Expectation VS Reality

Let's take a minute to talk about fitness expectations vs fitness reality. When you look at fitness magazines or fitness pages on social media you see a lot of photos like this one.

While it's an honorable goal to want to be the best you that you can possibly be, one should keep in mind that the athletes you see prepared especially for either for a competition or specifically for that photo shoot to look this way! We don't walk around looking like this all the time! (Of course there are genetically gifted folks who can walk around jacked and shredded all the time, but let's just assume you're normal folk like myself.) It's not healthy to maintain such a low body fat percentage. And in all honesty, you don't feel very good when you're this lean.

Of course, everyone is different and their experiences with being extremely lean will vary. Let's just go over a few common side effects (side effects that I have experienced as do many other athletes) of being so lean: lack of sex drive, loss of menstrual cycle, brain fog or feeling mentally drained, exhaustion, constant hunger, feeling weak, feeling emotionally unstable, irritability, and more. You get the picture. Sounds great, right?  Not so much.  There is something to be said for a little bit of body fat!

Remember that what you see in magazines is not always reality. Remember that although this look is attainable, it is not realistically maintainable. And of course remember to love your body at  every stage of your personal fitness journey!

Tips for Fitting Fitness in your Life

I have been thinking a lot about making time for health and fitness.  You are busy, I know!  I am very busy all the time!  I have three kids, volunteer in my kids school twice a week, volunteer as the Social Media Manager for TrailandUltraRuning.com, and am now working as a personal trainer as well! I find my days to be jam packed and have little time for many things that I used to have in my life.  Here are a few of my tips for fitting exercise into your busy life!

Tip #1. What can you Eliminate? 

For me that means (mostly) no television.  I used to watch TV every day and now I only do on a rare occasion, or while multitasking (i.e. on the stair mill or while washing dishes!).  Also eliminated? An immaculate house.  But if we're being 100% honest, my house was never really that spotless before, either.  What are some things you can leave out in order to make health and fitness a priority?  Can you cut back or eliminate TV?  What about social media? Anything else?

Tip #2.  Schedule it in!

We all have things on the calendar that we only fit into our lives because we put it into our hectic schedules.  Sit down and look at your schedule.  Where can you schedule yourself in? Early morning?  Lunch break?  After the kids are in bed? I like to plan my workout week each weekend so I know exactly when I'll be going to the gym each day. Make yourself a priority and add yourself to the calendar!

Tip #3.  Include the Family

Is it unrealistic to be away from your children at certain times of day?  Or maybe you have a baby at home.  Include the kids in your workout!  You can include the kids in your home workout and there are many activities that children can come along for; hiking, walking, and biking to name a few.  And don't be afraid of the gym!  Many gyms have daycare facilities and some even allow babes in arms to accompany their parents!  Don't be afraid to shop around if you're looking for a gym.  Find one that fits your needs. 

Tip #4. Be Realistic.

Set realistic goals for yourself.  Don't plan to go from not working out at all to working out for an hour six days a week!  You will be setting yourself up for failure.  Start with attainable goals, such as taking a 20 minute walk three days a week.  After you get into the routine of exercising it's easier to gradually add more variety, more often!

Tip #5.  Hire a Personal Trainer

You saw this one coming, right?  Having someone to lay out a plan for you, help you with proper form (and nutrition!) and help you with attainable goals is priceless!  And let's not forget accountability!  We're all much more likely to do something if we've a.) paid for it b.) have told someone we would c.) know someone is waiting on us.  I can help you set attainable goals and reach them! 

Mostly importantly, remember that you are important!  You are setting an example for your children, your nieces and nephews. Make yourself a priority!

Learn more about me and Skill PT by visiting our website SkillPT.com. Call or text me today for your FREE consultation! 801-201-2165

Attaining Goals

At the end of last week's challenge we were given an assignment.  The assignment was to write down goals*.  I've already set some goals for myself this year and I think I've been doing a good job at attaining them.  In relation to this challenge I think an immediate goal will be to finish off that last few pounds and get down to 130 pounds.  The some 13 pounds I've already lost this year has me feeling faster and just fantastic all the way around, so that will be my short term goal.  Long term for me is the Antelope Island 100k in October 2014.  This will mean sticking with my current goals, which are as follows:

1. Stay injury free
2. Cross train
3. Weigh 130lbs (I'm 132.2 as of this morning!)
4. Run hills
5. Incorporate speed work
6. Enjoy running

I've written these on paper, and I'll type them up here to share with you all.
Short term goals:
By Christmas 2013 get to 130lbs
Continue ab work at least three times/week

Long term goals:
Run Antelope Island 100k October 2014

My advice, not that you asked for it, is to write down and share your goals.  You'd be surprised how much harder it is to stay in bed when you've told the entire internet you're going to run 62 miles!  Thanks for your work this week, Astrid.  Now to get over this blasted cold and get to some Russian Twists!



