Lightening Online

What do you mean “that’s your job”?????

I worked my muscles hard today and I suspect I’m going to feel it tomorrow.

It’s a funny kind of pain though. It lasts such a short time and tends to be followed by that “I did it” elation.

Okay, it’s actually usually followed by me collapsing in a heap. But the high is still there somewhere.

I might not be succeeding when it comes to weight loss (yet!) but I’m definitely noticing an improvement in my fitness and strength. And at the end of the day, I think that’s more beneficial to my health.

Not that my health wouldn’t benefit from losing a few kilo’s.

I just think it’s benefiting more from the increased fitness and strength.

I know my self esteem is really benefiting.

Image via WikipediaI went to my training session today feeling a little bit flat and tired. It’s been a fairly busy few days for me and my body is feeling it.

Of course, once I got there and got started, it was amazing how much energy I uncovered. In fact, it never ceases to amaze me how much more I manage to do in my personal training sessions when compared to what I might achieve on my own.

As usual, today, there were a number of moments where my mind was going “there’s no way I can do that” and yet, somehow I manage to do it. Sometimes it’s only just. But I constantly surprise myself by doing things I honestly think are not possible.

Which has gotten me to thinking about how much we must limit ourselves by our own thoughts at times.

I had a similar experience to this with netball on Saturday. Before we’d even left home on Saturday morning, I had a feeling I was going to play better than I had been? Why? I’ve been in a bit of a “netball funk” for a few weeks now. Feeling very negative about myself and my lack of netball skills. With some help from a friend or two, I was feeling like I’d finally come out of that “funk”.

Not only did I play better (as far as I was concerned) but I also enjoyed the game a whole lot more and came away from it feeling positive (despite the fact that we lost).

I don’t think it matters how fit or skillful we are - a LOT of our successes and failures happen in the way we view things and the way we THINK.

It kinda makes me wonder what we could possibly achieve if we dared to believe in ourselves….

A little while back I was contacted by someone asking if I was interested in trying some Powerade drinks *.

To be honest, I’ve never had a sports drink in my life. I’ve always been firmly in the “the best drink is water” camp. But I figured if they were willing to send me some to try, I’d be happy to try them.

I started with the red one because I like red (not as much as pink of course but red drinks tend to be my favourites).

It was WAY too sweet for me. I couldn’t even drink it all. I was a bit surprised actually because I find the healthier my diet, the less well I tolerate sweet things. So if these are targetted at those who are most active (and therefore hopefully consume a reasonably healthy diet), why make them so sweet?

The second bottle I tried was Powerade Recovery.

I tried this one on the day of the netball carnival. It was nowhere near as sweet and with a full day of physical activity and made a welcome change from drinking water to stay hydrated. I noticed that I didn’t have any trouble with cramp after the carnival which was a nice change.

This quote from the website might explain why it didn’t have as much trouble with cramp:

Protein is required for muscle repair and helps promote muscle recovery and rebuilding after exercise. Protein may be better utilised when combined with Carbohydrates. Including protein in the recovery period may also help in reducing muscle soreness after exercise.

So I guess you could say my experience with that one was quite successful.

The third bottle they sent me was the Powerade Isotonic. In terms of taste, this one was my favourite. I couldn’t say for sure that I noticed any difference in my performance by using it and I still had trouble with cramps that night.

To be honest, I’m still not 100% sure what I think of the “need” for Sports Drinks. The day of the netball carnival was the day I noticed the most difference from using them. Perhaps because the one I took focused the most on recovery - which is the area I seem to need the most help with (with getting cramp and delayed muscle soreness). I probably should experiment with that particular one a bit more.

What Do You Think?

So that’s my very limited experience and experiment into the usefulness of sports drinks.

I’d love to know what your thoughts are.

Do you drink them?

If so, what do you drink and why?

Are they worth the money?

Are they better than water or do they have a more limited place (in addition to water)?

