money, their valuables, it's ridiculous. I'll be honest, I've judged others before, and I always wonder why...why did I say that? I don't know what that individuals' life is like who am I to judge..?? Isn't pretty wild when you think of it? I like to think that our biggest competition, and our biggest enemy is ourselves. We never have enough faith, or confidence in ourselves and that's what hurts us the most - especially as athletes. I've hit some pretty big lows in my life, some have even been recently. I think I've ripped my body apart in ways that I never thought I ever would...mentally of course. There's this indirect awful stigma that women have to "look a certain way". That they MUST be petite, always have make up on, dress a certain way, appeal to others, must have their hair done...It's pretty shitty if you ask me. Society pressures us to all look like supermodels but not all bodies are built the same, we've all heard this before. There's even a stigma that says ALL runners are thin, they must eat a certain way, and yet again look a certain way, to me this is just bizarre. During the midst of what I call a relapse while I was attending college and battling a difficult relationship, I sought out help from a professional. I brought myself to the on-campus counseling services and begged for help. Nobody knew, nobody had a clue what was going on...I kept it all to myself. Seeking out help in school was probably the best decision I ever made. It had many positives and even a couple of negatives (loss of relationship). I learned more about myself during my time of asking for help, I became so much more familiar with my body both physically as well as mentally, and vowed to make a change. I replaced my fear of food with a plant-based diet full of delicious vegetables, fruits, and legumes and I started to meditate with my roommate. Since that day, yeah I've had a couple of "mini relapses" and I've had days where I've completely broken down but I've also changed my life. I'm begun partaking in a full vegan diet, I've paid more attention to my body's health mentally as well as physically, and on the side I've started to model. Sure, people shit on me every day of my life about my diet and about the fact that I put myself in front of a camera and "pose for Instagram". Well, honestly fuck all of those individuals. Eating plants makes me feel great inside, modeling makes me feel amazing on the outside and yeah I am going to do whatever the hell I want because I feel AMAZING. I don't think I've ever been so happy with my body like I am today. My advice to you all is to do what YOU LOVE and what makes YOU feel amazing regardless of what anyone else thinks. You are strong, phenomenal, beautiful; you are you. I know that it'll take time for me to be 100% confident with myself and 100% love my body but I am ready for the challenge; I'm ready to love me. I've learned so much about myself since 2011 and I made a promise to myself that I will protect and love myself until the day I die. "You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." - Scott Jurek ......Oh and yeah in case you were wondering, I shed some tears writing this..... Until next time... Stay Green & Stay Beautiful, Amanda
here in the United States. I knew I wasn't afraid and to this day, I'm still not hesitate when it comes to going abroad. This opportunity arose in late September, I had finally applied for my passport at the end of the summer and I was ready to just go. I have family members who have lived in and/or traveled to almost every country in the world and they approached me with the idea of going to Germany (where one of them is originally from). I decided this was my chance to go and there was no looking back! After some back and fourth conversation the trip was finally booked! We'd fly into Frankfurt and start to explore on from there with the potential chance of venturing to another country as well! To save you from a long, obnoxious story there was a little bit of an issue leading up to the trip; my aunt had gotten sick. It wasn't until an hour before my flight out of NY that I knew I was for sure going to Germany (talk about stress!). I ventured from NY to Philly, to Chicago (where I met my family), to Poland, to Frankfurt which was a LONG day of traveling. We arrived to Germany at about 8PM German time which was 6 hours ahead of NY...I was a zombie. We rented a car and I slept until our first stop which was Cologne.
