Running with Depression

As if exercise wasn't hard enough to do or fit into your 'busy' diary, you somehow have to find some inner strength to not only put on some workout clothes but to actually go out and work up a sweat. Quite frankly this has not happened for me.

Where is that inner strength? Where has the passion for fitness gone? ...it's simple, my dog ate it.

I have a black dog and its name is depression. It follows me everywhere and consumes every part of my life. Learning to live with a black dog is difficult. Learning to control your black dog is even harder. Things I used to like, love and enjoy are simply a long cardiac arrest of doing nothing. You just lay there. Motionless. Emotionless.

I keep waiting for the moment the light bulb will come on, the moment you get slapped in the face with reality, the moment you stick up two fingers at your black dog and say I'm going to do what I want.

....but it doesn't come.

My friends do their best with their researched 'things to say (and not) to someone who has depression' but at the end of the day, their lack of understanding my exact position is my ammunition to keep them at arms length.

But something has changed. A change that was bound to happen and a change that only I can change its course. My body has inevitably changed shape due to my lack of exercise. The point has come where I don't like how my body has become. I miss my athletic toning. I miss my physical strength. I miss my endurance. It's time to get it back. It's time to be in charge again.

I've signed up for a half marathon later in the year. In a few months actually. My friends are surprised. 'Why not a 5k or a 10k?' 'You don't make things easy on yourself'. I'm not surprised of their initial lack of support. They know how their 'fitness freak' friend has become the anti-workout one. The fact of the matter is this. I don't see a half marathon as a big deal. No matter what race I signed up for it would still require the same from me; commitment, desire, sticking to a schedule. I don't know if I'm going to run the whole 13.1 miles but I will complete it. The added bonus of this race. It's in a place where I have a great friend. A super added bonus is my great friend has an equally great other half I consider a friend too. So not only will I get to do a race, get another medal for my bedroom post, but also see two friends (of whom I don't see much of due to geography).

13.1 is my number and I'm gunning for it.

Posture

Posture affects all of us. From the small things like sitting in a chair to standing at the bus stop.

The essence of this blog entry is to stress the importance of strengthening our cores. If you’re one of those people who work out and don’t know what I’m referring to, shame on you! To others who don’t work out or even those who do the odd exercise every now and again, this is a fundamental part of your health.

Training your core isn’t mind boggling, you don’t have to use equipment or attend a Pilates class. The core is mostly referred to as our abs and lower back muscles but as a whole it encompasses lower and upper body. When worked together they help to stabilise and support the spine. For anyone serious about their fitness/performance or just wanting to live healthy, building a strong core will get you there.

Our backs are fundamental to everything we do. Think how many times you slouch on a chair at work, how you sit on the sofa, over time these bad habits creep up on us and we end up at the doctors or whinging to our friends about back pain. Building strong back muscles will help reduce lower back pain and prevent any further damage.

Our core helps us stand upright, improve our balance and increase strength to our workouts. I recently attended a gig and was standing up the whole time with a bag on my back. Half way in I was reminded (by my back) that I wasn’t standing properly. I promptly took my bag off, rolled my shoulders back and stood strong. Being 26 years old and having back pain ages me too quickly! The same applies to the rest of us. A weak core means that other muscles will pick up the slack created and imbalance can occur. This in turn will most certainly mean injuries. *sighs* no injuries I hear you cry. It’s time to pay attention to our cores and getting them strong.