I just attended my first ever yoga class over at, you guessed it, Lululemon (done videos before but never a class, I was too intimidated for some reason). Whoa. I loved every second of it. The instructor was awesome (brought over from CorePower Yoga), the energy level was high and the sweat was one. There's no question in my mind as to why people become so addicted to it. I think I may have caught the fever already.
It was a little hard for me to get myself there, I couldn't find any friends within close enough proximity to the store that would go so I went by myself. I don't have a problem working out by myself, I do it all the time, but attending a new class for the first time is always easier with a buddy. But I forced myself out of bed this morning, even with the time change, got dressed, had a good breakfast and headed out the door. I'm so glad I did. It feels so amazing to accomplish new things. I can tell already tell I'm going to be sore. As soon as I warmed up a bit my flexibility came back to me from my dancing days. My hips feel like gumby. I love it.
You should try it!! Complete bliss.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
A Lulu love affair
So through this whole health/fitness journey of mine I've become mildly obsessed with the company Lululemon. If you're familiar with it at all, most of you probably know it as a clothing company - an athletic clothing company - but there's so much more to it than just super cute activewear. Here's a little background on this great company... It started out in Canada as a place that sold this cute, non-cotton athletic clothes and offered yoga classes at night in the studio to help pay the rent. The success of the clothing came from yoga instructors who were asked to wear the clothes and give feedback.
The first store opened in 2000 and the idea of the store was to have it be a place where people could learn all about how to have a healthy life, from yoga, running and cycling to diet as well as mental aspects of living a powerful life of possibilities. The store became too busy though and they weren't able to help each individual customer in this way in addition to selling the product. So they shifted their focus and decided to train the educator (sales person) so well that they were able to positively and directly affect their families, friends, and their communities. (It's true, many times I've been in the store and have talked to the educators I've felt such a passion for life come from them). The philosophy behind the company is what makes me so passionate about Lululemon; making a difference in other people's lives through an athletic product, such a cool idea!
There are stores all over the world now, and in 37 states here in the US. And the coolest thing to me, is that not only do they only sell product in their store but every store offers free classes to the community from yoga to weekly running sessions to motivational speeches. Check out one near you and try one of their classes! This Sunday I'm headed to a yoga class at one of our stores, and the coolest part is that if you attend 10 of their FREE classes they give you a FREE Lululemon yoga mat. Total win win situation.
And their website is where the major focus of my obsession comes from. They have a blog (we all know I love to follow blogs) with contributors from all over the place giving daily motivation, goal setting tips, athletic advice, how to get involved in the community....you name it, they've got it on there - everything encompassing becoming a better YOU. I love it. I highly recommend you check out their blog, and maybe you'll even become addicted to it like I have and it will encourage you to become a better person. The other day they had a girl from Canada on there who is the epitome of inspiration and making a difference in this world. You can check out her blog here.
If you chose to look at their product I will warn you that their stuff is not cheap. But in my opinion, you get what you pay for. I want everything in their store. I have a pair of their pants that I bought on sale last summer (haha, and Ryan makes fun of me because they have pin stripes in them....maybe that's why they were on sale but I just had to try one of their products before I spent the big bucks) and I love them. My reward this spring to myself for working so hard to become a better me will hopefully be something from their store, but first I have to get to the point where I actually deserve the reward :)
The first store opened in 2000 and the idea of the store was to have it be a place where people could learn all about how to have a healthy life, from yoga, running and cycling to diet as well as mental aspects of living a powerful life of possibilities. The store became too busy though and they weren't able to help each individual customer in this way in addition to selling the product. So they shifted their focus and decided to train the educator (sales person) so well that they were able to positively and directly affect their families, friends, and their communities. (It's true, many times I've been in the store and have talked to the educators I've felt such a passion for life come from them). The philosophy behind the company is what makes me so passionate about Lululemon; making a difference in other people's lives through an athletic product, such a cool idea!
There are stores all over the world now, and in 37 states here in the US. And the coolest thing to me, is that not only do they only sell product in their store but every store offers free classes to the community from yoga to weekly running sessions to motivational speeches. Check out one near you and try one of their classes! This Sunday I'm headed to a yoga class at one of our stores, and the coolest part is that if you attend 10 of their FREE classes they give you a FREE Lululemon yoga mat. Total win win situation.
