Real Talk: The top five things to keep in mind during the VS Fashion Show tonight

From a quick glimpse at my social media, it seems that the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is going to be a pretty popular event, mostly with my girl friends. My Twitter and Facebook feeds are full of girls making jokes about the burgers they're eating now or the cleanses they're going to start tomorrow, which I find to be an interesting commentary on what we view as acceptable and valuable within our culture. I digress.

My newsfeed is also chock-full of inspiration in the form of lists, so I figured I'd publish my top five things for women to keep in mind while watching tonight's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show:

1. You will never look like any of the models on TV tonight. And you know what? They're never going to look like you either. Those thigh gaps, long legs, or the 5'11'' height that you're envying came to them 70% in the form of genetics. But so did your awesome smile, crazy cool eye color, and great arms. Nobody is perfect, but each of us is unique and special and one-in-a-million just the way we are. 
2. Weight is nothing but your relationship with gravity. The scale says nothing about your experiences as a person, the incredible things you do for the people in your life, and, in all actuality, very little about your health as a whole. 
3. Going crazy with cardio and/or starving yourself is not a solution. I can't tell you the number of tweets/statuses (statii)/Instagram pictures I remember seeing last year from women vowing to cut carbs or workout for hours on end after watching the fashion show. In case you missed point #1, no amount of cardio or fasting is going to turn you into into Gisele, but it's probably also going to make you miserable and frustrated. Beauty and health are byproducts of loving yourself and treating yourself well. Find an activity you enjoy and go do it because it makes you feel alive. Eat well because eating well impacts every other area of your health and well-being -- and because it allows you to do that activity that makes you feel alive. When we're pursuing physical activity or healthy eating solely for aesthetic results, we're missing out, because true health and well-being impact every aspect of your life, and make you a better person in the process.
4. Remember your inner eight year old (and every other eight year old you know). One of my favorite internet lists I've ever read talks about how "little eyes are always watching." Think about your standard of beauty now, and really question whether or not the Angel Standard is the one you would want an eight-year-old held to - or if you would even want her to place a significant value on her physical appearance at all. Besides, your inner eight-year-old thinks ogling women in underwear is super gross.
5. If you're genuinely inspired to change your lifestyle, don't talk about it, be about it. If you are truly inspired to go work out or eat healthier, start adding positive changes to your life that are going to stick. Make a commitment to eat more vegetables, drink more water, or go for a run several times a week. But don't just put empty commitments or pity-parties into the social media sphere - go do them. Because watching a bunch of women model lingerie isn't going to do much for your confidence, but starting to make positive changes definitely will. Otherwise, your negative comments about your weight or "never looking like these women" are doing nothing but negatively impacting every other female follower on your newsfeed.

Confessions of a Targa-holic: My favorite (inexpensive) sports bra

Happy Wednesday! I hope everyone's week is going well. I had a really fantastic weekend with two of my best friends at Amelia Island last weekend, and I'm still wishing I was by the beach!

Luckily, Trader Joe's has these delicious plantain chips that I am enjoying while I pretend I am still somewhere tropical. And they're not the only thing keeping me in good spirits.

buy here

I'm also rocking my new neon green and bright blue sports bra by C9 for Target. I actually bought this one in purple/blue too, since these babies were on sale for $12(!!).

I'm kind of obsessed with Target (and have considered renaming this blog "Confessions of a Targa-holic" on multiple occasions), and I have this problem where I go in for bananas and come out with sports bras. They knew what they were doing when they converted all the Targets into Super Targets, let me tell you.

buy here

My favorite sports bra ever is the Free to Be bra from Lululemon because it's perfect for both Bikram and running, but sometimes I'm a sucker for fun patterns and low price tags. I love that the Target brand sports bras fit that bill AND are super comfy and functional for distance running.

What are your favorite sports bras? Are you a sucker for fun patterns too?

Because I was never a runner, until I was.

I run because every mile, even when it is actually kind of miserable, is filled with pure joy.

Joy.

Because there is nothing like doing what you never thought you could do.

Post Springfield 15k: Race #7 in seven weeks.

Because it gives me much needed time with my own thoughts.

Because I was never a runner, until I was.

Because I am not defined by the speed I run or how good I look doing it, but instead by accomplishing what I set out to do.



