post Hurricane Sandy run

Very grateful to have survived Sandy's wrath with minimal issue. Our house was able to keep all the lights on and the worst thing that fell from the high winds was a Captain Morgan bar sign (belonging to the man of course).

So, in light of having today off from work (due to storm related issues) - I decided to challenge myself with a run. I ran Sunday, and usually I take two days of rest in between. I do this to prevent any hip pain from re-occurring (referencing the run injury from a month ago). But after experiencing cabin fever all day yesterday, I REALLY wanted to run this morning. So I did...see below!

Over THREE miles! Yay! I have not run three miles since the 5K race over a week ago! And, the finish time is just about 12 minutes faster than I had at the race. Granted, no giant mountain hills in my 'hood, but still I'm happy. I really wanted to hit that 3 mile mark again and just wasn't sure I had it in me today.

But I did. And it feels amazing.

I love challenging my body, insisting that it CAN do something that its fighting for no other reason than its uncomfortable. My breathing was off, but i kept working to get it back in line. This was a very challenging 3 miles, but each run, you learn more, you improve, you struggle, but no matter what...at the end, you are just so damn happy that you did it.

    post hurricane skies during my run this morning

On a storm note...I hope everyone is safe and sound and gets their power back soon. As for my beautiful NYC...my heart is broken because of the impact felt from the storm. I'm holding a good thought for all my fellow New Yorkers.

Mysteries of Running Shoes!

Just stumbled upon this SUPER helpful article about running shoes on Active.com...anything you want to know, this article covers it in fairly laymen terms. Something I need since I'm rather new to the running shoe industry.

junk in/junk out

It's a windy, rainy, Hurricane Sandy kind of morning in the wee size state of RI today. Since I'm working from home in light of said storm, I have the luxury of working on this blog entry without having to rush through it. That said, I'm going to tackle a few different things...you know, since I have the time:

First, knowing that hurricane was going to be greeting me today and tomorrow, I made a point to go for a run yesterday. I literally had to MAKE time to do it. Between Halloween parties, birthday parties, approaching holidays and a cruise in November...I really did force 20 minutes into my day yesterday for me. Something I generally suck at...but there are no excuses, yesterday proved it. It really is a matter of learning to put yourself first when it may seem sort of inconvenient to those around you. But hey, it was 20 minutes and afterwards I was in a much better mood. So its a win/win for everyone i think! here are my results...so excited, over two miles in just under 20 minutes...woohoo!

Next up? Let's talk a little about FOOD. You know the stuff you put in your body - and most of the time with no thought of how it will affect you and little thought to the calories, fat and carbs that are making a home and settling in to every area of your body...yeah, let's talk about THAT kind of food. Get ready...

Let me start by saying that since i've turned to a healthier lifestyle, meaning the majority of what I eat would be classified as "clean" (no processed or fried foods, no meals from a box, no white carbs, etc) - when I decide to "splurge" on food I used to eat all the time, I am learning I pay a price.

Yesterday was a birthday party, and I decided to enjoy some pizza (bakery style) with lots of grease and tomato sauce (2 pieces), I had slices of a spinach and pepperoni calzone (3 slices), and a huge piece of cake with buttercream frosting and chocolate ice cream.

Within 2-3 hours of consuming i thought i maybe had a stomach virus.

Or food poisoning.

I did not.

What I had was this...a body that has become accustomed to my feeding and fueling it with healthy, clean foods. It is no longer used to grease, to high sugar content foods or carb overload. I literally thought my stomach was going to implode. I felt lethargic, tired, achy...and i was bloated up like a Macy's Day parade float. 

Not a good look. Nor a good move on my part.

Lesson learned. This is no longer about "oh that piece of pizza and cake/ice cream" won't kill me. I know it won't, but what it does do?...It hurts me and my body (which apparently I'm somewhat in tune with, finally, after 42 freakin' years!!!). It reminds me that my body is designed to run on foods that fuel it, provide me with energy, that sustain me and keep me feeling strong. I am truly in shock at how severely my body reacted to the crappy food I ate yesterday. It was a huge wake-up call and re-affirms my love for this new lifestyle. There really is no going back and I'm perfectly okay with that. Will I still enjoy a delightful dessert once a week? Of course. But I just can't eat like I did yesterday, my body spoke up, loud and clear. For the next couple days I am detoxing with lots of lemon water. I plan to enjoy some fresh fruits/veggies, brown rice and sweet potatoes.

