Conditioning the Everyday Athlete

Oh how the month flies right by! And how little physical activity I've incorporated! :(

The Pan-Am/Parapan Am Games are on their way to Toronto for 2015. I am excited to watch the athletes who will be running, cycling, riding or otherwise. I am particularly looking forward to going to the Caledon Equestrian Park to check out the dressage and jumpers. But that said these guys and gals have been training to get to the point where they are very proficient at their sport. You might remember the epic fall I had late May where I slid off Ariel (at a canter) in the middle of a corn field. I was pretty sore for a few days and the pain in my neck/upper back still persists. But, I'm sure the fall could have been much worse.

Upon seeing the sports medicine doctor about the fall and some of my other aches and pains, she mentions that the everyday athlete rarely cross-trains--they generally just do what they like doing and then never get outside of that. First, I was way too flattered that she just referred to me as an "athlete". That's right, lil' ol' me, an athlete!! But getting back to the point, most "everyday athletes" just do what they love doing and only work on perfecting that, with what little time they have. And realistically, why would they do more? But, as athletes become more serious about their sport, they need to work on pushing themselves past what is expected of them so that when they are required to perform, they already have trained past points of what is being required. For example, the riders who compete at Trillium level at our stable are required to be able to bareback an ensure course (I'm not too sure what jump height) before they can get into the show ring. Frankly, that makes sense because if you can accomplish something more difficult than what is required, the required will become less (relatively speaking) difficult. Equine Canada also has a "long-term athlete development" plan for the various equine disciplines that outlines the need for the rider to not only be proficient at the equine sport, they need to be fit in other areas too.

In addition to the concept of conditioning and training, I always remember being told that getting injured (falling or otherwise) is just part of any activity that you'll do. And, the best way to reduce the impact of an injury is to increase your overall fitness. When I was dragon boating much more intensely (okay, it was never THAT intense but man was I fit those summers!). Things like flexibility, strength and endurance help the athlete manage the fall or twist (or otherwise) from becoming really bad.

Take my epic fall, as an example: I have increased flexibility and strength due to my intense yoga training during my university years (and occasional bouts now-a-days); my endurance and power comes from my past training while dragon boating (and steering). Everything is woven together where all activities support others in some way. Even the things I learn from physical activity are translated over to my desk jockey life.

As a way to motivate my excuse-finding-lazy-food-obsessed brain from just continuing to be itself, and instead, strive for improving myself, I post this image from Nike.

Take the plunge into fitness.

Onwards into 2014

When I started this blog, I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to write about. I did know though, that this would be an outlet for things that interest me and projects that I undertake to improve myself. I had just turned 30 and decided it was time to take control of my life beyond what I was doing the last decade; it was now or never. We're on year 3 now and upon brief reflection, I realize that my blog subjects focus around a few primary subjects: equestrian, travel, photography, and facts and stories (through books or otherwise).

I think I've done well for myself so far but this isn't close to being a lifetime of information yet! So, onwards to improving, growing and learning. I have made a series of resolutions and goals for myself that will continue to push me in my journey of things that help me drive this blog. As well, with an audience, I'll be much more likely to be held accountable for my promises as I do hate to break them... more out of pride than anything else. So, here goes:

• Plan my fitness regimen for the week and execute as expected. One of these must be yoga.
• Practice my piano diligently daily so I am able to play at a deeper level and excel at a level that I never accomplished previously.
• Sleep at designated times daily, as per my weekly plan.
• Take more pictures of people. Get out of my comfort zone of standard landscape. Seek to find the 'mesmerizing' and 'beautiful' in people (a difficult feat for someone like me!).
• Read more. And not just the types of books I'd tend towards or are already comfortable with. Always be reading something and learning. Get bold!
• Back off from over-eating... this is tough because I love to eat a lot. The main reason that comes up for this one... I don't waste food and I don't waste my time having to work off the excess caloric intake.
• Stay positive when the worst (or annoying) looks imminent or likely.
• Even though I'm very much the perfectionist when I do things and am not likely to "get out there" until I deem everything to be perfect, I resolve to enroll in the in-house horse show if there is opportunity to do so.
• Get proficient and confident enough to get out on a hack this summer.
• Start 2 lessons (or bi-weekly restart) per week once Old Man Winter decides to retreat for the next several months.

I sure hope that I'm able to follow through without too much of a struggle... already the first few have been posing a real challenge. But, as my title, onwards!

Lesson #49: Neglecting Sleep

September 1, 2013

It's caught up with me: my lack of sleep for the entire week. It was evident on Friday and even more evident today. My equitation was miserable today and I'd say, it affected my work. Lenka really tested us today but that doesn't matter, because it was evident that stuff wasn't going right and I have to work on certain things in order to get it right. One of the most evident things today was that when you speed things up, weaknesses and errors become even MORE evident. I'm not at the point where I'm some super star who can race around naturally as everything I do still requires effort and work.

I ride Nikki today and there are a few things that I am reminded of: Nikki is small so my leg position is not where it is with other horses so I have to make adjustments to where I place my leg because Nikki's not lazy... she's specific. It's like pronouncing your words appropriately when you're speaking. She's also quick to take excuses if you give them to her and she will do what she feel is easiest if clear instructions are not given to her.

