It's You vs You

I just saw an advertisement in a running magazine with that header, and it got me thinking. I do believe that in our daily lives, it is "you vs. you" - in a lot of ways. Unfortunately, most of my negative feedback comes from my own negative self-talk. For me, at least, I rarely encounter insults or criticism from others, but instead hear all kinds of put-downs in my own mind: "Don't wear that, it makes you look fat"; "Why are you eating AGAIN!"; "I have the worst thighs ever!!". I turn against myself - me vs. me.

From that perspective, I need to get back on my own side. Breaking the bad habit of a poor self image is difficult, but I can try to address it as it emerges by focusing on the aspects of my self that I like and giving myself positive feedback for my little successes. When a disparaging thought about myself arises, I can actively send that thought away and not spend time obsessing over it.

But "You vs. You" can take on another, more positive, connotation when it comes to competition. Whenever I go to a race, my girls ask me, "Mommy, are you going to win? Did you win today?" But of course, as a beginning runner in my mid-30s, I am never going in to a race with the intention of finishing first. I do have goals, but they all relate to beating my own times. If I fixate on the other, more experienced, faster and better runners, I could get discouraged and lose the motivation to run completely. Instead, I look up to them as examples of what can be achieved, admire their prowess, and scout out helpful hints for my own training. When I run, I run for myself, and am competing with myself to improve my performance - me vs. me.

Instead of looking outward, today I am going to focus on myself and the role that I have in promoting my own health and well-being: creating positive energy that be channeled into moving me beyond my comfort zone into a higher level of fitness.

Today's workout:
40 min. progression run (30 min easy/10 min 3% inc. w/ 2x speed interval)
30 min. ballet body class (interrupted by baby in child care)
60 min. yoga

Tangible Rewards

Sometimes it's difficult to see your progress when you are working out ... today I picked out one of my favorite pairs of jeans for "date night" - when I pulled the jeans up, I realized that I could slide into them with ease! These jeans used to pull tightly across the waist and barely button up. I was so excited to see how much more comfortably they fit now. I was so pleased that I finally got the energy to hem the bottom of the legs, instead of letting them drag on the ground! Yay!

Today's workout
60 min elliptical (2 x 30 min. bookending workout - weight loss/interval programs)
30 min resistance training

Ultimate Mailbox Fitness Challenge

We had a free morning today so the kids and I decided to take a walk. I am always looking for ways to encourage my children to be more active, and they definitely had a lot of extra energy to burn today! Here is the fun activity into which we channeled all that excess energy:

Using mailboxes as landmarks, I designated a different activity to do in between each one. For example, run to the next mailbox/skip to the next mailbox, etc. The kids had a great time and of course, each mailbox was a new race. For my younger daughter, some of the activities were coordination or balance challenges, but she had a great time anyway. If you don't have curbside mailboxes in your neighborhood, you can use driveways or telephone poles or any other regularly occurring marker as the stop/start point.

Here are some suggestions for "mailbox challenge" activities (if necessary, demonstrate - for more laughs and to set a good example, join in on the fun yourself!):

• run
• skip
• hop
• hop on one foot
• march
  
• long jump
• jumping jacks
• lunges
• walk backwards
• side step
• gallop

The possibilities are endless. Get your family outside while the weather is still nice and try a "mailbox challenge" of your own!

Today's workout:
45 min. elliptical hill interval (6.39 mi)
30 min. strength training
60 min. yoga

New Beginnings

Today was D's first day of kindergarten. I always thought that I would be choked up and sad about reaching this milestone, but mostly I found that I am just really proud of how grown-up my daughter is and excited for her to delve into the adventure of REAL school! I don't think she was (is!) truly prepared for how different kindergarten is from preschool, but she will soon find out!As they say - breakfast is the most important meal of the day! If it's a weekend or a special day, Daddy makes it even more special by preparing his special homemade waffles! Yum!
D's school shares the same building as her sister's preschool. Gotta do the obligatory by-the-sign pose, right?
She couldn't wait to get to kindergarten! She didn't want to wait for daddy to meet us, she was rushing to GET IN THE DOOR!!
I think nerves started to set in though, once we actually got in.
She loves having her own cubby. She is also wearing her very own kippah (required for boys AND girls at her school).
Her class is taught by two teachers - Miss Claire teaches general studies and Miss Annelynn teaches Judaics. D loves them both already! Her day today was very short - only an hour and a half. They ease them in, apparently. Their day consisted of learning each other's names, exploring the classroom, and talking about appropriate behavior.
We celebrate the special day afterwards with lunch at Nordstrom Bistro.

