The Day the Garrrrmin Died

My Garmin didn't actually die, just the battery.


Anyway, this is a story about a series of revelations I've had recently that have convinced me that I am actually doing a pretty decent job of becoming a pretty decent runner.

Fitness shocked the heck out of me this week!

First, the story of sneaky fitness. On Monday, the baby and I decided we needed a change of scenery so we ran a different route. We usually stay in the neighborhood but we went out on a busier road (yes, dad, we stayed on the sidewalk) for a quick out-and-back five miles. Woah. Yeah, I decided pretty quick that the old scenery was juuuust fine. Between the cars zipping past us, the cross walks jiggling the stroller and waking up the baby, and navigating all of the pinecones and branches from a recent storm, it was seriously the most stressful run I've had in a long time. I could not wait to get home. But, as I glanced at my Garmin to get a look at our pace, I realized that I had just a mile and a half to go and was ahead of schedule. That's right, even with all of this junk in our way I was somehow running faster! It was enough motivation for me to pick up the pace, run through a couple of walk intervals, and take about 20 seconds off our time. Hey, 20 seconds is a big deal when you're pushing a stroller uphill into the wind!


I felt pretty badass.


Then, on Tuesday we went out (on our regular route thankyouverymuch) and did our same old boring run. Except we were freaky fast again, taking a whole 2 minutes off of our total running time. My goal has been to slowly shave time off to gradually get to a comfortable and sustainable 9 minute mile and finish a half marathon in less than two hours. Baby steps.


Wednesday was an elliptical day because we had the baby's 4-month checkup. I know, already?!? He's doing great by the way. Twelve pounds, twelve ounces of awesome!


Then today, I strapped the Garmin to the handle of the car seat (all the better to see it, my dears), and it told me the sad news: battery low. Crap, I thought. How will I know when to run and when to walk? How will I know how fast I am going? How will I know if we beat our time?


I felt pretty bummed out.


I decided I'd just have to wing it. I set the timer on my phone so I would at least know if we beat our best time, and then decided to just run it and see what happened. 


I did pretty great! It was nice to run without watching the clock and I surprised myself with how far I could go without needing to walk. Then, I started to wonder why I was so surprised. I run six days a week, have completed three half marathons and have a fourth next weekend, and I've been doing this for years. Why am I still doubting myself as a runner? I don't know.


But, this week was a "hey doofus" bonk on the head that I've probably crossed the threshold to become a well-conditioned runner. It feels good to be here and know that my body is still transforming.


My Garmin is charging now so I will have it again on Saturday for my long run. I'm excited to see what's in store for me as a runner. Whatever that may be, getting out there and getting healthy every day is what has gotten me there. Get out there and get healthy today...you might surprise yourself too!

Vision Boards: Get out your glue!

Time to break out the scissors and glue!

Vision: it's what separates the wannabes from the "holy cow, look what I dids" in the world. I like being in the second category so I vision a lot.  I've shared with you the five attributes of a vision, and hope they've gotten you on the way to creating one of your own. Now it's time for a little arts and crafts: making your own vision board.


Don't roll your eyes!  Vision boards are seriously effective! Think about it - from the time we're children until way past when we should have started acting like adults, we doodle on paper about what we would rather be doing.  When I was a kid, I would doodle myself into nirvana,  where I was in total flow and living a life beyond my wildest expectations.  Now that I'm a bona-fide grown-up, that kind of behavior is actually helpful to my life, rather than back then when it mostly just landed me in my teacher's disapproving gaze.  Visioning was not part of the Louisiana public education system in 1986.


I truly 150% believe that we attract everything in our lives to us, either through positive or negative energy. It's true and I will fight you in the parking lot over it. But I'll admit, I was skeptical about how much of a difference going through the actual process of making a vision board would make until I did it and felt the power radiating from it.  Once you experience it, you'll never go back to just thinking about things again.


You can Google "make a vision board," and get all kinds of examples and instructions, and I encourage you to do that. But, making a vision board is really just transporting yourself back to the 5th grade and making a collage. It's really a very simple concept can can be incredibly relaxing, especially since by the end you're so pumped up about your life that you have energy for days.  


Here's what you'll need: a poster board, some glue sticks, scissors, a bunch of magazines, a bottle of water, and some alone time.  The water is just for drinking. Hydration is super important in this heat, yo.


