Exercise is my medicine for stress.

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Hello once again. It's Brad H. writing once again. Hope all is good and well with everyone. It's been a couple of weeks since I've updated my blog, so now is the perfect time to do so. You may wonder why is not a perfect time? Well it's simple, I've been dealing with some stressful things as of late. As a matter of fact, I'm still dealing with a few of them. I've been doing a lot of praying and thinking about certain things in my life. I know that certain elements are out of my control, so I know that I must take care of the things that I'm able to. That's all a part of being a responsible individual, which is something that I strive to be.

So since I've been had stressful things going on in my life, you may wonder how have I been coping besides prayer etc. I've been coping with stress by doing what I already do on a regular basis; working out, and exercising. I've mentioned this before, but exercise and fitness has become my medicine for stress in my life. It's something about going for a jog when I have a lot on my mind that makes me feel free. It's one of those explainable feelings I guess. Before today I hadn't been running since last Saturday. I made it a priority to go out and do some running this evening. Usually my first jog of the week is a light run but since I had things on my mind, I went a bit harder. The only bad thing that came out of it was that I wasn't able to clock my time. My timer on my phone went out around the 14 minute mark.

I challenge anyone who reads this post to do some form of exercise when you are feeling down about life. I guarantee that you will feel better afterwards. I know I did after I finished up my run. It was cold outside, but my face was dripping with sweat by the time I made it back home. We as a people cope with our problems in different ways. As long as it's a constructive and positive things we're doing, I'm all for it. We don't have to drink and drug our problems away. Exercise will continue to be my medicine when I'm stressed or having things going on in my life. It's gives me the confidence to face my problems head on. Well that's it for this time. I'll be writing soon again. Till then peace, love and blessings to all.

Top Five Hip Hop Albums I've Heard for 2011

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Top Five Hip Hop Albums I've Heard for 2011

This is an article I wrote on my top five hip hop albums from this year. Hope you enjoy.

I'm a "Couch to 5k Graduate". Week 9 review.

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Hello once again. It's your boy Brad H. coming back at you once again. Well we have finally reached the end of my journey to finish the Couch to 5k running program. After 9 weeks of doing the program, I am happy to say that I am officially a graduate of the C25K running program. My final run of the program took place yesterday on 12/3/2011. Now that I think about it, I completed the program on the day of my ex-girlfriend's birthday. Isn't that something lol? I am going to give a brief review of how the final week went.

My day 1 run took place on Tuesday at the park. I knew that I had a 5 minute warm-up walk followed by 30 minutes straight of running. I kept telling myself that I only had two extra minutes to run, since week 8 were 28 minute runs. Day 1 was challenging, but as I progressed into the run I felt stronger. When the podcast told me that I had about a minute left, I picked up the pace to reach the 3 mile marker at the park. It was hard, but I was able to do it. I felt a great sense of accomplishment. The last time I ran three miles straight was in 2008. I was so excited, that I thought I had graduated already. The way the podcast was talking, I thought I was completely done with the program. However, when I got back home and looked on the website, I found out that I had two more days left. I definitely got ahead of myself lol.

Day 2 took place on a Thursday. Instead of running at the park, I decided to run the streets around where I live. This is always challenging because the terrain changes. There are a few small hills involved, which is a good thing since it makes it harder. Now day 2 was a special day. This was the day that I knew for a fact that I was going to graduate. For some reason I felt really good running this day. I didn't feel as winded as day one, my legs felt stronger, and as corny as this may sound; I felt like a superhero. I finished up day 2 strong, and even ran about 30 seconds extra. I was excited knowing that I only had one day left before becoming a graduate of the program.

Now onto the third and final day. Like I mentioned earlier in this post, I done this run yesterday. This day was a bit different since I decided to record various points of my run. If any of you have been following my Youtube channel, you know that I have been documenting my progress on the program. I recorded the beginning of my run, the 15 minute mark, and the final minute. Day 3 was more challenging than day 2, but I finished up, and thus I officially became a graduate of the Couch to 5k running program. There were no words to express the joy that I felt inside. I knew that I could complete the program, but I didn't think that I would be able to do 3 miles in just two months. This program definitely works.

For anyone interested in doing the C25K running program, trust the program. There will be times where you may feel like you can't run the required distance, but you can do it. This program will not put more on you than your body can handle. It's been a journey that I almost hate to see end. However, there was a nice lady on the Couch to 5k Facebook page who told me that graduating from the program is just the beginning of more challenges. I'm definitely going to keep those words in mind. As of right now, I am going to continue running. I don't know if I will be doing three miles on a regular, but I am thinking about writing out my own program. I plan on participating in my first 5k race in March, so I have a few months to get ready for that. The C25K program definitely helped me. It has given me the confidence that I had lost in running. It allowed me to know that I am capable of anything if I push myself. Anything can be overcome with a strong will and mind. That can be applied to life in general.

Well that's it everyone. This will probably be my last post on the Couch to 5k running program. I thank the people who took the time read read and follow my journey. I will keep you all updated on my running ventures, and if I participate in the race that I'm aiming for. I also want to thank everyone on the Couch to 5k Facebook page. There are a lot of inspiring and kind people who gave me much encouragement. Also thanks to anyone on Youtube who posted their journey on the program. That inspired me as well. Well till next time, peace, love and blessings to everyone. I'm out!