And then February happens. Research shows that one third of resolutions don’t make it past the end of January. So, how are your goal digging ways going, Sis? If you answered “great”, high fives for you. But if you need a bit more motivation to stay the course or if you have completely abandoned the journey to the more evolved you, here are a few tips to help you tip the scales in your favor to live the fuller, more fulfilled life that you desire.

Be specific. Set realistic, measurable goals. Not being specific or being too lofty with your resolutions can lead to you becoming overwhelmed and can sabotage your launch or create an unintended consequence, such as stress. So, set your sights on setting attainable goals, then crush them. Little can fuel your will to win than a win, no matter how small it may seem. From there, build on your progress until you reach the ultimate outcome.

Be particular. During your assessment of your life, you may have created quite a long list of things you want to enhance or erase. But be intentional, and don’t nit pick every aspect of who you are. Ensure that what you choose to work on or who you aspire to be is relevant and realistic. Shoot for progress, not perfection.

Practice grace. Although the new year may be the fresh new start we all need right now, give the old you some grace. Change can be hard and sometimes requires time, more time than we may initially think. Some bad habits didn’t form overnight and some won’t disappear that fast either. So don’t expect to reverse course in mere days, weeks or even months in some cases.

Create a plan. Creating a plan helps you to thoroughly think through the goal, the actions to get you there and how to conquer the obstacles you may face. Without one, you may be tempted to give up at the first sign of adversity. It’s cliché, but so true: if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Putting things to paper also offers self-accountability and the ability to visualize your future success.

New Year’s resolutions sometimes come with negative connotations, but setting them can be a catalyst for discovering newfound passions and purpose. The problem isn’t that we can’t stick to our resolutions, it’s that oftentimes our commitments aren’t actionable or achievable. Also remember, that change is a process that could be peppered with hurdles and setbacks. But go ahead, and do it anyway. You got this, and you’re worth it!

By: Joy Harrell @joyrunsrealestate

Joy Harrell is a licensed real estate agent and co-owner of The Sift Sisters bakery based in Houston, Texas. She is a native Houstonian and graduate of the University of Houston—go Coogs! When she is not helping people buy, sell or invest in real estate, she can be found hanging or traveling with her hubby, running or biking the streets and trails in and around Houston, mentoring girls or testing new food and cocktail recipes.

The post Going for Goal appeared first on Black Girls Run.

Many of us would rather do anything but run on any given day. That’s understandable – running is a physically strenuous activity and often a mental challenge as well. Although we know the benefits of running as exercise, getting motivated to do it isn’t always easy. Even longtime runners who’ve been leaving it all on the pavement for decades might admit there are many times when they don’t actually love to run.

Especially now, in below-freezing weather, the cold, dark outdoors might not look that inviting compared to your warm, toasty bed. Knowing that your long run day is approaching and you’re just not feeling the idea of 4, 5, 6 or 10+ miles — well, that’s normal too.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about why we should continue to keep going. Take it one step at a time: get out of bed and put on your running clothes. It’s hard to turn back once you’ve already gotten prepared to run, so you might as well head outside or to your exercise equipment.

Let’s say you did get up, you did start your run, and well, it still feels terrible. Give yourself 10 minutes.

The first 10 minutes of a run are always the most difficult, whether you’re an experienced runner or one who’s just getting started. It’s because your heart rate is increasing quickly to fulfill your increased need for oxygen, and your organs are adjusting to this new, more strenuous activity.

Within that first mile, or first 10 minutes, your body begins to get used to the activity, and what initially felt like an ordeal now seems a lot easier. Aren’t you glad you didn’t give up?

If 10 minutes was all you could give, that’s ok too. Your body is telling you that you might be working too hard, too fast, or it’s telling you to slow down after multiple days of strenuous exercise. In those 10 minutes though, you made an investment in your health.

Each time, I vow to run just for 10 minutes. It’s just the equivalent of a lengthy commercial break or the extended version of a 1970s funk or disco song – you look up and before you know it, 10 minutes have ticked off the clock.

