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!

At the Crossroads

Wow, this has been the week of awesome workouts. My trainer and I have somehow just clicked all of a sudden, and by the time I leave the gym I feel like I've had the best workout since the last time I was there.  It's a great feeling, and I am choosing to believe that it means a new season of wellness has begun for me.  Spring is here, summer is on the way, and the heat is being turned up!


Another reason I'm feeling that way is my nutrition.  I am so so so so sick and tired of my food. I never thought I would be tired of eating egg whites and spinach on toast for breakfast, but here we are. Protein smoothie? Ick. Even my favorite oatmeal snack is getting the evil eye. I need a change.  So, I'm spending some time eating less strategically and more intuitively until I sort it all out. Since I have some pretty specific fitness goals for the months ahead, I may enlist the help of a sports nutritionist to help me. You know how it is...you can give people great advice all day long but when it comes to your own nutrition, things can get cloudy.  I need an objective perspective.


Anyway, what I'm getting at is this reminder: the seasons are changing, and so should your wellness. Are you getting out of a rut like me? What do you do to shake things up? What are your goals for the summer, and will your current plan get you there? I hope you'll join me this weekend in some soul-and-goal-searching, and meet me at the cross roads of Been There and Now Doing This.


Have a great weekend!  Good day!

Sustainability and Fitness? Why not?

Yesterday I talked at you about doing a gut-check on whether my fitness goals are achieved through sustainable activities that are developed based on my own personal success and failure lessons.  Today, I want to talk at you again about how we can make sure they are!

"Sustainability" is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days, usually by a soft and gentle but kinda condescending voice telling us what new wonderful thing a big evil corporation is doing to be more energy efficient and convince us that they've cared about natural resources for years and years.  And that's cool.  But it can also be applied to our own lives and goals. 

For me, having sustainable fitness goals just means two things: being able to keep doing them without injury and learning from my successes and failures.  Ultimately, only my own actions are going to get me to my goal, right?  So I try to consult what I know about my typical actions before making any goals just so we're on the same page. 

Goals are temporary, but the things we do to reach them can be based in behaviors that are permanent.  So first off, I want my goal to be sustainable by making sure that I am doing things I can do forever: exercising on a regular basis, eating clean, and getting enough recovery time.  The mode of exercise may change, but the habit of getting regular exercise should not. What I eat will change, but the quality of my nutrition should not. The sleep thing is pretty non-negotiable. I need more.

Second, I want my goals to be sustainable by accepting my personal truths, which is a fancy way of what's gonna happen and what's not.  Taking an honest assessment of what's worked and what hasn't in the past helps me tweak my expectations and goals for greater success the next time around.  Call me superstitious, but if I've done something the same way three times to rave reviews, you can bet I'll do it again. The reverse is harder to accept but also true: if it hasn't worked at least twice, chuck it.  It doesn't matter if so-and-so loves it or your best friend swears by it. If it hasn't worked for you, it's out. 

For example, if you haven't successfully gotten to a morning exercise class in two months, register for one that you will realistically get to, even if all of your friends go to a different one. If you loathe running, don't sign up for a race, even if so-and-so keeps telling you how running is the best exercise to do.  This isn't about negative thinking about what you can't or won't do, it's about being realistic about what will work for YOU and what you will do!

In my world, its time to make some spring goals.  Join me in applying these ideas to your goals, too!  I hope you find them helpful and that your fitness goals are not only achieveable, but achieved.

Good day!

Hard Work = Success? Mostly!

Do you ever find yourself wondering why you're working so dang hard and not getting anywhere?  I do. Here's why: hard work doesn't translate to success. 

Nope, sorry!  Being a hard worker is admirable, but unless you're busting your butt on a good plan, it's just nice to know.  I get that reminder at least every few months when I ask myself why I'm so tuckered out but have only inched toward my health goals.  It's not that I'm not working hard enough, it's that what I am working so hard on isn't a good plan to begin with.