* While Powerade sent me 2 bottles of each of these drinks to try, I have been under no obligation to post about them. That choice was completely up to me and no payment (other than the free drinks) has been made for this article. I’ve chosen to write about my experiences because I want to know what your thoughts are on the benefits of sports drinks. Are they worthwhile or a marketing gimmick?

Image via WikipediaI have been CHEATING on my personal trainer!!!

But you HAVE to admit, he IS rather worthy of cheating with!!!!

Of course, it’s not MY fault she went and abandoned me.

Firstly she went and left me with some STRANGER during netball training. And while my brain nearly exploded with what this stranger wanted me to do, I have to admit I wasn’t as “stuffed” as my personal trainer usually leaves me after her fitness sessions at training.

And she’s still away so no session this week.

So I decided to be “good” and drag my Billy Blanks DVD out from the bottom drawer and give it a dust off.

I don’t remember the last time I actually USED this DVD.

Having not done it for a while, it was hard going. It amazes me how much exercise you can do but when you change what you’re doing, it’s still hard. Not that my current “head spins” helped me get through it either.

I LOVE Billy Blanks. I find him so positive and encouraging in the way he presents his videos. And he often finishes with an inspirational pep-talk.

Mind you, he didn’t finish the session with a massage, so I think I’ll go back to my own personal trainer next week.

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeAs I was heading to bed last night, I caught the last minute of play in the AFL game between Port Adelaide and North Melbourne. The commentators were making some comment about a kick that was about to be made being a deciding kick for Port Adelaide’s season. If the player kicked a goal, they still had a chance for the finals. Talk about pressure on one player! He missed and my heart sank for him (which is interesting given I am NOT a fan of Port Power).

As the television flicked into darkness, I muttered “I hate sport”. And then proceeded to self analyse my own comment. I do. I hate watching sport. I also don’t really like playing card games. My problem? I feel too intensely for the losers. Don’t get me wrong, I like winning. I just can’t help but feel bad that having a winner usually means you also have to have a loser.

I’m not a very “sporty” person. I never have been. I used to think it was because I was lazy. Now I’m not so sure. I think it has more to do with my confidence. In the past I’ve ranted against school PE teachers. I found that my PE teachers strongly discriminated against anyone who wasn’t good at sport. Funnily enough, I doubt that would be tolerated in any other subject. Did my loathing of PE mean that I was simply lazy? I don’t think it did. Although I didn’t understand that at the time.

The problem I have with sport is not just the fact that you have losers. Have you ever noticed how the desire to win can cloud all other human decency? Is there a point when it’s okay that it’s all about the win? Or should it ALWAYS be all about the win?

Why can’t sport be about fun, fitness and friendship? I know that competition can help us to strive harder. And I’m not against that. In fact, I’m a big fan of competing against yourself. Probably a bit too big a fan because I know I’m too hard on myself in terms of expectations.

The last few months have been an interesting learning experience for me. Getting involved in a sporting club has been lots of fun and the sense of “belonging” is wonderful. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in a club that has really given me a lot of support and encouragement when it comes to getting involved.

But I’ve noticed a darker side to that which comes out when the desire to win overtakes the desire to be fair.

I know. Life’s not fair. I work hard to teach my children that very fact. But it doesn’t stop me bemoaning the fact that life isn’t fair. I desperately wish it were. For my children’s sake. And for mine. And for everyone else’s.

I wonder if we took all competitiveness out of the equation whether life would be more fair?

Maybe.

Maybe it would be less fun that way? I have no idea. I mean, winning IS fun. But should it be SO much the focus that for those of us who aren’t good at sport, playing is no longer fun? Or that we sit at home wishing we could play but not having the confidence to put ourselves out there?

I guess I can’t help but wonder whether Australia would have less of an obesity problem if sport was something that EVERYONE felt they could have a go at and enjoy, no matter what their level of fitness or ability?

What do you think? Would YOU have a go at sport if it truly didn’t matter what level of ability you had?

Image via WikipediaOn Sunday night, I sat down and watched Gladiators with the rest of the family. I’ve not actually sat down and watched it before. Usually Farmboy watches it with the kids and I sneak off to do a bit on the computer (usually after a busy weekend). The kids LOVE it.

