The Happiest 5K on the Planet

Today was a good day. What made it so good wasn’t the fact that I didn’t get my spanish test back… I don’t ever want to get that back…  But in one of my classes, I was approached by one of my peers asking if I could help them get back in shape. I was in my normal athletic clothes because I go to the gym right after that class. We got to talking and after next class, I think we are going to the gym together.

It made me feel so good having someone ask me that. I love helping people especially when it comes to fitness and health. She wants me to help her get back in shape and then I told her about my 5K I just signed up for and she wants to do one with me. She was so nice saying how much she wishes she could be more like me and go to the gym almost every day. And I know it’s harder for some people but I think I will be a great motivator. I’m really excited to see if she will do what she said she will do and come with me 3 times a week and really work! I’m not going to school to become a personal/athletic trainer but I feel like I would be really good at it. I have been around trainers a lot the past few years since I’m on a division 1 team and I can picture myself in their shoes. I would love helping people get strong and healthy and seeing the looks on their faces the whole journey, especially the last look of when they reach their goal. 

So I just found this race that looks like it would be so much fun! It’s called “The Color Run”! Have you heard of it? It is coming to a city near me! Eventually, it’s not for awhile but I can wait! Go to the website and see if one is coming near you. It looks crazy, exciting, fun, a mess… everything you can think of. I hope I can rally up a group to come with me. Running with friends is the best!

I need new RUNNING shoes! HELP!

I’m on a mission to get new running shoes. And I need your HELP! I recently went to a store called Fit2Run and there were just a ton of shoes. I didn’t even know where to begin. I want a shoe that is comfortable, durable, light, and looks good on. I tried a lot on. I’m just not sure what is the best. Shoes are expensive… at least to me they are. I just don’t want to waste my money on something that isn’t going to last or hurts my feet. I only run at most 6 miles a day. And I run on the balls of my feet not heels. So if anyone knows of a shoe that would work good for that then please let me know. These were my two favorites in the store. If anyone runs with these shoes or has a similar shoe or if you just run and love the shoes you have, PLEASE let me know.

Mizuno Wave Elixir 7

New Balance 1400

Keep Going… and DON’T LOOK BACK

I just signed up for a 5k! Woo! I’m excited. My goal is to just beat my last 5k time of 22:40. In order to do this I must start training. The race is on March 30, 2012. So I was surfing the web, hoping to find doable training schedules and I came across this awesome website!  It has different races you are training for(5k, half marathon, etc.), what level you are at(novice, Intermediate, advance, etc) and it tells you what to do every day. It’s perfect! If you plane on signing up for a race and are new to running I suggest looking at this website. Running is great. I feel like I am getting into the best shape of my life. I feel more energetic. And I feel just overall healthier.

Running has changed my life. It’s new to me, which I love. I feel like I needed a change up. I control everything while running and all I have to tell myself is KEEP GOING. Thats all the motivation I need. You need to keep moving in order to get anywhere in life. It’s simple to. And I like simple. There’s no need to make things complicated. Also, here’s the 5k I’m running if you want to check it out. It’s through trails on a nature preserve. And what I like most is its at dusk. For some reason I have a hard time running in the mornings. It takes my body awhile to wake up… so 8 am – 9 am start times really kill me before the race even begins.

How to get a Flat, Sexy Stomach

How to get a flat, sexy stomach. First, we have to look at the problem. Think about what you are doing now and how it obviously isn’t working since you’re still looking to get that stomach flatter. Also, remember that we all have abs. They are there. However, getting them to be noticed is the problem. We have to get rid of that layer of fat that covers them. It is a challenge and if you sick through it… you will see results you could never even imagine! Which is the best feeling in the world. Alright so now in order to do this there are two things that need to be focused on: Diet and Exercise.

The Diet:

Now since I don’t know everyone’s body type and how exactly your individual bodies work. You have to work on managing what you need to make it work for you.

1. Drink lots of water.Personally, I feel like this is the most important thing to do. Drinking water will keep you hydrated and you will keep flushing out all of the bad toxins in your body, which is great! It will also improve your skin. Drinking water also is good to do when you feel hungry at a time you shouldn’t be. Also, you can tell if you are drinking enough by
   

   Berry your way to a flat stomach!

   simply looking at the color of your pee. If it’s a dark yellow, you need to drink up. The clearer the more hydrated you are.