I'm notorious for maxing out on my energy every single day. I'm a real martyr that way, I love ending the day feeling like I sucked out every bit of life it had to offer.  What I'm not good at is recovering from all of that work.  So I end the day exhausted, then I wake up uber early to get a strong start on doing it all again, then I end the next day exhausted, and the cycle continues until I hit the wall, crash and burn, and wake up to my husband telling me he told me so.  That is not a good plan.

I'm also really good at forgetting that what works for one person isn't necessarily going to work for me.  Namely, splurge food moderation. Eating decadent food in moderation is a very sound way for 99.99999% of people to get well-balanced nutrition and have satisfaction in their diet. But I'm not that kinda girl. I try to give in and indulge in rich foods from time to time, but I suck at it every single time. It's not a good plan.

I'm also impatient.  When I set a goal and begin working on it, I want to see results immediately. Who doesn't?  But that makes it easy to fall into the trap of a get-slim-quick plan like fasting, crash dieting, or excessive cardio.  I do not do this, just so you know, and want you and everyone you know to stay far, far away from anything that sounds too good to be true.  Not a good plan.

So what is a good plan, then?  It's different for everyone. But when I feel like I'm spinning my wheels, I stop in my tracks and ask myself these questions:

1. Is what I am doing healthy in the long run? Translation: can it be sustained? Can I still be doing this in six months without turning into an angry and manic she-devil?

2. Am I staying true to my personal truths? Translation: am I expecting someone else's tried-and-true to work for me? Or am I applying my own experiential knowledge and learning from my own mistakes and successes?

More often than not, if I'm worn out but not getting anywhere, I've violated one or both of those rules. When I re-center myself on sustainable activities that are developed based on my own personal success and failure lessons, things get better right away.

Which is awsome, cause I like things to happen right away.

Some things never change. :)
 

Good day!

Fitness: It Just Has to Be

Any given day you can find stories of amazing people doing incredible things in the name of fitness.  My Twitter feed each day is filled with people posting euphoric updates about their grueling workouts and cheering each other on to achieve more. It can be inspirational as all get-out and I love it!

It can also be intimidating.  I mean, sometimes exercise isn't amazing. Sometimes the workout is just a means to an end: calories burned, body mobilized. We all live for those days when we feel like an Olympian, but sometimes fitness just IS. I think that's okay.

We have so much pressure in our lives to do more, be more, and achieve more.  We don't just run, we train for a marathon!  We don't just lose weight, we reclaim the body of our youth!  And sometimes, on the quest to achieve these amazing things, we forget that fitness doesn't have to be amazing. It just has to be.

You don't have to run a marathon.  Just run.
You don't have to have the body of a supermodel. Just slim down and maintain it.
You don't have to be amazing. You just have to be healthy.

It's not a cop-out, and I am not giving you an excuse to slack off.  It's just a reminder - fitness doesn't have to be a mind-blowingly awesome endorphinpalooza of achievement every single day. So chillax. But!

You do have to get exercise every day.
You do have to eat clean and healthy every day.
You do have to take accountability for your health every single day.

Some of those days will have you feeling like a superhero - those are great beyond words!  Some days will just be what you do because you're a healthy person.

And if you can do those things in this hyperactive world, that's pretty amazing.

Crazy is the New Normal

Sometimes it seems like there are so many obstacles in our way to fitness.  Here we are three weeks into the new year and some of us are still trying to hit our stride and create the routine that will make exercise just another part of our day.  It can be really easy to throw our hands up and say, "I just need things to be normal again!"  Any number of things come up during the day or the work week that throw a hurdle in our way and make us think that we just can't work with this.
But here's the thing - there is a very good chance that things will never go back to "normal."

Work will always be crazy.

People will always have something for you to do.

Your kids will always have some last-minute thing come up.

Crazy is the new normal. You have to be able to work with that.  Luckily, it's easier than you think.