1. First, center your mind, take some deep breaths, and relax.  Then, get to flipping. Depending on where you are with your vision, the process of looking for pictures that inspire you can take a few different paths.  Some people make a list of what they're looking for, and others just browse until something jumps out at them.  I'm a combination. I know what I'm looking for, but I'm not opposed to being surprised by what I'm attracted to.  KInd of like finding a husband.


2. Tear out every picture that you like, and then start organizing and prioritizing. This is crucial - you don't want to cast your net too wide. Remember, this will end up being a tool for focusing you energy later on, so be picky to avoid wasting your energy on something you aren't passionate about. The images, words, and symbols that you end up with should feel robust, but also be as specific as possible. If you have a goal of jumping over a hurdle, as I once did, look for a picture of someone clearing a hurdle that is as close to what your visualized experience will be. Organize however you'd like; this is your vision board, not your mother's. Forget about anyone else's dreams for you and get all self-centered about it!


3. Then, start pasting. This is the anxiety-ridden part for me because I am a perfectionist and don't want to regret where I glued something after it's there. Maybe I need to find a picture of some "get over it" and add that to my board. Anyway, vision boards don't have to be glued on a poster. They can be tacked to bulletin boards, taped to white boards, or stuck on with magnets. But I like the symbolism of glue; it feels more permanent and meaningful.


4. Once you're done, sit back and soak it in.  Let the emotion and magnitude of your vision wash over you. Seriously, I've shed a few tears over my vision board when I was actually able to feel the power of what I was going to set out to do. Place it somewhere prominent, where you will have an opportunity to meditate on it every day. 


The most important thing to remember is that making a vision board is a personal process so don't worry too much about following the rules. Just ensure that it is about you, it's specific to your dreams, and that it represents the vision you created for your life.


Spend some time this weekend flipping through magazines and seeing what attracts your attention. If you need help, let me know; I'm glad to do it! 


Have a wonderful day! Get out there and get healthy!

Wake Up and Start Dreaming!

 www.freedigitalphotos.net

Do you consider yourself to be a visionary person?  If you've ever spent time in the carpool pick-up line, daydreaming about a vacation or just time to walk around Target alone for an hour, you've taken the first step!  Dreaming, visualizing, and planning are all parts of reaching a fitness goal, but there are some distinct things you can do to make that daydreaming time count towards your future happiness.

I spend a lot of time visioning. In fact, I spend so much time looking ahead to the future that I often miss what is going on around me in the present. But, goal-setting and achievement is such a rush to me that often it's the chase that is more intriguing than the capture. And, it works for me. I achieve about 90% of what I set out to do, and convince myself that the other 10% wasn't that important after all. :) So, while I've been pregnant and pining for my extreme workouts of yore, I've been visioning: dreaming and scheming for where I want to be five or six months down the road.  Here's how to take those dreams and turn them into your reality.

A vision is more than just a daydream.  To count as a true vision, it needs to have a few important attributes. It needs to be:

1. Grounded - a vision should be built on a foundation of your strengths. Combine realistic expectations with a healthy dose of "hell yeah I can!" and you are on your way to a compelling vision.

2. Bold - a vision should be challening! While the foundation is based on your current strengths, what you build should be an expansion of that. Ask yourself, what else could I do?  How could I leverage this into something more?

3. Desired - let's be honest, when it comes to a lot of our fitness goals, you gotta want it. You have to really want it.  Especially when you're having a face-to-face showdown with a plate of (insert your trigger food here) at the office party. Put on your queen-for-a-day crown and decide what you want, what you really really want.

4. Palpable - the word "palpable" always equates to taste for me. You have to want it so bad, be able to see it happening so richly, and be so engrossed in that moment that you can taste, smell, hear, and feel your vision coming to life. As your wellness coach, btw, I can help you get there.

5. Participatory - community and accountability are huge factors for goal achievement, and involving multiple parties in your goal can make the difference. Tell everyone! Involve support networks!  And most of all, be proud of your vision.  Not everyone has one.

I'm a visual learner; tell me and I will listen, but show me and I will learn and, if so compelled, master. So, I reinforce my vision with a vision board.  Here are the components for creating and using one. I hope you find it is useful and rewarding as I do.

Like I said, not everyone has a truly functional vision for their lives and their health. Sure, we all daydream and think about someday.  But how many of us actually take the time to create a true vision? A truly life-changing vision?  If you'd like help creating yours, let me know. I am allll over it.

And in the meantime, I'll be acting on part of my personal wellness vision: getting out there and getting healthy!

Till next time....stay dreamy.

Pregnancy Fitness: It's happening here!