Not looking good doing it, but still accomplishing marathon #2 in less than five months.

Because it is a passion that has blessed me with the opportunity to be a role model.

My Girls on the Run post Spring 5k.

Because it makes me feel alive.

And, because I really, really, REALLY like carbs.

Happy National Running Day! Why do you run?

A half marathon PR

Well, hello new friends! I was honored to be featured on Runs for Cookies on Monday as part of Katie's Motivational Monday series, and it looks like a lot of you visited! Make sure you check out these posts to get a better sense of who I am and how I lost the weight (to be honest, it was more of a byproduct of using exercise and healthy eating to become the happiest version of myself I could be):

About me
How I lost the weight
My experience with disordered eating
What I eat now

If you follow me on social media at all (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), you know that Sunday was a big day for me! As part of my Running for Miss Virginia self-challenge, I completed the Alexandria Half Marathon. It was my first half marathon since I ran the Charlottesville Half last April, and my training since has consisted of two marathons and generally averaging about 10-15 miles a week.

Not optimal half training, if we're being fair.

I woke up on Sunday feeling pretty good and setting a goal of finishing in under 2:10. My previous fastest recorded half marathon time was 2:20:10, and that was during the Marine Corps Marathon last year, not even a legitimate half marathon. Anyways, I thought 2:10 was a pretty lofty goal, but fit pretty well with my "not fast, not last" running motto.

Ready to go

 My plan was to bank time early on, and then not feel bad if I needed to slow down a little later on. I wanted to run the whole thing, but given my "training" program, didn't know if that was a realistic expectation. I finished the first mile in 9:17 and patted myself on the back for not going out too fast. But then the most bizarre thing happened: I got faster.

And faster.

And then, my pace evened out at 8:57 minutes per mile, which my Nike+ app cheerfully informed me of each mile from 6-12.

I saw my dad during mile 12 with our dog, Rusty, and he yelled out that I was going to finish sub 2:00. I yelled back not to jinx it, but knew he was right: it was in the middle of mile 12, and I felt great.

Mile 6: Shouting out that I'm averaging 8:57

My official time was 1:58:17, but the course was long (13.27 miles), and Nike+ clocked me in at 1:57:05 -- a 23 minute PR. I placed 144 out of 546 females.



Celebrating with the pup!

I love running because it's full of unexpected accomplishments. Every run is an opportunity to surprise yourself, and it's safe to say that this half was pretty darn surprising. I've got a 15k this weekend, and the Baltimore 10-miler in three weeks, and am honestly looking forward to setting time goals, something I never thought I'd be doing.

I ran my first half marathon in January 2011, and finished in over 2:48. It's pretty incredible how I've changed as a runner and as a person since then, and just goes to show you: you can accomplish anything you want to, given enough time, energy, and effort.

What's your biggest running accomplishment thus far? What's something you'd like to accomplish?

Why you should run community races

On Saturday morning, I ran my third race of my #runningformissvirginia tour -- the Falcon 5k sponsored by the Flint Hill Elementary School PTA. While I was enjoying my race on Saturday, I was thinking about a fun way to blog about it (obviously). I thought a top four list might be fun -- both as a recap and as a way to inspire you to find a 5k out in your community to run.

When I say community race, I mean one that's sponsored by a small community organization - a church, a school, even a local animal shelter. It's probably the only one of its kind, and you're probably running with maybe 500 people max. You might not even get a t-shirt (I registered late and didn't get one until after the race today), but you will definitely have a good time.

The Top Four Reasons to Run a Community Race

1. You'll be running with people who are truly passionate about the cause you're running for. With smaller races, the advertising is typically local outreach or grassroots advertising by the people who work with the organization. This means that you are surrounded by people who care a lot about whatever you're running for. That passion is contagious, and it makes the run a lot more fun. Today, for example, I ran with about 300 elementary school students and their parents, and the money benefited those kids. I was able to focus more on high fiving the kids as they passed me (and stopping at the stand manned by a couple students labeled "Free Water") and less on trying to PR.
   