And their website is where the major focus of my obsession comes from. They have a blog (we all know I love to follow blogs) with contributors from all over the place giving daily motivation, goal setting tips, athletic advice, how to get involved in the community....you name it, they've got it on there - everything encompassing becoming a better YOU. I love it. I highly recommend you check out their blog, and maybe you'll even become addicted to it like I have and it will encourage you to become a better person. The other day they had a girl from Canada on there who is the epitome of inspiration and making a difference in this world. You can check out her blog here.
If you chose to look at their product I will warn you that their stuff is not cheap. But in my opinion, you get what you pay for. I want everything in their store. I have a pair of their pants that I bought on sale last summer (haha, and Ryan makes fun of me because they have pin stripes in them....maybe that's why they were on sale but I just had to try one of their products before I spent the big bucks) and I love them. My reward this spring to myself for working so hard to become a better me will hopefully be something from their store, but first I have to get to the point where I actually deserve the reward :)Wednesday, March 9, 2011
2 New Books!
I was at the book store the other day with the kids I watch and as they were flipping through the pages of the books they were trying to decide to get I couldn't help but get lost in a very small section (of the already somewhat small local bookstore). The cookbook section.
I'm not a huge cookbook fanatic, and these days you can find almost any recipe you want on the internet but there is just something about sitting down with a new book and flipping through the crisp (yummy smelling) pages for new recipes. The first that caught my eye out of all of them displayed on the table was Supermarket Vegan by Donna Klein. By no means am I a vegan, or trying to become one for that matter but vegetarian meals are so easy to make because you don't have to prepare the meat and they make you feel so good when you eat them. I saw an Oprah a couple of months back where she had her entire staff go vegan for a week, and it really opened my eyes. Even if every family in our country went meatless for just 1 day out of the week we could be saving soo many animals' lives, not to mention energy and money. Anyways, Supermarket Vegan has over 200 vegan recipes with ingredients that any of us can purchase in any old grocery store, not a specialty health food store. After I started looking at the recipes I knew I had to get this book because they all looked so good. {And it makes you feel healthy just reading the ingredients!} This weekend I made their basic lentil soup, yum. They also have a white bean minestrone with zucchini and rosemary that looks divine, anyone who knows me knows that minestrone soup is my all time favorite go-to meal (because of it's simplicity and all the awesome veggies it has in it) so I'm really excited to try this new one! Or how about the 3 bean barley chili? That sounds yummy too!!
So I had decided I would get that cookbook and call it good. And then (as I wasn't even looking at the titles on the shelf) my eye caught glimpse of another one that I knew I just had to pull off the shelf and peruse through. Power Foods from the editors of Whole Living Magazine. I love that magazine. I don't have many magazine subscriptions, but last fall there was a really good deal on a years subscription for Whole Living and Everyday Food, $12 for the both, can't beat that! Whole Living just has really good articles on how to live a better life {I'm sure you'll hear more about the magazine in the future from me} and is just a really great magazine. So anyway, I started looking through the cookbook and the first thing I fell in love with was all the great pictures it has, I love a cookbook with pictures, makes the food look that much more delicious. The book uses the 38 healthiest ingredients and incorporates them into 150 recipes. At the beginning of the book it shows the 38 healthiest foods and includes research-backed info on the health benefits of each of these foods, nutritional data, and tips on storing, preparing and cooking the foods. Very cool. So I knew I was stuck and couldn't pick just one or the other cookbooks, I knew I had to get both. And now I'm left with a ton of new recipes to try!! Oh, and I justified buying both books for myself as one of my 'rewards' along the way for sticking with my resolutions and fitness goals. :)
Here's the Basic Lentil Soup I made this weekend:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I used more for mine to up the veggies)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I only had chicken broth, so I used that....oops, huge vegan no no)
1 cup water
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Finely ground black pepper, to taste
1 large bay leaf, broken in half, or 2 small bay leaves
In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the broth, water, lentils, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to between low and medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf halves.
*Lentils are one of the healthiest and cheapest sources of vegetable protein and iron on the planet....so eat up!
