Category Archives: motivator

March Push-up Challenge

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Sometimes is easy for runners two forget about their upper body strength when all they want to do is run! Since this is one of my problems, I have a challenge for all of my readers to focus on a different body parts for a month this year. For the rest of the year. This month we’ll be focusing on push-ups… and here is a pretty & pink  push-up calendar that my friend from homeschoolinghearts.com created, especially for the month of March!

Sometimes it’s hard for me to sneak these push-ups in, and I have been known to pop down and do 20 at work… when my office is quiet (omg, don’t tell anyone!). Fit them in… even if it’s tough. You’ll be SHOCKED at the results!

Check out her page for a hilarious outlook on life from a working mom!

pushups-challenge1

 

 

She Believed she Could, so She Did.

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Running is more than a healthy and cheap way to stay in shape, it has become who I am. When I wandered into my first run group after about six weeks of run/walking (mostly walking), I ran beside a woman who was pushing a baby stroller with a month old baby wrapped up inside. This was several years ago, in another country, and I never saw her again… But she inspired me more than a personal trainer could have. She ran until she was seven months pregnant! And after pushing out a baby a month prior, she was still able to run farther than me.

No, this isn’t a dual announcement of a marathon and a baby… I just thought of her and how she gave me the inspiration to be who I am today.

A runner.

Someone who plans their weekend around the long run. Goes to bed early to get up to run. Packs more running clothes on a weekend getaway than regular clothes. Buys a pair of stretch pants from lululemon in all black so I can wear them with high boots for a dual purpose wear… Sound familiar?

she believed

People ask me how to keep fit through the holidays. It’s easy. Make it your priority. Fit in your work outs, they are non negotiable. Eating clean isn’t debatable. You know how it works in your life… You just need that motivation. Maybe I’m like that new mom was in my life to you or maybe you’re that person to someone else. Be that motivation to someone else.

I pray that there is at least one person out there that is motivated to be fit and decide to honor their bodies because of the motivation from us at Girls Run Faster.

Featured Writer: Jessica @ Eat Drink Breathe Sweat

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I am SO excited to feature an amazing blogger from Eat Drink Breathe Sweat, who I have been following (stalking?) for about 8 months. When I asked her if she was interested on being featured on Girls Run Faster, she was delighted to write up this most exciting journey of her marathon training. I’m not going to like, I was incredibly inspired by her story and think it’s the most romantic thing that her an her husband are training together!

Me? Run a marathon?!

I’m so totally honored to be a guest blogger over here at Girls Run Faster – and to be talking about something that I truthfully never thought I’d ever be talking about in the context of my own personal journey: running a marathon.

The old adage “if I can do it, you can, too” has never felt more spot-on to me than it does today.

You see, I never, ever thought I’d be “that” person – y’know, a marathoner. I looked at them with such awe…and from a distance, always. Thinking how incredible it would be to run 26.2 miles – but also just how daunting it sounded too. And how unreachable it felt for me, personally.

I always thought I’d be on the outside looking in. Never the other way around.

But here I am, just weeks away from my first 26.2.
…well, here WE are, I should say.

You see, I didn’t decide to run a marathon – my husband and I decided to conquer it together. It actually all started years ago when my husband told me that on his list of ‘things to do before I turn 35,” he wanted to run a full marathon. At the time, I totally scoffed at him, thinking it was just a pipe dream, and would never come to fruition. I mean, I truly never thought I’d EVER have it in me to run 26.2 miles…I mean that is just a ridiculous distance, is it not??

And honestly? It still feels like a ridiculous distance – but the difference came last year after I saw a few of my blog friends conquer 26.2 and they inspired the heck outta me. They ran with such heart and a fearlessness that I totally envied. What really sealed the deal for me, though? When I decided that 2012 would be my year of ‘no limits’ – of knocking down boundaries and predefined expectations of what I could be, could do, could become if I just stopped limiting myself.

So together, we committed.

And we haven’t regretted that decision, whatsoever.  Quite the opposite, actually. It’s become an incredible bonding experience for us as a couple, but also a huge individual growth opportunity for each of us, too. I never saw this ‘side effect’ of training coming, I’ll tell you that. I simply envisioned lots of running, lots of purple toenails and a really tired body by the end of it.

But instead? This has become so much more than just a training schedule – it’s become an amazing journey, much more so spiritually than even physically, which is crazy to say considering what we’re putting our bodies through at the moment!

So when people ask me now: “what motivates you?” or “how do you keep upping those miles week after week?”, my answer is simple: “I just *really* want to see what’s around the next bend in the path.” I’m so curious to see where we’ll ‘be’ by the end of this thing that I am constantly excited and energized to keep on truckin’ through training.

