Running in circles!

I think the majority of us would agree that it is easy to stay in our comfort zone. We rely on that routine of normalcy that steers us everyday. I am definitely no the exception!

As you may have noticed in my bio for this blog, it mentions that I am training for my first 5K. Well, here is my confession…I have been training for this event for over a year. In all honesty, I have been physically ready for many months but, my fear has kept me from getting any where near the start line!

If I am being truly honest, I never sought out to be a runner. In fact, I had a wealth of excuses (most made up by me) to get out of any strenuous exercise, especially running! I didn’t have the right shoes, I read several reports that it really wasn’t that healthy for you or, it made my knees hurt. I’m really not sure how I came up with the last one, because the only running I was familiar with was “running to the store”.

Running actually came about by accident. I was at the YMCA one evening walking on the treadmill. I guess I was feeling adventurous because I chose a pre-set workout setting that I had never tried before. There I was, leisurely walking along, my ear phones in, oblivious to the track stars beside of me when, all of a sudden, I noticed the belt beneath my feet picking up speed…fast! I began to walk more briskly, and then moved into a power walk, then a jog, and, finally, a full-fledged run. The treadmill had taken on a life of its own! Well, I had to keep going. I couldn’t stop and risk looking like I hadn’t meant to start sprinting like I was training for the Olympics. So, I was running. And, surprisingly, I didn’t end up doing a face plant off the back of the machine! Even more surprisingly, I was actually enjoying it! It was then that I decided that I was going to keep pushing myself. I was going to run a 5K…eventually.

As the weeks passed, I kept running, but still kept putting off a race. Again, I came up with a wealth of excuses: It was always too hot, too cold, or the course was too mountainous (we do live in the Mountain State!). I had set a goal, but I kept running in circles.

Finally, the day came when I could not put of my goal any longer. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure would be held in Charleston on May 2nd. My mother is a breast cancer survivor. What a perfect opportunity to celebrate her fight, honor countless others, and help do my part to raise awareness of this disease that affects so many. There were no excuses I could make up that could trump all the reasons for participating in this race. I have to admit, however, it was not for a lack of trying!

Then, the final piece of the cosmic puzzle fell into place. One of my very best friends, who now lives in Alabama, would be home that weekend and was going to enter the race as well. That was it, I was physically prepared (although, mentally and emotionally were a different question!), I had a partner in crime, and it was for a cause that I was very passionate about. So, I registered for my first 5K.

I didn’t sleep much the night before and may have performed several rain dances. However, it didn’t take me long the morning of the race to remember what the entire Susan G. Komen event was about. It was not about me crossing the finish line, although that would be a big bonus; it was about celebrating those who are winning their battle with cancer and honoring those who fought a brave fight. For those, very real reasons, I could certainly put my fears and trepidation aside.

Finally, we were off! Hundreds of people pledging to take a stand and stop cancer in its tracks! It was truly an amazing and overwhelming experience.

As I was making my way through the course, I realized, to my surprise, that I didn’t feel pain or exhaustion. I felt a sense of accomplishment and inspiration. I now understood that if I had stayed in my comfort zone, continued with my same routine, I would have never been a part of this amazing event and I never would have pushed myself to achieve a goal I set many months ago.

Then I saw it…the finish line (I did have to blink several times to be sure it wasn’t some sort of mirage)! I had done it…I finished the race! My struggle to finish does not even compare to the struggle faced by many of the people I was running with or running for. It was a personal triumph, however, made even more personal by the fact that I was able to run in celebration of my mother.

I know not every race I run (yes, I hope, there will be more) will come with as great a reward but, with every race will come a renewed sense of pride and accomplishment. Each race I run will be a reminder to me to keep pushing myself forward.

I realized through this process that if we stay in our comfort zones and don’t push ourselves forward toward our goals, we will keep running in circles!

For more information on the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, please visit www.komen.org.

Fast Food Fitness

There is good news…and bad news.

The good news is that summer is quickly approaching and we will soon be able to put away those turtleneck sweaters, scarves, and heavy winter coats!

The bad new is that we have to trade those heavy sweaters, scarves and coats for the unforgiving spandex bathing suit.

It is the time of year when panic sets in and we look for the quickest and, often, most painless route to shed the pounds we unfortunately discovered under the bulk of our winter clothes. The time of year when we will try almost anything to get our bodies ready for sleeveless tops, shorts, and that dreaded bathing suit.

