Run to Finish (Daily Running Log)

It Can Wait - Why I don’t Text and Drive

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:26:49 PDT

A few folks have been in the car with me as a passenger when I’ve asked them to stop using their phone. I know it annoys them, but they are always gracious and put it away followed by a statement about how they really don’t normally do it….but they do. I’ve passed enough drivers on the road to know that LOTS of people are texting all the time while driving.

I guess because we have become such a multi-tasking society, everyone feels like they aren’t getting enough done if they are ONLY driving….yeah think about that. Driving a huge machine on the road with tons of other people…sounds like enough to me!

I know even at Blend this weekend it would have been easier on the passengers if I would have just looked up directions on my phone, but instead I forced whoever was sitting in the passenger seat to be the navigator because I didn’t want to be looking down away from a highway I have never driven on.

When Oprah pushed her campaign to put down the phone, I took the pledge and have never looked back. I am excited to be part of the Verizon Ambassador program, currently testing out the BlackBerry Z10 which could totally get you in trouble with BBM. I digress, the group is also helping to spread the word once again on a new program to help people understand the dangers of texting and driving. Click the image below to learn more.

You can read more on how talking on the phone impairs your driving here>>

LESSONS FROM A PARENT
One of the many lessons my dad taught me that stayed with me happened as I was running late one day - he noted that even if I was late it was better to be safe and watch the speed because if I got pulled over or worse yet had a wreck I would be FAR later to that appointment.

For parents I would love to know how you talk about this with your kids? Have you seen the stats that 75% of teenagers text and drive?

Are you going to take the pledge??
Let me know when you do, I want to feel safer every time I run, bike and drive!

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Gratitude Journal
May 24
I am grateful for parents who aren’t afraid to be the bad guy sometimes if it means ensuring their kids learn a lesson. I’m especially grateful to mine for some of the hard lessons I needed to learn and the loving way they always tried to do it.

The Redesigned Life

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:04:49 PDT

This weekend reminded me once again that our paths are far less pre-determined than I once believed. Go to college, graduate, get a good job, work until 60, retire….then you enjoy life. Anyone else grow up assuming that was the only way to do things? I’m not saying it’s the right way or wrong way, just that now I realize it’s not the ONLY way.

In August, I flipped that model on it’s head when I took a sabbatical from my consulting job for what I would call a mini-retirement. This idea was initially planted in my subconscious from oddly enough an HGTV house hunters episode!! A young couple moved to Costa Rica for two years to surf, assuming that at the end of it they would head back and do something more “corporate”. Mini-retirements have been further popularized by Tim Ferris in The 4-Hour Workweek (an interesting read for anyone considering an entrepreneur life).

It takes the same amount of effort to design the life you want as it does to let life happen to you. And whether you actively choose to create the life you want, or sit back to see how life unfolds, you made the decision. - Deepa Maisuria

Blend Retreat was a great reminder that more and more people are choosing alternative paths to create the life they want. They are quitting jobs to move to the city of their dreams. They are earning money doing things they enjoy from taking pictures to eating to traveling to fitness to…well blogging! The redesigned lifestyle isn’t just for the creative or “hippy dippy” folks, a lot of great business minds are putting it into practice so they can earn a living while still having a lot more time for family and fun.

The redesigned life isn’t about living each day in a bubble of happiness. It takes HARD work to pursue your dreams and MONEY. As wonderful as it may be for people to say “follow your passion” at the end of the day you have to pay the bills. It means evaluating your lifestyle to figure out if you need to cut back, what you really want to experience, what you excel at and what are your true priorities {Tips from Zen Habits and the Art of Non-Conformity}.

I imagine it’s a lot like jumping out of an airplane
- FREEING and TERRIFYING all in the same moment.

EXAMPLES OF LIFESTYLE DESIGN
Here are a just a few of the women I met at Blend Retreat who are creating their own path. These examples are simply top of mind because I have been surrounded by them for a weekend. But there are MANY, MANY more examples….and yes I notice there are a lot of Laura’s and Lindsay’s let’s prove they aren’t the only women with the gumption to chase dreams!

