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Showing posts from January 3, 2021

There's no health without mental health.

Hi athletes, weekend warriors and fitness enthusiasts,  I feel you. 2020 was a brutal year. We all lost our primary source of mental wellness - sport, gym, socializing, traveling, racing. We lost our routine and our favorite way to socialize. Sport and exercise affect us in deep and personal ways. After a year of cancellations, disrupted routines, changed plans and unpredictability, we all feel a profound sense of loss. We lost our self-identity during a time of uncertainty.  It's not silly to feel a wide range of emotions - almost like a death. Something this powerful and meaningful was taken away. Right now you may still be experiencing any one of the stages of grief - denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Left unaddressed, these feelings can lead to more serious mental and physical health problems.  If you have felt growing levels of anxiety and depression, you are not alone. You may be confused on whether or not it's worth continuing on with sport with so...

Approach change with curiosity and exploration.

  Looking at this picture from seven years ago, I remember how nervous I was for every live TV segment that I did with News4Jax. I'd prepare for hours.....all for a 2.5 minute segment. Despite the nerves and unpredictable nature of speaking live (for the entire city to see), I would always finish the segment with relief and the feeling that it wasn't as scary as I imagined it to be. Overtime, I became more comfortable speaking live and started to look forward to each new opportunity. Trying something new can be intimidating but here's no time like the present to try something you've never done before! Change is hard. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself always reverting back to old behaviors and habits. Going from something familiar and within your control to something that is unknown and unpredictable provokes a lot of fear.  Affected by a feeling of insecurity, you may find yourself with thoughts like "will I be successful?" "what will happe...

Our 2020 Year In Review

  Every year I like to recap the year, sharing our highs and lows and everything in between. Although 2020 didn't give us our typical year of racing, it provided us with a lot of new opportunities and experiences.  I posted this picture on Facebook on January 21st with the caption: "When it feels like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, remind yourself that it’s better for the world when you first take care of yourself." With 2020 being such an extraordinary year, it reminded me to never take anything for granted. We are responsible for one another. Every human in this world is interdependent on each other. Your well-being is my well-being. Although Karel and I love to race, we actually thrived during this year of cancelled races. We stayed healthy and injury free and we kept our training fun and flexible. The worst part of a season of cancelled races was the sadness we felt for our athletes. We really missed the excitement, stress, worry and emoti...