Think about it - the things you need to do to get and stay healthy - exercise and eat well -  are completely within your control (assuming that the thing that comes up isn't something that severs your limbs. In that case, yeah, you're screwed for a while).  I will pretty much guarantee you that no one is going to come up to you during the day, pry open your mouth, and shove food into it.  Even when your day is crazy, you control what you eat.

The other thing you need to do to get and be healthy is exercise.  Unless your limbs have been severed off or you are otherwise immobile, this is also in your control.  Yeah, I know you're busy, that's why the gym opens at 5:00 am and some are open 24/7.  Go there. Get up early and go!  Or stay up late and go!  Or go at lunch!  Just go!  I'm busy too, and that's why I go workout when the rest of my family is sleeping and no one needs me. 

Life is crazy and will likely never go back to normal.  Crazy is the new normal - work with it!

The Radio Announcer Syndrome

Have you ever met someone in person and been really surprised by how they look?  I call it the Radio Announcer Syndrome. You always have a mental image of how a radio announcer looks...and then you see them and they never look how you thought they would.

Well, an exchange with an old high school friend made me think about that and how it relates to people in fitness.

I'll just get down to brass tacks - I don't look like I work as hard as I do.  Sometimes I just yell and scream at God for giving me the hand of cards that I have been dealt: a soft, pear-shaped, child-bearing, famine-resistant body that is just as stubborn as I am.  To really get visible muscle tone, I have to exert some serious discipline and be so strict with my nutrition and exercise that it really starts to take the fun out of being healthy. 

It's not fair.

That's why I finally chose doing endurance and physical sporting events over the figure/bodybuilding contests that an old trainer tried to talk me into: I just do not have the genetic makeup for that stuff.  Some girls look like they live in the gym even though they eat crap and lie around all day....others work out hard and do amazing things and are *healthy* as a result...but you wouldn't pick them out of a lineup for having completed a marathon. 

It is totally completely 100% NOT FAIR and I have wasted a lot of energy being angry about it. 

Sometimes I am even embarrased to see people from long ago because I know they expect someone who is uber-ripped, and I wonder if they'll think I am making it all up.  But, over time I have gotten to where I can honestly say I am going to work with what I've got - I can do everything I want to do, I sincerely love love love healthy eating, and endorphins can't see what I look like anyway - they make me feel amazing no matter what. 

Somedays I think I look pretty darn good and other days I know that like most women, my mirror is lying to me.  Either way, I run almost every morning an an healthy person would not have been able to do that. :) 

Let's get one thing straight - I want to be totally uber-ripped.  It has been a dream of mine since I was a kid.  I love muscles and I love muscles and I love me some muscles.  I can't let go of that dream, even though sometimes I feel like trying to achieve it is an exercise in futility. 

Hey, a girl's gotta dream.

I'm taking my steps towards achieving it, fool-hardy or not.  I can't help it...I just love the chase. :)


Chase something today.

Back to work (emphasis on back!)

So I was able to use my  consistency, data, accountability, and intention to not get totally derailed from my fitness over the holidays, and even lose a few pounds (which I am still trying to figure out considering the number of mimosas I drank). But now the holidays are but a memory, my work travel is done, and I am faced with a sobering realization: my muscles have turned to mush.

I ran all through the holidays to maintain my calorie deficit, but I didn't do much in strength training beyond maintenance.  I miss my sculpted deltoids, tear-drop quadriceps, firm hamstrings, and all of the other nice trade-offs of spending quality time in the weight room.  So, it's time to get my rear in gear.

Literally, my rear.  I've spent too much time sitting on it lately and, um, you can tell.

So today was my first real day back hitting the weights, and I told my trainer I was ready to work! He did not disappoint. I haven't sweat (sweated?) and grimaced that much in a long time, and it was so nice.

Here's what I did:
Chest flys on the machine (ugh) and alternating arms while lying on the big exercise ball 
Lat pulls and reverse push-ups
Bicep curls with the resistance band and negatives with a weighted bar
Skull-crushers and tricep dips


I am not nearly as strong as I used to be. But at the end, my friend Jenny told me my biceps are looking good!  Yay!  So I guess everything is back to normal now, right?


Ahhhh, it feels good to be back!  And to not be just going through the motions. 


Bring it on, tank top season! I'm not scared.

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.

New Year Resolution Guide: Love it or leave it!

Pssst...come here! I have a secret!  I have a sure-fire way to ensure that your 2011 fitness goals become reality.  Are you ready?

QUIT THINKING ABOUT THEM AND DO THEM.

Ah, easier said than done, right?  I know, I know. But I do have one tip that really will make a huge difference in your odds: being positive.  One of the most powerful things you can do for your wellness is to surround yourself with positive influences, people, thinking, music...you get it!  It's no secret - positive thinking breeds positive actions. It's amazing how much just smiling when you're feeling down can change your entire attitude.

But here's the thing - what if everything isn't positive? What if everything sucks? What if your family doesn't support you or you have to work all the time at a job you hate or you feel like all of that positive mumbo-jumbo is just a mask over legitimate things that legitmately suck?

In my opinion, you have two choices: love it or leave it.  I've done both. I've changed what I can change, and I've left what I can't. That doesn't mean I always love everything or its always my way or the highway. It just means that I decide to love it (accept it / focus on the positive about it / choose my battles) or leave it (change it / ignore it / toss it). 

So what if your family doesn't support your fitness goals? What if they don't think you can do it? Does that mean you toss your family? Not completely, of course, but you might have to "toss" the specific interactions with family members that degrade your goals.  If your family doesn't encourage you to exercise or eat well, find a group of people who do and talk to your family about other things.  When they see you accomplishing your goals, they'll come around. Don't let their temporary negative attitude hamper your progress.

Not everything can be loved, and not everything can be changed. And, positive thinking is not an excuse for ignoring actual problems.  But in my experience, when I've ditched the negative energy, people, places, and actions and replaced them with positive influences, I've absolutely soared towards success.  As you go through your day, make a mental list of behavior influences were positive versus negative. Then, decide which ones you can change and which ones you're going to leave in 2010.

I'm POSITIVE you can do it! :)

Just Between You and Me...

You don't have to eat all that.

Healthy Holiday Hint: Eat like a kid again!

Half the time when I pick up my kiddo from school, his lunchbox still has a few cleaneating goodies in it - graham crackers, a cereal bar, these great fig-newton (it's not a cookie! it's a fig newwwton!) thingies I found...just miscellaneous things he didn't get around to eating. And because I am a product of the "eat what you're given and don't complain," generation I ask him why he didn't eat all of his lunch.

And for some reason I am always pleasantly suprised to hear him tell me, "I was just done eating."

He was just done eating. He eats his lunch until he isn't hungry anymore and then he just stops and closes his lunchbox. That's so...healthy. I love how kids do that. They get a bum rap for only wanting to eat junk food but most of the time kids are actually pretty healthy with their eating patterns.  The food they want to eat may not be that healthy, but at least they eat it in a healthy way. :)

So that's our Healthy Heather Holiday Hint for today: eat like a kid again!  Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're not hungry anymore. I'll be at a Christmas Eve party on Friday with a buffet full of delicious holiday food, and you better believe I'll be remembering this hint. 

Healthy eating is more than just what you eat, it's also how you eat. Pay attention to your hunger signals this week and listen to them. They won't steer you wrong.

Remember: He sees you when you're eating! :)

January Beckons...do you have goals?

Okay so it's time to start thinking about goals for next year. Do you have 'em?  I do!  But you knew that.

This was a fantastic year.  I can't seem to wipe the silly grin off of my face when I think of all the wonderful things that happened this year and all that I achieved in my wellness.  2011 promises to be even better, if I can imagine it.  And of course I can!

So here goes!  My goals for 2011!  I can tell you're just dying with anticipation.

