Swimming vs. Yoga

I am not one who enjoys yoga.  I have tried it on several occasions and have decided it's not for me.  I have a hard time calming my mind, instead I focus on passing the time and all the things on my to do list.  I really believe it is a talent to shut the world out and focus on just that moment and your breathing.   I know that yoga is really good for stretching and provides a good recovery to the body, but I have decided that for me swimming laps provides the same thing.  I have really enjoyed swimming laps lately!  When my body aches with pains, knots and sore muscles, I take one of the mornings in the lap pool and find that to cure most of the problems!

How do you relieve those sore muscles and pains?

Other peoples success story

I ran across this blog today and really found it inspiring.

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsnew/my-weight-loss-story/my-weight-loss-story-before-after-photos.html

 I love hearing other peoples insights and success stories.  I don't think that some people (including myself) get or even remember how our food choices will effect us. Losing weight is and will always be a battle and it's important to remember that weight loss can't just come with exercise, it must be followed with healthy eating habits.  I am grateful to have had this reminder, because just this week I was talking with some friends explaining to them that I have been faithful at working out 5-6 times per week but I have not lost a pound in months. So glad I ran across this blog to help remind me that its the food choices I have made that has lead to that result.


Another good thought I love...

Garmin Forerunner 405CX

For Christmas my fabulous husband surprised me with this watch.  It is so awesome! It came with a heart monitor I wear around my chest that transmits my heart rate to the watch automatically.  This watch has so many functions that I love;  a GPS, calculates pace/ distance, calories burned, time of day, length of workout, elevation, and so much more.  It has been so fun to have with me for the last couple of weeks.  It has a forerunner that connects to my computer and automatically uploads the data from my watch to my computer so I can track all my different workouts.  I have had a lot of fun and have noticed that it gives me an incentive to work harder because when it uploads and I review how my workout was, I don't want it to show me not giving it my all!

The Power of Food

I have found for my self the power and effect food has on my body. Eating before a workout for me is vital for an effective workout! I am not talking about eating a huge meal; a small banana, yogurt or a piece of toast will do.  About a month ago, I started on one of my early morning runs and about 3 miles in, I was so nauseous, I thought for sure I was going to vomit.  I literally was looking around the gym for the nearest garbage can.  I decided to slow the speed down to a nice walk until I could feel my stomach settle. Later that day, I facebooked about my experience asking for advice.  Most people already knew it was probably because of the lack of fuel/nutrients my body had and gave me advice to eat a little something before.  I took that advice, and I can not tell you how much more successful my workouts have been since! I love feeling like I have been able to give my workouts 100% and when I leave the gym, I feel better than I did before I got there.

Another thing I have learned is what I eat for dinner the night before my morning workout, plays a huge part on my success/ nonsuccessive workout.  I can tell when my body has gotten the good nutrients it needs because physically I feel better and my body can keep up with what its been asked to do.  The nights I eat fatty/ greasy foods, my stomach tosses and turns during that next workout and my body aches with a lack of energy. This has made me more conscious and aware of what I eat at night, but definitely hasn't completely stopped me from enjoying a good Mexican or Italian dish for dinner.  I just decide if it's worth it and then realize that I might be a little slower and not as energetic the next morning!

Love Hate Relationship

I have never really been a biker, or known much about biking more than this: when I was a kid, it was faster to bike to my friends house than walk.  When I decided to do my first triathlon, I just figured I would ride my old high school, K-Mart special mountain bike.  Little did I know... the gears would get stuck and it definitely wasn't appropriate for a fast or smooth ride.  After training once with a friend who had a new, up to date mountain bike, I learned that my bike wasn't going to cut it for the race.  Just going out once with my friend on her bike, I watched her as she hardly pedaled to slow down for me and my feet kept slipping off the pedals because my legs were going so fast trying to keep up with her.  The bike does make a difference.  After doing research on bikes and mountain bikes vs. road bikes I could hardly believe how expensive this sport is.  Road bikes can cost up to $30,000.  Crazy, that's the cost of a new car! I decided that I would look on ksl.com to find something a little better than my Shopko special that would be sufficient for this little race.  I did find a $50 vintage road bike still in great condition.  Now with a lot more research I can understand why that might have been an ok purchase for that race, but if I want to continue to race a better bike will be vital.

