Fit Mom's Blog

Most of us are working out in the early morning hours, right?  We have to get the run in before work and that requires A commitment to running or cycling in the dark.  This should lead us to take some precautions to protect ourselves and also to alert the drivers that we are there!  But, really, how many of us take the extra time to protect ourselves when heading out for a run?! I’ll admit that I forget the important stuff 50% of the time.

A few reminders include- run against the flow of traffic, keep the ipod on low, where a neon vest, headlamp, and have a road ID on, and be alert!

Women’s Running Vest, $15.95

Petzl Tikka Plus 2 LED Headlamp at REI for $39.95.  Note: We bought headlamps for camping and they work great, just, not sure how they’d feel for running.  Anybody have a brand they like?

Road ID Firefly High Visibility Gear, $12.95

Road ID, $19.99

Road ID FireflyBelt, $12.99

What other important essentails do you carry with you on a run?

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The best part of trail running is the DIRT. Love climbing hills, then descending different hills only to come home with seriously dirty legs. In cycling, if you come home with grease stains on your leg, we’d call you a “FRED”. But, if you come home with muddy legs, it’s a badge of honor.

TWO THINGS I NEED AT THE END OF THE LONG RUN

There are two types of products that I am aware of that will essentially do the same thing. Designed to be “showerless” body cleaners. The first is Rocket Shower. It comes in a spray bottle and it’s designed to be the shower that you don’t have. Simply spray it on then wipe it off. Can be used for the bike commuter, or the hurry-up lunchtime workout….you name it! The second product is Martha Van’s Action Wipes. I featured them here a year ago and we have since repurchased and have really enjoyed using them. These wipes are 200% better than a baby wipe, they smell better and one wipe can completely clean you up. Love them. If you’re a bike commuter, like my husband, he prefers Rocket Shower upon arrival at work because it resembles a shower. However, if you’re out running in the mountains and have an hour drive home, then, I prefer the Action Wipes. One wipe can cover your whole body two times through, it smells fantastic and it really makes me feel refreshed post run.

RECOVERY DRINK & SMOOTHIE CUP

My favorite is Hammer Nutrition’s Recoverrite. It has the potential to positively impact your delayed onset muscle soreness and has lots of other benefits that you can read about here. It is pricey, so I save it for the big workouts or long runs.

New Cool Looking Gadget:

This looks like it’d work great for an on the go smoothie cup.

Anybody have one you could recommend?

What is your favorite product or post-run essential?

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How many of you are tired of hearing about how you can lose 2 dress sizes in 2 weeks? Believe the crap about eating cereal twice a day will help you lose weight? Eating this or that will bring the changes you want to see in your body? Or how about lifting weights? Interval work, blah blah blah…You’ve heard it all before and so have I. I’ve also tried many of the current fitness rages and blogged about them here. I’m here to tell you that I’ve thrown all those damn rules out the door!

Kettlebell swing, kettlebell squats, one arm leg lunges, abdominal work with a kettlebell; all been done here.

Marathoning. Check.

Bike Racing. Check.

Basic Weight Training on the Shawn Phillips philosophy. Check.

David Kirsh’s methods of training via his book (2 weeks to Ultimate Body). Ok, book read, exercises tried, but did not follow plan.

Interval work on bike or feet. Check.

People, I could send you links to evidence to all of the above posts. In the last two years, I’ve tried MANY MANY methods in which to stay fit and healthy and lose body fat. At this point, finally, my youngest is 3 and 1/2 and my weight is lighter than I’ve ever been in my life. My food is fairly intuitive in that I eat a green smoothie, a salad, mostly fish diet, that includes dark chocolate, lots of NUMI tea, occasional beers and sometimes, crap. But, for the most part, I am leaner and lighter than I’ve ever been in my life.

Guess what?!

I AM NOT LIFTING WEIGHTS. AT ALL. That 35 pound kettlebell is sitting in my garage collecting dust. My stability ball is my desk chair. The elastic bands are used as jump ropes for my kids. The weight bench is used for all kinds of imaginary adventures for the boys but I’ve not lifted, pulled or flexed on that thing in almost a year.

