so you want to be a runner, eh?

Running is my favorite thing. I'm addicted. Seven years ago, that was not the case. I, like most relatively sane individuals, LOATHED running. I would force myself to power through one mile on the dreadmill and take frequent pauses. I felt like a hamster and really didn't enjoy smelling Captain Sweaty on the machine next to me, so I took it outside and have never looked back!

This post is going to give you tips and tools to start running and stay with it! 

A lot of people I know use the Couch To 5K method of training. The rundown of that can be found here. It is an excellent program if you have the personality that can look at a clock and not give up when you realize you have only run thirty seconds of your five minute stretch. I am not that person. Not by any stretch. I can't be trusted to finish a run on a treadmill when I know how much time I have left to run. I'd rather lie to myself and stand on the sides of the treadmill and trick the machine into thinking I'm actually running for that amount of time. Music, however, I can hang with!

If you look over the C25K and decide it is great in theory, but you can't be trusted to follow it, don't have access to a treadmill, or just want to have a little more fun, read on. When beginning to run, I started to use my iPod (technically it was the tiny little iPod that had a belt hook, one smaller than the mini, and I thought it made me look like a total badass) and would alternate running for one song with walking for one song. After a few weeks of that, I decided to come up with my own method to get up to five miles, then ten miles, then ran my first half marathon (13.1 miles) one year after beginning running with a crappy half mile on a crappy treadmill, in a crappy over-crowded gym. This is what I did:

Week 1: Walk three songs, run one song, walk three songs, etc. for 30 min
Week 2: Walk three songs, run one song, walk three songs, etc. for 40 min
Week 3: Walk three songs, run one song, walk three songs, etc. for 50 min
Week 4: Walk three songs, run one song, walk three songs, etc. for 60 min
Week 5: Walk three songs, run two songs, walk three songs, etc. for 40 min
Week 6: Walk three songs, run two songs, walk three songs, etc. for 50 min
Week 7: Walk three songs, run two songs, walk three songs, etc. for 60 min
Week 8: Walk three songs, run three songs, walk three songs, etc. for 40 min
Week 9: Walk three songs, run three songs, walk three songs, etc. for 50 min
Week 10: Walk three songs, run three songs, walk three songs, etc. for 60 min
Week 11: Walk two songs, run three songs, walk two songs, etc. for 40min
Week 12: Walk two songs, run three songs, walk two songs, etc. for 50 min
Week 13: Walk two songs, run three songs, walk to songs, etc. for 60 min
Week 14: Walk one song, run three songs, walk one song, etc. 40 min
Week 15: Walk one song, run three songs, walk one song, etc. for 50 min
Week 16: Walk one song, run three songs, walk one song, etc. for 60 min
Week 17: Run for 30 minutes without walking

Once you can jog/run for thirty minutes without walking, CONGRATULATIONS! Now you will start to shift the focus to mileage. Don't increase your mileage by more than 10% a week, you will increase your odds of injury and then you'll experience how horrible it is to be a runner who cannot run. It sucks. I promise you. Don't try it.

I would hope this goes without saying, but when making your playlists, keep all of the songs similar in length. Your run songs should not be one minute songs while your walk ones are things like Bohemian Rhapsody and Celine Dion's seven minute tirades. The tempos can absolutely be different, but the time should be similar. It will help. Being over zealous and having the run songs significantly longer than the walk ones isn't a good idea, either. Again, injuries suck.

About three years in to my love affair with running, I misplaced my beloved badass tiny iPod and had to *gasp* run without music. It was not fun at all. By my third week without music, I began to listen to the sound of gravel under my feet (now one of my all time favorite sounds, second only to my husband asking what flavor frozen yogurt he should get me) and pay attention to my surroundings. I would look for squirrels, count how many red, green, blue, and hybrid cars would pass. If I was running on a trail, I'd let my mind wander to the episode of Law and Order: SVU I watched the night before and freak myself out, causing me to run faster. I ended up randomly ordering this super old book* from Amazon and have not run with music in four years. This includes two full marathons, a couple of 10K's, and a handful of half marathons. That's a lot of race day and training mileage with something you used to depend on.

Like any other form of exercise, stay hyrdrated--with water.

Happy Running! Feel free to contact me for more specific running plans.

* I was going to post a link to the book, but I can't find it on the Internet...probably an operator malfunction, but I'll look into it. I let someone borrow it, so I can't even take a picture, but it was called "Total Running" and had a purple cover. It's from the 70's and talks about running with your senses and a bunch of other zen-like stuff. I'm going to keep searching for it! Plus, it was like $0.99 and who doesn't love cheap?!

reward yourself, you've earned it!