Despite the fridge filled with leftovers. 
It's not even tempting anymore...just not worth it.

And lastly, if you are up for a very cool challenge that will give you an awesome booty...check  out Holly Perkins 30 Day Lunge Challenge! Click here to check out her super helpful "how to video" with all the details - she posts stuff like this all the time...lots of complimentary advice from a 20 year health & fitness industry professional!

I already did my 20 lunges today....how about YOU?

And once again...what blog entry wouldn't be complete with a bunch of quotes and helpful tidbit tips to get you through another day?

•  On the subject of sugar: Knowledge is power. Very helpful article from Prevention.com - 10 Sneaky Names for Sugar 

 And check out this super cheat sheet for portion control!

keep this handy!

And in the interest of posting something I really need to start making and consuming...I give you the healthy smoothies reference sheet! You will need to click it and then download it with a right mouse click so that you can read it in its full size. its pretty awesome. 

Also...something I will remember, especially after yesterday's crap food debacle:

And the fitspirations of the day....

the "in-betweeners" of 5k

Its funny to me that i've yet to really sit down and share my experience from Saturday's Free to Breathe Lung Cancer Awareness 5K.

The thing is i've been so busy running my mouth sharing the news with everyone that i think i've run out of energy to write it...but i shall give it a go!

So - I RAN the entire 5K. Yes, the 5k that I was pretty sure I could only run 1 mile of 3.1. Turns out I was wrong. Here's how it played out...

...I got to the race early. Picked up my registration stuff, did my stretches and anxiously awaited the start. I was filled with nervous energy...racking my brain..."can i really run a whole mile???" - somewhere deep down i knew i could...but deep down, the WHOLE race...NO, I did not think i could do it. I wasn't even sure if it was safe to try. Cut to...starting line...

Registered runners at the front. Walkers at the back. Those of us that weren't sure which we could do, were in the middle (which i like to call the "in-betweeners"). And may I mention, if you are contemplating running your first 5K, its the perfect spot. Lots of room to walk/jog/run. And there is a sense of support amongst this particular group of "in-betweeners" because you can tell we all WANT to do more than walk, and it motivates one another.

And in my case, I became motivated to run approximately 40 seconds in. As soon as the bell rang or gun fired or whatever it was, off in a flash went the "runners"...and then there was lots of open space for us in-betweeners.

A little ways up in front of me was a young, stocky woman in black pants and red shirt, within 30 seconds of the start she broke into a jog/run. 10 seconds after I had seen that, I broke into my jog/run. I kept my eye on her sort of as motivation, I thought if she can do this, if she's motivated enough to start the race as a run, so can i.

*Please note - i am not competitive by nature. EVER. Except, for running. I know this now. bizarre!*

Cut to...the approach of mile marker 1! Yes! "I did it" I thought to myself, smiling. And I felt good. Nothing hurt, my legs felt strong, my breathing was in time and the view in the park paired with the music playing through my earbuds was enough to move me past mile 1. And more importantly, the girl in the red shirt was still on the run. Ha, get it? Anyway...

I continued...toward the middle of mile two, there was this thing I had never trained or prepared for...it was called "a hill"....[insert here the sound of me laughing].

Not just a little hill, but a somewhat steep hill, especially for someone that was not trained for this thing, this hill. But i kept the girl in the red shirt in my vision line and although she slowed half way up, she kept going.

So I kept going.

Next thing I knew, I was at the MILE 2 marker. "Holy crap!" I thought to myself. And then the blaring realization, "i need to finish this race running...i've already done the bulk of it". There was no turning back and I felt strong enough that I could actually do it.

Middle of mile 3 - i nearly "hit my wall". There was another "hill". Though this was not just a "hill" it very well could have been a mutha' flippin' mountain. This wasn't a straight shot up and then a level off, this was a winding hill that moved upward with no level off point until you made it all the way to the tippity up.