So while I’m not a marathoner….yet, what I will urge you to do is this. Next time you’re faced with a challenge (of ANY sort) that scares you and leaves you wanting to run the other way: stop. Think about why it scares you. Think about why your first instinct is to run the other way. Is it because you’re too busy living in your own boundary-filled, limit-filled reality? If so, I say to you “have no limits today.”

Trust me when I say that it is absolutely worth it.

5 Things to do Today…

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I was featured on a cute little blog called 5thingstodotoday. David publishes 5 different things to do per-day, giving you great tips for expanding your lifestyle by suggesting little things that you can do to change up your life!

Photography – Summer Bicycle 8×8 print charming shabby chic cottage decor minty green bike $25 USD

These were my suggestions:

1.       Enjoy some time outside today. Go for a hike, or just a walk around a local lake or park.

2.       Set up your fitness goals for the month/year and do what it takes to stick to them.

3.       Join a run club, get out with like-minded runners and enjoy the motivation!

4.       Find a farmers market in your area and buy farm fresh, organic food. Try throwing together for an evening meal.

5.       Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea at an independent coffee shoppe in your town, supporting the members in your community.

Definitely take a minute to hit David up at 5thingstodotoday, and even submit your own very awesome checklist of things you’ve got planned :)

Self-Love

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Do you ever wake up in the morning, or mess something up, and can’t stop thinking about how you screwed that up? It starts as a healthy reminder to step up your game, and quickly turns into self loathing.

That’s what happened earlier this week. It started out as a healthy reprimand, and quickly turned into the ever familiar self loathing I was quite friendly with when I struggled with my eating disorder. I would hate myself for eating anything and I would expound further but I remember how the comparison game worked:

  • I would compare myself to others who struggle(d) with an eating disorder, and punish myself if I ate more than them, and gloat if I ate less than them.
  • I was jealous of those who got hospitalized, and felt sorry for those who swelled from water retention.

Obviously this was kinda messed up. But the thing is, I thought that that’s all I deserved. I thought I wasn’t worth anything until I was less than 100lbs, and I wouldn’t allow myself to be happy. I was going to make myself miserable until I’d reached my goal. The only problem was, that when I started losing a bunch of weight, I felt miserable so I couldn’t even enjoy my new *skinny*. I was terribly sick and wasn’t able to climb up a flight of stairs without fainting. Where were my hopes and dreams of going to college? Traveling? Moving out? I was so sick I couldn’t function.

I’m so glad I’m in a healthier place now! These are a few things that keep me grounded:

  • A husband who thinks I’m beautiful
  • Daily quiet time, reflecting on things that are true and uplifting
  • An exhilarating amount of running and keeping active
  • Investing in myself (finishing my bachelors degree this fall!!)
  • Learning to love myself
  • Taking time to enjoy the smallest moments. Taking time to be joyful
  • Taking time for myself. Sometimes this means taking my journal to Starbucks and writing for an hour. Other times this means taking 2 hours to run by the beach. And occasionally it means spending an hour on pinterest, pretending to be productive :)

“If you aren’t good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you’ll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren’t even giving to yourself.”

- Barbara De Angelis, author

What helps you guys keep a healthy perspective on life and yourself? How do you keep your emotions steady and enjoy life when it seems crazy?

Core Body Strength

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Since starting to run several years ago, I noticed a loss in core and upper body strength. It’s so much easier to go for a run and forget about maintaining upper body strength. After trying to do a few chin-ups recently, I was unable to lift myself whatsoever. Walking away from the pull-up-bar, I realized how easy it is to focus primary on one form of fitness, and forget to incorporate a core and upper body strength routine. Since other runners have voiced the same concerns, I thought it would be the perfect “ask a runner” feature.

     By incorporate crunches, the V-sits, planks and lunges, you can quickly move from the cardio side of the gym to the weights side. Starting with your core gives you a stronger back, which is vital when lifting weights. Take it slow and work hard to avoid injury.

You’ll need A timer (I just use the timer on my phone), yoga mat (completely optional)

Walking Lunge

Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms overhead. Lunge forward with left foot so left thigh is parallel to floor, knee over ankle, right knee touching floor (as shown). Return to standing for 1 rep; repeat on opposite side, traveling forward. Continue, alternating sides. Do 20 reps.

  • Works abs, butt, thighs, hamstrings

Burpee

Stand with feet hip-width apart. Crouch down; place hands on floor under shoulders. With hands planted, jump feet behind you, landing with entire body on floor. Hop feet (hands stay planted!) back to hands, then jump up, clapping hands overhead (as shown), to return to standing. Do 10 reps.

  • works… everything

Squats

Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointed out slightly, body weight in heels; hold a weight with both hands, arms extended at eye level. With chest lifted, sink down until hips are below knees (as shown). Return to start. Do 30 reps (I can do more, but I need to be able to walk the next day).