There’s also a common saying that no one ever regrets a workout. I know that’s true for me with running. I think about how great I’ll feel after my run when I’m struggling to get going. I repeat that mantra to myself often as I put on my workout clothes and prepare to get started.

Even if I’m exhausted, I always feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of a run and get that feeling many call the “runner’s high.” I almost want to get back out there and keep going or start again, even though I know I’m done.

It’s that feeling, along with the all the health benefits I experience over time, that began my love affair with running. And that love keeps growing strong with every step I take.

By Shannon Shelton Miller /Twitter: ShannonSMWrites, Instagram: shannon.shelton1

Shannon Shelton Miller is a longtime writer and journalist who enjoys writing about sports, fitness, health, beauty, and parenting. She has been running for 27 years, starting from joining her high school cross country team. She has run a marathon, two half marathons, and countless 5K and 10K races.

The post For the Love of Running appeared first on Black Girls Run.

Now that I’m living in Southwest Ohio, however, I do encounter hills on a regular basis. We don’t have mountains like you’d find in Colorado or Utah or the West Coast, but hills are enough of a factor to make me realize I need to make them work for me versus gritting my teeth when I see elevation up ahead.

Hill running is like a strength and speed workout combined. Hill workouts help improve your stride, build leg and lower body strength, and provide great cardiovascular benefits. When you’re running uphill, your body has to fight gravity and move you forward (and upward), forcing your muscles to work harder than they would during a leg session in the gym. Our BGR Cincinnati group and other local running groups make it a point to schedule runs in hilly neighborhoods just to make sure we get used to running hills and reap the benefits.

A lot of trail runners incorporate a specific type of workout — hill repeats — into their training regimen. It’s exactly how it sounds – run or walk up a hill, and then run or walk back down. Then repeat until you meet your workout goal for the day.

I completed my first hill repeat training session in January, when a group of local trail runners created an event to raise money for a charity that provides medical assistance to communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Each runner could pledge a certain amount for each hill repeat completed.

Now this was no ordinary hill. The elevation mimicked a small mountain, and there was no way we were all going to run up and down each time. Luckily, walking up a hill is just as effective, and still delivers all the fitness benefits of uphill running.

I arrived at the summit and faced the mountain – it looked more like a mountain than a hill from the ground. I started my trek and found myself quickly huffing and puffing. Wow, that heart rate sure went up quickly, didn’t it? I decreased my stride and reminded myself this was NOT a race. I noticed that the more experienced participants had a steady cadence and were able to maintain a conversation while walking, so I mimicked their motions. The climb took me about four minutes on average, and I stopped at the top to catch my breath.

Going downhill was much easier, but this too is part of your training. You want to move carefully as you descend to avoid stumbling or hurting your legs and back.

With short breaks included, I completed five hill repeats in about 30 minutes. My legs and butt felt like jelly, letting me know I had really given them a good workout and targeted more muscles than I would have with my typical runs. I didn’t even run once the whole time I was going up and down the hill!

When I checked the running pace zone metric on my Strava app, almost the entire workout fell into the anaerobic zone, which is classified as “extremely hard pace.” It’s the most intense of the six pace zones for a Strava running workout, and one I don’t get into often during my usual runs. That’s probably why they say hill workouts can mimic speed workouts, even if there’s not much speed happening going up hills.

If you’re looking to take your runs to another level – literally – trying going uphill. Your posterior will eventually thank you for it!

By Shannon Shelton Miller /Twitter: ShannonSMWrites, Instagram: shannon.shelton1

Shannon Shelton Miller is a longtime writer and journalist who enjoys writing about sports, fitness, health, beauty, and parenting. She has been running for 27 years, starting from joining her high school cross country team. She has run a marathon, two half marathons, and countless 5K and 10K races.

The post The Hills Are Alive appeared first on Black Girls Run.