Honestly, I still do something physical daily. But, the fact of the matter is that I am not specifically training with any particular plan. I simply run or do yoga. Once a week, I will do Graeme’s CORE AB-Blaster DVD that takes 14 minutes. That sounds simple enough right? The thing with the yoga is that it has made me stronger and leaner than I ever got lifting weights. When I was lifting weights 3 times a week, I was QUADZILLA!! Biggest legs of a girl you’ve ever seen, really. Take one yoga pose like Warrior 2. Hold it for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Feel the burn. Where do you feel it first? If it’s done correctly, you will feel it everywhere!! Take any yoga pose and hold it for even 5 breathes and you get tired. Because it is working your entire body at once!

Learning yoga has been the best gift I ever could have gotten for my body, for my mental health and for my sports. When people ask me about their various running related injuries, I send them to yoga.

It can only benefit you.

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First, fell in love with the knickers.  Then found love for the shirts and finally found love for my Roga Shorts.  I love all Sally’s products.

Oiselle Running. “Run in what you love”

This is an unpaid, unsollicited post.  If I love something, I write about it.

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Remember those old hamster cages where the hamster gets on and does nothing but run?  That’s how I felt today.  730AM to 730PM, it’s go go go go go…  From 1st sip of coffee to the last sip of water, I’m on the run.   Today’s lessons included: physical fitness lessons on how to perform a correct push-up {got a new gadget} to 6 sections of yoga to very young children {ages 3 to 9}, to square dancing…phew!  In between all that I squeezed in some hill repeats and a core workout for myself.  And, I cooked dinner, but, forgot to eat it, boo.  In addition, my own children and I worked on after school lessons on whales and did a yoga video together!! Holy Cow.  Can I squeeze in anything else?! Not that I’m complaining, cause I love my job, but I sure am BUSY.

Anyway, just read this and thought I should share.. Anybody have a Girls on the Run program in their town?  Seems like it’d be a worthy cause if you wanted to start one…

Some Sad Facts For Today’s Girls:

• Three million young Americans seriously considered suicide in 2000 and of those, over 1 million actually tried to kill themselves.
• Girls were twice as likely as boys to report contemplating suicide.
• Body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint are predictors of depression in girls.
• Almost two-thirds of girls in 5th-12th grades are dissatisfied with their body shape and want to lose weight.
• Girls as young as five form negative self-images based on their weight.
• Among girls, an emphasis on popularity and slimness along with increased television viewing are linked to low self-esteem.

If You Want To Help Change That, Here Is Some Good News:

• Girls who participate in physical activities are 40% less likely to smoke, have higher levels of self-esteem, better body images, and lower levels of depression.
• Girls who have experienced emotional trauma respond positively to physical fitness programs.
• Girls who participate in physical activities are less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior during adolescence.
• Girls who participate in physical exercise have better relationships with parents, get better grades, are less likely to use drugs and are less depressed than girls who don’t.

And The Best News? If She’s Involved With Girls On The Run:

• she has higher self-esteem;**
• she has improved eating attitudes;**
• she has an improved body image;** and
• she has a positive peer group and positive role models for her future.

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Hubby’s day off is always a good day to plan all of our family adventures, and today was unique in that he was up and out by 630AM so that I could be out on the trail by 10AM.  Temperatures were ranging in the mid-to high 90′s and there is no shade on at my favorite trail running location.  But, I was thrilled to be getting out with no time constraints and knowing that breakfast would be waiting for me upon my return…

What happened on this long run?  Well lots of good things that include NOT seeing a rattle snake, NOT seeing any mountain lions or their tracks, NOT seeing any animals of any sort…getting a little lost but still finding  my way down, and lots of UPHILL sandy trails to run up!

1st really good thing were my new shoes!

I just found out that these shoes are manufactured right in my hometown!! Five Ten is known for their climbing shoes among other things.  The thing that makes them different is how they grip the ground!  I love trail running in these shoes.  {Shh…there is a warehouse sale every Friday here!}

2nd good thing…music. On the trail, I’ve been using my ipod and adore having good music in my ears.   My current favorite opening song is called Crack the Shutters by Snow Patrol.