1. Get faster. I spent a lot of time racing this year and it was a lotta lotta fun.  But I'm tired of just participating. I want to get better! Faster! Make some PRs and really become competitive.  So, two of my morning runs are coming inside on the treadmill for a while so I can amp up my speed and start getting used to a faster pace. 

2. Get more smarter. Have I ever mentioned to you how much I loathed school as a kid? Well apparently that is not something you grow out of.  But, if I want to pass the exams to get the certifications I want, I gotta hit the books.  Personal Trainer and Wellness Coach certifications are goals so....I'll be needing some flash cards. *sigh*

3. Get certified.  See above. Not only learn stuff, but remember it long enough to pay lots of $$$ and pass an exam, neither of which will be conducted anywhere near my home.

4. Get fun! There are so many really fun events out there to do with friends and I am tired of seeing other peoples' pictures of them. So I am planning on at least one Rock and Roll Half Marathon, the Mud Run, and if I can swing it, the Warrior Dash. 


Have you started thinking of your goals and plans for 2011?  Tomorrow we'll talk more about making sure they happen!


Good day!

Wham! Pow!

What a great workout this morning!  I donned my boxing gloves and spent a little time sparring with my trainer, which was a really fun way to start the day.  People say that boxing is a good way to get rid of any frustrations, but I have had such a fun week that I don't have much angst built up.  But it still felt good to hit stuff.


We're coming into the first weekend of the holiday season, so you may be facing parties, baking, and more. Remember our deal - progress, not perfection.  I'm doing some baking myself this weekend and my goal is to weigh the same on Monday as I do tomorrow morning!  The number on the scale is just one small part of our overall wellness, but knowing you're going to be checking is a good way to stay accountable about those sneaky little things like sodium, alcohol, and sugar that will cause us to retain water and feel unhealthy, which will make us frustrated and lead us to be less motivated to stick to our healthy goals.  So give it a shot!


I've also broken out my trusty calendar stickers, and I've been putting one for exercise and one for nutrition on my calendar each day.  November looks awesome!  All of those stickers all lined up means I had one healthy month.  I have the same goal for December: a sticker on five days a week for exercise (real, hard, sweaty, calorie-torching exercise) and a sticker for every day of the week that I have a calorie deficit.  


Take the weekend to think of some small things you can do to make sure you're making progress on your wellness this month.  Then, rest up.  I have a doozy of a post for you on Monday!


Have a great, healthy weekend!  Good day!

Signs, signs, everywhere signs

Do you believe in signs?  You know, those seemingly random events that seem to confirm a decision that you knew you wanted to make but didn't know you knew?
I do. I leave a lot of stuff up to gut instinct to lead me in the direction I should go.  I rely on signs to give me that extra confidence of "yep, I made the right decision!"  So naturally, I'm the kind of person who thinks everything is a sign.

When I see people running down the sidewalk in the mornings, I see a sign to reconnect with my own fitness goals.  On days when I've had a good workout , I feel a real sense of community with these people, like we're in a secret club together.  And on days when I want to go to Starbucks and get a big frosted pumpkin scone, I seem to see those people more often.  I think its a sign, reminding me of my bigger goal.  Which, if you're not following, is to NOT eat big frosted pumpkin scones from Starbucks.

They had some samples of those out one day and I tasted a tiny little sliver of one and...yeah....I don't need to eat that. 

The other day I kinda wanted a few more almonds, but I knew my body didn't need them...and at that moment I reached over to get something and bumped my gym bag, which is next to my desk. An upper-body weight workout I had jotted down on an index card fell out of a pocket on my bag, reminding me of my goal to increase my muscle strength.  I chuckled to myself; it was a sign that gave me the extra oomph I needed to put those almonds out of my mind.  And I did.

Yesterday, in church, my son snuggled up next to me and I smiled and reveled in our cozy little moment.  Then he said, loud and clear for all to hear, "mommy, your tummy makes such a nice pillow."

That was definitely a sign.

