Monthly Archives: November 2011

Run, run Santa(s)

November is winding down and seasonal cheer is upon us in December, let’s carry happiness into the holidays.

Holiday parties, cooler weather, shopping lists, family gatherings – December can be a very busy month. In all the hustle and bustle remember to take time for you. Your routine is likely to be thrown off with different schedules and the cool temps might have you skipping out on some of your scheduled workout plans. It’s crucial this time of year to remember why you run, or do any other healthy activity for that matter.

For me, running is my private time to clear my head, brainstorm about the day, and be one with my body. If I don’t get in some type of exercise during the day it can lead to slow pattern of not doing as many workouts, eating the wrong things, etc. This downward spiral is easy to avoid when you have focus on why you want to move.

Show all those holiday shoppers you don’t mind parking a mile away. Wake up on Christmas morning and take the family for a walk after presents. Make a coworker workout with you the morning of your office holiday party.

My mom and I can’t find a local Jingle Jog so we are inventing our own. Staying on target in December makes it that much easier to go into the New Year already ahead of the game.

Why do you move? What keeps you on track during the holidays?

Pinterest. Very Pinteresting.

November 29, 2011

Motivation

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It seems y’all are ready to go and get this week started off right! If you were still sluggish on Monday, cut yourself some slack and start fresh today.

Show of hands if you’re on Pinterest. I am guessing those that are on Pinterest let out an oooh or an ahhh. I have been a member of the new addicting social media site for a few weeks. Pinterest is a site to share common interests:

Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

I am sure some folks are rolling their eyes, but Pinterest is an amazing place to find recipes, inspirational quotes and other cute bits and bobs. I have found the best holiday cookies to whip up and even ways to wear some clothes that I haven’t been in love with as of late. Anytime I’m on my way home from a long day, I pull up motivational or running boards and I immediately feel like a 3rd rate Olympic athlete.

As your own CEO, you can use Pinterest to reflect your individualized style.

Are you on Pinterest? What are your favorite bits of the site? You can follow me on Pinterest too!

Kick The Week Off Right

November 28, 2011

Trainer Tips

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The holidays are upon us and if you’re suffering from a Thanksgiving turkey hangover, let’s get you started off right this week. I know everyone behaved themselves over the weekend, right? Wink wink.

Plan it out: Whip out the planner and put your goals on paper. From grocery lists to workout routines, get it down.
Treat yourself: It’s Monday and if you’re feeling a bit ho-hum, grab a fancy cup of coffee, make fun evening plans with a friend over dinner or maybe grab an exercise class together.
Set your soundtrack: Everyone has a theme song. If you don’t, get one. I am obsessed with Flo Rida’s Good Feeling at the moment. Put in your headphones and work to music that makes you feel good. Up that productivity!
Jump! Jump!: I used to despise this trick, but I promise it works. If you are feeling lathargic or just plain blah, do 10 jumping jacks. It’s like pressing the human reset button.
Choose to be positive: Having a positive mindset towards the day is the best way to actually BE happy. You get back what you give out.

Go, go, go start your week off right. You are your best motivator. The first step is the hardest.

How are you getting going today?

Map My Run

November 25, 2011

Running

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Merry Christmas. It’s official. Warning. I LOVE this time of year and you will end up getting loads of holiday cheer here.

Many of you are recovering from what I hope was a joyful Thanksgiving. The weather during my morning run was absolutely spectacular. Brilliant sunshine. Here in England it is still in the low 50s in the morning, much warmer than back in Atlanta. Odd, I know. I will take it though; it’s a good running temp.

I enjoyed a crisp, cool run. I ran without my headphones, listening to the river and my body in motion. But don’t take my word for it.

Swans, bridges, castles, puppies in the park. Spoil me.

What’s your favorite running or walking path?

Happy Thanksgiving: Count Your Blessings, Not Your Burdens

November 24, 2011

Seasonal

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How full is your heart today? I wish each and every single one of you the happiest of Thanksgivings.

I woke up this morning with the biggest smile on my face. Threw on the sneaks and bolted out the door. I may have invented my own Gobble Jog and ran solo, but I was thankful for every step.

May you all be surrounded with friends, family and laughter today. Thanksgiving or not.

This Thanksgiving, Don’t Be A Turkey

November 23, 2011

Seasonal

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Who’s ready for Thanksgiving?! You may have heard, we moved to the England. Since we don’t get a proper holiday, I’m introducing our Brit friends to Thanksgiving on Saturday. I’ll report on how many pilgrims I can stuff into our small European terrace. And the turkey is under negotiation as our oven is teeny tiny. It will not stop our holiday, trust me.

But for those who are getting their Thanksgiving on tomorrow, you have probably seen the numerous headlines about gaining holiday weight and yada yada. I say, put those bits aside because you are intelligent and equipped with the tools to eat mindful during the holidays. I get overwhelmed at all the diet tips that come out this time of year; there is no new advice, the same tips are tweaked for seasonal purposes. I know that some people will be educating themselves for the first time, and I am all for that, but I’m talking to those that understand the only diet principle: you have to burn off more than you put in.