Remember those goals we talked about setting? If you haven't already written some down, please do! Start small if you want (no soda this week, loose two pounds by the end of the month, go for a walk every day, etc.) but write them down so you can start rewarding yourself when goals are met. It's an excellent way to motivate you to get to your next benchmark goal.

Rewards are an amazing tool to keep yourself focused on the end result and bump your motivation along the way. I'm not talking about rewarding yourself with an ice cream cone because you ate healthy yesterday. Get rid of food as a reward all together. It is an unhealthy way to reward yourself and can very easily develop into an unhealthy relationship with food--and we're trying to reverse these unhealthy relationships.

My personal favorite way to reward myself for reaching a goal is to buy a new piece of workout clothing. I'm a marathoner, and this is totally weird, but it is what it is, and new socks make me really excited. Like embarrassingly excited. I love them! There is something about clean, crisp, elastic-in-tact socks that makes me want to run an extra mile or seven. I can find a pair for under $6 and it will keep me happy for a while. Sure, you can buy some fancy coffee drink loaded with sugar and empty calories for around $6, but will that really do anything for your psyche or physique? You're right, it won't. Go with the socks. Or any other type of workout garment that brings you joy. Or earrings, necklace, bracelets, shoes, jeans (to show off that hot new ass)...you get my point. Manicures and pedicures are also an excellent way to reward yourself and your hands will look super cute wrapped around those dumbbells.

If you decide to go the new garment route, it doesn't need to be expensive. You don't need to feed the LuLu addiction you may have. Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx, and stores like this tend to have a pretty hefty selection of workout clothing and gear. For twenty bucks you can get a new pair of yoga pants and a top. Resistance bands and yoga mats can be found for less than $10.

Don't have extra money laying around? No problem! I once saw a cute idea on Pinterest to put one dollar in a jar every time you work out. When you reach your goal, take the money you have been putting in the jar and use it to buy your reward.

Not in to rewarding yourself with material things? Try allowing yourself to do something you have always wanted to do but haven't felt confident enough to try in the past. Is there a nice hiking trail nearby, but it's always freaked you out? Go for it!! Always wanted to try running outside, but afraid people will judge you? Go for it! Again, nobody is going to judge someone for being active and trying to get healthy. You can do this.

Set some goals, set some reward ideas for when you hit the benchmarks and allow yourself to have fun!

it's simple, really: diet and exercise

The number one question I get as a trainer is "what's the secret to getting thin?" and I'm here to answer that for you all--diet and exercise. There is no magical pill, appetite suppressant, fad, weight loss sprinkles, celebrity endorsed product, or any other man made chemical supplement that is going to make weight loss successful and long lasting. Sure you may shed some pounds quickly, but they'll come back and may even bring some extra pounds with them.

Yes, there are thousands upon thousands of temptations every day that may have you doubting your ability to get healthy. Diet and exercise will make passing those evil temptations easier each day. I'm not talking about going on a "diet" and restricting carbs or sugars or any other cut it all out type of fad. I'm talking moderation, self restraint, and physical activity. It isn't rocket science--a doughnut every day will make you fat. A well-balanced meal, including carbohydrates and sugars, will not make you fat. Copious amounts of refined sugar and eating your vegetables breaded and deep fried or smothered in some bright orange "cheese" sauce is not a well-balanced diet. Think about it logically...if it costs you less than $1.00 and can be prepared in under thirty seconds, it's probably not a good choice.

"Why am I overweight? Every time I eat out I get the soup or salad..." Does that soup taste nice and creamy? Is the salad drenched in dressing? Cream-based soups are delicious, but terrible for you. The first and last ingredients of most restaurant soups are butter and cream. BUTTER AND CREAM. Not healthy. Salad dressing? In small amounts, go for it! Ranch, Thousand Island, French, Honey Dijon, you know, all those really yummy ones, terrible. Swap it out for balsamic vinaigrette, or just oil and vinegar. Cheese is great and full of protein, but the average serving size of cheese is a one inch by one inch square. That's not a lot. When your salad comes, take off half of the cheese. If it looks scarily processed and not quite fresh, take it all off. And maybe don't eat at that restaurant again. If the food doesn't look fresh, it's not something you should be putting in your body.

"Drive thrus are so convenient and I am a busy mom/dad/student/employee/etc..." You know what else is convenient? Crock pots. Chop your vegetables the night before and toss everything in to the pot in the morning before you leave for your day. Before the kids are awake, before the days distractions and excuses can really start. There are so many recipes that are simple and healthy. I guarantee you will spend less time chopping and tossing a meal together in a crock pot than you would driving to a fast food joint, waiting in line at the drive thru, and then driving home. Try it!

