How a breakup benefits you

Falling in love feels like rainbows and unicorns until it isn't. Love does not always mean happily ever after. That's for fairy tales, and this is real world. Love is sacrifice. Love is selfless. Love is pain, regret, and fear of the unknown. Love is getting high, falling off the cloud, and drowning in the middle of an ocean. Relationships only work when both parties realize this. You have to be willing to compromise. It requires maturity. Breakups happen because it didn't have enough audacity to make it through. They leave you torn and bleeding. You go to bed crying, beating yourself up, and wishing you could just be numb to it all. If you are honest with yourself, you can find the benefits to any breakup. What it taught you. That you can move on. 

Here are 5 reasons a brake up can be beneficial: 

1. They teach you how to be alone.

Aloneness is not the same as being lonely. Aloneness is quality time with yourself; allowing you to nurture your soul, be footloose on a whim. Unearth new possibilities. You can sip an espresso at a busy café, quietly observing those around you, and feel content. It feels guiltless to not partake in conversation, letting your mind wander and soaking in the atmosphere. 

2. You learn to be whole as a half.

You cannot feel whole only when you are giving yourself away. Once that person leaves, what's left? Of course you're going to feel torn when they're gone, they've seized apart of you. And you let them. Being whole as a single means searching for the missing pieces, and creating new ones for the ones you can't fix. You can have independence for yourself while in a relationship. If you don't, then maybe you are not ready for the relationship. 

3. You can rebuild.

If you feel as if you've hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up. You have to make the choice to move on, rebuild, and become stronger than before. A mistake made is pointless if not learned from. The building stage is a perfect time to implement things like a workout program, achieve goals, take on something that will challenge you. You will be able to look back at how you've grown, and smile because you've  built something out of what seems like nothing. But it was always there. You couldn't see it before because you weren't paying attention to yourself. 

4. How to depend on yourself.

The only person responsible for your happiness is you. Period. It is up to you to do what makes your spirit soar, the adrenaline pump beneath your skin. Why would you let anyone else dictate

how you feel? You call the shots when it comes to your emotions. 

5. Be more grateful for those who stayed.

You realize just how blessed you are to have your family, and your best friends. They gave you a shoulder to cry on, a few kind words, and told you everything is going to be ok. They restored faith that not everyone slips away. They are with you through beginning, middle, and another new beginning. A break up is not the end to your book, but an end to your chapter. So turn the page and continue reading.  

Handling disappointment

Having been an athlete for 5 years, I've had my run of the mill with disappointment.  Disappointment is not meeting your goals you worked so hard toward. Disappointment is not meeting somebody of importance expectations. Disappointment is the let down you get from others. 
How we react to our despondency contributes to our attitude about life, our goals, and our motivation. 

I've had disappointments one after the other, but I look at it as a lesson from life. I mature from it. I analyze every side of it, and use it to improve. Gain some mental toughness.  I also learn from other people's mistakes, comprehend them and think about what could have been done more efficiently with the desired outcome.

What enables me to accept, learn, and move on, is that I choose to do so. No one is kissing my ass to make me feel better. It is me taking the initiative for my own, and sometimes others, actions. I mentally and physically have to make the choice to take advantage of it or gain nothing but self pity. 

Disappointment is not the end, but a new beginning. 

Swimmers guide to better eating

I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this post, as it is on one of my favorite subjects, nutrition; and may just be the longest post I've written so far!  All this information may seem overwhelming, but remember to ease yourself into the world of nutrition. This information will always be here, so no need to memorize every exact detail. I didn't learn this stuff over night, and even now I still don't know everything!. Apply one of the things you learned everyday, until it becomes habit, and continue learning and gradually adding in healthy habits to your daily schedule.
Pasted below are various websites, Team USA, SCAN, and the Australian institute of sport. The links provided are very informative and easy to understand, I checked each one and thoroughly read through them. Knowledge is power people! And then again, so is applying your knowledge to everyday life.

check out the United States Olympic Committee’s sports nutrition resources at http://www.teamusa.org/About-the-USOC/Athlete-Development/Sport-Performance/Nutrition. You will find many resources here including videos, recipes, and athlete eating guidelines. I especially like the athlete’s plates – a quick visual on what to eat on easy, moderate or hard days of training.

SCAN has free sports nutrition fact sheets on a wide range of topics at http://www.scandpg.org/sports-nutrition/sports-nutrition-fact-sheets/ and mom and dad may also want to look at the handouts on the cardiovascular and wellness sites of SCAN.