2. Fiber. Eat lots of fiber. You can find fiber in fruit and veggies. I say the best thing to eat is broccoli. Making sure you get enough fiber will also help clean out your body by keeping your system regular. It can also help lower your cholesterol. Also, berries are great for trying to get that flat stomach and they are delicious.
3. Eat 5 meals a day. Try and eat something every 3-4 hours. This will keep your metabolism going. 2 of the 5 meals are snacks… keep those light and healthy to keep you on track. Good snacks are apples and peanut butter, fruit salad, granola, fat-free yogurt anything small and healthy will do. Pick what you like.
4. No more junk! Get rid of it. Don’t look at it, don’t think about it. Seriously if you want to lose weight in your stomach you have to stop eating chips, ice cream, chocolate, and refrain from fast food as much as you can. If you absolutely need some look to frozen yogurt or sorbet.
5. Eat. One huge mistake people often make is not eating. This won’t work and it’s not good for you. Also, eat breakfast. You should be hungry in the morning if you are eating light before bed and working out. You will become like me… I look forward to breakfast, it’s my favorite meal! I wake up so hungry. I have no idea how people skip it.

The Exercise:

1. Cardio. Cardio, cardio, cardio… learn to love it. You can do anything just get moving for 30 mins a day, do more if you can. More is better. If you are new to cardio start walking and eventually start jogging. But I love the elliptical, rollerblading, biking, running, stair master, dancing, jump roping, golfing(but carry your bag.. don’t get a cart)… find several cardio workouts that you like so you can change it up. Make it fun.
2. Ab workouts. After cardio is the best time to do abs. You are in the workout mood and your body is warmed up and ready to go. There are so many ab exercises out there. Tons of them. Some I like may not work for you. Do exercises that you do right and ones that you can feel it working. Its good to really push it. That’s how you get stronger. When you feel like stopping do just a little longer. I like doing planks, scissor kicks, toe-touches and I don’t know names for a lot of them and incorporate a medicine ball. If you go to a gym watch other people and see what exercises they do to give you more ideas. But it is easy to make up your own.
3. Rest and stretch. If you kill your abs one day, let them rest but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to do cardio. It’s ok to take a day off a week. But if you don’t need it, don’t take it. Also, yoga is great to help recover faster and it prevents injury.

Now that you know what to do. Let’s do it. And remember once you reach your goal, don’t change what you have been doing. You can’t stop. You have to keep working on it. But it takes 21 days to create a habit and I’m sure it will take longer then 21 days to get what you are looking for so that habit will be there when you are done! Good Luck!

Rest: Relax, Eat, Sleep, Think.

Today was nice. Slept in, watched tv, listened to music…  I basically did nothing. I know doing nothing sounds bad but my body needed it. I’m writing this post because I wanted to remind all of you that rest is good and somedays you should do nothing. I feel overworked and I haven’t been getting enough sleep so that’s when you just need to back off and tell yourself to stop. On days like today, I just try and be extra careful with what I eat because I know I didn’t do anything.

Good food!

So remember to eat lots of vegetables, fruits, and drink lots of water. I always forget to drink water on days I don’t exercise, which is not good. I actually should go get a glass. But always have your favorite healthy foods close by so you can make the best food choices. That easy task will help you succeed in whatever it is you want to accomplish. No matter what it is, eating healthy will always keep you on track. You can’t go wrong. I have come to find that I love KIND Bars.At the last race I did, they had a table and were giving them out. Thank goodness I grabbed a few. They were fantastic and a great pick-me up after a race or anything.

I wish I was sponsored by KIND Bars so I could have them all the time!

Finding time to do everything

The past two days have been awesome! I played golf, went kiteboarding, and completed a high ropes course! So sick. I woke up and my legs were like noooo… so tired! My arms are so sore too! It’s great! So at golf… there wasn’t too much intensity. But I hit well considering I don’t play. I got par on a few holes! Haha. What made it more fun was bringing a GoPro out there so I made an edit of our time at the golf course. I was trying to make golf look exciting in the video but its hard. The intensity just isn’t there. But I got to work on my editing skills so take a look. It’s only 2 minutes long and the song is awesome!

Then, I went Kiteboarding the next day! I have done it before. The last time I think was in May though and I’ve only done it a few times before that. Haha so it was almost like starting new. My boyfriend, Drew, is really big into the sport and he has a great blog so if you want to know more on kiteboarding, CHECK IT OUT!

I want to get to his level!

He taught me all I know. I used to be scared when he took me out but all that changed! I went out and did so good! I was riding back and forth, going upwind and even tried to jump! It was such a rush. It was so windy too. Usually, if it would get too windy I would go in, but not today! Someone was taking pics so hopefully I get to see those soon! I had the best time out there.