2. You can feel good knowing that most of your race fee is going to the title cause. Because there are fewer bells and whistles, more of your money is going to the cause, and less to putting on a show of a race. Don't get me wrong, I love the "show of a race"s too, but it is nice knowing that a large chunk of my money going to something important.
3. What you don't get in pre-race swag, you might get in post-race swag. Smaller races mean you have a better shot at placing, at least in your age division. Today, I won my age group. I have only placed in my division twice before, and I have run a lot of 5ks. If you want to feel totally awesome and you're in your 20s, go run a 5k benefiting an elementary school... turns out these are not hot spots for people our age :)

   

   That 1/1 is the real deal!!

4. There's a lot of cute and inspiring personalized things. Things like: chalk messages cheering you on on the road, spectators out clapping, even your name being read out at the finish line. These are small things, but they're really only possible at smaller races.

   

   Loved the chalk messages! Lots of personalized messages for all of the classes too!

Thanks for a great run, Flint Hill Elementary! I will certainly be back and running again next year :) 

Thanks to my mom for being my awesome supported and capturing cool finish line shots that make me look way faster than I am.

The spirit of running

This morning, I ran the MAD 5K, which was sponsored by the Madison High School Track and Field Team. I registered on Thursday because I got this crazy idea in my head that I would run a race each weekend up until Miss Virginia (if you have one in mind, let me know!).

I am so glad I picked this 5K to kick off my racing "season." It really had it all: beautiful weather, a small but spirited group of runners, a fun course with some hills, and an awesome group of supporters (thank you, Madison Track and Field team!!).

It's been a rough week for runners. The Boston Marathon bombing hit close to home for runners everywhere for a couple reasons. First, the Boston Marathon is pretty much the pinnacle of distance running. If you're a marathon runner, somewhere, deep inside, you would do pretty much anything to earn that BQ (Boston Qualifier time).

The second reason is more important.

If you are a runner, whether you have run a 5k or ten marathons, you have experienced the emotional windfall that happens at a finish line. It's a mix of the joy of accomplishing what you set out to do with the pain in your feet and the eagerness to see those who have come out to support you. It is accomplishment and relief all rolled into one. To be quite honest, it's pretty much unexplainable (although I'm trying very hard to do it right now) if you have never experienced it.

And Boston could have been any race. It could have been any of us. The bombings broke the heart of every runner.

Today, I was reminded of how powerful and special the running community is. Running is amazing in that there are no rules, and, really, it's not about the clock. Runners are young and old, fat and thin, fast and slow. We are runners not because we BQ or don't BQ or because we've run a certain distance, and we're not really competing against each other. Each run - whether one mile or fifty - is about fighting to become the best version of you that you can be. It's about spending some QT (quality time) with yourself, letting go of the self-judgements and negative thoughts, and not allowing the voice in your head to tell you that you can't.

For 20 minutes or four hours, it's just you and the run.

Today was a great run. Runs like the one I had this morning are the reason I fell in love with running. I had a gigantic smile on my face from the first gun to the finish line, and I found myself being paced by an eight year old boy and his father.

They bombed the finish line of the pinnacle of distance running, and we are still running, with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts. I think that means that it never was - and never is - about the finish line.

It's about being paced by an eight-year-old, appreciating fresh air and feeling your heart beat, watching as people achieve goals, and celebrating the best that life has to offer. Running is the essence of what it means to be alive -- something violence and hate can never take away. In this way, our hearts may be broken, but the spirit of running is indestructible.

For what it's worth, I was beat by the eight year old boy.

The first thing I had to do when I crossed the finish line was catch up and thank him for helping me to achieve a 26:03 finish -- the fastest 5K time I've ever run in my short running life.

My first marathon: moments of inspiration

Well, it's been broadcast all over Twitter and Facebook, but I figured I'd do a different kind of race recap here. In case you haven't heard, I finished my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, yesterday. Victory tasted pretty sweet:

My dad and I finished in 5:30:41. Considering he ran the whole thing with a broken toe, I would consider this time a success! Plus, we crossed the finish line hand in hand, smiling. They've started to load the official race photos, and I have to say, I look like I am genuinely enjoying the race in each photo.

For me, this marathon was about finishing. It was about pushing myself to achieve something I had never achieved, and proving to myself that I was capable of accomplishing something this big. And I have to tell you, this may be my greatest personal accomplishment.