I'm baaaaack! The little smiley face stickers are lining up on my calendar because I am back in the swing of things at the gym and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm really looking forward to post-baby fitness, and instead of longing for the workouts I can't have right now, I'm appreciating the good health I have and anticipating the fun I will have later when I can seriously hit the weights again.

It feels good to be back.

Last week, after an upper body strength workout, I was caught off-guard by soreness in my pectorals. But you couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I realized it was from my workout. I'm back, baby!

What's really hit me this week is that I'm doing it. For weeks I have feared that the healthy pregnancy I had so much wanted was slipping away from me. But, as I see my healthy and strong self in the mirror I am realizing that I was completely wrong about that. I am almost giddy over it. I am doing it. I am having that healthy, fit pregnancy I always dreamed of!  And, that means that I will also bounce back higher than ever.  

So, yeah, there was a little twinge of yearning when my gym buddy was curling 25 lbs and I was with my little 15 pounders. But, it's good to have something to look forward to.

I have roughly eight weeks left, and I'm glad to be back in the gym. But, while I am relishing the workouts and embracing every day, I'm also looking to the future. This week, I'll be focusing on something really fun that I hope you can also get into: creating a vision board for the months following my baby's birth. We'll go over how to vision, we'll create some good goals, and best of all, we get to daydream. 

I hope you're having a healthy day, and if you haven't already, get out there and get healthy!

With a little help from my friends.

I know how shallow and petty it is to complain about the minor physical limitations of my body while it is in the process of undergoing the important business of growing and incubating another person, but I still do.  I have a feeling I'm not the only one who has marveled at the awe-inspiring magic of the whole thing while also griping about how nice the grass is on the other side of the fence.

We always want what we can't have, don't we? 

Yeah, I'm still eating healthfully and exercising five days a week, but I miss my extreme workouts. When I was complaining about feeling "blobby" to a friend yesterday, she reframed my reflection in a wonderful way, reminding me of my love for a challenge and that after the baby is born, I will get to embark on one of my all-time favorites: achieving my maximum genetic potential as an athlete. It was the pick me up that I needed and it helped today be a much better morning.

I had a great workout today, really fabulous. I walked/ran on the treadmill, did some lunges and deadlifts, some chest/shoulder work, and some crazy bicep curls that had me reveling in the old days of my workouts with Captain Awesome. I left feeling incredible.  Thanks for making that possible, Carole!

Another friend asked me earlier this week what color I felt like at that moment.  In a nanosecond I knew it was yellow.  To me, yellow means vibrant, energetic, full of sunshine and smiles.  At the same time, it is calming and serene. I'm a great place right now where I get to live on both sides of the fence: I have a massive source of energy within me holding a pep rally every day for some really incredible things about to happen in my life, and at the same time I have a calming smile on my heart because I am completely at peace with all of it. This is new territory. I'm not used to being at peace. I'm a problem-solver, and this doesn't feel like a problem.  It feels like I am finally where I should have been all my life.

These revelations, brought on with a little help from some wonderful friends, snapped me out of my blobbyness and into reality. I am a lucky, lucky girl.  I might be walking now, but my heart is running, and that's enough for me.

Walk, run, jump, leap - just get out there and get healthy. :)

Intentional Health: Eating for Function

This week is about intentional health: doing things on purpose to make yourself healthier.  Yesterday we talked about functional exercises, and today it's all about functional food.

Laurel Blackburn, one of my favorite trainers and owner of Boot Camps to Go, introduced me to the concept of functional eating years ago, whether she realizes it or not. She simply had to say the words in a lunch and learn presentation and my brain clicked. I fell in love with the concept of eating with intention: eating food that was chosen because of the way it performs in my body, not based on what sounds good at the time. It made perfect sense and I've done it ever since.

Since I've been pregnant, my functional eating has been more about survival (and supressing homicidal urges) than athletic performance. But, now that I am past the first trimester eating-bread-all-day-to-stay-upright phase, it's getting a lot easier to go back to my normal diet of vegetables, fruit, and lean protein. Thus, my veggie challenge from last week, which has been going great by the way. I've been eating one veggie meal every day for a week with the intention of getting my taste buds reacclimated to them.  Now, I crave tomatoes and spinach again just like the good old days!  Well, almost. :)

So how do you eat with intention?  Well, first take a look at your energy needs throughout the day: When do you exercise? Morning, noon, evening? Plan your high-energy and high-glycemic foods (bananas are a good example) for right before those times and limit them the rest of the day when your body just doesn't have a practical need for them. When do you feel tired during the day?  Plan a well-balanced snack (a good ratio of carbs, protein, and healthy fat) to boost your energy and keep you satiated until your next pit stop.  One of my favorites is plain greek yogurt with fresh blueberries and an ounce of chopped walnuts or slivered almonds mixed in.

