Hi everyone! How’s your day going? Mine started with a success story…. I completed my first REAL push-up!!
I know, I know, for many of you this is no big feat, but I’ve never been one to have very strong arms. I have literally been doing “girl” (on your knees) push-ups my entire life. However, after the marathon in October I’ve really gotten a lot more into yoga, pilates, and strength training. While my chattarungas are still pretty weak, today in piyo (pilates/yoga) class I did a total of 18 push-ups!!
I was pleased 
I’m sure my form could use some work, but I literally couldn’t stop smiling about this! Have you ever felt such great pride from a small accomplishment? I know there are bigger things in the world than doing 18 push-ups, but for me this was symbolic of the way that my body has become so much more lean and toned as a result of the yoga + clean eating.
***
It was lovely to experience this feeling of success this morning since lately I’ve been feeling a lot of a different emotion… guilt.
I’ve always been a success-oriented, motivated, Type A person, but it’s really gotten worse (better?) over the years. While being a driven person has allowed me to achieve goals, such as landing the job I’ve always wanted as a school social worker and to complete my third marathon, I often find that being highly motivated can be a detriment.
When I was off for the summer, I experienced constant guilt that I should be DOING SOMETHING at all times, which really got in the way of my actual enjoyment of summer vacation, like normal people were probably doing! Right now I’m on winter break, and while I’ve certainly enjoyed myself and have been doing a great deal of relaxing, the guilt has returned full force. Part of me feels guilty that I’m off work when others are back to work, and feels like I don’t deserve the break…. and the other part of me feels like I should be using my time off to be overly productive.
Really though, I should take this time for what it is – a break from work – rather than feel like I need to cram as much as possible into each day, such as cooking, cleaning – even reading for pleasure sometimes feels like something that I do simply to check it off my to-do list, rather for enjoyment.
I know I can’t be the only one to feel this way – do you ever feel guilty for just “being”, relaxing, and for the time you are not being productive? How do you overcome this feeling?
I decided to combat the guilt by getting some fresh air and doing something that I enjoy – walking to downtown Chicago, and shopping. It was VERY cold yesterday (high 20, “feels like” 6 degrees) so I bundled up with my Under Armour long underwear and two pairs of wool socks under the rest of my clothes.
After throwing on about 8 more layers, I was actually able to stay warm during my shopping excursion! I would rather be overly warm and be able to appreciate the cold air on my face than to be under-dressed and to be cursing the cold the entire time. I have to put in a shout-out for Under Armour – I’ve had these for many, many years and they are still like new!
Thankfully, the shopping trip (gotta love gift cards!) was just what I needed, and I returned home refreshed. Dinner was an experiment…. spanakopita is a staple in Greek food, and Mike’s Yaya makes an amazing version of it. I’ve had some phyllo dough in my freezer for a while, and I finally broke it out.
I found this vegan phyllo from Whole Foods, but I’m pretty sure most store-bought phyllo contains eggs so check the package. (Homemade phyllo takes hours and hours to make from scratch). You will need to thaw it in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours before using – do NOT thaw on the counter at room temperature as this will make the phyllo unworkable.
I’m not going to post my recipe yet since I’m still perfecting it, but I will say that it turned out really good!! The texture needed some work (it fell apart) and next time I will add a lot more spinach and phyllo layers, but I’m thrilled with the overall taste. Basically you are just laying phyllo with your “feta/egg” mixture (I made a tofu version) and spinach. I only used oil on the very top layer (traditional spanakopita has oil or butter on EVERY layer of phyllo) and I think the next time I make it I will have to up the oil slightly to help it to stay together better.
For dessert, I tried the new Vibrancy Bars that were sent to me from Vega. I have seen other bloggers give these bars a thumbs down, but I actually really liked it – SO much that I had two last night (!!) and one for breakfast this morning!! I prefer the one in the darker green packaging, however – the other one is a bit more seed-y and I didn’t care for the flavor as much. Vegan has a chocolate-covered version of this which sadly they did not send me…
I’m off to put away the Christmas decorations (*tear*) and then to meet up with Mike and my parents at – where else? – FlatTop Grill for dinner. Have a wonderful day!
I'm a school social worker who is also a newlywed (and had a Big Fat Greek Wedding, no less!) living in Chicago. I am starting this blog to talk about the training process I will go through to prepare for the Chicago Marathon, while also raising awareness for Ceasefire, a Chicago anti-violence program.
Doing push ups correctly is the best feeling! And the best way to awesome arms…I am witchu on doin yoga + pilates. So awesome.
Push-ups are NOT easy- congrats
I’m def a type A person too…I always have to be productive & moving. I guess that would be a good New Years resolution (to slowww down).
I think that you have just inspired me to get out of bed and knock out some push ups before bed!
I know what you mean about being overdressed- I got myself a REALLY warm coat this year to keep me from wimping out when I need to do errands. This coat keeps me so warm that walking to working, the grocery store, coffee shop seems like a nice thing, not an impossible thing!
Congrats on the push ups. Yeah for doing more Pilates.:)
I feel a lot of guilt for not being productive enough/nice enough/patient enough, whatever, if you can feel guilt about it, I will feel it. It is frustrating because logically I know I am doing my best, but the voice inside of me keeps saying that it isn’t really good enough. It is mostly about being patient and understanding to other people, I can have a very short fuse! I’m still working on feeling less guilt, if I find something that works I’ll get back to you!
Brrr! Reading this post made me feel cold AND grateful that I spent all day outside in a tank top and jeans. Sometimes living in Saudi Arabia can be a very good thing.
Ooooh phyllo dough can be so hard to work with, but actually, almost all the brands I find over here are vegan. They are really basic with a short list of ingredients. I’ve been lucky I guess!
I think you have a beautiful blog. I used to be a runner (competitive) but this last few years and health issues have stolen it from me. I miss it dearly and admire it fiercely in others. You should be proud and thankful for all you do. I woul like to add you to my blogroll or reader, your blog is so beautiful. Have a nice NY.
There is something called the 100 push-up challenge that you should sign up for!
Congrats on the push-up success! I still do girl push-ups
Hopefully some day after more yoga work like you, I’ll be able to do the full motion. I have always had weaker arms, too — especially my forearms!
Happy New Year, Val! Hope you enjoyed Flat Top Grill — we definitely are going to need to go there sometime soon in 2010.
Also, your quote, “even reading for pleasure sometimes feels like something that I do simply to check it off my to-do list, rather for enjoyment,” really hit home for me. I always feel like that when I’m on a break! Here’s to not feeling guilty doing “nothing”
See you in 2010! Glad to know you!
i’m EXTREMELY impressed with your “real” push up and your cooking with phyllo dough! happy new year, val!
[...] 3. Continue yoga 2 times/week and strength training 6 times/week: I’ve been doing both of these things for the past few months and have found it to be EXTREMELY helpful in getting toned and back in shape. I’m really beginning to love yoga, and week after week I’m always shocked at how sore I am the day after a yoga class! Also, committing to 6 days of strength training (rotating legs and arms, every other day) has really been great and I’ve felt stronger than ever before – even finally being able to do real push-ups! [...]
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[...] A while ago the kind folks at Sequel Natural sent me the new Vega Vibrancy bars, which I tried and loved. I finally got around to trying the chocolate version, and loved it! You should know that this is NOT a supremely chocolaty, dessert-y bar, but it tastes great in its own right. I actually really enjoy the spirulina-type, “green” flavor, and at risk of sounding cliche, it is very filling without weighing you down! [...]