Thinking about how much you are going to eat or should be eating spoils the whole meal. You should be looking forward to savoring your favorite dishes. Throw the counting calorie gar-bage out the window for an hour and eat what tastes good and stop when you’re full. Not science here folks.

Remember the fundamentals on Thanksgiving:
- Make yourself a mini goal to get in some type of exercise. A walk with the family after dinner never hurt anyone.
- Stay properly hydrated. Don’t forget your water in between those sips of festive drinks.
- Don’t overdue it. That turkey isn’t going to walk off and leave you during dinner. Fill your plate and you can always go back for more.

And send me some pumpkin pie. Seriously.

I wish everyone a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. Be thankful for your friends and family, and those two legs that keep you moving. Best wishes to you and yours.

What’s your favorite holiday dish!?

Return to Routine

November 22, 2011

Trainer Tips

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Your carb loading friend is back. There is no way I can begin to describe Rome and the history we saw. If you are looking to travel abroad, this is a must on your list. You only need a few days to see the city, but you could spend a full day in the Vatican and not see everything. The epitome of priceless. The food was insanely delicious. The coffee, the wine, the gelato, I could rant forever.

As I slide back into my routine you may remember the 21 Day Challenge I signed myself up for. I am actually going to add on a few days to round out the 21. Although I walked dozens of miles in Rome it isn’t the same as grinding out 5 during my normal week.

Don’t look at my 21 Day Challenge and count the miles, count the things I learned. I strongly encourage you all to set up these small challenges and goals. Hear me out:
- 2 days or 30, you are telling yourself to do something you don’t normally do. It’s awesome to expand what you “think” you are capable of.
- You learn something about yourself. Whether you decide to read the daily paper or cut out sweets, you will undoubtedly have a new appreciation for your mind and body.
- Motivation. Setting small goals, or big ones, keeps you focused. It felt good waking up every day with a challenge in front of me.

Many of you have set and achieved amazing goals and I encourage everyone to find a way to challenge themselves daily.

What moves you: Are you a fan of small goals or big aspirations?

arrivederci

November 17, 2011

Uncategorized

10 Comments

Hi kids! The hus and I are headed to Rome, Italy. I’ll be sure to carb load with pizza and pasta to endure the loads of walking we’ll be doing. And if I go thirsty, vino of course to make sure I am properly fueling for the trip.

But seriously, I have been wanting to go to Italy since I was a munchkin and am thankful the man I married believes is vacations full of romance, history and good food.

Ciao ciao brown cows!

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves in my absence:)

Five for Five

November 16, 2011

Just for Run

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Five things you don’t know about me:

I have successfully predicted all of my close friend’s pregnancies. I dream that a friend is pregnant and immediately call my gals and, sure as sugar, one of them will be pregnant. It’s the only time I have dreamt about someone being pregnant. Freaky, I know.
I listen to Christmas music when I’m stressed out. Yes, even in June.
I appeared in an NSync video. Yea, be jealous. I was the one crying and holding a poster. It was beautiful.
I started running after watching Lance Armstrong in The Tour de France. Seeing his performance had a profound effect on me.
I can’t go one day without talking to someone in my family. Via email or phone, I harass someone I love on a constant basis.

Five things I’m good at:

Whistling. It’s my party trick. I can call a man from a mile away, works well when the hus wanders off.
My job. I am dayum good at working in communications. I have a passion for my work and have been blessed to work with some amazing, and famous, people.
Baking. Move over Betty Crocker and Sandra Lee. It’s fun, you work with sweets and everyone loves a cupcake.
Making people laugh. I get my wit from my father and I am fortunate to have the gift to make people smile and laugh. Laughter takes the edge off, and it’s important to never take yourself too seriously. There is no better feeling than when your face and stomach hurt from laughing hard.
Running. You knew that was coming, right? On my first half marathon when I came in under 2 hours, I realized I might actually have a shot at being good at running. Persistence and hard work has helped me place in races and set my half PR at 1:38 and marathon at 3:40. #bam

Five things I believe in:

God and Christianity. (enough said)
Forgiveness. Everyone deserves to be forgiven. It’s the whole, “let go, let God” belief. You don’t do it for anyone else, you do it for yourself to move on.
Soul mates. My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song.
Family. I don’t care if your family tree is a bush or a branch. Families keep you grounded. I can only hope that the family I start will have as much love as I am surrounded by.
Music. It’s heartache, it’s salvation, it’s love. It’s what your feelings sound like.

Your turn! Share what we may not know about you, what you are good at or what you believe in…

A Special Message from Fitness Pro Jack LaLanne

November 15, 2011

Fitness News

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We’re going old school today. Some information is timeless. I came across some old clips from fitness, exercise and nutritional pro Jack LaLanne. When “the godfather of fitness” gives advice, you better listen. Jack lived to the ripe old age of 96, a living testament of what health and fitness can do for your body.

Instilling healthy habits is essential for a long and healthy life. Below, Jack Lalanne shares his 10 Point Plan for a Healthy Life:

For a healthy, happy and fulfilling life, Jack recommends: