It is no secret I am on the road a lot. But how does one eat while being a road warrior? Here are some tips that have been tried and tested by yours truly.

#1) Careful planning! I count how many meals I will be away for and either make a mental note or write it down in my trust iPhone. I always carry nut bars, jerky and pumpkin seeds with me. Planning ahead prevents you a lot of stress while on the road.

#2) Containers, containers, containers! I can’t stress this one enough. Small containers can make or break you while traveling. I pack Brewer’s Yeast (great source of protein), Ground Flax Seed, Hemp Hearts, and Chia Seeds. These are my staples on and off the road. And by packing these with me, my health travels with me. There is no excuse not to eat for health while on the road!

#3) Farmer’s Market’s, Co-op’s, natural health food stores. Make Yelp or Google search or your Twitter/FB feed your go-to resource for these hidden gems. I love to explore when I am traveling so I usually wander right into a Farmer’s Market or co-op as I am running. Or I research the town or city ahead of time and find out what day and time a Farmer’s Market will be open. I like to support small, family businesses so co-op’s, private, natural food stores and Farmer’s Market’s are my go-to place to shop for food. Chain national natural food stores are my second option. You can usually get a great, healthy meal at Whole Foods Food Bar if you stick to the salad area.

#4) Be flexible! You can plan all you want, but sometimes life just happens and you don’t have any control over it. Be calm and get back on track as soon as you can. Also, if you keep food with you, you won’t be caught off guard as easily. Carry Tanka Bars, KIND Snacks, Lara Bars, or Bearded Brothers. Don’t go hungry while traveling or yo

#5) Be wise! If you are eating out with business folks, be wise. Be smart. Don’t let them guilt trip you into eating crap. Don’t let their poor habits dictate how you eat. Set the positive, healthy example. You’ll be credible and secretly admired. Stick to your guns!

Those are a few of my travel-tried-and-true secrets. You can eat for health while on the road!

Do you take your wellness seriously? Or do you have a give/take it attitude towards your health?

Your health is something you can have a say in. Be it the food you eat (or don’t eat), your ability to get your sweat on and of course, your perspective on life. All these things contribute to your wellness and overall quality of life.

According to dictionary.com, the definition of wellness “is the quality or state of being healthy in body and mind, especially as the result of deliberate effort.”

Wellness isn’t about being skinny, it is about being healthy in body AND mind. Sometimes we get so focused on the body that we forget all about the mind. Our brain controls everything we do. It has the ability to motivate us or discourage us. To forgive or hold on to bitterness. To get up off the couch and be active or continue to sit and watch life pass you by. Life – wellness – begins in your head.

Wellness is more than just eating your green beans, it’s putting on that positive attitude each and every day. A positive perspective can change not only your mood, but also those around you. No one likes to be around a negative, grouchy person – not even them! If you are having a less-than-steller attitude, why not start to change that? It might just change your life!

When you are happy, life can take on a whole new meaning and outlook. Being happy doesn’t mean that we aren’t affected by sadness and tragedy that is all around us, it means that we can be there for the people in the crisis. Happiness is a state of mind or so the saying goes. If that’s true, you better make sure that state is the size of Texas and not Rhode Island. Wellness and happiness go hand-in-hand. If you aren’t happy, figure out why and take action steps to change that.

Wellness starts in the head. What can you do for your wellness brain today? Stress less, breathe more? Chase away sadness with a happy attitude? Stop comparing yourself to everyone around you? Go spend actual time with friends? Remember we were made for human connection and interaction. The digital world is great, but it can’t replace real-life friendships and connection.

Be well – in body and mind!

peace, sweat, love: life

photo credit: Harlequeen

You don’t need stats to show you that our country is out of shape, overweight, paying for sick care vs. health care and turning to pills and a drive-thru mentality instead of looking at the problem and working to have a better life.

Glaring at your alarm clock at 5 a.m. as it goes off, stumbling out of bed, putting on your shoes and hitting the gym, pool or trail – it’s not for the faint of heart. It takes dedication, commitment, hard work and perseverance to get what you want. What you put in is what you get out. Don’t go through life half -alive. Be fully alive! Put in the hard work to train for a race. Challenge yourself. If it seems too big, then you’re on the right track.