There have been many spring seasons that I have felt the impending sense of doom set in as I try to accomplish the weight loss goals I set months ago… in a matter of mere weeks!

The hard lesson learned…success doesn’t come quick, or easy.

I came across this quote the other day that I would like to share with you, as I think it provides a little clarity in the maddening world of diet and exercise.

“In this age, which believes that there is a shortcut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest.”- Henry Miller

The truth is that we have become a society obsessed with a need for instant gratification. We want everything…5 minutes ago! This is how many of us (myself included) have approached our weight loss goals. We want the best shortcut. The trick that will allow us to lose the most weight with the least effort and as quickly as possible! We see the answer in the magical diet cookies that, if we eat two of each day, will help us lose 20 pounds; the “shakes” that promise lost dress sizes if we drink them in place of certain meals everyday; and, my favorite, the new “exercise pill” that will help us lose inches by simply doing a single bicep curl with the glass of water it takes to wash it down. We want “Fast Food Fitness”.

Don’t be embarrassed if you too have been lured into one of these diet danger zones (to this day, I am still somewhat intrigued by the cookie diet…who wouldn’t be!). Chances are we have all tried one of these diet short cuts at some point in time. And, chances are that we have also discovered, unfortunately, that these shortcuts don’t work for us in the long term.

These diet shortcuts are much like the fast food feasts that got us in trouble in the first place. Sure, they may be quick, easy, and taste really good on the way down (with, maybe, the exception of some of the diet “shakes”!). However, that wonderful sense of gratification we feel quickly diminishes into a sense of frustration, discontent, and, even, hunger!

Please don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy an occasional visit to my favorite fast food drive-thru, and, with busy schedules, sometimes those trips are a necessity. However, we can not rely on “Fast Food Fitness” to equip us with the knowledge, tools, and will power it takes to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We must take small steps and set short-term goals to help us achieve our long-term goal of a healthy lifestyle. Don’t let yourself become overwhelmed by the thought of having to lose a specific amount of weight or running a 5K race. More than likely, this will cause you to give up before you have even given yourself the chance to succeed. Start by making small changes that you can stick with. Set a goal to lose 5 pounds or walk 1 mile. Look at your long-term goals and then break those down into smaller, shorter-term goals you feel confident in and will be able to achieve along the way. I think you will find that those small changes will keep adding up until you, eventually, begin to see big changes in your lifestyle.

You may not even believe how easy it really was!

Hey, Cinderella!

Hello everyone! First of all, please let me apologize for being absent the past few weeks. I have been fighting an ongoing battle with the flu and, most recently, a pulled back muscle. But, I’m getting back on track and just in time, it seems, to start enjoying the warm (ok, warmer!) weather of spring!

Spring, however, does bring with it, for me, one of the most dreaded tasks of the year…spring cleaning. Now, I will be very honest, I don’t really enjoy the everyday mundane tasks of cleaning. However, the idea of spending hours cleaning out closets, organizing junk drawers (yes, drawers) and trying to figure out what exactly I just swept out from behind the refrigerator, is especially dreadful to me!

But, alas, it must be done…maybe, next weekend!

I recently had a very dear friend ask me how I got started on my healthy lifestyle revolution. “How did you do it?” she asked. Well, I wish that I had some life-changing inspirational answer. Unfortunately, there was no magical slap-you-on-the-forehead ‘Ah-Ha!” moment, no light bulbs going off in my head, and no parting of the clouds in the sky.

I was at a point in my life where I knew I had to make a change. Making changes in my habits was like cleaning for me. I viewed eating healthy and, mostly, exercising as dreaded chores, that could definitely be put off… until next weekend. I would always tell myself that I would start my diet tomorrow or workout next week. But, tomorrow and next week would always come and go with another broken promise often remembered as I grabbed another slice of pizza.

There are consequences to face if we put off doing the laundry, dusting, or taking out the trash. Our homes become dirty, cluttered, and disorganized. The same happens if we overlook our health and put off making changes for another day. Our bodies, and lifestyles, become dirty, cluttered, and disorganized. The truth is, we often view living a healthier lifestyle like a dirty chore that we hate to do and, therefore, put it off for a later day.

The day that I seriously decided to start making changes in my eating and living habits was the day I started implementing the changes. I knew that if I ignored my decision until the next day, or the next weekend, I would think of too many reasons to delay it again. I couldn’t make any more excuses. I had to change my way of thinking and view this as a challenge, not a chore.

