The Journey

Happy New Year 2018. A new year is an awesome time to jumpstart your health and fitness program. It doesn’t matter if you are training for your first race or simply want to shed a few pounds. By now, I’m sure you have been bombarded with ads for quick fixes, diet potions and detoxes. I will not focus on them. Instead let’s help you focus on tapping into your own super powers. You got this. Here are four tips to help you achieve your health and fitness goals in 2018. Use  Momentum.  The definition of  Momentum  is the quantity of motion of a moving body , measured as a product of its mass and velocity. Translation - you must shift your mind and body into action mode to gain momentum. Change requires action. The key to getting momentum is starting and following through.  Getting started may be easy and fun, but remaining focused over the next few months can be challenging. Here's a tip. Begin where you are and practice your new healthy habits daily. If your goal is to ex

As a coach, I get many questions on exercise, weight loss, running, etc. All are great questions. However, I find myself asking clients the same question. What is your goal? General health and performance goals share many commonalities. To meet healthy lifestyle or performance goals, both require the following: ·       Defined goal ·       Nutrition balancing ·       Exercise ·       Consistency However, there are some key differences between general health goals and performance/sport specific goals.   ·       Goals- Is your goal to “get healthy” What does that mean?   Does it mean lose a few pounds or run a marathon? Be specific. How do you plan to measure your success? This is important. Why? Some people say they want to “get healthy” without defining what that means for them. Define what healthy means for you. Write it down. If it is to lose one pound per week, then start tracking your nutritional intake with a food journal or app. Write down not only how much

 So a running buddy called me a week before a 200 mile relay race from Flintstone, MD to Washington, DC. Her team needed one more runner to replace a person who could not attend due to a life event. I said, "Sure, I can do this."  I tend to be a "Yes" girl.  I like to say "Yes" more than "No." So there I sat in my pajamas not knowing what adventure awaited me. Six days after the call, I met the team for dinner and headed up to a hotel close to the course start. I must say I was nervous. I did not feel prepared. I observed how calm my teammates were and internally I was hoping to not let them down. See, I was Leg one of a 200 mile race. Leg 1-Rocky Gap Trail. 0500 There I was at the start. Pumped and ready. It was pitch dark when the race started. My 0500 wave started and off I went. I had a map of the course and followed the directions as best as I could. Before I knew it I was under a canopy of trees. It was dark. No, it was p

T-minus one~Breathe, Beats and Breaths Two weeks ago, I planned on completing the Chicago tri to honor my friend who passed away from cancer, but I did not complete that triathlon.  Today, I participated in the Diamondman triathlon in Delaware.   In six months, a beautifully, vibrant 50-something was gone.   Her birthday is September 7.   Her name started with a T.   As I slowly watched my friend drift from this realm into another, I learned the meaning of breathing, beats and breath.   I am humbled still.  You know the beginning of the triathlon when you have done all the training and the race announcer counts down 30 seconds, 15 seconds, 3, 2,……. 1.   In that one second everything becomes a blur, at least it does for me.   I start with simple and slow breathing.   I look to the sky to capture air and the sea to exhale.   Today, I remember looking up at the sky. It was beautiful. The moon was still out.   Stars were not visible, but still there.   I thought of my fri

On Sunday, I started the Chicago Triathlon.  It was one of the largest in the United States.  The goal was to complete 1500m in Lake Michigan cycle 24.5 miles and run 6.2 miles in Chicago. I completed this race last year. It was both challenging and fun. This year the outcome was not what I had planned. I started the race surrounded by wonderful people, Some I knew while others were strangers. We all started the race together. Rough waters awaited. Lake Michigan looked menacing.  She churned and tossed us from the moment we entered the water. Here I am at the first bouy. My plan was slow and steady since I was not familiar with this type of water. So I swam. I remembered saying to myself, "Slow is fast". I focused on each stroke and thought of little else. I saw a friend swim by me. It made me feel great as I turned to the straightaway toward the finish. I could see the finish through my Rx goggles. I swam and swam. As I sighted for the tall buildings in the distanc

Recently, I chimed in on a discussion about the latest health documentary on What the Health?  The movie describes how nutrition research, regulations and guidelines in America are influenced by  lobbyists.  The film goes on make several assertions about the "best" diet for Americans.  This is the most controversial aspect of the movie. Many people do not like being told what to eat. Who does? Food is not only very personal, but tied to culture and traditions. Disclaimer~As a health professional and certified health coach with a specialty in metabolic diseases,  I would recommend that individuals seek out professionals who can help them develop an eating plan that works for their body.  Everyone has different needs based on their biochemistry, activity levels, underlying health conditions and the medications they take.  It would be irresponsible for me to state otherwise.   A few thoughts~ 1. Nutrition is evolving like everything in science.  Remember fat used to b

Yesterday I had fun participating in the Ft Ritchie Triathlon at the Sprint Distance.  It is a local race that is extremely well organized with events in the duathlon, aquabike and triathlon at the Sprint and Olympic Distance.  It was a beautiful day indeed.  Someone asked me awhile ago why do I sign up for triathlon when I am not a great swimmer or won't win the race.  I did not answer them, but have reflected on this quite a bit. Here are my thoughts. Everyday I live, I realize there are more and more days behind.   I constantly ask myself, how long or when? When are you going to give yourself permission to let go of fear of failure? How long are you going allow yourself to feel that you must be perfect? How long are you going to sit on the sidelines and watch others try new things?  When are you just going to allow yourself to be imperfect and just find the joy in learning new things? Yes, trying new things is both scary and humbling. It requires one to step out on f