Okay so what did I see? Where did I run? What did I eat? Let me get to all of that.... I am a HUGE sight-seer, I love architecture, I love great views, I love new places so you better bet I made it a point to see everything I needed to in the areas that we ventured to. Remember when I mentioned visiting a second country? During the duration of this trip we actually spent 3 days in the Czech Republic because my Aunt really wanted to see Prague! Many of the structures we saw were cathedrals which were absolutely BEAUTIFUL. The architecture in Europe is absolutely gorgeous and so precise. The European designers pay a lot of attention to detail and let me just tell you the designs are absolutely flawless. We also saw many intricate bridges and interesting structures. For example, in Prague at the top of this...for lack of a better word..hill they have a gigantic metronome that they claim keeps the city balanced. The structure is gigantic and it actually moves! The art in both Germany and Prague either focussed on the human body or on building of religious origin. So where did I run? I will say that it was MUCH easier and slightly more pleasant to run in Prague as compared to Germany but maybe that would have been different if I had visited Berlin. In Germany running was... rather awkward. I had the opportunity to run on a bike path that was directly across the street from my hotel. The path followed the entire perimeter of Nuremberg, and if you ran the entire path it was said to be just about 9 miles (debatable). I never really made it round the entire path, but I did make my way in and out of the city a couple of times. Funny enough almost no one in Germany runs during the day, I can't say I saw a single soul out when I was running, and when I did run past them they CLAPPED at me...was this a congrats for being a crazy individual or were they mocking me? I never truly found out, but when I went out for a few runs in Prague it was drastically different. You'll find most runners out and about around 10am or so, they'll run along side the river/canal/some body of water and they're extremely friendly! It was easy to get my mileage in and I actually met some cool people along the way! I ran up to the metronome on top of Prague's main... hill? To the left you'll see my view from the top. It overlooks the entire city and it's absolutely gorgeous! Sure it was quite the climb in elevation but it was TOTALLY worth it. Okay so now onto the FOOD which is always everyones' favorite part. To be honest, it's slightly difficult being plant-based in Germany because every single dish contains meat.... also they don't really believe in salad..? I found that to be quite blizzard. Nevertheless if you like potatoes you will be GOLDEN because along with meat EVERYTHING INCLUDES POTATOES. I also was "slightly" adventurous and tried potato dumplings with kraut which actually wasn't all that bad... The most interesting thing about German wait service is that they are perfectionists, so every time I explained that I was gluten free 90% of the chefs would create a meal that wasn't even on the menu! Talk about first class service... also German's LOVE Italian food which works out perfectly for me. In Prague things were a lot more Americanized a lot of pasta, we found Thai food, pizza, nothing truly out of the ordinary, oh and they also loved potatoes. Long story short this trip was AMAZING. My first time out of the United States, and certainly not my last (Spain 2018!!). When you visit another country you open your eyes to a totally different culture and way of life. The Germans and Czechs are so eco-friendly, overall happy individuals, walk EVERYWHERE, and are extremely clean. It was a totally different experience compared to visiting another state in the US...and everything is a hell of a lot cheaper. Below I'll have a slideshow of more pictures from my trip, my advice to you all is to travel! Go see another country it'll definitely change your perspective on a couple of things. That's all for now, I hope you all have a lovely and amazing Holiday Season! Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda The other day I was approached on Facebook by an old teammate of mine from Community College. She had reached out to me for advice, she had been wanting to get back into running for quite some time now but was slowly losing motivation. She asked me something that I haven't even asked myself in years... she asks "Why do you run? Like what possibly motivates you?". I sat on my stability ball at work and was actually taken back as I read her Facebook message...why do I run? I continually asked myself. I guess I haven't really thought about it, it just seems habitual to me at this point. Everyday I run and everyday I choose to lace up my running sneakers once...maybe twice within that same day and take myself on what I consider to be a mental journey. Sure, people say i'm crazy I hear that roughly twice a day at my full time job. I guess when I think about it I can say that running has saved me, running has been the one thing to bring me to peace and true happiness. Sounds crazy but when I think about what running has done for me I get tears in my eyes because...well it's a major part of my life and always will be. I began running