Still heading in the right direction – very encouraging! LOL! I feel like I’m “back in the swing” which is great. I’m back to walking, and was delighted to find that this morning’s 2hr interval walk required some real pushing to get my heart rate high enough. Looks like the long hiatus wasn’t all bad.

In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about rest and rhythm these past couple of weeks. Two weekends ago I nearly killed myself getting a HUGE project taken care of. I never got out of my PJ’s the whole weekend, and only stopped working to eat and use the toilet. By Tuesday I had a migraine that lasted 2 days. I rarely get headaches, so this was truly unusual.

This past weekend I also had a big project I wanted off my list. I started, however, by walking, showering, dressing, having breakfast, poking around a bit and making some connections on the Internet. Then I focused on the task at hand while listening to music that made me feel good. I took breaks, made sure to “hang” with the family, helped others with their projects, and managed to get everything done – and more – that was on my list.

This type-A, super driven person is realizing that a relaxed but focused mindset accomplishes MUCH more than when I’m driven and tense.

This morning I started my day with a walk again. A hard walk. A pushed walk. However, I still made sure I was listening to stuff that inspired me, and I took time to admire the stunning nature around me as I walked. Again, a relaxed but focused mindset.

Very cool. Try it out. You’ll like it!

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Who is Darlene Hull? Click here: www.darlenehull.com to find out!

Well, I had a good week off to rest from the race and plan my next move. First of all, let me update you on my weightloss results from “The Lord’s Table”

It has been a challenging course, but it’s working out many of the core issues for why I can’t seem to get rid of these last 30 pounds or so. My mentor is just about the most encouraging person on the planet, so it’s a joy to work through this with her. And it’s free. If you’re looking to lose weight, start here!

I also spent the weekend getting my training all set up for the next leg of my walking journey – a 10 k in October. I’m using a heart rate monitor for this set of training to make sure I stay in the place of fastest possible advancement. I’m using Dr. Phil Maffetone’s training techniques based on his 180-age formula instead of the standard 220-age, which feels way too slow to just about anyone who want’s to get fit fast. However, he specializes in Endurance Training, and has trained people to break records on 1,000 mile races (completed in about 16 days!) and he’s also trained world champion Triathletes, usually without injury. He teaches you to teach your body to fuel itself using fat instead of sugar, and so your body can go much farther much faster with much less stress and also lowers the level of production of free radicals. His training lowers the stress on your body while improving your results much more quickly. You just have to have the necessary patience to get through the slow times!

I plotted out my complete training schedule between now and the Marathon in October 2010 in a general fashion, and am working on plotting the details one month in advance. It’s rather complicated to work everything in properly and to set up my iPod music to guide me through while keeping a close eye on my heart rate monitor. Ach, it will keep me out of trouble! LOL!

Anyway, if you want to join me, let me know, and I’ll send my training schedule to you as it gets done. If you have an iPod, I’ll also send you my playlists.

Happy walking!

Darlene

So, coming up to race day (next Saturday) I’m challenging myself to reach a personal best speed.  So far, my personal best is 35 minutes and 21 seconds for a 5k.  It would be cool to get it down to 30 minutes, but that would be a 6 minute kilometer and today’s pace was 7.22.  I have a ways to go!

I’ve been using Podrunner’s free walking mixes to set the pace.  They give me an hour of music that’s a mix of house, progressive house, breakbeat, funk, tech house, pop remixes, downtempo, and  spoken-word poetry.  Some of it’s pretty weird stuff, but most of is is just a great way to train endurance.  When you start walking for longer periods of time your pace tends to be all over the map.  This keeps you focused at a certain speed and it’s pretty uplifting for the most part.  Podrunner is actually one of the most popular podcasts in the world.  Not a bad accomplishment!  They’re just one of the many very useful tools in my walking toolkit

Happy Walking!

