The time has finally come for me to run an Ultra!!!! I have registered and trained and prepared for ultra's before only to have life get in the way, preventing from being at the starting line when the gun went off.
Running an ultra Marathon has been a goal of mine since I was a kid! I was five when my dad ran his first 24 hour run. Almost 30 years ago! At that time the runners spent the 24 hours running around a track . Their goal was to raise money for cancer. My siblings and I slept in a tent on the in field while my mom ran the crew for my dad. Oreos,Bananna chips, cheese burgers and Pepsi were always on hand for my dad to grab as he ran by. Friends came and cheered him on. A camera crew filmed the runners for a documentory they were making. I thought it was one of the most impressive things I had ever seen. I remember the runners getting tired toward the end ,my Dad was dehydrated and dragging. A boom box was brought out and blasted "The Eye of the Tiger" It was the pick me up all the weary runners needed to finish the final miles. To this day that song is still my go to energizer. This was just the beginning of Ultra running for my dad and at that young age I knew that I would follow in his shoes and do the same.
I will be 35 years old when March 15th rolls around and I finally line up the starting line of The Jetty 2 Jetty Ultra marathon/adventure race. 35 miles all on the beach! Nothing but waves, sand and a lot of sea shells. My husband Aaron and his brother Jordan will be my crew! I have 17 weeks to prepare!! Luckily for me I have been preparing for this for a long time and already have a good base. I am sooooo excited and can hardly wait!!!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Nuun
Everyone Needs to stop what they are doing and go to Nuun.com and check out my favorite product!! Not only do I use this during my running and work outs but I send Ellie to school with it. My whole family is in love with it!!!
Be thankful for your body
This is the time of year that we all reflect on the many blessings in our lives. We look around and count all of the things that we have been given. The people, the places, the jobs all that add to the better of our lives. In all of the blessings being counted how many of us take a step back and take a good look at ourselves and thank our Heavenly Father for the blessing of the body we have been given. A body that depsite it's shape,size, height and weight was given to us to use as a tool to accomplish the many things that come our way. Whether it is a trial or a triumph our body is what helps us get the job done. No one has the perfect body. No one has a body that is always easy to live with. Some of our bodies seem to give us more problems then enjoyments. But when all is said and done it is our bodies that will help us to serve,learn, grow and become stronger.
The way I see it we have two choices when it comes to our bodies. We can either look at them as a tool to help add to the great things going on in life or we can look at them as an excuse to hold us back and hide away from the many things life has to offer. In my job I see many people who have aloud their bodies to hold them back. In their minds they have convinced themselves that their bodies are not up to par to compete or compare with others in the world. In the mean time through their insecruities and lack of confidence they are keeping all of their many wonderful talents, qualities and abilities hidden away. The fear of having a less then perfect body keeps them from progressing,serving and doing good in life.
If we set aside our excuses, fears and lack of confidence, if we look at our bodies for the wonderful tools that they are, and if we quite trying to force our bodies to be some thing they were never meant to be we will be able to accomplish so much good in the world. We will be able to set aside our selfish insecurtites and serve by sharing our talents that God meant for us to share.
This year as you are sitting down to write out your list of blessings please take a good look at the many wornderful things the you are! Let's be grateful for our bodies and the lessons it helps us to learn,the mountains it helps us to climb and the better person it helps us to become.
The way I see it we have two choices when it comes to our bodies. We can either look at them as a tool to help add to the great things going on in life or we can look at them as an excuse to hold us back and hide away from the many things life has to offer. In my job I see many people who have aloud their bodies to hold them back. In their minds they have convinced themselves that their bodies are not up to par to compete or compare with others in the world. In the mean time through their insecruities and lack of confidence they are keeping all of their many wonderful talents, qualities and abilities hidden away. The fear of having a less then perfect body keeps them from progressing,serving and doing good in life.
If we set aside our excuses, fears and lack of confidence, if we look at our bodies for the wonderful tools that they are, and if we quite trying to force our bodies to be some thing they were never meant to be we will be able to accomplish so much good in the world. We will be able to set aside our selfish insecurtites and serve by sharing our talents that God meant for us to share.
This year as you are sitting down to write out your list of blessings please take a good look at the many wornderful things the you are! Let's be grateful for our bodies and the lessons it helps us to learn,the mountains it helps us to climb and the better person it helps us to become.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
It takes work
I need to take just a quick moment to talk about something bothering me. Lately I have noticed a lot of pictures floating around on facebook of easy ways to loose weight and feel great. Most of them show a before and after picture of a female stating " Lose 30lbs in 30 days with out exercise and diet" Of course the after picture is a woman half the size of the before picture with muscle tone and a big smile. The picture plus the promise make what ever this facebook post is selling tempting for any female or male to look into and possibly invest. This is the point that I want to yell STOP! Please stop! Please don't waste a penny on anymore fad diets! They will give you quick results as promised. What you will also get that is not mentioned in the promise is a quick return of the weight lost plus an added bonus of a couple of pounds (it's our bodies way of punishing us for putting it through a stupid fad diet).