at a young age, started my Elementary School's first ever running club with my gym teacher (who was a competitive triathlete at the time) and I was instantly hooked. I can remember attending the "after school program" where students with parents who worked late would hangout with staff and other children in the library, and one by one parents came to pick them up. My gym teacher Theresa would stay after with me and bring me to the bus circle right outside of the library and tell me run, just run. It didn't matter what pace, it didn't matter for how long, but she told me to let free and just go. So I would, I ran that bus circle everyday even in the worst weather because I was on a high...literally runners high. She used to reward me with little trophies and medals every time I hit a higher mileage, and she then trained me for my first ever race, our Elementary School's Turkey Trot. I won my first ever race in 4th grade, and let me just tell you winning a race at such a young age and showing your "coach" that the training has paid off is THE best feeling on the planet. Ever since that day i've been hooked....I can honestly say that if I wasn't a runner I have no clue what i'd be doing in my free time. When I run I can let go of everything, my mind gets to wander into this new realm. Funny enough I actually practice meditating when I run alone, I can bring myself to peace and just appreciate the better things in life. Running has taught me how to be strong and independent, especially if a training partner of mine drops out in the middle of a race and it's then up to me to run my race and [hopefully] PR. It's surely kept me out of trouble, and it keeps me fit physically and mentally as spoken about previously. The sport has introduced me to a whole new clan of folks who can appreciate the same little things that I do -- runners honestly are the best kind of friends to have and I couldn't be more blessed that i've met the people that I have through running. The biggest takeaway that i've received from running is that nothing is ever given to you... everything you want to achieve or receive in life must be earned through hard work and long training days. This not only applies to running but life as well, I wouldn't be where I am in my career today at such a young age if I had never learned how to work hard for what I want; nothing is ever just handed to me... I earn it. So why do I run? If I had to give one reason i'd have the longest run-on sentence that any English department has ever seen. As bad as this may sound.. I run because I NEED to. I need that time in the day to clear my head of everyday stressors and I need to mediate as well as find myself once again. I run because I find true happiness when I do as much as that may not make sense... I am at my happiest when I run or even when I race regardless if the race goes as planned or not. I get on that high and I feel like I am on top of the world; I feel it all throughout my body. This sport has literally saved my life and that's no joke. I used to wish I wasn't living and breathing on this planet. I used to pray to the lord to take me away, far away from where I was and not allow for any return. I can remember sitting on the floor next to my bed in my bedroom just crying non stop, criticizing my body, cursing to myself and throwing the worst insults at my reflection in the mirror. I soon learned that starving yourself and running do not mix very well, you can't be a part of both of those worlds. You're either a slowly dying skeleton or you're a powerful, competitive, athlete. I chose to be this athlete, I chose what I loved over what I desired, I couldn't hide from my love for running and i'm forever thankful for that. Okay I literally have tears in my eyes as I type this blog post, but I cannot even imagine what would have happened to me if I chose to just continue down the path that I was walking on. I feel for any individual battling an eating disorder -- it's brutal and it means nothing to us when someone says to just cut it out or to just eat ... outsiders do not understand. However as I said I chose to continue this athletic lifestyle and i'm not joking when I tell people I will be running until the day I die, I literally will. I've never fallen in love like the way I have with running. Real love to me is found through my running and even through the darkest times of my life i've been able to pick myself back up to fall in love all over again. There's just something about this sport that i'll never be able to replace with anything else. It'll knock me down when I need to hit rock bottom, it'll pick me back up, it'll keep me safe, it'll take me to new places.... even new worlds, and most importantly it'll continue to help me grow and develop as a strong individual. I feel powerful when I run and no one can ever take that away from me... so ask yourself sometime, why do you run? Until next time.... Stay Green, Amanda For anyone that knows me really well they know that I absolutely LOVE and I really mean LOVE my birthday. Generally, anytime I say that I get the response "ew I hate my birthday"... it's something I cannot wrap my head around. I love the birthday wishes, the presents, and the love all together. Mostly because I feel on your birthday