I was amazed at how fit AND strong the contestants were. Far out, what some people will do (and can do).

Despite my heading, I have no real desire to reach that level of strength and fitness. But this week in my personal training session, we worked on strength training. It’s something I have done very little of. Ever.

So I have a looonnnnggggg way to go before I’d EVER get to Gladiator level. LOL.

But hopefully one of these days I’ll be able to pass a netball a little better. Or hang clothes on the line without getting sore arms.

My progress with strength and fitness is rather slow (in my opinion) but with everything else going on right now, I’m just so relieved not to be going backwards.

And the progress is definitely there. I’m able to do things now that I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to do a couple of months ago (like play 15 minutes of netball without feeling like I am going to die).

There was one good thing about netball training last week (after my whinge yesterday that I was hopeless). One of the things our fitness trainer emphasizes is the important of competing against yourself (rather than someone else). So the focus is often on bettering your last effort.

Last week we did an exercise where you run back and forward along 1/3 of the netball court as many times as you can in 1 minute. Last time we did this I managed 14 times the first effort and then 16 times for the second effort of the night. However, I overdid it a bit (competitive? me?) and felt pretty crook (as in, “I REALLY feel like Im gonna hurl” afterward). This time I did 16 the first time, and didn’t really feel like I pushed myself anywhere near as hard. I also managed only 16 later in the training but considering I was already out of breath when I started, I figured that was an okay effort.

All this to say, I feel like I’m making progress.

Next week is weigh and measure week. I might need to reread this after that.

I’m feeling like I’ve been living in a bubble for the past couple of months and the bubble has just burst. I’ve been caught up in the adrenaline of playing a game I never wanted to stop playing and the hype of those around me giving me heaps of encouragement.

This past week has seen me come face to face with a few home truths that were perhaps “hiding” amongst the gloss and glitter of being “the newbie”.

Last Thursday’s training was an absolute shocker. The fitness session nearly killed me (okay, I’m being dramatic, but you get what I mean, yeah?) and when it came to some of the skills stuff, I couldn’t seem to hold onto the ball. “Butter-fingers”, my childhood coach would have called it.

As soon as I got into our car after training, I burst into tears. In fact, I kept bursting into tears for the rest of that night and getting to sleep wasn’t all that easy because as soon as I shut my eyes, I kept replaying all the things that had gone wrong.

Admittedly I was fighting a cold and so feeling a bit run-down. Which probably explains at least some of my struggle with training and also why I was bursting into tears so easily (I’m a shocker for bursting into tears at the drop of a hat when I’m tired).

So, after all of that AND feeling like a complete alien come Saturday as it was my first game not played at our home grounds, I wasn’t approaching Saturday’s game with a whole lot of confidence in myself.

To the extent that I thought I was going to actually have a panic attack right before the game. My mind went blank and I couldn’t remember how to play. It was not a very nice feeling at all.

Hoping that once the game got started my head would clear and I’d find some kind of rhythm, I did my best to focus on the game.

Only things went from bad to WORSE. Either the Wing Attack I was playing was a pretty good WA or I really had totally lost the plot. I found her almost impossible to keep up with. The opposing team walked all over us for the first quarter. I don’t know what the score was at the end of the first quarter but I know it wasn’t good.

There was a moment of fear during our break that the coach wasn’t going to swap my position and I would have to face another quarter against this girl. I was SO relieved when she swapped me with another girl and I came off the court. My team mate was very keen to oppose this girl. She was ready to get stuck into her.

The second quarter things went a lot better and our team managed to turn the score around and give us a comfortable lead. I found some comfort in watching my more experienced team mate still struggle to stay on top of this WA. Of course, she did a much better job than I did. But I would expect that to be the case.

At this point though, I really did NOT want to go back on the court. I knew I was only playing half a game this week but we have plenty of players so my not playing another quarter wouldn’t have posed a huge problem to the team. My biggest dilemma was that I knew if I tried to tell my coach not to put me back on, I would burst into tears.