  • Works the gluteus maximus, the major extensor of the thigh.

Planks

Stand with feet hip-width apart. Place elbows on ground less than shoulder width apart, and hold position for 1 minute (Goal is 5 minutes).

  • Works abdominal muscles and lower back.

V-Sits

Sit on ground, and lift up legs as straight up as possible. Lean as forward as possible and hold position for 1 minute (Goal is 5 minutes).

  • Works abdominal muscles and lower back.

Even if you can’t jump in and do everything, pick one or two and work on it. Do any of you guys have tips/suggestions for this routine? If so, I’d LOVE to hear them!

PS. Please don’t hesitate to post questions in the comments or on my Facebook Fan page!

Click the picture to get this fabulous wallpaper from LuluLemon for your desktop, facebook banner, iphone…

Feeling Sluggish

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Well, it’s been a rough week with all this heat. When the heat waves first started rolling in, I was all eager to prove that it wouldn’t hold me back whatsoever from my running goals. And it didn’t. Two months later however, I’m exhausted from the heat. It’s so humid I can hardly breathe and I’m wet from just walking from my office to my car.
Disgusting.

Anyways, all that to say that I’ve been sluggish lately!

Make a long playlist to stay motivated to keep running!

Last night, however, my husband walked for about 3 miles on the boardwalk and got stuck out in the rain! It got me back in the groove and (thankfully it’s cooled down a wee bit to 79F @ 6am!) I struck out for a little run this morning! It was just under 4 miles, but it felt great to actually get a run in, not a run/ i.can’t.breathe.so.I.must.walk/run.

For those readers who are trying to stalk me by trying to figure out where I run, don’t worry about it. I carry my mace (sold on Amazon for $5.00!), and on a morning like today, there was about 8 cop cars that drove by me. Don’t ask why there are so many cop cars every morning that I run, but there are. Perhaps it’s because I’m on hospital lane? Hmm… either way, it does a lot to make me feel safe. Even though I actually day-dream about the opportunity to use my mace! (does that make me a bad person?)

Breaking a Sweat Without Breaking the Bank

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In this fun beach town, it can be expensive to work out in the gyms in Virginia Beach. But there are multiple ways to do your workouts without breaking the bank! A number of stores and studios are now offering free classes which will have you working up a sweat:

Monday:

Bay Swim: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Tuesday:

Run Track: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Wednesday:

Run Club: 616 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Lululemon: 6:30 pm

Bay Swim: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Thursday:

Run Tempo: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 5:30 pm

Saturday:

Run Club: 2865 Lynnhaven Drive. Final Kick: 6:30 pm

Yoga: 616 Virginia Beach Boulevard. Lululemon: 9:30-10:30 am

 

Do you have a complimentary workout I missed? Share it in the comments!

I’m going to keep updating this post to reflect any new workouts I find!

Motivated to Run

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I had a question from one of my friends on Facebook, and thought I’d tackle it on here!  One of my friends Ashley asked:

How do you stay motivated to run? It seems like I am always starting, run for a few weeks and then I stop.

We are all motivated to run for different reasons. Some of us run to clear our minds or get out of the house and others run to lose weight or other athletic reasons. Many enter races in order to have events to train for, and others are motivated to simply run daily. I can’t tell you how to be motivated or how to fit it in because I don’t know all the details of your life, but I can let you know what works for me.

I love entering races with people. I have a few friends who are runners and they inspire me to keep training, and to get those long runs that must be completed on the weekends. Sometimes we even go out together to make sure we get the 10 miler run done in order to prepare for a race. It’s easy for me to get the long runs in, but a 2 hour run on Saturday with homework crushing me isn’t always the most motivating. So entering races with friends keeps me on track!

My whole life is written out in my planner. I’m not a control freak as much as I can’t remember when and where I’m supposed to be, what’s due, and when I’m supposed to go grocery shopping. So I write in my runs, my mileage, and treat it like everything else in my planner. Mandatory. When I finish, I enter them into my Runkeeper App, and track my total mileage for the month. I’ve been averaging 50 miles of running/month since February, which is great for me! Finally, I celebrate all the small successes and take pride in my runs.

As much as I like running with people, it’s hard for me to match their pace, so I usually run alone. I still go to running groups, and still meet up with my girlfriends, but we usually end up splitting up so we can all meet our running goals. It depends how you like to run, but sharing my running goals with a running community has been the best motivator of all!

I also thought I’d share some of my blogger friends blogs I stalk, since they’ve really motivated me to run: Running in Heels, My Pinky Toes, and of course LuluLemon.

If you have questions for me, feel free to put them in the comments section or post them on my Facebook wall. I’d love to do some research and respond in a blog!