Lindsay - Her priority in life is her children and she has designed a life with her husband that makes it possible. She spends 2 hours each day training clients and the remainder of her day homeschooling…and then yes blogging in the evening.

Lindsay C - Her husband is a pro-triathlete and they have created a lifestyle that allows him to pursue this goal while she supports him with HIGH quality nutrition and runs her own business called Healthy Bites.
Laura - She actually has a traditional 9 to 5 job as a consultant, but it allows her to travel to a marathon nearly every weekend of the year!

Lauren - Quit her job as a high school teacher and moved across the country because she just had an inner knowing for YEARS that Colorado would make them supremely happy. Now she’s choosing a new path.
“It shouldn’t take winning the lottery for you to go after your goals and dreams- anything really is achievable in this short time that we have on earth.”

Laura (below) - After helping her own family through an illness, Laura realized she had a true passion for it and left social work to earn her degree in Holistic Nutrition. She is now a certified health coach, running coach and has created plenty of time for her family in the process.

Bobbi (above)- Both her and her husband currently work at Forrest Home a Christian camp that allows them to share their joy of life with others! Bobbi is also a personal trainer and working to build a full online training program (with me!) so she can soon be home with their adopted child more.

Michelle and Lori - They’ve grown their blog into a full business of cooking, cookbooks, personal training and so much more…but what’s really important about that is they LOVE it and while it’s hard work they are thriving because of it.

It’s a new world and the possibilities are endless. Though as many of us talked the free feeling is sometimes mixed with the overwhelming desire to have someone tell you what to do so you don’t have to make any more decisions! I guess it’s just more proof to the saying that life is what you make it and nothing is perfect.

Do you feel like your life needs a redesign? Have you already started redesigning your life? I can’t wait to hear from more you of on this idea because I feel like I hear so many saying they “wish" they could do this or that…what’s really holding you back? If you really want it, a life coach is an awesome way to help you start making the transition!
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Gratitude Journal
May 23
I am grateful for finding some creative ways to book a flight home that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg…I get to see my parents wohoooo!!!

Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:12:00 PDT

I love Lindsay’s weekly meal planning series and while I am definitely a batch cooker, I don’t always plan out my whole week. I keep trying to be a planner, but what I’ve realized is I tend to eat roughly the same things with random variations. So instead of a lot of prep time, I just keep the ingredients on hand and then whip up a large batch at one time when I am ready.

One ingredient that has been sitting in my cupboard for awhile are steel cut oats. I enjoy oatmeal, but tend to be too lazy for the process of steel cut oats in the morning. Hence time for a big batch cooking session that allowed me to have oats ready to go for the entire week! And yes I do enjoy oatmeal even in the summer, you’ll see why below!I am always looking to “enhance” my food so this oatmeal is bulked up and loaded with good things to keep me humming all day long!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup steel cut oats
4 cups water (OR 2 cups water, 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
3 diced small apples
1/2 package shredded carrots
1/4 cup ground flax
4 tbsp maca powder
Vanilla extract to taste
Stevia to taste (est. two dropper fulls)
Cinnamon to taste

Place all ingredients in the slow cooker before bed, set on low, and wake up to a house that smells great!! Let’s talk a little more about the add-ons to this oatmeal and why they are so great for us:

Oatmeal: Stabilizes blood sugar, removes bad cholesterol, high in fiber, good for post workout recovery,
Maca: Great for athletes and those under stress to help your overworked adrenals
Ground Flaxseed: High source of Omega 3’s and fiber. It’s important to use ground and not whole flaxseed for your body to absorb the nutrients.
Stevia: A few drops adds a little sweetness without calories and without the chemicals found in sugar free sweeteners
Cinnamon: Regulates blood sugar to help prevent that mid-morning vending machine run and reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad kind).