3rd good thing…well, I did it! 55 minutes of trail running is the longest run I’ve done in a REALLY LONG TIME!!  No Garmin anymore, just me and my heart rate monitor (unattached) so  keeping it really simple. Time.  Increase by 10% weekly.  Few hard runs during the week.  That’s it.

4th good thing…eggs! Hubby made me  eggs with lots of salsa and veggies as soon as I got back!  Loved them.

More adventures await us tomorrow as it’s International Day of Peace and my kid is very excited about carrying a giant Peace Dove to the Assembly!

Hope you all have a great Monday.

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Hubby’s last chance to race mountain bikes was today. It’s called the Autumn Cup and it’s held every year at Rim Nordic. We are lucky to have this wilderness area as we use it in the winter too for cross country skiing. Since, I’m not yet a single track queen, I prefer to trail run on these days. As you all know I love to trail run!

We arrived at 9:05AM.  Hubby’s race starts at 10:00, so I seriously jumped out of the car, and ran off!

30 minutes is all the time I had, so I simply ran UPHILL hard.  Lots of single track in the shade forced me to remove my glasses, but, I had a great time!

The fun didn’t stop upon arrival at the car, cause I have two kids who move in opposite directions! Yikes.  Last time we were here, we lost my youngest for at least 5 minutes, so, I was especially uptight about keeping an eye on them…This lead to big rock climbs, hikes up non-existent trails and lost of dirt!

Then, it was time for the kid’s race!  My big kid was READY! Oh boy.  He introduced himself as hi I’m Benjamin and this is “bike-o” and he (the bike) is really fast.  Last time we were here, he won, so he set himself up to be fast in his head today.  As I was running with him, he ran over another parent cause he was trying to get in the front, LOL.  And all the while, he was saying out loud, “I will never give up….” 

Daddy decided that today was the day for Ryan’s training wheels to come off!  He’s 3 and a half!  Hubby was planning on pushing him and apparently, Ryan did fine for about half the distance, then, he just threw down his bike and cried.

As soon as he crossed the finish line first, he was handed the microphone.  What did he say?  He told everyone that it wasn’t him that was fast, it was “bike-o!”  What a crack up.  He was perfectly comfortable telling the whole world that he was happy to finish the bike race first and then he proceeded to encourage his brother who was having a complete meltdown 3 feet from the finish line.

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Thanks to all of you for commenting on the Just Be Kind post!  Glad we all agree that there needs to be more Random Acts of Kindness in the world.  Not saying that the moron driving 50 mph on a residential street and trying to pass me is going to get the Kind Fit Mommy, though.  He might get the aggressive one who steps on the gas and will tell him just exactly how rude is he for trying to pass on the right on a two lane road…Maybe I’m the one who needs the intervention for MORE YOGA??!

The following are some ways to get yourself BACK ON SCHEDULE for your fitness goals.  I’m sure they are things you’ve heard before but they are worth repeating!

*Reset or change your goals to accommodate the daylight savings time.  When are you going to work out?    Will it involve 5AM wake-up calls?

*Get a buddy.  Find a running buddy who will meet you at least once a week to workout with.  This is a BIGGIE.  If someone is waiting for you, you are much more likely not to hit the alarm.

*Decide what you are training for.  Want to lose a few pounds, maintain, or train for a 5km or longer? Maybe a century ride or a mountain bike ride or race?

*Find a yoga class.  This is important.  Sorry, it’s a must.  If you are an athlete of any sort {remember, I think you are all athletes}, you NEED yoga.  This is a tricky subject because there is a LOT of strange things happening in yoga now- but, keep searching until you find one teacher that speaks to you.  Make it a goal to go once a week, if not more.  The flexibility, balance, strength that you build in a yoga class will transfer to benefits in your sport and life.

*Look at your schedule and decide when you can carve out time for yourself and then do it.

*Have some kind of plan in place for your decided goal.  When you’ve spent the time to carve out YOUR TIME, you should have an idea of what you’re going to do with it!!

*Eat copious vegetables.  Make a protein/green smoothie daily.  Drink your water, blah, blah blah…You know what to do.

*Avoid AVOID avoid the crap food offered in the workplace.