There are no quick solutions. To do anything in life, not just fitness or health. People seeking quick-fixes, magical miracles or instant solutions are either: A) lazy B) uncommitted C) no personal desire to change. You’ve got to light that personal spark to live life wholeheartedly. No one can do it for you. Sure, you can have positive influences around you to inspire, encourage and motivate you, but the hard work and determination lies squarely upon your shoulders.

The state of our health can only be changed by each person taking personal responsibility. If we are a parent or in a care-giver role it is our duty to take personal responsibility and set a good example for those in our care. The little eyes, ears and feet that look up to us are seeking guidance, wisdom and most of all, watching how we live our life. The next generation is predicted to live a shorter life span then you and I. Kids don’t need treat after treat (hear me out on this), they need you and I to live a positive, healthy life. Treats are a falsehood and set kids up for (food) problems later on. Food is not a treat, food is energy. Yes, food is good, but not as a barter/reward system.

The next generation needs to see us taking our health just as serious and important as we do our job, house, car, golf, etc. Active movement shouldn’t be an afterthought, but a natural part of our life. And movement doesn’t just mean hitting the gym, it’s playing on the playground. Shooting hoops with the kids. Going on a nature hike. Biking. Planting a garden if you have that luxury. Or container gardens. Shopping at farmer’s market. Using every opportunity to teach, show and live life on a positive, healthy note.

I can’t change the world. And neither can you. But what we can do is to keep on living a positive, healthy, fit life as an example to the world that they too can change the way they live. Say no to excuses and yes to living an active, healthy, happy life each and everyday.

Food for thought: are you taking personal health/wellness/fitness responsibility? Or making pathetic excuses?

photo credit: fruity monkey

Each Friday, we feature a real-life person who has embraced a healthy lifestyle from a former sedentary life. We hope their story inspires you to start living and breathing a healthy life!

Today we’re taking a different road and talking about a fictional girl named Jane. (If you’re a guy, it’s Joe.)

Jane remembers what it was like. To be made fun of, teased, bullied, told she was stupid and that she wouldn’t amount to anything. Where was the love? The nice people? Why was everyone so cruel? She decided to turn to athletics because maybe if she showed other kids that she could kick a goal to win a soccer game, they would accept her. But sadly, they picked on her for the winning goal.

No matter what Jane did – throwing a perfect pitch, running Cross Country, swimming laps – they still hated her. As the school years progressed, Jane had had enough. She stopped trying to be accepted and started eating. If athletics weren’t going to cut it, then food must surely help, right? But if food didn’t accept her and if athletics didn’t either, what would?

Jane finally came to the realization that she had to accept herself and realize that God loved her and that is what matters. She had to accept and love herself as well and forgive those who had hurt her. Finally, Jane saw that she had the power to live a free life. It didn’t really matter if no liked her. She was happy and had God’s forever love.

See, fitness, food, love, acceptance, forgiveness – they all play a part in our health. We get hung up on trying to find love in athletics or love with food (“comfort food”) or acceptance by controlling the food we eat, working out for hours a day. None of that matters if we don’t have love and acceptance of ourself. 

We all have a Jane or Joe inside of that wants to be loved, cared for and accepted. You might be a 45 year old Jane or a 12 year old Joe. No matter what the age, you have to wrestle with loving yourself and win the match by believing it. Accepting it. 

Are you a Jane or Joe? May today you know, feel, and accept God’s love. That is where healthy living begins.

I’ve been traveling the last week (not new news), enjoying some down time with great friends and of course, TRAINING. Just because I’ve been on the down low, doesn’t mean I’ve been slacking. I ran 55 miles last week. Not a lot – my training plan goal is to run up to 90 miles per week. The key? Staying injury free. My approach to this 100 mile training is to do quality training vs quantity. We’ll see how that goes with Ms. Overachiever :).

On Black Friday I ran a slow 20 miler. While everybody else was fighting crowds, pepper spray and other obnoxious things, I was moving my body! It felt amazing to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and RUN. 

Ran a trail 10K with my friend Rachel on Saturday, which was SO much fun! Which meant I ran 26.2 miles in a day . Sunday was a recovery and Soul Food day – went to Genesis Church – will write about that later, Rachel and I made a healthy lunch, Kale Chips, which the kids devoured, watched a movie by the crackling fireplace, took a nap, made a healthy Apple Crisp, cleaned the kitchen, listened to Christmas music, then went to their bowling league. Where I might have to take up bowling a little more frequently as I managed to get quite a few strikes! It was a total blast and nice to have some down time.