I’m becoming obsessed with using my slow cooker all the time now (remember that BBQ Tofu)! I’ve got a whole Pinterest Board just for these recipes, so please leave me any you might have and I’ll check them out!

Do you call it a crockpot or a slow cooker??? Are you an oatmeal eater even in the summer?
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Gratitude Journal
May 22
I am grateful for time in the kitchen this morning to prep food for easy eating the rest of the week.

Altitude Running - Why it’s different and what to do

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:18:21 PDT

Saturday morning I was beyond excited to spend some time running in Park City, Utah because the scenery was for this mid-western, now Florida girl…breath taking.

Part of the reason I am so in love with running is it provides me with an excuse to be outside where I feel simultaneously peaceful and energized.

I spent most of each day saying something along the lines of “It’s so pretty”, followed by a contented sigh (yes even though it was gray and cloudy!). I even started apologizing for saying it out loud so frequently, but I really couldn’t help myself! The green landscape, the mountains and the fresh air were outstanding…David is probably reading this and cringing as he knows a thought provoking maybe we should move discussion is probably hatching in my mind.Park City has these amazing paved paths running all over the city! There were bikers or walkers or runners on it every time we passed. You can see the Olympic ski slopes in the distance.
This is the view from the airport!! I wonder how many people get there and decide not to leave?!

ALTITUDE TRAINING
Coming from sea level, I remembered feeling a little short of breath a few months ago in Snowbird, Utah when trying to run…so it was no surprise to me that I noticed it here at 8,000 feet as well. Yet oddly enough with the altitude, the cold and RAIN I enjoyed every step of our 9 mile run…even if I was huffing to catch up with the speedsters Bonnie, Bobbie and Taylor.

There was apparently a 41 mile relay happening sometime while we were there…we just thought it was nice they put up signs for us!

Why is altitude training so different? Running at high altitudes decreases the amount of oxygen getting to the muscles and there is an increased risk of dehydration. “At 6000 feet above sea level, you exhale and perspire twice as much moisture as you do at sea level.” - From High Altitude Life.

Many elite athletes prefer to train for a portion of the year above 5,000 feet because it allows their body to produce more red blood cells and enhance their oxygen capacity. However, the downside for many is they can’t train quite as fast…hence the reason they cycle from high to low!

According to Greg McMillan, over 7,000 feet you can expect an easy run to be up to 30 seconds slower per mile to achieve the same easy level of effort.

There is a lot of science you can read on this, but here are some plain English tips for the common runner who is simply ready to enjoy a run on vacation:

Go as soon as you can upon arrival. Altitude sickness often sets in a day or two after arrival.
Hydrate - as noted above you need more water here than normal and it’s easy to be dehydrated while traveling anyways. So consciously focus on getting in enough water.
Slow your pace - This isn’t the time to force a speed work session, instead take advantage of the great views and enjoy a leisurely paced run.
Consider walk breaks - Even if they are not part of your normal routine, a few pauses throughout the run may allow you to

BLEND RECAPS
I could tell you all about Blend, but so many other women did it already that I’d rather send you to them…I’ll have more about lessons learned but for the nitty gritty they did it so well and now you can meet them too: Love, Life, Surf
A Dash of Meg
Cotter Crunch
Hungry Mother Runner
Eat Move Balance
Talk Less Say More
Purely Twins
Cooking For the Other Half -
TinyNFit
Edible Balance
The Lean Green Bean
Itz Linz
Mommy Run Fast
50 by 25
Bonnie Lang Fitness
Cross Country Cajan

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Gratitude Journal
May 21
I am grateful for a great long chat with my dad while I was on my layover. I miss my parents!

Accountability Monday: Breathing Technique for Runners

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:10:00 PDT

A few months ago I reviewed the book Running on Air from Budd Coates. Many of you saw an article about it in either Runner’s World or Men’s Health and were curious to know how it worked {read about it’s injury prevention and speed benefits if you missed it}. At the time I had only been able to try it for a few weeks and was already able to see how it might help, but it was HARD.