And then, since we were there, we bought new shoes!
Today marked another touchstone in Dovi's year - the last day of her horseback riding lessons for the summer.
The lessons were more than just a fun diversion; she acquired real skills. In the beginning, she always rode with the instructor on the back, she is now riding confidently on her own. She can walk and canter the horse, sitting or standing in the saddle. She can steer the horse, get it moving from a stopped position and even get the horse to walk backwards.
Muscles! Taking horseback riding also teaches D responsibility. She doesn't just get to do the "fun" stuff - she is also expected to carry her equipment and gear, help groom the horse, and lead the horse in and out of the stall. These can be hard jobs and I think it's great that she is learning how to get her hands dirty.
Keith is a true cowboy and an excellent teacher. We look forward to taking lessons again next year at Autumn Rose Farms.

I hope today marks the beginning of a wonderful journey for our oldest daughter!

Today's workout:
15 min. stretch
60 min. easy run (6 mi)
25 min. strength training
60 min. yoga

If you can't have a coach, be a coach!

So says Brad Hudson, former competitive runner and now coach to the athletic elite, in his book Run Faster: From the 5K to the Marathon. His book arrived today from Amazon and I seriously cannot put it down!

He explains his approach to training clearly and outlines the rules and principles behind his method. His theories make a lot of sense and are completely based on the individual needs and abilities of each runner. He has dubbed his style of training "adaptive running" because each runner needs to develop the flexibility to adapt their training regimen to their unique situation.

Hudson builds on his vast knowledge of a training techniques from coaches around the world and uses his own experience, including his own mistakes, to help improve the speed and performance of his athletes. His workouts strive to improve three aspects: aerobic capacity, neuromuscular strength and specific race endurance. I really love that he is telling us to listen to our bodies and modify as needed. He points out that if we are constantly pushing ourselves beyond our limits, then we will become injured or over-fatigued and ultimately sabotage ourselves. Instead, if we modify as necessary and challenge ourselves at appropriate levels, then we can maximize our performance.

I haven't finished the book yet, but I can't wait to get into the "meatier" chapters and apply his principles to my own workouts!

Today's workout:
15 min. stretch
45 min. tempo run (4.29 miles)
25 min. strength training
60 min. yoga

Attitude Adjustment

So, today was G's first day back to preschool! Last year, she HATED going to preschool. She literally kicked, screamed and ran away whenever I dropped her off. We had to firmly close the door behind her everytime I crammed her into the classroom, otherwise, she would grab her coat and be off and running. You could hear her shrieks all through the corridors of the school. So I was quite worried about her reaction this year, especially since she is attending a new school and doesn't know any of her classmates.

Things started off great - she was excited to hear the deejay on Sirius/XM Radio "Kids Place Live" wish her a good first day at preschool, mention her by name, and play her favorite song, Laurie Berkner's "Mouse in my Toolbox." She insisted I take this picture of her getting out of the car. She doesn't look too worried about going into preschool, does she?
She is proudly displaying her Dora the Explorer book - carrying books and magazines around has replaced her previous obsession with carrying a purse around. But she's still smiling - that's what's important!

She refused to have her picture taken next to her classroom door - that's my daughter I know and love, obstinate to the core.

Still smiling and fairly friendly with her new teacher.

"See you later, mom!" WHAT?!!? Whose kid is this? No tears! No sadness! No hanging onto my leg! I can't even believe it! But ......... what will she look like when I come and pick her up?
Riding a kiddie roller coaster on her classroom playground is what she looked like. Having a ton of fun and didn't even run to me to leave (as she did last year as soon as she saw me). She even wanted to play more before she left. Wow. I'm so impressed.

She taught me a lesson today about expectations. I have been very stressed about all the changes in our lives. Seeing G tackle this new and unknown place with such a positive attitude helps me realize that I should be setting the positive example, instead of learning it from my three-year-old daughter. The fact that she can completely adjust her outlook and behavior, even in a new environment, gives me reason to adopt a more constructive approach myself. I was so proud of her today for growing and changing and thriving! I hope I can continue to modify my attitude to match the positive tone that she has set.

"Yoga inspires change. It's a tool to help you drop negative habits and adopt helpful ones, to embrace whatever the present and future hold....you must assess what you're hiding from and be willing to change." (Max Strom)

Today's workout:
50 min. VO2 max interval run (5.29 mi)
60 min. ballet body class
60 min. yoga

Yoga Marathon

As part of Lifetime Fitness' "Big 16" promotional events this summer, they hosted a Yoga Marathon today at their Life Studio. We practiced for a two hour session. The gym located in Dublin, OH has a beautiful yoga studio, but unfortunately, it is woefully under-utilized.