Darlene

PS: Now if any of you are math whizzes, I need you to calculate for me:  If walking at 139 beats per minute gives me a 7.22 minute kilometer, how many beats per minute do I need to walk to get a 6 minute kilometer?  I’d love you to post the answer below!  Thanks.

Last week I challenged you to get a hold of some written prayers to deepen your prayer life. I have a new challenge for you this week.

Ever think about the fact that God is the ultimate creative soul? All things creative and beautiful come from Him. And yet, the way we practice our faith is often dull and dry. Ever notice that?

A few years ago I was challenged in this area when I attended the “Captivating” retreat in Colorado (ladies, this is a MUST!) At the end of the four days we were invited to come up onto the stage and dance to the worship music. Some of us were awkward and repetitive, others were beautiful and fluid, but it was a mind-blowing experience either way. My prayers and my worship took flight that day.

Returning home, I allowed my self to “stiffen up” again, but the discovery of the song “Pour My Love On You” by Philips, Craig and Dean revived that. I can hardly listen to the chorus without dancing.

I often listen to that song while walking, and when the chorus hits, I run, twirl, leap, and dance. It’s fantastic!

Let me challenge you to explore your more creative side in prayer. Move, draw, dance, sing, clap, shout, act, read, whatever. Just do something to get out of the rut and bring new life into those old patterns! If nothing else, it’s likely to burn a few of those extra calories that Christmas inevitably brings!

Is there something you like to do in prayer? A creative method that you have tried? Share it below!

Darlene

I apologize that I missed Monday’s post – things are always a little awkward when you aren’t at home.  However, let me make sure I don’t miss TWO days.

As I cleaned out my inbox today I found some very interesting information about music and exercise from Dr. Mercola‘s site, and thought I’d share it with you.

Listening to Music While Exercising Boosts Brain Power

Research has shown that listening to music while exercising not only improves mood, but may also boost cognitive levels. An example of this was seen in higher scores among cardiac rehabilitation patients on verbal fluency tests. The study looked at the effects of music combined with short-term exercise and found that people diagnosed with coronary artery disease had enhanced brainpower after listening to music while exercising.

Participants of the study included 33 men and women who had undergone bypass surgery, angioplasty or cardiac catherization and were in the final weeks of their cardiac rehabilitation. Each of the participants were required to take a verbal fluency test before and after two separate sessions of working out on a treadmill for 30 minutes at a time. The workouts were scheduled one week apart and one took place with classical music playing in the background.

The study also had the participants fill out a 30-item checklist, which included adjectives to describe the patient’s current mood, before and after exercising as a way to assess their anxiety and depression levels. The study concluded that participants claimed they felt better both emotionally and mentally after exercising regardless if they listened to music or not.

However, signs of improvement in the verbal fluency areas were more than doubled after listening to music compared to that of the non-music session.

Dr. Mercola also had a second article that was very interesting as well:

How Can Your Workout Benefit From Music?

As stated earlier, exercising to music has more benefits than just making your workout more fun. As sport psychologist Costas Karageorghis explained, listening to music while working out can:

1. Reduce your perception of how hard you are working by about 10 percent during low-to-moderate intensity activity.
2. Profoundly influence your mood; elevating the positive aspects, such as vigor, excitement and happiness, and reducing depression, tension, fatigue, anger and confusion.
3. Be used to set an appropriate warm-up, workout, and cool-down pace.
4. Be used to overcome fatigue, and control your emotions if you’re in a competition.

According to Karageorghis’ research, music is most effective when you are losing steam and need some motivation to keep going — not as a constant stimulus. He recommends doing two workouts with music to every one without, so the effect of the music is not dulled.

Committing yourself to a regular exercise routine is just as important as following a nutritious eating program. Taking into consideration these positive benefits from music and exercising, I would encourage those working out at their local gyms to add a little music to their workout routine.

So, go get your iPod, and head outside for some great, all-’round health and wellness therapy!

Happy Walking!

Darlene

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