Hard enough that it would be really easy to stop doing it because it takes a lot of thought and previously my thoughts were reserved either for form or for pondering life. However, I particularly noticed that I helped on long runs to increase my pace…so I kept at it.

What I began to realize was that focusing on the breath also ensured that my posture was taller and my abs were pulled in tight. All of this combined makes for faster running, which is exactly what was happening during my training the last few months. Bummer it didn’t come together in Puerto Rico.

Anyhow, what you want to know is does it work? How hard is it to master? Worth the time?
Yes. Medium. Yes.

Tips:
- When starting out I found that it was easiest to start my run without focusing on the technique. This allowed me to get going at my natural pace and then switch my focusing to counting 3:2 (in for 3 steps,out for 2 steps).

- Don’t focus on it for the entire run. Check-in with yourself occasionally, like when you change paces during speed work or when a long run starts to feel tough. I think the mental benefit is as big as the oxygen.

- Considering counting only 3 or only 2. After a few paces, I started to find that if I simply counted my out 2 breathes it was much easier to allow my breath to flow more naturally.

I can’t tell you that it comes 100% naturally to me yet, but now I am able to flow in to it much more quickly and do it without thinking. However, it quickly becomes harder again as I do more yoga because you practice such long inhales and exhales, compared to the very quick exhale of the 3:2 breathing pattern.

A number of Spring Challenge participants also received the book and I know Kat has been seeing that it’s a great help for asthma! Anyone else given it a try?

Checkout the purpose of Accountability Monday’s>>
Want to participate? Fill out this form and I’ll be featuring people each week (see Your Goals below)!

Goal check in: I was really focused early in the week, making it possible to leave for Blend feeling good about where all projects stood and fully enjoy my time.

Goal for Week: Finish all prep for the Clean and Lean challenge - sooo much great stuff and I’m really excited about it. I’ve been putting some of the new stuff in to practice myself for the last few weeks.

Success: My goal for this week was to do speed work and get moving again…but without going back to my full blown schedule. My energy was higher as I started working out, so it took some conscious decision making to hold it back!

Goal for Week: 2 speed sessions, 3 cross training workouts and still lots of focus on recovery after each.

May 13
AM: Meditation, 5 miles with speed play of 3, 2,1 x 2 - goal was for the first run back to be fun but a little fast
PM: 30 min walk with David

May 14
AM: Meditation 20 min yoga, 40 min walk, 20 min yoga
PM: Core workout

May 15
AM: Meditation, Tempo run - 5.5 miles (7:52, 7:48, 8:05) - these are more of a mental workout for me now. I need to allow myself to push and not back away from discomfort. 20 min walk
PM: 30 min walk with David

May 16
AM: Meditation, Kettlebell and core workout, 2.25 mile easy run, 10 min walk
PM: 30 min, Yoga

May 17
AM: Fly to Utah for Blend! - yeah kind of an all day thing with the layovers

May 18
AM: Meditation, 9 mile run with the ladies, hike
-- 8,000 feet elevation, cold and rainy…but beyond pretty and a complete and total blast. This run was a GREAT reminder that while I enjoy my solo runs I get a lot out of running with others and will be pushing myself to get involved with local running clubs here in Orlando.

May 19
AM: Bootcamp
PM: Fly back to Miami (walked in airport for 90 minutes between flights cause my butt hurt from sitting!)
--- I can’t sit down to use the toilet today from all the squats!

After 20 days of consistently doing my exercises, I can say that some days it feels like what is the point?! Then I do them and the next day my IT Band or back are feeling right as rain and that’s when I understand that doing them may not eliminate all aches and pains from working out, but it does keep them from turning in to sidelining injures.

How are you feeling with PT?

Have you tried the new breathing technique from Running on Air??
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Gratitude Journal
May 20
I am grateful for a girls weekend! I loved them as a child, but as an adult they are such an amazing chance to rejuvenate the spirit.

