12 Days of Fitmas-Day 8: Do A Little Research

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Running and tagged with , , ,

On the 8th Day of Fitmas…

DO A LITTLE RESEARCH

I want to preface this post and really the 12 Days of Fitmas, by saying I am by no means a health/fitness professional. All of this is stuff I’ve learned and stuff that has worked or not worked for me.

That being said, when I became serious about running and getting fit, I did some research. A big misconception about running is that you just get up and go. But wait! There are few things I recommend you do a little research on before you get started:

  1. Get your feet looked at. I don’t mean by a doctor although you could do that too. I mean, head to your local running store and get fitted for the right type of shoe for your feet and running style. A lot of injuries stem from not wearing the right shoe and all of that can be prevented if you go and get the right ones. This is the first piece of advice I give to people who want to start running.
  2. As the weather gets cooler, research clothing appropriate for your area’s weather conditions. There’s a lot of gear involved in running that most people don’t realize lol!
  3. When looking for race to run, do a quick search for coupons and/or deals. A lot of times you get a percentage off and race prices can go up after certain deadlines.
  4. Before your race, familiarize yourself with the course, where water/food stations are located, the weather conditions for the day, and where your loved ones can meet you at the finish line.
  5. When you think you have an injury, limit your google researching. Dr. Google can give you a direction of what it might be, but it won’t officially diagnose you.
  6. Look up websites where you can map out your runs before you head out. I like mapmyrun.com but there are others. I personally like having a route before I head out.
  7. Before you invest in a GPS watch, do some research of different ones to make sure you get one that does what you want. I wanted something basic so anything that told me my heart rate I eliminated from my search.
  8. When trying food to eat while you run, make sure you try out different kinds before you commit to one for a race. Do a little research on the kinds of refueling you want.

    There’s quite a few things that could be added to the list, but I want to know from you:

What are some things you did research on before you made a purchase?

What are other things you’d recommend a new runner research?

Helly and Salt Are Still Streaking and 12 Days of Fitmas-Day 7

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Running and tagged with , , , ,

streak

Still streaking and still smiling!

It’s crazy that there’s only 13 days left of this!

Here’s what the last week looked like:

December 12: This was a treadmill tempo run and 6 pretty decent miles were produced. (I have another secret goal that involves a secret pace—more on this later)

December 13: I left this at a chill streak mile at my secret pace.

December 14: Day before my last race of the year. I typically do a long run on Saturdays but I left it to my husband, who ran 8 miles, and ran a streak mile.

December 15: RACE DAY! Hopefully, you read my re-cap because I was ecstatic with the way I ended my short racing year. 5K PR=WIN!!

December 16: It was this girl’s birthday so I treated myself to a streak mile in my new jogging stroller!

December 17: Hill day! I do my hill intervals on the treadmill and pulled out 4 miles. I noticed that hilly miles tend to go faster than regular treadmill miles lol!

December 18: Christmas at the track! 3 miles of speed work J

December 19: I have 6 treadmill miles on my schedule for tonight…

Total mileage—24 miles

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12 Days of Fitmas-Day 7

On the 7 th day of Fitmas….

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

I’ve mentioned before that one of the best decisions I’ve ever made was joining my gym’s run club. I’ve met so many awesome people and feel like I’m a part of something really amazing. It took me a long time to get the courage to do it, but I’m so glad I did. Sometimes I think of how my training would be different had I not made that decision. I’m not sure if I’d be as successful as I have been. That’s the truth.

I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone quite a bit these past few months. First, I started a blog. I was definitely a little apprehensive about it in the beginning but I knew I wanted an outlet for my training and the teacher in me wanted to help inspire others. So far, I have zero regrets.

If you look to the right, there’s quite a few things there. I started an Instagram and Facebook page for my blog. You bet I was nervous about that. Becoming so public with my life was not something I thought I’d ever do but, again, I want to share my journey and I’m becoming okay with it being to a bigger audience.

A funny way I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone is that during my two-week hiatus to rest my shins, I tried the stairclimber. I had absolutely no idea how that machine worked and it was exactly how I imagined my first time attempting it would be. Yep, that thing started going so fast I flew off of it. I flew off the machine!! Yes, people stared. Yes, people chuckled. But I got back on it and figured it out. For the longest time I had seen people use it and always wondered what it was like. Now, I think it’s an awesome, intense workout. I would’ve never known had I not at least given it a shot.