Right after that, we had to rush to the ropes course! It was so much fun.

After zip lining… 2 thumbs up!

If you are afraid of heights this is a good way to get rid of that. And when you get to the top you get to zipline down, which is so cool, if you have never done it. I love being so active like this. My body is tired but it’s great to feel like you’ve worked hard and accomplished something. I love living in Florida and being able to be in the water and outside in January and not be cold but hot and sweating.

I like Running

Today is the day I used to look forward to… my birthday. I don’t know why but turning 20 isn’t as much fun as I thought it would be. I’m leaving my teen years for good Having my birthday is just reminding me that it is almost time for me to go out and get a career and start my life on my own (thankfully my parents didn’t kick me out at 18).

haha this is exactly what I feel like

I just have so much on my mind. I think I’m going to go running to help clear my head and I need to burn some calories so I can eat lots of cake today! Running really helps me get through any problems I’m having. I go alone, at my own pace, no pressure, and just think. But not stress think, just think of all the possibilities I have and how much I have accomplished. It’s nice. Exercising… I don’t know what I would do without it.

So after my run, I have class but I’m only going to one today! Hopefully! Then, I think my boyfriend is taking my on a sunset dinner cruise. So that should be really nice. I’m excited. We still have to make reservations but I’m sure they have an opening!

And I really hope I get a camera for my bday. I have nothing to take photos with which makes it hard to blog about. I hate relying on other people and having to ask to borrow their cameras. So my fingers are crossed for a new GoPro Hero 2!

Inspiration, Motivation and Vision to keep you moving

It is true. Sometimes I feel that if I had someone motivating me or if I surrounded myself with quotes and motivation, I would never want to give up. I believe in order to accomplish anything, we have to be motivated. Motivation keeps us moving. Keeps us wanting more. And keeps us believing in ourselves. When I’m running… I get tired just like everyone, however, when my body is telling me “no” and my legs are about to quit, I make myself think, “I’m lapping everyone on the couch” or I tell myself to “think of the benefits”(and I have a picture of what I want to look like in my head). This makes me keep going and going. Seriously. It works. It’s all in your head, you choose what is going to happen. Here are so quotes that will hopefully make you think and make you want to keep going!

“No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change.” — Bill Phillips

“To feel ‘fit as a fiddle’, you must tone down your middle.” — Author Unknown

“Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made.” — Patti Sue Plumer

“Don’t ask me why I run, ask yourself why you don’t.”- Unknown

“What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day?” — Randy Glasbergen

“Commit to be fit.” — Author Unknown

“Health is like money, we never have a true intent of its value until we lose it.” — Josh Billings

“The only bad workout, is the one that never happened.” – Unknown

“It’s hard to beat a person that never gives up” – Babe Ruth

Be strong

“You don’t always get what you wish for, you get what you work for.” – Unknown

“The minute you think about giving up, think about what held you back for so long.” – Unknown

“I don’t stop when I’m tired, I stop when I’m done.” – Unknown

I hope that you write some of these quotes down or make them your screensaver. Put them places you will see. The bedroom or bathroom mirror is a great place because that’s when you see yourself and that’s what you want to get motivated to change. Inspire yourself to get fit and healthy.

Horseback riding on the beach

The water is incredible

I was so glad I had the opportunity to do this. I am not a huge horse fan but this was awesome! I highly recommend it. It was a rush, just so exhilarating and I’m not sure how but it opened my eyes. When I was on the horse, I forgot about life and any problems, any stress that I had going on.

Enjoying life

I just remember laughing and being calm not thinking about anything other then the beauty that surrounds us everyday. The water, the weather, the horse, everything was perfect. Also, this was in the Caribbean, incase you were wondering. I bet there are many locations around the world with these same characteristics.

I just look at these pictures and I can’t believe how blue the water looks. Its incredible. I feel so spoiled. Next time you want to spoil yourself… spend money on horseback riding in the water, it’s a memory that you will have forever!

A wave hitting us, so the horse was swimming. So cool!

Extreme Frisbee Fun!

Frisbee is so much fun and can be played almost everywhere… if you don’t mind having to fetch it out of a lake or if you don’t mind trees getting in the way. It is basically like interval training. You have to sprint for the frisbee when trying to catch it and you get a break when the other person is chasing it down. I don’t throw very accurate so I make my partner run! But it is also fun! You can try different throws, different catching techniques, do cartwheels before catching it… there are no limits. Here’s an extreme frisbee fun video we made while out there.