Second, take a look at your fitness goals. Do you want to build muscle? Eat more protein after a workout.  Do you need energy stores for an endurance workout?  Make sure you're getting plenty of carbs and electrolytes.  A runner has different food needs than a weight lifter, and a multi-sport athlete will eat differently than a yoga devotee.  One plate does not suit all!

Finally, take a look at your daily calorie expenditure and determine the proper amount of fuel (calories/food) that your body needs. If you're trying to lose weight, subtract about 500 calories a day to create a deficit.  If you want to maintain, shoot to break even.  Plan for contingencies: if you know you have a party on the weekend and you'll likely go over your alloted calories, plan a slight deficit throughout the week or a big workout that day to burn them off.  It's all about planning and eating with the intention of staying healthy.  Here's a formula to help you figure out your magic number.

The point here is to think before you eat. Ask yourself whether what you're about to eat will get you to your next destination. And, if you're not sure, head to the library and check out YOU: On a Diet by Drs. Oz and Roizen. It's chock full of great info on how food works.

Intentional eating is fun and rewarding. So get out there and be healthy!

Your Health: It's Your Choice

Health, just like happiness, is a choice.  Not only the behaviors associated with acheiving the outcome of a healthy body, but also the pure essence of being healthy.  That's great news, because we get to make that choice every day!

There are so many parts of our day that we can't always control, but we can control what we choose when we have the option.  Sometimes, being healthy is as simple as just reaching out and choosing it!  Okay, it might not always be the most fun choice, but it is always there for us, secretly hoping we pick it to play on our team.

Think you don't have time to exercise with a job and kids and everything else?  That's a choice.  Thousands of people every day set their alarms early to get up and exercise before their busy day starts because they choose to be healthy.  You can do it, too. If you're tired, go to bed earlier. It's a choice.

Think you're sabotaged at work when everyone wants to go out for Chinese food at lunch?  That's a choice. I've brought my brown bag to many a restaurant to eat my healthy fare without missing out on the company of my friends because I choose to be healthy.  They return to work needing a nap. I feel incredible. It's a choice.

Think that birthday cake you'll be facing this weekend is just making it too hard to stick to a calorie budget?  Yep, that's a choice too!  Trust me, that cake will be long gone (and making someone else feel crummy) by the time you're enjoying the payoff of choosing health.  Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.

Every choice we make brings us closer to or further from our goals. I really don't think there is such a thing as standing still; in my eyes, inaction takes us away from progress.  Now, that's not to say that it's realistic to think that every choice we make will be the healthy one.  We are humans, after all.  But, it's important to remember that regardless of the outcome, we choose it.

As you go through your day, keep a mental tally of your choices.  Are you choosing to unhealthify some perfectly good-for-you food?  Are you choosing to make deliberate changes in your life?

It's a powerful tool, these choices. We can literally determine the course of our day (and tomorrows) just by choosing to be healthier than we were yesterday. Take hold of that power and weild it!

Get out there and be healthy!

Feeling the change!

Don't wait until the next
exit to start change!

It's been two days since my big back-to-the-weights workout, and I am still sore. I love it!  My arms are sore, my pecs are sore, and I am just sore all over. It's great!


Being sore connects me to a really important reminder of a significant part of my fitness: change. We all know that permanent fitness requires permanent lifestyle changes, but sometimes implementing those changes is hard. Okay, a lot of the time. Remember that "baby sitting your brain" idea of Intention? Well, my brain has been working for the weekend lately and baby sitting it has been a full time job!  


I've got some really fun stuff happening this year and I cannot wait to get to them, but enjoying everything I have in store will require some hard work on my part. It's going to take change - working harder, training smarter, and focusing on some very specific goals.  So the soreness of my muscles this week is a nice reminder that I'm getting closer to those great things.  


What about you?  The new year is two weeks old - what have you done to ignite change in your fitness? What have you done to act on the resolutions or goals you set? Are you sore?


Real change requires real change, plain and simple. There are a lot of commercials on the air right now telling you that you can change your health and fitness without changing anything about your life. That's bull.  But don't worry, changing your life is a good thing!  Check out this super-handy guide to 29 ways to establish change in your life. I've done them and still do. They work.