Good Lord.

Keeping my eye on the girl in red, who was STILL running by the way, I pushed and drove and pleaded with my legs to get me up the mammouth mountain of a "hill". I went as slow as humanly possible while still maintaining a technical run...i did not break into a walk once...not once. I had lost sight of the red shirt girl but when i rounded the final curve of the hill, I saw she had started to WALK.

Here's the competitive part. You've been warned.

I became super-duper-charged with energy at the sight of her walking. Suddenly I had a burst of energy (i think its called..um...competitive adrenelin...yup...i'm guilty as charged). I pounced at the chance to pass her, finally. FINALLY.

And I did.
And before me was the 3 MILE marker. Nearly there!

The rest of the .30 miles were mostly down hill and it was a fantastic releif to my poor little legs that hadn't know what hit them. I saw the signs for the "Carousel" which was the start/finish for the race. Tears streaming down my face, my heart pounding from sheer JOY and mostly PRIDE...I did this run for my mom...the woman who shared one of her last dreams to me...that she was RUNNING. I did this for her, in her memory...as her daughter, I ran FOR her, in her place...and then...I also ran for ME. To conquer fear, to test my strength, to build my courage...to KNOW that I can do anything I set my mind to.

I had no friends or family there to cheer me at the finish...but that was okay...there were people yelling and clapping for each of us that came down the final stretch. I threw my hands up, yelling to them..."this is my first 5k running!!!".  The clapping and "woohoos" got louder.

I finished the 5k in 39 minutes, 47 seconds. If I had registered as a runner, I would have ranked 76 out of 88 runners. To some that may sound horrible, to me its beautiful.

And as I recall it now, my eyes fill up again...I can not explain how POWERFUL this accomplishment is for me. For all the people that supported me, donated, encouraged me...i'm eternally grateful. It was a very powerful day for me. One that ranks up there with my solo trip to London and the day I moved my life to New York City back in 1997.

Yesterday, I ran for the first time since the race and did a very respectable two miles without much issue. Amazing.

It stuns me that I have become this person. But oh...it feels so amazing. Its something I want to share with everyone I meet, which is why its inevitable that there will be a career change for me at some point. But for now, I want and need to learn more and just keep sharing the power and strength of taking control of your health.

Oh...and yes, I will be registering for MORE 5ks...in the early Spring...and I'm encouraging folks to come along and do it with me. If I could do it...trust me...so can you.

It was a gorgeous day for a run
in Roger Williams Park.
October 20th 2012

5k accomplishment

My intent was to run atleast 1 mile of today's 5k...I ran the ENTIRE 5k, start to finish...I am over the moon..never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to do this...but here I am.

Thank you to everyone that supported me and have followed my progress. It's an amazing feeling.

I will post a much more in depth blog about this experience...there is much value in it. But could not wait to share this accomplishment.

goal & score!

I am over the moon!!!! Big news!!!

Thanks to the generous support and donations of friends & family, i have successfully reached my $500 fundraising goal for tomorrow's Free to Breathe Providence 5K!!!

Woohoo!!!

I am both nervous and excited about tomorrow morning's 5k. Although my plan is to run 1 mile of the 3 miles, its still the first time i have ever run in any kind of race for any amount of time. It is also the first time I am running outside the safety of my cozy little neighborhood block.

I can't believe the day is just about here. I plan on getting to the location bright and early so i have some time to get myself together and prepared for what i am sure will be an amazing, empowering and emotional time.

thank you again for following this part of my journey...its only the beginning...

Seeing is believing

Had to capture the improvement in my belly since quitting granola. Almost wish I'd taken a pic of the ole belly before so you could understand the dramatic difference!

granola - the enemy within!

So...i'm sort of piggy backing on to yesterday's blog which, as you may or may not have read, was dedicated to hot flashes. Partnered with the hot flashes over the past month has been an on again/off again issue with belly bloat.

Now here's the thing...

I'm not going to get all "womanly up-in-my business" in my blog BUT I will share that this bod-o-mine was retaining fluid as the montly "friend" approached (not really my friend at this point though, just a huge freakin' inconvenience...but i digress...)