Spinning/ biking is extremely difficult for me.  During it, I hate it! Have you ever looked at professional bikers and noticed their huge muscular thighs. There is definitely a reason for that! I usually feel while biking that my legs are not strong enough for this sport.  I know just like anything else I've done, it takes a lot of work to become good at something, and every time I am in a spinning class, I literally count down the time so that I will stop focusing on how bad my legs hurt.  It isn't until after the workout that I find myself really proud that I accomplished it and gave it my full 100%.  Because of accomplishing something hard and the great feeling of it, I start to think I really love spinning and look forward to the next class.

Do you have a saying or a motto that you say or recite when exercising to get you through the hard times?  I have decided that mine is "I am a fighter and I am worth fighting for."  This morning in my spinning class I recited that every time I tought about the pain in my legs, and it made it so much easier to change my focus and continue to work hard! My new goal is to truly believe my new motto and when things get hard for me, I am going to continue reciting it and push that much harder!

Winter runs/ shoes

A friend once told me that she lived to run during the winter.  I thought she was crazy! I am here to tell you there isn't too many things better than running in the cold.  I have found a new love for exercise. While running in the cold, I can feel the fresh air enter and exit my lungs. It is so nice and refreshing!  With the right running clothes on, it only takes about 5-10 minutes to warm my body up and then I feel amazing!  It's like no other exercise' and it beats the humid, stuffy gym!

For Christmas, my mom gave me "Runner's World Complete Book of Women's Running" by Dangy Scott.  It reads that there is only two essential items needed to "dress like a runner" and the first is a good sports bra; second is good running shoes.  I really learned my lesson last week when I decided to try out my old shoes: I have recently bought two new pairs of running shoes (which I love), but my old shoes are just too cute to throw away and look great on the outside.  During that run, my ankle and the arch of my foot hurt tremendously! After looking and inspecting those shoes, I noticed that I had worn the padding and soles down.  Although, from the top, the shoes looked like "new" condition, they were definitely not! A good pair of shoes is vital for a comfortable run! I am still having a hard time parting with those shoes.  Any ideaw what to do with shoes that are worn, but look great from the outside?

Since I am talking about shoes, I have to note the two pairs I bought.

Reebok Force Flex

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these shoes!  They are PINK, light weight and extremely flexible, which allows the foot to roll much easier.  I heard the down side about these shoes is that they wear down much faster, due to the deep cuts in the soles.  I have decided these are my indoor shoes for the treadmill and any other aerobic class I take at the gym.  Not wearing them on the road will keep them from breaking down as fast.

Asics 1170

I also love this shoe (which has a much different feel than the Reebok).  It is also PINK and known for the gel in the sole which provides the foot more comfort.  I love the mesh because it allows the foot to breathe.  I use these shoes mostly for outdoor running and my strength-training gym classes.

One thing I learned while shopping for new shoes was that it is recommended to buy a half size larger than you normally would.  While running (especially long distances), your feet will swell and the half size bigger allows them to have more space when that happens, and the shoe will continue to be comfortable.

I was told that rotating between two pairs of shoes makes it easier on your joints and therefore makes them last longer.  My big fear was that I would wear through my shoes right before race day and then have little or no time to break new ones in.  So now I have these two fabulous shoes that make my workouts and runs more comfortable!

The Wall

I have always been told by experienced runners, that if I can just make it past "the wall" then I can experience the "runner's high" and run long distances with no problem.  I can now say, I understand what they mean.  Last week I was able to finally break through the wall and run seven miles.  It's a new record for me!! YAY!! I actually felt good enough that I wanted to run more, but due to time I had to return home.  My question for you, is at what mile do you usually pass through the wall?