After my first pregnancy in 2012, I was looking to get back into shape and my friend invited me to hot yoga. I had never done hot yoga before and imagined a hot, smelly, stuffy room with sweaty people. I said yes and off I went. It was nothing like I thought. It was hot but it was not unbearable. It was most definitely not smelly. There were sweaty people but they looked awesome in the poses they were doing. I left that first session hooked. I felt so relaxed and like I had gotten more than just a workout. I had. I very highly recommend you try yoga if you haven’t.

It’s easy to stick with what’s comfortable. You’re used to doing things a certain way; you like routine. That’s okay, but, getting out of your comfort zone every once in a while let’s you have fun with your fitness. And if things do go awry, at least you have a funny story to share later on : )

Click here to link up with Helly & Salt!


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The 12 Days of Fitmas-Day 6

Posted by hellyontherun in Fitness, Running, Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , ,

On the 6th Day of Fitmas…

STAY DISCIPLINED

As cliche as it may be, Nike's right.

As cliche as it may be, Nike’s right.

I think one of the hardest things to do when you start a fitness plan is sticking to it. You start to get tired, lazy, unmotivated. You have one bad day and then that one day turns into two. Then you’re like, well hell, I’ve already messed up I’m just going to stop trying.

It’s happened to me.

But, even though you might have an off day or two or three, it’s important to still believe that you can do it. Sure it takes discipline and that might be something you haven’t mastered yet, but with practice and some strategizing, it’s possible to make staying healthy become a part of you.

Some things that have helped me:

Outlining a Plan—I knew once I started training for my marathon I’d have a day to day plan of what I would have to do. This reeeally helps me because I just look at the calendar and oh, it says I have 4 miles today? Sounds good! I just do what it tells me no questions asked. It disallows for negotiating. The calendar says 4 miles. That’s it. Do it.

This can work even if you’re not training for a race. Let’s say you want to work out at least 3 times a week. Choose three days of the week that work best for your schedule and just do it. It’s Wednesday, your calendar says it’s gym day cardio—go! I find it best to also have something specific in mind. Again, it prohibits you from having to think too much about it.

Tell Someone—A lot of moms in my online group tell me that the biggest reason they’ve been able to stick with it this time is because of the daily check-ins we do. There’s something about knowing you’ve said you were going to do something that makes you do it.

So, tell your husband, tell your best friend, tell your co-worker, tell anyone that you’re planning on working out later. The chances of you going increase because if you don’t go, even if they don’t even ask, you know that you didn’t keep to your word.

You can also tell that person to call or text you to see if you actually went. Or, ask them to go with you!

Have (realistic) Goals—Working towards something helps make sure you stay on track. For me, it’s fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes. You’ve seen glimpses of my closet; I have a lot of clothes. There is no way I’m going to let my wardrobe gather any more dust nor did I want to invest in any clothes not my pre-pregnancy size. To the gym I went. I’m pleased to say I’m exactly 10lbs away from pre pre-pregnancy weight (remember, I’ve had two kids in less than two years!). It’s taken a lot of work but I have this goal engraved in my head. I wanted to do it the right way, the healthy way, and I’m almost there!

Have Fun—When it becomes boring, monotonous, an inconvenience, sticking to a fitness plan isn’t going to happen. So, make sure to spice it up. Buy yourself some workout gear. Find a race to sign up for. Challenge a buddy. Do different things in your workouts so that you look forward to them. It could be as simple as using a new machine at the gym, mapping a new route for a run, making a new playlist—there are so many ways you can liven things up so that you’re always having fun.

This is going to sound weird but just the other day, to spice up a treadmill run, I used a treadmill on the opposite side of where I usually go. That was it. I had a different view and that helped spice things up for me that day.
At the end of the day, the most essential part of staying disciplined for me is allowing room for error. I know I’m going to have some rough patches; I’m a stay at home mom! But, knowing that tomorrow’s another day keeps me going. I might miss a workout or two here and there—that’s not going to ruin what I’ve started. The important thing is to actually start.

–What helps keep you disciplined with your fitness?

–Is this something you struggle with?