snow run complete!

This is how I felt after my snow run yesterday.  Stay active out there!  So worth it.

Whats on your calendar?

We all write down (yes, I still use a paper calendar!) dentist appointments, meetings, and all important happenings on our calendars.  But, do you write down when you need to workout?  One of the most effective ways of making sure your workouts happen is scheduling them just like you would anything else.  If you are training for an event, write down what your miles are supposed to be for every day up to the event on your calendar.  Sounds like a lot of work?  Try doing that event with not enough training.  Much harder.  If you aren't training for an event, but you are trying to stay fit, write down what you are going to do everyday for a month.

If you use a paper calendar, hang it up by your workout gear.  Or put it on the fridge so you can see it often to remind you what you need to do.  Or reward yourself with a non-food related treat when you make it to all of your workouts for the month (pedicure, massage, or new workout clothes).  If you use a calendar on your computer/phone, set up alerts that go off a half-hour before you're supposed to workout so that you can make sure not to "forget".

Whats on your calendar for this year?  Signing up for a run that is a length that will challenge you is a great way to get fit, and stay organized with your workouts.  Its also a big payoff at the end, because you'll see what you've accomplished for all the work you've done.  Or, if you aren't a big runner, sign up for a bike ride, or an open water swim.

Keeping track of your mileage is also helpful to keep you motivated.  I track my mileage on www.dailymile.com, which is a great place to see what you've accomplished.  It also helps you stay with your training plan, because you don't want to write down less than you had originally planned on going.  Sometimes when I want to quit running, I think "I don't want to write 2 miles down, I want to write 3 miles down, because that was my original plan".  It helps hold yourself accountable, and if you make friends (its also a social networking site) on there, they can also hold you accountable, or congratulate you on a job well done.

10 mantras to keep you going

If you're pushing hard during a workout or a race, there is probably going to be a moment when you think you might give up.  To get through that moment, you need to have a good attitude, and it helps to have some things to tell yourself to keep you going.  Here are my top ten:

 1.  "You can do anything for X minutes"  If you only have 30 seconds left in an exercise, remember that those 30 seconds aren't going to kill you.  Just get through it, it'll be done before you know it, and the feeling of finishing something that difficult will far outlast the feeling you have in the moment.
2.  "This is going to feel great later"  As mentioned above, think of the payoff.
3.  "One mile at a time"  Don't think of what you have ahead, think about what you are doing right now.  Thinking about all the work you have ahead of you can lead to a defeatist attitude.  Small goals.
4.  "Put it all out there"  To me this means, use all of your energy to do your best right now.  If you are competing, you want to feel that you've done your best, and not that you've held back.  I know I did my best if I'm totally exhausted at the finish line.
5.  "I am strong"  Don't allow yourself to put yourself down.  Think about how strong you are to work this hard.  If you feel strong, you will be strong.
6.  "I'll never regret doing this, but I will regret not doing this"  It doesn't feel good to feel as if you let yourself down.  However, if you finish something difficult, you'll feel great about it later on.
7.  "This is going to make my food taste better later on"  Instead of feeling guilty about what you're eating, you'll feel as if you're fueling your body.
8.  "no pain, no gain"  I know, this is overused.  But, just think about how if something feels easy, you probably aren't going to see much progress.  If its tough, you're working your body to its potential, and you'll most likely see results.
9.  Just think about something else.  Or have somebody talk to you.  Distract yourself with anything.  The time will go quicker if you aren't thinking about how hard something is.
10.  "quitting is not an option"  Just give yourself a hard line.  Don't give yourself a way out.  Stay strong, and just keep going!

Hopefully these help.  Keeping a positive attitude and keeping your mind in the game are the most important keys to keeping to your workout plan.

Good luck!

What do you love?

Maybe you're working on a diet for the new year.  Or, maybe you're dedicating yourself to a new workout plan.  When you do these things, think about how you can maintain these for the whole year (and beyond!).  Don't make yourself suffer too much, otherwise who knows how long you'll be willing to put yourself through it.  Find what you love, that also happens to be healthy, and try to do those more.  Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

Diet
Make a list of all the fresh and healthy foods that you love.  Here is mine:
-Mangoes
-Tofu
-Spinach
-Quinoa
-Peppers
-Nonfat Greek yogurt
-String cheese

Then, go buy them.  Fill up your cupboards/fridge with healthy food you love.  Find recipes that use these ingredients.  You are more likely to succeed eating healthy if you are enjoying the food you are eating.  If you are new to eating some of these foods, try them, and go to www.foodgawker.com or any other compilation of food blogs and search these recipes for something fantastic.

Exercise
Is there a sport you like to play?  Do you like team sports, or individual sports?  Go back to something you enjoyed when you were a kid, chances are you're going to have fun getting back to something you used to love.  It may be frustrating at first, because it may take awhile to get back to how good you used to be, but its a goal to work towards.  Some of us need a healthy competitive outlet, and sports can provide that for us. 

I play soccer and run for my competitive outlet.  I played soccer throughout my childhood, so its really fun to get back to it as an adult.  And, as I get into better shape, I improve at soccer, so its another reason to stay motivated to stay in shape.  Running is something new to me.  Instead of being competitive with other people (pretty sure I'm never going to win a half marathon), I am competitive with myself, trying to better my time.  Then, on those days I go to the gym, I'm not just thinking "I have to do this to lose weight", or "I'm just doing this to stay in shape", I'm thinking "I want to feel great and play well at my next soccer game" or "I want to improve my 5k time".  It will motivate you, and will get you through those times at the gym when you are feeling a little bored.

Good luck!

Resolution Run

When I woke up on New Years Day, I didn't have any plans for the morning.  Then, I got a text from a friend that said "Come do the Resolution Run, you know you want to".  So, I got the kids in gear, and we got to the race in time to register myself for the run, and my daughter for the kids run.  It was beautiful weather, the crowd was in high spirits, and running around Magnesun Park was gorgeous, and best of all.......flat.  I PR'd, and there was CHILI at the end.  I didn't do the Polar Plunge, but hold me to this.......I WILL DO IT NEXT YEAR!

My daughter loved the kids' run, as you can tell from the above picture.  It really was a fun family event.  It made me think of how important it is to start your year off right.  I started mine out running fast, and hanging out with my family.  Perfect.  How did you start your year off right?