MS 150 - Day 1

Okay, Day 1 - January 31, 2009

I decided yesterday that I am going to ride in the MS 150. Laura, my lovely wife, decided to ride with me. We are going to form a team! Laura and I are the first two members and I plan on inviting others to ride with us.

Team name: We are calling ourselves the Dragonslayers. We live in Castle Hills so it made sense, also, MS is depicted as a monster, a Dragon that lives in our bodies. We are vowing to slay the dragon! Dragonslayers!!

BTW: MS 150 - That is riding 150 miles on my bike in two days. That is about 75 miles per day. The ride starts in Frico, TX and ends in Fort Worth somewhere. Since I have Multiple Sclerosis and can ride a bike, this is the perfect cause for me.

Riding for 150 miles, "No problem, how hard could that be anyway?"I realize I should train, the ride is on May 2 & 3, this year. The longest ride I had been on in the last couple of years has been 20 miles.It was 72 degrees today in Dallas and I decided to get on my bike and start riding.

Laura, my maniac physical fitness nut of a wife, decided to go with me. "It will be fun!" she said. I agreed, fun, entertainment, no big thing, just peddle. I remembered riding my bike as a kid all day long. I had a single speed Huffy back then. I was 10 yrs old and stayed out all day riding to the store, to the park, the playground. FUN.

Laura and I got on the bikes, I now have a bike with 12 gears and clips.

BTW: Clips are freaking scary! It is like someone welded your legs to the peddles and if you want to stop, you better plan early otherwise - Smack - you fall and hit the ground because your legs are now an integral part of the bicycle!

We rode about three miles and all was good when I saw we were going to go up hill. No problem. Then wind started blowing in my face - I became a sailboat and was getting pushed backwards. I went from 14.7 mph to 6.5 mph. Legs clipped, gotta peddle or fall!Voices in my head: My heart started talking to me, "Akhil, how about we stop doing this?" My legs were forming a committee with my heart and everyone was complaining. "We just went three miles," I told my body, "suck it up! Quit complaining!"We pushed through the wind and hill and continued.

I started doing some quick math in my head, 33 years have passed since my Huffy days! I don't care if my current bike has 11 more gears. I didn't have a motor on my current bicycle which meant - I had to peddle!I was planning on doing only 10-15 miles for my first ride, but I was with Laura. After 6 miles, she asked, "How are you doing, do you want to keep going? Can you make it further?"

Pause: Are there any men reading this? Which man would tell his wife after riding a measly 25 minutes, 6 miles, "No honey, I am tired, let's go home. Actually, why don't I wait here by the side of the road, and you go get the car!" NOT ONE OF YOU MEN? Hmmmm

My answer to Laura, "Are you kidding me, let's keep going."
My brain said to me, "YOU ARE A STUPID MAN!"

We found ourselves 10 miles from home and now we see the only way to continue is a street called Kelly Blvd. Those last four letters, BLVD, very important! It turns out that BLVD stands for boulevard, translation, BUSY STREET, with cars!

I was already tired, but something wonderful happens to you when you feel like you are going to be killed by a car, your body gets into high gear. My average speed went from 12 mph to 18 mph. In other words, I was sprinting. My heart was racing and I was running for my life!

After that adrenaline rush, we decided to turn back. We made it home and suffered no injuries! Success. Looks like I need to train a LOT MORE. I have roughly 90 days to get my body into shape for this GRUELING ride. 75miles/day for two days, that is BIG DEAL!!!I will keep you posted on my journey to the MS 150.

Wish me luck!

Ride Time: 1:31 mins
Total: 19.6 miles
Average Speed: 12.6 mph

MS 150 - Day 0

Just decided to do the MS 150 - I don't know what I am getting myself into; however, I have talked to my doctors and they have all given me the following advice:
1. Try not to get over heated when cycling (Oops, I will be riding in May!)
2. Keep hydrated (Need another bottle of water)
3. Make sure I get my heart in condition. Over exertion will accentuate an episode.
4. Finally, HAVE FUN! (I can do that)


Also, if anyone wants to donate to our cause or join our team, go to the link below:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Akhil09

Amazing Story

A true and timely story.
KURTIS THE STOCK BOY MEETS BRENDA THE CHECKOUT GIRL

In a supermarket, Kurtis the stock boy, was busily working when a new voicecame over the loud speaker asking for a carry out. Kurtis was almost finished, and wanted to get some fresh air, and decided to answer the call.