After my disqualification, I felt depressed and inadequate.  How could I have missed a turn?   In 25+ years of running, I had never had a disqualification, DQ, on my official results. I had two choices, give up or get up.  I thought about giving up, but it is just not my style so I got up.  I signed up for a triathlon with a course that included hills beyond my ability. See,  I needed a redemption race.  I needed to erase the DQ mentally. So, I decided to challenge myself. Today, I joined a local triathlon club to practice my next triathlon course.  I was scared. What if I missed a turn?  What if I can't do this?  Anxiety was setting in, especially about the bike course. Just take a peek at the course. It was quite steep. Was I scared? Yes. I was worried that I couldn't make it up the hills.  Then I started thinking of  my favorite Mary J. Blige song, "Just fine."  I love that song and the words. "No time for moping around, are you kidding And no time fo

Today I must admit was an extra-ordinary day. I had the opportunity to do something I had never done before. I completed 2 endurance events back to back. I participated in the Maryland Sprint duathlon on Saturday and Olympic Distance on Sunday. This consisted of 39 miles of cycling uphill and 10 miles of running in back to back within 24 hours.  For a few, this seemed like a walk in a park. See these events bring out the most talent athletes around. They look fast and have fancy bikes.   I signed up for this race because a buddy asked me to do so.  There I was. No fancy shoes. A bike that is 11 years old. No fancy outfit. NOTHING.  I just said to myself, " Oh well, you defined what you want to get out of this." Oh course, I was totally intimidated by all the racers.  I had not planned on doing this event.  The course is very tough.  I have not trained for much in the past few months, but exercise regularly for sanity.  All I could do is show up and go. On Saturday, I r

Over the past few weeks, I have spoken with several ladies about their health and fitness goals. Many have asked how to start a new healthy lifestyle and stay consistent over the Winter.  After many discussions, I could sum up my conversations with these 4- S-words.  Search -Think about what activities you enjoy. Search for the correct path for you. This requires that you reflect on your goals. Take a few moments to experiment with new activities. Read about health and fitness activities.  Do your research.  Start- Once you define your goal or identify the habit you would like to change, then start. Just start. You don't have to have everything figured out, but you do have to start. Once you start participating in your new healthy habit, you can make modifications along the way.  The start is usually what stops most people. This leads to the next S-words, scared.  Scared -Try not to be scared.  It is normal to feel afraid when starting a new activity or changing a habit. 

 Today I was suppose to participate in the Peasantman Olympic Distance triathlon. For 10 weeks, I swam, cycled and ran.  Each day, I looked at my training plan and put in the work. Half way through the training, I participated in the Xterra trail 10k. My expectations were low because I knew the course would be tough. So I decided to run with my heart with no goal except to finish.  Unbeknownst to me, I placed 3rd in my age group.  With a high from this accomplishment, I continued to train fervently. Then......... Life got in the way....... My dear friend, only a few years my senior, died. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer on 6 months prior.  Here is the backstory. In early Oct., we planned lunch. I set a location but she refused to confirm. Without thinking much more about it, I got up for my typical Sunday morning run and planned to confirm our lunch plans upon after running.  When I returned from my run, I learned that lunch plans were cancelled.  When I inquired more a

This month I need to workINs more than workOUTS.   Yes, I completed hours of swimming, biking and running as I prepare for Spring events, but I added another component to my workouts, I scheduled workINS.  I spent sometime focusing on mental toughness as a ran silently on trails, regained balance in Tai Chi and yoga class, and strengthen my core in Pilates.  I allowed my body and mind to overcome the mild pain of acupuncture to achieve peace and checked myself into a salt cave for silent meditation where both I lost and found myself simultaneously. What did I learn?  Not all workouts are about sweat and guts. Some of the best workouts are the mental and metaphysical. Challenging the mind to focus hard on a task for hours when all you can hear is your heart beating and only your breath is an awesomely challenging experience. Why do it?   1. WorkINs-Remind you that you are capable. 2. WorkINs-Reconnect your mind and body. 3. WorkINs-Relax you. 4. WorkINs-Rejuvenate you. 5.

Each year,  people make resolutions to eat better and exercise more. Some actually take small steps to make a behavioral change, but after the novelty wanes, one returns to former behaviors.  It is difficult to keep those New Years Resolutions. But think about why you wanted to make a change. What made you think about making a change in the first place?  Is something stopping you?  Is it injury? Is it motivation? Is it lack of knowledge? Find your why. What made you want to make a change in the first place? If you always wanted to try yoga, walking or a new healthy food, do it. There are no limits or deadlines to making a positive change. Start today and make it fun. In January, I signed up for my first US Masters Swim.  It was fun.  I really suck at swimming, but it was something I wanted to try so I did.  In February, I completed my first 1/2 trail marathon.  It wasn't about speed. It was about remembering why I love to run. Here is the story behind the story.  I fell twice