Christmas Conditioning Day 2 & 3

Okay so I slacked on blogging this weekend. I just get into the mindset of not doing anything, or rather doing stuff around the house.

Day 2:  Lactate Intervals. Warm up 5 minutes, 5x0:30 sprints, 5x0:30 active recovery (back to your warm up pace), 5 minute cool down.

This run was a nice reminder of how cold it was outside. I thought it was nicer out & only decided to wear shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Boy was I wrong! I am still trying to warm my toes up after this run. My lungs were hurting from the sprints and the cold air. I really appreciate my health on days like that.

Day 3:  Rest, but don't be lazy. Do yoga, walk your day, whatever floats your boat.

Remember if you are following along, on Instagram or Twitter use the #jp2lax!

Here's my Handsome Husband! #jp2lax

Christmas Conditioning

My husband gave me the task of creating a Christmas Conditioning program for his lacrosse team. At first I was thinking how difficult this task was going to be. When I finally sat down to complete this program, it was much easier than I expected!

Before I went back to school for Occupational Therapy, I was an ACSM Health Fitness Specialist. I would develop exercise programs for adults daily. Developing this Christmas Conditioning program was so much fun. I forgot how much I missed developing difficulty program.

I have decided I am going to complete this program leading up to the Christmas break. I will post that program here for your reading pleasure. I will warn you, this is not that difficult of a program if you are currently running. This program was developed to increase strength necessary for sprinting and increase endurance. However, the program does not require you to sustain running for more than 10 minutes. So if you are looking for something easy to complete between all the Christmas cookies and traveling, this is the program for you.  Only requirement is tennis shoes!  If you want to keep up with this program, use #jp2lax

Day 1:  Foundation Run 2 minutes warm up (at RPE of 4-5), 8 minutes work (RPE 6-7), 2 minutes cool down (RPE 4-5).

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Phi Mu Seniors

Huge thanks to Meredith for filling me in on the Bloglovin app. I have spent so much time today on that app! Reminds me of senior year of college when we learned about the free games website. I don't think the 4 of our talked for a week straight we were playing Hot Dog Bush.

Dear Pete Wooster, or The Meaning of Life

Disclaimer:  I have not written a paper such as this since I graduated Hanover College in May 2008. Please forgive me if this is all over the place and there is no clear thesis (because I never could figure out how to write a good thesis). I also write patient notes all day that need to be short and concise.

It was May of 2009, at Hanover College. I was required to take a course during Spring Term as part of the "Freshman Experience". I had 3 professors that each taught the course as well as one professor that was our go-to person and the one that graded all our projects and papers. Pete Wooster, a geology professor, was my go-to person. The final paper of Spring Term was to write your meaning of life. Part of this process we had to have Pete proofread/edit/destroy (that's how I remember it) our first draft. I remember sitting in Pete's office on the back side of the Science Center overlooking the quad. I looked at Pete when he asked me a question about the meaning of life. I responded, "I don't think I can have a meaning of life at this point in my life. I am only 19 years old." I remember he told me that I should have an idea what the meaning of life is at this point, it is foolish not to. It probably was not as harsh as I just put it, but I was crushed. I was a perfect student in high school. I am Type A personality, and I am a perfectionist. Basically, if it is not my idea, it is not right. In church on Sunday, I had an epiphany. The meaning of life is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).

Look who I found on Hanover's Flickr Sarah Albertson
Hanover College Quad

The gospel reading from Sunday was Matthew 22: 34-40. Jesus was speaking with the Sadducees when one asked what the greatest law was. This man was a scholar and Father Dexter took the spin that this man was trying to out smart Jesus and show him that he was more pious than Jesus. Jesus told the man that there are two laws that are the greatest, we are to love the Lord our God with all out heart, soul and all our minds. The second law instructs us to love your neighbor as yourself. These two laws are to be followed together, equally. 

Grandpa & Grandma Davis day before Hanover College Graduation
Strong Role Models for my faith

Just because we love God with all our heart, soul and mind does not give us a license to hate others that are different than ourselves. If we love God too much, but forget to love our neighbor, then we are walking around thinking we are more pious than the next guy. For example, I go to church every Sunday and occasionally (read, seldom) go on Wednesdays. I can get so caught up in my love of God that I think that the Christians that go to church less than this are less pious than myself. This is why the second law is to be followed, to love your neighbor as yourself. We are called, as Christians to love our God completely and fully, but we are also called to love others despite their differences, frequency of attending church, or saying prayers. 

Rachel Halleck & Holly Heindselman Homecoming 2013
I love my friends from my time at Hanover despite the fact they had a different major than me

Father Dexter described a time when he was a freshman in college when a woman followed the first law, but omitted the second. He was giving us an image of walking into a St. Mary's Church at 18 years old, his first semester in college. He solemnly shuffled to the front of the the church, right in front of the blessed sacrament. This church in particular had kneelers in the front of the church to venerate the blessed sacrament. Father Dexter was visibly distraught, and slumped down on the kneelers, back to the blessed sacrament head in his hands. As Father was finding comfort by being in the presence of our Lord, an older woman walked up to him stated, "Remember, we do not turn our backs to the blessed sacrament." This woman was implying that she was more pious than he because she would not think to put her back to the blessed sacrament. Father continued to discuss how this woman did not ask him what was wrong or off any humanly comfort, but reminded him of a rule (written or unwritten). This woman was obeying the first law to love the Lord our God, but omitted for one reason or another, the second rule to love her neighbor.

