What Happens When Life Happens?

Sickness. Injury. Or worse... busyness. Life can get in the way of completing workouts and reaching your fitness goals.  So what do we do when life happens?

You can't control everything

I need the reminder, more often than not, that I can't control everything. I can't control if/when I get sick, or my kids get sick. I can't control whether or not my child wakes up from a bad dream at night and needs me. I can't control a lot of different things. Sometimes the things that prevent us from doing what we want to and more often than not, we don't have a say in the matter. And that's all part of life. Accept it. I know I need some improvement here.

Yet there are things we can control, and those are the ones we need to focus on. Set the alarm. Wash your hands. Warm up and cool down properly, even if it cuts your actual "workout" time a little shorter.

Need help getting back on track? Here are some thoughts I shared on achieving your goals.

Get back on the horse

So you missed a workout, now what? Sometime just chalking it up as a miss and going to the next day of the training plan is all you can do. I call these "unscheduled rest days". And let's face it, sometimes we just need those days and don't even know it.

Doubling up the next day isn't always the answer. Especially after coming from extended time off or you're new to exercise. Sometimes, you can add a little bit to your next workout, but in my experience, trying to "make it up" does more harm than good.

As long as you make an effort to hit the next one, you're doing okay. Any kind of progress is still progress and missing a workout here and there won't affect you in the long run as much as it may seem.

Schedule rest

Rest is important. Easing into a new routine or higher workout volume is also important. Burnout is a real thing, and preventative measures are sometimes frustrating (marathon taper anyone?) but vital to staying healthy and performing your best. Rest doesn't necessarily mean not working out either. Sometimes it's walking instead of running, or doing yoga. You can do "active rest" sessions and still see the rejuvenating benefits. But not resting will lead to injury, which is your body's way of saying you pushed it too far.

When life happens...

Take it in stride. Control what you can control. Remember that rest is a good thing, and we all need it from time to time.  Most importantly keep it all in perspective. Progress, no matter how small, is still progress. What are your tips to bouncing back from missed workouts?

How To Run (And Achieve Your Goals)

Okay, the title is a little misleading.  I want to talk about taking a dream and making it a reality. Whether it's running 1000 miles or losing some weight, whatever it is, there's a process for taking a dream, and turning it into something you achieve.

A dream put on paper becomes a goal...

There is so much power in simply writing something down. So do it!  Write down your dream or whatever it is you want to accomplish. Peter Economy writes in an article "Psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews, at the Dominican University in California, led a study on goal-setting with nearly 270 participants. The results? You are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down." There is so much powerful reinforcement into putting it on paper. It makes that thing seem tangible, and it is. It's right in front of you now.

A goal with actionable steps becomes a plan..

Now you have your goal on paper, but the process doesn't stop there. Now we need to put some steps on that same sheet of paper as to how. What's the first step? Is it getting a new pair of running shoes? Is it getting a gym membership? Is it to meal prep for the next day?  Then what's next?  Write down all the steps necessary to get you where you want to be. Big goals may need to be broken down into smaller parts. Running 1000 miles in a year just means running 20 miles a week and that means only running 4 miles 5 days a week. That doesn't sound too bad, now does it?  Losing 20 pounds in 6 months means losing less that 4 pounds a month. Losing 1 pound a week makes it sound much more manageable. And it is!

A Plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.

Follow your plan. Make sure you're measuring your progress. Readjust if need be. Make sure you're being flexible and realistic. And remember, any amount of progress is putting you closer to where you want to be. Any amount of progress is more than you made before. Celebrate the little wins, because those little wins add up to big wins! Making your dreams come true is that same way you run; One foot in front of the other.

What are you waiting for? Put those dreams on paper!

Why Run?

Why do you run?

In my quest to run 1000 miles, I'll answer the first question: Why?

The age old question. The joke in my house comes from a quote from the Bible, "The wicked run when no one is chasing them... - Proverbs 28:1". But I have been asked before why I run (or exercise). Here's why:

I exercise for the sheer enjoyment. Exercise in general doesn't have to be a sweat-dripping, fire-breathing session every time. I do enjoy testing my limits from time to time, but in general, I'm thankful that I CAN exercise and simply enjoy the feeling of being active. Especially with having young children, I want to teach them that being active is fun and should be done for enjoyment, and not just because I want to get in better shape. Framing the right mentality, especially in kids is important.

I exercise for the health benefits.  This seems to be the global reason for exercise, or at least why we SHOULD do it. But countless studies show the benefits of even mild to moderate exercise. Simply for me, it's burning extra calories I wouldn't have otherwise burned. In the future, I'll detail a little more about my fitness journey, but exercise was one key component in significant weight loss I experienced.

I exercise to prove to myself what I'm capable of. I mentioned this earlier, but I enjoy testing myself. Setting and then meeting or beating a fitness goal feels so empowering to me. Beating the limits that either I or someone else has placed on me feels amazing. Just seeing my own progress and knowing that I'm stronger or faster gives me that extra boost to push a little harder or a little further. Everyone's goals are different, and sometimes taking that first step is more than you've ever done before.

I love exploring the 'why' behind the 'what'. This is my why, but I'd love some feedback on what motivates you. Let me know!

A Journey of a Thousand Miles..

A Journey of a Thousand Miles...

Begins with a single step. That's what we've all heard, right?

What we often don't consider is that it finishes the same way. One single step. And all of the miles in between are just more steps.

This year, in 2020, my personal goal is to run 1000 miles. For some runners, that's just a normal year of training. To me, it seems like a lot. Like A LOT.

But I'll take each mile, the same as all the others. One step at a time.

I look forward to sharing my journey with you!