Today, as I try to foam roll out the stiffness in my legs that is a constant reminder of yesterday, I wanted to take the time to blog about my experience, and about moments of inspiration from the race.

My race started at 7:55am. We placed ourselves in the 5:00 finish corral, which was silly because our strategy was to run the first 15 miles and then alternate walking and running (walk one mile, run two) to the finish. In retrospect, we should have placed ourselves in the 4:30 finish corral, which would align more with our running time. Instead, we ended up trying to make our way through the pack of people running at a pace 2-3 minutes per mile slower than us for the first three miles.

Being in this grouping brought our first pop of inspiration, when around mile four, we ran past a blind woman running the Marine Corps Marathon, guided by three guide runners. If that doesn't inspire you to be limitless, I don't know what will.

Somewhere around mile four or five, we also found a group whose shirts read "The journey is the reward, the marathon is the victory lap." Reflecting on my own journey, from where/who I was when I signed up for the marathon in March to where/who I am now is a pretty powerful thing. And they're right, the marathon was my celebration - a celebration of living a life that I love and getting a little bit closer to exactly what I want my life to look like.

Mile 11 brought us to our first views of the national mall, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The roundabout we went around was lined with spectators, cheering for friends and family members and random strangers. It was one of two times that I started tearing up, and really only out of sheer inspiration. Here I was, in a sea of 20,000+ runners, all achieving a goal - whether just to finish or to beat a time.

We then made our way to Haynes' Point, which was the most challenging part of the race for me. For miles 13-16, we were spectatorless, and I was hurting. I was pretty excited to cross the 13.1 mile marker at 2:15, which is a whole 15 minutes faster than the half marathon I ran in April, but other than that, I was just ready to start walking. Then, right when I was getting frustrated, I started seeing pictures of fallen soldiers. About 25-30 pictures of young men in their uniforms, smiling, with their names and dates of birth and death along the bottom. Following their pictures was a line of people, each bearing an American flag with a black ribbon, embroidered with a name. It was moving and humbling, and I found myself pretty emotional again. The Marine Corps Marathon is special in this way -- you are inspired by the hundreds (thousands?) of Marines cheering you on from the sidelines, as well as by the countless young men and women who never made it home.

The last ten miles were a blur. I know that my little Miss Greater Springfield princess, Hannah (who loves to run), was my inspiration during mile 21, and that my Girls on the Run girls were my inspiration when my knee started hurting during mile 22. I know there were donut holes at mile 24, and that I ran the last 6.2 miles (after "beating the bridge") with a huge smile on my face after seeing a sign that said "Smile and wave if this is your first marathon -- you are now a marathoner."

And at 26.2, they announced my name, and I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with my dad, a huge smile on my face. Because my journey has been my reward, and the marathon truly was the victory lap.

I hope that if you're reading, you take away this: you are capable of anything you set your mind to. You are in charge -- of what you accomplish, of how you feel, of your life. It is never too late to decide what you want out of your life and to determine how you are going to go after it. Let the blind woman running the Marine Corps Marathon be your inspiration too -- the only limits you have are the ones that you create for yourself.

Can't wait for the next one.

“I am a runner because I run.”

This weekend was pretty crazy, but also pretty crazy awesome. I had two appearances as Miss Greater Springfield on Saturday, enjoyed working at Octoberfest, and then traveled to Charlottesville for the afternoon on Sunday to spend time with the chapter that I advise. Be on the lookout for a couple posts about my appearances from Saturday once I get the pictures :)

Today, I also got to go on a nice run to cap off the weekend. It was a beautiful day, and I really enjoyed jamming out to my music while pounding out my daily mileage. It’s pretty hard to believe that in two weeks, I will be able to call myself a marathoner.

Anyways, while on my run today, I had this moment of realization (like I often do. As it turns out, running time is great thinking time). Somewhere between May and now, I became a runner. As in, I feel the need to run several times a week. As in, I’m already looking forward to picking out my next race. As in, I completed twenty miles in under four hours last weekend with my dad. In the rain. Without complaining.

One of my favorite workout tops has “I am a runner because I run” written inside of the edge of the bottom of the shirt. It’s a good little mantra that has a lot of truth to it. The idea that you can become something just by putting the work in and DOING it is pretty awesome and pretty powerful.