With diet and exercise the old saying rings true "Anything worth having is worth working for" another one I love is "If it's to good to be true it is" I took a weight lifting class in 9th grade on the first day of class the teacher told us "When it comes to working out if the word EASY is attached it is not a real work out" (I think that is the only thing I learned in 9th grade)
Here is the promise I have for you. For the best results and the right results Healthy eating and Exercise need to become a lifestyle. This is not an easy thing. This does not happen over night. This will take work and time. There will be a lot of trial and error to find what works for you and your family. You will be healthier. Your blood pressure and heart rate will reach healthy levels. You will have energy! You will be able to play in the backyard with your children. You will look forward to going on a hike or to the beach. You will feel strong and confident. Your results will be permanent! The weight will stay off! You will feel good and happy!
Of course no promise is complete with out a before and after picture. Here is the before and after a work out picture! The right kind of before and after. This is the picture of before and after a very intense work out. One that I had to push hard to get through. I had to dig deep and remind myself that "I can do hard things" this was a workout that made me sweat and this was a work out that gave me results, made me feel good about myself and that I enjoyed. I promise that this is the type of before and after picture that shows you a healthy way to loose weight, feel great and stay that way!
With diet and exercise the old saying rings true "Anything worth having is worth working for" another one I love is "If it's to good to be true it is" I took a weight lifting class in 9th grade on the first day of class the teacher told us "When it comes to working out if the word EASY is attached it is not a real work out" (I think that is the only thing I learned in 9th grade)
Here is the promise I have for you. For the best results and the right results Healthy eating and Exercise need to become a lifestyle. This is not an easy thing. This does not happen over night. This will take work and time. There will be a lot of trial and error to find what works for you and your family. You will be healthier. Your blood pressure and heart rate will reach healthy levels. You will have energy! You will be able to play in the backyard with your children. You will look forward to going on a hike or to the beach. You will feel strong and confident. Your results will be permanent! The weight will stay off! You will feel good and happy!
Of course no promise is complete with out a before and after picture. Here is the before and after a work out picture! The right kind of before and after. This is the picture of before and after a very intense work out. One that I had to push hard to get through. I had to dig deep and remind myself that "I can do hard things" this was a workout that made me sweat and this was a work out that gave me results, made me feel good about myself and that I enjoyed. I promise that this is the type of before and after picture that shows you a healthy way to loose weight, feel great and stay that way!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Live to be Healthy Happy and Strong and you will stay that way
Before I start this post I must say that this is my opinion! I am not a nutritionist!
I have done a lot of thinking lately and I would like to share what I have discovered since, I think that a lot of us are in the same boat on this subject. I have been the type of person that has spent way to much time trying to be skinny. I am not a naturally small person(just ask my sisters). I have always had to work hard at staying in shape. I have set goals and given myself deadlines. Always striving to be a certain weight or size by a certain event. Constantly trying the newest and latest trend and diet. Only to hit the goal weight then watch it slowly go back up to where I began. I started to wonder why? Why waste so much time, energy and emotion on something that wasn't going to last? Why put my family through the emotional rollercoaster that I am constantly on while depriving myself and starving. Why spend so much time feeling like a failure simply becuase I ate the cookie (or 4 since we are being honest) Well enough is enough!
Over the last five years I have had the oppertunity to work in the fitness industry. I spent countless hours helping clients feel, look and be healthier people. I have cried with those struggling and I have jumped for joy with those who have met their goals. I learned something very important along the way. Thank goodness! Better late then never right?! Stop dieting, Stop living to be a certain pants size, stop living for the scale to show the perfect number and start living to be healthy!!!
Life is meant to be enjoyed! Moments are meant to be remembered and people are meant to feel good about themselves. How do we do this? It is very simple. Strive to be an overall healthy person. Eat food for fuel not for fun, exercise because it does a body good, drink water becuase your body needs to stay hydrated. If we try to be overall healthy people with overall healthy lifestyles the weight and pant size will take care of themselves.
With that said you can still enjoy the occasional treat. Just know that if you are going to eat chocolate cake tonight pass on it tomorrow. Add more fruits and veggies to each plate and eat breakfast! Eat to give your body the energy and strength it needs to get you through the day.