As he approached the check-out stand the checkout girl caught his eye. She was an older woman (maybe 26, and he was 22). Later that day, after his shift was over, Kurtis waited by the punch clock to find out her name. She came into the break room, smiled softly at him,took her card and punched out, then left.

He looked at her card, BRENDA. He walked out only to see her start walking up the road. Next day, he waited outside as she left the supermarket, and offered her a ride home. He looked harmless enough, and she accepted. When he dropped her off, heasked if maybe he could see her again, outside of work. She simply said it wasn't possible.

He pressed and she explained she had two children and she couldn't afford ababy-sitter, so he offered to pay for the baby-sitter. Reluctantly she accepted his offer for a date for the following Saturday. That Saturday night he arrived at her door only to have her tell him that she was unable to go with him. The baby-sitter had called and canceled. To which Kurtis simply said, "Well,let's take the kids with us." She tried to explain that taking the children was not an option, but againnot taking no for an answer, he pressed.

Finally Brenda, brought him insideto meet her children. She had an older daughter, then Brenda brought out her son, in a wheelchair. He was a paraplegic. Kurtis asked Brenda, "I still don't understand why the kids can't come withus?"

Brenda was amazed. Most men would run away from a woman with two kids,especially if one had disabilities - just like her first husband and father of her children had done. Kurtis was not ordinary. That evening Kurtis and Brenda loaded up the kids, went to dinner and the movies.

When her son needed anything Kurtis would take care of him. When he needed to use the restroom, he picked him up out of his wheelchair,took him and brought him back. The kids loved Kurtis. At the end ofthe evening, Brenda knew this was the man she was going to marry and spendthe rest of her life with.

A year later, they were married and Kurtis adopted both of her children. Since then they have added two more kids. So what happened to Kurtis the stock boy and Brenda the check-out girl?

Well, Mr. & Mrs. Kurt Warner now live in Arizona, and Kurt Warner will be the starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Told you this was a timely story.

----
Disclaimer. This story sounds like a Disney Movie even to me! I don't put much credence in the details; however, the basic facts check out.

Like any Disney move, don't ruin the experience by over analyzing the story. Just sit back and enjoy the story. Same advice fits this Blog, relax, smile and ejnoy!

Akhil...

Posterity

You can only gain control of your life to the degree to which you stop doing things that are no longer as valuable or as important to you as other things you could be doing.

Your Dance Card Is Full -
You already have too much to do and too little time in which to do it. The average person today is working at about 110% of capacity, or more. Your dance card is full. You do not have any spare time.

Change Your Priorities
As your life changes, your priorities change as well. Certain things that were important at one stage of your life or career are no longer as important as you move to another stage of your life or to another level of responsibility.You must continually ask yourself, "What activities in my life can I cut back on, delegate, or discontinue to free up more time for my most important activities?"

Master your time and master your life!
Wouldn't you like to have more time available to get more done? To make more money and have more time to spend doing the things you like, and being with the people that make you happy?It's easy... become the master of your time.


Create a practical and simple program on time management for you to achieve an outstanding life.

How: Decide What to Discontinue, To start anything new, you must stop doing something old. We say that "getting in means getting out."

What: Analyze your time carefully and have the courage to stop doing things that are no longer as important to you as other things could be.Starting up means stopping off. Getting in requires getting out. You cannot take on something new without deliberately deciding to discontinue something else.

What is it going to be? Apply this law immediately:

First, analyze your work and make a list of the items that consume most of your time. Which of these activities could you discontinue or delegate to free up more time for higher value work?

Second, compare your daily activities against your annual income. Would you pay someone else your equivalent salary to do the things that you are doing? If you wouldn't, stop doing those things immediately and pass them onto someone who can do them almost as well as you can.

Abundance!

The Law of Abundance - there is ample money for everyone who knows how to acquire it and keep it. We live in an abundant universe in which there is sufficient money for all who really want it and are willing obey the laws governing its acquisition. You Can Have All You Want

Listen to educational audio programs in your car. The average person drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles per year which works out to between 500 and 1000 hours per year that the average person spends in his or her car. You can become an expert in your field by simply listening to educational audio programs as you drive from place to place.

Make A DecisionThe first corollary of the Law of Abundance says that, “People become wealthy because they decide to become wealthy.” They become wealthy because they believe they have the ability to become wealthy. Because they believe this completely, they act accordingly. They consistently take the necessary actions that turn their beliefs into realities. And you can always tell what your beliefs really are by looking at your actions. There is no other way.