Monday, Nov. 28 I ran six miles, did stair intervals, full body weights and core work to make a total of three hours of training for the day. The weather wasn’t the best (rainy), but training goes on! That evening, I was invited over to Steve Wallen’s (pastor at Genesis Church) home for dinner with his family. And yes, I brought a salad with my special, secret salad dressing . It was another great evening spending time with like-minded friends!

And if I thought the weather wasn’t nice yesterday, today was even WORSE! It poured all day and by the time I went out for my run it was snowing. Now I love to run in the snow, but this was bipolar snow. Snow, ice, sleet, rain, and the wind. By the time I returned, my face was ever so slightly cut up, my eyes red and stinging … but hey I got in 11 miles and that’s what counts! All in a day’s work .

A human icicle! It was just a tad chilly out

I have another busy week ahead. Flights, a marathon Sunday and endless other life stuff (like a move), but you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way. I am very grateful for the gift of running that God has given me and I intend to put it to good use.

Oh and parting thoughts. As I was running, I was thinking how the world would be a much happier place if they just put their health second (God first). Not going shopping for crap that you can’t take with you. Sadly, Americans thrive on their instant gratification.  

Oh and in case you are new here, WELCOME! I am training to run my second 100 mile ultra marathon (Rocky Raccoon) on Feb. 4, 2012 and attempting to get 100 kids sponsored for Team World Vision. Why not make a difference this Christmas and give the gift of life? You can sponsor a child by going here. Make sure you put my name in the athlete box so we can keep track!

Peace, sweat and love life!!

Whoa. Back-to-back posts on soda. I promise I’ll talk about cupcakes and flowers tomorrow .

We all have our vices. Take me for example: I really enjoy a cupcake, or dark chocolate or a slice of warm cherry pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream on top. I have always admitted my sweet tooth. Here is the thing, though. I very rarely eat any of those things. I believe in moderation. I also know that because I am in the health, fitness, wellness field I am held to a higher standard then other people. I try really hard (with God’s help) to walk the talk. Not just saying one thing and doing the complete opposite.

I try to keep it real by posting, every now and then, a particular craving I might be having (the other night it was hot chocolate). But keeping it real versus living in contradiction with what you say are two very different things.

Recently, I have been seeing a certain health/fitness professional ”check in” at McDonald’s for their daily diet coke fix. Which surprised me, because we all know that diet soda/soda is one of the worst things you can put into your body.

Then the kicker came when I was on my Facebook page and it said that this person “likes” Mountain Dew and suggested that I “like” the page as well. Are you kidding me? I will go to my grave before I like ANY soda page. Or any page that is related to the current health (obesity) crisis for that matter.

And this isn’t the only example. There are some others out there who recently went on a “clean” food plan, cut out alcohol and partying. When they had been preaching that message all along. Am I missing something? Are we just supposed to talk about living a healthy, fit life, but not really live it?

But I guess if you have a ton of followers on Twitter, likes on Facebook and say key words like “w00t,” “woo hoo” and “yay – great workout,” “you’re a rock star!” and tons of other flowering words, then I guess it voids out what you do in REAL life.

Call me old-fashioned, but I try really hard to only say what I do (it’s called living by example). And that means saying no to things I might enjoy on a regular basis.

If you are in the health/wellness/fitness field, please make sure your actions and lifestyle back up what you tweet, Facebook, video, etc., about. It is not an easy job, so back out now if you can’t handle it.

Am I perfect? Hell no. I said that in the every beginning of this article. There is a fine line between a healthy balance (a cupcake or a soda every now and then won’t kill you) and repeating unhealthy actions on a daily basis.

Not judging, just observing. If you are in the health/wellness/field, be careful what you post and like and most importantly how you live your daily life. People are watching and look up to us. Be a positive role model!

The fire is hot. Are you brave enough to walk through it?

Photo by: respres

If you have travel, don’t have a gym or spend a lot of time at the soccer field, then you know how challenging it is to get in a weight workout! So….I have a hookup for you.

Harbinger Fitness Balls

Let's Have a Ball!

I used the balls in the gym before and ALWAYS wanted some, so I was thrilled when Harbinger sent me them! My very own! The colorful balls come in a variety of weights (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 pounds). The colors alone make you excited to start sweating! The other cool feature is the handle or strap attached. It makes it very easy to do exercises and not lose the ball!