For me, the first mile of running is no big deal and enjoyable.  It's once I hit mile one the wall hits me like a thick black cloud of fog and I feel as if I am struggling to get through it.  Breathing becomes difficult and my body aches.  I have noticed that if I start the first mile out slower than my normal pace that these feelings come on less strong.  This week while running I've noted that it wasn't until I hit mile four that I knocked through the wall and finally experienced the "runner's high".  It really is exhilarating; something I could not understand until I finally accomplished it!

Love it!

New Years Weekend

My husband and I were able to escape this weekend to St. George.  We took our bikes and decided to have fun without spending so much money considering Christmas was last week.  Saturday morning we went for a 3.8 mile run and boy was it difficult for me.  Since the last several weeks that I have been trying to run twice a week, this was definitely different.  I am so used to running on a treadmill or outside with a flat surface and no incline at all.  Our run started out down hill and then went to a flat area and then ended uphill.  I really haven't had that hard of a challenge with running ever! Since this Ogden 1/2 is a lot downhill, I think I will have to go where I can train doing more downhill runs to better prepare.

We also went for a 18.8 mile bike ride.  I am a huge fan of the Biggest Loser so we decided to ride up to the Biggest Loser resort in Ivins.  We started on St. George Blvd. and headed up.  So many things I learned while doing this...


One, I need a better bike. My rode bike is a vintage bike with a lot of miles on it. I bought it off of ksl.com right before I did my tri in July.  My gears broke at the beginning of our ride and if you have never ridden without gears, let me just say it SUCKS! It was so difficult!  On our way there, we got to a hill that was very steep and riding with my bike on the hardest and smallest gear was no easy task.  We got to a point where we stopped and my husband manually took my chain to the largest gear and luckily after a little time, he was able to fix my gear.  Yay! The rest of the ride went a lot more smooth.  I learned that working and switching gears is vital to a good ride.

Two,  riding a bike uses a lot of different muscles than running or other exercises I had been doing.  No wonder extreme bikers have huge thighs!

Three, Riding on a busy street is dangerous when you don't know bikers etiquette. I have never ridden on busy streets, and my husband had to teach me bikers rules so I didn't die (which I almost did twice!).

Four, plan out your ride before starting! I think this would have avoided all my dangerous situations if I have better planned.

We ended up having a great time and a memorable experience!

2012, Already...

Wow, I can hardly believe it is 2012! Reflecting back on 2011, it was one eventful year for me.  I completed my first mini triathlon, ran my first 5K, found that if I can believe in myself and work hard, that I can accomplish hard things! A year ago, I remembering telling a friend that is a runner that running a 5K would cross something off my bucket list. I would have never believe it if I were told I would ever desire to run or race more.  In February of 2011, my neighbor told me she signed up for a mini triathlon that would be held in July.  I remember thinking how cool that would be and admiring her ability.  I was talking to another friend about it and she suggested that I do it! I wasn't at all sure I could do it considering I could barely run a mile without feeling exhausted and it had been several years since I had gotten on my cheap, old mountain bike from high school.  However, I really thought that would be awesome accomplishment so I signed up.  It was only one in a half months away from the race and I had done nothing to train for it.  It turned out that my friend who encouraged me to sign up decided not to race in it.  I had met up with some of my friends from high school that also swam and played waterpolo with me and told them about it.  They all decided to sign up as well.  After that was when I decided I better get my butt in line and start training.  Unfortunately, my friends from high school who also signed up didn't live close by to train with so we decided to motivate each other through facebook messager.  It turned out to be so exhilarating and a fabulous experience that I decided I needed some more of this.  That is when I joined my neighbors at the gym....

I am so excited to see what 2012 will bring for me.  I know I have the 1/2 marathon race in May and I am anticipating doing another triathlon sometime as well.  I have the most supportive husband and without that I know I could never accomplish these goals!

One of my struggles is healthy eating.  Its not just that I have no self control when yummy food is near me, but I feel that I don't have the knowledge about healthy eating or what and when to eat to maximize my body's results.  This year my goal is to learn more about the human body and how everything I eat may effect it.  I also am making a goal to have more self control around food and instead of eating ten cookies when I make them, maybe only having two. It's all about portion control, right!

Here's to another good year with many life fulfillment's and accomplishments!