Whatever happens .. Just finish

So it was a blundering 25 degrees out. Why would anyone want to be running 6 plus miles? At 8:30 in the morning nonetheless! 

I already had to pee before the race started so I had to use port-a-pottys! Whoa gross! Someone already had their morning poo pre-race!

The trot began and my toes were numb for the first few miles! What's up with that? I already switched shoes. I think I might have a pinched nerve. I'll have to get that checked out. But I didn't stop to walk until after mile 4. This is good! Progress! I struggle with running. I always have. But even if you struggle, even if you walk part of the trot, guess what? You are outside kicking your own butt! I struggle with that question every time I run - I ask myself, "why am I doing this?! This is crazy!" I might not be able to answer this question on my run but I know that I place one foot in front of the other and then again other foot in front of the other because I want to get better!

I don't race to get medals, I don't race to show off to my husband (who beat me this year because he started working out with me!), I do it because the next time, hopefully, I'll be faster and stronger and a better version of me. Even if you walk the whole trot, the main thing is you finished! Even if you didn't beat your time, you got out here, put yourself out there, and finished something that you started. Which is more than I can say for a lot of people.

Even if your lungs burn, and your legs are ready to collapse, and after the race you feel like you're going to vomit, just know that you did it. You finished!

Oh by the way, I need a new goal because I beat my turkey trot time!

Readiness to learn/change

My boss at work just had a half hour conversation with his daughter who happens to also work at the same place. She had stubbed her toe getting out of the bathtub and the toe looks gray/black with her slightly limping. My boss wants her to go get it checked out directly after work but she wants to sleep and go after her 1pm class  (We are all working night shift and eating lunch at this moment). My boss talks in circles about how this needs to be done "now now now!", how she doesn't need to learn the hard way, and how she might have a broken or at least infected toe. His daughter is just as stubborn and will not budge.

I'm telling you this story because fitness can be the same way. You may want your spouse, partner, friend, family member(s) or even yourself to get in shape but until that person is truly ready to commit, then it will be an uphill battle.

A person needs a readiness of mind and body in order to commit to a fitness/lifestyle change in order for the weight loss or the change to be permanent. I'm not saying drop your day job and just workout! I'm saying there needs to be open mind to learning or re-learning what you have been doing in order to be successful in weight loss, or muscle building, or whatever your fitness goal may be.

If my husband only workouts when I nag him, what will happen when I'm on vacation without him? Will he workout on his own? Probably not. We need to realize that this might be why we are failing sometime. If the readiness is not there, we might be setting ourselves up for failure. Ask yourself, "Am I ready for some change?"

Let's not be another yo-yo diet or fitness fad. Let's commit to showing up each and every day, fully applying ourselves 110% in everything we do. This includes our workouts, our runs, our flow, our nutrition, even on the weekends when we think no one is looking. At work, I can educate a smoker until I am blue in the face, but until that person is ready to quit smoking for themselves, then I will not be an effective educator. Let's not be that smoker who tries to quit 10 times, OR that person with the infected toe because they weren't ready to learn from their father. Let's the be the change that we want to see in the world, as Ghandi beautifully put it.

Nutrition goal: Take the white stuff out

Think about it: what are foods that are white? 

- white rice

- cream cheese

- cheese

- flour

- sugar 

Of course, there are exceptions (egg whites are super healthy and nutrient packed). But this list is a really good start. To start working out, and working on that six pack abs, one must stay away from these white foods. Replace white rice with quinoa, or brown rice. Replace dairy with more leafy greens. Flour can sound healthy on the package label, but what "enriched white flour" really means is that the company, stripped the flour of nutrients, then added unnatural nutrients of its own, which is still not as healthy as whole wheat flour (or if the company just left the flour alone in the first place).

And of course, sugar. Our goal is to eat less than 10 grams of it, or none at all. That's pretty hard unless you have the time to cook everything yourself or have a personal chef. But just be cognizant when you read labels. A lot of things that seem healthy, have a lot of sugar in them: flavored yogurt (also white), canned spaghetti sauces, BBQ sauces, instant oatmeal, bottled teas, Gatorade, vitamin drinks, canned or packaged fruits, and the list goes on and on!

Read up on specific brands 

http://www.m.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/sugar-shockers-foods-surprisingly-high-in-sugar

http://www.everydayhealth.com/pictures/high-sugar-foods-youre-probably-eating-every-day/

So main point here: read your labels and try to stay away from white foods.

No shortcuts

What do we achieve when we take shortcuts in fitness? Not as much as when we take the time to master proper form of each exercise. Speeding through the workout not only hurts the outcome (not burning as much calories - hence not losing as much weight, or not creating as much strength/flexibility/power/etc.), it can also increase the risk for injury. So just a heads up: take your time to master your balance level. When you've done that, then take it up to strength level. When you don't hear your coaches correcting your form on either one of those, then take it up the Kaia level. We tend to see greater results when we don't take shortcuts!

Is that kosher?

So last night, I went on a run. 2.15 miles and used the Nike app. No real preference. I think it came with my iPhone already installed? I'm not sure. 

My dilemma was to tag my new shoes or not. It is the Nike app. But I did not buy Nike shoes. Is that Kosher? It wouldn't automatically let me me choose other brands so I manually put it in? Has anyone else done this? Just curios. #firstworldproblems

Runners - you might already know

In the fitness world, there are things you can go cheap on, but trust me on this:  

Don't skimp on your running shoes! Buying inexpensive shoes might work for a little while, but if you're truly going to get serious on running, might want to spend the money on some high quality kicks. First of all, going cheap might mean injuries to your feet, which will eventually travel up the body. First it will just be the feet, but after the initial injury, anything above the injury will try to compensate. That will mean knees will go next, and then hips, then your back. Don't let it get this far!

In Reno, we have the Reno Running Company. They perform a free gait analysis (you run 20 seconds on a treadmill with one of their neutral support shoes) to see what type of support your feet might need. It checks if you pronate your feet while running. It's not totally comprehensive as there are other things to look at, but if you're starting out, it's a great place to do so. 

And with that said.. I'll leave you with this note from my new kicks: 

To use Ankle Weights or Not to use Ankle Weights?

As with everything, there are pros and cons to using ankle weights.

Pros:

• Higher energy expenditure
• Increase in strength
• Greater Weight loss
• Great for water/pool use to increase resistance

Cons:

• Joint loading
• Can alter your gait
• Can create muscle imbalances
• Limited use

A few things to consider: Ankle weights should not be used by people who already have joint problems - knees, hips, etc. or are extremely overweight, as it can cause more damage than good. They're great for increasing resistance to your work out but make sure you've mastered the exercises without the ankle weights first - with your own body weight. Other options to amp up your work out is to add incline or speed (ie: on a treadmill, add hill climb or increase speed, instead of ankle weights). Also, it's not for every single exercise you do. Limit your use of ankle weights, as it will create strain, sprain, and injury if used ALL THE TIME. They're great for water aerobics (all the intensity without the joint problems),  Jane Fondas - fire hydrants, or donkey kicks - adding resistance to your workout, and any other leg workouts that you've mastered already!