I am a runner because I run. And because I’m at a point where I smile and jam out while doing it. And because I no longer feel the need to walk on a six mile run.

I’m a runner because running is now fun. How crazy is that?

We all fall off the healthy living wagon sometimes

I have a confession to make: I partially fell off the wagon. The healthy living wagon? Yeah, I was on it, and I really have been barely hanging on the last few weeks.

Sure, I’ve been running (I did 20 miles for the first time last Sunday!), and making my way to boxing and yoga occasionally. But eating good-for-me-food? Certainly not like I should be. Like last night? Guess who ate cotton candy like a five-year-old while celebrating the Orioles win over the Yankees (two thumbs up!):

So the last two weeks have been filled with more than my fair share of sugar. And while the ice cream, cotton candy, cake, etc has been quite delicious, I think it finally all caught up with me. I woke up this morning feeling a little bit like a bus hit me, with a wicked stomach ache.

I’m feeling much better after a day of healthy eating, my workouts are on my calendar for the next week, and I am looking forward to getting myself completely back on the wagon.

Moral of the story? Healthy living isn’t a part-time thing. It’s a full time commitment to feeling 100% all of the time, and you can bet if you pull a Jen and channel your inner child for a week, your body is going to rebel.

The good thing is, it’s a pretty easy wagon to hop back on, and feeling good happens pretty quickly.

And now, it’s time for boxing. Look out for a new Tunesday later tonight!

What’s inspiring me this week

Here’s your weekly dose of inspiration, courtesy of Pinterest (if you’re not already, you should be following me!):

 

 

 

 

 

This week, as it turns out, is all about small joys and running. It’s going to be a great one!

Sunday runday

On Sunday, I ran 4.5 miles. My first mile was a swift 8:08, which was pretty exciting, because I don't think I've ever ran a mile that fast? I did warn all of you that I was slow. Anyways, the cool thing about 8:08 is that it means I know that I can run a sub-eight minute mile... and that is pretty exciting.

About a mile and a half in, it started raining lightly. I found it to be pretty refreshing, until the sky opened up and just poured. I was running and laughing and thoroughly enjoying this summer storm when I thought about making a playlist about rain!

Well, weather in general really. But the thought came from having Hunter Hayes' Storm Warning come on my iPod in the middle of a downpour.

So here's an upbeat playlist for your rainy runs. Enjoy!

The "church of sweat"

In my free time, I prefer to read other healthy living blogs instead of being normal and watching TV, mostly because sometimes I come across some really interesting articles.

Like this one from Lululemon's blog.

It's about this new sect of people who are finding something spiritual through their sweat sessions, whether they practice yoga or run or whatever. Now, I'm not sure if it's really "new," persay, since I'm pretty sure people have been finding something higher through yoga, dance, surfing, etc, for a long time, but I love that it's something that we're starting to talk about.

I find that I almost always have some sort of self-realization, inner-peace-finding moment during my 90 minutes in the Bikram room, and more often than not during longer runs. I think that in our over-stimulated world, these times that you set aside for yourself to be away from technology and others and to just be inside your own head are really hard to come by. Of course you're going to find some sort of deeper meaning, because that time is time that you are allowing yourself to focus on your thoughts, your breath, your life.

There's something inherently spiritual about yoga; I think it's the fact that it forces you to be in the moment, to focus on the now. Being forced to listen to your breath and your heartbeat is some sort of reminder that this is your life, and you're living it. Right now, no do-overs.

More than that, I've found that exercise has made me more grateful for the little things -- the cool towel at the end of a hot yoga session, the breeze during a long run, water after a tough workout.

Obviously the "church of sweat" isn't a replacement for a real church experience, but they serve different, yet similiar, purposes. It's like one of my geography professors used to talk about -- if you want to find God, you can go to a church or you can go to the top of a mountain and watch the sun rise. Both make you appreciate life more fully, find a deeper connection, and believe in something bigger than yourself, and honestly, isn't that the whole point?

Tunesday: Tunes that got me through a rough run

This morning started with a six mile run with my dad. If I'm being honest, it was miserable, and mostly because I got inside my own head and psyched myself out.