Anyway, although I knew that was a factor, the one thing i did NOT know was also a HUGE factor in my belly bump bloat was...{cue the music - dun dun dahhhhhh]

GRANOLA!

Ah yes. In my usual Rachel fashion...i find a yummy, healthy food and eat so much of it that it does the exact reverse for me that it should have been doing if I exercised this little thing called "moderation".

And I wasn't eating crap brand granola either...i was eating yummy, delicious 100% natural ingredient Bare Naked granola with protein.

I discovered this tidbit gem of information after stumbling on this article - "9 Faux Health Foods That'll Blow Up Your Belly". Its states that "1/3 of a cup — ONE-THIRD — packs nearly 200 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 8 grams of sugar. Have you ever had granola? 1/3 cup is literally only 3 spoonfuls". I was eating way way more than 3 spoonfuls everyday.

VERY BAD.

And let me clarify here, granola, the type i was eating was not necessarily "bad" - but BAD for me because i did not use moderation, i went all out.

So, three days later and my lady-business bloat has subsided but more importantly, after shutting down the granola intake to ZERO --lo and behold...my nearly flat tummy has re-appeared {insert singing angels here}!!!

This was a very important learning opportunity to me. Just because a food is 100% natural and better for you than sticking a candy bar in your mouth - it does not mean it will be optimal for the health and aesthetics of your physical form.

I'm learning to embrace oatmeal and made a delicious oatmeal/pumpkin bar with almond milk, puree'd pumpkin and steel cut oats. I'm crumbling a very small bit of it on my greek yogurt in place of my now missed granola...and its WAY WAY better for bod and the belly. (and i used cinnamon as a seasoning so its super yummy and flavorful).

I can't even begin to explain the confusion I was experiencing the past month...i knew i was a little bloated, but had no idea how much of this came from the increasing granola intake. I feel really relieved honestly. All the progress in my body is starting to re-appear again, i need to learn, learn, learn and read, read, read because the fitness and nutrition media bandwagon is too closely married to product marketing (i should know, i work in marketing).

I plan on listing some low cal/low fat snack options that won't increase your waistline, confuse your common sense or make your belly bloat. Tune back in SOON!

I shall miss you granola...

but you and I just weren't built to last!

In honor of hot flashes...

Today's blog focus, thanks to my day long battle with hot flashes and headaches, is surrounding the issue of fitness/nutrition while in the not so beautiful glow of perimenopause. Being 42 comes with a whole host of issues that are seperate and apart from the standard, you need to move your ass to keep it looking good issue.

As someone who is currently entering peri-menopause at a breakneck speed, I thought it may be beneficial to offer an article link today that offer some helpful information on fitness for those of us approaching full blown menopause (ie perimenopause), or in the throws of it currently. I particularly like this article: Future Fitness Plan Pre- and Post Menopause Fitness in More Magazine. The article advises what may seem like an awful lot of working out - cardio, strength train, targeting the lower belly...but as someone who has discovered fitness later in life...my challenges are doubly difficult...for instance...in all those beautiful progress photos I've shared, my belly was flat...the past two weeks...NOT flat...and there has been no major change to my routine which means I need to amp it up, pay stricter attention to what i'm eating and learn to target that area.

That said, I did a full hour work out yesterday and will be hitting the pavement for a run after work. The hormones are all over the place today between headaches and hot flashes I'm a supa-dupa mess...but you know what helps? Keeping to my fitness and nutrition goals...its better to arrive late to this world of healthy living than not at all.

wHealthySolutions App

Just discovered this while visiting my Twitter feed  - BRILLANT. That is all...check it out...http://www.whealthysolutions.com/app/

"wHealthy Solutions Launches the First Scientific-based Social Network Service Focused on Healthy Nutrition: Expert Rankings Combined with Communal Wisdom Help People Make Smarter Nutritional Choices Wherever They Shop ― Free FoodSmart App Available in Apple App Store and Google Play Store Now"

Fitness Blogs for Women

Came across some helpful best fitness/nutrition blog link lists...wanted to share!

