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Showing posts from May 31, 2020

In pursuit of the American Dream

The American Dream The hope for a better life. Human rights. Democracy. Attaining success from sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work. Freedom of speech. Independence. The land of opportunity. Economic prosperity. Safety. In 2000, Karel left his home country of Czech Republic and traveled to the United states with nothing but a backpack. He told no one that he was leaving his country in an effort to pursue the American dream. It takes great courage to leave your country, family and friends and go to a new country where the language is foreign and you have to start a new life with nothing. For the dream to function properly, the basic rights of individuals must be respected. This was far from the truth in Karel's story as an immigrant trying to make a living in the United States of America. When Karel arrived to America, he quickly realized that his dream was harder than once imagined. But like most immigrants, he persevered with a strong work ethic. He kept fighting...

Stress and disordered eating

We are all experiencing challenges during which words just can't describe what we are feeling. Politics, police brutality, a pandemic and an international human rights movement - alongside other ongoing issues like global warming, animal rights, LGBTQ discrimination, wage inequality, homelessness, human trafficking, disability discrimination, deforestation, weight bias, air pollution - may make it impossible to make sense of our emotions. No matter how hard you try, you can't avoid stress. And sometimes it gets the best of us. Stress can become a problem when you are unable to cope. Without a productive and healthy outlet, stress levels can escalate. Poor body image and an unhealthy relationship with food can cause stress but it also works the other way around. The relationship between stress and disordered eating is a vicious cycle. When you feel overwhelmed or out of control, it's natural to find ways to cope with those unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings. Fe...

38 years old: Another journey around the sun

And just like that. I am 38 years old. A birthday is much more than an occasion to receive gifts. It's a chance to celebrate and to give thanks. It's a special occasion to rethink life, to reflect on the past, evaluate the present and make plans for the future. A birthday is a transition from what was to what can be. It's a spiritual refresher. 37 was a difficult year for me. I wrote about (most of) it in my 2019 Year in Review blog.    "Life can be difficult, unfair and tough to understand. If I had to use a word to describe our 2019, it would be strength. We had to find strength to experience the highs and we had to find strength to get through the lows. Triathlon provides us with many life lessons but in 2019, life hit us hard. Throughout the year, there were several occassions when our hobby of triathlon was put to the aside in order to deal better with the hard times.  As athletes, it can be difficult to stay positive, hopeful and focused during stressfu...