Because we slept in until 9:15 and didn't start running until 9:45, we missed the cooler weather that would have been afforded to us had we run at the planned time of 8:00 AM. So, it was hot. And my knee hurt. And my ankle hurt. And we were slow.

Like I said, I got inside my head.

Luckily, my iPod was playing all the right tunes to get me through a rough run, and we finished six hot-and-sweaty miles.

Enjoy!:



Taylor Swift - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together

Jason Mraz - You and I Both

Carrie Underwood - This Time

Darius Rucker - This

Hunter Hayes - Storm Warning

Josh Turner - All Over Me

Kenny Chesney - Keg in the Closet

Nicki Minaj - Starships

Jason Derulo - It Girl

Jessie James - Wanted

Katy Perry - Last Friday Night

Train - Save Me, San Francisco

Tristan Prettyman - Madly

Carbon Leaf - Life Less Ordinary

Gavin DeGraw - Follow Through

John Mayer - No Such Thing

Mat Kearney - Ships in the Night

SMASH Cast version of Cheers (Drink To That)

Jessica Andrews - More to Me Than You

My abs are starting to show and it is very confusing.

Some crazy things have been happening in my life recently. Well, one crazy thing really. Over the last few days, while staring at myself during Bikram class (that's what you're supposed to do, I'm not narcissistic, I promise), I have begun to notice something strange going on in the general area of my abs. Something resembling the outline of a six pack? Like real athletes have? It's all very confusing.

You see, I've never had toned abs, and I've certainly never had a six pack.Not in high school when I was cheering and playing softball, not during the last time I was competing in swimsuit pageants, never. It is almost surreal, and probably the second greatest thing to happen since I started this whole yoga-boxing-running-lifting journey (number one is that my arms are getting toned. I really used to hate my arms, but that's a different story for a different time).

At first I thought I was imagining it (hence why this is the first time I've mentioned it), but sure enough, over the last week, I keep seeing the beginnings of six pack showing up.

I had a trainer once (hi Kyle!) who told me that it's 70% nutrition. Now, I've had some pretty awesome results, especially in the fitness/strength department, with exercising alone, but I really haven't been serious about my nutrition. But now that I'm starting to see results from my workouts, I really think trying to clean up my diet (not diet, clean up what I'm eating, period) might be what I need.

My boxing gym is pretty great, and I have a free appointment scheduled with a nutritionist on Tuesday. I'm really excited to discuss my goals with her and see what guidance she has for me. I think it's going to be tricky, because I really need to be sure I'm eating enough calories, especially with marathon training starting.

Sidenote: by the end of tonight, I'll have another tab on the top that's a daily log of my workouts. I typically record them on a paper calendar, but I figure I'll share them with you too!

Weekly Workouts

I've alluded to this before but: over the last two months, I've worked out A LOT. I've been lucky in that my part time job affords me the time to be able to be active as much as possible. It's the reason I've shaped up so quickly.

The bottom line is, if you want results quickly, you have to work hard. A lot. And you have to eat enough to fuel all of the exercise you're doing -- this part is the most important.

Anyways, the real point of this post is this: I really need to start planning out my workouts in order to balance all of the activities I like to do. Earlier today, I went to my gym to do an upper body workout and realized I hadn't been there in two weeks! Plus, with marathon training starting, I have to plan all that in as well. I currently have three different memberships (whoops): One to my regular gym where I run and lift weights, one to my Bikram yoga studio, and one to my boxing gym. Sidenote: I joined a boxing gym. Yes, I love it, and yes, it kicks my butt every time I go. I justify all three because they're all for different activities, so dropping one would mean I lost one area of my training.

So Wednesdays are now for planning. And I'm sharing it here so that I can hold myself to following through on each part, and so that you can get an idea of what I'm doing to kick myself into shape. So here's this week:

Thursday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing, Lower body, 3 mile run

Friday:

Morning: Boxing

Saturday:

Morning: Boxing

Afternoon: Bikram Yoga, Upper body, 3 mile run

Sunday:

Morning: Boxing

Afternoon: Bikram Yoga, Lower body, 5 mile run

Monday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing

Tuesday:

Morning: Bikram yoga

Afternoon: Kickboxing, Upper body, 3 mile run

Wednesday:

Morning: Bikram yoga, Boxing

Afternoon: I fly to San Antonio for ANTSO National Miss Nationals!!