I'm not a huge cookbook fanatic, and these days you can find almost any recipe you want on the internet but there is just something about sitting down with a new book and flipping through the crisp (yummy smelling) pages for new recipes. The first that caught my eye out of all of them displayed on the table was Supermarket Vegan by Donna Klein. By no means am I a vegan, or trying to become one for that matter but vegetarian meals are so easy to make because you don't have to prepare the meat and they make you feel so good when you eat them. I saw an Oprah a couple of months back where she had her entire staff go vegan for a week, and it really opened my eyes. Even if every family in our country went meatless for just 1 day out of the week we could be saving soo many animals' lives, not to mention energy and money. Anyways, Supermarket Vegan has over 200 vegan recipes with ingredients that any of us can purchase in any old grocery store, not a specialty health food store. After I started looking at the recipes I knew I had to get this book because they all looked so good. {And it makes you feel healthy just reading the ingredients!} This weekend I made their basic lentil soup, yum. They also have a white bean minestrone with zucchini and rosemary that looks divine, anyone who knows me knows that minestrone soup is my all time favorite go-to meal (because of it's simplicity and all the awesome veggies it has in it) so I'm really excited to try this new one! Or how about the 3 bean barley chili? That sounds yummy too!!
So I had decided I would get that cookbook and call it good. And then (as I wasn't even looking at the titles on the shelf) my eye caught glimpse of another one that I knew I just had to pull off the shelf and peruse through. Power Foods from the editors of Whole Living Magazine. I love that magazine. I don't have many magazine subscriptions, but last fall there was a really good deal on a years subscription for Whole Living and Everyday Food, $12 for the both, can't beat that! Whole Living just has really good articles on how to live a better life {I'm sure you'll hear more about the magazine in the future from me} and is just a really great magazine. So anyway, I started looking through the cookbook and the first thing I fell in love with was all the great pictures it has, I love a cookbook with pictures, makes the food look that much more delicious. The book uses the 38 healthiest ingredients and incorporates them into 150 recipes. At the beginning of the book it shows the 38 healthiest foods and includes research-backed info on the health benefits of each of these foods, nutritional data, and tips on storing, preparing and cooking the foods. Very cool. So I knew I was stuck and couldn't pick just one or the other cookbooks, I knew I had to get both. And now I'm left with a ton of new recipes to try!! Oh, and I justified buying both books for myself as one of my 'rewards' along the way for sticking with my resolutions and fitness goals. :)
Here's the Basic Lentil Soup I made this weekend:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I used more for mine to up the veggies)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth (I only had chicken broth, so I used that....oops, huge vegan no no)
1 cup water
1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Finely ground black pepper, to taste
1 large bay leaf, broken in half, or 2 small bay leaves
In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring, until softened. Add the broth, water, lentils, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to between low and medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf halves.
*Lentils are one of the healthiest and cheapest sources of vegetable protein and iron on the planet....so eat up!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Jillian Rocks
We all know who Jillian Michaels is, one of Biggest Losers toughest trainers. She's successful and has helped many people achieve their fitness goals for a reason. There's one word to describe her: hardcore. And that is why I purchased one of her videos the other day.
My friend, Kim, has been doing her 30 Day Shred video and seems to be liking it. Another friend, Cas got her Abs video and also had great things to say. So when I saw her Yoga Meltdown video at Target the other day I knew I couldn't pass it up, and at $12 you can't really beat that. I couldn't wait to try it out, I did it the other night at 10pm I was so excited. And, let me tell you...it falls right along with all her other videos, it rocks. I felt great while doing it and felt like it was challenging me some. But it wasn't until midday on Sat (after doing the video Fri night) that it really hit me. And wowwiiii did it ever HIT me hard. Ohh the soreness. And I just kept getting more and more sore as the day progressed. And then I woke up on Sunday and could barely move. To me, that's how I know if it was a great workout - by how sore I am after. I think I like this video, just a tad. My goal is to keep it up a few times a week. And maybe by summer my arms and back will be more toned. Maybe. :) SOO, moral of the story is, if you're interested in a great workout video, try one of Jillian's!!