*Assignment as written by our coach for the week, Astrid.
"I would like YOU to write down both your long and short term fitness/eating/wellness goals.  Use the SMART guidelines to help formulate your goals.  No goal is too small or too big.  And when I mean write them down, I mean on a piece of paper with a pencil or marker or on a poster board (aka, a dream board). Make it look pretty or keep it simple.  THEN, you need to put it somewhere you will see it every day."
S~ Specific
M~ Measurable
A~ Attainable
R~ Relevant
T~ Time-bound (give yourself specifics for time)

Revisiting Goals

In April I made myself some goals for this year.  It's been about six months since I sat down and wrote out my goals and I thought now would be a good time to revisit those goals and see how I'm doing.  Here they are:

1. Stay injury free 

Number one is probably the trickiest of all those goals.  I've done fairly well, and since I completed my big race for the year and am feeling fantastic I'll say I managed that one, albeit by the skin of my teeth.

2. Cross train twice a week

I've actually done much much better at this one than I had previously!  Weight lifting and yoga have made their way into my weekly routine and I'm loving them both.

3. Get to 130lbs (was weighing between 135.5-138)

This one is probably the simplest goal (notice I said simple, not easy!)  I am now hovering between 132-135, so I'm certainly getting there!

4. Do hills

Bam!  Done!  I am feeling like a much better uphill runner these days!  Antelope Island 50k proved to me that my hard work is paying off.  I was able to run much more uphill than I used to be able to!

5. Do speed work

FAIL!  Yeah.  I have done about zero speed work.  The year isn't over yet, right?

6. Enjoy running

This goal is my favorite and I have to say with 100% certainly it has been achieved!  I have loved running more and more this year!  Just check out the geeky smile on my face in all my running pictures.  Yeah.  I'm loving it!

Overall, I'm very pleased with myself and the progress I've made so far this year.  Now, I guess I'd better start thinking about speed work...

Two days before race day.  Lean, mean running machine!

Race Weight

Wonderful article about being healthy and race weight.  My favorite part, "as an endurance athlete, you can be 100 percent certain that you will become leaner and lighter as you become fitter"  Excellent!

Racing Weight: Does it Really Matter?

Goal #1

Let's talk injury prevention, Goal #1.  In order to get stronger, run longer, run faster and run happy I have to be injury free.  I actually believe that if I can achieve my other goals: cross train, lose weight, do hills, do speed work that will be a huge part of staying injury free.

Mostly I can't complain about injuries.  I've had nothing serious.  I've had a fair bit of trouble with my periformis over the last year, which in turn effects my whole right side.  Mostly I get hip and foot pain on the right side.  Honestly, I have to credit my massage therapist friend  Melissa, for helping me figure out the root of the problem and how to solve it!  I've kept it under control with stretching, foam rolling, massage and lots of visits to the chiropractor.

Here are some links I've found helpful.
How to strengthen the feet.
More foot strengthening exercises.
Periformis Syndrome
More on Periformis Syndrome

A few other articles worth reading.

Uhan's Three Laws of Running Injury
I've mentioned this article before, but it's worth revisiting. Injuries by Anton Krupicka
Amby Burfoot's Simple Secrets to a Lifetime of Running

Goal #3

Thinking more about my goals for the year, I decided to talk about why each of these is important to me.  I'm not, however, going to talk about them in numerical order.  I picked #3 to talk about because I'm sure this is the one that draws the most skepticism.  "Why on earth does she think she need to lose weight?!"  Yes, I know I'm skinny.  It's not totally about that.  Even at my heaviest ever (160lbs at 26 years old) I wasn't what you'd call fat.  I've always been skinny.  But, it's genetic.  Hey, take a look at my dad for crying out loud!

My Daddy is so skinny, he has to hop around in the shower just to get wet!

It's how I'm built.  So, for me 130 lbs, or even 120 lbs isn't out of line. I'm 5'7 1/2" and at my current weight of 137 I have a BMI  of 21.5, which is right in the middle of normal. That's great and all, but I want stronger, faster, leaner.  Now let me just clarify what I mean by faster.  I'm not talking Mo Farah fast, or even Karl Meltzer fast.  I'm talking eleven and a half minute miles versus twelve and a half minute miles.  A real land speed record, I know, but it would be nice to be able to finish my next 50k in less than seven and a half hours!  I know that weight is only one component of this, and may or may not even help me out in that aspect.  But hey, even if it doesn't make me faster  it wouldn't be such a bad thing to see my abs, now would it?

2013 Goals

I've been thinking a lot about what I want out of running this year.  Honestly how I feel now is much different than how I felt in the dead of Winter.  Now that I have my first 50k under my belt I'm already thinking about the next one, the Antelope Island 50k to be exact. My goals all intertwine.  As I've been running lately, I've been thinking of ways to become stronger, faster and stay injury free.  All of these things boil down to my goals.

Running Goals for 2013
1. Stay injury free (goals 2 & 3 should help with this)
2. Cross train twice a week (one weight lifting session and one yoga session)
3. Get to 130lbs (lighter is faster, right? I'm currently hovering between 135.5-138)
4. Do hills
5. Do speed work
6. Enjoy running (easiest goal of them all!)