"I chase my toddler around all day, that's exercise.." No it isn't. That's being active. You need to EXERCISE. Walking briskly with said toddler to the grocery store, doing push ups while toddler naps or has a lesson in counting, tossing a ball to the kid while doing a wall sit--these are exercises. Have a gym membership? USE IT! I promise you people are not judging the over weight, unfit person for going to the gym and using the equipment. If anyone even pays attention to anything other than their own reflection in the mirrors on the cardio equipment, it isn't you. It's the hot trainer in the corner. It's the guy giving the newscast. It's the sports channel. It's the magazine or book they brought. It will be extremely rare that someone is actually staring at you and judging you.

I can go on and on about the excuses and countering them. Diet and Exercise will get you healthy. All it takes is 30-45 minutes of physical activity a day. Activity that raises your heart rate for the full 30-45 minutes. I challenge you to try this week. Start small. Cut out sodas, cut out the full fat with whip mocha you have been getting. Walk around the block a few times. Park further away from the store or office. Go Online and look at the nutrition facts of the chain restaurant you are going to tonight, make informed, healthy choices.

And remember...if it isn't work, it won't work!

the traveler's workout

Busy schedules can make fitting in a workout seem impossible. Traveling for work (or pleasure) can be a huge hindrance for people. Usually, you aren't' familiar with the fitness center, your hotel doesn't have one, a time zone change has left you groggy and wanting to catch up on "lost" sleep. Now that the excuses are out, let's make the choice to get up and get healthy on the road. You can do it. In your pajamas if you'd like :)

The following quick workout is designed for the "too busy" traveler in a hotel room using NO EQUIPMENT.

Have a glass of water ready before you start. The odds of pausing to go get water and actually resume are low. I want you to succeed, so go get water first.

WARM UP:
30 jumping jacks
:30 seconds jog in place
30 high knees
30 jumping jacks

(the people in the room below you won't hear you, most hotels are built quite soundly with cement between floors. Nice try though.)

Now for the WORKOUT:
10 squats
10 lunges
10 calf raises
**repeat this 4x with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest in between**

5 push ups
5 triceps dips (using the coffee table, and end table, anything in the room that will be sturdy enough for you to dip.)
plank for as long as you can---shoot for 60 seconds
**repeat this 4x with 30 seconds to 1 minute rest in between**

Lay on your back with hands under your hips and legs as straight as you can in the air. Imagine your feet are pens and begin to write the alphabet with your legs. Your feet should be coming down about two inches off the ground. Keep the legs as straight as you can. Remember to breath and draw your belly button to your spine.
You may not be able to write all 26 letters on your first attempt, but keep trying! Soon you'll be able to complete the upper, lower, and cursive alphabet!

STRETCH!

Have a great day!

three tips to help you set {achievable} goals

So you've decided to start working out, to actually start and continue to work out. Good! Now we'll work on setting goals that will keep you motivated, make you proud and leave you wanting to set new goals and push yourself further than you ever have before.

1. WRITE IT DOWN.

When we think about the things we want to achieve through working out, we are often times left doing just that--thinking. "Tomorrow I will run three miles" or "After work I'll go to the gym and lift weights," and then life and excuses get in the way and we don't go. Write it down. Write it on your calendar, write it in your phone's agenda, write it on a piece of paper and tape it to your mirror. Once you have it written down, you are more likely to do it. 

This doesn't just apply to writing down what you are going to do that day, I encourage you to also write down your weekly, monthly, and long term goals. Write them down, update them, and keep yourself accountable. 

2. MAKE IT MEASURABLE.

To avoid giving in early or slacking off, a goal should not be "I want to feel better" or "I want to have more energy." A goal should be an exact, measurable item that will not leave any room for doubt or ambivalence. You will know if you met your goal or if you need to adjust your methods. 

While you shouldn't be a slave to the number on the scale, the scale can be a huge help. Tell yourself that it is just a number, but a number that is helping you achieve your goals. Take the negative energy you feel after seeing a number you don't like and push yourself a little harder next time. Health and well-being are certainly not all about your body weight, but it is quite possibly the most accessible and fool proof way to measure success and keep your goals in check. If you find yourself falling prey to the old "that number can't be right, this scale must be wrong" song and dance, go get an unopened bag of flour or sugar or a dumbbell from your house and put it on the scale. If the number on the scale matches the number on your bag (or weight), you'll know that it's time to change your lifestyle. If the numbers are off, go invest in a new scale. 

Another excellent way to measure your goals is having someone you trust measure your biceps, hips, waist, bust and thighs with a tape measure. Craft and fabric stores tend to carry inexpensive tape measures near the sewing notions area. JoAnns has them for under $1.00. There will be another post in the days to follow on the proper way to take body measurements. 