My friend, Kim, has been doing her 30 Day Shred video and seems to be liking it. Another friend, Cas got her Abs video and also had great things to say. So when I saw her Yoga Meltdown video at Target the other day I knew I couldn't pass it up, and at $12 you can't really beat that. I couldn't wait to try it out, I did it the other night at 10pm I was so excited. And, let me tell you...it falls right along with all her other videos, it rocks. I felt great while doing it and felt like it was challenging me some. But it wasn't until midday on Sat (after doing the video Fri night) that it really hit me. And wowwiiii did it ever HIT me hard. Ohh the soreness. And I just kept getting more and more sore as the day progressed. And then I woke up on Sunday and could barely move. To me, that's how I know if it was a great workout - by how sore I am after. I think I like this video, just a tad. My goal is to keep it up a few times a week. And maybe by summer my arms and back will be more toned. Maybe. :) SOO, moral of the story is, if you're interested in a great workout video, try one of Jillian's!!
Monday, March 7, 2011
What a great gig!
I truly feel blessed for the job I have had over the past three years. It has been wonderful and such a perfect fit for where I'm at in my life currently. I have been able to make a difference in 2 little people's lives, who aren't my own, and it still feels incredible. They are blossoming into quite great little kiddos and I love them!
Last year I was able to tag along with them on a trip of a lifetime to Anguilla, BWI, which was beyond incredible. This year they have decided to head down to Mexico, and aren't going to need the extra set of hands. So what does that mean for me?! A week off!!!! I'm super excited for this because I've decided to take full advantage of it and head out of town. The first part of the week I'm headed down to GA to see my sweet nephew and sister (Sat through Wed) and then I'll fly on over to NC to see Ryan (Wed through Mon, AND we have a place reserved right on the beach...sweet). I couldn't be more excited and ready for this!! The last 2 times I saw my Quinn were way too short, barely 2 full days with him at a time just isn't enough for me so this will be amazing!!! What a great gig I've got going on :)
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A WHOLE new diet
The second part of my New Year's resolution to become a healthier me is what I put into my body, my diet. I don't think I've ever had really bad eating habits, I grew up eating healthy foods and my parents did a good job of teaching me to make the right decisions when it comes to food. However, I love carbs and I love fries (along with a lot of other things too, I'll admit). Food is my weakness. And we all know that nutrition is a huge part to losing weight and having the energy we need to push our bodies. We must put the right foods in our bodies to give it fuel, if we don't it leaves us feeling depleted, in turn causing us to eat more of the 'bad' stuff. So that's what I've been working on, giving my body what it wants, not just what my mind wants.
The biggest key to this trick is eating the whole foods, found in nature, that we all know we should be eating more of. Lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, I think we all know what they are. This isn't something that's difficult, so anyone who gives excuses needs to reevaluate themselves. But it takes time, time to shop for the foods, plan for the meals and what you're going to eat throughout the day, and time to prepare the meals. I'll admit it's a little easier for me than for some because I don't have a man that I'm feeding and I can usually prepare a few meals on the weekend for myself and eat off of them throughout the week. But the biggest key is to just put the time and effort in. Your body will thank you, immensely. I feel amazing now that I've been eating so consistently well for so long now. Sure, I'll have the splurge here and there (it's difficult for me to eat the way I want to when I'm out of town, too many temptations). But getting back to the whole foods lifestyle always makes me feel like myself again.
So today I'll leave you with the recipe of what I had for dinner last night, White Chicken Chili, it's delicious and light, easy to make and perfect for any day of the week! {Found in Cooking Light, the Complete Cookbook}
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (can substitute turkey for chicken if desired)
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
1 cup water
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (leave out if you prefer less spicy)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1. Cook chicken until browned
2. Heat a large Dutch oven (or pot) over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, saute until tender. Add garlic, saute. Stir in cumin, oregano, and coriander, saute. Stir in chiles, reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken, 1 cup water, beans, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in hot sauce. Ladle into bowls (approx 1 cup each), sprinkle with cheese, cilantro and green onions. Yields: 8 servings
3. Enjoy!
The biggest key to this trick is eating the whole foods, found in nature, that we all know we should be eating more of. Lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, I think we all know what they are. This isn't something that's difficult, so anyone who gives excuses needs to reevaluate themselves. But it takes time, time to shop for the foods, plan for the meals and what you're going to eat throughout the day, and time to prepare the meals. I'll admit it's a little easier for me than for some because I don't have a man that I'm feeding and I can usually prepare a few meals on the weekend for myself and eat off of them throughout the week. But the biggest key is to just put the time and effort in. Your body will thank you, immensely. I feel amazing now that I've been eating so consistently well for so long now. Sure, I'll have the splurge here and there (it's difficult for me to eat the way I want to when I'm out of town, too many temptations). But getting back to the whole foods lifestyle always makes me feel like myself again.