The bottom line is that we shouldn’t treat changing our lifestyles like another dirty chore. We must think of it as a new opportunity, a new adventure, a gift to ourselves, or at the very least, a reason to shop for new clothes!

So, go ahead, start implementing some changes, big or small, in your habits today. I promise you won’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight!

Rhythm and Blues

It seems to happen to me around this time every year…the proverbial winter blues.

It never fails, the once crisp white snow deteriorates into messy brown sludge; my car throws on its winter coat of salt; the jovial snowmen wilt into old age; and my spirits fall along with the mercury in the thermometer.

Often during these bitter months, my will power succumbs to the cold weather and my drive to work out pales in comparison to my desire to curl up on the couch under my fleece blanket.

Mother Nature has flexed her muscles this winter and I, until recently, was letting her win.

Last week, as I was debating whether or not I wanted to work out, I realized that I was fighting a losing battle with my self. I found myself justifying, quite successfully, skipping my workout that day. The sub-zero temperatures simply made it too cold to run outside; the gym is always packed on Mondays (on top of that, I couldn’t fathom the thought of another endless mile to no-where on the treadmill); and, I have done every work out DVD that I own so many times that I can repeat them from memory and, therefore, they can not possibly be doing me any good.

All good reasons, right? I thought so…until, I realized that I had used the same excuses to avoid working out every day that week. I knew from experience that I was on a very slippery slope. If I let myself off the hook every time it was cold outside, I knew that I would soon accept 60-degree temperatures as unbearable conditions and my only form of exercise would be in the form of laps from the couch to the refrigerator.

I needed something new and refreshing. Something to spice up my routine and get me out of this slump I had fallen into.

That afternoon, I decided that I would try out a series featured on FitTV called “All-Star Workouts”. The series rotates trainers and exercise routines. This was just what I needed! I wasn’t sure what the workout would be, but I knew it would be something new and the opportunity to complete it from the comfort and warmth of my home made it difficult to find any legitimate reasons to back out! As the hour approached, I actually found myself growing excited.

Finally, I was ready for my workout. Today’s feature… “Hip Hop Dance”. Let’s just say my excitement ended there. I had to double check to be sure I was on the right channel. Yes, I was about to work out hip hop style.

Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m that person who, when forced to showcase my dancing skills in public, breaks out the stereotypical 80’s dance moves (the sprinkler, shopping cart, etc.) to mask my lack of rhythmic skill. I am not the worst dancer, I can keep the beat, but I am certainly not going to win any dance contests!

How bad could this be? I could certainly catch on. At least I thought so until the instructor started going through a dance routine that, I swear, is featured in the latest Britney Spears video. How was this ever going to work?!

I started out very reserved, most likely out of complete embarrassment. Then it hit me…I was home, alone. After a few moments of reassuring myself that no one was watching and there were no hidden cameras filming this for You Tube, I let down my guard. I put everything I had into that workout. I was completely out of step and made up many of my own moves, but it was a good work out and, most importantly, I was having fun! I can’t tell you how hard I laughed at myself! The session lasted only an hour, but I remained positive and upbeat the rest of the day. I had worked out both my body and spirit.

I’m not sure that I will keep hip hop dance in regular rotation, but I now know that I have to incorporate and embrace new and different things into my exercise routine in order to keep me out the rut brought on by the winter blues.

Listen to your heart!

February is all about matters of the heart…and I’m not just talking about Valentine’s Day! February is “American Heart Month” and what better way to show your loved ones how much you care than by simply making better, more heart-healthy choices?

I mentioned in my last blog that I committed to my life-long resolution a little over 2 years ago. This was a decision that I made on my own and for my self. You see, you can not fully embrace the challenges and, many, temptations a life-style change like this brings unless the time is right, for you. I know this from my past diet disasters! Therefore, I try not to offer healthy eating or living advice unsolicited (at least, outside this blog). But, I can usually find something to contribute when asked!

With that disclaimer stated, I would like to tell you about of one of my very favorite people. I promised him when I started writing this blog that I wouldn’t tell stories about him without approval. Well, sometimes it’s easier to ask for forgiveness! And, I promise, not to mention any names.

About a year ago, my, nameless, boyfriend started talking about wanting to “tone up”. Secretly, I believe “tone up” is guy code for “lose weight”! So, for Christmas, we decided to give each other memberships to our local YMCA and started working out together at the gym.