It's January 14. Are you feeling the burn of change?

Champion of Change: Intention

We've come to the final champ of the Champions of Change!  I think this one is the opposite of the no-brainer: it's your brain. You have to decide to make change in your brain. You have to have intention.

So many people say they want to change their lives for the healthier, but what they really want is what every diet commercial tells them they can have: the benefits of change without really having to change.  Has that ever really happened?  Real change requires real change, plain and simple. If you don't do anything different, nothing different will happen.

What is it they say about the definition of insanity?

A good friend of mine commented the other day about intention, in a conversation we were having about - what else? - personal wellness and what it takes to maintain it in an instant gratification society.  There are so many opportunities in our daily lives to stray away from the changes we want to make and go back to unhealthy habits.  But, she said, you really have to decide to change.  That's where we came up with the image of "babysitting your brain."  Sometimes you have to sit on your own shoulder and babysit your brain to keep it from doing stupid stuff.

See, our brains are smart, but they're stubborn and pampered.  They're used to getting their own way.  Kind of like toddlers!  Toddlers are smart, but they're stubborn, pampered, and used to getting their way. And what happens when a toddler doesn't get their way?  Oh yeah. They throw a fit.  They throw themselves on the floor, kick and pound their fists, cry and scream, and carry on until we give in and give up.

Does this sound like a brain you know?

Brain: I want to sleep more.
You: No, we're getting up to exercise.
Brain: But this bed is so cozy! I don't wanna!
You: Yes, that's what we're doing today. Lying in bed made us flabby and sluggish. We're going to feel good today.
Brain: NO NO NO NO NO NO!  YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!  I DON'T LIKE THIS!

And so on.  If you are persuing your goals without intention to change, this is where you may give in: "okay, fine, but we're working out tomorrow and this time I really mean it."  Brain is happy. You not so much. Brain learns that it doesn't really have to change if it throws a big enough fit.

But if you have intention - that is the decision to make changes no matter what - then this is where you pull the brakes on your brain's temper tantrum and put it in the time-out chair until your workout is done.  You intended to make change, and you made it. And because your brain is so smart, it begins to catch on that things are going to change around here and it better start being nicer.  Before you know it, your brain becomes your partner.

Does that make sense?  You went into the situation as the grown-up, intending to be in control and sticking to your guns despite the roadblocks your brain threw in front of you. 

Intention means deciding to change. 

Try it.

What's not in my suitcase

So yesterday I packed up my suitcase for 2011. I'm ready to go!  I've got all of my positive people, influences, data, and energy that I'll need next year. But there are some things that didn't make the cut.  Here's what I am leaving behind in 2010:

1. Competitiveness. I am competitive, and not always in a good way.  I want (and sometimes need) to feel like I am the best at everything, and if I suspect that someone is taking my title from me, I get stressed out and anxious.  There are times when being competitive has served me well and helped me achieve goals I wasn't sure I would reach, but I've felt this year like being so focused on being the absolute best has been a detriment to me. I've learned that sharing the spotlight is fun, and I've been warmed by the glow of others. It was weird at first but over time I've gotten more comfortable. I want to leave the nasty side of my competitive spirit in 2010.

2. Jealousy. When you compete, you're constantly sizing up the competition. And when they're better than you, well, jealousy is not far behind.  But I loathe feeling jealous and I want to stop. The intense feelings of happiness that I've experienced this year by taking a back seat has convinced me that there is no more room for jealousy in my suitcase. It's out.

3. Negative self-talk. Body image haunts so many women, and I'm one of them. It's hard sometimes to look in the mirror, see my imperfections, and not feel driven to change them.  But I'm learning that if I want my body to be a partner with me in wellness, I need to be nicer to it. I would never say to a friend what I have said to myself; why would my body want to work with me if I treat it like garbage?  So I am going to leave negative self-talk in 2010.

4. Doubt. I did things in 2010 that I wasn't sure I could do...and they were easy. I did my first triathlon, and I completed my first half-marathon.  Looking back, it seems silly to have doubted that I could achieve those things. I don't see a need for doubt in 2011.

I grew up in 2010. It was an amazing year of growth and the emotional transformation has been immense.  Saying goodbye to these things that used to be part of each day isn't just a symbolic exercise for me...it's a tear-jerking realization that as I snap closed my 2011 suitcase, I truly have everything I need and nothing - NOTHING - can stop me.

Goodbye 2010.  You were awesome.

But I have to go.