So today I'll leave you with the recipe of what I had for dinner last night, White Chicken Chili, it's delicious and light, easy to make and perfect for any day of the week! {Found in Cooking Light, the Complete Cookbook}
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces (can substitute turkey for chicken if desired)
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles, undrained
1 cup water
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (leave out if you prefer less spicy)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1. Cook chicken until browned
2. Heat a large Dutch oven (or pot) over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, saute until tender. Add garlic, saute. Stir in cumin, oregano, and coriander, saute. Stir in chiles, reduce heat to low, partially cover and cook 10 minutes. Add chicken, 1 cup water, beans, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover, simmer 10 minutes. Stir in hot sauce. Ladle into bowls (approx 1 cup each), sprinkle with cheese, cilantro and green onions. Yields: 8 servings
3. Enjoy!
Feels good to be back!
It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, and I'm finally back. It was your inspiration over Christmas, V, that encouraged me to get back on here. That yes, someone was actually reading this! So here I am, back and ready to attack - and I feel like a new person these days!!
We all have that New Year's resolution to lose weight, eat better, exercise more...but how many people actually ever keep their resolution? It's March 5th now, are you still working on yours or has life gotten in the way? For many years, by this point in the year something had come up in my life and I had slowly fallen further away from my goal. This year I decided it was going to be different. For the last couple of years I have been trying so hard to become a healthier person, but there's been setbacks. I started out trying to get in shape a couple of years ago by running, and pushed myself too hard too fast (not realizing how out of shape I really was) and gave myself really bad shin splints and minor stress fractures. It took what felt like forever to recover from, probably at least a year. A long, discouraging year of pain and not being able to do the exercises I wanted to. Finally, sometime last spring the pain went away and I was able to start working out more routinely. But even at that I wasn't being as consistent as I could/should be. I signed up and trained for my first sprint triathlon, and while it was wonderful and exhilarating it still didn't fulfill my fitness 'needs'. So with the coming of this new year I made the decision to push myself further and harder than I have in the past, pick a few events (meaning more than one) and train for them. I knew if I picked a resolution that required lots of training it would hold me accountable all year long and keep me going. So my events this year (assuming all goes well and there are no injuries) start with the Bolder Boulder 10k in May. For some this might not seem like a huge run, but for me it's ginormous. Because I'm not a runner and am terrible at it. But I tell you what, I'm working at it as hard as I can and it feels wonderful. I've started with a 5k training and then will start the 10k training, finishing up with the training weeks just in time for the race. If the 10k goes well then my hope is that I can train for a half marathon. I've always said a half is so far out of my reach and something I will never do, but I feel like I am finally to the point where it's NOT so far out of my reach. So I'm going to go for it! And somewhere along the way over the summer I hope to do a sprint triathlon as well.
I've been on a continual journey to lose weight for the last 10 years of my life (ok, maybe not quite but it seems like it). I have felt like nothing works. But I finally am to the point where I feel like this running thing is actually working! Ryan always tells me that running is the best thing you can do for your body to get it in shape, well I've seen it work for people, firsthand, and I'm ready for it to work for me. I want to become a runner, so badly. I am finally to the point in my life though, that as much as I want the scale to go down, it's more important for me to be able to run 3, 6, or 12 miles than to be that certain size. Because I realize that if I can run those distances then my body will adapt and become what it is meant to become somewhere along the process. I was reading Women's Running magazine the other day and one of the writers says she always has women ask her what's the best way to get in shape and lose weight. You want to know her answer? 'Three simple words. Plan an event. Sign up for an event that is a distance further than you have done before, train for it, and the results will come." OK, I can do that, shoot I already am!!