When I discovered she was putting me back on in the final quarter, I really wanted to freak out. That meant that my team-mates would have no time whatsoever to make up any short-fall in the score. I don’t DO pressure very well.

It did turn out to be a good thing in the end. During the third quarter I gave myself a stern talking to. Something along the lines of “you can’t just decide you’re not going to play because your opponent is too hard to play against”. It doesn’t work that way. I figured I’d go back on the court, play to the best of my ability, and know that at the very least, playing a challenging opponent should be a good learning experience.

I think I did a lot better in that final quarter than I did in the first quarter. It helped that I’d had a break where my opponent had played all game and was getting tired. But it also helped that I was focusing on what I could do rather than what I couldn’t do. Well, kind of anyway.

I’m not sure what I was expecting really. That since it was my third game, I was no longer a “beginner” and therefore should just be able to play as well as the rest of the team?

Who knows?

We did end up winning. Thankfully. I’m not sure my ego was up to taking a loss. I’ll have to work on that.

After the game one of my team-mates was very encouraging. And I nearly burst into tears. She was very kind and told me that she felt I was still improving (whereas I was feeling like I’d gone backwards) and that she admired what I was doing for even giving it a go.

I think it was at that point that it really hit me how hard what I’ve undertaken is. People have been saying that from the start - how amazing what I’m doing is. I’ve tended to shrug is off as nothing because all I find amazing is that my team even let me play.

Now that the “gloss” and “newness” and “excitement” have started to wear off, I’m seeing what others are seeing.

Learning a skill like this and putting myself out there in public each week is going to take guts and determination.

I still love it and am amazed it’s even happening.

But not every week is going to be “fairy tale” week.

Sometimes I’m just going to have to keep on keeping on, no matter how hard it seems.

One of the things I have found fascinating since starting work with a personal trainer is the number of muscle groups I never knew I had. It’s probably a bit of a stretch to actually call these “muscle groups”. They certainly aren’t “strong” muscle groups. But they’re there nonetheless.

Usually the morning after my session, I can tell which muscle groups have been targeted in the session the day before.

From that perspective, training with a trainer has been a fantastic learning curve. In the past I would have termed “fitness” as doing a bit of a run or a session on the bike. I might do a few push-ups or sit ups. But it really is SO much more than I ever understood.

I learnt something else this morning. The term “DOMS” which was mentioned in response to a Plurk I made yesterday and stands for “Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness”.

Anyway, I sure have DOMS today!!!!

My outer arms, across my back and my lower abs. Although my lower abs aren’t as sore as I thought they might be (considering I did indeed think I was a “dying cockroach” during one of the exercises ).

I’m beginning to LOVE that feeling of tiredness after a good session. Physical tiredness rather than emotional or mental. There’s a certain sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing you’ve given it your all (or maybe even a little bit more than “all”).

I did sleep well last night (and most of this morning). Although that could be in part due to taking extra sleepy medications after having a session with my counsellor that went for more than 2 hours!!!

So, yesterday was a reasonably full-on day and today I have only half a day to get done what I need to get done. The kids have a day off school today (teacher’s strike) and are off tailing lambs but I expect they’ll be home soon.

Not that anything that “needs” doing today couldn’t wait.

Image via WikipediaOR….

Try Athlete.

OR…..

Try-Hard Athlete!!!

Yeah, that’s me. A “try-hard” athlete. LOL. Okay, maybe more of the “try-hard” than the “athlete”.

However, despite my not having the best of days yesterday, I really did put 100% into my session with my personal trainer. I was really happy with how I went.

As usual my personal trainer was wonderful and very understanding of where I’m at right now.

So we did a circuit of treadmill, rowing machine and exercise bike. 7 minutes on each. Bit of a break and then repeat and see if I could break my own distances in the time. The last session on the bike was torture and I didn’t think I was going to make it. But I did! Which was an AWESOME feeling!

I increased my distance on the treadmill and the rower. By the time I got to the bike for the second time, my legs were really feeling it. It was hard going and I REALLY didn’t think I was going to make it. So it was really AWESOME I at least matched my previous distance. Which gave me an overall improvement in distance for the circuit.