Winter can be the hardest time of the year to stay motivated. Perhaps it’s the early darkness, shorter days, end of race season, or the amount of overindulging we do between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Whatever the reason, it can make you just want to hibernate during the holidays and into the winter months. But staying physically active is one of the best ways to improve or maintain your physical and mental health.

Lucky for me, my local running specialty store teamed up with Brooks® to offer a great program to help keep the running community active and motivated during the winter months. The Winter Warrior challenge is an eight-week program starting on January 1. The objective is to get participants moving for thirty minutes at least four times a week.

Program participants join an online platform to log their activities. You can walk, run, bike, hike, take a yoga class, shovel snow, or chase after the new fur baby you got from the local animal shelter for Christmas.

Whatever the activity is, if you do it for 30 minutes and log it onto the platform, you’re in it to win it. What do you win? Most importantly, participants win a sense of accomplishment. But there are also fun virtual badges, an awesome shirt, and if you log 32 activities or more during the challenge, you can snag yourself a cool mug. Oh, and then there are bragging rights. Last year was the first time for the challenge, and it was a huge hit with my running community. It’s a fun way to stay connected and casually competitive with your run fam.

Don’t let your motivation go down with the early sunsets! If you don’t have a challenge like this in your area, make your own! Here are ways to stay active during the winter months:

1. Involve everyone in the house. Live alone? Empty nester? Start a group challenge with family and friends via text.
2. Start small. Choose an activity and a duration you can commit to. For example, from January 1-31, walk, run or hike three times per week for 30 minutes.
3. Make it interesting! You can switch things up daily or opt for the same activity every day and choose a new one before starting a new week.
4. Take an online fitness class. The pandemic forced this trend. However, many fitness centers have opted to continue offering live-stream classes.
5. Inclement weather? No excuses! When bad weather keeps you from being outdoors, find ways to get physical indoors. Don’t discount house chores such as sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping. They all count toward physical activity. I don’t know about you, but Swiffer-ing is a whole workout for me!

Perspiration releases endorphins in the brain that make people feel good. Just 30 minutes a day of any activity to raise your heart rate will do. You don’t even have to leave the house. Dance, clean out the basement or attic, or run up and down the stairs, so get moving and release your inner winter warrior!

By: Danielle Barnes – @dannibsays (IG) @dannib413 (Twitter)

Danielle Barnes is a freelance writer based in Montclair, NJ. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Wayne State University. Her superpower is her ability to captivate audiences with her words whether it’s in person or on paper. Danielle enjoys devouring a good book, volunteering for causes she’s passionate about, staying active, and traveling the globe to see the world in all its glory.

The post Winter Warrior appeared first on Black Girls Run.

With the ushering in of a new year, we also usher in new hope, new dreams, and for many new year’s resolutions. But what is a resolution exactly? A resolution is an intent to do something. More specifically, a new year’s resolution is a promise to do something differently in the new year. That’s it. Perhaps that’s the reason why saying, “I will lose weight” or “I will exercise” is forgotten by the end of January.

A 2020 YouGov.com survey shows about one in four Americans (27%) say they made resolutions for 2020, and slightly more (31%) said they intended to make resolutions for 2021. However, studies have shown more than half of all resolutions fail. Most are abandoned by mid-January. Here’s why:

• It’s a resolution created based on what someone else, e.g., a friend, co-worker, or society, including social media, is telling you to do or change
• It’s too vague
• You don’t have a realistic plan for achieving your resolution

Choosing a goal that doesn’t reflect your interests and passions sets you up to abandon them. These failures mostly come in the form of diet and exercise.

So, what should you do instead of making New Year’s resolutions? Consider setting smaller, more achievable goals. If it’s weight loss, instead of saying, “I will lose 70 pounds this year,” try to lose 1.5 pounds a week. Divide your goal into time segments and ask yourself what you will do each day to move closer to your goal. Then, at the end of every week, assess what you’ve accomplished.