you should definitely celebrate YOURSELF. Looking back on the last 23 years of my life (from what I can remember) I can happily say i've seen great improvement in myself as an individual. When I look back at my running leading up to year 23 it's amazing how my body has been able to transform and preform at such a high level like it does these days. I ran my first ever 5k when I was in 9th grade and since that day exactly i've become about 11 minutes faster; ELEVEN MINUTES! My first ever 5k was done in about 31 minutes which is crazy now looking back at it... I've also conquered distances I never EVER imagined doing such as my 50k this past November. If you had asked me 2 years ago if i'd ever run over a half marathon or get to even that distance rather, I would have laughed in your face. Now this year alone i'm training for two half marathons like it's nothing! Besides my running, over these years of my life I have seen great improvement in myself as a human being. I've learned the value of life and i've also learned how to protect myself from disease and death through my diet. I've learned how to take care of myself physically AND mentally and to keep my self esteem high. I used to look down on myself, boys used to call me awful things, girls made fun of me, I looked in the mirror in disgust; I pretty much hated myself. Now? Now I am passionate, independent, fun-loving, empowering, care-free (for the most part), and I live my life the way I want to. I still put others above myself occasionally, but I never forget to think about ME and remind myself of my beauty inside and out without having anyone tell me that. I'm constantly reminding myself to make ME happy, to treat ME with respect, spoil ME, tell ME I am beautiful, and do things that make me and overall better person in society (i'm like the perfect significant other for myself). That's why I love my birthday; it's a day for me to feel great about myself and celebrate myself for all the accomplishments i've made in the years past, goals i've achieved, beauty that's grown, and strength i've acquired. My 23rd birthday in the sunshine stateThis year I was lucky enough to spend my birthday in the sunshine state (Florida) with one of my best friends Victoria. We left on my birthday (March 9th) and returned this past Wednesday and I can honestly say it was the best birthday i've had yet. We surely spent our time in the sun visiting different areas of the state such as Ft Myers (where we stayed), Siesta Key, and Ft Myers Beach. We did our share of sun bathing, consuming alcohol (which I don't normally do), eating some of the best food, dancing, sailing on boats, and exploring with the sand in our toes. It was by far the best $256 I ever spent and the cheapest flights i've ever had.... EVER. Not only was relaxing a great part of the trip, I also was able to get in some fantastic early morning runs which normally isn't like me. I was able to run everyday pain free, in the sun at 6:30 AM without any issues (besides getting lost). Luckily we stayed in a pretty decent sized gated development which was oddly enough kind of confusing to navigate around. However with it being confusing, I was able to run and not get bored during a long run because well... I was lost the entire time so the scenery always looked new. It couldn't have been more perfect, I was in paradise and so sad to leave to come back to New York which had just gotten a HUGE and I mean HUGE Nor-eastern snow storm.... Although we knew we were coming back to a plethora of snow, the best day I spent in Florida was the last. I was able to see my grandparents who I hadn't seen in so long. It was refreshing and heart warming to see my family -- it's what made it the best trip ever and I cannot wait to return.... So until next time... Stay Green, Amanda I like to consider myself as the living, breathing, cupid. I love, "love" as crazy as that sounds. I enjoy watching two people fall in love and be all cutesy. I get great pleasure from being a matchmaker for two people, as well as watching how happy they are. I love engagements, I certainly adore weddings, I may sound insane but I treasure seeing other people fall in love and be happy before I do. Valentine's Day; a day of which we know is full of chocolates, hearts, roses, teddy bears, cards, and love. Celebrated every February 14th, couples get together to express their love/feelings for one another and sometimes shower one another with gifts and items that hold sentimental value. Even singles celebrate! There is honestly nothing wrong with being alone on Valentine's Day, it can be a day for self love and appreciation but we will get to that later in this post. For now let me give you a little background on how this holiday originated and what the significance of it was/is. I went to the internet for that answer (thanks NPR) and I had a little bit of an uneasy feeling after reading the story of Saint Valentine's Day. A "little" history... Valentine's Day originated in ancient Rome where the Romans celebrated the feast of Lupercalia. During this feast men would sacrifice a goat as well as a dog and then whip women with the hides from the animals they had murdered (insane right?!). Surprisingly young women actually lined up for these men to hit