The Australian Institute of Sport has been a leader in sports nutrition for Australian athletes. You don’t have to go down under to take advantage of their expertise; just go to http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition to see the many free resources to help you with a healthy eating plan and to learn more about good nutrition.

The links below are hand  selected from teamusa.org:

Never underestimate the most important meal of the day, breakfast.
http://www.teamusa.org/~/media/TeamUSA/sport%20performance/pdf%20handouts/Breakfast.pdf

General eating guidelines for those hard/easy/moderate training days
http://www.teamusa.org/~/media/TeamUSA/Nutrition/Athlete%20Plates%20Hard%20Day%20Handout.pdf

Hydration is EXTREMELY important, as your body is made up of more than 60% water.
http://www.teamusa.org/~/media/TeamUSA/sport%20performance/pdf%20handouts/Hydration_2011.pdf

For the Vegetarian athlete:)
http://www.teamusa.org/~/media/TeamUSA/sport%20performance/pdf%20handouts/The_Vegetarian_Athlete.pdf

Athlete eating guidelines found on teamusa.org:
- Stay hydrated. Your body is more than 60% water and your muscles depend on water to function properly. A dehydrated body cannot train or compete at its peak. Drink enough so that your urine looks like pale lemonade or apple juice and so that you are urinating frequently throughout the day.

- Fuel up before training. Focus on eating lean proteins, fruits and vegetables and whole grains to ensure that your body is prepared for training. Try not to go into a training session with an empty fuel tank. Eat a meal 3-4 hours or a snack 1-2 hours before exercise.

- Boost your immune system. Choose foods that are high in antioxi- dants such as fruits and vegetables to help keep your immune system healthy and reduce the amount of free radicals that your body builds up during high intensity training. Choose more colorful fruits and vegeta- bles such as blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, oranges, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes.

- Limit fats. Saturated and trans fats can cause inflammation which is the exact opposite of what elite athletes need. Stay away from foods that are processed or fried, and higher fat meats like chicken wings, bologna and pastrami. Choose non-inflammatory unsaturated fats such as olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and salmon.

- Eat to recover. Choose carbohydrate rich foods with some protein within 30-60 minutes of finishing a training session to help your body recover faster. Good choices after workouts include: peanut better sandwich (half or whole), carton of chocolate milk, or a bowl of cereal with milk or yogurt.

-Sport products. Sports bars, gels and drinks do have their place in an elite athlete’s eating program. Be sure to not over-use these types of products, however, as they can deter body weight goals and can replace more beneficial calories from whole foods. Use sports products before, during or immediately after practice depending on your sport needs and goals.

to get to the links, copy and paste if it doesn't show up properly :) I know I said I would write about distance events and pacing, but I've decided to devote that to the next post. I cannot explain to you how important nutrition and a well balanced diet is, it could help you break some records and feel your best, or drag your career to the ground. Nutrition is a science, but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand it. Eat well, live better. Let food be thy medicine, and take your vitamins. The only supplements I take are whey protein, and coffee. Coffee can dehydrate you, so for every one cup coffee, I drink two cups water, and I try to drink over a gallon of water a day.
If you have any topic suggestions, or feedback from my previous posts, please email me at h2obutterfly100@gmail.com :)

Not your average person

I stepped out onto my front porch at 6:30am, took in the crisp and cool November air, awake and pumped for the vigorous sprint/crossfit work out I was about to endure. Then I actually woke up to my alarm going off at the other side of my room, placed there knowing that if I set it next to the bed the previous night that I would easily hit off and fall back asleep. I stiffly rolled out of bed. I threw on my work out clothes and put my hair in a wild pony tail; quickly noting I looked similar to a walker from the walking dead. I downed some juice for the carbs to make sure I have enough energy and I was sore all over from the date with the gym I had the day before. I step outside for real this time, pitch black, cold, and RAINING. This is the reality of most mornings. You go to sleep pumped and fantasizing about how great your workout will be, and then you wake up feeling like death itself, and all you want is another 5 minutes of sleep. But you get up anyways. You remind yourself of all your goals. Your dreams. everything you've trained for in the past. People think you're crazy, that you crave and live for those early and sometimes rainy mornings, or late nights at swim practice. It's who you are. Fitness is my life, and I am dedicated 110% to every aspect of it. Every hill, every bump and curve that has been thrown in my path has been climbed, jumped, and straightened out, but sometimes it tears me down. Things tear you down, only to build you back up Into a smarter, and stronger version of yourself, or you can choose to take the easy way out and stay down until things become easy again. You have to learn to build that self confidence in yourself and not depend on others to help you back up 100% of the time. The body feels and does whatever the mind tells it to, so if you convince yourself that you can't keep going, you can't do this, or that this is too hard, your body will hear that nonsense and shut down. Keep your mind a positive and clean area, and don't ever say you can't do something; because wether you can or you can't, you're right. Back to my sprint/cross fit work out, once I got going and into my zone it wasn't so bad. In fact, after my workout I felt on top of the world! Here's the workout: 