Real change takes time, effort, and patience. To stay motivated, it is essential to celebrate the smallest positive changes.

Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, chooses a word of the year instead of making a new year’s resolution. Still resolving to do something different with the start of each year, she lets a single word be her guidance.

In a 2019 LinkedIn© post, Gates explained that the tradition “encapsulates her aspirations for the year ahead.” Past words have included “gentle,” helping her fight perfectionism, and “spacious,” prompting her to make room for the things in life that really matter.

Say you choose “health” as your word of the year. Instead of getting bogged down with diet and exercise, you will be able to ask yourself if what you’re doing each day aligns with your yearly theme.

Other words you can choose are gratitude, calm, or creativity. These words help you move through your day with intention and positivity.

When you set goals, make sure they center around things you want to accomplish. Don’t think of it as being selfish; when you achieve a goal you set for yourself, you’re happier and less stressed.

There’s nothing magical about January. People tend to push themselves into thinking of something to do differently by the start of a new year without really putting a lot of thought into it. Truth is, you can set goals for yourself any time of the year, in February, April, or September. The key is to think about whether you’re ready to change your habits and lifestyle. You’ll have a better chance of success if you work on your mindset first.

By: Danielle Barnes – @dannibsays (IG) @dannib413 (Twitter)

Danielle Barnes is a freelance writer based in Montclair, NJ. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations from Wayne State University. Her superpower is her ability to captivate audiences with her words whether it’s in person or on paper. Danielle enjoys devouring a good book, volunteering for causes she’s passionate about, staying active, and traveling the globe to see the world in all its glory.

The post New Year, New You? appeared first on Black Girls Run.

A new year causes us to try to think ahead.  A new year causes many of us to think about things we want changed, things we want to do differently, things to be better, and we think about things we want to improve on.

Looking to new heights.  Envisioning new goals.  Looking for a better tomorrow.  Looking for improving.  The key word is looking.

What do you envision for this new year for yourself?  Each year, many people establish “New Years Resolutions”, or a “New Year Plan”.  Some people write out their goals.  There is something about starting anew, starting fresh.

It is no secret or surprise to us that these past two years have been tumultuous.  With this fact, much stress has been added to our lives and our loved ones lives.  When stress is present, it is dealt with many different ways.  Some of us deal with stress through over-eating, some of us deal with stress with over-exercising, maybe for some, taking our stress out on others.

As we are still in the midst of this pandemic and the different variants and stages, we must look ahead.  What do you want to do differently in the new year?  What to do want to change in the new year?  With the new year, most of us think we must create some new vision board, or internal visionary plan for change.  What about those of us who just want to maintain what we’ve been doing?  We’re the ones who have created a plan that is working, but the momentum has dwindled.  We’ve seem to have lost our zest for the initial plan.  There is no need to re-create the wheel, we must re-focus, possibly re-structure and look ahead.

Looking ahead requires planning.  Planning for your next move.  Will your next move require re-building, or will it require adding on to your already sufficient plan?  When we create new plans, whether it be an exercise plan, a financial plan, or a self-improvement plan, we tend to discredit the plan we may have had before.  This action may cause feelings of failure and then hinder our success of our new plan.  We must be careful of discrediting our thoughts and intentions.  If we know our intentions were of good, even though the plan may not have worked out at its best, we must remind ourselves that we did try, we did have good intentions and therefore re-build on the initial plan.  When we look at any failed attempts with a positive outlook, our future attempts build off of positive energy rather than a negative attitude of failing.

This mindset is especially helpful when reaching or maintaining your workout goals and healthy lifestyle goals.  There are so many life events that can possibly cause us to get off track, but when we look ahead and envision or goals again and restructure them in a way that honors our determination, we can get back on track without guilt.  We can get back on track without demise.  We can get back on track without condemning ourselves.

So look ahead.  Look toward your goals with a restructure mindset.  Look toward the new year with a reset mindset and continue to build on what you have started.