The second corollary of this law says: “People are poor because they have not yet decided to become rich.” Examine Your Own Thinking In the book, The Instant Millionaire, by Mark Fisher, the old millionaire asks the boy who has sought his advice about becoming a millionaire, “Why aren’t you rich already?” This is an important question to ask yourself.

However you answer this question will reveal a lot about yourself. Your answers will expose your self-limiting beliefs, your doubts, your fears, your excuses, your rationalizations and your justifications. Review Your ReasonsWhy aren’t you rich already? Write down all the reasons you can think of. Go over your answers one by one with someone who knows you well and ask them for their opinion. You may be surprised to find that your reasons are mostly excuses that you have fallen in love with. Whatever your reasons or excuses, you can now get rid of them.

The world is full of hundreds and thousands of people who have had far more difficulties to overcome than you could ever imagine, and they’ve gone on to be successful anyway. So can you.

Couple of things you can do NOW:

First, imagine that every experience you have ever had with money contained a special lesson that was designed just for you to help you to ultimately become financially independent. What are the most important lessons you have learned so far?

Second, analyze yourself honestly and determine your biggest block, your major self-limiting belief that holds you back from becoming more successful financially. Resolve to act from now on as if this block no longer exists.

See you on the cover of Fortune!

Akhil...

Stretch

Anyone ever train for a marathon?
How about for an atheletic competition?(maybe in the past?)
Remember the pain that you felt while training and shortly after training?
That was your body telling you that you were making progress.When you feel aches, you are being stretched. It makes your body reach the “Next Level”

Felt pain like that lately? How about in your spiritual life? Are you being stretched?
If you are not feeling any aches or pains, perhaps it is time to realize that you might not be growing?

I am not suggesting that you put yourself in harm’s way, what I am suggesting is that you step outside your comfort zone and stretch!

With the superbowl coming, I have football on the mind and when I think football, I think Tom Landry who said, “I make men do things that they don’t want to do so those same men can do the things the really want to do!”

Stretch!

Stress Management Tip #25

This is my last stress management tip. I did save the best for last:

Say a Little Prayer Studies show that compared with those who profess no faith, religious and spiritual people are calmer and healthier.

Recognizing that it is NOT all you is a healthy. When the sun sets on your shoulder, they the clouds are your fault too. In other words, don't takes God's job away from Him. Let Him run the show and get Him involved with a prayer.

This tip could have been first, since it is the first you should do when you are getting out of control. Or this tip could have been #13 because it would have been in the middle, as in, God is int he middle of everything. I chose to make is last because in the end, it is all about God!

Peace.

Stress Management Tip #24

Tiptoe Through the Tulips: Tending a garden helps get you out of your head and lets you commune with nature, a known stress reliever.

Also tending to a houseplant works too.

Do something that helps you focus on life! Plants have a way of calming people down.

Stress Management Tip #23

Make Plans: Looking forward to something provides calming perspective. Plan something fun that will excite you. Think about the fun that you are going to have, this is a fabulous way to extend the fun even before is starts.

Many people don't start a vacation until they reach their destination, mistake! The vacation starts the minute you leave the office and are not coming back until the vacation is over. Maximize your fun.

Stress Management Tip #22

Stretch When we feel stressed, muscles tighten. Stretching loosens muscles and encourages deep breathing. The greatest stress-relieving stretches is a yoga position called the child pose.

BTW: There are many yoga posses that will help you destress. Try several that forces you to relax your back, works like a charm

Remember: BREATHE

Stress Management Tip #21

Phone-a-Friend Sharing your troubles can give you perspective, help you feel cared for and relieve your burden. You are not in this alone.

The world will try to isolate you and expect you to do everything on your own, don't buy it!

Every watch a horror film and that one idiot goes out in the woods alone, after hearing an odd sound? Alone, woods, ax-murder. Yes he dies a gruesome death.

Don't go out there alone, you may meet a gruesome death yourself. Take a friend, one that you can out run. Because you don't have to run faster than the killer, you just have to out run your "friend"

Stress Management Tip #20

Practice Mindfulness: Heighten your awareness of the moment by focusing intently on an object. Notice a pencil's shape, color, weight and feel. Slowly savor a piece of chocolate. Mindfulness leads to relaxation.

Mindful walking is another technique. Simply pay attention to every step, the feeling you get when the foot hits the ground. Feel the toes, the knees, pay attention to all the feelings that every sensor in your body is sending to your brain. Next, try to isolate the feelings one by one.