You do not need to run a marathon to be healthy. Exercise can be simple and fun! The key is to get up and move. You can go for a walk, take the stairs over the elevator, jump rope, hula hoop,ride a bike, go for a hike the list is never ending. One way we squeeze in a little more movement in our home is a family dance party before the kids go to bed each night. Not only is this a great way to get moving but it is a lot of fun and has given us some great quality family time. Be creative and have fun. Don't be afraid to mix up your exercise program. If you do not enjoy it find something you do!
Your body needs water so drink it! I could go on for hours on this subject but for now just put down the can of soda and pick up the glass of water! Your body will thank you for it!!
By simply making your overall health your priority and not your pants size you will find yourself healthier, happier and ,the fabulous bonus, thinner permanently! :)
I have done a lot of thinking lately and I would like to share what I have discovered since, I think that a lot of us are in the same boat on this subject. I have been the type of person that has spent way to much time trying to be skinny. I am not a naturally small person(just ask my sisters). I have always had to work hard at staying in shape. I have set goals and given myself deadlines. Always striving to be a certain weight or size by a certain event. Constantly trying the newest and latest trend and diet. Only to hit the goal weight then watch it slowly go back up to where I began. I started to wonder why? Why waste so much time, energy and emotion on something that wasn't going to last? Why put my family through the emotional rollercoaster that I am constantly on while depriving myself and starving. Why spend so much time feeling like a failure simply becuase I ate the cookie (or 4 since we are being honest) Well enough is enough!
Over the last five years I have had the oppertunity to work in the fitness industry. I spent countless hours helping clients feel, look and be healthier people. I have cried with those struggling and I have jumped for joy with those who have met their goals. I learned something very important along the way. Thank goodness! Better late then never right?! Stop dieting, Stop living to be a certain pants size, stop living for the scale to show the perfect number and start living to be healthy!!!
Life is meant to be enjoyed! Moments are meant to be remembered and people are meant to feel good about themselves. How do we do this? It is very simple. Strive to be an overall healthy person. Eat food for fuel not for fun, exercise because it does a body good, drink water becuase your body needs to stay hydrated. If we try to be overall healthy people with overall healthy lifestyles the weight and pant size will take care of themselves.
With that said you can still enjoy the occasional treat. Just know that if you are going to eat chocolate cake tonight pass on it tomorrow. Add more fruits and veggies to each plate and eat breakfast! Eat to give your body the energy and strength it needs to get you through the day.
You do not need to run a marathon to be healthy. Exercise can be simple and fun! The key is to get up and move. You can go for a walk, take the stairs over the elevator, jump rope, hula hoop,ride a bike, go for a hike the list is never ending. One way we squeeze in a little more movement in our home is a family dance party before the kids go to bed each night. Not only is this a great way to get moving but it is a lot of fun and has given us some great quality family time. Be creative and have fun. Don't be afraid to mix up your exercise program. If you do not enjoy it find something you do!
Your body needs water so drink it! I could go on for hours on this subject but for now just put down the can of soda and pick up the glass of water! Your body will thank you for it!!
By simply making your overall health your priority and not your pants size you will find yourself healthier, happier and ,the fabulous bonus, thinner permanently! :)
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Red Light Green Light
I have two daughters. As parents of girls my husband and I have a goal to raise them to be as confident as possible. We want them to feel good about who they are. We want them to focus more on how they feel not on how they look. As someone who grew up with some serious body image issues I am aware of all the pressure and misconceptions of what a healthy person looks like to young girls. My husband is 6'5 I am 5'2 so the chance that my girls will be shaped and built differently then each other is very likely. We want each of them to know that no matter what their heighth, shape or build as long as they are healthy they are perfect.
The first thing we did was to eliminate the words fat and diet from our house. I do not believe a person can be fat. Fat is something that we can have on our bodies and in our food but it is not something that defines us. I believe we are healthy or unhealthy. I do not believe in "a diet" I believe in a life style. You can be living a healthy life style or an unhealthy lifestyle. When it comes to eating being healthy and having a healthy lifestyle comes in two parts. First having balance and second having moderation. It was our goal to find a way to teach our daughters to have balance in their eating and to be able to recongnize what moderation means. In doing so we started to use the Red Light, Green Light Method and have been amazed at how well it has worked not just for our daughters but for my husband and I as well.
The Red Light Green Light Method is simple and easy to use! I will explain what the colors mean-
Green Light Foods are our healthy, non processed, clean, whole foods. They are fruits,veggies, whole grains and lean meats and healthy dairy products and of course water.
Yellow Light Foods are those in between foods. Pastas, breads, cereals, crackers foods that are not the best but by far not the worst.
Red Light Foods are the treats, resturant foods, sodas you get the idea.