By: Eden Barbee-Mabry / (@gardenonthegram – IG/ @EdenJBe – Twitter)

Eden Barbee-Mabry is an Education Support Analyst with the State of Georgia. Eden is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and was led to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia after graduating from Clark Atlanta University in 1988. Eden joined Black Girls Run! in Spring of 2016 and graduated from the Walk B4 You Run program in June of 2016 and is currently Run Lead for the Fairburn, Georgia group. Eden is a purse lover and strives to inspire every woman because her belief is that although the circumstances may be different, every woman can extract strength from another woman’s story.

The post LOOKING AHEAD appeared first on Black Girls Run.

Recently, I had an encounter with nature.  Real nature.  The woods.  A trail.  Slippery slopes.  Markings on poles indicating which route is which trail.  Not following the markings, one can get lost.  Not paying attention to details, one can get lost, one can fall, one can become fearful.

Before going on this hike, I hesitated, I thought twice, then thought again.  I almost backed out, because of fear.  Fear of the unknown.  I was fearful of falling.  I was fearful of my stamina on the trails, the hills, and the terrain.  Fear almost made me turn around and go back home even after reaching the destination and parking.

There was a section of the trail that was especially treacherous.  Upon reaching that section, those ahead of me tackled the section with little effort, reached the other side, and waited for the rest of us to make the journey.  I was so fearful that I even yelled “…had I known it was going to be like this, I wouldn’t have come!”   I also wondered … “do we have to come back this way?”  I may have uttered that out loud as well, because I faintly remember hearing someone respond:  “yes”.  So, even though I was working my way to make it to the other side of this treacherous section, I still had to make it back across when we returned.

Isn’t that how life is, though?  If we could foresee what is ahead or in store for us, we probably wouldn’t continue.  We probably would get off of the trail.  We probably would do a lot of second guessing ourselves if we knew the difficulties that lie ahead.

On that treacherous section, it was lined with trees.  The trees had roots above ground, and one of the women advised that those of us who were fearful, to get down on our knees and grab hold of the tree roots as we crawled to the other side.  Looking back on the experience, it is synonymous with how life will throw us some treacherous situations.  In order to make it through those situations, we have to grab hold to the roots.  Whatever your roots are, whether it be your faith, affirmations, scriptures, doing whatever is helpful for you to become grounded to get you through to the other side, grab hold and keep moving.

As it is with running, and working out.  Not every run, not every workout will be your best or easiest.  There will be difficult ones.  If you knew that particular run or workout would be especially difficult, the thoughts of difficulty could prevent you from moving forward.  Fear cripples us.  Fear hinders us.  Fear prevents us from moving forward.

While on that trail, I could have turned around, I could have made the decision to leave the group when we came upon that treacherous portion, but if I had done so, I would have had to either sit there alone and wait for the group to return, or make it back to the cars alone.  If I had not continued on the trail with the group, I would have missed out on the beautiful scenery that was ahead of us.

Takeaway:  Don’t let fear take root and cause you to miss out on the beautiful things that lie ahead.

By: Eden Barbee-Mabry / (@gardenonthegram – IG/ @EdenJBe – Twitter)
Eden Barbee-Mabry is an Education Support Analyst with the State of Georgia. Eden is a native of Kalamazoo, Michigan and was led to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia after graduating from Clark Atlanta University in 1988. Eden joined Black Girls Run! in Spring of 2016 and graduated from the Walk B4 You Run program in June of 2016 and is currently Run Lead for the Fairburn, Georgia group. Eden is a purse lover and strives to inspire every woman because her belief is that although the circumstances may be different, every woman can extract strength from another woman’s story.

The post Don’t Let Your Fear Take Root appeared first on Black Girls Run.

What races am I doing this year?

How much weight do I want to lose?

I want to build muscle this year.

I want to get a PR in my 5k.

I want to get better with my running.

Whew did you get tired yet just reading and thinking about all those things?

So why does it seem like fitness can be so stressful?

Is it because we put so much pressure on ourselves to look a certain way?