Stitches

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Sat, 18 May 2013 05:03:00 PDT

In just the first week of our move to Orlando we’ve already located and visited our nearest Urgent Care. We really like to get to know our city quickly, but I hope we don’t become regular patrons…I should have asked about a frequent visitor punch card.

Our new place has required some handy man work by David, as it did not have a single light fixture. Now 90% of David’s tools are still in Kansas City with my parents so while I used a plastic knife to open all of our boxes, David has been using a box cutter to do pretty much everything.

We’re like MacGyver and a toddler. I didn’t touch the box cutter because I KNEW it would result in me getting injured. I am injury averse. In fact, I have {knock on wood} never broken a bone and only had a couple of tiny stitches due to a knee surgery in high school.

David on the other hand actually broke his arm as a child, but didn’t tell anyone for a WEEK, so that he could continue playing at the lake. I am not sure whether he’s brilliant or insane, but he got what he wanted. This is also to say that he can endure a lot of pain {hmm maybe why he runs faster?!} and rarely complains.

Have I relayed the time where he nearly cut off his finger and left me a voicemail that calmly said “Honey, I’m in an ambulance, when you have a minute call me back.”?!

Thus Saturday when he came hunched over to me as I was unpacking with the statement “this isn’t good”. I was concerned, but knew there were no electrical tools insight and everything still appeared fully in tact. He had however managed to slice his palm open with the box cutter. {you’re welcome that I did not take pictures}

Next he actually called his mom {a nurse}. Seriously he called his mom, he hates the phone so much I often think they wonder if he knows how to use it. Yup this was serious.

We waited another 6 hours before actually going to Urgent Care because who wants to see a doctor when you can bleed to death in your own home. Luckily the place here was clean, quiet and SUPER friendly so within just an hour he had 5 stitches and we were able to head back to our little abode with no light fixtures and no cable… when I said I wanted to simplify our home this wasn’t what I had in mind exactly.

How many times have you had to get stitches? Broken bones? Do you handle pain well?
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Gratitude Journal
May 18
I am grateful for all of the amazing women I am meeting this weekend and the support of David for me doing these crazy things.

Vega and Lock Laces at Blend Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:11:00 PDT

You’ve probably seen enough tweets and pictures now to know that this weekend is Blend 2013! I promise not to drive you crazy with posts, but had to give a quick shout out to Vega and Lock Laces…so many brands are providing great swag, but I’m working with these two to spread a little extra love this weekend.
You know all about my love affair with Vega, so I promise not to rub it in repeatedly that we got more goodies this weekend and my belly is so happy. Of course this time I am able to share the love with all of the attendees and a fellow ambassador Heather!
Even if you aren’t sure about using Vega, you gotta checkout the free Thrive Forward Sport Edition Videos. Tony Horton among other trainers and athletes in the videos provide helpful tips about the entire spectrum from endurance athletes to strength training. I believe my nutrition will always be in progress and I love these for keeping me excited about WHY!

Lock Laces was a great sponsor for the Spring Challenge, sending a pair to every participant. Both David and I have been using them in all of our workout shoes since then and I am excited to not only test them out on hike, but get them in the hands of some other crazy workout women to see what they think .

REMINDERS
I’m also super excited to say, the Clean and Lean Challenge sign ups where blowing up, so I may have to cut off registration…don’t wait! This challenge is all about finding what works for you, in the meantime don’t forget to join the Under Armour Clean and Lean team to start getting feedback and motivation!

Fingers crossed tomorrow I will be doing a 10 mile run at altitude…hope these ladies are strong enough to carry me back if I drop dead.
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Gratitude Journal
May 17
I am grateful for sponsors who make it possible to keep following my passion and find out where it may lead.

Clean and Lean Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:11:45 PDT

COMBINING YOUR WORK IN THE GYM YOUR WORK IN THE KITCHEN AND YOUR MIND FOR LONG-TERM RESULTS.