Today's class was great, though - a vinyasa flow practice that just flew by. We did some sun salutations, a hard-core standing flow that left my quadriceps burning, some standing balance poses and a few seated forward bends. It reminded me that although the Primary Series is a wonderful way to practice yoga, I should keep my practice varied and bring in some other poses as well.

I hope that Lifetime opens up some more yoga classes - engaging in a home practice is rewarding, but there is something special to practicing with a community of yogis.

Racing with the Fam

Today I ran in the "Panerathon" 5K, a race benefiting the Children's Hunger Alliance. I went in knowing that my training of late has not been as intense as usual, due to my getting through a case of shingles (yuck). So, my goal going in was to come in faster than 25:00 - and I met that goal! So, even though I was 27 seconds slower than my last race, my finish time was a respectable 24:07 -- not amazing, but not too bad either. I was third in my age group, 76th overall.

The race itself was fairly large (560 runners), and many of the runners were quite fit and FAST! I was passed by many runners at the start of the race, but I found my pace and was able to maintain a fairly quick pace through the first two miles, and felt good. Unfortunately, though, I definitely started to feel it in that last mile.

Today was a fun day though - the family came and watched me run! There was even a kids' run in which D decided to participate.
Here are all the kids lined up and ready to go ... D is in the middle of this melee.

She was very excited before the race started. She told me, "Sometimes I get tired when I run, and then I have to walk." I told her that was OK.
And she's off! That's D on the far right.
D ran fast! It was billed as a quarter mile fun run, but that was the shortest quarter mile ever! It was more like a quarter of a quarter-mile (or, as my husband says, an eighth of a mile).
Afterward, she got a medal. She was very proud of herself, and we were proud of her too! I thought she would be excited about the medal, but she whispered to me, "Mommy, EVERYBODY got a medal." I guess she realizes what Dash in the Incredibles movie realized when told that everyone is special: "which is another way of saying no one is."
While I was running, D&G visited the various booths around the area, including the SWAT team (note the helmet and goggles), firefighters, Columbus Zoo, Ohio Wildlife Center, the Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and others. A great time was had by all!

Better School Lunches

School is starting soon and my daughter and I just went through the hot lunch menu and decided which days she is going to buy and which days I am going to be packing a meal. It turns out I am going to be packing a LOT of lunches!!! Luckily, I just got an e-mail from Whole Foods with lots of ideas about packing healthy lunches. Here is a helpful video with several thoughtful ideas for packing healthy, less wasteful lunches.

Today's workout:

45 min. elliptical (hill plus interval) (6.87 miles)

30 min. strength training

60 min. yoga

Sweaty Mama

I just completed a hard-core hour of power yoga and I am ridiculously sweaty! I used to not sweat so much when I worked out, but since I've raised the bar in the past few months with more cardio, I definitely see a difference in how much I sweat.

I was wondering what the relationship is between sweating and exercise: that is, does increased sweating correlate with burning more calories?

Sweating is a mechanism to cool down an elevated body temperature. When you work your muscles, the energy that powers your muscles is lost as heat, raising your core temperature. Perspiration is released, evaporates and cools the skin. Sweating demonstrates that your body is working efficiently to cool itself, a process that does burn some calories. By far, though, the greatest impact on caloric expenditure is going to be the frequency and power of the muscle contractions that creates the heat in your body. The more you exercise, the more efficient your muscles get at using energy and burning up those calories.

So keep those muscles pumping and don't be afraid to get sweaty!

Today's workout:
15 min. stretch
35 min. elliptical (weight loss interval)
60 min. power yoga

Creating Active Families

More and more children in the United States are suffering from obesity, which leads to numerous health problems in childhood that continue into adulthood. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of overweight preschoolers has risen from 5% between 1976-1980 up to 11% today.

Families can help combat this distressing trend by working to develop active lifestyles that foster healthy habits in their children. Today, we pulled out our Yoga Pretzels cards - a fun way to get kids moving, stretching and doing something different and new.

The cards are laminated, beautifully illustrated (by Sophie Fatus) with the pose on one side and instructions on the other. Yoga Ed., an organization that brings yoga to children in schools, developed the cards based on the book My Daddy is a Pretzel by Baron Baptiste. There are 9 different types of cards - Breathe, Game, Balance, Stand, Forward Bend, Back Bend, Twist & Stretch, Partner and Time In.

My kids couldn't wait to try all the different poses. They wanted to jump right in! What I really like about the cards is that the instructions walk the kids into and out of the poses with easy to understand instructions. Each instruction is accompanied by a positive thought that can help guide the kids into feeling strong, empowered and focused - and they often make the instructions for doing the pose more clear. For example, the thoughts that go with the instructions on "Tree":

1. I send roots down deep into the earth.
2. I am focused and stable.
3. I reach high to the sky.
4. I am a beautiful tree.