The key to having a balanced lifestyle is to not cut out items or deprive yourself from things you enjoy. This only leaves you starving and eating the whole cake (yep been there done that because I love cake)
Each day your menu needs to be made up of all three lights. When planning your meals make sure 75% are green lights, 15% yellow lights and 10% Red lights. This helps you eat what you need and what you enjoy.
We started teaching our daughters how to use this method at dinner. Every night as we sat at the table we would discuss what on our plates were the green, red and yellow lights and why. They picked up on it suprising fast and were soon telling us on their own what color different food items were.
This has also helped with treats at our house. When the girls ask for a treat or dessert or a free cookie from Publixs all I have to do is ask "Have you had a lot of Red lights today?"
They always take a second to think and will answer yes or no. Once I asked my 8 year old if she wanted dessert after dinner, she replied with " No thanks there was a party at school today and I had a lot of yummy red lights." Happy Mom moment!
Now I must let you know that when it comes to vacations and holidays we have Red Light Days! Halloween is a total Red Light Day ,as it should be, as well as Christmas and Easter. That is just the way it is supposed to be. We also know that before and after visits with Grandparents we eat extra green lights. A Grandparent's house is and should be a total red light zone :)
This is what we have found to work in our home. This may not be what works for you and your family as we are all different. There are a lot of fun and creative ways to teach your children to be healthy. The important thing is to teach them! Give them the tools they need to be healthy, happy and confident!
The first thing we did was to eliminate the words fat and diet from our house. I do not believe a person can be fat. Fat is something that we can have on our bodies and in our food but it is not something that defines us. I believe we are healthy or unhealthy. I do not believe in "a diet" I believe in a life style. You can be living a healthy life style or an unhealthy lifestyle. When it comes to eating being healthy and having a healthy lifestyle comes in two parts. First having balance and second having moderation. It was our goal to find a way to teach our daughters to have balance in their eating and to be able to recongnize what moderation means. In doing so we started to use the Red Light, Green Light Method and have been amazed at how well it has worked not just for our daughters but for my husband and I as well.
The Red Light Green Light Method is simple and easy to use! I will explain what the colors mean-
Green Light Foods are our healthy, non processed, clean, whole foods. They are fruits,veggies, whole grains and lean meats and healthy dairy products and of course water.
Yellow Light Foods are those in between foods. Pastas, breads, cereals, crackers foods that are not the best but by far not the worst.
Red Light Foods are the treats, resturant foods, sodas you get the idea.
The key to having a balanced lifestyle is to not cut out items or deprive yourself from things you enjoy. This only leaves you starving and eating the whole cake (yep been there done that because I love cake)
Each day your menu needs to be made up of all three lights. When planning your meals make sure 75% are green lights, 15% yellow lights and 10% Red lights. This helps you eat what you need and what you enjoy.
We started teaching our daughters how to use this method at dinner. Every night as we sat at the table we would discuss what on our plates were the green, red and yellow lights and why. They picked up on it suprising fast and were soon telling us on their own what color different food items were.
This has also helped with treats at our house. When the girls ask for a treat or dessert or a free cookie from Publixs all I have to do is ask "Have you had a lot of Red lights today?"
They always take a second to think and will answer yes or no. Once I asked my 8 year old if she wanted dessert after dinner, she replied with " No thanks there was a party at school today and I had a lot of yummy red lights." Happy Mom moment!
Now I must let you know that when it comes to vacations and holidays we have Red Light Days! Halloween is a total Red Light Day ,as it should be, as well as Christmas and Easter. That is just the way it is supposed to be. We also know that before and after visits with Grandparents we eat extra green lights. A Grandparent's house is and should be a total red light zone :)
This is what we have found to work in our home. This may not be what works for you and your family as we are all different. There are a lot of fun and creative ways to teach your children to be healthy. The important thing is to teach them! Give them the tools they need to be healthy, happy and confident!
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Mommy Time
This is what a mom who has been cleaning up vommit all day looks like. My poor six year old daughter has the flu. So not a fun way to spend the last week of summer vacation. My two daughters are now in bed and my husband is still at work. I have an hour to myself to relax. What am I going to do? For me the most relaxing thing to do is pop in an Insanity DVD and work out. I had a great run earlier today but I need some of the feel good endorphins a good work out can give me right about now:) Plus this will help me unwind and relax so that I am able to sleep better. The next time you are stressed or anxious try a quick workout. A work out will help you feel relaxed, happy and like you have accomplished something. If you are a mom like me and the kids are in bed you need something that can be done in the living room. Try a jump rope for 5 minutes. Rotating Jumping jacks, squat jumps and push ups in 30 second intervals for 5 minutes is another thing you can do. If you love pinterest search workouts and you will find a whole bunch of quick at home workouts. There are so many options out there for you to use! Now go turn on your favorite music and get your night time sweat on :)
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