Think of this as the previous 30 Day Ab challenge and 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge on steroids! 28 days to re-shape your thinking and get committed!

This challenge is designed to provide support, encouragement, tips and motivation to create habits and a lifestyle that support your goals.

Discovering YOUR best diet
Changing thoughts to change your body
Getting healthy without feeling like it’s a full time job
Easing in to new habits for lasting change
Eliminating sugar cravings
Increasing fruits and veggies with ease

Core workouts to define those abs
Conscious selection of the foods we eat

CHALLENGE INCLUDES
June 3 to July 1 -- First email with preparation details June 1

Daily email with a focus area (i.e. detoxing, core workouts, meals vs snacks)
Email will include links to tons of resources
Email will include mantras, recipes, tips
Private Facebook group for consistent support, daily check ins {lifetime access}
What’s Beautiful Clean and Lean Team page to shout your awesomeness to the world
Group tracking log (what we measure we manage)

OPTIONAL: You can use this plan to discover hidden food sensitivities by removing foods each week. Details for this will be provided.

IT IS NOT: An eating plan. While you will receive recommendations and recipes, this is about creating YOUR best diet to achieve your goals. No single way of eating works for everyone. It’s not a fast. It’s not a juice cleanse.

HOW TO GET STARTED

No need to buy a juicer or any other fancy tools to do this challenge.
Read the daily emails and use the group for support .
Pay what you want -- You got it, this time around you can simply have it for only the charity donation cost of $2 or if you feel that RTTF has helped support you previously and/or you see the value in this program join for a few bucks to support the ongoing efforts here. Either way I hope it works for you.

In 28 days I want you to look in the mirror with confidence. Knowing that you stayed true to your word and have made choices and changes that are moving you in the direction of your goals. When you can answer this you’re ready to enjoy life no matter where you are!

Amanda is a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist. Information provided will be from her own weight loss/maintenance experience, experience working with many others over the years and that of many other fitness professionals. For individualized recommendations and nutrition assessments, please see a local RD or ask for a recommendation! I know a few good folks.
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Gratitude Journal
May 15
I am grateful that David has taken to making daily fruit smoothies and always gives me some without me even asking!

Strong is not the new skinny or sexy

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:34:00 PDT

All right I’m just going to lay it out there…

I am strong (or working at it)! I don’t want or need to be sexy. But daily I’m being bombarded with images and people I respect telling me “Strong is the New Sexy”.

Strong is not the new skinny either. Skinny is skinny, strong is strong…both work for different people for different reasons. Why are we so excited to make physically fit women seem less powerful by relating them to terms like skinny and sexy?

Strong: Physically powerful; in good or sound health
Skinny: Very thin, lacking in flesh
Sexy: Intended to provoke sexual interest

I workout because it makes me feel confident and proud, which I fully believe shines through in my outward appearance…but not because I’m trying to look like Twiggy or provoke someone’s interest. Is it no longer acceptable to simply want to feel our best? Test our limits?

Can we/Do we only lift weights and run because it will make us “the new version of skinny and sexy”?!

We finally started move away from thinsporation (skin-and-bones) to focus on building healthy fit bodies, but it quickly morphed in to fitsporation (seriously lean and chiseled). The fitness and health industry strives on insecurity which is created by striving after ideals on the far end of the spectrum. It’s not to say that it can’t be achieved, but there is a reason it’s an ideal and not the norm.

I fully admit that many of the fitness images on Pinterest motivate me. Just as reading a great running book motivates me because I have an idea in my mind of what strong and healthy for ME looks like.

But have come to realize that life is a balance of pushing myself to achieve more and appreciating exactly where I am. Which is why in my running I often cycle through periods of aiming for a PR and simply running because it brings me a whole lot of joy.

A great deal of respect goes out to women like Laura and Candy who train HARD and focus on clean eating to reach their fitness competition goals. Thus I would never negate their dedication by equating them to skinny or sexy.

