Emotional Ups and Downs of Competition - Brought to you by Goal Setting

What I have seen of the Olympics has been an amazing and emotional rollercoster ride! Last Sunday I watched the most incredible finish in the Men's skiathlon.  After a gruelling 30km, on a reportedly brutal course, there was only 1.1 seconds between the first and fourth finisher.  Each racer had put every ounce of energy they had into that event and regardless of how fantastic they did, three racers left elated and one left broken hearted, missing the podium by a mere 1 tenth of a second. Yesterday I watched as the women's British speed skater was given a DNF in the 1500m short track race because she went so aggressively for the finish line that she skated too far inside the track and didn't cross the actual line.  This was made even more devastating because in the 500m race, where favoured to medal, she fell, losing that medal in the final.  Today I watched the 33 year old Canadian win silver in the women's snowboard cross competition and watched the favoured American crash, with the finish in sight, during the semi-final leaving her out of the medal round. Never will I cease to be amazed by the stories, the effort, the extreme highs, and the ultimate gut wrenching lows of the Olympic competitors.

After watching the athletes compete on television I thought about the Masters Swim Meet I attended last week. No, as Masters athletes we are not "current" Olympians and no, we are not on the world stage with the pressure of performing for our country, however, we can still be afflicted by the ultimate highs and lows that accompany competing in sport.  As I reflected on the competition it occurred to me that I had the privilege of viewing several emotional highs and lows at this swim meet and others.

There were two gentleman that stood out in particular for me.  The first I met before the 400 IM.  The event was full and he was unable to get a spot; he patiently waited to see if there would be a no show.  Unfortunately for him, all competitors showed for the race and his disappointment could be felt. The next race was the 100 m breaststroke.  He was in the heat before me in my lane.  He was entered with 1:30.00 and finished in 1:17!!! His disbelief and excitement was contagious. This excitement carried him through his other races, his disappointment of not swimming the 400m forgotten.  He was again in the heat before me for the 100 IM; the time he swam won the meet, out right!  He took 13 seconds off his time to finish in 1:07.  It was an incredible feeling to see his surprise and elation over the improvement he had made!

The other gentleman was attempting to qualify for World Master's Swimming Championships happening in Montreal this summer.   He took 7 seconds off his 100m freestyle to make the  cut for World's!  There is something so wonderful seeing the smiles of those who have had a personal victory.  I left the meet feeling happy inside and happy for others.

Masters isn't all happiness, improved times and spectacular personal achievement.  Unfortunately there are personal disappointments that occur too.  Last year at provincials I watched a young woman exit her event in tears, angry with herself at how she finished her race. She had set a goal and didn't reach it.  She had let herself down. The pain was as real and as devastating to her at the Master's level as it is to an athlete competing on the World stage.

The stories of the Olympians inspire and amaze me. The stories of the athletes I meet everyday at the pool or a competition, provide me with the same inspiration to continue to set and achieve new goals and live and be apart of the emotional highs and lows that accompany them. It is important for us to embrace our sport, regardless of what level we compete at.  The elation or emotional pain felt after an event is very real and okay.  The work has been put in and the effort extended in hopes of reaching the personal goal that's been set.  It's okay to feel disappointment, that means you are striving for something, you have purpose and a goal.  It is also okay to feel like you are incredible and on the top of the world, because you set a goal and achieved it!!! Those people that set goals are in the minority. Only 3 percent of the population actually set goals! Be proud if you're one of them.

LIFE HAPPENS

From the beginning, my blog posts have been regular at twice per month.  Well at least until mid December that is. Some of you may ask, what happened that put your blog on hold?  My answer is, life happened.

Like most of you, I am not a teenager whose parents take care of me and for the most part all I need to worry about is school, sports and managing my social media pages. Instead, I am a parent, attempting to do everything for my family,  my career, manage to train for a swimming event that doesn't take place until August, and yes, manage my social media pages.

So much has happened in my life since mid-December. The intensity and pace of life activity that I've been keeping will continue on throughout the next few months. Here is just a snap shot of what happened in the last month and a half.  I will list only a few points to give you a quick glance at what has kept me away from posting:

• Year End at work
• Christmas
• New Job Beginning January 1
• Bought a House
• Sold a house ( which was not an easy thing to do with 3 kids!)

During all this turmoil, I did everything I could to keep going to the pool 3-4 sessions per week.  There were, and still are, many evenings that I debated heavily with myself as to whether I was going to drive 30 minutes to the pool, in the dark and cold when I was feeling exhausted and quite frankly, overwhelmed.  My internal battle always ended up with me having frozen hair on my way to the car, and a feeling of mental freedom and relief, after practice was over.

