The health and wellness event that challenges you to set a goal, strive for balance, and Power Up! Open to the entire OSU Community, the Power Up Challenge gives us all the opportunity to actively seek health, wellness, and balance.
The end of the term is almost in sight! I finally feel like I am able to breathe again and take a much needed break before Spring starts! Now that I have registered for classes I am really looking forward to this new term and spending my first spring/summer in Corvallis.
At the last team CAPS meeting I attended, the meeting adviser spent some time going over breathing exercises with the team. I have really been focusing on proper breathing and in doing so have noticed a huge change in my lack of stress and in doing so have really improved my sleeping habits.
I hope everyone’s doing well with finals and keep in mind that the light at the end of the tunnel is near!
As I mentioned in previous posts, my dad has not been doing well. Since then I was forced to withdraw from most of my classes in order that I spend time with my family in Brookings, OR. Because Brookings is a five hour drive from Corvallis it’s been quite a challenge balancing work, family, school, AND Power Up. Thus, I apologize for my absence at various presentations, team meetings, blog posts, etc.
Anyway, back to the present, Since I’ve withdrawn from the majority of my classes, I’ve had quite a bit of free time to reflect, work, and spend time with my family. But no matter the amount of free time I have available I’m still struggling with stress. The past two nights I’ve had an accumulated four hours of sleep. This lack of sleep has also made my eating habits falter, leaving me with the appetite of a meal a day. To make matters worse, I went to the doctors today and found out I have tonsillitis. When five o’ clock rolled around this evening, time for my CAPS meeting with the rest of the Orange Power team I was feeling pretty drained. A lot of emotions came up for me in this meeting, emotions I didn’t realize I could share with people I’ve known for only a brief period of time. The tears came forth as did the frustration over my dad’s illness, my lack of sleep, my lack of appetite, and my need for reassurance. Letting all of these emotions out released a great weight that has been laying heavy on my shoulders. I realized that sometimes it’s not who you share your feelings with but it’s the need to share your feelings at all with ANYONE that really helps. No, I’m still not ready for sleep tonight but I’m less stressed, I’ve realized the support group I have standing behind me, and more than anything am I looking forward to the Power Up triathlon this Sunday. Thank you team members for standing behind me and the best to all of you who are struggling along with their own challenges through Power Up. We can do it!
I’ve been MIA for the past two weeks or so and my apologies for that! I’ve been back and forth between Corvallis, Providence hospital in Medford and my parent’s home in Brookings, Oregon. My dad was in the hospital for about a week and a half after a lung biopsy and it was my responsibility to be there with my family. I’ve been pretty worried about keeping up with my classes as well so because of my situation, I’ll be withdrawing from most of my classes this term and will come back spring term. I’m not planning on withdrawing from Power Up so no problems there! I’m really trying to keep a positive outlook and it’s been pretty hard these days. My dad is awesome in his strength and each day when I speak to him he’s extremely encouraging and positive and I just love that about him.
This has been a tough week for me. My dad has been in and out of the hospital and now in again for an infection and various testing. I have two midterms tomorrow and as tough as it may be, I’m trying my best to stay positive and motivated! My sister and I both really pushed each other this week to go to the gym and work out hard and I feel really good about it. I ran a total of 15 miles this week! And I’m aiming for 20 next week.
As I mentioned in my last post, stress is a big problem for me. But, even though things are a bit rocky at the moment, I feel like I’m handling it pretty well. Writing down my thoughts in a notebook has been a great thing for me! I like being able to scribble everything out on paper than come back to it an hour later or so and reflect on what I wrote.
I’m looking forward to this upcoming week, my workout routine, and finally getting these midterms out of the way! I hope that everyone’s feeling good about their own challenge and I would greatly appreciate any thoughts and prayers for my dad.
Like most young women my age, I have a somewhat skewed view of what the “perfect body” should look like. The media bombards us with images of blond bombshells with waists the diameter of pencils and chests the size of soccer balls. Unfortunately, the majority of women are simply not built like that. When I interviewed for the Power Up Challenge I told them one of my goals was to lose ten pounds. But after speaking with one of the health advisers, my goal has changed. I’m striving to increase my running capacity, improve my eating routines, and form a regular sleep schedule. As of right now, sleep is my enemy. I get anywhere from 3 to 5 hours a night (not from lack of trying) and drink about seven cups of coffee..for breakfast. So far within this first week, Ive weaned myself down from eight cups to six (it’s a painful process!) and I’ve been eating breakfast before my two PAC classes each morning. I’m taking Pilates and Deep Water Aerobics, both twice a week. Already, I’m feeling energized and positive and definitely looking forward to these next few months of Power Up.
One of my other goals was to find constructive, healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety. My dad was diagnosed with acute leukemia in February ’09. It’s been quite a challenge for me balancing coursework, and a new town, as well as being a supportive daughter while my family struggles through this. I often find myself slightly overwhelmed and panicked. Thus, I’m trying to form healthy habits that will dispel some of my stress. I’ve began a journal that I write in every evening, I made a list of novels I would like to read before the end of the school year (I’m currently reading “The Picture of Dorian Gray”), and I’ve also began meditating.
I’m excited to go through this challenge with you and look forward to our end results. Best of Luck!!