I like that not only do the cards encourage my kids to be active, but they help turn their thoughts inward and clear their minds. My kids often need a way to harness the energy in their bodies positively - and these cards are great for that!

Yoga Pretzels cards are available through BarefootBooks.com for $14.99.

Today's workout:
15 min. stretching
45 min. hill interval run (4.25 miles)
30 min. strength training

Ballet Core Work

Today I took a "ballet body" class at my gym.  Everyone knows what beautiful bodies ballerinas have!  A strong core is essential to executing their graceful dance moves.  I will share with you some of the ab-strengthening exercises that we did today, plucked right from a dancer's workout!

Supine Leg Lift with Bent Knee

• Lie on your back, both legs raised straight up in the air at a 90 degree angle to the floor.  Point your toes.  (As pictured)
• Keeping your right leg straight, bend your left knee, bringing your left toe to your right knee.
• Keeping your left toe in position on your right knee and keeping your right leg straight, lower your legs to the ground and then raise them back up, returning them to their original position.
• Switch legs and repeat.  Do 20 reps, alternating sides.

Flying Butterfly Curl

• Lie down on your back, with your ankles touching in butterfly position.  Arms should be out to your sides, curled up slightly, not resting on the ground.
• As you bring your knees together, bring your arms up in front of your body and your hands together.  Take your knees and arms back down to the starting position.  Your body will almost look like a butterfly in flight.
• Add a crunch to the movement as you bring your arms and knees up.
• Repeat 20 times.

If you add these moves to your regular workout, you are on your way to having a ballerina body!

Today's workout:

20 min elliptical machine (hill interval/2.90 miles)

60 min ballet body class

90 min primary series Ashtanga yoga

Road v. Treadmill

So we were crunched for time this morning, and after some schedule wrangling and compromising with the husband, we decided that I should go for a run outside this morning instead of schlepping out to the gym. I normally don't run outside unless I'm doing a race.

Obviously, lots of people prefer running outside for a variety of reasons. Some feel less bored - the changing scenery can be invigorating. When you run outdoors, you encounter lots of challenges that you won't face on a treadmill - wind resistance, curbs, hills, traffic, weather. Some people enjoy this variability, while others find it distracting and nerve-wracking (I'm with the latter group, thank you very much). The road is a harder surface than the treadmill, and can be more jarring on your joints. Running outside is a harder workout because you are pushing yourself forward whereas on a treadmill you are running in place, and the moving belt is doing a lot of the work for you.

When you run on a treadmill at zero incline, you are actually running slightly slower than you would on the road at the same pace because you are not overcoming air resistance on the treadmill. Check out this conversion chart to find out the road pace compared to the treadmill.

I get that the treadmill workout is not nearly as difficult -- I can feel the difference when I run outside compared with inside. However, I still prefer the treadmill. The surface of the treadmill is "springy" and helps keeps my joints protected. This is important for me since I am starting to run at a comparatively older age (33) than when most runners start out. (I'm no high school track runner, that's for sure!) But honestly, even though it's not AS hard as running outside, it's still hard! I'm still working!

Also, being a control freak, I really like the ability to have a controlled environment. The gym is always air-conditioned and good weather - I am a diva when it comes to being outside in inclement weather. You will never see me slogging through the rain or snow. Also, even if the treadmill speed and incline settings are somewhat off when compared to running in the "real world", I don't really care. When I run outside, I feel like I have no idea what is happening - no clue how fast I am running, what is going on with the incline, if I am maintaining the same pace throughout, how hard I am working. It comforts me to be able to read all of that information on the display in front of me.

While we each have our own preferences, and there are pros and cons to both, I think I'm definitely a treadmill runner!

Today's workout:
10 min. stretch
40 min. run outdoors
(hopefully later - 60 min. yoga)

The Bean Turns One!

We celebrated my baby's first birthday today! I can't believe he's already one!
The kids (and nana) loved the bounce house.
Friends and family came together to celebrate my boy's special day.
We are always happy when our friends can come and play!
It was a hot day, so the kids were super excited when the ice cream truck showed up. This was daddy's fantastic idea. The kids slurped down their fun treats and got completely sticky and messy - of course!



The birthday boy got to pull the first string on the pinata!



Mad dash for the candy and toys!


Proud parents of our (almost) one-year-old!!!

He wasn't too sure about what to do with the cake.

So he had a little help getting his hands in there.
He wasn't quite sure about all this mess ...

... but it just got worse!

No choice but for him to get naked for the rest of the party!
And a little more bounce before they took away the jumpy!

What a fun day! The last baby turns one. I can't believe it.