Grit & Glimmer - Love the name of this blog! Found a really cool "Three Fitness Blogs for Women That Actually Don't Suck" page on this blog...interesting stuff. Especially the http://www.stumptuous.com/ blog. Talks about being a woman going through hormonal changes and how it impacts your body (its the latest blog entry).

Greatist.com has an extensive "60 Must-Read Health & Fitness Blogs for 2012" list that will take me a while to get through but love that it breaks it down by categories of interest (ie running, nutrition, strength training, weight loss, etc).

I was intrigued by this blog http://www.themoreirun.com/. I only just skimmed the blog but I think there is a lot I can personally learn from this one (career wise/assisting people with fitness goals). The blog does reference her faith beliefs in areas of the site, which personally, i find noteworthy since I believe in a mind, body, spirit connection. (though I would never expect everyone to think/feel that way).

I will list & share more as I find them!

making time/1 mile

So i know..i'm slacking again on my blog.

i'm feeling a little disconnect lately regarding my fitness regimine. I'm having a REALLY hard time finding TIME to do what i need to do for me the way i was doing it before. That said...

...i read a really inspiring status last week on Instagram.(someone I follow). She spoke about how she's a single mom, has a million things to do everyday, but she MAKES time to workout everyday. So if it means getting up at 6:00am to squeeze in a 30 minute workout, she does it.

THIS is what I need to start doing. This month I'm really struggling because a little of the progress i've seen over the past two months has slid back. There are few reasons for this...one related to just to the fact i'm a woman in my 40's fighting against bloat and hormone insanity, but mostly from inconsistency in my workouts AND realizing that the ridiculous amounts of Bare Naked granola i've been consuming might very well be contributing to my dissappearing flat tummy that i was so proud of only a month ago. So...

Starting today...back at it. A month from now I will have all my progress back and then some. A commitment to myself. I vowed I could rock a two piece bathing suit on my cruise the end of November and that goal is STILL within reach. Of course, that's not the driving force, the driving force is I want to see how good this body can feel and look, to see it accomplish more than it ever has had an opportunity to accomplish before...and speaking of accomplishments...

Even with all this warding off of negativity in my own head, i am HAPPY to report...I finally ran my mile. YES! I did. Despite the not being thrilled with my regression in how my body "looks" I'm apparently progressing in the running. I ran my first full mile on Sunday morning. Took me 11.5 minutes, but who cares! I did it. And it felt and feels awesome.

This Saturday is the Free to Breathe 5K and i'm so excited to know that I am atleast somewhat prepared to do the mile run of the 3 mile walk/run. It was the goal I set for myself back in July and here I am. Right on track.

So, I guess with the bad comes good and vice versa - these are the real challenges of trying to live a healthy lifestyle everyday, paired with society based pressures on women of being a size 2 but maintaining curves (um, how?). But all and all, I feel very in touch now with the direction I need to go from this point forward. I'm serious in my heart/mind about wanting to make my way into a career that focuses on helping people become the healthiest version of themselves (not skinny!!!) - but HEALTHY. So I guess i'm my first client. And that's kind of exciting.

Tomorrow the gym down the street opens and I intend to learn as much as I can about the machines, the free weight area, the "everything". Also think I need to start talking to folks that have made this a career for themselves so that I can understand what my path may look like and should look like.

I leave you now with my latest stats, a pic from my autumn run and one of my most favorite fitspiration reasons currently...let's hang tough folks. Let's keep pushing through to improve and get stronger...because despite the set backs and the struggles, we are still worth it.

lots on the mind

So yesterday I ran, feeling good to be back in the flow of things. Still have a slight tweak of discomfort in the area where I had pain before, but stretching, ibuprophen, and an increased need to learn is keeping me up on what I need to keep me moving. I've recommitted to doing a formal workout session everyday (even if only 20 minutes) because it seems for me my body NEEDS to have some level of workout/fitness to keep progress moving. I'm sort of at a leveled off point right now and that's mostly due to the two weeks I was injured and derailed myself from working out.

Here are some stats from yesterday's run Couch to 5K session:



And here is a beautiful shot of my early evening Autumn run...

