Fab Fit Squad

Most people think because you are a personal trainer you are super human… UMMM NO.

image fitsugar

We have those days when we don’t want to work out and sometimes even when we set a fitness goal and get in the middle of training we say to ourselves, what did I sign myself up for.

That is me right now. Literally I signed up to the Miami half marathon. (I am registered, have a non-refundable plane ticket and hotel) Just 6 short weeks ago I thought it would be a fun challenge and keep me motivated through the holidays. WELP.. not so much. Today’s 19 degrees with a wind chill of 4 and I had to do 4 miles. Go ahead and call me a wimp, but this kid wasn’t going outside. So.. instead I decided I could suck it up and run on the treadmill for 4 miles how hard go it be.  In a word FREAK’N HARD!!!

Well.. even though the Jessica Simpson E True Hollywood story was on I still felt like a Gerbil on a wheel  so…4 treadmills, yes 4 treadmills every mile I moved one, because I was BORED out of mind and thought that would help not so much. This weekend I have to do 8 miles.. I really need to check the forecast… there is NO WAY I can do it on the treadmill.

So here I am 7 weeks away and wondering seriously who do I think I am. Should I be running a half  marathon?

Last week I ran my 1st Turkey Trot, just 4 miles through a neighboring town on Thanksgiving. For Thanksgiving it was a nice day here in New England. I typically run mid morning, so this was my first early run, so I was testing what to eat. I decided on having a banana and a cup of coffee. Come on. I can’t leave the house without coffee, so it a must have! I ate it 1 hour prior to the race so that I plenty of time to digest it right!

Well at mile 4 I get sharp stabbing pains in my back, but I didn’t STOP I

kept going and finished the race in 39 min. My goal to run less than 10 min/mile and I did despite the stabbing pains in my back and having to pee. Yes, at mile 2 the coffee that I had to have needed to make an exit. So.. I guess my motivation to run a fast as I could was there.

Lesson learned for the Miami 1/2 Marathon — figure out my food and pee management.

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Tis the season for family gatherings filled with tasty and tempting treats. How can one not be tempted? Here are some tips to help you stay on track!

1. Have a Fitness Plan: Every Sunday I set down and schedule in my workouts and treat them like an appointment I can’t break. So. go ahead and grab your calendar and schedule in your workouts. Without this written commitment it’s a slippery slope to not working out until after the holidays are over. So set a plan and STICK with. Need someone to hold you accountable, give me a shoot me an email.
2. Moderation: You can have a small taste, without blowing it! Allow yourself to indulge a little here and there, but limit your portions. When you are out make smart decisions around where you will indulge and most importantly don’t feel guilty about it.
3. Do Something Active Each Day: Even if you only have 30 minutes, you can go for a walk, short run, or take a group fitness class, but make sure you move! This will help burn off some of those indulgences and help reduce some of that holiday stress. (more…)

So, I’m going for one of my goals. I have been thinking about running a half marathon for about 10 years. I stopped running because of the pain in my ass. I started working with a great posture guy and I was able to run the Falmouth Road Race (7.1 miles) 2 times without pain. So now I’m going to go for it.  The race is on Sunday, January 31st and my half marathon training starts on Monday!

As I begin my half marathon journey I will keep you all updated on how I’m doing. Today was a rare warm November day in New England.  I decided to go for  a little mini run (4 miles) and right now I feeling like seriously, am I going to make it 4 miles were tough! Here is my training schedule for this week.

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Just kidding! Here we are on the cusp on Halloween and you trying to build your courage and willpower. I get it, you live in a neighborhood where there are a ton of kids and if you don’t buy a truckload of candy your house will get egged or on November 2nd you are going to walk in to find your office filled with candy landmines. Hear are 4 tips to avoid that?

1. Buy candy you don’t like. That way you are less tempted to nibble between trick or treaters
2. Can you go candy free and not the be the weird house in the neighborhood? Could you have out granola bars or snack packs of nuts
3. Don’t buy loose candy. Trust me I love me some candy corn, but if I buy a bag it’s going down!!! As my coach would say jackass behavior is going to happen.
4. Heading to a Halloween party, how about bring the healthy appetizer or entree to share.
5. Just stay away, because they are small doesn’t mean that don’t pack on the calories. To find out how many calories, check this out.
   

On Wednesday, the TV show Cougar Town premieres on ABC. When I first heard about this show and let me take a step back, when I heard the word COUGAR I would get pissed off. I thought because a women is strong and goes for what she wants, why does she have to be a called a cougar. When a man goes for what he wants, he is called DRIVEN, DETERMINED or SUCCESSFUL.

I found a site the helped me change my mind about the term cougar.  A Real Cougar is a woman who is strong, confident, independent, sexy and proud to be past 35.

