Practice

Practice

• carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions
• a customary way of behavior
• drill: learn by repetition
• rehearse
• translating an idea into action
• commit: engage in or perform
• knowledge of how something is usually done
  

While attending a stress resiliency seminar recently I was struck by the word practice. The speaker was urging us to practice the skills he was discussing. As one of the long term skills discussed was meditation, I remembered that some people refer to their yoga practice, while others simply do yoga.

I practiced medicine for 14 years. It is interesting that certain professions have practices, like physicians and attorneys, while others, electricians for instance, have a trade. Using the word practice connotes the idea that with continual learning and repetition one's skills improve. Being a practice, it seems to me, also implies that one never actually finishes learning. There is always room for more practice and further improvement.

Which might also mean that practice does not make perfect. The greater the dedication to practice, the more one realizes that there is always room for improvement. The dedicated practitioner of any art or profession, whether a musician, athlete or physician, will claim that they are mere students and still have much to learn. It is in the process of learning and study that one gains a deeper understanding of oneself and a deeper respect for the complexity of one's chosen area of practice. As a society we often value perfection but not the time and hard work that practice requires. In doing so we also miss out on the valuable lessons that can be learned from practice itself.

Practice what you preach. This is probably my greatest hurdle. Here the term practice refers both to the translating of an idea into action as well as the concept of making something one's customary way of behavior. So while I often preach the value of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, making this my usual custom, my daily practice, has been much harder.

By looking at why something is difficult and better understanding how one has come to the difficulty, one can better understand how to improve. Whether by an active decision (I don't like vegetables), or passive neglect (I don't have time to go to the store), we all are responsible for our decisions. Using the concept of practice allows us to rehearse our new behaviors and commit to them with a better understanding of ourselves. When we fully understand our values and how to put them into action we have the opportunity to live in harmony, to truly practice not only what we preach but what we believe. Don't miss out on the value of practice in enriching your life.

In that spirit, my favorite motto is practice not perfection.

Playing for Pace

I often use music in my life. Some loud rock and roll helps make boring chores more bearable, and a little blues always lifts my mood. I often run with my tunes and love sharing all kinds of music with my indoor cycling classes. I also find that I automatically run to the beat of the music if it is close to my natural running tempo. With that in mind I have begun a campaign to improve my running speed by increasing my foot turnover rate. Studies have shown that fast runners seem to graviate to a turnover rate of 90-95 foot strikes per minute per foot. There is a belief that this is some sort of ideal match between effort and efficiency. As well there have been some recent suggestions that walkers should aim for 100 total steps per minute to achieve the best results from their walking programs.

With this in mind, my list this week is 10 songs with a tempo of 80-90 beats per minute. My plan is to mix them into my running workouts and pick up the pace when they appear, slowing down if needed to recover afterwards. To make the list all the songs needed to have an easy beat to follow and get moving right from the get go. Only "Lose Yourself" has a longer intro, the rest get you going from the start. As I get stronger I hope to put in a few more in the faster tempo range but that will be for another post.

1. She's A Rebel, Green Day, 84bpm
2. Always Where I Need To Be, The Kooks, 84 bpm
3. Straight to My Heart, Sting, 84 bpm
4. Can't Look Down, Zox, 86 bpm
5. Someday Baby, Bob Dylan, 86 bpm
6. Black and White Town, Doves, 88 bpm
7. Lose Yourself, Eminem, 88 bpm
8. Misery Business, Paramore, 88 bpm
9. Runnin' Down A Dream, Tom Petty, 88 bpm
10. Rompe, Daddy Yankee, 90 bpm
    

Why Am I Doing This ?

I was at my local track yesterday running laps. I have been having some knee pain and will be seeing my Sports Medicine doc on Tuesday. By running on a flat, smooth and even surface I was hoping to figure out when and how my knee starts hurting. Like many people I like to have a diagnosis in mind before I see my doc. Crazy, I know, but I like to feel that I have some modicum of control in the situation.

I had gotten it in my head about 18 months ago that I wanted to run a half marathon to celebrate my 50th birthday. I trained all winter and successfully completed my race on February 22nd in Hyannis Mass. It was great fun, except for this right knee pain that started in during the last mile or so. Like any good physician I tried to ignore it. Only I couldn't, it started back even more intensely and even sooner, each time I ran. Reluctantly, I took 3 weeks off running and yesterday was my test run to see how it felt.

While running yesterday I realized that I am embarrassed to see my doc. Competing in races connotes a certain confidence in one's ability. A sense that you are an athlete, even a competitive athlete. And while I am a competitive person, I will never be a competitive athlete. There is also the issue of training, which takes a lot of time and some would say a certain amount of selfishness also. An inner voice tells me it is silly for a 50 year old woman to run half marathons, never mind my summer goal of an Olympic distance triathlon. Silly especially when you run as slow as I do. So why bother?

I did my first sprint triathlon in 2002 as a challenge to myself. I kept it up for one additional season and then the novelty wore off and life started getting in the way of the training. I continued to exercise but not with the rigor that training for a goal brings. Setting the half marathon goal this year helped bring that focus back. I like setting challenges for myself and pushing outside my comfort zone just a bit. The personal sense of accomplishment is wonderful and it carries over into other areas of my life in a good way. I also like losing weight.

When I did my first tri I dropped a good 20 pounds. While I had kept most of it off, those few pounds that had snuck back on disappeared while training this winter. I like to think that I am not exercising just to lose weight, but then again I am worried about the weight returning if I can't run. This contributes to my unease. Is it wrong to admit that you are exercising to lose weight? Hell, even the Surgeon General recommends 30 minutes of exercise most days. There is even that little line about "greater benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount...".

Since returning to a regular training program I have had to stop my blood pressure meds. Yup, pressure was too low. Isn't that some good news. Yet another motivator to keep going and another worry if my knee keeps hurting.

Somewhere around lap 13 my knee pain started in. Data acquired, I walked a bit and left the track. When I see my doc tomorrow I can explain what is happening and I can also explain why I want to continue training. It is about my weight and my blood pressure and my sense of accomplishment and my mental well being. While one reason may motivate me more than another on any given day, it is all of them that keep me going over time. I don't need to apologize or feel embarrassed. I am doing something that is good for me.

Even the Surgeon General agrees.

Don't Be Fooled

In honor of April Fool's Day this week's ten things:

1. Don't be fooled by numbers, whether it is calories burned, pounds lost or servings eaten, it is only a number. Numbers do not increase or decrease your value as a person.
2. Don't be fooled by shortcuts. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Don't be fooled into thinking no one notices. Like it or not you are a role model to your family, your friends and your colleagues. Are you modeling behavior you want to see in others?
   
4. Don't be fooled by self-imposed limits. Are you really too old, too young, too fat, too thin, too whatever to put off trying something you dream about?
5. Don't be fooled by comparisons. Have you made the best effort that you were able to today? Strive to answer yes each day.
   
6. Don't be fooled into thinking your behavior doesn't matter. Big things happen by many people doing small things. Run errands on your bike, recycle, return a kindness.
   
7. Don't be fooled into believing you are alone. Someone, somewhere, is dealing with the same thing. Reach out for help and support from others whether in your family, workplace, actual or virtual community.
8. Don't be fooled by failure. Did your parents tell you to quit after you fell while learning to walk?
9. Don't be fooled by someone else's values. Know what is important to you and honor it.
10. Don't be fooled by tomorrow. It might not come.