This is mindfulness.

Stress Management Tip #19

Soooo Cute Researchers found that those who owned a dog had lower blood pressure than those who didn't. If you don't have a pooch, visit a friend's: Petting an animal for just a couple of minutes helps relieve stress.

Stress Management Tip #18

Play a Few Bars: A number of recent studies have shown that music can do everything from slow heart rate to increase endorphins. Classical music works best for the brain. Try: Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, or Mozart.

Also, a great stress reducer is to actually play a musical instrument. It helps you change focus to doing something creative. Very right brain!

Stress Management Tip #17

Soak it Up: Nothing is more stress relieving for most than a hot bath. The next-best thing: Wash your face or even just your hands and arms with hot water.

Breathe and relax, close your eyes and feel the warmth overcoming your anxieties.

Stress Management Tip #16

Take a Walk: It forces you to breathe more deeply and improves circulation. Step outside if you can; if that's not possible, you can gain many of the same benefits simply by walking to the bathroom or water cooler, or by pacing back and forth.

Movement is the key!

Stress Management Tip #15

Tea for me: The calming properties of chamomile tea are well documented, so try a cup of tea. Whether you use tea bags or loose tea (one teaspoon of tea per cup of boiling water), steep for about 10 minutes to get the full benefits of the herbs.

This is also another stress reduction technique that has positive health benefits.

Stress Management Tip #14

Munch Some Snacks: Foods that are high in carbohydrates stimulate the release of serotonin, feel-good brain chemicals that help induce calm. Crackers, pretzels, or a bagel should do the trick.

My favorite, chips and salsa. That is really comfort food for me and I can tell it calms me down very quickly.

Be careful that you don't over do this one!

Stress Management Tip #13

Shake It Up Baby: This quick exercise helps loosen the muscles in your neck and upper back: Stand or sit, stretch your arms out from your sides and shake your hands vigorously for about 10 seconds. Combine this with a little deep breathing and bending.

Moving large body parts quickly gets the blood moving and helps with relieving stress.

Stress Management Tip #12

Schedule Worry Time - Some stressors demand immediate attention; but many low-grade stressors can be dealt with at a later time, when it's more convenient. File them away in a little mental compartment, or make a note then deal with them when the time is right.

Don't let the stressors control you. Ask, "Is this a now thing? Can it wait?"

BE IN CONTROL

Stress Management Tip #11

Warm Up Rub your hands together vigorously until they feel warm. Then cup them over your closed eyes for five seconds while you breathe deeply. The warmth and darkness are comforting.

This is a really clever way to fool your body into destressing. It will make you feel good almost instantly. Rubbing your hands together will release some energy; but, the warmth on your eyes is the real trick!

Stress Management Tip #10

Smell that? Oils of anise, basil, bay, chamomile, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, rose, and thyme are all soothing. Place a few pieces of rock salt in a small vial, then add a couple of drops of the oil of your choice (the rock salt absorbs the oil). Open the vial and breathe in the scent whenever you need a quick stress release.

This is such a cool trick to make sure the oils don't leak. Cotton in a vial works too; however, rock salt tends to hold the scents longer.

Stress Management Tip #9

Count to ten before you say or do something you'll regret, step away from the stressor and collect yourself. You can also look away for a moment or put the caller on hold. Important to realize that from an action to a reaction there is an element of time that you want to use to your advantage.

Just Say No!

Trying to do everything is a one-way ticket to serious stress. Be clear about your limits, and stop trying to please everyone all the time.

Remember this tip works for calming down a child as well as a grown up!

Stress Management Tip #8

Put it on paper Writing provides perspective. When you write down the stressor, your next step is to write what you can do about it.

Here is an example: My wife doesn’t close the kitchen drawers. When she gets something out, she leaves the drawers open. It was really annoying me. So I wrote down all my options: I could get angry, takes forever to cool down. I could divorce her, wow that is drastic. I could close the drawers, takes all of 3 seconds. Guess what I chose, if you guessed, close drawers, you were right.

You will see that the response to your stressor is manageable once you realize that you are in control of the situation. Cool, right?

Stress Management Tip #7

Compose a Mantra Devise an affirmation statement, a short, clear, positive statement that focuses on your coping abilities. Silence the self-critical voice we all carry with us that only adds to our stress. Example: “I feel calm. I can handle this.” “I am strong, I can do this.” “I am too blessed to be stressed!”