5min jog 

 10 150yard sprints: ***1st 10 push-ups, 2nd 20 lunges, 3rd 30sec plank, 4th 10 T-jumps each leg, 5th 5 push-ups, 6th 20 lunges, 7th 5 push-ups, 8th side jumps, 9th 15 plank position shoulder shrugs, 10th 10 squats

5 min jog

3 400 yard jogs: 1st 5 push-ups, 2nd 6 burpees with two push-ups

3rd 10 squats

10min cool down

***The push-ups/jumps/squats/planks/lunges/burpees where done after every sprint, and no brakes or rest was taken in between. 

Tomorrow morning is another sprint/crossfit workout, with the intensity increased. I am hoping for a less rainy of a morning. Next weeks post will be on setting a pace for yourself during longer and shorter swim events, with advice on how to practice them and learn how to pace for certain events, it will be interesting as I am going to do some research on USA swimming as well, and see what I come across. Wake up and chase down those dreams, make them your realities. can't stop won't stop! 

Don't just try. Give it your ALL.

So with the condition of my shoulders I have worked out a plan to bring my swim times down, even if it means not being a senior swimmer becuase my practice count will drop to 4-5 practices a week. The fact is, my shoulders are not like other peoples and I'm going to have to work around that. How am I going to do this? Let me tell you. Instead of swimming 6-7 practices a week, I'm going to bring it down to 4-5 practices, reducing the amount of inflammation and stress being put on my shoulders, enabling me to seriously haul some butt during practice without feeling like my arms are popping out of their sockets. Gross. To make up for my lack of attendance, I'm going to run every other morning, even on the weekends, varying the time, distance, and sprints, even adding in some push-up/squat/lunges in to keep it spicy with the sprints. I will work in some strength training in my core 15-20 minutes everyday at home. Now add in weight training every other day ( the days I don't run ) at the gym for 45 minutes, and I mean some serious weight training, and I should be pretty whooped by the end of the week just the same as any of the seniors.

Now on Sundays however, I will only do my core work with a very light run. From day to day I will be switching my carb/fat/protein Intakes, and eating most of my carbs before and after work outs to maximize the affects of carbohydrates for the better. So a day that I lift and swim, I will eat around 3000 calories, consisting of 60-80 grams fat, 120-130 grams protein, and 300+ carbs. The days that I run and swim will be 2500 calories consisting of  about 80 grams fat, 120-125 grams protein, and 200-260 carbs. The reason I am eating more when I lift weights and swim is because, for me, lifting depletes my energy stores for the day more so than when I just run and swim. Also weight lifting generally keeps your body on the calorie burning highway longer than cardio does. But it varies from person to person, things like gender, weight, hight, age, and body type have to all be taken into account, and that's why you shouldn't follow a particular persons diet. What's spectacular for one person could be death for another. I want to thank Bear_fitness on Instagram for their great posts that I use in my blog! Check them out for great motivation :) 

 

Remember, we all have the same 24 hours. How you choose to spend yours is up to you. wether you laze through practice, or give it all you've got, it's your choice alone. No one else controls that. So either you can suck it up, or regret it later. Give it everything this week, don't let the case of the Mondays get the best of you, and instead make the best of the Mondays! Let it be a set up for the rest of the week. 

