Friday, January 6, 2017

Closing the loops

ive been training my ass off.  literally.  as in, my butt feels smaller.

(... you were just picturing the last time you happened a casual glance at my butt weren't you?  admit it.  im flattered.  thankyouverymuch). 

however - in recent weeks, i've been having that panicked, #ihaveamillionthingstodo feeling in my chest.  i get close to having anxiety attacks at work.  i feel like im struggling just to get everything done at work, at home - and nothing feels completed.  i constantly feel like my to-do list grows and grows and im running backwards-in-crocs trying to accomplish everything while getting nothing done.

guys, feeling this way sucks.

hence, ive been throwing myself into workouts more and more.  when i train, i can control things.  i can control pace, heartrate, cadence, breathing... hell, even just the direction i am running.  it makes me feel accomplished.  plus - my butt looks better.  small wins.

i was biking last week and running out of things i wanted to watch on netflix, so after playing the netflix game for 10 minutes, i headed over to coach's website.  i watched a video on training peaks of all things and how to keep yourself accountable.  and she talked about "closing the loops" - finishing workouts, updating training peaks, foam rolling - all the while checking off the to do boxes in the training world and coming full circle in terms of being an accountable athlete and reducing stress.  leaving all those little things undone or half done can be a cause of mental stress.

i took a real hard look at myself and realized that i am constantly reminding myself of things that need done - both in training and in life.  i feel like it takes up a lot of brain power when all those little things are constantly floating around in my head in a circle.  turns out, it is stressful.

so i ran - and checked it off the list.  i updated training peaks.  check.  in starting this habit over the past couple of weeks, i've also narrowed down my to-do list.  prioritized things.  i finally finished putting up (and now taking down) holiday decorations.  i finished notes at work.  check, check, check.  once i got the ball rolling, it was a lot easier to finish tasks.

*yadda yadda yadda - something about forming healthy habits - i have nothing inspiring to contribute*

closing the loops is a thing.  that panic attack feeling is lessening and, added bonus, the cat seems pretty pumped about having a clean litter box all the time.  go us.