Tunesday

Before I post this, I want to (again) apologize for my truly terrible taste in music. That being said, this playlist is powering me through an upper body workout, two miles of running, and 30 minutes of walking uphill on the dreadmill (In all honesty, I actually kind of like the treadmill... I've trained myself to like it by planning my workouts so I get to watch the Orioles on it) today, and is 100% guarenteed to make you smile!

No Letting Go - Wayne Wonder (How's this for a throwback?)
We Run - Sugarland
The Fighter - Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder (This is my favorite song of the moment. I think it's perfect for both running and lifting, which is hard to do)
Lights - Ellie Goulding
Fine by Me - Andy Grammer
Brokenhearted - Karmen (Like I said, truly, truly terrible taste)
Glad You Came - The Wanted
How Will I Know - Glee Cast version (If you haven't heard this, you need to.)
Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
What Country Is - Luke Bryan
What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger) - Kelly Clarkson
Only the Good Die Young - Billy Joel
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
Payphone - Maroon 5 ft. Wiz Khalifa
Songs Like This - Carrie Underwood
She's Like Texas - Josh Abbott Band
Starships - Nicki Minaj
Opposite of Adults - Chiddy Bang
So Much Better - Legally Blonde, the Musical
International Love - Pitbull ft. Chris Brown
Boyfriend - Justin Bieber

What's inspiring me this week

Happy Tuesday! Here's what's inspiring me this week (all pinned on Pinterest. You should follow me!)

How to lose weight the healthy way

The first picture is from May of 2011, two days after I graduated college, and following my dad and I running the Historic Half. The other picture is prior to my most recent 5k, this past Saturday. The pink shirt is the same!

In a year, I’ve lost 25 pounds, two sizes, and have cut my body fat significantly. It’s been slow and steady, but I figured it might be time to blog about it and share some of what’s worked for me, in case someone out there has a few pounds to lose, and wants to do it without compromising their health or sanity.

Here's what’s worked for me:

1. Don’t expect it to be quick, and don’t get frustrated if you’re only losing 1-2 pounds a week. I think TV shows like the Biggest Loser make us feel like if we’re not losing pounds by the double digits, we’re failing. In all actuality, that show creates an unrealistic environment – unless you’re working out hours upon hours a day, being fed a regulated diet, and have lots of fat to lose, it’s just not going to happen that quickly. Patience is a virtue, and studies have shown that when you lose weight slowly, you’re more likely to keep it off.
2. No food is off limits. In the past, I had found that when I looked at certain foods as “bad,” I wanted to eat them All. The. Time. Instead, I eat what I want, when I want it, in moderation. If you’re eating well 80% of the time, the other 20% of the time isn’t going to derail your progress. At the same time, your health/fitness is 70% nutrition – what you eat has a huge impact on how you feel when you work out, how well you sleep, and, obviously, your overall health.
3. Figure out what works for you and what doesn’t. I like carbs and I like sweets – I could never give up either, so I don’t, because if I did, I’d fail. The same goes for fitness – find activities you enjoy doing, and you’ll be more apt to do them. I love running, I love lifting weights, and I love yoga, but if you love Zumba or swimming, you should be doing that.
4. Don’t just rely on the scale as a progress monitor. If you’re lifting weights, you’re probably gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat. Plus, some people just aren’t capable of weighing a certain amount (like I’m just never going to weigh 115 pounds, it’s not going to happen). I had my body fat measured to compare overall fitness levels and also just use clothes as a way to measure progress.
5. On that note, be realistic, and know why you want to lose weight. Like I said, I’m never going to weigh 115 pounds – it’s just not going to happen. I’m also never going to look like Natalie Portman, because we’re just not built the same. Realistically, I want to be fit enough to do the things I love. I want to be toned and healthy, because being fit helps me enjoy life more.

Anyways, after I saw the picture from Saturday, I figured it was time to share. Leave a comment if you have other tips!

Happy National Running Day!