I used to say, "Ain't no thing, I have had MUCH worse!" My friend in college used to say, "At least I'm not y0u!" Sounds like he was ahead of his time, he had a stress reduction mantra and it really worked!

Stress Management Tip #6

Stop Gritting Your Teeth Stress tends to settle in certain parts of our bodies, the jaw being one of them. When things get hectic, clench your teeth and inhale deeply. Hold the breath for a moment, and as you exhale say, "Ah-h-h-h," then unclench your teeth. Repeat a few times. Clenching your teeth let you know what unclenching feels like!

Remember - motion produces emotion. Grit your teeth and you will feel stressed.

Stress Management Tip #5

Rate the Fate Using a scale of one to ten, with one being the equivalent of a minor hassle and ten being a true catastrophe, assign a number to whatever it is that's making you feel anxious. Most problems rate somewhere in the two to five range, I.E. they're really not such a big deal.

Basically, chill out, it isn't that bad. Stop fantasizing and exaggerating.

Just relax, tomorrow is another day.

Stress Management Tip #4

1. Make Time for a Mini Self-Massage Simply massaging the palm of one hand by making a circular motion with the thumb of the other.

This is really a great idea, your body cant tell the difference between a self-massage or another person massaging you!.

Get some oil and/or lotion and gently massage your legs and arms. This massaging action gets the body to produce all sorts of healing activities in your body.

Try it, de-stress.

Stress Management Tip #3

1. Visualize Calm Close your eyes, take three long, slow breaths, and spend a few seconds picturing a relaxing scene, such as walking in a meadow, kneeling by a brook, or lying on the beach. Focus on the details: sights, sounds, smells.

Stress Management Tip #2

1. Breathe Easily "Breathing from your diaphragm oxygenates your blood, which helps you relax almost instantly," says Robert Cooper, Ph.D. Shallow chest breathing, by contrast, can cause your heart to beat faster and your muscles to tense up, exacerbating feelings of stress. To breathe deeply, begin by putting your hand on your abdomen just below the navel. Inhale slowly through your nose and watch your hand move out as your belly expands. Hold the breath for a few seconds, exhale slowly. Repeat several times.

Stress Management Tip #1

1. Laugh Emotions are led by motions. Smiling transmits nerve impulses from the facial muscles to the limbic system, a key emotional center in the brain, tilting the neurochemical balance toward calm. So the expression “grin and bear it” actually has medical merit!!

Come to my Laughter Yoga class for some relief! It is really fun.

Stress Management Tips

Stress management tips are often offered but then, so many of us just do not do what needs to be done. Finding some stress relief management in our lives can be a great thing you could do to permit ourselves to find healing and inevitably to become someone that knows how to relax and enjoy life.

Did you notice that when you are undergoing in a lot of tension and pressure, it may delay you or take you twice as long to complete a single task? Now compare to the fact that you experience less pressure. Will you be able to perform better and more than you do now? It is a great probability, and finding this level, you can use stress relief management.

What exactly is Stress relief management (SRM)?

SRM alleviates from the hassles you experience in your daily life. To simplify, there are some things you could do to help deal with pressure or at least manage it better. Although there is very slim chance to escape from hassles completely, well, at least by managing it, you have a better way to de-stress and help it not to be as life-threatening and dangerous as could be.

For a totally new perspective on life tomorrow and beyond, here are some stress management tips to welcome into your life now. Always give yourself time to relax and unwind. Though you might be very busy or have no time to do this, you just have to.

The human body needs to rest once in a while and do some repair and recharging. It needs space to breathe and just stop all the worrying. The body also needs time to soothe and calm itself from all the running and pacing back and forth. Ideally, allow yourself about four to six hours a week of doing just nothing.

This is a cheapest reward you can give yourself. It will not cost you even a single cent. How about your schedule? Stress relief management plays a big part on your schedule. Do you schedule your day to day activities, or do you stuff it all in countless hours of working and do whatever you can do? This is very tough and could prove to be unhealthy. It may result in disorientation if not properly addressed sooner.

Buying a day planer will surely help manage tension better. Invest in some stress relief products available these days. Place them where you need them and store them where you can easily reach and find them.

A stress relief ball is a good example of an effective stress relief product to own. It lets you work your way through hassles and making it appear lesser and much easier to handle.

You could bring one to work, and place it nearby for easier access and can instantly soothe any stressful moment. Some of these tips and advices could help you find balance and rhythm especially in situations which are constantly plagued by tension and worry.