In between my running days I've also been trying to get to a spinning class when I can, there's nothing better than walking away from the class, drenched, and knowing you pounded that last hour of your life! And my newest thing I've been trying to get into is yoga. I've been reading all over the place how much yoga helps running and how great it is for you. I did a video last night and felt amazing. I also have new access to a fitness club here in town that offers a wide variety of yoga classes that I hope to try...one of them being thermal yoga. It intimidates me so much; an hour and a half of 105 degree temps and insane sweating just makes me feel faint thinking about it. But I think it's that intimidation that intrigues me so much. So I'm gonna go for it! I'll keep you posted how it goes once I finally get the courage up to go!
So here's to New Year's resolutions that last the whole year, becoming a healthier and more fit person!! Next up, my new whole diet.
We all have that New Year's resolution to lose weight, eat better, exercise more...but how many people actually ever keep their resolution? It's March 5th now, are you still working on yours or has life gotten in the way? For many years, by this point in the year something had come up in my life and I had slowly fallen further away from my goal. This year I decided it was going to be different. For the last couple of years I have been trying so hard to become a healthier person, but there's been setbacks. I started out trying to get in shape a couple of years ago by running, and pushed myself too hard too fast (not realizing how out of shape I really was) and gave myself really bad shin splints and minor stress fractures. It took what felt like forever to recover from, probably at least a year. A long, discouraging year of pain and not being able to do the exercises I wanted to. Finally, sometime last spring the pain went away and I was able to start working out more routinely. But even at that I wasn't being as consistent as I could/should be. I signed up and trained for my first sprint triathlon, and while it was wonderful and exhilarating it still didn't fulfill my fitness 'needs'. So with the coming of this new year I made the decision to push myself further and harder than I have in the past, pick a few events (meaning more than one) and train for them. I knew if I picked a resolution that required lots of training it would hold me accountable all year long and keep me going. So my events this year (assuming all goes well and there are no injuries) start with the Bolder Boulder 10k in May. For some this might not seem like a huge run, but for me it's ginormous. Because I'm not a runner and am terrible at it. But I tell you what, I'm working at it as hard as I can and it feels wonderful. I've started with a 5k training and then will start the 10k training, finishing up with the training weeks just in time for the race. If the 10k goes well then my hope is that I can train for a half marathon. I've always said a half is so far out of my reach and something I will never do, but I feel like I am finally to the point where it's NOT so far out of my reach. So I'm going to go for it! And somewhere along the way over the summer I hope to do a sprint triathlon as well.
I've been on a continual journey to lose weight for the last 10 years of my life (ok, maybe not quite but it seems like it). I have felt like nothing works. But I finally am to the point where I feel like this running thing is actually working! Ryan always tells me that running is the best thing you can do for your body to get it in shape, well I've seen it work for people, firsthand, and I'm ready for it to work for me. I want to become a runner, so badly. I am finally to the point in my life though, that as much as I want the scale to go down, it's more important for me to be able to run 3, 6, or 12 miles than to be that certain size. Because I realize that if I can run those distances then my body will adapt and become what it is meant to become somewhere along the process. I was reading Women's Running magazine the other day and one of the writers says she always has women ask her what's the best way to get in shape and lose weight. You want to know her answer? 'Three simple words. Plan an event. Sign up for an event that is a distance further than you have done before, train for it, and the results will come." OK, I can do that, shoot I already am!!
In between my running days I've also been trying to get to a spinning class when I can, there's nothing better than walking away from the class, drenched, and knowing you pounded that last hour of your life! And my newest thing I've been trying to get into is yoga. I've been reading all over the place how much yoga helps running and how great it is for you. I did a video last night and felt amazing. I also have new access to a fitness club here in town that offers a wide variety of yoga classes that I hope to try...one of them being thermal yoga. It intimidates me so much; an hour and a half of 105 degree temps and insane sweating just makes me feel faint thinking about it. But I think it's that intimidation that intrigues me so much. So I'm gonna go for it! I'll keep you posted how it goes once I finally get the courage up to go!
So here's to New Year's resolutions that last the whole year, becoming a healthier and more fit person!! Next up, my new whole diet.
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