Posts Tagged ‘tomboythatwearsmakeup’

Psychology of Sport – Mind Over Body

Good Morning!!  Welcome to this amazing wednesday, full of potential and opportunity!  How are you?  I’m doing great!  My Fiancee has been an inspiration to me lately (well, she always is :) , as she has been training for a triathlon with a local shoe company’s training clinic,  known as The Right Shoe.  She’s been training 6 days a week, varying from a weight training workout at home, to double workout days running in the AM and swimming in the PM, or swimming in the AM and biking in the PM.  She’s really been impressing me with her commitment to excellence.  You can read more about her story on her blog Tomboythatwearsmakeup.com as she posts regularly on her workouts.

I did have the opportunity to compete in my first ever triathlon in September of 2009, and I’ve been considering getting back into the tri swing of things, as the Right Shoe clinic is becoming very intriguing to me.  For our first triathlon, we did all of the training by ourselves and managed to complete the race in one piece, although I know I could do waaaay better with training from a professional clinic.  Here are some pictures from our first ever triathlon.

Recently in her clinic, they had a sports Psychologist from the University of Fraser Valley, Roger Friesen, come in and talk about the psychology behind sport.  Roger has worked with numerous elite Olympians, and top of their class athletes over the years.  Amanda then shared her new found knowledge with me, and I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned;

1 You will never know if you can do something or not- unless you try.

2 Do not try to achieve perfection, there is noooo such thing, instead- Strive for Excellence.

3 Always write down your goals- (even have a goal for each workout, whether it is making a certain time, working on form, or just getting through it)

4 Celebrate even the simplest of goals achieved, such as getting outside for that run- even if you don’t feel like it (and be truly happy about it! Smile, be excited, CELEBRATE!)

5 Don’t let your external environment influence your motivation. Example: If you committed to running outside on Sunday am and it is pouring rain, don’t let the rain stop you. It’s part of your plan, so do it.

6 Why do you want to achieve your goal?

7 Accountability is crucial. Let friends and family know your plan, so they can celebrate with you and help hold you accountable. (Blogging helps too- I don’t know if I would have ever been this pumped up if I wasn’t writing and sharing with you every step of the way!)



Just by reading these inspiring words, I think I’m going to go for a run…I crave the sweat : )

Do you have dreams of entering a race, whether it be swimming, biking, running, or all 3?!  Do you realize that anyone can do it, including you?!  I promise you, it’s an amazing feeling to complete any sort of athletic contest.  Please share pictures or stories with me, and on my Facebook page!  I’m always honoured to hear your feedback!

Thanks for stopping by!  I look forward to talking to you soon!

Congrats Trong and Lindy / My thoughts on Sugar

Hey there!

How is everyone this fine thursday?

So, this weekend I have the joy of creating a wedding video for my friends Lindy and Trong (also my new pool teammate!!), at a beautiful venue on Hornby Island.

Trong and Lindy

I’m very excited to see everyone, and to see the union of two really cool people who I look up to in many ways…and also to make a kick ass video for them!!  So today is a clean up day and tie up loose ends at home, and prep for the weekend.  Again, congratulations Trong and Lindy!!

Since my last post was about goal setting, I have set a new one regarding my diet.  I’ve been trying really hard this week to cut out all known sources of un-natural sugars from my diet.  I’ve been shocked to see just how many foods I eat, that I didn’t even think to have sugar in them, do!  For example; the little single serving cans of Tuna I like to eat for snacks and the frozen chicken breast I like to buy from costco.

Of course, like everything, sugar in moderation is okay, especially when it’s natural sugars found in fruits.  But excessive amounts of sugar, especially processed sugar can lead to diabetes and obesity.  With the health ramifications that we know can occur from regular, and large amounts of processed sugar intake, I truly believe that refined sugars should be regulated such as tobacco or lottery tickets.  Not only is it an extremely addictive chemical which can lead to unnecessary food and sugar cravings, large amounts of sugar on a regular basis can cause insulin resistance, a state in which the body does not respond to the hormone responsible for controlling blood sugar correctly.

Insulin resistance is a significant step towards adult onset diabetes. The resulting chronic high blood sugar is usually converted to fat, leading to obesity. Of course insulin is a hormone with many factors affecting it, not just sugars in the diet. Things like binge and starve eating patterns (including eating only one or two meals a day), stress and lack of sleep can all cause problems with blood sugar, which lead to the seldom-diagnosed hypoglycemia.

Bags of sugar stored in Cuban warehouse awaiting shipment to US.

As far as finding the best foods for an all natural only sugar diet, I find that home cooking meals ensures that you know exactly what’s going into your food.  I’m lucky enough to have a girlfriend who has been trying recipes in the vegan field of diet out on me, so I’ve been surprised with many meals of; quinoa and stir fry veggies, home made salt and vinegar chick peas, and my ultimate new favourite…Kale Chips!!  Check out how to make those on Amanda’s blog. Super easy to make!

So what are your thoughts on sugar?  Should I be as concerned about it’s consumption as I am?  Is dairy worse than sugar for our bodies?  Do you have any recipes for “sweet treats” that don’t use sugar?   As always, I appreciate the feedback, and look forward to hearing from you!

Well I’m off to check out a new potential home out in Port Moody, B.C. with Amanda, I’ll let you know how that goes.  Have an amazing rest of your thursday, and an amazing weekend as well!  Don’t forget about my special sunday coffee at Tim’s!!  Bye for now : )