The Volleyball Epiphany
I played volleyball yesterday for the first time in a year. I love volleyball, and it was a church open gym get-together, so Steve and I were happy to dive in and play for the entire two hours CWC had the IWU fitness center. I’m…somewhat adequate, when it comes to volleyball skills. Not awesome, but I try to make up for it in enthusiasm. My bruised knees testify to my propensity to dive to get the ball, in which I am sometimes successful, and sometimes I end up sitting there like an idiot on the floor.
But here’s the thing: I thought I was in pretty good shape. Compared to where I was a year ago, I’m in great shape! I definitely felt great running around on the court yesterday. But today, I’m SORE. My legs, hips, and shoulders are just sore.
It kind of made me realize that just because I can run three miles pretty easily, doesn’t mean I’m in the best shape I could be. Clearly the muscles that are used to play volleyball aren’t being worked like they could be in my strength workouts. I got out of breath a few times, so I also need to add more sprints in my cardio workouts. Since my primary goal at this point is to focus on training for two half-marathons, I think I have a tendency to prioritize running distances over strength and sprints. Which is silly, really, because all three are necessary to running a good race.
Not that I feel sorry for myself. I just realize that maybe I could stand to NOT rest on my laurels of wow-I’ve-come-so-far. Maybe I should remember once in a while that I still have a ways to go in this fitness journey.
Side note: every time I play volleyball with church/Christian folk I think of something one of my missionary “uncles” said when he decided we needed to stop playing soccer for a while and learn to play volleyball – much to our dismay. “You need to learn to play this! This is a necessary life skill for an American Christian – every church you go to will feature volleyball at some social event!”
Eh, he was right.
Our Hungary 2012 Trip
In just over four short weeks, Steve and I will be heading to Hungary to work at the SHARE Family Enrichment Conference in the teen program. We got to do this last year, amidst much anxiety and freaking-out. We had an amazing time (last year’s post) and can’t wait to go back!
It’s really awesome to spend a week with 45 MKs who are growing up all over Europe. We’ve been able to stay in touch with a bunch of them, thanks to Facebook.
This is one of my favorite pictures from last year. We were on a photographic scavenger hunt in Bratislava, Slovakia, (just an hour drive from the conference hotel!) and had to act like squirrels. I got to hang out with the 13-year-olds and they are the BEST!
Here’s our newsletter that tells more about our trip, and how you can be involved. Yes, YOU! Click here: Elwoods 2012 Hungary Trip
Healthy Chocolate Shake
The experts all tell me (and I know them ALL, of course) that one of the best post-workout refuel foods is chocolate milk. It has protein and carbs that muscles crave after a hard workout, plus calcium and potassium. Bananas are also a good choice. I happen to have a metric boatload of frozen bananas in the fridge, waiting for their chance to be made into muffins or something. But, being the only one in the house who likes banana muffins, I don’t make them all the time.
So, I combined them into one tasty shake! Actually, I don’t have any chocolate milk in the house, so the first time I made this shake, I added two tablespoons of chocolate syrup. Bad choice. It was too sweet and added 90 calories. The 2nd time, I added two teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, and hit the jackpot! The banana is sweet and milk contains sugar, too, so a sugary addition isn’t necessary.
Chocolate Banana Shake
- 1 cup milk
- 1 frozen banana (I took it out of the freezer before I went on my run. When I came back, it was thawed enough to peel.)
- 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
Blend with an immersion blender or in an actual blender. Bottoms up! With 2% milk, this shake is about 240 calories – but good calories! No added sugar. It’s high in calcium and potassium, 4 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of protein. Make it with skim milk and the whole thing is under 200 calories. But again, I’m the only one in my house who would drink skim, so I roll with what I got.
Enjoy your creamy chocolaty goodness!
My 2011
At the end of 2010, I was at a pretty low point. I was over 50 pounds overweight. I wanted desperately to start a family with Steve after two years of trying (now three years). I felt weak and powerless.
So I decided to make some changes.
My goal was to get in the best shape of my life before I turned 30. I have since realized that with working full time and doing the many other things I’m involved in, that was not a reasonable goal. But it started with an intense desire to be different. To feel different, and to be healthy.
In one year, I lost 22 pounds and ran two 5K races and a 10K. I found strength to keep moving forward in our infertility situation. (In a nutshell, we’re testing and meeting with specialists.) I’m an ATHLETE. I feel like I can do anything. Half-marathon? I’m signing up for the Ludington Lakestride as soon as registration starts! Marathon? There are a couple in the area in the fall that I’m looking at. Triathalon? Sounds like fun! Maybe in 2013. 
These are all things I have control over: when I work out, what I eat, what my fitness goals are. I have no control over our infertility. At this point, I have no idea what the future holds in that regard. But what I can do is get suited up in my awesome running clothes and head out for a three-mile run around IWU. I can eat an orange and some almonds instead of my beloved salt and vinegar potato chips. (Okay, so nutrition is definitely something I still have to work on!) But the point is, I can act on things I have control over, and try not to fret over what I don’t. God is definitely teaching me about not fretting. Trust. Peace.
Sometimes when I’ve been on a run on the Greenway, I’ve shouted with joy. (After first carefully checking to make sure no one was around.) I’ve thrown my hands up in worship. I’ve cried. Maybe exercise makes you connect with your emotions in a deeper way, but I also have wondered if it’s a way that God uses to get my attention. I feel like I’ve had several spiritual epiphanies this year that seem to start with ”So I was on a run today…”
I’m very grateful for 2011. And my prayer is that as we move in 2012, we will be even more receptive to what He wants to do in our lives. Hopefully the Mayans will be wrong about the end of the world. I kinda want to stick around to see what happens this year.
May God guide your steps in 2012.
2012 Goals
I like goals instead of resolutions. Resolutions, I’ve found, are only as good as the goals you resolve to. And I also figure I should set goals for things I actually have control over. So, here are mine for 2012.
1. Run two half-marathons and one marathon. My family really outdid themselves in giving me great new running gear for my birthday and Christmas – shoes from my brother-in-law, socks and headband from parents-in-law, running top and a marathon training guide from Steve – I am SET! Training starts on January 2.
2. Lose an additional 30 pounds by December 19, 2012, which is about 0.6 pounds a week. That’s a toughie, since my rate of losing weight has gone down significantly. I also need to be more diligent in my nutrition. But I’m hoping that training for the races will do the trick.
3. Learn how to use our camera. It’s complicated. It has many buttons and settings and I get easily frustrated with it. But it’s also very nice, so I feel as though I really should get the hang of it. So, my goal for the camera is to get it out at least once a week and take a series of pictures and play with the settings. This is especially important to get a handle on before we go to Europe in February.
Yup, that’s a good enough place to start!
My Geocaching Stats
Progress
MyFitnessPal - Free Weight Loss Tools