Born for the 500

Hey guys! So last week I mentioned a couple songs that where real spirit up lifters, I wanted to share my music playlist of songs that I listen to to get my adrenaline pumping and ready to swim fast at a swim meet:
1. Bezerk by Eminem
2. Flux and Flow by Siberia
3. Numb/Encore by Jay-z and Linkin Park
4. You gotta want it by Papa Roach
5. We Still In this B**** by B.o.B
6. Let it die by Three Days Grace
7. Run this town by Jay-z
8. 'Till I Collapse by Eminem
9. Rock you like a hurricane by Scorpions
10. Survival by Eminem 
Haha yes some of these songs are old, but they still get me fired up. Tonight is the homecoming football game, and tomorrow is homecoming! I'm absolutely thrilled for the start of this weekend to begin. This year seemed to skip Autumn and go straight to winter, with temperatures just beginning to reach freezing by nightfall. I am not too impressed. During the week my swim coach and I discovered my hidden talent for the 500 Freestyle, during a set in which we did 4 x 500s in which I was beating my best time on all of them. I was able to keep a strong pace, and as my coach would say, embraced the suckyness of it. Why can't I be good at a 100? I absolutely nearly fear the 200. I've never been a real sprinter, and switching between a even, slowish, pace to full out sprint just isn't my thing. But I can hold a strong pace required for the 500. Here are some tips for swimming a 500 freestyle both in practice and a race:
1. Keep your stroke long and even, establish a comfortable breathing pattern, breathing to each side to prevent a cramp.
2. Keep your focus on how your STROKE feels and not on how YOU feel. Think about the water gliding past you, count your strokes, focus on keeping your kick alive. 
3. KICK! Your legs are there for a reason, don't just drag them behind you. They aren't a drag suit. 
4. Embrace the suckyness of it ( Swim coach quote ).
5. The water is your friend, do not fight it. Use it to propel you forward.
6. Make sure you rotate, a longer stroke = more ground ( or water ;) ) coverage as well as preventing shoulder problems.
7. My friend once told me, if you ever get a cramp, just breath out HARD. Yes it sounds weird, looks weird, and maybe even feels weird, but guess what? It works! 
Stay hungry and motivated all you swimmers out there! Never lose the thirst for chlorine. 

I Refuse to Sink

Hey guys, I've realized that I have been neglecting my blog quite a bit, and that's going to change. From now on, I will be posting twice a week, Mondays and Fridays, in the evening. These past two weeks have been rough for me, I had lost some of my inner motivation for my sport, competitive swimming, and this week I finally picked myself up with the help of my dad and swim coach. I had started feeling like I wasn't good enough, like I was being judged, and just burning myself out as well as losing sleep and my self confidence. Over the weekend I convinced myself that I wasn't going to swim and make myself miserable so something needed to change. I had to stop thinking that I couldn't do this or that, the interval was too fast, I didn't have a good day, or whatever other excuse I was making up in my head that wasn't positive twoards myself. All the fun was being sucked out of swimming. I took a step back and refocused on my goals, one of them being that I'm going to have fun at practice and stop being so hard on myself, and on Monday of this week I came back strong and ready to kick butt, AS WELL as have fun and enjoy myself, and I accomplished that. Today I went to morning practice, the gym, and afternoon practice. It nearly killed me, but I refuse to sink! I made practice fun for myself, laughing and thinking positive.

Last week I promoted to Airman in my Civil air patrol, although it's one of the lower rankings, I consider it to be a huge step in my life. I did something that I've been wanting to do for the last year!.

I recently discovered a song that really spoke to me, it's a song I wish I could have heard a few years ago, it's called More beautiful you By Jonny Diaz. All you girls especially, give it a listen! It speaks the truth. There can never be a more beautiful you! Also, another uplifting song I really like, Brave by Sarah Bareilles, got my spirits up and also gave me the courage to say what I wanted to say and help another swimmer out with her shoulder troubles. Music has always been a big part of my life in some way, it motivates me, inspires me, gets my adrenaline pumping through my veins to push through the last few reps or miles, makes me happy when I'm sad, and gets my mind off of troubling things. A goal of mine is to pick others up when they fall down, and to teach them to be their own hero so that when things get rough, they can come back stronger on their own. I want to be able to inspire other girls to just focus on being the best that THEY themselves can be, and to not worry about who they aren't being, what they aren't doing, what boys like them, and 

to just focus on living their lives, enjoying their family, respecting themselves, and have high self confidence in themselves. And Vice Versa for you guys as well! Never lower your standards just to be accepted by someone, or to seem "cool" or whatever it is you're trying to attempt. If somebody doesn't accept you for they way you are, forget them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with just being you.  A few of the pictures I use are not owned by me and I do not take credit for them, except for the CAPS photo of me:)