Breaking The Clouds
It's been about five months of hard work but I'm finally reaping the fruits from the seeds I started sowing back on that first monday of November 2014.
After having a rough year, physically, emotionally and spiritually, I decided to take a break. An eight week exile from "trying." Basically I just went to work, came home, ate dinner, went to sleep then repeated it all the next day. It sucked to put my mind and body on hold like that but I needed that transition period. I find it easier to get rid of the old BEFORE bringing in the new. When I used to race bikes, after the last race of the season, around the last week of November, I would put it all away for the month of December. No training or anything, then start back strong the first week of January. I skipped this the last couple years and it was showing. So after my last ultra race in september, I jumped at the chance to do nothing for awhile.
It wasn't easy getting started again but after eight weeks off, I was rearing to go. The biggest hurdle was turning my work commute into a training run. 5.5 miles each way. The morning run was generally cool but after a 10 hour day running machines to make high end bicycle components, a 5+ mile run in the dark and rain isn't the most special thing to look forward to at the end of the day. By the end of the week that last run home was a death march.
For the first couple months I spent my weekends resting and painting landscapes. Yeah, that's what I do in the winter. I paint landscapes of rain, trees and skies, trying to capture that thing that makes the Pacific northwest winter so beautiful. I never get it but it's a good meditation. I also try to write black metal pieces for acoustic guitar. Another meditative endeavor.
Cutting out shitty foods was next. I never get it down 100% but really it's just getting rid of sugar, flour and grains that's important. Getting rid of anything that comes in a package is priority but I'm a sucker for over processed "energy" bars. BUT...the biggest impact has been adding green smoothies in the mix. I'm not talking about fun smoothies with bananas, apples, berries, yogurt and all that fun, sweet stuff. I'm talking about some strong, bitter harsh-ass, punch in the face smoothies with kale (lots of kale), spinach, raw ginger, raw tumeric, chia seeds, hemp oil, lemons, macca and only half an apple just to take SOME of the edge off. I drink at least one a day, usually two or three though. I can't say what this does as far as weight loss goes but as far as how it makes me feel, I'm sold. Physically, I bounce back so much quicker from all those back to back doubles that I run everyday, most of those ingredients I mentioned before are great for reducing inflammation in the body. Mentally I feel a little sharper but I think that's just a residual effect from exercise and getting some decent sleep. Running 11 miles a day puts me to sleep pretty easy and all the green stuff ensures I get a full night's sleep on just six hours. Yeah, six hours. That's all I need. Emotionally it's everything. Those green smoothies are my anti-depressants. They don't work as quick as the hard stuff from the pharmacy but I'd rather get my meds from the sun. A much more trustworthy source.
Spending 8-12 hours a week running and stuff, along with keeping up with grocery runs for fresh veggies and a constantly running vita-mix isn't as easy as stopping by the pharmacy once a month but I've done it both ways and this way is more fulfilling. It's slow and sometimes you find yourself at a dead end when experimenting with this stuff but there's a light at the end of these tunnels providing you do some digging.
It's only been about a month of "sunlight" but I can't argue with the progress nor the process. Movement, food as medicine and some positive influences through books, movies, music and people....Spring is here, more sunlight, (a little) less rain, the winter is behind us for now.
I don't know. Most of this is just me rambling on about shit no one cares about but all I'm saying is that if you change nothing, nothing changes. things don't get better on their fucking own but they DO, however, get worse on their own just by normal erosion of a situation. Changing of direction and philosophy, along with maintenance is almost mandatory for not only progress but just for basic survival. Be your own hero, be the cause of your own equinox procession.
After having a rough year, physically, emotionally and spiritually, I decided to take a break. An eight week exile from "trying." Basically I just went to work, came home, ate dinner, went to sleep then repeated it all the next day. It sucked to put my mind and body on hold like that but I needed that transition period. I find it easier to get rid of the old BEFORE bringing in the new. When I used to race bikes, after the last race of the season, around the last week of November, I would put it all away for the month of December. No training or anything, then start back strong the first week of January. I skipped this the last couple years and it was showing. So after my last ultra race in september, I jumped at the chance to do nothing for awhile.
It wasn't easy getting started again but after eight weeks off, I was rearing to go. The biggest hurdle was turning my work commute into a training run. 5.5 miles each way. The morning run was generally cool but after a 10 hour day running machines to make high end bicycle components, a 5+ mile run in the dark and rain isn't the most special thing to look forward to at the end of the day. By the end of the week that last run home was a death march.
For the first couple months I spent my weekends resting and painting landscapes. Yeah, that's what I do in the winter. I paint landscapes of rain, trees and skies, trying to capture that thing that makes the Pacific northwest winter so beautiful. I never get it but it's a good meditation. I also try to write black metal pieces for acoustic guitar. Another meditative endeavor.
Cutting out shitty foods was next. I never get it down 100% but really it's just getting rid of sugar, flour and grains that's important. Getting rid of anything that comes in a package is priority but I'm a sucker for over processed "energy" bars. BUT...the biggest impact has been adding green smoothies in the mix. I'm not talking about fun smoothies with bananas, apples, berries, yogurt and all that fun, sweet stuff. I'm talking about some strong, bitter harsh-ass, punch in the face smoothies with kale (lots of kale), spinach, raw ginger, raw tumeric, chia seeds, hemp oil, lemons, macca and only half an apple just to take SOME of the edge off. I drink at least one a day, usually two or three though. I can't say what this does as far as weight loss goes but as far as how it makes me feel, I'm sold. Physically, I bounce back so much quicker from all those back to back doubles that I run everyday, most of those ingredients I mentioned before are great for reducing inflammation in the body. Mentally I feel a little sharper but I think that's just a residual effect from exercise and getting some decent sleep. Running 11 miles a day puts me to sleep pretty easy and all the green stuff ensures I get a full night's sleep on just six hours. Yeah, six hours. That's all I need. Emotionally it's everything. Those green smoothies are my anti-depressants. They don't work as quick as the hard stuff from the pharmacy but I'd rather get my meds from the sun. A much more trustworthy source.
Spending 8-12 hours a week running and stuff, along with keeping up with grocery runs for fresh veggies and a constantly running vita-mix isn't as easy as stopping by the pharmacy once a month but I've done it both ways and this way is more fulfilling. It's slow and sometimes you find yourself at a dead end when experimenting with this stuff but there's a light at the end of these tunnels providing you do some digging.
It's only been about a month of "sunlight" but I can't argue with the progress nor the process. Movement, food as medicine and some positive influences through books, movies, music and people....Spring is here, more sunlight, (a little) less rain, the winter is behind us for now.
I don't know. Most of this is just me rambling on about shit no one cares about but all I'm saying is that if you change nothing, nothing changes. things don't get better on their fucking own but they DO, however, get worse on their own just by normal erosion of a situation. Changing of direction and philosophy, along with maintenance is almost mandatory for not only progress but just for basic survival. Be your own hero, be the cause of your own equinox procession.