Today was National Running Day, so obviously I celebrated every way I knew how:

Running four miles, having a great upper body workout, and then going to Bikram class. It turns out that it's 1.9 miles to my gym, so I took advantage of the beautiful weather and ran there, did an extra .2 miles on the treadmill, did my upper body workout, and then ran back. It was really a great run, and I averaged right around an 8:40 mile, which is a great pace for me! I can really tell that my body and fitness level are changing with the workouts I've been doing. I also got to go to Bikram tonight, and it was a really emotional class, although I'm not sure why. When I was coming out of camel (essentially a back bend when standing up on your knees), I just started crying! Apparently this is fairly normal, and the instructor told me after class that this can be a good thing since this pose especially sometimes unlocks built up emotions. Weird.

Signing up for a 5k. Surprise! I've decided that I'm running a 5k on Saturday. It's in Sterling through neighborhoods, and I'm hoping to run well.. Time goal is to get it under 30:00, which I know sounds really slow, but I haven't run one in a while! And my all time PR is somewhere around 27:00, so I'm (now not so) secretly hoping to break 27:00, since I've been running so well.

Buying a new running shirt. I got this baby in ruby red from Dick's  today, and I love it! It's kind of like a jersey, but way cuter and perfect for both Bikram and running. I wore it to yoga today with my black Nike Pro spandex shorts and a black sports bra.

 

Treating myself  to my new favorite drink at Starbucks. Since taking up Bikram, I crave water and Starbucks Passion Tea literally All. The. Time. So today, I got a trenta Iced Passion Tea with no sweetener, and added my own Splenda. I felt zero bad about it.

Telling you my favorite treadmill workout! Okay, so this is my gift to you for National Running Day. I love running outside when the weather is nice, but sometimes it's too hot or it's thunderstorming, and this workout is perfect for that! 

Time                         Incline                         Speed

0:00-6:00                      1.0                                 6.5

6:00-9:00                      1.0                                 4.5

9:00-14:00                    1.0                                 6.5

14:00-16:30                  1.0                                 4.5

16:30-20:30                  1.0                                 6.5

20:30-22:30                  1.0                                 4.5

22:30-25:30                  1.0                                 6.5

25:30-27:00                  1.0                                 4.5

27:00-29:00                  1.0                                 7.5

29:00-30:00                  1.0                                 4.5

30:00-31:00                  1.0                                 7.5
31:00-60:00                  15.0                               4.0

The thing I love most about this workout is that it's challenging the whole time, and that it's never boring because you're not really going at one pace for that long (besides the end). I love walking uphill on the treadmill because it's great for your legs and a great calorie burner. Something that I learned from Runner's World and other healthy living blogs is that whenever you're running on a treadmill, you should always set it to at least a 1.0 incline, because this best mirrors running on a road or trail.

Did you do anything fun to celebrate National Running Day? Leave me a comment!

Upcoming races

One of the things I love most about running is participating in races. I’ve run quite a few 5ks and two half marathons. In fact, running in races has been the thing I’ve missed most of this year on the road.

I like races because of the community they allow me to be a part of. The running community is non-judgmental, welcoming, and healthy. Being around the kind of people who get up early on a Saturday morning to do something good for their health are a special breed, and I like being one of them.

So it should be no surprise that I got really excited when I got this in my inbox earlier this week:

That’s right, I’ll be running the Charlottesville Half in just THREE DAYS! I’m preparing by drinking lots of water and making a killer playlist. And I’ve picked out my outfit – I will be running in my Texas shorts and a black running top. And obviously with my Spibelt. Get excited for pictures.

Yesterday, I also registered for another race, a two mile sand dune race on the Fourth of July.  I’ll be spending the holiday with some friends in the Outer Banks, and right now I know six of the nine participants who have signed up! I’m pretty excited for a new experience.

And, finally, I’ve got the big one coming up – my first full marathon. The Marine Corps Marathon sold out of 30,000 spots in under three hours, which is apparently a record for the US! Crazy. I’m not sure exactly what I’ve gotten myself into, but I do know that I’m excited and that I’m looking forward to starting my training.

So there’s my race schedule. It’s a little light right now, but once I get back home, I’m excited to sign up for a few more 5ks… And the Color Run that all my friends took part in in Atlanta is coming to DC in September! I’m super pumped for registration to open.

Anyone have any good recommendations for races in or near the DC area? They have to be after May 7th, but if you’ve got good ones, I’d love to hear about them!