When I read I said this definition, I embraced and finally came to terms with the word cougar. Taking a look back at myself in my 20s, I remember discovering who I was in terms of my career and the woman I wanted to be living on my own for the first time. Many women work DAMN hard to discover themselves in their own terms. So I ask you ~ why does the term COUGAR have be a bad thing. Go ahead and call me a cougar. I am in the best shape of my life and living my best life with no regrets.

If you know who you are and you are not afraid to show it, embrace your cougar pride!  The Fabulous Fit Squad is all about empowerment and going for it.  So embrace your inner cougar and GO FOR IT!

Let me clarify for a minute, when I say go for it, I’m not saying put on your best push up bra and head to your nearest bar. What I am saying is look in the mirror and ask yourself are you living your best life? Are you:

• taking a stand and making things happen
• thinking age is nothing but a number
• done listening to other people and finally tuned your inner voice ~ positive talk only please
• working out and staying healthy and active
• financially independent or working towards that goal

Don’t be afraid start living your life to its full potential.  In the comments right below tell me how your embracing your inner cougar.

When you are sick, moderate exercise is permissible. In fact research shows that people who exercise regularly a get sick less frequently, but there does come a time when you are too sick to workout.

• We’ve all hear the above the neck  rule — stuffy nose, scratchy throat, headache– you are okay to workout if you feel up to it.
• If you have a fever, congestion or feel achy stay home! It may be
  something more serious than the common cold

If you do decide to keep working make sure you stay hydrated, over the counter drugs and/or prescription drugs may leave you dehydrated and a little light headed. Be extra careful and make sure you are wiping down machines before and after using and be sure not to touch your face.  Keep your eye on your activity level, now isn’t the time to push it.

Urban myth alert — There is no evidence that you can run or sweat out a cold.

5 ways to avoid catching a cold.

Since last March all we have heard back is the SWINE! Swine flu, this and swine flu that. So winters coming and flu season will be upon us,here are some steps to avoid catching it and/or spreading the flu

1. cover your mouth when cough or sneeze — use a tissue or cough/sneeze into your shoulder
2. wash your hands frequently with hot water and soap
3. avoid contact with anyone who is sick
4. if you are sick STAY home
5. make sure you are eating and sleeping

Top 10 things you need to know about the swine

I have had sciatica pain since for the past several years. I couldn’t drive more than 30 minutes without pain shooting down my right leg and running an activity that I thoroughly enjoy was PAINFUL. So I started stretching and STOPPED running. This year was my 15th anniversary and we decided to run the Falmouth Road Race, there is that word RUN.  So … if I was going to run 7.2 miles I would need to get rid of my sciatic pain for good.
So I sought out a posture specialist, Aaron Brooks of Perfect Postures to help treat my sciatica. Why did I go to a posture specialist, my hips have been tight my hold life and so I felt that my sciatica was caused by a muscle imbalance that through sciatica exercises I could fix it fingers crossed for good. So. I went to go to my first visit. I basically a paid a man to check out my ass. Yes, I walked back and forth for about 10 min so he can study the bio-mechanics of my glutes ass. He conclusion, my right ass doesn’t fire. So he gave me some exercises do every night to help wake up my ass.

It’s been 1 month and I will tell certain muscles have come awake that have been dormant. I was doing deadlifts the other day and felt my inner thighs turn on for the first time in YEARS. I’ve been running regularly and my sciatica has acted up by not nearly as severe as it has in the past.

The morale is if you have stopped living an active life because of pain, STOP and figure out what is causing your pain. Everyone has a right to live actively.

I was reading the blogs that I keep up with regularly and read the Orlando Sentinel’s posting about fitness bucket list and it got me thinking.  I love being active and challenging myself so, that article got me thinking.

These are not written in any particular order.

1. Consistently run the Falmouth Road race in August with Philip, my husband. It’s a 7.2 mile race on the Cape, that allows 10,000 people to run in it and its a lottery to get a number. So fingers crossed we get a number consistently.
2. Run a half marathon, I would like to find one that is fun and interesting through the entire way so if someone knows of one, Holla.
3. Beat my times in next July’s Women’s Tri Fit competition. Fingers crossed my husband decides to compete in it as well.
4. Learn to kayak — this is interesting as I never go in the water past my waist.
   
5. Learn to swim — yes, I’ve gone all this time without learning how to formally swim! Basically if I want to kayak, I think I should learn to swim first, just saying.
6. Organize/promote a fitness competition — I’ve been is so many that, don’t focus on the details. I would love to do one that focuses on the details.
7. Practice yoga consistently — I love yoga, but its always the first thing I dump when I get busy prepping for a fitness competition.
8. Relearn to squat – I lost it and I want it back!
9. Do a handstand — ever since I watch Nadia Comaneci score a perfect 10. I have been obsessed with gymnastics.

Here are a few other sites that listed their fitness bucket lists.

Oh She Glows
Healthy Tipping Point

What’s your fitness bucket list? comment below