Part of what has continued to draw me to the Under Armour What’s Beautiful platform is that is serves as SUPPORT system rather than a competition of women who are all defining beautiful in their own way. If you are on social media or in the blogosphere you’ve probably seen a jump recently in posts about “What’s Beautiful”. Though I’ve been on the platform for over a year, I am excited to be refocusing on it with Fitfluential. I’ll be talking more about it later, but if you’d like to get connected for some support in your own journey to getting strong, here is the team page I’ve start Clean and Lean Team and my Personal Profile page

I’ve got to ride off on my high horse now, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

How do you define strong? Do you like the “Strong is the new Skinny” campaigns?
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Gratitude Journal
May 14
I am grateful for the opportunity to meet a variety of women this weekend who are all examples of strong in their own way.

Accountability Monday: Healthy Inside Out

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda RunToTheFinish) — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:33:00 PDT

Rest. I’ve talked about recovery lately, but the truth is I’ve never been terribly good at it. I enjoy being very active and fit lots of movement in to every day…this week I forced myself to SLOW down and it was all about healthy inside out.

What does healthy inside out mean?!

Feeding my mind with good thoughts.

Feeding my body with wholesome foods.

Allow my body to heal, rest, repair, restore, recover!

Moving at a measured pace.

Doing ONE thing at a time.

As people who enjoying working out we often focus on our time on eating the right things and moving, while neglecting one of the biggest components of health which is our mind. This is something that took me a long time to understand…no amount of green juices will make you healthier if your mind is toxic.

Just like training to run a marathon takes consistency and time, so does retraining your thinking. Particularly in a world that moves at such a quick pace. This week I actually spent more time chewing my food, which sound ridiculous! But I realized I was rushing through meals and that probably wasn’t helping my digestion any.

How do you clean out the mental garbage?

Goal Check In: Success I actually managed to read some great uplifting things every day, meditate and not go crazy with catching up after a few weeks of being in and out of office.

Goal for the week: Finding a balance between intense focused work and play.

Checkout the purpose of Accountability Monday’s>>
Want to participate? Fill out this form and I’ll be featuring people each week (see Your Goals below)!

SUCCESS: I didn’t know if I could truly stick to not getting my sweat on, but I did. I’m sure being busy helped a lot! I feel more relaxed…though I am nervous to see if I’ll be sluggish when I start moving again!
Goal for this week: Add back in 1 speed work session, enjoy the 10 miler at altitude during the Blend retreat!

May 6
AM: Fly home from Puerto Rico, drive to Orlando

May 7
AM: 30 min of Detox Yoga from Bex Life, meditation, walking errands

May 8
AM: 35 min easy yoga from Tara Stiles and BeFit, walking errands

May 9
AM: 45 min yoga from BexLife Summer Series, meditation
PM: Easy walk with David

May 10
AM: 30 min walk, 30 min yoga, meditation
PM: Easy walking around town to dinner

May 11
AM: 60 min walk, meditation
PM: 20 min stretching

May 12
AM: meditation, 50 min walk, 2x 5 min easy jog
PM: Stretching

30 Days Stronger challenge is now on day 13! I have been diligently making time each day for a few exercises to help my hips and core! I know over 100 of you are also participating in the challenge.

Last week many said they meant to, but forgot…which is the whole reason we are all doing this challenge together. I hope this week went better!

Here is a quick round up of some strength exercises for runners:
Competitor.com - 5 Essential Strength Training Exercises for runners
Shape.com - 6 Exercises every runner should be doing
Runners World - Strength exercises to help you run faster

Kelly - Committed to eating clean and getting 5 quality workouts
-- If you are looking for more clean eating support, check out the Clean and Lean group I’ve got going on the What’s Beautiful platform!

Don’t forget to share your goals for accountability and tell me how are you being healthy from the inside out?

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Gratitude Journal
May 13
I am grateful for meeting up with new friends in Orlando this weekend to already help it start feeling more like home.