Friday, August 30, 2013

Feeling Blah About Skating


Hello, friends!

Ever since last month when I skated my 1/2 marathon event in Napa Valley, I've been kind of blase about skating.  I've still managed to skate 16 times in the last 6 weeks, but my passion has not really been there.  I still love it when I do skate, but I'm not as jazzed as often as I had been about fitting in a skate.  

This leaves me in a quandary--I've tried to just listen to what my body is telling me about exercise, what I eat, my jewelry business--I've really tried to just listen to my body's "inner wisdom" and right now something inside of me is telling me to cool it a bit where it comes to skating--either not exercising or doing something else like walking or going to the club to work out.  

On the other hand, I set the intention of skating 200 times during 2013 and right now I'm 12 skates off my pace for the year.  I need to skate 17 times a month to keep on track (about 4 times a week...totally do-able usually).  

So here I am returning from a week away with family and friends and I'm just feeling kind of blah.  I didn't take my skates with me--too heavy to cart along if I don't actually use them--and there are only 2 days left in the month.  I also certainly enjoyed myself eating and drinking while away--also not conducive to feeling too "raring to go."

This whole regular exercise thing for me is still somewhat in its infancy.  I've exercised in the past, but never in such a committed and consistent way as I have the last two years.  If I cool it for a bit will I pick it back up in a few weeks or slide back into lethargy?  

I need some advice from some of you that have a longer track record of being in shape.  Do I relax and wait till my inner voice sparks my excitement again?  Or do I push myself to get out there and just skate even if I don't feel like it on a particular day?  Or do I need a different exercise for a bit?  Help!

I know at least part of my problem the last two months has been that I've also not been regular in my mediation and yoga practice.  So maybe that's my answer: commit myself just for this week to meditate at least once a day and practice yoga two times.  Then I'll wait to see what happens and trust that my answer will come.  It's like the following quote:

"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn 
to relax and wait for the answer."  - William S. Burrroughs

So maybe what I need to do is relax and not worry about it so much.  After all, the part that I've liked so much about skating has been that it hasn't felt like exercise--it has just felt fun.  So if I try to force it, maybe I'll squeeze the fun out of it.


On a jewelry-related note, I've gone to two bead shows in the last few weeks...one in Concord, California with my jewelry buddy Karen Kelly (one of her pieces that I love is shown to the right--check out her new Etsy shop: Karen's online shop).





The second bead show I went to was Bead Fest ouside Philadelphia with my good buddy Gail.  Both Karen and Gail were so fun to shop with as they give me design ideas that I wouldn't have thought of on my own.  I expected it from Karen as she is a very talented artist.  I didn't expect it from Gail, because she doesn't make jewelry, but she has a fantastic artistic eye nonetheless and stimulated some wonderful creativity in me.  



I made a quick necklace by stringing an engraved shell from LillyPilly Designs on a silk ribbon from Saki Silver.  My cousin Suzi's barn provided the perfect backdrop to photograph my new necklace:




I'm super stoked to get back into my studio and create some fresh new pieces with my new beads!  I also have a ton of new pieces already completed and photographed and ready to list in my Etsy shop.  Here's a set I particularly like:


Check out my online shop:  Click here to visit my shop

Hopefully by my next blog, the skating bug will have re-bitten me!  Until then, if there are any of you out there that would like to write a guest blog for me, dash me an email!  I'd love to include some other voices here.  Maybe you're training for an event, or just started exercise, or have some other passion you would like to share.  Come on, it'll be fun!

Keep skating (or whatever you do)!

Hugs,
Nancie ♥  


My last skate:
8/29/13
Skate #121 of 200
4.69 miles
Iron Horse Trail
Alamo, CA

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Update 8/30/13, 10 PM:  I went for a great short skate tonight.  It really got my endorphins going...just what I needed to improve my mood and to help me get back into skating.  I got some good advice from a few friends today that also helped.  A selection of the advice:

"Mix it up, try a different exercise for a bit...trampolining, working out at the club, swimming."

"Fall is the perfect time to rededicate yourself to your fitness and eating routines.  Everyone thinks summer is the time to be more active, but summer schedules can be challenging.  There's so much to do."  (from a Weight Watcher leader friend)

Also fall related: "Wait till the cooler days of September."  

"Concentrate on organizing a Triton reunion." (from a former coworker at Triton Biosciences, where my husband Marty and I met.
  
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Nancie Zimmerman

NamiZuni Jewelry Design
Expressing Your Inner Goddess
NamiZuniJewelry.etsy.com