I am on the go a lot and lets face it, its hard to carry a set of dumbbells! I keep 2 balls in my car at all times. I never know where I might be next and my motto is “always be prepared”. What workouts do I do with them? Here is a sampling:

• Bridge
• Crunches
• Bicep curls
• Lunges with twist
• Tricep extension
• Woodchops

Here is a great cheat sheet for you to check out and USE!

Go forth and sweat!

Get your sweat fest on!

I promised updates. And I have them. PLUS video’s AND photos. Enjoy!

My run yesterday turned into just enjoying the snow falling. The peace. The quiet. Yes, it was a diversion from my triple A personality. Shocker I know. I took some photos. And shot a video:

Live from DC Snow Pocalypse update 2

It didn’t stop snowing till LATE evening. Like 10pm. Midnight perhaps?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Woke to a white blanket. Nope, more like a white duvet cover. A very thick one at that. 23 inches. Felt like 50.

There is a pool under there!

It was 26 degrees and about 16 degrees with the wind chill. Downright cold. HOWEVER. The sun was out. And you know what that means? A perfect morning for a run. A few layers, and MicroSpikes.

Pardon the interruption, but let me just state that this run was ONLY made possible by MicroSpikes. No, they didn’t pay me to wear them. I bought them at REI. Worth EVERY penny. All 6000 of them. Check them out here: http://www.kahtoola.com/microspikes.html

Okay, back to the 2009 Blizzard update.

Front yard, wrap around driveway

Then it was down the trail. A self made trail.

Snowy trail

I was so happy to be running & enjoying the beautiful Winter Wonderland, all I wanted to do was take pictures and shoot video. This is where we need live or reality TV. Just sayin’.

Second diversion. The past 2 months I have been on recovery. Still training. But no set running miles. It had been a while since a “long” run, but I really wanted to “do 10″ miles. I know my body pretty well and the poor thing has learned to just be quiet and suck it up. LOL.

Back to business.

Congressional Country Club

It was FUN to run on the road. When else do you get a chance to do that? Okay, yes I will admit that I have been know to run on the road on sunny days. Remember my 36 mile long that started in Long Beach, CA in July? Yeah. I MADE cars get over. Today was a little different. Just me. The snow. Some ice. A few cars. Snowplow. And drivers who thought I was crazy. I think they wanted my autograph. Just kidding.

Snow filled wall.

I ran down to the end of the road. The road I usually ride (bike) on. It was a nice change. Did I mention how peaceful it was? And my MicroSpikes. Totally the bomb. A couple was at the end of the road. They needed a ride to the Metro. The bus service was closed again today. The sad part? NOT one person had offered them a ride. Makes me mad. I was only at 3 miles. I told them I would run back, get my truck and come back to get them. I started running back home. On the way, a H3 passed me. Thank god another person had compassion and gave that couple a ride.

So, I stopped to chat with a gentleman (Jim) shoveling. Nice to meet new people. Yeah, hard to believe. Me talking.

Avenel Country Club. Golf anyone?

Ran on. Almost got killed by a Honda Civic going to fast down hill, slammed on breaks. I dove into the snow bank (no joke) and almost got stuck myself.

Running up snow & ice filled roads was tough. But I did manage to run some 7:45 pace miles. THAT was cool.

Talked to another gentleman (Pete). He actually knew what an ultra runner was!! SCORE! We talked for a while. He said I DID NOT look my age and to keep up the good work. Aw, how sweet.

As I was running down a hill, a snow thunder “storm” came up. In my haste I left my ski mask at home, so my checks/face felt the FULL affects of it.

Snow Thunder!

Ran on. Snow plow almost plowed me over. The sun was shinning and it was just breath taking out.

Why people let a little snow, ice, cold temps stop them I don’t know. Their loss. Running outdoors in the winter is the best.

Tennis anyone?

Just look at that SNOW!!!

Hole in one! Snow in one! CCC

As I ran back home, I was thankful for legs to run. The freedom to run. The opportunity to be alive. To enjoy the moment. The feeling of working hard and being proud of it. Someone asked me why I run in the cold. My reply (in 140) was this: You realize that nothing can stop you. Makes you strong. The satisfaction of a run well done (when you peel off the sweaty layers). And that’s that. 11 miles in about 1.5 hours. Yup, slow. But you know. I had the BEST. RUN. EVER.