Well here's another one:  today I am celebrating two straight weeks of a 3,500 calorie deficit, representing two pounds lost! Woot woot! I said I was back and I meant it - I am excelling in every single area of my plan, and I am soooo glad I paid attention to those signs.  My tummy has turned into a bit of a pillow lately...and I'm sad to tell my kiddo not to get too comfortable on it.

Have I lost my mojo? Hell no! I've got it in droves! 


Tomorrow's Blog Preview: What do I have in common with Marty McFly?  See you soon!

Back with a VENGEANCE

So.


I went and did my body fat % last night.  


Uh huh. Yep. 


Yes indeedy, I have me some data.

*meaningful pause*

It's cool, man. It's fine. I'm totally fine.  Totally and completely fine. I'm so fine that we don't even need to talk about it.


Instead, we're gonna talk goals.  Specifically, my goal of getting my body fat percentage BACK down the 2.5% that it rose in the six months since I had it tested.  You know, the six months that I spent living in the world of "everything in moderation."  Like I said last week or whenever it was that I wrote this about going back to being diabolical, I had a feeling that moderation thing wasn't working for me.  And I don't want to rub it in or anything, but I was soooooo right.


And now that I have cold hard facts to back up that gut (pun intended) feeling, I am really glad that I have already spent every day since that post completely focused on getting back in shape.  I'm putting my little smiley face stickers on my calendar, kicking up the intensity of my workouts, and thank the Lord I am done traveling for a while.  Those are all great springboards for getting back to my happy zone.


So while I wasn't uber-pumped to have that reality check last night, I am uber-pumped about what I have already done to take away some of reality's bite.  My goals for the past few months have been about accomplishing tasks: a triathlon, a half-marathon, regularly running 10 miles at a stretch at least once a week.  I've done those things.  Now, my goal is about accomplishing a physical state of being.  


A completely different type of discipline.


A completely different type of benchmarking.


A completely different type of sense of achievement.


Wow, that sounds like a lot of hard work.  Good thing I have a head start!  :)

I'm Standing in an Interesting Spot

You've heard that phrase, "if you love something, set it free?"

Or what about how giving is better than receiving?

Or my favorite, from a t-shirt I had as a kid, "Love is like peanut butter - spread some around today."

Well, I believe all of them!  I'm a giver! 

There are a few things in life that I really love:

1. My family, and I am not just saying that because they read this or at least tell me they do
2. Pizza
3. Health and wellness

I share my awesome family (and sometimes threaten to give them away) with my friends all the time and so far no one has asked me to stop.

I begrudingly share my pizza, which is hard to do but important for portion control so I suck it up and do it anyway.

And when it comes to health and wellness, I am a firm believer that the more you give, the more you get.  I really can't put into words how insanely satisfied and happy I am when I can be part of someone reaching a wellness goal....there are no words.  That's why I've decided to earn my certification as a Wellness Coach.  I'm about halfway through my training and will sit for the exam in January.  Eeek!  Thanks to my wonderful mentor and friend Mary Barley for suggesting it to me and convincing me that I could do it. I can't wait to be legally qualified to mess with people's heads.

Anyway, I am getting to a really exciting (and nerve-wracking) part of my training: practice clients.  I've got a few people lined up who have volunteered to be my guinea pigs so I can practice what I have learned.  I don't know why I am so nervous, I coach people all the time and have done it for years.  But now that I actually, like, know stuff, it's different. 

ANYWAY!  The point of starting this blog entry today was not to tell you all that.  It was to capture this nervous feeling that I have that I am finally standing on the crest of a dream and about to jump off. 

I have a lotta lotta love for fitness, wellness, and people's crazy fitness and wellness goals, and I am going to spread some around today.  And tomorrow, and the next day.

And I just wanted to tell you that. :)

Back to the Weights!

I looooove being strong.  Seriously, I love it.  Muscles, yum.  I like seeing them, having them, feeling them, and using them.  Muscles are like my most favoritest thing.