After a year of regular workouts, however, he was still puzzled and, sincerely, frustrated as to why the pounds weren’t coming off. Then it happened…he actually asked for my help to figure out why. In his own, roundabout, way!

I politely mentioned that, although he had been very loyal to the gym, his diet staples of frozen pizzas, macaroni and cheese, and Oreo cookies, may have something to do with it.
Remember…I said I didn’t give unsolicited advice!

We had an honest discussion about what changes he was ready to make and how he could incorporate healthier options in his diet. On our next trip to the grocery store, he vowed to learn to read…nutrition labels, that is! As we made our way through the freezer section, and the frozen pizza was upon us, I stood back and waited as he started searching for the label. “That’s not bad?!” he exclaimed. I then reminded him that the nutrition facts were per serving, not for the entire pizza.

As he was intently calculating in his head the calories and fat grams for the whole pie, a gentleman approached us with a smile on his face. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?” he chuckled. The man explained that he and his wife started reading nutrition labels 11 years ago after he suffered a major heart attack. The experience made him realize that his health and life with his family were more important to him than the fatty foods he lived on for years. He was only in his forties when he had his “life changing” experience and wasn’t going to take his second chance for granted. We ran into him several times throughout the store and he always had a piece of advice or words of encouragement to offer. He was such a pleasure to meet!

My boyfriend didn’t say much about our conversations with the gentleman in the grocery store. I will tell you that, since then, he has started making an honest effort to watch his portions, add more fruits and vegetables, and has even switched to reduced-fat Oreos! Sometimes the small changes make all the difference…he has actually lost about 10 pounds!

You don’t have to eliminate all of your favorite foods to lead a healthy lifestyle; you just have to make smart decisions. You can have your pizza and eat it too!

The more thoughtfully you protect your heart, the less likely you’ll face the life-threatening challenges posed by heart disease. No matter what your age or where you feel you are in life, the best time to take action and get healthy is always right now.

Remember, your heart is in your hands!

"I look forward to sharing this journey with you"

The night after I made my New Year’s resolution to lose weight, I bravely decided to hit the gym. As I waited for an open treadmill (in my new matching workout wear), I was greeted with a rush of mixed emotions. First, complete fear. Let’s be honest, no one wants to be the one that goes flying off the back of the machine!

Next, as I looked around at the sea of new and unfamiliar faces, I was excited at the hope a new year brings; the promises that we all make to ourselves that, yes, this is the year that I am going to get healthy! This is the year that I am going to stop the “drive-thru”’s and start the work out’s. This is the year that I will finally drop those extra pounds that the bathroom scale rudely reminds me of every morning.

Then, as I was happily fantasizing of the new beach ready body I would soon achieve, I was slapped back to realty. The truth is, come February (maybe March, if we are really committed) the lines for the treadmill will disappear, the Valentines Day candy and the peanut butter Easter eggs that they mercilessly tease you with in January will become too tempting, and we will dejectedly postpone that New Year’s resolution…for next year.

New Year’s Eve is full of excitement, hope, and endless possibility. That, unfortunately, I realized is often the problem. We get so caught up in the romance of the evening, at the mystery of the unknown, and the dreams of fitting into our coveted “skinny jeans”, that we forget about all the hard work that we will have to put in to achieving that beach body. We overlook replacing French fries for carrot sticks, passing up the second trip to the buffet, and enduring the never ending workouts when all you want is to curl up with a good movie and a big bag of buttered popcorn.

The truth is, dropping those extra pounds and maintaining a healthy lifestyle takes more than a promise made (often after a glass of champagne) in a fleeting moment of celebration. It takes more than just a New Year’s resolution…it takes a life-long resolution.

It is easy to make a weight loss resolution, whether it comes on January 1st or July 1st. The hard work comes in the months, days, and long hours that follow. No matter when you make your resolution, the important thing is that you stay committed to the promise you made …the promise for a healthier you. Is there any better gift?!

I made my life-long resolution two years ago, without any bells and whistles. I decided it was time to take control of my life. It has not been easy and there are many days, even minutes, when I want to toss that resolution and pick up a doughnut (and sometimes, I do!). But, through the many challenges, I remember the promise I made to myself and my future and that is reason to celebrate!

I hope to use this blog to share with you my voyage to a healthier lifestyle. I will be honest about my successes and failures, offer insights and information that I find helpful, and, hopefully, provide encouragement to you as you begin your life-long resolution. I look forward to sharing this journey with you!