With both the scale and the tape measure, you will be able to see the change and keep yourself on track. Examples of measurable goals:

I will lose 10lbs. 

I will lose 3 inches from my waist.

3.MAKE THEM REALISTIC AND SPECIFIC.

The Biggest Loser has put out this idea that with enough hard work, one can lose 100+ pounds in six weeks. This is true, if you're working out ten plus hours a day while having your meals prepared by formally trained nutritionists, your workouts written and tailored to your exact dietary and metabolic needs, and the big $100,000.00 incentive waiting for you at the end. Oh, and a house full of people doing the exact same thing all under the guidance of three rather phenomenal trainers. 

Because this isn't typical or normal or even fathomable for the majority of people, we need to make the goals realistic. Start small. "Tomorrow I will walk 1 mile on my lunch break" this is very simple, very attainable. Write it down and do it. You can build on it each day, but you must start somewhere and with something that you can achieve relatively quickly to keep you on track and motivated. 

My next post will be about writing plans to help you achieve your goals. After all, "A goal without a plan is just a wish." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

I encourage you all to write down at least three fitness goals for the next two months. Keep them realistic, keep them specific, and keep them measurable. 

new year, new you. or not. your choice.

Every January 1st, hundreds of thousands of people swear this year will be different. This will be the year they get in shape. This will be the year they drop a pants size (or seven). This will be the year the alarm will not be shut off at 5am. This will be the year they will get out of bed and get to the gym. Before work. Before the kids are awake. Before the day and the excuses start. THIS. WILL. BE. THE. YEAR.

Treadmills around the world are fired up, ellipticals are taken out of storage, bicycles dusted off, sweets thrown in the trash, and resolutions to look better nude are made. Then February hits. If you've made it to February, congratulations, you are much more driven than the vast majority of resolutioners who didn't make it past the kitchen in their workout attire. Then there are those who didn't even make it to the kitchen IN workout attire because they don't have the right clothes. Enter excuses. Lots of them.

The number one excuse I hear as a trainer is not enough time. It is time to disprove this. There is plenty of time in a day, you just have to want it. I mean WANT it. There is a reason the majority of Americans are overweight; it is much easier to sit on the couch watching some godawful, yet highly entertaining, reality housewife show than get up and break a sweat. I get it. If given an hour of downtime, you want to be laying down, not running, jumping, squatting, lunging or any of the other things we crazed workout weirdos get pleasure out of doing. The thing is once you make the decision to change your life and live healthy, you will find pleasure in working out. You'll find pleasure in leafy greens and kale (yuck) smoothies. You will. I promise. To start you off on this road to a healthy life of pleasure I am going to find time in your too busy day:

24 hours in a day

8-10 hours spent working (maybe 11 with a commute)

8 hours spent sleeping

this leaves you between 5 and 8 hours

That is 5 to 8 hours to fit in a 45 minute to 1 hour session. That is a lot of time.

This leaves you 4 to 7 hours to hang out with your family, cook dinner, pack lunches, and have some quality time with your partner, the bathtub, a good book, whatever you fancy!

I know it is hard. Prioritizing can be hard, but you must do it. You can absolutely squeeze a workout in. You don't have to do it every day. In fact, you shouldn't. Your body needs to rest and recover, you need to balance other activities that bring you pleasure and joy. I fully get being a busy parent. I stay at home with a soon to be two year old and a three month old. I breastfeed, so I always have to be relatively close to the infant child who is refusing to take a bottle. I understand a partner being gone at work all day and wanting to spend time together when they get home. I understand needing to have meals prepared. I understand that sometimes you have to work late or go in early. I understand that people get sick, that kids need more attention than usual, that the dog needs to be walked, that....the list goes on forever. I understand that the average person can make an excuse for EVERYTHING. My job is to help you stop with the excuses and start with the exercise. Those 4 to 7 hours of time I just found you that aren't spent at work or sleeping? Take one to workout. If you're worried about the kids' routine, do it an hour before they wake up or for an hour once they're in bed. You won't be losing out on an hour of sleep, you'll be gaining an hour of health that will make you a much happier person. 

It will be hard to get started, it will be even harder to maintain and keep going. It will be difficult to push yourself past your limits, it will be work, and it will work. You will struggle and you will succeed. You will be sore, but you will notice a difference in the way you feel, the way you look, the way you carry yourself. You will be proud.

Welcome to the new year. Welcome to the new you. Or not. It's your choice. Because it is a choice. Make the time, see the difference. I will post routines, motivation, and answer questions that you may have. Please email me with any questions or topics you want discussed.

I wish you all a happy, healthy new year!