I like muscles, yes I do! I like muscles, how 'bout you?

So it's understandable that I am really excited to finally have time and reason to train them really hard!  It's been such an endurance-heavy summer that my muscle tone has suffered, but just because tank top season is over doesn't mean I don't want bodacious arms.  But remember, folks:

So. First on the agenda: getting my arms back in shape. Heavy shoulders, deltoids, and biceps until I can't drive my car.  Then, glutes and hamstrings.  Bring on the deadlifts!

If you're like me and craving some new workouts for muscle definition, I especially like this shoulders workout from Muscle and Fitness Hers.  Check it out and have fun!

Good day!

Half-Marathon Ants in the Pants

I am jumping out of my skin to run my first half marathon on Sunday.  I'm so excited to get out there and see what my time is so I can set a benchmark for future races. 

 I can't believe I waited so long to do this!

And I am trying to be very very good and not train myself to death in these last few days leading up to it.  I've done a couple of easy 3-mile runs, a couple of 5-milers, and planned to do 7.5 miles this morning but opted for the elliptical instead to try and keep some chest congestion at bay so I am not sick on race day.  But I have to admit - taking it easy when I thrive on going all-out really cramps my style. 

I definitely have ants in my pants. 

And this weather - OH MY LORD THIS GORGEOUS WEATHER - just begs for running.  It feels like a sin to not go run when it is this nice outside. 

I just might have to log a few miles at lunchtime.  I don't want to be a sinner.

Anyway, to distract myself I have started looking at the race calendars for next year and daydreaming about which ones I will do.  The idea of traveling to big races so I can run in new, exciting towns seems like a lot of fun, and the Twin Cities Marathon, next October, looks like it would be a great goal....for 2012. LOL  I do want to do a marathon in 2011, but I think it will be one a little closer to home.  After that all bets are off.

So here are my race goals for next year:

• 1st Quarter: one half-marathon, one 10k, and two 5ks
• 2nd Quarter: one half-marathon and maintain with some 5ks
• 3rd Quarter: summertime - icky running weather - so just maintain with some 5ks
• 4th Quarter: one triathlon and one marathon

Got ants in your pants for a great 2011?  Take some time today to put pen to paper and commit yourself to some stretch goals!  Check out this goal-setting guide for tips on how to get started.

Good day!

Silent But Deadly

I'm back!  And it is gooooood to be back.  After a week of work travel, long days, a crummy hotel "gym," a hotel-room fridge that froze my spinach, and weekends so packed with exercise for other people that I didn't get to train myself, I am very much contented to sit here and write to you on a completely normal day.

I started my completely normal day with a brisk 5-mile run and some ferocious weights with my new trainer, Justin.  Justin doesn't play, yall.  Where Captain Awesome earned his name by being enthusiastic, positive, cocky, athletic, and with confidence to spare, Justin is an altogether different kind of trainer.  He's quiet, thorough, focused, calculating, and methodical.  He quietly explains what he wants you to do, and then he stands there and stares at you until you complete it.  Then he tells you something else, and it is very, very clear that you will do it and you will do it well and there will not be any discussion.

He's right there with the praise on a job well done, but his no-nonsense way reminds me that that's what he expected: a job well done.  I never have a clue what he is going to come up with next, but I always do it and I always survive and I am almost always sure it will make me want to throw up.  In a good way.

So after just a month or so of training together, he's earned his name: Silent But Deadly.  SBD for short.  This morning, SBD had me do some squat/shoulder presses, then step-ups with monster weight, kettlebell deadlifts, and these crazy-painful Bosu ball front-and-back stepping things.  Then jumping back and forth all around a hula hoop, jump squats, forward lunges (in case you're keeping track, I still hate those), and some other stuff I blocked out of my memory.

What I like the most about SBD is that he keeps me moving. My heart rate stays up, I do something new every day, and I have fun.  He tolerates my chatter and laughs at my jokes, which automatically make me a fan.

I think I'll keep him. :) 

Good day!