Hey all!
It’s been awhile since I wrote anything, so I thought I’d give a quick update. Actually, what happened is that I intended to get up early to work out but hit snooze too many times, and now I’m trying to fill up what time I have left before my 7:15 conference by writing at least part of this post
So, quick update:
WORKOUTS:
My workouts have been limited to much fewer runs and more elliptical workouts. This is in part because I want to make sure my knee is ok (mild pes anserine bursitis), and in part because this dam* flu bug has left me incredibly drained. I went from functioning fine on 5-6 hours of sleep a night to feeling like I need 8-10 hours a night and still feeling tired. Whenever I tell people I got the flu this year, they’re like, “Oh did you the flu shot??” Some say it merely out of curiosity: Does the flu shot help? Many seem to ask as if to say: Well, you must not have gotten the flu shot, so it’s your fault your sick.
Yes, I got the flu shot. Yes, I had more symptoms than just feeling achy, tired, and congested (recall: passed out cold and had 30 minutes of uncontrollable rigor), although that’s what I feel like now a week and a half later.
WORK:
Loving my rotation right now. I’m on musculoskeletal MRI, so I look at a lot of knee and shoulder MRIs, some people with generalized pain, some with specific sports related injuries. I really like it, I think in part from my sports background. I also love piecing together the mechanics of how the injury happened based on the injury pattern in the MRI. Cool stuff. I really love my job, despite still having to put in study time nearly 9 years after graduating from college. Honestly, I don’t really mind the studying, because I most of the time find like what I’m reading interesting.
Plus, how can you not mind studying in this setting:
THE BLOG:
I just haven’t been in the mood to write much lately and have been really sick of social media in general, particularly instagram. I started following a few of the bloggers I like on instagram, and via their profile, started checking out a few other “active/healthy lifestyle” persons….if I see one more picture of a Garmin or treadmill mileage, I’m going to scream.
Example of the weird, acknowledgment-seeking “fit” person’s Instagram post who thinks she’s oh-so-influential (I’ve eliminated the person’s name, cause I’m not trying to attack any one person):
I’m so glad you consider your life well because you burned 671 calories in 1 hour 31 minutes and 15 seconds. I’m so proud of you that the amount of calories you just burned signifies to you that you are not merely alive, but well. Good for you.
Also, did you really think someone was going to steal this incredibly Earth-shattering, inspirational photo of yours?? (I erased the name, but the gold stripe in the right upper corner was stamped with her signature).
Seriously. It’s like these people are fishing for “likes” and compliments. Do these people need constant acknowledgment to get through their day? Would their self-esteem be destroyed if they didn’t have people constantly liking their posts or telling them how great and fast they are? Gosh, I hope I’m not like that, and sorry if I have been, cause I’m pretty sure I have been quite annoying at times. Yes, I like to post my workouts, but I do it on my blog only. For some reason, I don’t mind and LIKE reading about peoples’ workouts when it’s on their blog. However, the blogs I enjoy the most have more substantial content than just “this is how much I ran” and “look at what I ate today.”
Anyway, I don’t mean to be super critical, and this is certainly not directed towards any one person. I’ve just been thinking about how crazy this blogging and social media world can be….how so many people seem to need constant attention, approval, and acknowledgment from people….how some people depend on social media to feel loved and liked, to give them a sense of worth. Has social media made this worse, or just made it more obvious how many people are needy and place their sense of worth on the wrong things?
Bummer that you are still feeling the lingering effects of the flu. It seems like everyone has the flu or a cold in my area (Chicago burbs). Hopefully, you will be feeling better soon!
I don’t follow instagram or twitter, just blogs. I do find specifics of workout interesting and motivating, but it can be annoying when they seem to be fishing for compliments. I really like when people who are “faster” than me post their workouts because it gives me specific ideas on what to aim for.
I think that’s why I enjoy reading about workouts on blogs….you can learn from them if you’re the reader, get ideas, be inspired, etc. when it’s a simple fb post tweet, or Instagram shot, the purpose seems to be more attention seeking.
Sent from my iPhone
Amen
This post is spot on.
I can’t stand those sanctimonious, ‘motivational’ mantras people plaster all over their endless Garmin shots or pinned WODs. Whatever happened to people just running, running for their own personal joy or for some sense of satisfaction? Since when did it become okay to broadcast every run that you do? It’s really quite sad that some people need a round of applause just for working out.
I agree with you about blogs – I love reading about running/races/exercise on blogs, because that seems more informative and personal….it’s not just one brash image that screams either ‘show-off,’ ‘attention-seeker’ or both.
If that was my study setting, I would love studying too!
I totally agree with you on the Garmin/treadmill shots. I just … what the heck is the point?
I get that different things motivate different people, but I just find those annoying. I do like reading the blogs of runners who seem to know a thing or two about training, because I can learn a lot from them. But in general I roll my eyes at the whole #fitfluential. And the same with food – what is with the “what I ate” posts? Unless you are a good cook or coming up with truly creative things to eat (which some are), I just skip over those and roll my eyes.
Seriously, sometimes I just want to walk away from social media … we really think we are far more interesting than we really are. (Self included sometimes … I try to keep myself in check though.)