*Use your lunchhour productively.  Thankfully, there is lunchtime yoga in the big cities now, it’s a great way to get your workout DONE before kids and dinner become the priority.

*Buy a PowerWheel. Cheap. Fantastic way to work your core in 1 minute.

Ok, your turn, what can you add to this post?  It’s time to crack down and get on a schedule!  It’d prolly be a great time to train for a winter marathon, btw.  Who’s racing this season?

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Yep. It’s that time again. School.  Can’t wait.  This year, I will have two job titles; Yoga and Physical Education.  Exciting times ahead, I assure you.  The most exciting thing is my “fitness Fridays” idea that I am trying to get off the ground.  Since, I teach in a private school, the door is a little more open for opportunities to learn -off campus.  We are working on 3 bike skills days, trail running, indoor climbing gym, hiking, etc..whatever they will allow me to do, I am going to attempt to get done. Phew.  And, teach yoga and PE.

Day Following Rock N Roll Marathon in 04. Notice I couldn’t squat!

If that isn’t enough, there is still one more bike race to do and very likely, I will attempt one beginner mountain bike race, just for the fun of it.  Even better, is the thought of marathon running in the future- JUST FOR FUN- not for time.  I have friends doing both the Las Vegas Marathon and the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon (Fitarella???).  I would love to do these as “training” but more importantly, these would be mini- getaways for me. Not that I need them (who doesn’t) but it would be a blast!

And, then there is the bike racing thing.  I really should commit to that for more than 5 races a year.  Probably would have better results and confidence when it comes to racing if I did it more often…
Can I do both?

P.S. The links provided in this post were generated by Kosmix.  It’s something that I am trying out for a little while. If they become annoying, please let me know.

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Are you sitting in a chair right now? Have you been in one for more than an hour today? How about your bike? 1 hour? Run? Everything I do as a mother or as an athlete involves my hip flexors. They are seriously tight. TIGHT. You (and me) need to make serious efforts to practice having a balanced body and to open the areas of tightness in our bodies. For most of us, that means we need to work on the REVERSE of what you do daily. I believe that we need to work on opening the hip joint area with stretches for the hip flexors, backbends and twists.

Yoga is also about paying attention- to the little things that are happening in your body. And iit’s about listening to your body and learning when to back off. Looking at these poses now, I know exactly what is happening in my body during the poses are where I need to do work, do you?

Please check with Yoga Journal for instructions!

Why? It opens the entire body from the fingertips to the toes. Opens the hamstrings, shoulders and strengthens the quadriceps. It is technically an inversion and it will strengthen the entire shoulder girdle area. Important to remember to hug the biceps and triceps to the bone.

Cobra. This pose is deceivingly hard! Roll the shoulder blades down the back, press evenly into the hands, scrape the elbows close to the body and lift the sternum away from the navel. If you have tight hip flexors this is also beneficial. I think this is one pose that gets overlooked but is highly valuable to athletes because it is a strengthening pose as well as an opening pose for the hip flexors!

High Lunge or also preparation for Crescent (which would have the arms extended overhead). Massive hip opener for the extended leg. The hardest part for me in yoga is teaching my body how to be “on”! For me, this pose is learning how to engage the inner thigh of the standing leg and get it to spin up towards the ceiling. Also, to remember to engage the quadriceps of the extended leg.

Camel or Ustrasana. For those of you with tight hip flexors this pose is wicked hard! In talking to my teacher about backbends the other day, she suggested I work on this pose daily rather than the full backbend. Camel pose opens the hip flexors, thighs and abdominal muscles and it opens the shoulders and chest. Looking at him, he makes the pose look easy! But, for us athletes, this pose is massively hard! It’s important to remember to send the sternum to the toward the ceiling and keep the inner thighs releasing back towards the wall behind you.

Finally! A rest pose. Viparita Karani (legs up the wall pose). Lovely. All athletes should do this daily. Why? Because it will release fluid in the legs- it is the exact opposite of what we do all day every day. There are many benefits of this pose- it’s an inversion, it’s restorative, according to my Yoga Works manual, it will stimulate the adrenal glands and kidneys and circulation to the lungs!

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