Exercise is a great stress reliever.  And if nothing else, over the holidays, I definitely needed to find a way to manage my ever rising stress level. Regardless of the  exercise intensity, research has shown there is true benefit to daily physical activity in helping to reduce stress.

The Mayo clinic did a great summary of the benefits of exercise on stress relief.  Here are a couple of points to remember when you are pondering skipping workout because your Life is Happening a bit more stressfully then usual.

1. Physical activity boosts endorphin release in our brain, causing a natural high and a better mood.

2. Regular exercise can help reduce the symptoms of mild depression and anxiety and help with 

    getting a good night sleep.  All these benefits lead to an overall reduction in stress.

3.  Exercising is a form of meditation.  Halfway through your workout you may find you've forgotten

     the day's list of  'things to do'  and are focusing on one single task, your body's movement.

4. Make sure you schedule your physical activity into  your day.  Write it down, put it in your
    calendar like an appointment and keep it!  You will be happy you did.

Life will always Happen, make sure it doesn't keep you from Living your Life.

How I Justify Eating all that Yummy Holiday Baking!!!

My Christmas Caramel Corn

This blog isn't about swimming, it's about one of my guilty pleasures, Christmas Baking!  Actually to be more accurate, baking and eating Holiday Treats!!!!

Growing up, my mother made the most wonderful cookies at Christmas.  She instilled the love of baking and cooking into all four of her children.  We continue on that tradition in our own homes every year.  The picture I included in this blog is of the caramel corn mix that I made this past Sunday with my kids.

Many people over eat during the holiday season, myself included.  Usually I justify it by saying, "it's only once a year" or "I'm going to work out several days per week to get rid of the excess calories anyway". But let's face it, the best way to justify pigging out on Christmas goodies is to find some sort of health benefit in the food we're gorging ourselves on!

Here are a few benefits to some common Christmas baking Ingredients, as well read on for an important tidbit of info for maintaining that healthy body throughout the holidays.

CINNAMON

• can help regulate blood sugar and stabilize energy
• natural anti-infective (against H. pylori- the ulcer causing bacteria)
• reduces cytokines linked with arthritis helping to relieve arthritic pain
• being researched as a treatment in several diseases (MS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's)

GINGER

• used world wide for its properties of reducing feelings of nausea, upset stomach, bloating, and flatulence 

CLOVES

• Used to help relieve upset stomach, intestinal gas, nausea
• When applied to gums, helps to relieve tooth ache pain
• High in Vitamin C and K
• WARNING:  do not eat during pregnancy. Large amounts can cause GI irritation, and aggravate ulcers and diverticulitis

NUTMEG

• contains antioxidants, potassium (helps in BP control), B- vitamins, Iron, and Vitamin C.
• anti-fungal
• APHRODISIAC
• WARNING:  too much can cause excess sweating, palpitations, hallucinations

COCONUT

• Contains lauric acid- increases HDL (good Cholesterol)
• Contains copper, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium
• Source of B-vitamins (folate, niacin, thiamine)
• Very safe, and a healthy choice whether in the form of oil, powder, or shredded

CHERRIES

• Low in calories
• Contain antioxidants (melatonin) which helps reduce irritability

WALNUTS

• Source of Omega-3 (linoleum acid)
• Lowers Total and LDL (bad) Cholesterol
• Raises HDL (good Cholesterol)
• Helps to lower Blood Pressure
• Lower risk of Stroke and Coronary Artery Disease
• Can assist in ridding free radical from the body (as little as 6 nuts)
• Source of B-vitamins

PECANS

• High in calories 100g= 700 kcals
• Source of antioxidants (phytochemicals)
• sources of beta carotene and lutein (removal of free radicals, protect body from disease)
• Source of B vitamins, potassium, calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium

COCOA POWDER

• 2 Tbsp = 25 kcals and 3.6g of finer
• acts as an antidepressant 
• antioxidant- fights against heart disease, cancer, aging
• decreases LDL and risk of blood clots
• Helps lower Blood Pressure 
• Increase Cognitive Function

POPCORN

• Contains high levels of healthy antioxidants (polyphenols)

Although each individual ingredient has some wonderful health benefits and I can personally trick myself into thinking my Christmas cookie plunder is somehow good for me.  Reality is there is a lot of  bad sugar enveloping these healthy ingredients.  So please heed the below warning so you can enjoy the above delightful ingredients contained in your sugary indulgences.

WARNING:  EAT IN MODERATION!!!! 

As long as you do not overindulge, you should be able to enjoy and taste a little of everything you like and still fit into your bathing suit after this holiday's eating extravaganza.

Reference: www.nutrition-and-you.com

                    www.livestrong.com