To work on strengthening inner thighs, we do work without stirrups. This is an easy step up from bareback since your "goody bits" aren't being jammed into the horse's withers or their spiny backs. However, it takes a great deal of effort from your inner thighs to keep from falling off. We work on seated trot then the dreaded posting trot. I didn't think it was possible to do but it is; you don't get as high as you do with stirrups but you are still able to ride if you have your inner thighs engaged properly. This, is the proper place of effort! For the remainder of the lesson, I try to focus on keeping my legs engaged there while maintaining the contact of the lower leg and the weight down through the heels but not actually relying on your stirrups. I am finally starting to understand what it takes to ride properly but by no means am I close to actually having the stamina to do it or the ease of slipping into the right posture with little effort.

The lessons peaks with this exercise: ~20m circles in the canter. I've seen seasoned riders make it look like a walk in the park. It is not by any means easy. I'm still working on just riding the canter and add in a small circle and the need to control and maintain the aids, to the whole equation and I present you the mess that is Deb. The following have become my issues: my hands are too low, my body is collapsing forward, my lower leg position is shot to sh*t and I can't stay balanced--I look like a sack of potatoes. I manage at least one good go at it and am quite pleased that I was able to accomplish this: small achievements some days.

Now, my next work up to the actual achievement? More supporting exercises and MORE SLEEP.

Never Late, Always Remember

When I started this blog, I was on the verge of turning 30 and I wanted to reflect and focus on me. After all, that's the single most important relationship I will ever have in my life. I spent the previous years entrenched in things that I thought I needed to do and at the time, enjoyed but what started as desire became obligation. More than a year later, some things have come full circle but none, more than my return to FanExpo.

I started working FanExpo in 2000 when it was still in its infancy. To me, this was a time when the idea of a girl admitting that she enjoys the Star Trek franchise (most notably TNG), wasn't popular. It was one fateful afternoon when things changed. I left for various reasons and as I've gotten older, I've started to realize what's important to me and what I like. Maybe it was this mental growth but I'm not all too sure what made me decide to return and "work the con"; but, old friends (and new) quickly accepted me back into the fold.

Things have changed a lot: the show now spans the entire MTCC complex and there was a record attendance of over 100,000 patrons. What a weekend! I was assigned to the Premium Lounge where we oversaw the Premium ticket holders' swag bag give-away and helped maintain the state of the space. I don't usually talk to strangers and find that when put into social situations, I keep mostly to myself. However, I felt very comfortable among the crowds and was able to spend most of the weekend chattering away. I know... me, chatting with strangers like we're old friends! In fact, I would safely say I made some new friends this weekend.

Now to get to the fun stuff! What did I do while at the expo? I worked mostly. But I had the opportunity to walk the show floor when it was virtually empty and to see all the neat stuff that the different vendors brought with them after the show closed one of the evenings. It reminded me of an episode of "Today's Special" when they run around the mall at night. One of the highlights is when I met Tony Moore of the Walking Dead comic series. He is both the creator and artist (first 20 issues) of the story. In both instances, I "geeked out" and felt like a kid in a candy store again!

Although there is over 750,000 sqft of space designated for corporate vendors, independent artists, celebrities, workshops, seminars and many other events, any patron who goes will tell you that they go, for more than the cool toys and the opportunity to meet their heroes. This weekend is a chance to make friends and to be yourself among others who are doing the exact same thing. Since I started, the attendance has grown 9x what it used to be. That's incredible! It's encouraging to see the wide range of demographics and entire families dressed up together, to enjoy the weekend. Sure, you can think it's a cash grab but the expo is literally a chance for all the geeks and nerds to congregate in one place and socialize and do business. For us big kids, it's a chance to continue reliving and enjoying the stories, characters and themes of our yester-years.

Getting up on the Right Side of the Bed

I worked a coop job in university and had a coworker who seemed to function on very little sleep. He used to tell me, "sleep is for the weak. I will sleep when I'm good and dead."

If that's the case, I should probably be heading to a sleep gym. Last summer was the first time I really felt how sleep deprived I could be. I was doing way too many things and not sleeping enough.

"People complain about not getting enough sleep all the time... you're probably just wasting time by sitting in front of the tv or computer." I know that's what I'd tell me if I heard the complaint. But, in truth, I was running a dragon boat team (we went to Montreal too), I got pulled into a community group, an alumni group, a local cat rescue and I was also told to think about what I wanted to do with myself in the long-run. With the exception of the last item, all things that I chose to participate in. That's why the Christmas holidays was SOOO enjoyable.

The holidays helped me realize that I really needed to work on getting my sleep schedule into a routine so that I would actually get enough sleep and manage to function doing the things I wanted to do.

Enter, my Blackberry Playbook, Playberry. Berry for short.

The first app I downloaded was the sleep tracker. I've tracked a week's worth so far and I'm really getting a better idea about the sleep pattern I've been creating for myself. So far, I sleep on average, 7hr 44min. Not too shabby! The only problem is that it's looking more like a daily stock market chart than a normal established sleep pattern. Just because I sleep 12 hours one night, and 5 the other, doesn't make this, by any stretch of the imagination, sustainable or close to my goal.

Hopefully in a month's time (that's how long it takes to build in a habit, I'm told), I won't look (act, and sound) like a cast member of the Walking Dead.