I was about ready to collapse though!!!

The exercise really did help with how I was feeling yesterday. It didn’t put me on a “high” or anything but definitely elevated my mood. Why doesn’t knowing it’ll make me feel better somehow give me more motivation to actually get out there and do it??? It. Is. SO. HARD!

THANK YOU

For all the wonderful words of support you gave me yesterday. I do my best to be as real as possible on this blog. As much as I enjoy being positive, the truth of the matter is, some days are just. plain. hard. It means a LOT to me to have the wonderful friendships I’ve built up online. I hope you NEVER feel I take them for granted.

{{{HUGS}}} to those of you who’ve shared you’re also struggling at the moment. There is something to be said for being able to struggle along together.

Thanks to those of you who raised the question about my perceptions right now. Yes, I think the way I’m feeling is clouding the way I’m reacting to some things at the moment. I’m kind of aware of it but at the same time powerless to stop it.

Some of it has been very helpful in making me reassess where my priorities lie. I have a tendency to give too much of myself at times. I’ve been a little out of balance in this and I’m working on realigning that balance a little.

Not everything that is negative in our lives needs to be eradicated. Sometimes it presents us with very real opportunities to implement change for the better. I feel I’ve taken some positive steps in the past 48 hours and embrace some of the hurt and struggle as a catalyst for that change.

Some of my struggle right now is that I’m finding certain areas of blogging rather “high-school-esque”.  I don’t know how else to explain it.  Everyone wants to be popular and noticed by the “popular kids”.  It’s the stuff I was glad to leave behind when I left high school (although I’m aware it still exists in the adult world).  *sigh*  I’ll get over it. 

Netball

With all my whining yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to tell you how netball went on Saturday.

I’m still learning about the netball “code”. It would seem that when people ask you “how did you go?” what they really want to know is whether you won or not. LOL. I need to work on my competitive edge I think. I don’t care if we win or lose as long as it’s not my fault (if we lose that is).

So, yes, we won. And yes, I did okay. And no, my coach can’t count. Because where I come from 3/4 does not equal 1/2. Apparently I was playing so well that she left me there an extra quarter. Which is nice. That she felt I was doing well. People can tell you that you’re doing well but actions still speak louder than words don’t they? I don’t expect to get that much play all the time though. Our team is rather large and our coach is very fair.

When I came off the court at the end of the third quarter she said something along the lines of wishing she didn’t have to take me off because I was doing so well. She obviously hadn’t taken a close look at my face. Because I don’t think she would have squeezed another quarter out of me if she wanted to. My fitness is improving though. To begin with, 15 minutes at the pace of play was enough to do me in. In my first game I managed 2 x 15 minute quarter and was done in. This week I played 3 x 15 minute quarters.

I think the pace was a little slower this week though. For a start, my opponents weren’t twice my size.

I’ve had a few comments about how amazing I am for even giving this a go. I guess the way I see it is that I’m blessed with some wonderful supportive friends who’re really getting behind me in this and helping me along the way.

And a coach that has embraced my desire to learn and play despite my lack of experience and knowledge (like, I’m still relearning the rules and stuff). I’m sure it’s more down to all of them than it is down to me.

And of course, all of you. My own personal cheer squad. (yes, that’s a KISS - right Bettina????) I think I need a {{{HUG}}} smiley too!!!

* I think I learnt that word from Frogdancer. How ironic that an English teacher is teaching me to use words that don’t exist in the dictionary! LOL

Thank you so much for all your well-wishes and encouragement on me taking the plunge on the netball court yesterday.

It turned out to be quite a day of “firsts” for our family.

Singstar Princess’s FIRST Netball “Game”

Yes, it was a scratch match. But it was played and umpired as a “real” match. At first she was a little unsure but by the time Saturday morning rolled around, she was ready to give it a go. There is SO much to learn when it comes to playing netball and she didn’t really well.