Is it because we are striving to compete or look like the person beside of us in the gym?

As women I think we get so caught up in Fitness and how we should look that we forget the true benefits and reasoning behind healthy lifestyle/fitness. Social media has created this look of what Fitness should look like. In addition, it has created this image of what is classified as FIT. We find ourselves competing with others versus just simply having fun or the fellowship with others. Or find us chasing a number, a look, a size because that is what social media has classified as being FIT.

With the new year being here and level of uncertainty of what this year will look like and the What If’s

What happens if I don’t get my run in?

What happens if I don’t do that 5k?

What happens if I didn’t get to the gym?

So, what happens; well we regroup, we do something else, we do what we can.

Let Go of the STRESS

Stop stressing on this thing called the Right Fitness. There is no such thing as the right fitness. There is a such thing as Fitness for everyone, getting out and moving, doing something every day. So, whatever that may look like for you…do it. Whatever may inspire you to go out and move…do it. Whatever fitness level you may be on…Keep doing what you are doing. Don’t ever feel like you must do certain activities to be classified as a fit person. When you get up off the couch each day and do something that gets your heart pumping and that makes you feel GREAT…that is when you have truly found fitness for you.

Always remember… Fitness is not a destination it is a way of Life. Engage in fitness to become a happier person, not a stressed-out person. Do it for you…No one else but you.

By: Felicia. R. Hall @feliciarhall
Felicia is an educator and motivator at heart. Felicia is a Certified Athletic Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Run & Fitness Coach, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Educator and a doctoral candidate. She is a small-town girl who loves running, nature and helping others become the best version of themselves.

The post Why does Fitness feel so stressful? appeared first on Black Girls Run.

Immediately the thought of a race came to my mind. I thought about my first marathon. The picture below is of me after I completed my first marathon in Savannah, Georgia.

So let me ask you a question, “What do you see when you look at this picture?” You may see a woman who is excited, astounded, happy, relieved, goofy or even silly:) Well let me tell you what I see; I see a woman who fought through depression, an anxiety attack, sadness and low self-esteem. I also see a woman who is successful in that very moment. You might say how do you see this? Well, this brings me to my definition of success. On this special day, I didn’t complete the marathon the way that I envisioned in my head. Also, I didn’t get the best time or maintain the best pace that I wanted to. But in that very moment as I crossed the finish line, I began to rejoice over the fact that I not only completed my first marathon, but I fought through all the battles that had come before me during the race. So, as I reflected on this very moment, I defined this as success. I refused to give up even though everything from: depression, anxiety, frustration was on me during that race. I fought through the obstacles during my training runs and some ups and downs I had throughout my training. I used all these obstacles and failures as motivations throughout the race to help me finish the race. So, in my book this definitely defines success. I may have not completed the race the way I wanted to, but the ultimate success lies in the fact that I completed the race.

So, as yourself how do you define success? Often as women we set high standards for ourselves especially as it relates to fitness. We say okay in two weeks I need to be in a size X and if I am not then I am unsuccessful in achieving my goal. Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves and celebrate the small victories. The ability to do some of the things that we can do is a blessing. When we put so much pressure on ourselves it staggers our fitness goals. Set small realistic goals, then once you have accomplished them celebrate your success in achieving them. If you fall off just dust yourself off and try again. Don’t beat yourselves down for not making that race time, or keeping that ideal pace, ideal weight, or even completing the ideal race you wanted to achieve. Be thankful in the ability to do the things you can do. Remember, “Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up, with goals so strong that obstacles, failure, and loss only act as motivation.”

“Don’t give up”

By: Felicia. R. Hall @feliciarhall
Felicia is an educator and motivator at heart. Felicia is a Certified Athletic Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Run & Fitness Coach, RYT 200 Yoga Instructor, Educator and a doctoral candidate. She is a small-town girl who loves running, nature and helping others become the best version of themselves.

The post How do you define Success? appeared first on Black Girls Run.