Hanover College Chapel, where I attended church a handful of times

These two laws, to love God and to love our neighbor, are rules/values/laws that have been instilled in me since I was a little girl. Everything I do throughout my day can be summed up into one of these laws. When I am working with a patient who has just suffered a stroke, I am loving my neighbor and loving my God. When I am fixing dinner for my husband, I am loving my neighbor and my God. When I am helping a friend pack up her house to move to NC, I am loving my neighbor and my God. I try to treat others with love and respect, just like God treats me. I want to show others, Christian or not, heterosexual or homosexual, man or woman, the love that God provides to me every day. Although, I fail daily at loving others, and loving/trusting God, I continue to come back to these two laws to help ground me and to ask for forgiveness.

Prince of Peace Catholic Church Madison, IN
Where I attended mass a few times in college
Image courtesy of redtree photography, what a beautiful wedding

The meaning of life is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind as well as love your neighbor as yourself. After 10 years, my meaning of life has changed slightly. I wish I could find that paper that I wrote my freshman year of college. I believe my meaning of life at 19 (I still find it crazy to think that you need to know what the meaning of life is at 19), was to love others just as God loves us, thus making others feel the love of God. Throughout the course of my 29 years, 2 months and 6 days that I have been on this Earth I have lived my life according to these two principles, to love God and to love my neighbor. If you live life according to this meaning, you will find joy in life and all other things will fall into place.The meaning of life is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:37-40

Looking Back

So I recently started looking back over old blog posts. Man oh man! I was really hoping I would have had life figured out at 24. As I am sitting here texting with a close friend of mine from graduate school, I am reminded that I put deadlines on myself that are ALWAYS unrealistic.

By 24, I thought I had to be married, pregnant, in my dream job, with a killer house, and a fat bank account (or something like that).

Image by Bobbi and Mike

I'm 28, married, not pregnant, in my dream job (even though it is a maternity leave coverage ending February 20th), in an apartment, and a figure friendly, healthy bank account.

Accepting my Master's Degree

I still don't know who I am. I still have similar stresses and anxieties that I had when I was 24. They just look different.

Stress and Anxiety

The only thing that is different is my faith. I am closer to God than I have been in over 15 years (which is a guess). We have a great church family. My husband encourages me to pray and write (two things that help me put everything into perspective, if only for a moment).

This Sunday at church was the Presentation of the Lord. This is where Mary and Joseph brought Jesus, a mere 40 days old, to the temple for the purification ritual. Father Dexter, was encouraging us to not lose sight of the light of Christ in our lives. He was telling us that we will always have anxieties, stressors, and worries, but the light of Christ shines in all of us and is for all of us to experience. This light never fades, no matter how far away we are from it. We have just simple allow Christ to be our light. We have to practice letting Christ be our light.

This is such a beautiful message to remember when all of the stressors, anxieties, and worries get to be too much. Christ is our light, shining in the darkness (anxiety), and shining in our hearts.

Christ be our light.
St. Elizabeth Seton, Carmel, IN

I want to leave you with a part of mass that was part of the old translation of the mass (prior to November 2011). During the Eucharist, the priest would say, "When we were lost and could not find our way, you loved us more than ever." Just remember, if you don't feel or even see the light of Christ, he is still loving you.

Should and Should Nots

Ever live your life by the shoulds and the should nots? Every Friday, I struggle to live my life by the shoulds and the should nots.

Friday, I do not work. That's just how my current job schedule has fallen. Usually, I end us spending money on things (clothes, acupuncture, food). Things to prevent me from falling into the all too common trend of fighting internally with myself of the shoulds and should nots.

This morning is no different. I started my morning off by enjoying my breakfast and coffee with my husband discussing his day and mine. It is a routine I have come to love about this stage of our life. Monday through Friday we usually read the daily readings from the Bible. Today, we were unable to do this because we accidentally turned off the alarm and John was running late.

Handsome Husband

In order to prevent myself from falling into the ever-present should/should not battle. I made a list (I love lists, thanks to Meredith). All of these items are easy to complete, except for the "Finance".

Meredith helping me put my Phi Mu pin on my wedding bouquet.
Photo courtesy of Bobbi and Mike

I like to write down all our monthly bills periodically so that we know roughly how much money we have to spend each week and month on gas, groceries, and fun. This simple task could have been very easy due to the fact that we will close on our house in NC and no longer have mortgage and utilities! However, I saw a post from an acquaintance (SuperPT) on Facebook (the death of me) that she is free from debt and just paid off her student loans. I should have been really excited for her, but she graduated 2 years ago. TWO YEARS AGO! Should/should not argument...ENGAGE!

I thought, "you can be proactive, Kristen".  Make a list of goals you would like to accomplish. Realistic goals. Realistically, I know we can not pay off my loans in 2 years. Realistically, I know SuperPT is not married and has a boat load of disposable income. Realistically, we just moved to a new state, sold our house (at the expense of most of our saving account), and I have been unable to find a full time OT job.  Realistically, God has provided for us multiple times over the past 4 months since we have moved to TN. God has showed up, like He always does, to show us everything will work out the way He had intended.

We are so blessed. We have a great marriage that we work at every day. We have amazing friends in the Nashville area, who inspire us and motivate us. We have a strong church community that we belong to. God has put these people, events, and experiences in our life to let us know that He is in control of our lives.

New Year's Eve

I am so bless to believe in a God that loves me unconditionally, no matter how hard I try to control the situation. God forgives me when I am stupidly stubborn. God believes in my abilities not matter how much I doubt them. God is great!

I am very happy for SuperPT and her ability to pay off her loans so quickly. Although, we won't pay off my loans in TWO YEARS, I am comforted by God's love for me.

Happy Friday!