Trailer Boy’s “First” Football “Game”

At half time of the A-grade match, we often have a “mini-mini’s” game which is basically a chance for all the “little” kids to run around chasing after the football and try to kick through some smaller goal posts. It’s so cute to watch. Trailer Boy (who is 4) decided he’d like to give it a go on Saturday. I didn’t actually get to see him but FarmBoy was there and said he had a grin from ear to ear.

Our FIRST Time Staying At the Club For Tea

We’ve always planned that one day we’d stay for tea at the club after sport. Last year we never did get around to it. So last night we decided to stay. For $25 we both had Rump Steak, Chips and Salad and the kids each had nuggets & chips. Talk about a BARGAIN!!! The steak was soooo good too!

Farmboys FIRST Speech

I had no idea that the club had a sort of presentation type thing at the end of a home game. Just a few minutes of speeches sharing results and other bits and pieces of news. Farmboy is Assistant Coach for our Juniors and gave the speech in place of the coach (who wasn’t there). It’s only about a minute or so but he did SUCH a good job (particularly given it was off the cuff AND he was the first of the football coaches to speak so he had no idea what was normally said).

Lightening’s First Netball Game (well, in a LONG time - and a first with this club)

While I had my moments, I didn’t end up getting quite as nervous as I was expecting. I DID get nervous but I suspect I will always get nervous before a game. My MAJOR moments were:

• Not being able to stay hiding in the change rooms once I put my uniform on. You don’t feel like you’re wearing very much in those dresses.
• Facing up to the team when I wasn’t sure how they would react to me playing.
• Just before the game started when I realised it was all really happening and I was there, uniform and all.
• Putting on my “patches” just before I went on (and all the hub-ub going on around me).
• Walking on to the court and standing next to the GIANT I was opposing (I’m sure she was TWICE my height!!!!)

The support and encouragement I was given by my team-mates and others in the club was UNBELIEVABLE. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. I’m not even sure I’m ready to put it into words yet. It was all a rather emotional experience.

And how did I go? Okay. I could probably tell you almost every single mistake I made. Actually, I could probably tell you about half the mistakes I made. LOL. The others are in areas I’ve yet to learn.

But I feel like I did okay. Which is HUGELY significant because I am very hard on myself. And while I know there’s lots more for me to learn. I feel like I’ve made a good start.

And it was AWESOME!!!!!

Really, really AWESOME!

And the score?

I forgot to look.

I was watching it from the sidelines when I was off-court.

I was watching it from on the court.

And at the end of the game, I forgot to check.

ROFLOL.

But I did find out after the game that we lost by 1 point.

That’s okay. We’ll beat them next time.

My FIRST Netball Award

The end of the game is a bit of a blur for me. My team-mates were very encouraging about how I’d gone for my first time. There was some encouragement from people who had come to watch. And of course, the coach.

As the team congregated with the coach she said something along the lines of me doing well and she was awarding me the something or other. LOL. Like I said, there was a LOT going on.

I think each game the coach gives like an incentive or encouragement award to one of the players. At the presentations, there was one player from each team which was given something.

Who knew you could get presents by playing netball???? I didn’t!!!!

So I was given a towel with the name of the club embroidered on it.

Funnily enough, I saw one of these towels a couple of weeks ago. The Netball President was showing one to someone else and I just happened to be there. And I thought they looked fantastic.

I’m figuring maybe they’re used for awards and stuff because in her speech, the president made some comment about how some people had been playing for the club for years, really wanting one. And here I was at my first game, getting one.

Interesting symbolism I thought. I can’t help but look at that towel and think “wow, I belong. I really belong”.

I had to fight back tears a couple of times during the day. But they were the good kind. The “oh my goodness, people are being so NICE to me” tears.

I wonder how I’ll go next week when I’m “last week’s news”.

As I guess you can tell from this post, it was a really GOOD day.  Today I’m very tired.  Which is to be expected.  But it’s a really “happy, satisfied” kind of tired.  I kinda like it.

This is one of those times when you take a leap into something that terrifies you.  But in the end you’re REALLY glad you did.