Mental Grit

As I mentioned in my last blog post, this time of year I often get S.A.D. So two years ago I decided it was time for a winter vacation and every year since then Jessie and I have taken a "birthday" trip. This year the trip took us to Phoenix/Sedona. It was mostly because we have a season pass for Tough Mudder. If you are not familiar with this race (challenge) check out the website www.toughmudder.com

The weather on Saturday in Phoenix was beautiful - and perfect for hiking so we headed to Camelback Mountain. I love being outside, I love the fresh air, I love the sun and I love climbing. Check out the view from the top of the mountain. I even stopped to try out my yoga skills.



It is hard to explain how it feels to be on the top of a mountain. I still don't want to live here, but it was beautiful :)


Then we got the brilliant idea to sit outside in the sun and go to a spring training game. What?? Sun? Me + direct sun = danger. Lesson learned - don't forget the sunscreen and don't wear capris.

Then Sunday morning arrived - the day of the Tough Mudder. We woke up early to a frigid and windy morning. Of all days, we got the cold, windy, crappy day. I went to the desert to have it be a warm TM. But NOOOOOOO. If you are unfamiliar with the event, it is 10-12 miles over rocky terrain with 20 crazy and challenging obstacles. Many of them involve water which does not make the cold weather favorable. The very first obstacle was the Arctic Enema, jumping into a dumpster full of ice water, swimming under a wall and out the other side. I am working on putting the video together but until then just use your imagination. I was FREEZING. And every time you got out of the water, you couldn't warm up because the air was cold and windy.

I got towards the end and people were being carted off the course because of cold. I was beyond cold and I was just done. I could not do one more water obstacle but I had to finish. It would take a lot to cart me off of the course. My mental grit kicked in and I was determined to finish, but smart enough not to do the last water obstacle. I knew at the beginning of the event it would not be a physical challenge, but a mental challenge and boy was I right. 

Before......




After..........

On Monday we headed to Sedona and it is quite possibly, one of the most beautiful places I have seen. It was hilarious.....
us + retirees + nerdy historical trolley tour + hiking = Sedona.

Then we set off to hike and we ended up at Bell Rock. We started on the path and then ended up rock climbing. For real rock climbing. No harness, just rock. It was fabulous. 

The real message of this blog is about mental grit. My mental grit was challenged when we headed to Cathedral Rock. It is about 1 mile up and straight up rock climbing. I scampered up the side of the rock but was worried about going back down. What if I slip? It's a long way down. The pictures from the top of Cathedral Rock aren't the best, but it was spectacular. However while I was up there, I had a freak out. What's going to happen? What if I get stuck up here? AHHHHHHH. Jessie calmed me down, talked some sense into me, and went ahead of me back down the rock.

The point is, we always have those gremlins in our mind telling us we can't do it, we aren't good enough, we aren't worth it, etc. But it's our job to SHUT THEM UP so we can see the top of the mountain, the rock, and finish the race. It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~ Edmund Hillary, was a New Zealand mountaineer and explorer.


DId I mention I went to the desert for warmth? Not so much...:)

Have a great week and shut those gremlins up and show them who is the boss!! The result is amazing!!

S.A.D.

So I was listening to the radio the other day and the woman talked about how she did a survey at her office and asked everyone if they were cranky. Every single person said yes, they were cranky. And then she was reminded that every one gets cranky at this time of year. When I first moved to MN my clients told me that it was necessary to take a vacation in February. I puffed up my chest and said "I'm from Iowa, I can survive winter." Well, five years later I took a winter vacation and haven't looked back. I am off to Arizona tomorrow for some sun, fun, and of course an event - Tough Mudder :)

But let's talk about being cranky and S.A.D. Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is no joke. So what do we do to become un-cranky? Obviously a vacation is a great option but there are others. Simply going to a new restaurant, exploring a new store, having a stay-cation and staying in a hotel in/around your town, going to a cabin, making a new food, spending more time with friends, sitting under a light therapy lamp every day, and so many other things.