them, believing that it would eventually make them fertile (seriously??). The brutal festival included what they called a "matchmaking lottery" where the men would pull the names of women from a jar, and the couples would then be put together for the duration of the festival (which generally lasted from the 13th to the 15th). Sometimes the couples even lasted longer if the match was right, and it has been said that the Romans are can be held responsible for the name of our modern day love. Emperor Claudius II then executed two men (both named Valentine) on February 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their death was honored by the Catholic Church with the celebration of St. Valentine's Day. Later on Pope Gelasius combined the newly created Valentine's Day with Lupercalia to expel the pagan rituals, however the festival had ended up becoming a lot more theatrical than it had been in the past. Around this same time the Norman's were celebrating what they called Galatin's Day with the word Galatin meaning "lover of women". Constantly mixed and misinterpreted, the two holidays (Galatin and Valentine's) are paired together and seen as one because they sounded alike. As years went on the holiday grew sweeter, it was romanticized in the work of Shakespeare and other poets and play writers. Soon the holiday was spreading throughout Britain and all of Europe and handmade cards became tokens of love. Eventually, the tradition made its way to the New World. The industrial revolution ushered in factory-made cards in the 19th century. And in 1913, Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo., began mass producing valentines. February has not been the same since. Unfortunately the holiday has become big business with sales every year reaching almost $18 billion dollars. Let's cut to Valentine's Day 2017... So there ya' have it...the lovely, creepy, origin of Valentine's Day. So for those of you who celebrate it, Valentine's Day can be a cute little thing for you and your lover and even for you if you're single! There's nothing wrong with being alone on Valentine's Day, you can always treat yo' self. The holiday can be a great day for self appreciation. Me personally, i've never had a good or "perfect" Valentine's Day. Last year I ended up with a broken heart, and as upsetting as it was, it actually taught me so much about myself and my self worth. The holiday is glamorized all over the television and movie screens to be this perfect, romantic day full of roses, giant teddy bears, and candied hearts but in reality it doesn't happen quite often and I think people hold too high of expectations just to be let down. Unfortunately as stated above, we live in a money driven world where if a company can make money off of a day they will find a way to do it. The best way to celebrate Valentine's Day is to show appreciation for whom and what you love, and don't leave yourself out of that equation! Spoil and glamorize yourself on Valentine's Day, because you deserve to. Go out for a nice, relaxing long run, go get a massage, go to the sauna, whatever makes you happy and feel good! If you have a lover, find a creative way to show your appreciation to them, surprise them spontaneously with something other than $100 worth of roses..because honestly those roses will start to wilt in about 72 hours. My mom has been my Valentine since the day I was born, every year on Valentine's Day we make sure to surprise one another with a creative way to express our appreciation for one another, and I get just as excited for it as I did as a child. Sure I won't lie occasionally it does involve some small gifts, but we focus on the value of one another. Make dinner for one another, go on an adventure, do something you both enjoy, write long notes to each other, do something that holds some type of sentimental value -- it'll mean a lot more than those expensive, smelly roses. Heck even go on a scenic long run together, how stinkin' cute is that?! At the end of the day, what matters is that you've shown appreciation for your partner and you've made it known to them that they are admired. Couples take care of each other, support one another, and keep each other happy; show your partner that he/she is a valuable part of your life. Never, ever forget your value! You're a strong, amazing, beautiful person with so much to offer to this world. Even if you're alone on February 14th, do not fret because it's your day to show yourself how much love you have for yourself. So crack open a bottle of wine, rip open a box of chocolates, or slip on your running sneakers and go enjoy your day! Treat yo' self! Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda I like to consider myself a closet spiritual human being...sounds crazy I know, but when you tell people you're interested in the spiritual world you're considered even more insane. I used to be quite the skeptic when it came to believing in another life or even another world...I thought it was all crazy talk. However it wasn't until my roommate in college introduced me to the art of meditation and finding zen. At the time I was taking a class on Japanese Art History, and our discussions were solely based on the Buddhist religion and the way of the Buddhist monks. Don't knock it until you read about it, because these people [Buddhist monks] were some of the most peaceful and smartest people to ever live and the tale of Siddhartha [Buddha] is one to definitely read up on...i'm not here to make you believe in another god by any means, but one thing I took away the most from the Buddhist religion was the teaching of Buddha and his beliefs on life (if that makes any sense). Just a quick ancient history lesson, Buddhism originated in India, in which it then spread throughout most of Asia. Buddhism is the 4th biggest religion practiced with about 7% of the population considering themselves Buddhists. Some practices of Buddhism include "Nekkhamma" which is considered as giving up the world and leading a holy life removing all craving and attachment (to objects), "Theravada" which is basically escaping the cycle of suffering and rebirth (don't ask how that, works I have NO idea), and my personal favorite, meditation. What does any of this have to do with yoga? Well let me explain that.... The practice of Yoga was originally developed to train the mind and body to become aware of it's own surroundings' spiritually or it's "own nature". The purpose was to grow or develop self-awareness, a higher consciousness, and self-regulation in an individual. The practice is meant to go beyond the physical benefit and focus rather of the spiritual development of an individual and to relieve all physical attachments to the present world. Yoga tends to relieve stress, calm and relax the body, as well as aid one in developing flexibility. The first yoga practice was developed in ancient India where the practices were originally attached to musical scripts/songs that were used by priests. These poses and positions of the yoga practice were documented and used to aid those seeking to reach enlightenment (a state of perfect knowledge or wisdom combined with infinite compassion). The more post-classical period of yoga sought the practice as a way to rejuvenate the body and prolong life. The followers of this period used yoga with the belief of being able to cleanse the body and mind that bind us to our physical existence. So the overall main beliefs of the people of this time were that they could use these practices to break themselves from the physical world and physical attachment and devote their lives to living in this pure, spiritual state (which to them was a world without suffering). Nowadays, some of those ideas and believes have unfortunately been pushed aside and the physical aspect of the practice has become far more important (to most). Many people view yoga as a form of physical exercise rather than a mental practice, and most have strayed away from the spiritual aspect of it. However, it has been discovered that yoga can be extremely beneficial to athletes, and seen as a way to prevent injury to those that include regular practice into their daily routines: especially runners. To me, my yoga practice is more of a strengthening form of exercise, not just physically but mentally as well. Yoga has allowed me to focus on the tension in my body, and come at peace with myself spiritually. I've been able to teach myself to meditate outside of my [Yoga] practice and easily put myself at peace. It's made me a thinker now when I run which sounds weird, but I can actually control my thoughts. Generally before a race I have a rush of negative emotions, and now I can easily put myself at peace and calm most of my nerves. I can think about races differently and find a positive outcome rather than complaining that my race is only half over. I am self-aware, and I can put myself in another world (I know I sound insane). Physically, it has overall made me a stronger athlete. I am amazed that I can hold myself up in certain positions, and my range of flexibility continues to grow. I am able to find ways to control my breathing and get into a "groove" which allows my body to stretch farther than I ever expected. Granted I was a cheerleader for 6 years when I was younger, but I am far more flexible now than I was back then. I have made myself stronger as a runner physically and mentally and honestly it's kept me from going absolutely insane during my time off from running because of my ITBS. I have tried different types of yoga, and I am always intrigued with different variations of practices...by the way I suggest that you ALL go try hot yoga it's so amazing. I feel so much stronger mentally than I do physically and I think really getting into yoga and mediation was exactly what I needed during this time of recovery. So get in touch with your inner zen and give it a shot if you haven't already even if you start with just mediation. Find a video on YouTube where someone leads you through a guided meditation (that's where I started). It really helps and you'll find yourself at peace with a little more of a positive attitude and positive outlook on life...give it a shot! Until next time... Stay Green, Amanda (Shout out to Wikipedia and my old Japanese Art History text for some background on Buddhism) |
LifestyleWhat does Amanda do outside of her crazy, insane exercise obsessed life..? I know you're all dying to know. Check out my previous posts!
March 2018
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