Continue to look for an edge.

Tweet

Hello come one come all. It's Brad H coming back at you again, and you are reading another edition of "Brad H's Perspective". If you are reading this blog posting, I appreciate you taking out the time to join me again. I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week up to this point. I'm doing pretty well myself. I've just been continuing to create and come up with ideas to write about. The 30 hub in 30 days challenge that I've mentioned several times before starts tomorrow on Friday June 15th. For those of you who are not familiar with this challenge, it's a popular challenge that content writers on Hubpages (hubpages.com) take part in. It's an experience where you write 30 articles(hubs) in a 30 day time span. One of my fellow members on Hubpages encouraged me to do it with her. We've also had several people to commit to joining us on this journey. I'm pretty excited about doing this challenge, and having the support from others while going through it. I'll continue to keep a steady update on my progress with the challenge. I'll be posting the hubs that I write on here, but you can also read my writings on Hubpages at http://prospectboy.hubpages.com/. Alright lets get into what we're discussing today.

Last week I was at the park doing some running with my younger sister. She claims that she likes working out with me because I help keep her motivated. Little does she know that she does the same thing for me as well. While we were running, I kept talking to her and trying to encourage her to keep moving forward. At one point during the jog, I told her these words; "You're out here running and getting your health right, while so many others are sitting on the couch doing nothing". The reason that I bring up this experience is because I think it fits perfectly with today's topic - which is looking for an edge. We have to continue to look for and find an edge in life. Now I know that everyone isn't able to run or do physical activities, but finding an edge isn't only limited to physical activities. I just used it for an example in this particular scenario. Life is sometimes a game. It's almost like a competition in a way. We sometimes compete with ourselves, but we also have to compete with others as well. In order to be prepared for what life brings, we must have that extra edge over the competition.

Finding "the edge" can relate to any aspect of life. It can relate to academics, career, sports, or even writing. Imagine this scenario: If there were two students who are both trying to make an A on a test, who do you think has the better chance? The student who gets tired and goes to sleep while doing little studying, or the student who stays up late studying, and doesn't rest until he or she knows all the material well? I'm willing to bet that the student that went that extra mile to study would most likely do better. If you research and study people like Michael Jordan, Will Smith, or any other person who is talented at something, it's likely that you will find that they worked at something until they became great at it. This all coincides with finding that added edge. Many people don't know that Michael Jordan was cut from his high school's basketball team the first time he tried out. He worked at becoming a better basketball player, and look at the end result. He is now considered one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA. I recall watching a video where Will Smith claimed that he wasn't the most gifted actor, but he said he works harder than anyone else to be the best actor he can. Now he is one of the most popular actors in the world. I'm sure that in order for these guys to become great, they had to look for an edge over their competition.

A lot of times when I'm running and I feel myself getting tired, I think to myself that I'm doing something that is benefiting to me. I think to myself that if and when I participate in my next race, I will be even more prepared than someone who didn't put the time and effort into doing their best. It's all about finding an edge over the competition, and sticking with it until it pays off for us. I'm always brainstorming and coming up with ideas to write and talk about. It definitely can't hurt in helping me to gain an edge over someone else who probably decides give up or quit. Alright folks that's it for this weeks edition of "Brad H's Perspective". As always I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog, and hopefully you were able to find some motivation in it. Be sure to leave comments and let me know what you think about all of this. Are there any interests that you have where you are looking for an edge? Would love to see your feedback. I will continue to keep this blog updated while I'm doing the 30 in 30 challenge, so continue to stay tuned. Till next time peace, love, and blessings to all. I'm out!

Exercise is my medicine for stress.

Tweet

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.

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

Tweet

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!

The Importance of exercise.

Tweet

Hello everyone. It's Brad H. once again. Hope anyone who reads this is in good health and spirits. It's been a fairly good Sunday here today in Southeast, Texas. Watched my favorite team the Dallas Cowboys play earlier. Even though it was just a preseason game, I enjoyed seeing football again. Especially since we almost didn't have any this year. Anyway I want to talk about the importance of health, fitness and exercise. The last couple of weeks have been kinda stressful for me. It has seemed like one bad thing after another has occurred. Yesterday evening, I decided to go for a jog. Now I jog regularly, but I admit that I've been slacking a bit as of late. It's been hard to be motivated lately when nothing but negative things have been occurring.

Anyway, I decided to go jogging, and I found myself feeling much better. Think about it, has there ever been a time where you exercised and felt bad afterwards? I'm willing to bet the answer is no. For some reason being active and working out gives us confidence and improves our overall well being. Making time to exercise is important not only physically, but mentally as well. I didn't do any running today as I was enjoying football, but I did pump the weights for a bit. I'm feeling much better, and much more confident due to me exercising. The main thing I want anyone who reads this to come away with, is to make time to exercise even when things are going bad for you. I guarantee you that it will take a huge load off of you. I plan on getting my run on again tomorrow. Well I hope you enjoyed this post. I'll be writing again soon. Till then, peace love, and blessings to all.