This brings me back to the idea of play. I truly believe we do not do enough play in our lives today. I was reminded of how fun it is to play at my birthday party. Yes I said birthday party. Jessie and I for our shared birthday booked a party at Sky Zone Trampoline park. When the girl called to confirm the party, the conversation went something like this:

SZG (sky zone girl): Hi, I'm calling to confirm Lindsey's party
Me: Great
SZG: Okay, great. How old is Lindsey turning?
Me: Well, I am turning 29 and my friend is turning 31. 
SZG: pause, pause, chuckle, chuckle, okay that's great.

Fast forward to the party and 18 of our friends came and jumped on trampolines, ate pizza, and drank pop. It was a riot. Everyone laughed, jumped, flipped, sweat, and overall had a great time.

So maybe the cure to S.A.D. is to PLAY. Find a way to play. 

But if you are stuck at this moment with ideas, watch my two favorite you tube videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsMw10KVVCk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtX8nswnUKU

Have a great week and enjoy your time to PLAY

Waivers

"Why do I always have to sign a waiver to spend time with you?" These were the words of my good friend Alicia as she signed her waiver at the trampoline jumping party that Jessie and I had for our birthday last week. This made me think....doesn't everyone sign waivers for things?

I guess I have signed a lot of waivers for my activities

• Tough Mudder - longest, best death waiver
• Indoor Rock Climbing
• Trampoline
• Sky Jump in Vegas
• Flight Lining in Vegas
• I'm sure there are many more

When was the last time you signed a waiver for an activity? By signing a waiver it usually means you are taking a risk.  You could potentially hurt yourself and the company is not responsible. So ask yourself - when was the last time you took a risk?

Why do people take risks? This great article says it's because of a chemical in our brain - dopamine. How's your dopamine? Your brain releases dopamine when something makes you happy. This could range anywhere from a good meal to taking a vacation.  People who are more adventurous and who take more risks have been found to have fewer dopamine regulators so they get a bigger hit off of dopamine when it is released. 

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1869106,00.html

I do not necessarily think every person needs to jump off the Stratosphere in Las Vegas in order to take a risk (but I did love it!) Risks can happen every day in small ways. The courage to say what you need to say to someone, ordering a new food off of a menu, doing a new exercise class, meeting someone new, even going a different way to work! So I challenge you to take a risk and if you're feeling really daring, find somewhere to sign a waiver :) Hopefully you'll be glad you did.

I would be remiss if I did not say Happy Valentine's Day. Tell everyone that you love them today and every day.

But please tell yourself that you love yourself today. Be kind to yourself. Watch this amazing video and give yourself daily affirmations of how great you are!

Have an amazing Valentine's Day and every day.

Birthday Month

I love my birthday. It's not just one day, it's not just one week, but it's one month! Some people dislike their birthday because of the age they turn or for any number of reasons. But why do we do this?? Why can't each person celebrate themselves for a day? And did I mention I share my exact same birthday (different year) with my best friend? Quite possibly the coolest thing ever!

I celebrate my birthday at my work by having birthday work outs all week long. There were 29 push ups, 29 sprints, and 29 of lots of exercises to come tomorrow.

Jessie and I celebrated by packing food at Feed My Starving Children.

We celebrated by climbing the IDS tower for Cystic Fibrosis.

We celebrated by going to the Lady Gaga concert.

We plan on celebrating by going to the Swarm game tomorrow, having the day completely off on Saturday, and by having a trampoline birthday party on Sunday.

We plan on celebrating by going to Arizona and doing a Tough Mudder at the end of the month.

But at the heart of every birthday is the idea that if no one else will celebrate you, you have to! Make one day all about you, or one week, or one month because you deserve it.

Birthdays come around every year to remind us we are still alive and we have another year to make the most out of.

My dad emailed me a great quote from a commerial today and it fits perfectly.

"When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure it'll be worth watching!"

Have a great week.