And here is a sweaty take! Enjoy!

2009 Post Blizzard Run

Want to run faster? I have 10 tips for you. They will really help you.

#1) Leave your change, random keys, pens, and any other jingling thing at home.

#2) 40 degrees is not cold. 20 below is. Remember your body will get warm. Really, it will. Dress lightly. You probably don’t need ear muffs, 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 1 jacket AND the parka. See you just lost 5 pounds.

#3) Race number goes on the front of your body, NOT your back (unless in some rare race they give you 2 race bibs and instructions to do so). By wearing your race number on the front it lets the race officials know that you are in the race and not crashing the party. We don’t need any more party crashers if you know what I mean:)

#4) If you must stop at the water stations, and don’t want to get pushed down by human plows please for the sake of all us, grab your cup and run till AFTER the stop. You’ll be able to run faster because you won’t have to pick yourself up off the ground.

#5) Start in the right corral. If you run a 6 minute pace, you know where you need to be. If you run a 12 minute pace, yes, you are in the corral that is further back. There is a reason. You don’t want to get run over by the speedy people. And second, it is not kind to the other runners who have to leap over you.  Call it “race niceness”.

#6) Arrive early. Not on time. You’ll save yourself stress of finding a parking spot, lines to the potty’s, and of course the starting line.

#7) You don’t need to eat every carb & protein in sight. Have a banana. Or a bagel. Skip the Egg McMuffin, donut,

#8) Water. Depending on the race distance, you generally don’t need to chug down a gallon of water before hand. All that will happen is you’ll be searching for a tree rather than the finish line. NOT a good idea. Hydrate during the week. You can’t cram hydration!

#9) For women only: it’s called running,  not a beauty pageant. Leave the makeup, perfume at home. Your fellow runners will thank you. Trust me.

#10) For men only: Wear deodorant, but not the whole stick. And please wear shorts that cover everything. I am sure you are proud of what’s underneath (as your sig other is as well) but for the love of god, we don’t want to see it. Trust me. Seriously. We don’t.

Now go run. You should be at least 10 pounds lighter. How’s that for a quick weight lost plan?!

Photo by a tai

I don’t watch much TV. In fact, I pretty much detest TV. Just not my thing. Okay, I do watch the Today Show. And yes I watch some shows on the TLC channel.

And somehow, I have been known to watch the Biggest Loser. I actually don’t care for the show. Before you right me off and send me hate mail, let me quickly state why.

A) Losing a lot of weight in a short amount of time is dangerous

B) A person should lose weight/get healthy for the sake of their health, NOT money

C) Weight loss should not be based on a game/winning money

D) Sends the wrong message to the general public

E) Get the facts correct (a marathon is 26.2 miles, a half marathon is 13.1 miles)

If you are still with me (and I hope you are) and for the sake of your nipples, read on.

Your skin is soft.  Running produces sweat. Combine the 2 and it looks like you have been shot. Twice.

You see, as much as I love snuggling up in a soft cotton tee shirt, they aren’t made for running. That’s why god made company’s like Nike, Lucy Activewear, Lulelemon, Brooks, Asics, and others to make “technical” clothing.

Why you should NEVER wear cotton to run in:

Reason #1) Cotton doesn’t wick your sweat away. Technical material does. It lets your skin breathe.  Cotton will get wet, and start to chaff your skin. I should note that yes, even “technical” shirts will cause men’s nipples to gasp, bleed. Tip, make Body Glide, Band Aids, Bag Balm or Vaseline your friend.

Reason #2) Once cotton is wet, it stays wet. It will cling to your skin. So if you are running in heat/sun you can’t cool down. Remember it won’t let your skin breathe. If you are running in the cold, you will work up a sweat and the shirt will become soaked causing you soon to get cold. It all goes back to that whole breathing thing. See,  you thought that only applies to life. Nope. Clothes have a life too:)

Reason #3) All the cool kids do it. See, peer pressure will get you every time!

So, go buy a few technical shirts, shorts, socks, sports bras (women only, but men if you want to, go knock yourself out!) and your running body will be transformed. You may even run faster:)

Here is your happy running body. Your nipples will thank me. Trust me.

PS:  I am probably leaving out a few key facts as I try to warn the world before they go out to run.

PSS: Biggest Loser, here is an open invitation to you to have a certified running coach be a part of your program. I am just saying….

Photo by Broma