(because its tradition for me to take these!)



I know i've mentioned this before, but my Planet Fitness membership is officially active on Wednesday of next week. I can NOT wait. I need some sessions with a trainer to identify some areas that need serious attenion...those being core, balance and how to prevent injuries through proper stretching/warm-up techniques. I'm also full steam ahead on researching various certifications and even an online BA in Exercise Science degree program.

Its all very exciting...life feels really good right now...and having control of my health has SO much to do with it. I never truly got the connection to "body, mind, spirit" until recently.

Very powerful.

Lastly here are some of my favorites fit-spirations for today...

Pros & Cons - Coffee Style

Quinoa vs Brown Rice

Here's some helpful info regading the Quinoa vs Brown Rice match-up. Personally, I have yet to try Quinoa (which I still can not pronounce, thank you very much) - but its up there on my list of new to try foods. Here are the details....!

chassis vs engine (running)

...and here's where i screwed up a couple weeks ago and how i got injured..."It takes weeks for your "structural body" to catch up to your "metabolic body." Said another way, you can build your engine—your heart and lungs—faster than your can build your chassis­—your bones, tendons and ligaments." Um yeah, NOW I get it! And won't forget it!

Excellent article with VERY helpful info for beginning runners...there is never enough tips and information sharing on this topic (as far as i'm concerned!) RUNNING TO LOSE WEIGHT

 

knowledge is power

Read and learn...its what i'm doing everyday.

 

strength is BACK

Feeling absolutely amazing again...tackled another C25K session...had to go backwards to go forwards...but i could care less, right now this is all about getting my strength back and sustaining my run time.

I am thrilled to be back outside and running. There are no words. My vow this time though is to maintain my strength and cardio sessions in conjunction with the running sessions. It was those strength and cardio sessions that brought me such progress in the first place. In order to run, injury free, I need to really improve on the strength of my core. Something that has always been a weak spot for me. Really starting to understand the dynamics of what my body needs in order to progress forward and keep the obstacles to a minimum. Oh, and do not understand the importance of STRETCHING. that was another big aha for me recently, its making all the difference in the world.

And since its been a while since I will be posting shortly some inspirational quotes and helpful resource info...i mean this really is about sharing the knowledge and the power to transform more than anything. 

Its about the journey...

All I can say is YAY! I ran today, for the first time in 2 weeks. It ended up being an early evening run vs my usual early morning. I felt I needed to be really at my best and fueled fully and early morning wouldn't work best for this re-entry into my running schedule.

I can tell you that although I needed to set myself back a week or more on the Couch to 5K training, its worth it to make sure I don't over do it. Felt great even though I could tell the time away definitely impacted my progress. But its progress I will gain back. Below is my screenshot from my MapMyRun app....something went a little wonky with it (note the MAX #????) but the calorie burn and pace/speed seem about right. I did just over 2 miles in 31 minutes (at a walk/run pace) so I was sort of pleased with that all in all.

I felt some slight soreness not long after the run in my hip/leg but very little. I did some moving around/stretching along with an Ibuprofen and it seemed to completely remedy any ache I had. The key here is for me to realize how important STRETCHING is...both before and now, I realize, after as well.

All in all, I'm thrilled. I am anxious to get back the leaness I started to witness in my body back when I was doing this religiously but all in good time. 

And in this particular case, for me, the joy is found in the journey, not the destination.

Read

Found this graphic very helpful!!! Read what you are putting in your body!

Run ...

Tomorrow morning, after a two week break I return to running. I am easing my way back in and am promising myself that I will not push my body back into pain. I am excited and nervous...I'll report how it goes.

Back from NYC!

Well I dropped off the radar as expected...spent the past few days in my love of a city NYC. Amazing and re-energizing time! I allowed myself the freedom to indulge in fresh baked breads and fresh made pasta...and it shows - despite the fact that I used the hotel fitness room (albeit breifly) and WALKED everywhere!

So...back on the wagon today. Market for some healthy eats in the house and then Perkins 360 Fitness DVD in its entirety! And the best news?

Tomorrow morning...I get to RUN again! Woot!